Wednesday morning's sunrise

 February 12, 2020 - Wednesday evening
7 degrees/cloudy skies/windy
Pentoga Road

Happy birthday to my son, Matt. Sargie and I talked with him a bit ago and he was having a great celebration along with Jess, Em, Ben, and Wes.

Again, happy birthday, son. We love you!

I started a fire in the wood furnace early this morning before taking a quick three mile jaunt. 

The "burbs" in Pentoga Village
Both homes are vacant

Arriving back home, I noticed the small area where the water is usually open in the pond was frozen over. 



The extension cord that carries power to the pump had become jarred from the outdoor outlet. It didn't take long for an inch of clear ice to form, preventing the gasses from escaping.

There was nothing to do but wade through deep snow, waist high in some places, dig down to the surface, then chisel the newly formed ice away.

With twenty, five year old, 17 cent, goldfish living in the eleven-and-a-half feet of water underneath the ice all winter, I wasn't about to let them die. 

The pump recirculates 5,400 gallons an hour, pulling water through the underwater gravel filters. By drawing warmer water to the surface from the bottom of the pond, a small area never freezes.

I was working in the shop when I rammed a sliver into the meaty part of my thumb. Despite many attempts to remove the two by four sized piece of wood myself, I finally had to consult Nurse Sargie who, with the aid of a needle and tweezers, was finally able to remove the runaway piece of wood.

 

Work was done on several projects today. The first is a piece of shadow art, a man kneeling and praying.

Things were going well until I snagged one corner of the back board while sanding. I'll have to replace it with a new one.

I've been working on an Alaska sign for friends that has presented some problems, several that call for some different measures. I'll continue working on it over the next few days.

Don't judge it yet. It's not close to being finished.

I worked for quite a while fashioning a bowl from a random piece of firewood.

It was strictly a spur of the moment decision. I was refilling the wood furnace when I saw the wood in the wheel barrow.

Though the wood has been long dead, it's difficult to tell if it's dry enough that the wall of the bowl won't crack and split. Only time will tell.

Sargie will be babysitting her nephew Thursday morning in Iron Mountain. I'll go with and run a few errands while in town. The wind is to howl with the temperature barely reaching above zero. Sounds like a good excuse for an afternoon grandpa nap.

Sadie, the goldendoodle, will be staying with us beginning Thursday evening through this coming weekend. At three months of age, her visit promises to be a real rodeo.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Sparky checking out the wood pile.
The pup belongs to our neighbors, Dean and Kelly. Dean was out walking Wednesday afternoon and stopped by for a visit.