Mom's up and walking!
Shown here with brother-in-law, John

October 27, 2019 - Sunday morning

30 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

We're filled with all sorts of good and exciting news this morning. Sargie and I were shopping yesterday afternoon when my phone chimed. My sister, Barb, had sent a picture of Mom walking on her own. 

In talking with Mom last night, she said she's working hard in physical therapy and hopes to return to her apartment in the next week or two. I'll tell you, Mom's part super hero, part Energizer Bunny, and part Terminator. Best of all, she's Mom to us all!

Sargie and I will be heading back to Indiana the week after next to visit Mom for a few days.

The other big news is that my son, Luke, received the Officer of the Year Award for the S. Portland, Maine, Fire Department.

The Captain has had multiple commendations over the years for putting his life at risk while saving others and now, as a senior officer, he continues to save lives, both as a fire fighter and administratively.  

I think Luke was destined to become a fireman from the time he was three years old when he sneaked away, was playing around a trash fire, and had a bit of burning plastic fall on his arm. 

The little guy wasn't hurt, but it taught him never to play with fire... or did it?

We both took smoke eater (fighting forest fires) classes while he was in high school and Luke later spent days fighting a serious fire in northern Maine. After, he proclaimed he wanted to be a fire fighter. Luke put himself through school, earning a degree in fire science, and to my knowledge, never looked back.

As with my other three sons, I'm proud of ol' Lukie. I've always told each that if you're going to do something, do it right or don't do it at all.

Luke's doing it right.

Saturday morning began in the shop. I finally got the Hutterite girl and boy glued together.

It's been a fun project and other than mounting the pair and putting a frame around the edges, that project will be finished.

The shadows make it look a bit different, but you get the idea

Last night was spent putting the finishing touches on the couple. It's damp in the shop and despite all the lighting, difficult to see for fine touch up after dark. I brought a few paints to the dining room and dabbed a final bit here and there.

While the pieces were drying yesterday morning, I began splitting the pile of fire wood that's been piling up in the portable garage.

Between what was cut Friday and that from yesterday, I'll be working up wood for sometime to come. 

Sargie and I attacked the last ash tree alongside Pentoga Road Saturday morning.

I was fearful it would fall into the road and took my time notching and making a near vertical cut on the backside.

It's leaning to the right, but actually fell to the left parallel to the road.

Thankfully, it fell the right way with the majority landing nearly perfect alongside the road. Sargie hurriedly cleared the upper branches that would have obstructed any traffic and we spent the next two hours cutting and hauling.

We finished with the tree around noon, ran through the shower, then made our way to Rhinelander for groceries and supplies. Seems we're still trying to get ready for the upcoming winter.

My big money purchase was for power snow shovel, a small, lightweight, snowblower, with which to remove the snow from the garage, front porch, and storage shed, roofs. I'll also use it on the back deck. Shoveling snow just isn't nearly as much fun as it used to be. 

Why is that?

I'm going to head out the door and begin emptying the trailer of yesterday's wood. Judging from the stacked rows in the portable garage, I think we'll have between three to four full cords of hardwood, plus several more of softwood to burn for this upcoming winter. 

As Mississippi Brother Garry says, "Good 'nuff."

I sub four out of the five days this coming week. Let's see, Monday and Tuesday, I'm in the first grade room, have Wednesday off, in the library on Thursday, and back in a first grade room on Friday. 

With that said, it's time to get this old body in gear and start working up wood.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Sargie snapped this picture of last night's beautiful sunset