Wednesday was Work on the Kia Day

July 24, 2020 - Friday morning

49 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Hmm, I wonder why my MacBook Pro's not charging? I managed to get today's pictures uploaded before it ran out of power and will finish today's writing on the less powerful, sometimes frustrating, but always reliable, Acer Chromebook. 

I was enjoying my walk early Thursday morning when I heard something go crashing into the woods. Though I couldn't tell what it was, I saw this fresh bear dig. Looks as though he was pawing through a large ant's nest looking for a tasty morsel before I frightened him away.

Arriving home, I spent some time in the garden weeding and walking between the raised beds. Everything, including the weeds, is growing at breakneck speed, but I'm fearful that if we get an early frost, much of this year's gardening effort will be for naught. Only time will tell.

The rest of the day was spent grinding and fixing the surface rust on the Kia.

With well over a quarter of a million miles on the little car, combined with wiping out half the deer population in the Upper Peninsula, the body is showing some real wear and tear. 

Taken after both back quarter panels around the wheel wells were repaired

Stop and think, before retiring, Sargie drove the little car a hundred miles a day, at least five days a week, for almost nine years. It was used to make multiple thousand mile round trips to visit Mom in Indiana, was driven to southern Mississippi, and seen countless jaunts to town. 

The quickly aging car still doesn't burn a drop of oil and averages close to forty miles to the gallon. In fact, it still drives and runs the same as it did when we first purchased it back in 2011. 

I attribute the mechanical success of the Kia to Sargie's tenacity in using synthetic oil and having it changed every 2,500 miles without fail. 

At any rate, the old car has cancer that is slowly consuming it from the inside out. All I can do is keep it as comfortable and pain free as possible by removing and repairing any rust from the outside.

Used primarily for drives around the immediate area, we'll continue to use it until it drops. After, we'll kick it a time or two until the old car finally breathes its last cancerous breath.

Who needs a hunting rifle? All we have to do is drive the black bullet up and down the road a few times before a deer will feel the uncontrollable urge to jump out in front.

Sargie spent several hours riding high atop her mower Wednesday afternoon. With the recent rains, the lawn seems to be having a race with the garden to see which can grow the fastest.

The trailer was pulled to Yooper Brother Mark's plant for a load of wood. Two more trailer's full should see the bins filled and ready for this coming winter.

In family news, Luke sent a picture of his new travel trailer. They've been looking for sometime and finally found the one that is right for them.

Knowing Luke, he'll have it up in the Big Woods of northern Maine sooner rather than later.

Mississippi Brother Garry and Miss Jody's grandson, Monkey Boy, (Evan) celebrated his tenth birthday yesterday in southern Mississippi. 

Why the name Monkey Boy?
The lad can scale any door jam or wall that lies before him. Even in my most flexible and young days, I was never as nimble as Evan, thus the name, Monkey Boy.

We talked with him last evening and with typical southern manners, the boy was full of "yes sirs," and "no ma'am's." 

How Sargie and I appreciate those manners that seem to have been lost on many children (and adults) here in the north.

The Crappie Queen and I went fishing last night. So far, it's not been a banner year on our little lake.

Sargie did catch a nice bluegill.



I landed a beautiful small mouth bass of several pounds that was a mere half inch under the legal size limit of eighteen inches.

Trolling and needing a drink of water, Sargie found a rather innovative way to secure the fishing rod while her hands were busy. It sure beats the old metal holders that were used in my Alaska days.

Though we didn't bring home a basket filled with fish, we did have a good time. 

It's time to get this uploaded then go for my walk. Since Sargie has the yard looking so nice, I guess I ought to crank up the hand mower and finish trimming. I need to get some treated lumber today to build the front stoop for the garden house. Other than that, who knows? 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Mississippi Brother Garry, Monkey Boy, Miss Jody