Early Thursday - a perfect morning for fishing

May 22, 2020 - Friday morning

50 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

It's another beautiful day that is dawning on Pentoga Road this morning. As miserable as the past few weeks have been, it appears we're going to skip the rest of spring and head right into summer. Yesterday's highs reached into the lower 80's.

As usual, Jambo put on a fishing clinic Thursday morning. At one point, the boy was hauling them in, mostly large bluegills, one after another.

 We had a wonderful time, great conversation, and by mid morning, a nice basket of fish. 

 I cleaned our catch then, after a quick breakfast, helped Sargie bring the delicate plants that had overwintered in the basement upstairs. 

Carrying the large spikes was like walking through a the Amazon rain forest without the rain.

The geraniums came through in pretty good shape.



Sargie's huge spikes, all between five and ten years old, didn't fair nearly as well. I think this will be the last season that they see the light of summer. 

We spent the early afternoon filling the pots and planters. 



Running out of plants, it was time for a drive to Iron Mountain in search of more.

I was surprised by how many people were in the stores. It felt more like Black Friday in Green Bay.

Surprisingly, the majority of shoppers seemed to be seniors. After being held hostage for so long by our governor, along with a beautiful day, it appeared everyone was ready to get outside and put this past winter, spring, and virus, behind them.

We bought what was needed and after a quick stop at the pet store to purchase more goldfish for the pond, we were on our way back home.

Sargie and I decided to have fresh fish for supper... or wait, should we have an early meal and work into the evening? Our stomachs ruled. An early supper of fried fish and potato pancakes won.

Potato Pancakes
Mmm, freshly shredded spuds.
Throw in some flour along with an egg and a spice or two, and you've got some delicious eating.

Neither Sargie nor I drink beer, but we really like beer batter coating on our fish. Problem is, unless we're having company, beer is in short supply at our house.

Sargie checked the refrigerator in the garage and found a can of very dark ale that was left behind by a past visitor. Why not?

It made the batter dark, but the flavor was outstanding. 

The problem with eating a big meal is that we don't want to do anything after. I tried being productive, but was more interested in sitting on the park bench and talking with Neighbor Dean who was walking by and stopped to let Sparky/Skippy the Dog swim. (We still have yet to figure out the dog's real name.) 

Sargie and I finally resumed our planting ways.

We're slowly, but surely, filling the pots and planters and hopefully, that annual task will be finished in the next day or two.

With the bottoms of the spikes having died over the winter months, Sargie removed the dead fronds, leaving the plants looking like miniature palm trees.

I'd purchased fifty new goldfish for the pond in Iron Mountain. A few of our larger ones have disappeared, so for 17 cents each, I figured I could afford a restocking effort.

Sargie spotted a pair of toads who, for lack of a better description, were making hot, mad, passionate, toad love, in the shallow water. 

We like toads. We don't like the slime that accompanies toad eggs when their future offspring is deposited in and around the pond. The gooey glob of stringy yuck tends to cover everything and makes a colossal mess that is almost impossible to clean up.

Using a net, I scooped the two hormonal toads and deposited them far into the woods. Hopefully, they'll find another place to finish their love making and deposit their eggs.

Hmm, two love making toads, a camera that also shoots video, a little chick-a-bow-bow shady background music... adult toad cinema? Never mind. I'm not going there. 

And so ended the day. Today looks to be much the same, hopefully without the toads. With rain forecast for later this weekend, I hope to get most of the garden planted today. 

In other news, Andy sent a couple of pictures from northern Maine. Grandbabies, Ivy, Abigail, and Coleman, all appear to be making mud pies during a Memorial Day weekend gathering. No doubt, they are wondering what the poor people are doing.

Ivy's got to be in Seventh Heaven having her older cousins to play with.

Time to move on, meet Tim and Rose for a quick walk, then get the beds tilled and planted. They ain't gonna plant themselves.



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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Today's random Alaska picture:
In Sitka, Uncle Bobby Love, AKA "The Love Doctor," fixing some of his famous yellow eye - red snapper, tacos. Bob and I taught and worked together in the UA system for a number of years and became close friends.
I spent no small amount of time with the Bob and Jan, my Sitka family, and believe me, I NEVER left their house with an empty stomach.