Happy Retirement Sargie!
(taken at the Vision Center last year)

January 30, 2020 - Thursday morning

19 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Today is, indeed, a special day in Sargie's life. After many years working as an optician, beginning tomorrow, Sargie will be able to call her life her own.

My bride has been much more than an optician through the years, she's also served as an unofficial therapist. The girl has listened to countless stories of family, sickness, health, failures, and victories. Over the past decade, I've watched as people waited for Sargie to assist them when other opticians were available.

The optical world will miss Sargie as will her patients and professional friends. Just as importantly, she will miss them.

With that being said, my girl has mentioned countless times how nice it will be to retire, to call her life her own, to be a full time wife, grandma, and traveling companion. We're looking forward to many years of seeing our friends and family, experiencing the world, and most of all, sharing our lives together.

That's what best friends do.

Today's the day you've been waiting for Sargie. Congratulations, sweetheart. I love you. 

Wednesday was a day of hard, physical, work on Pentoga Road. I started with my usual walk then climbed to the roof over the living room that had suddenly sprung a leak.

What I found wasn't pretty. There was as much as six to eight inches of solid ice that stretched several feet towards the house and was acting as a dam.

The melt water was backing up once it hit the ice, then had found a weak place on a ridge of the metal roofing through which to leak. In this case, I suspect it was a faulty rubber washer that wasn't tightly sealed.

I spent the entire morning on the roof pounding, shoveling, slipping and sliding. What a mess.

I'd hate to guess how many tons of snow and ice were cleared. All I really know is that as of now, the leak has stopped and with a forecast of warmer temperatures this coming weekend, I'll be getting back on the roof with caulking gun in hand.

Sargie worked just as hard below clearing the snow from the deck and carrying in the day's supply of wood.

At one point, Jambo came to borrow the snow rake. Seems his side porch was piled high with heavy snow and beginning to settle.

Jambo at the other end of that 20 foot snow rake

It was past noon before the living room roof was cleared. 

After a mad dash to town, the afternoon was spent giving Jambo a hand.

Wednesday's icicle contest winner is located in Gaastra

We worked until almost dark straightening his porch. 

This winter's weather is without mercy on the area's buildings. I read yesterday that a large public storage building collapsed north of here.  

Mississippi Brother Garry asked the other day if this all we do in the North Country, clear snow? Sargie and I were talking after and reflected that up until last year, there hadn't been a need to. 

It's just one of those winters.

We had our own icicles going. With the ice dam cleared and roof clean, the suspended daggers should be a thing of the past, at least for this week.

I'm driving my girl to work today then will return home to go for a walk. After, I want to replace the damaged flue on the outside wood furnace. With any luck, I'll be able to build a fire, warm the shop, and return to my scroll saw and lathe for some good, old fashioned, retirement fun.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...