April 21, 2021 - Wednesday morning

16 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

As I've written before, I'm practicing editing videos on my iPhone. It's not easy for a guy who learned (and taught) analogue editing, used SVHS or beta tape, and sat in front of large screen, physically winding tape back and forth to achieve the desired outcome. Now my only editing tool is a tiny iPhone mini 12 that requires only my thumbs to scroll through each frame.

At any rate, I'll be making an entire series of videos while on the trail next year. At least I hope to. The last thing I want is "on the job training," so I'll be practicing between now and then and no doubt, publishing them here. The one above was my fifth attempt.

Feel free to skip any and all. It won't hurt my feelings.

Returning home from yesterday morning's walk, I took the cowling off the backhoe, the one that holds the starter rope. 

The good news is that when I dropped it off at the small engine repair, the owner told me to wait, that he'd fix it on the spot. The better news is that he handed it back to me less than five minutes later rewound and with a new rope. 

Back home, I bolted the cowling back into place and gave it a pull. The engine roared to life. I spent the next few minutes working on the stump before the engine suddenly quit.

The new carburetor will arrive tomorrow. Hopefully, that will end this season's backhoe blues. If it doesn't I'll remove the engine and take it  to the small engine shop and see what they can do. I'm tired of messing around with it.

The rest of the day was spent in the shop either fashioning a large salad bowl or working on the bulldog.

I spotted just the right piece of wood early this past winter and made a blank that's been "seasoning" for quite a while. 

Roughly shaped, the blank will now be allowed to season a bit more to ensure that it doesn't crack once the walls are turned to the desired thickness.

The bulldog was next on the agenda. I thought a full sized pup would be an easy intarsia/segmented piece as there'd be no fumbling with teeny pieces. I was wrong.

Even tracing the pup onto the backer board turned out to be a challenge and with the cost of lumber today, expensive.

Look closely and you can see the outline of the dog

I was saddened yesterday when Dad's saber saw quit working. Over fifty years old, I've used the old relic Craftsman extensively since inheriting it after Dad's death over twenty years ago. 

I'll keep it around a while longer. It's a piece of Dad that I'm not yet ready to say goodbye to.

The pieces of the bulldog are now sawed and ready to be shaped. My hope is to have the pooch finished by summer, if for no other reason than it takes up too much room in the shop.

I have my annual old person's physical this morning, the one that's almost two years overdue. No doubt, they'll check my memory and ask if Sargie's abusing me.

I'm seeing a new doc today, a young lady I'm told. I think I'll throw a monkey wrench into the works and reply, "Sargie who?"

 Since Katie's been on maternity leave, I've not been in any hurry to have anyone else probe and poke my body. The doctor's office, comprised of an all female medical team, called last week asking if I was ever going to make an appointment. Today's the day.

Sargie and I are heading down to Green Bay directly after for household supplies. No doubt, we'll find treasures to purchase that we didn't even know we needed. 

Time to get this uploaded and get this show on the road.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...