December 31, 2019 - Tuesday morning

20 degrees/cloudy/snow showers

Pentoga Road

I'm running a day late and a dollar short this morning. Since the roads are questionable, I told Sargie I'd take her to work this morning which means having to wake up Hambone so he can ride with. It's going to be a madhouse in a few minutes.

I think about eight inches of snow fell in yesterday's rain/snow debacle. It was so wet that even a short time playing in the snow meant wet clothes.

The three of us spent quite a bit of time outside cleaning the drive, front steps, and deck. I was out twice trying to keep up with the snowfall. It wasn't the amount that was bothersome, it was the quality, wet and heavy. It's hard to plow any more than a few inches at a time and using the snowblower is out of the question as it quickly clogs the chute.

There are several pictures to post, most taken by Grandma Sargie, so I'll just go ahead and put those on. I don't think any need a lot of comment.

I had to run outside every now and then to clean both satellite dishes (the internet and television.)

Sargie works until noon today then we'll be taking Hambone to meet his mommy and daddy so they can celebrate the New Years as a family. If this year is like those in the past, Sargie and I will be in bed long before the clock strikes midnight. 

When it comes to late night partying, I'm a flower. What can I say?



Time to rouse Sargie and Hambone. It's time to get this show on the road.



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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

There's nothing better on a cold winter evening than snuggling on the couch under a blankie and watching the Wizard of Oz.

December 30, 2019 - Monday morning

33 degrees/heavy snow/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Since Hambone's parents had to work today and The Bone is on Christmas break, we sneaked away yesterday afternoon and met Macrea halfway to bring him home.

Arg, what's with this weather? We had (no exaggeration here) literally, monsoon rains during the night. Since I'd previously put the rain gauge away for the year, I have no idea how many inches have fallen over the past several days, but it's almost guaranteed that the area will be flooding this spring once everything begins to melt.

The rain changed to snow an hour ago and we're to receive up to 13 inches before it all ends early Tuesday morning. Mmm, that'll be fun to clear, a foot of wet snow covering an inch of solid ice.

As mentioned previously, the heavy snow and freezing rain have taken their toll on the area trees, including this branch that is now laying across the old Ford tractor.

Skipping the usual morning stroll due to rain and very icy roads, I made my way to the shop Sunday morning. The praying Santa piece is now completely sanded and ready to paint and detail.

With the rain continuing to pour, I had to tip toe from the barn to the house and almost ended up on my backside more than once.

I turned on the Packers game at noon and immediately wished I'd have stayed in the shop. It's been a while since I've seen a team try to lose a game as badly as the Packers did on Sunday afternoon. Still, despite their horrible showing, the team managed to beat the lowly Detroit Lions in the last three seconds. 

The Packers better find a new attitude if they hope to go far in the playoffs.

Our first attempt at going into town was a failure as we couldn't make it up the hill in front of our house. I had to back halfway to Pentoga to make a successful run for it.

The plow truck eventually went through, spreading gravel and the rain lessened. We left to meet Macrea for the Grady exchange. 

It was good to see the little guy and we had a fun and busy evening.

Despite Grandma Sargie's best efforts, Hambone's going to have to grow a few inches before he can use the exercise bike.

Grady'd never watched the Wizard of Oz. Somewhat bored at first, he became enraptured with the old classic when Dorothy landed in Munchkinland. It was as fascinating for Grady as it was for me when I first watched it over sixty years ago.

The rest of the evening was a quiet one. Hambone and Grandma Sargie either played board games or Grady entertained himself playing a game on the computer. 

Poor kid. He'd sleep with that computer if he could, but his mean, old, and not very understanding, grandparents are from the old school and severely restrict his screen time. 

Like all children, once he's involved with the digital world, he completely shuts out anything going on around him. That's why his computer time on Pentoga Road is a special time that is earned, not a way of life.

Since I haven't heard hide nor hair from Hambone or Grandma Sargie this morning, I think I'll sneak out to the shop. I'd like to get that Santa finished over the next couple of days and put away Christmas for another year. Other than that, no doubt, Hambone and I will be plowing and shoveling (and playing in) the snow today.

After all, a man's work, Grandma Sargie's, and that of Hambone, is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

It was just before bedtime. Sargie and I looked into the dining room and there was Grady, singing and dancing with the six foot performing Santa behind him.

Look who got engaged at Christmas?
It's niece, Christie, who responded with a resounding, "YES!"

December 29, 2019 - Sunday morning

33 degrees/heavy rain/strong winds

Pentoga Road

We met Josh, Christie's fiancee, this past year and both Sargie and I gave him our official aunt and uncle stamp of approval. He seems to be a great guy.

Christie is an RN and works in Indianapolis. Josh is retired military, saw heavy action in Middle East, has been in law enforcement, and now is attending school studying Information Technology.

Widowed very early in life, Christie raised two young girls while going back to school to earn her RN. She deserves all the happiness in the world. 

Sargie and I couldn't be happier for both and are waiting to hear when the wedding will be.

Meanwhile, back on Pentoga Road:

Darn it anyway, the weather sure ain't purty now or for the immediate future.

It's been raining since late Saturday afternoon and there're icicles hanging everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if we lose power before the storm moves on.

This has been a brutal winter so far. Trees are down all over our property. I've purposely not walked through the woods as I don't really want to know how extensive the damage is. There's nothing I can do about it anyway, so it'll wait until spring when walking's easier.

 My beloved Wolf River apple tree hasn't escaped this winter's heavy snow and winds. Nine years old, it finally produced a crop of fruit this past year. With one healthy limb sticking straight up, I think I'll try to make it the leader and build a tree from that. 

I was up early Saturday morning, but after observing how lousy the weather looked outdoors, I did my reading and writing, then returned to bed for an extra hour or two.

Sargie and I made our way to town early in the afternoon and enjoyed watching many in the Caspian community enjoy the old ski hill on sleds, tubes, and toboggans. 

There were mommies and daddies and kiddies of all sizes zooming down the hill that was made slick by countless others who had gone before. 

It was refreshing to see so many people opt to have family fun rather than ignore each other in favor of staring at their phones or computers.

Good old fashioned fun is still alive in small town America

I took a nap yesterday afternoon and slept most of last evening and soundly all through the night. An afternoon nap isn't unusual, but not all evening. 

The only thing I can figure out is that I might have overdosed on allergy pills. Every winter, I have all the symptoms of allergies, probably caused by the sawdust in the shop or from the fine ashes and smoke of the wood stove. 

Inexpensive Walmart allergy pills make the symptoms go completely away. Yesterday, my itchy nose and watery eyes seemed particularly bad and I might have taken a pill too many. 

Lesson learned.

Other than watching the Packers and Lions football game at noon today, we have no plans. The weather's not cooperating with my previous plans of playing outside, so it looks like another lazy day spent either in the shop or on the couch.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Ivy's putting together a puzzle that Grandpa made and sent her for Christmas

Now there's a love affair made in Heaven
Isabella and Grandpa (and yes, Yooper Brother Mark is wearing a fuzzy scarf around his neck and boots on his hands.)

December 28, 2019 - Saturday morning

16 degrees/clear/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Lest you think Mark had been taking a nip or two from the bottle, he hadn't. He and Isabella (and Uncle Tom) had been playing pretend-to-decorate-the-Christmas-tree and Isabella had adorned Grandpa with her scarf and boots.

It's just the way we roll here on Pentoga Road.

Friday was a lazy type affair. I enjoyed my early morning walk and returned home to flop on the couch. Sargie fixed a huge breakfast of fried taters, eggs, and bacon, and other than play for a bit in the shop, I did absolutely nothing.

It's called being retired during the holiday season.

I did some important business in the shop like play with the toys Sargie got me for Christmas and sort my paint brushes. It was a pressure filled time.

Sargie gave me a pen/brush holder for Christmas. I use the holder Mississippi Brother Garry gave me years ago on the desk and it's filled to the point of overflowing. This one will be dedicated to holding my paint brushes and fine markers.

Sargie and I took a drive to town and discovered that her car won't have the remote starter installed until next week. Seems the mechanic opened the sealed box from the factory and found it completely empty. Evidently, there'd been some theft at the factory before it was wrapped and made ready for shipping.

Isabella brought her grandpa out to visit Friday afternoon. I'd heard she wanted a snowmobile ride, so we made that wish come true.

After, we gathered in the living room to talk and play. For the second day in a row, I got to play with a beautiful lady, even if the first was one year old and this one only five.

Oh, we had fun playing "pretend" and before we knew it, Isabella was wearing her grandpa's cap and my boots. 

As with all fun visits, their's came to end all too soon. With hugs and kisses, we told Isabella we'd see her later. 

Mark and Sheri had given us a box of beef from a steer they had butchered this past fall. One of the cuts was a huge round steak. 

My favorite way to enjoy round steak? Why, pound the poopies out of it, roll it with the tenderizer, and make good, old-fashioned, Texas chicken fried steak!

I don't want to brag or anything, but the chicken fried steak was the most tender, best tasting, I'd ever enjoyed... and believe me, I know my chicken fried steak.

I pounded that steak. Oh yes, I took almost sixty-eight years of frustrations out on that piece of meat before I poked a zillion holes in it with the rolling tenderizer. No torture chamber keeper has ever had more fun.

Mmm, the steak, mashed taters and gravy. The only thing lacking was for Sargie to dress up like a truck stop waitress named Marge.

Last night was once again spent on the couch, letting my stomach digest supper in an attempt to dodge a heart attack. Actually, Sargie and I, both, had sessions on the stationary bike later in the evening. 

I'm not certain what today will bring. I'll go for my usual walk and hopefully, will be in the shop for a few hours.

I know the day will arrive when we'll begin to take down the Christmas decorations. It will be Sargie's decision as to whether that is today.

Mark sent this picture last night. Isabella took her grandpa ice skating!

Hmm, there's a dog barking nonstop somewhere on Jambo's property. I don't believe it's Quincy, Jambo's pup, so I guess I ought to get on the snowmobile and go check it out, make sure it's not in trouble.

There are all sorts of people staying at Mike's camp while visiting Grandma in the hospital. Maybe one has a dog that wandered too far away. City dogs, like city people, tend to panic when they wander into unfamiliar territory and get lost.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

My BFF's, Elise, and her mommy, Amelia Bedelia, came to visit Auntie Sargie and Uncle Tom yesterday

December 27, 2019 - Friday morning

30 degrees/cloudy/windy

Pentoga Road

It looks to be another cloudy, windy, dreary, day ahead. Our current weather pattern is more like that of Sitka (Alaska) than the UP. It's fairly warm, but not a pleasant warm. It's wet, windy, foggy, and feels more like a miserable spring melt than early winter.

We had much the same weather last winter and many, including me, had hopes that it might carry through into spring.

That didn't happen.

We had record snowfall and bitterly cold temperatures beginning in January that lasted into late spring. I'm fearful that pattern may repeat itself this year.

I took my five mile walk Thursday morning. Foggy? Lord, it was soupy.

There was also a thin sheen of ice covering everything which made walking a bit dicey. It took some real effort to keep from falling on my backside.

The majority of the day was spent cleaning the drive. Despite my best efforts to plow the pavement bare, another inch or two of snow had accumulated then been driven over time after time. With the warm temperatures, the ice and snow came up fairly easy.



Up to an inch of rain is predicted to fall this weekend, followed by the possibility of heavy snow and cold temperatures. Might as well kiss the bare pavement goodbye. It looks to be one of those kinds of winters.

While shoveling, I felt, rather than saw, something/someone watching me. Sargie was working and there wasn't another soul around.

I looked behind me. There was a pigeon, sitting on the porch rail just a few feet away, watching and observing my every move. Over the next several minutes, the bird followed me everywhere and several times let me get close to stroke its feathers.

I've never seen a pigeon on Pentoga Road before, especially one that was tame.

Strange.

You know, I've worked with native cultures enough years to know that all believe those who have passed on often come back to occasionally visit in the form of wildlife, animals, or birds. 

I talked and petted the pigeon for sometime  before saying goodbye and watching it fly away.

I believe that God gives us exactly what we need when we need it, even if it is a lowly, overly friendly, barnyard, pigeon.



The doorbell rang. I bounced into the front room to find Amelia and Elise had come to visit. Jambo and Germaine's daughter has always been good about stopping by to see us.



Elise is a one year old ball of belly laughs. It's been a long long time since I've seen a little one that is as happy as this little girl. We played and visited for some time and hated to see them leave.

We're told that Grandma, Jambo's mother in law, is doing somewhat better after her massive stroke. Her eyes are open and she is able to swallow small amounts of very soft food and liquid. I heard that Grandma's eyes absolutely came to life when Amelia took Elise to see her great grandmother. 

It was almost dark when I looked out the living room window and saw....

"A partridge in a pear tree!"

OK, there were up to seven partridges in a maple tree, but they had the right idea. I told Jambo time and time again last hunting season that we had gajillions of partridges, but could he find them?

Noooo.

Oh well, baring a horrible winter, next season's crop should be bigger and better.



It's time to head out the door for my morning stroll. Between walking in the mornings and peddling the stationary bike in the evenings, I'm getting plenty of exercise. Unfortunately, with the metabolism of a dead rock, this losing weight thing is going to be a long, drawn out, process. 

Of course, not eating so much might be beneficial.

That's okay. I have a year and a half before I begin the Appalachian Trail.

We'll be going to town later today to get Sargie's car with the new remote starter. Mike wants to go ice fishing if the wind doesn't blow us off the lake, and who knows what else might happen? Hard to tell. There's seldom a dull moment here in Maple Valley. (Be sure to read under the last picture below.)

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Maple Valley? Sargie and I decided that if every house on HG TV can have a name, so can our's. Granted, most sell for the hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, but if those hoity-toity people can name their homes, so can we. 

Ain't nobody gonna put Baby in the corner.

It's Natasha, my Russian girlfriend that no one knows about.

December 26, 2019 - Thursday morning

36 degrees/FOG/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Sargie is quick to come outside and help to clear the drive of snow, carry in wood, or do any other cold weather chore. The girl has occasionally complained that her little head gets cold, so I figured what she needed was a good, old fashioned, authentic Alaska cap to keep her  noggin warm. The fur is silver fox on leather.

Guaranteed her head will stay warm now.

I'm suffering from a gift and food hangover. My Christmas day began on a somber note, but Sargie quickly came to my side, propping me up, and we spent much of the morning laughing about many of the silly things Mom, Sargie, and I, used to do on Christmas mornings. 

As usual, Sargie was right. Mom would want us to carry on, laughing and loving and having a good time and that's just what we did.

Holy cow, Santa was good to us. I'll post a few pictures of Christmas morning's activity. It was just Sargie and me and the Christmas spirit.

The girl wanted a heron to go by the pond during the summer months. Santa brought her two.

Easy Rider? No, that's me under that helmet. Sargie and I will be "stylin'" when we go ATV riding next summer.

Sargie received lotions and potions, an outside swing, a remote car starter, and goodies too numerous to mention. I made out just as well, receiving some things for the shop, an Alexa for music in the shop, a new tackle box exactly like Dad's old one, a portable charger, and a new exercise bike.

In the end, by the time all the presents were opened, it looked like a tornado had blown through Pentoga Road.



It was shortly after noon before we left for Jeanne and Boyd's in Iron Mountain. Just as with Christmas Eve, spent on Milligan Mountain, everyone had a wonderful time. Below are a few pictures from both family gatherings.

 Yooper Brother Mark said they had a wonderful Christmas with Sarah, Isabella, and Curtis, home from Wyoming. He said Isabella must have been a really good girl as Santa left her a lot of presents.

 We arrived home late Christmas afternoon so we could drive to town and leave the car at the mechanic's to have Sargie's new remote car starter installed.

Last night was spent watching Christmas Story while I assembled the exercise bike.



Thankfully, the instructions were in English and easy to follow. I also rode my new bike for a total of twenty minutes and went absolutely nowhere.



I don't understand how I can walk miles a day with no problem, but after a simple twenty minute workout last night, my backside and thighs are killing me this morning.

Sargie works half a day today. I'm going for my usual walk then begin shoveling snow that has fallen from the roof of the barn from in front of the shop window and solar heater. Otherwise, I'm going to play with my new toys in the shop.

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

 So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

It's Natasha, modeling my Stormy Kromer cap