November 30, 2020 - Monday morning
22 degrees/cloudy/windy
Pentoga Road

Check out that picture above very carefully. You'll notice a bump on the box to the right of my head. Yep, one of yesterday's activities was spent hauling totes back to the storage shed with Jimmy.

I don't mind Sargie "suggesting" how/what/when I ought to help with chores around here, but to be bossed by a less-than-pint-sized bird? 

If only you had my life, you'd understand.

I was talking with a buddy of Jambo's who had stopped in for a visit the other day. Jimmy, no doubt fearful that he'd miss any gossip, swooped down from the heavens and landed on my shoulder.

We were in the middle of a conversation when the visitor suddenly interrupted himself in the middle of the sentence, saying, 

 "I'll be *****, look at that!"

I was tempted to tell him that Jimmy and I were rehearsing for a remake of The Birds, but in the end, I simply replied that Jimmy was my buddy.

In arctic Alaska, I had Elmo the ermine (weasel) who'd sit and ride on my shoulder and Mable the moose that used to give me warm, nuzzling, kisses every morning. 

In the UP, most people have dogs. I have a chickadee. 

A vast majority of Sunday was spent installing an outside electric outlet on the garden house.

I'd never done one on the exterior of a building before and it proved to be challenging, especially since the temperatures were below freezing and the wind was strong. If I wasn't cutting a hole or fishing wires through the floor and into the wall, I was blowing on my hands, rubbing them together, in an attempt to retain some small amount of feeling and flexibility. 

Still, in the end, an outlet was installed.

The power going to the garden house is temporary. A permanent underground line will be installed next summer.

Chilled to the bone, I gladly moved inside to help Sargie finish the indoor decorating. Every room whispers Christmas and as I told Yooper Brother Mark, if one's not in the Christmas spirit when he arrives, he will be before he leaves.

With the decorating finished and totes back in the storage shed for the next several weeks, Sargie and I made our way to the garden to hang the lighted wreaths. They were drab, plastic, things, until Sargie got hold of them and made them into beautiful rings of lights and bows.

After being outside most of the day, I slept like a baby last night. In fact, I didn't wake up once.

Sargie's off to Escanaba with sister Nancy today. I'm going to have her drop me off several miles down the road so I can walk back before warming up the shop and getting serious about finishing this year's Christmas presents.

Other than that, well, let's see. It's a cold windy day,  dark and snowy. I'm no fortune teller, but reading the grounds in the bottom of my coffee mug tells me there could be an afternoon nap in store. 

Or maybe, they're telling me it's time for a refill.

Never mind.

Santa and Sargie dancing in the dining room. Should I be jealous?

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

 

November 30, 2020 - Sunday morning
32 degrees/clear skies/calm winds
Pentoga Road

I know I've said it a thousand times before, but I love these early predawn hours, especially this time of the year. The fire's crackling, the world, at least on Pentoga Road, is quiet and peaceful. There is no Covid, no politics, no nothing except me and my thoughts. In my younger years, I cursed my inability to sleep in, but now, I embrace it. 

I wonder what the poor people are doing? 

Why, they're the ones still in bed, happily slumbering away. 

Meanwhile, I get to selfishly enjoy these precious hours that are mine and mine alone.

Well, look at this beautiful family. Miss Jody and Mississippi Brother Garry were lucky enough to have all three of the their children, Eric, Kevin, and Kari, under one roof to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Kari, Garry, Jody, Kevin, Eric

Looking at those kids. You can tell the apples don't fall far from the tree, eh?

Luke sent this picture featuring his new electric turkey fryer. Luke's not only a fire fighter, he's also an accomplished chef, especially when it comes to preparing various meats. The boy said that this 2020's Thanksgiving turkey ranked in the top five of the many he's prepared over the years, be they smoked, baked, or fried. Ol' Lukie could fry shoe leather and make it taste good.

Saturday dawned warm and sunny. Returning home from my morning walk we made a dash to town to run a few errands. While at one of our local stores, Sargie found the perfect Merry Christmas sign to hang on the front porch.

I tease her that if she keeps purchasing Christmas decor we'll be forced to build another storage shed. In all honestly, I don't mind a bit. There are worse things in the world than celebrating Christmas.

Decorating the interior of the house continues and should be finished today. 

What? Wreaths on my exercise bike? Sargie has them wrapped in lights and with bows tied, these will be hung on the garden house, not my bike.

Just as I shuffled through the Christmas death march two days ago bringing totes into the house, the reverse will be done today, taking the empty plastic boxes back to the storage shed. Devoid of their contents, at least they don't weigh anything to speak of.

I spent most of Saturday outside, connecting wires, running extension cords hither, thither, and yon, wiring, rewiring, and occasionally muttering. At times, I felt like I was recreating a cheap rendition of Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation.

There were wires running over wires and outlets with plugs that took forever to trace. After several hours of traipsing around the outside of the house and yard, I prayed a two fold silent prayer:

1. that I not be electrocuted

2. that the lights would work

It was time. 

All I could think of was Clark Griswold joining two overloaded extension cords while loudly warbling Joy to the World.

In the end, I had better luck than Clark.

Inside, my Sargie was busy tying bows for five wreaths that will be lit and decorate the garden house and entrance to the pond/garden area. She also continued to empty the totes, finding a special place for everything.

I've got a million, billion, and thirteen, things to do today. Other than carrying the totes from the house to the storage shed, I'll be hanging the wreaths around the garden. I'd like to get rid of the old squash and apples in the barn so the Kia and Blazer can be put under cover, and no doubt, we'll enjoy a Sunday afternoon drive.

But first, I'll go for my walk at first light, still half an hour away.

The pinkish red light to the left is part of a laser light show that plays out on the large barn door.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Power was restored for another year to Mom's Christmas village on the dining room table.

November 28, 2020 - Saturday
26 degrees/clear skies/calm winds
Pentoga Road

The name of the game on Friday was Christmas decorations. Thankfully, with Sargie now retired, we didn't feel as though we were under a deadline to finish in one day. There are still several frost covered totes sitting on the back deck filled with Christmas cheer waiting to be unloaded.

My morning walk was a good one. I'm wondering if most in our area weren't suffering from a Thanksgiving food hangover as I saw only one truck on the road during my trek. Normally, I see two or three.

When you live on Pentoga Road, a person notices such things. It's not uncommon for fewer than a half dozen vehicles to pass daily during the winter months.

Sargie and I decided to go to town early and get that out of the way. With a million, billion, and thirteen, totes to carry to the house, we wanted no interruptions once the Christmas season had officially started.

My bride immediately got to work putting together the first of our two inside trees.

I was carting totes from the storage shed when Sargie beckoned me inside.

"What do you think if we go with a smaller tree this year?" she asked.

I looked in the corner and noticed she'd inserted only the first section of our living room tree.

"Funny," I replied, "but you know, it would make the job go much faster."

With Christmas music playing in the background, the top sections were added as we continued our holiday chores. Sargie decorated inside, I continued carrying totes.

The phone rang. It was Nancy. I left the two sisters to gab and took that as a sign from God that I should make my way to the shop. I've been wanting to turn a wider, deeper, vessel and had several pieces of wood picked out and ready.

The first was debarked and smoothed and though it may be too small in diameter for what it was originally intended, it'll make into something or the other. Stay tuned on that one.

Sargie and I eventually continued decorating. Both trees were eventually assembled and decorated, our six foot Santa placed in his customary corner, and Mom's Christmas village arranged on the dining room table.

How Mama loved that village. In her later years, after giving it to us, she'd stop by the table and look at each piece. Aunt Ila, Grandma's baby sister and Mom's best friend growing up, had painted most of the ceramic pieces many years ago. 

The look in Mom's eyes told me she was reliving almost nine decades of memories while visiting the village on our dining room table.

We finally called it a day late in the afternoon. Sargie and I both were tired and after all, why did we have to finish in one day? As Sargie said, "It feels SO GOOD to not rush everything before having to return to work tomorrow."

Amen to that, Sargie Pants.

Yooper Brother Mark sent a photo that would make any deer hunter with a heart beat salivate. This was taken over by Three Lakes, Wisconsin, about an hour southwest of Pentoga Road.

I haven't received my early morning text from Mark yet, which tells me he's sitting out in his deer blind waiting for a giant buck to come walking through.

I'll be playing electrician today and running power to all the outside Christmas figures and decorations. There's Rudolph, his sleigh, a life sized angel, five wreaths, four snowflakes, and oh heck, I can't resist the temptation... three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree, all requiring electricity to make our yard light up for the Christmas season.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

I found this little good lookin', hottie, wood nymph hiding in one of our trees

 

Look who showed up at yesterday's Milligan Thanksgiving Celebration

Granddaughter, Makenna!

November 27, 2020 - Friday morning

30 degrees/calm winds/partly cloudy

Pentoga Road

Happy birthday wishes go out to my son, Luke, today. A captain with the South Portland, Maine, Fire Department, I hope he gets the day off from running his station house. 

Happy birthday, son. We love you.

Yesterday's Mighty Milligan Family Thanksgiving Celebration went off without a hitch. 

As Julius Caesar might quip if asked about yesterday's feast,  "Veni, vidi, vici." 

Hey, I took Latin in high school... give me some credit, eh?

Following strict social distancing rules, we came, we saw,  and we distanced.

Oh, we also ate. Lord how we ate... and ate... and ate some more.

The ladies took advantage of the opportunity to hold a baby shower for Nikki and Makenna. 

Sasha had baked a cake and hearing all the talking and laughter from the other side of the house, it sounded as though the shower was a great success.

You know, as usual, after these family gatherings, I'm just going to post the pictures. I don't think any words are needed.

Sargie's son, Cale

Aria kept everyone entertained, especially Grandpa, who she'd sneak up behind and scare with a loud roar.

Day turned to evening. With promises that we'd see each other on Christmas Eve, this year's gathering began to break up. All marched out the door single file and maintaining a careful six foot distance, we tossed air hugs and kisses back and forth like beach balls in a water park in accordance with our Governor's policy of knowing what's best for us. 

Today begins the Pentoga Road Death March, the one man parade that sees me making a million, billion, and thirteen, trips from the storage shed to the house with armloads of totes, all loaded with Christmas decorations. 

I'm not much of a decorator, in fact, I'm not one at all. With Christmas music blaring throughout the house, I'll carry in the full totes before returning them after being emptied. Otherwise, I'm at Sargie's mercy. She'll direct me where to place something or the other and occasionally, we'll stop our work and break out singing a Christmas carol, even a quick dance to a favorite song. 

I moan and complain, but secretly, between you and me, I enjoy watching my bride being so happy. Her eyes will sparkle and her Christmas mood will, no doubt, be infectious. Today, together, we'll embrace the first day of celebrating the most important time of the year.

Let the Christmas season begin!

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Ross and Holly have decorated one the pyramids I made years ago. After dark, it looks exactly like a Christmas tree.