Meet the newest member of the extended Milligan clan.
Sargie's son, Shea, and Nikki, are expecting our newest granddaughter later this summer.

June 4, 2020 - Thursday morning

45 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Yes, indeed, a baby girl will be coming our way sooner rather than later. Shea and Nikki live in Oconto, Wisconsin, about an hour and a half away and we're excited for the little one to arrive. This will bring our total grandbaby count to eleven.

There's not a whole lot to talk about today. With the pocket camera being repaired and Sargie not always around with the larger camera, few pictures were taken.

After my morning walk, I spent time in the shop working on one thing or the other. I stumbled upon a very old piece of maple earlier and was going to toss it in the burn pile. As I turned it over, I began wondering what it would look like as a bowl.

There was nothing to do but saw, slice, dice, shred, stamp, staple, rip, tear, and otherwise prepare it for turning.

An hour later, this emerged on the lathe.

Filled with worm holes and grooves made by insects, along with natural aging, I find it weirdly beautiful. It will go in our "art collection," a nice way of saying it's totally useless for anything other than being a conversation piece. 

My latest artwork should be finished later today.

Sargie and I made our way to Iron Mountain mid Wednesday afternoon. Rather than going into a long diatribe about what happened at one of the stores, I'll simply cut and paste what I wrote to corporate headquarters:

Hello, 

I'd like to complain about a clerk who is employed by ***** in Iron Mountain, MI. She was waiting on us Wednesday afternoon when a group of demonstrators walked by. An anti demonstrator and one of the group were having a disagreement, but not making any kind of a scene. Our clerk, ***, who was waiting on us told us she'd be right back, ran out the door, got into the fray, and began yelling and arguing with the anti demonstrator. 

Politics aside, I was extremely offended at her rudeness. I have spent no small amount of money at the store this past year and to witness such a lack of professionalism is beyond me. As a retired public school educator, administrator, and university professor, I found her behavior extremely unacceptable. I tried to contact a supervisor by phone later in the afternoon, but was told both had gone home for the day. 

  
I have always been treated fairly and courteously by the folks at *****. I live a goodly distance away and purposely drive over forty miles just to shop there. I will, however, not tolerate such behavior in the future. I am hoping this type of thing will be rectified or I'll be shopping  elsewhere. Sincerely....

Sad, eh, these times that we live in? I can't believe the lack of manners, the rudeness, that is becoming the norm rather than the exception. 

We were later at the McDonalds drive through, getting Sargie's Coke, when I had to remind the cashier to say thank you after she shoved our change in my face without making eye contact. 

I was so mad and upset after our experiences yesterday afternoon that I brashly told Sargie if it weren't for her, I'd sell everything and move back to the arctic. At least I wouldn't have to see or deal with all the nonsense happening around us. 

Life was much more simple on the other side of the arctic circle. I spent up to four hours a day simply living, cutting wood, fishing, hunting, fixing, helping, whatever, just so the few of us could survive in our very simple world. 

Now that I've calmed down and a day has passed, moving isn't an option nor would I want to live anywhere else. I've never been one to run away from anything and I have nothing to prove to anyone. 

Been there/done that. 

Shake your head if you want, but I'll continue to boycott the news and live somewhat ignorantly in my retirement years, pretending events like I witnessed Wednesday afternoon don't occur in our part of the world, happy to raise a garden, play in my shop, catch an occasional fish, and gladly share it all with Sargie, family, and close friends.

I guess my feelings were best penned by a mostly bedridden reader from Chicago who passed away three years ago from cancer. 

He wrote the day before he died saying, "You make Pentoga Road seem like such a magical place. In my mind, it truly is."

Sadly, his last wish was to actually visit Pentoga Road, walk through the garden, and as he wrote, "smell the North Woods and water." We made plans for his journey from Chicago with his brother to make his final wish come true, but he passed away a week before they were to come.

Sargie and I are going to do our best to keep Pentoga Road a magical place. The rest of the world will have to care for itself until people learn some manners.

Speaking of the rest of the world, it appears Ivy was enjoying a summer evening in northern Maine.

Closer to home, we enjoyed a wonderful Wednesday evening with Hambone, Mel, and Macrea. Macrea provided a spread that was to die for delicious, brats, burgers, mac and cheese, potato salad, and watermelon for desert. 

The five of us dined outside on the patio and were entertained after by Hambone's demonstration of how to blow huge bubbles.

The kids followed us partway home, to Florence, where we visited the ice cream shop and enjoyed huge cones and sinfully good, homemade, ice cream.

We're going to make a Hambone exchange this coming Sunday and he'll be with us for a few days next week. Meanwhile, Pawpaw's going to get lots of rest between now and then in preparation of a week of nonstop Hambone action.

It's time to take my walk. I'm thinking of pulling the trailer to Yooper Brother Mark's plant this morning and getting a load of firewood. Four more loads are needed in preparation for next winter's cold and snow. 

Meanwhile, relax and enjoy the following video sent by brother-in-law Ross taken from their back deck. They have a pair of loons nesting nearby.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Today's random Alaska picture: Edna Bay, Alaska
This was the entire middle/high school student population, all five of them, attending Edna Bay's one room school house.