All work and no play 
Sometimes it's just plain, good, old-fashioned fun, to climb on a big pile of wood chips

May 14, 2020 - Thursday morning

Grady's birthday

38 degrees/ light rain/calm winds

Pentoga Road

It's going to be an inside day as light rain is predicted until nightfall. That's not fair as today is Hambone's sixth birthday. It seems only right that a newly minted six year old boy should be able to run outside as much as he wants on his special day.

Oh well, we'll try to make his inside stay as fun as possible.

We traveled to Crystal Falls on Wednesday morning and enjoyed a three second show in the form of two military jets flying over the nursing home in Crystal Falls. The flyover was the military's way of thanking the nurses and medical staff for all their hard work.

Waiting... waiting... waiting...

The parking lot was filled with members of the community and it was definitely a social occasion for many.

The two jets, from Duluth, MN, came and and went in the blink of an eye, so fast that I missed getting a picture. 

Such is life.

We continued on from Crystal Falls to Iron River where I picked up the trailer from the trailer fix-it place. New springs have replaced the old, broken ones, and it's now ready for a season of use. 

The rest of the day was spent with Grandma Sargie chipping branches and cleaning several areas around the property. 



It's amazing how much damage was incurred by this past winter's heavy snows and winds. There are piles of branches in several places and all have to be cleared before the lawn can be mowed.

You'd think orange was our favorite color; the Husqvarna tractor, the DR Power chipper, and the Stihl power saw.

We spent all afternoon chipping first in one place before moving on to another.



 Some chips will be used in the pathways of the garden while others, too far away, were simply blown into the woods.



Hambone was a busy guy. When not helping to drag sticks and brush to the chipper, he played nearby, sometimes lost in a fantasy world of his own.



Hambone remarked at one point that the chips were soft and warm and I believe that given the opportunity, the boy might have curled up and taken a nap right then and there.

Last night was a quiet one and I don't think anyone had any problem falling asleep. I certainly didn't.

I'm going for my walk before Grandma Sargie and Grady wake for the day. We'll be going to town later this morning to purchase the makings of tonight's birthday meal. At Hambone's request, we're having hotdogs and French fries, all washed down with root beer. Grandma's also making a birthday cake.

Don't worry, Sargie's wearing the soft foam ear protectors.

Mama and Daddy will be coming over tonight to join the feast and will be reclaiming their little guy and taking him home after. It's going to seem awfully quiet around here without my pint sized shadow, but then, sure as the sun rises every day, my shadow will be back sooner rather than later.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Today's random Alaska picture:
Inside Hilltop Camp overlooking the Noatak River in the arctic
My faithful companion of many years, Casey, the Jack Russel Terrier. We'd just come inside from wrestling a solar panel onto the southwest wall of the cabin.