A boy, a toad, and a warm spring day
Can life get any better?

May 26, 2020 - Tuesday morning

61 degrees/fog/humid/calm winds

Pentoga Road

It's a sticky one out there this morning. I stepped outside a bit ago to check the back woodpile and found myself covered with mosquitoes intent on spreading the virus.

Oh, wait, mosquitoes... that was the West Nile variety, right? Or was that SARS... Legionaires? Ah, H1N1 or was that H2N1? 

At any rate, the mosquitoes bit without mercy.

Memorial Day was spent around the pond. I finished planting rutabagas and winter squash then turned my attentions to Hambone Beach, the bit of sandy playground where we construct our resident sand castles.

Built rather hastily at the end of last summer, sand, gravel, and grass, all, were being spilled one into another. I installed a border yesterday that should help.

So far, so good.

Granddaughter, Ivy, will be coming at some point this summer and when I told her we had sand in which to play, she said in a rather passionate and boisterous voice, "Oh Grandpa, I LOVE to play in the sand."

So there you have it.

God help me. Having raised four sons, I have ZERO experience interacting with cute, little, granddaughters. This cutie pie's liable to have Grandpa twisted around her little finger before he knows what's hit him.

The asparagus season is upon us.

Hambone received two lessons yesterday. One was how to carry, use, and respect, a sharp knife and only when a big person is with him. The other was how to safely harvest asparagus by cutting just below ground level.

Grady did well and we ended up with a plastic grocery bag filled with tender stalks. Some will be shared, the rest eaten.

Hambone was busy throughout the day, mostly occupied with catching toads, frogs, or goldfish, or going swimming.

 The water is cool enough to be refreshing, warm enough to be comfortable. 

I'm so grateful that I dug the pond eleven and a half feet deep in the middle. Though the space may be small, it allows even big kids, like me, to actually swim.

After we'd worked hard and earned our computer time, Hambone and I enjoyed sitting side by side, perusing the internet or playing games.

Sargie will be attending the funeral this morning of an elderly aunt who recently passed away. I'm going for my walk before Hambone wakes up then we'll return to the garden/pond area. I'm slowly making progress with the landscaping and cleaning process and with yesterday's work, it doesn't resemble Sanford and Son quite so much.

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

Sargie took a beautiful twilight picture last night just before sundown.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Today's random Alaska picture
No words needed