After a long winter, even a few buds on a limb can bring happiness.

May 8, 2020 - Friday morning

24 degrees/partly cloudy/windy

Pentoga Road

Yeah, well, that springtime stuff was short lived. Here's what we woke up to this morning.

Even the deer cut short their early morning grazing in the front meadow in favor of heading back into the woods out of the wind. 



Thursday was a fairly nice day, windy and chilly, but sunny and just warm enough to hold the promise of spring close at hand. 

Spring flowers growing in a field that was once someone's yard in Pentoga Village.

 I returned home from my walk and after a big breakfast and quick trip to the hardware store, began dismantling the last of the four strawberry pyramids I'd built several years ago.

I liked the pyramids and enjoyed making them, but all rotted from the bottom. This one was beginning to lean to one side. It was time to come down.

I was working, listening to music playing through the nearby shop window, when who should appear? It was Sargie, doing the Happy Rake Dance of Joy! (Pardon the dirty lens.)

The girl began raking and cleaning in back of the barn, the place where beer cans from the 1960's had been thrown along with ancient shot gun shells and bottles of all kinds.

Even after all these years, we're still cleaning up someone else's mess. 

I finally finished dismantling the pyramid planter. Another more conventional one will replace it in the next few days.

It was time to move on and help Sargie.

The damage from this past winter's heavy snow, ice, and wind, was unreal.

Guessing, I'd say we lost around thirty trees, not all of them small.



I began by using the power saw to cut the fallen trees free from others or into manageable sized lengths.

Sargie kept busy carrying and dragging limbs to a large pile where all will be burned at a later date.

Though there's still much to do, it's better than it was. Our plans are to clear the rocks and use the backhoe to landscape the area so it can be mowed. 

It appears our already teeny yard is going to get a bit bigger.

I took a fall yesterday when an errant tree root reached up and grabbed one of my feet. Initially, I thought I may have broken one or both wrists while trying to break my tumble. Though both were sore, they are fully intact. 

It's the first time I've ever fallen and been afraid. This thing of having a twenty year old's spirit in a quickly aging body isn't for sissies. 

Mark and Sheri are coming over for a big ol' fish fry tonight. Mmm, bluegill and crappie filets, shrimp, and French fries, are all on the menu. How much better does it get than that?

Other than go for my walk, I doubt I'll be outside too much today. With the wind howling and temperatures forecast to barely get above freezing (if they even do) I'll stay in and help Sargie with her inside chores.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Today's random Alaska picture:
It's obvious why Sitka is called one of the most beautiful communities in the world.