The Superintendent of Lawn Activities hitching a ride as we take the patio furniture out of storage on Monday afternoon.

May 5, 2020 - Tuesday morning

31 degrees/overcast/calm winds

Pentoga Road

So much news. So little of me. Where do I begin? <- The opening line from the movie, Love Story.

It's here! After several weeks of waiting and navigating the freight lines of America, my brand new Powermatic lathe found its way to Pentoga Road.

More about the mega machine in a few minutes.

My youngest son, Andy, sent this picture from northern Maine.
Quite the photographer, that boy of mine.

Seems the wild mallards have found a home in the garden pond. With Lake Pentoga quickly disappearing, they weren't hesitant to relocate to the next body of water.

We see them every spring and it won't be long before they move on to the area lakes and rivers to raise their broods.

I received notice yesterday that the lathe was put on hold in Iron Mountain, a mere forty miles away. I haven't waited three years to have it sit in storage next door.

Calling the freight depot, I learned that it couldn't be delivered due to the springtime weight limits placed on our most rural area roads. 

I knew I could have it delivered to Yooper Brother Mark's plant, but decided to skip the middle man and pick up the lathe in person. The clerk told me anytime after 1 PM would be fine.

I decided to go for my walk. Once home, I began a series of little, piddly, chores to make the time go faster. A large hole was dug with the backhoe and the ashes from the burning barrel buried. I took nails from a board. Jambo stopped in and took a second set of measurements for the garden house door. 

ANYTHING to make the time go faster.

Time crawled. Even the second hand on the clock barely moved. Why 1 PM? Geesh, didn't these people realize how long I've waited for this lathe? 

How insensitive. 

C'mon clock, MOVE.

Finally, it was time.

We loaded the Blazer with recyclables and stopped at the transfer station to drop those off before continuing to the depot.

Gulp. The lathe came on two pallets, one for the machine, the other with the stand. The freight clerk didn't think they'd fit in the back of the Blazer. 

No matter. After waiting this long, I was desperate. The thought of putting one on Sargie's lap came to mind. Heck, worst case scenario, we could strap Sargie to the roof to make room.

Worry not, I wasn't serious... or was I?

That lathe was coming home with us.

Thankfully, the forklift driver was a peach of a guy, had the patience of Job, and fit both pallets in with a mere half an inch to spare.



After several weather delays, I'd promised Sargie we would get the patio furniture out of the storage container on Monday. Once home, I purposely ignored the Powermatic in favor of keeping my promise. I knew once I started unpacking the lathe, all bets would be off the table.

We made trip after trip from the house to the storage container.



We carried and we loaded and some people even rode in the bucket of the tractor. It was a busy afternoon.

I'm thinking of writing a screenplay and calling it
Driving Miss Sargie.

Thankfully, the tractor saves us multiple trips. I extend the arms of the bucket and we begin stacking furniture to be ferried to the house. It may not be pretty, but it's effective.

 Finally, we could begin to unload the pallets. Heavy? You have no idea. We used a tow strap to pull the pallets to the rear then slid them onto the tines of the bucket.

I couldn't have done it without Sargie's help. 

I spent well into the evening putting the stand together. In the end, the base is ready for the lathe.

Weighing over two hundred pounds, I'm going to have to recruit another person or two to help lift it onto the stand. Once it's mounted and securely fastened, my lathe, my Powermatic, will be ready to start turning bowls and other goodies that I've only dreamed about.

Sargie and I are going to do some shopping today. Now that our governor, the one who is auditioning to be Joe Biden's running mate, has lifted the ban on purchasing gardening supplies, it's time to shake, rattle, and roll. 

Summer items coming out of the storage container means those used in the winter will be stored away until next fall.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Today's token Alaska picture:
Sunrise over the Kobuk River