A belated Happy Birthday to Ivy

Five Years Old

December 19, 2020 - Saturday morning

29 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

We did get to sing Happy Birthday to Ivy a couple of days ago. Unfortunately, cell reception was horrible in the hills of southwestern Wisconsin, so our conversation was brief. I know she got a Barbi something or the other and a water horse, whatever that is, and was still telling us what other goodies she got when the call was dropped. 

Five years old. Ol' Ivy's growing up way too fast. Thankfully, Andy's good about using Facetime making us feel like we're a part of Ivy's life.

We made it home by mid afternoon on Friday. The roads were good, the traffic light. A flying trip was made through Sam's Club and another at TJ Maxx and Hobby Lobby before leaving Wausau.

What? Barbara Eden (I Dream of Jeannie) in Sam's?

I think so.

Sargie did most of the unpacking while I opened the house, turned on the water, and started a fire in the wood stove. Last night was a quiet one.

I got a new iPhone 12 mini just before we left and spent last night messing around with it, making it my own and transferring the data from my old iPhone 7. The transfer is automatic if good internet is available. Unfortunately, ours is very slow, so I set it all to happen during the night when the speed is faster. Sure enough, I came downstairs this morning to a brand new working phone.

There was nothing wrong with the old IPhone. In fact, I am rather fond of it. Problem is, the camera isn't very good at all and taking videos is the same. Storage on the phone can be measured in single numbers (8 gig). The new phone has two camera lenses to emphasis depth perception and the video is supposed to be quite good. Most importantly, it has a 128 gig hard drive, something I'll need on the trail next year. 

The new phone should allow me to vlog (video blog) during the 2,200 mile trek, taking all of you with me.

I hope to wrap up Christmas today, no pun intended, by getting Sargie's presents ... ahem, wrapped. Sometimes, I can't help myself when it comes to puns. Problem is, I need to get her out of the house. 

There are several options. I could banish her to the back woods, there to ward off angry lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! 

Maybe I could talk her into going to town for an hour or two, except what does one do in Iron River for that long a time? 

How about she visits Hambone and company in Iron Mountain? Yeah, that's it! Convincing her shouldn't be difficult.

Other than that, I'll head out the door at first light for my usual walk which could be a bit slippery. A couple of inches of snow fell during the night and finally, it's beginning to look like Christmas in the North Country.

Time to move along and get the day started.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

We had to stand in line to EXIT Sam's Club on Friday. Seems the door people were checking almost every item against the receipt making progress slow.