Saturday's Siding Installers
Yooper Brother Mark and Tim

June 14, 2020 - Sunday morning

32 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Sargie recently neatly folded my winter wear and placed it all in three totes. They are upstairs on our bedroom floor waiting to be carried out to the storage shed. With the weather and temperatures like they are, I'm uncertain if I should store them away for the summer months or simply use the totes as mini closets.

We've had three days in the 90's this spring, several more in the upper 20's and low 30's. Our weather feels like an old fashioned Duncan yoyo being whirled about at the end of a very long string.

Tim arrived yesterday morning around 9:30 and we immediately started to work installing the siding on the garden house. Yooper Brother Mark pulled into the drive shortly after.

In his former life, Tim was part of a two-person dry wall installation team and man, can he ever handle four by eight sheets of siding.

Everyone slipped into their own specialty as the day went along. Yooper Brother Mark's specialty was measuring. The boy is impeccable and able to read those little lines at a glance, right down to the 32nd's. Me? When I measure, if it's any more than in increments of 8th's, I have to take off my shoes and socks as I run out of fingers on which to count.

My job? Well, I was the official gofer, you know, the boy that goes for this and goes for that. I felt somewhat guilty for not doing more other than assisting where needed, but how does one improve on the work of two pros? 

I got to saw a few times, but even then, occasionally wandered off the line.

The three of us were supported by our squad of faithful spouses, who, I'm certain were practicing for the Dallas Cowboys cheerleading squad. All seemed to be enjoying themselves while sitting in the sun around the pond.

Sargie fixed a great lunch of pizza, salad, melon, and chips. After a nice break, it was back to the garden house.

It became evident as the day wore on that though we'd have enough siding to piece together the back of the garden house, it would look, well, pieced together. The guys did such a great job on the front and sides that I decided to halt installation until enough siding could be purchased to finish the back correctly, not parceled together with various seams in random places. Sargie and I should complete the rear of the garden house this week.

I'm always amazed at how many tools can be used for any given project. Putting them away last night, I ran out of room in the utility wagon while carting them from the garden to the shop and had to make more than one trip.



Rose and Tim put the core makings of a Death Muffin on their smoker yesterday morning and had Yooper Brother Mark, Sheri, Sargie, and me, over for supper last night. 

What's a Death Muffin?

Glad you asked.

A pork loin is butterflied and stuffed with spicy Italian sausage and bacon, folded back together and wrapped with more bacon, then put in a smoker for several hours to slowly cook the day away. Once done, it's sliced and placed on a toasted English muffin and topped with ranch dressing, a slice of cheese, spicy pickles to taste, and smothered with a big ol' gob of grape jelly.

The main ingredient in a Death Muffin is, of course, the smoked, stuffed, pork loin.

Good? Nothing in this world should taste that good, but it does and begs to be eaten in massive quantities. 

We contributed the last of this year's fresh asparagus from the garden. Tim put the spears in the smoker after basting each with garlic salt and butter. 



I could have made a meal from just the asparagus alone, but no, I had to be a pig and eat it all, even going back for a second Death Muffin, sans the muffin.



Then to add happy insult to gluttony, Rose served freshly baked rhubarb crisp for dessert topped with big dollops of vanilla ice cream. 

Oh Lord, just shoot me and roll me into the grave.
  
It was four very full and happy people who bade Tim and Rose goodbye Saturday evening. We'll see them next weekend when they are back.

You know, it's such a great feeling when I can introduce people, whom Sargie and I consider to be family, to each other. Just as I knew would happen, Mark and Tim, Rose and Sheri, seemed to hit it right off. Now they are friends and there's little doubt that in time, they might be great friends. 

The world can't have enough of those relationships and I'm glad that Sargie and I could be just a teeny part in making that happen. Yesterday was a great day to see four people who we love dearly, get to know each other, laugh, work, play, and become acquainted. 

It's what makes the world go round. Amen.

Coming on Monday's blog: Brother Elmer sent some really great pictures from the arctic, that unlike what you see on television, are of the REAL Alaska.

Today. 

Honestly, for no more than I did yesterday, I'm tired and think maybe I'll take it easy. For sure, I'm going for my early morning walk. Maybe I'll cut up that load of slab wood in the trailer and get it put away, or, perhaps, I'll work on sawing the Lord's Prayer in the shop. More than likely, I'll do a bit of everything and try to sneak in an afternoon nap and/or a nice drive with Sargie somewhere in the mix.

Okay, the walk, drive, and nap, are almost certainties. The rest? Who knows? Who cares?

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

It's coming, slowly but surely. Imagine the garden house painted red with Jambo's Dutch doors installed, shutters, flower boxes under the windows, a cupola, all topped off with a weather vane.