The Milligan girls, aunts, nieces, and in laws, at Saturday's Christmas Tea

December 8, 2019 - Sunday morning

34 degrees/cloudy/breezy

Pentoga Road

BOOM! That's snow sliding off the metal roof in the front and back of the house. We like that. Though it means I'll have a mess to clean on the back deck, it's that much less snow I'll have to worry about next spring when the weight can become a real problem.

Even the beautiful icicles can be problematic as they sometimes reach clear to the ground and become heavy on the overhang

When the snow slides, it sounds like an explosion and rocks the entire house. We've grown used to it, but in the early days, I was convinced the sky was falling in. Thankfully, it's just hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds of frozen water falling to the ground.

Saturday morning dawned beautiful. Having some technical difficulties with the internet and computer, I started a fire in the wood furnace so the shop could warm.

The thermometer was registering a mere +3 degrees, but with no wind and bright sun, it seemed much warmer.

My walk to Pentoga Village and back was like walking in a picture postcard. It was so beautiful that I couldn't help but occasionally pause to snap a picture or ten.

Once home, I finally got the blog uploaded and spent a bit of time with Sargie before she left for the annual Christmas tea hosted by her sister, Trish.

Names were chosen for a gift exchange. Sargie said Trish and Uncle Donny's home was beautifully decorated and it appears everyone had a great time.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch, I began tearing into the shop to make a place to hang the new cabinets.

I thought I might have to wait until I could get an extra set of hands, but finally screwed a board to the wall on which the cabinets could be set and balanced one at a time until I could permanently attach each.



I mounted a shop light under the cabinets to throw light onto the workbench. 



Finally, a few of the more used hand power tools found a home. Until yesterday, they were simply stacked in a pile under a work bench. Patterns and other goodies were placed in the other cabinets.

With the cabinets hung, I continued turning a hickory bowl on the lathe. The wood came from a post that Yooper Brother Mark brought back from his plant in Kentucky. I'm continually frustrated as the mini lathe isn't powerful or large enough to work on wood as dense and hard as hickory. Still, I think if I'm patient, it'll all work out.

One of these years I'm going to get a big boy lathe like Mississippi Brother Garry so I can get serious making some man sized bowls.

Speaking of Mississippi Brother Garry, he had just finished a bowl and was going to show it to Miss Jody when it slipped from his hands.

I'm glad I'm not the only brother to possess all the grace, poise, and beauty in the family.

Last night was a quiet one on Pentoga Road. I was tired, but happy. After the emotional roller coaster ride of these past few weeks, Saturday felt as though life was getting back to normal.

Sargie had a wonderful time with her family earlier and we were both content to sit by the wood stove and watch television or browse the internet, doing some Christmas shopping online.

The definition of being comfortable

I'm going to get this uploaded then start a fire in the wood furnace before going for my morning trek. With Christmas coming, I've got presents galore to finish in the next two weeks. Of course, I'll take a break at noon to watch the Packers play Washington, then there's the mandatory Sunday afternoon grandpa nap to consider. I'd like to work on the drive and chip away some packed snow before the temperature drops and more of the white stuff begins to fall.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

I know someone who was glad to see her daddy.
Just back from drilling for oil off the west coast of Africa, Andy sent this picture of Ivy.