That's Jambo giving a clinic in my shop Thursday afternoon

January 10, 2020 - Friday morning

28 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

You know how there are people who seem to have been born with tools in their hands?

That's Jambo. His speciality seems to be interior carpentry.

The man can take an ordinary piece of lumber, make a cut here, another there, and it comes out perfect every time. I wish I had his knowledge and skills. 

Jambo is doing some interior work in his camp and needed to saw a board or two. His table saw is sitting under cover on the back porch with a broken switch so he's been making use the shop. 

I'm glad he is as I learn something every time I'm around him just by observing.

When it comes to carpentry, Neighbor Mike is the real thing.

I went for a five mile stroll Thursday morning. Thankfully, the plow truck had been through and spread sand on the slippery surfaces. Thankfully, my feet remained under my body for the entire distance.

A fire had been started in the wood furnace and the shop was warm. I looked forward to spending the day in my man room, doing whatever it was I wanted to do and just playing.

The first order of business was to fix the pancake air compressor that had broken several weeks ago. I never realized how much I use it, either for powering pneumatic tools or simply to blow sawdust from the machines.

The fix was simple. Getting to it was a challenge.

I didn't want to break the seals from the gauges and fittings, so I opted to work from overhead with the two plastic halves pried apart. The compressor is now back in business.

The rest of the day was spent working on the praying Santa. Started before Thanksgiving, I was going to put the partially completed piece away and finish it next holiday season, but my big brother, Mississippi Brother Garry, wisely suggested that I finish it now.

Painting the larger pieces is fun. After, comes a bit of challenge while using the wood burner. Here, I've drawn what lines I want to burn with a gel pen.

 And so the day went. I've missed my shop. Seems I was in such a rush before Christmas that I didn't have time to stop and smell the sawdust along the way. Yesterday was relaxing and fun and now that life is getting back to a slow roar, I'm looking forward to many more times just like yesterday.

Sargie arrived home from work and we went to town for her Coke then stopped to pick up our new cell phone booster at the Verizon store.

I got used to everything being a month late while living in the arctic, but I didn't know deliveries were still that slow in the lower 48.

The antenna will be attached just under the tv antenna on top of the garage, but unwilling to wait, I set it up inside last night for a test drive. 



We went from zero bars to three with it facing out through a wall on the ground floor. I think we're going to be real happy to finally have decent phone reception in the house.

Anyone who has ever called the house knows it often sounds like we're living above the arctic circle.

The big item on today's agenda is to climb up on top of the garage roof without breaking my neck and attach the antenna. The cable will be run down to the kitchen where we hope the interior transmitter will permanently sit. If it's not strong enough to transmit through the entire house from there, we'll have to purchase additional cable and run it to the living room, making a large project out of what should be a simple one.

One way or the other, we'll make it work.



Time to strap on the hikers and get to movin' so I can get home and get busy. That antenna ain't gonna mount itself.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...