Coming across a flock of wild turkeys yesterday, I thought Sargie could have at least stuck her hand out the window and grabbed one for next Thanksgiving's dinner.

March 4, 2021 - Thursday
8 degrees/clear skies/calm winds
Pentoga Road

To tap or not to tap, that is the question.
Whether it is wiser in my mind to drill the noble maple tree
With bit and drill of fortune my mind suffers in indecision
Or to leave well enough alone and wait for a second round of fairer weather

Oh Lord, I hated having to memorize Hamlet in English Literature during my high school days. Why do teachers have their students memorize such worthless dribble? (The question was rhetorical. Please don't write and tell me. I already know the answer.)

At the time, I'd have rather had bamboo shoots shoved under my fingernails than to get up in front of the class and recite those four lines... and for hating Hamlet so much, why do I still remember them?

Hamlet aside, I'm at a point of indecision. The weather forecast is for several days of near perfect sap gathering weather, days where the temperatures rise well above freezing before dipping into much lower numbers at night. The huge differential causes the sap to run and it becomes maple season, the time when we gather hundreds, if not thousands, of gallons of sap to boil into pure, rich, syrup.

Here's the dilemma. Due to a doctor's appointment in downstate Wisconsin, we'll be gone for at least two of those near perfect days. After, the temperatures are to moderate to near normal with the next big warm up not happening until closer to the end of the month.

I've never tapped this early anyway. Just because many in the area are doing so doesn't mean I have to.

Last year, we didn't begin until March 20th. I'll wait until the third week of March to begin this year.

Case closed.

Wednesday was a mixed bag of goodies on Pentoga Road. After my walk and our usual ride to town, I returned to the shop to repair the segmented bowl.

Two new segments had to be sawed and inserted to replace those that were damaged while turning the piece. So far, so good.

The protruding parts of the new segments have since been sanded to size and I'm ready to resume turning the bowl.

Much of the day was spent on the bluegill. I spent quite a bit of time mixing various colors, but it soon became obvious that the only way I could make the fish look even close to lifelike was to use an air brush, something I don't have in my possession.

I've looked at a million and one pictures of bluegills online and have come to the conclusion that they come in every hue imaginable. Mine will be no different. In the end, it will look like a wooden segmented fish made by some old retired guy who has nothing better to do than play in his shop... and that's okay. I'm having fun.

Meanwhile, Sargie continues to compare paint samples in the dining room.

My preference is for something more striking than a rather mundane beige color. Problem is, the room is naturally dark. In the end, it'll be Sargie's decision. She has much better taste and I can live with most anything.

I began making trails through the maple woods last night for eventually tapping trees and gathering sap. It very well could be that by the third week of March, the snow could be gone anyway. 

My inflatable hiking pillow finally arrived. Weighing under two ounces, it's really quite comfortable and beats resting my head on a pile of dirty, wet, stinky, clothes after a full day of hiking.

I was happy to learn yesterday that my pack, containing my tent, quilt, stove and cooking goodies, plus first aid kit and all that goes with that, weighs just one ounce over ten pounds. I'm aiming for a total weight, including food, of eighteen pounds, so I think I'm right on target. This coming summer's shakedown hikes should help to trim a few more ounces from the total weight.

Truth be known, it's the hiker who needs to lose about twenty pounds before next February and he will, oh yes, he will. 

Right, Trail Boss Scotty?

Today will be much the same as yesterday. After starting a fire in the outside wood furnace, I'll go for my walk at first light. 

    

I need to order a new muffler for the old Ford tractor. The antique machine is a beast. Sitting outside all winter and enduring temperatures near -40, it started right off yesterday afternoon. Not bad for an almost seventy year old tractor with a six volt system. 

I have hopes of finishing the bluegill today along with having the segmented bowl ready to begin applying umpteen coats of finish.

It's almost daylight. Time to get busy.

As Andy says, "It ain't gonna happen by itself."

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road... 

Go ahead, Sargie. Reach out and grab one.

.... chicken.