God Bless America
She needs all the help she can get right now

June 3, 2020 - Wednesday
54 degrees/clear skies/calm winds
Pentoga Road

I was reading the headlines a bit ago and am sitting here, staring out the window into the dark, wondering where our country is heading. 

I have a feeling this could be a long, hot, summer that has the potential to ugly, very ugly.

It's said that history repeats itself. Let's pray that's not the case in America.

My son, Luke, a captain in South Portland, Maine, Fire Department
He and his crew are now forced to wear bullet proof vests while aiding and assisting those in need, regardless of their actions or beliefs

Whew, it was a warm one yesterday. We had a fire in the wood stove on Monday. Yesterday's high reached 91 degrees. 

Jambo and I went for our stroll to Pentoga Village and back Tuesday morning. After, I spent time in the shop working on my "electronics locker" as Sargie and I jokingly refer to the newly constructed red box.

First thing was to mount a speaker. As the Eagles so eloquently crooned over forty years ago, when it comes to the pond and garden, Sargie and I are living life in the fast lane. Our plans include streaming music in the pond and garden area.

This was Dad's jig saw. A Craftsman, it still runs as good as it did when Dad purchased it almost sixty years ago, back when Craftsman was one of the best brands a person could buy and made in America.

 I'll place another speaker on the side of the garden house for a surround sound effect. Initially, we were fearful that any music could be heard as far away as Jambo's, but soon discovered that the sound barely carries to the other side of the garden. There's little fear of bothering anyone with these giant, pulsing, four inch speakers.

An old iPhone will be kept in the box (used to stream the music) along with the fence charger and whatever other highly classified electronic paraphernalia that's deemed necessary. 

Once again, Sargie had the camera in hand and began snapping pictures. It feels strange. I'm usually the photographer, but with the pocket camera in for repair, Sargie's become the person behind the shutter of our professional model Nikon.

That's enamel paint, hence the gloves

The seldom seen inside workings of our very sophisticated electronics locker. Sounds official, doesn't it?

Sargie spent much of the day on the riding mower. With the recent rains and warm weather, the grass is growing, literally, inches per day.

I spent a couple of hours pushing the trim mower. Growing hot and weary, I eventually peeled off my clothes and jumped in the pond. 

For the first time since building and seeding the berm late last summer, the protective dike surrounding the garden was mowed.

I'm well pleased how it turned out and though it's not needed (yet) this year, there's little doubt Lake Pentoga will come flooding through our side yard at some point in the future. Next time, we'll be ready.

Sargie and I returned to the shop later in the afternoon where I finished the aspen (popple) bowl.

Separating the bowl from the tenon that's holds it in the chuck

Sanding the bottom

Thankfully, the temperature cooled off quickly last evening and Sargie and I slept well. It appears the hottest weather is over for a while.

Finally! One of my giant sunflowers has sprouted. They usually grow as high as fifteen feet, occasionally taller, and have heads up to two feet in diameter. My son, Josh, once grew sunflowers that were over nineteen feet tall. I wouldn't have believed it if I'd not seen them with my own eyes.

Other than my usual walk, I'm not certain what's on today's agenda. I need to get a load of firewood from the plant and get that worked up, but will probably wait until this weekend when the plant is closed and I don't have to worry about dodging the heavy equipment.

We're heading to Iron Mountain later today to pick up our house paint from the hardware store, get the oil changed in the Hyundai, and have supper with Hambone and his parents. 

Meanwhile, it's daylight and time to get this day started.

I was looking at my computer last night and happened to glance up at the tv. Maybe the people at Discovery Network should think about going back to school and learn how to spell. Nothing worse than "discrimintation".

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Out on a whale watching expedition with two of my undergrad students from Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka