 |
| A Bouquet for my Bride |
30 degrees/partly cloudy/windy
Pentoga Road
I don't think Sargie would have found the above picture very amusing Saturday afternoon when we both were fighting the wind and snow while bringing the more delicate summer plants to their winter home down the basement.
Outside conditions yesterday could only be described as cold and miserable.
Let's see, before I go too much further, Mama was moved from ICU to the "heart floor" the day before yesterday and is eagerly anticipating being moved to the Rehab Center in the long term care section of her senior community this coming week. Mom still has swelling (fluid) in her legs and can, at best, stand, but not walk on her own. It's going to take some work and rehab, but we're all hopeful that the toughest lady in the world will be trekking along at some point and able to return to her apartment in the future.
We'll be heading back south to see Mama in the next few weeks once she's settled in at her community.
Back on Pentoga Road...
I spent Saturday morning in the shop where I finished sawing the mother/child piece.
Now the difficult work begins.
For whatever reason, I had a difficult time finding just the right blade to use on the scroll saw. Hickory is a hard wood. Axe and hammer handles are made from hickory and in my childhood days, Dad even told me my head was made from solid hickory.
Thick hickory makes sawing more difficult than usual and with a puzzle-like segmented piece, accurate cutting is essential.
The pieces were slowly carved from the hickory board and pieced together Saturday morning. Right now, it's rough, mighty rough. I'll clean it up today, do some more hand sanding, put a base on the piece, and cover it all with a coat of poly. My intentions are to give it to a new mommy tomorrow when I substitute teach in Florence.
The rest of the day was spent outside with Sargie in the snow and wind.
With nothing but cold temperatures in the forecast, it was time to move the delicate outside plants to the basement.
Sargie's spikes, those giant redwoods of the northern flower planter, have roots that grow to China and back. In years past, I've always used a shovel to remove them. This year, I used the tractor.
It was simply too cold to be playing in the dirt. A slow pull on the lever saw the plant magically rise into the air.
Easy eh?
It was going well until we tried the tractor trick on the large spike growing out by the road. Several years old, it's a tough old bugger.
We wrapped the strap around the base after which I gently pulled the lever.
Whoops. Oh oh.
What we didn't realize was that the outside would slip leaving the stem looking like a skinned rabbit. The leafy part was hollow inside and resembled an artificial Christmas tree that could be pieced together.
Since there's no super glue that might fix the old spike, we bade it farewell.
The remainder of the vines, spikes, and geraniums were salvaged and made ready to carry downstairs.
We fought the cold, snow, and wind, all afternoon and as we do every fall, swore this would be the last year that we save the delicate plants.
The soil from the large planters was dumped into holes and/or low places in the side yard. Sargie made sure no black dirt goes to waste.
Needing sand with which to cover the roots downstairs, I gathered several sandbags that were originally destined to be used for the filters in the pond, but weren't needed.
We carted, carried, grunted, and I might have said a naughty word or two, but in the end, the plants were safely bedded in their winter home in the basement.
They'll remain under the steps for the next six months, waiting for the warmth and sunshine of spring.
Wet, cold, and tired, we made a quick trip to town for Sargie's Coke and to take advantage of a one day sale at the grocery. We were on the way home when Sargie asked if I would like her to bake an apple cake.
Apple cake, one of my favorites. HECK YEAH!
While Sargie did the important part, I plucked a few large Macintosh apples from the tree and set about peeling and coring each.
To say that Sargie's apple cake is to die-for good would be an understatement.
Hmm, one quick observation. There seems to be a definite correlation between her semi retirement and the size of my belly. On today's venue, another of my favorites, barbecued ribs!
I enjoyed a huge piece of apple cake after a steak and baked potato dinner and loved it so much, that I had a second piece an hour later.
 |
| Since the cake was made with love, the calories don't count. |
Yooper Brother Mark and Sheri are currently out in Sin City, Las Vegas, for a few days enjoying their timeshare with Isabella, Sarah, and Curtis who flew down from Wyoming. It was Isabella's fifth birthday and when asked what she wanted to do for her special day, she replied, "Go bowling."
So bowling is what they did.
Today on Pentoga Road:
Though it's not yet light, I'm heading out to the shop to turn on the heat. I want to get the segmented mother/child piece finished this morning then head to the garden and reassemble the deer fence. Since it will be stretching around the garden house and berm, I'll be adding several posts and all that goes with that.
It's going to be another cold, snowy, and windy day, but are we surprised?
 |
| The planters are empty |
After all, a man's work is never done.
 |
| Waiting in the parking lot at the grocery store. That's one ugly driver. |
So are the tales from Pentoga Road...
No comments:
Post a Comment