Huey, Louie, and Dewey are all doing well

May 12, 2021 - Wednesday morning

25 degrees/clear skies/calm winds
Pentoga Road

We've yet to see the bear cubs in person, but the trail cam is telling us all three, plus Mama, are still calling Pentoga Road home. I'm going to set the camera to the video mode and see if I can capture their antics. Should be fun to watch.

As with most early mornings, Tuesday's walk was pure pleasure. The sun was bright and with the temperatures fairly warm, I was able to replace my usual jacket with a long sleeved t shirt and vest.

Back home, I began preparing an area in the far east end of the garden for a raised bed. After raking the chips away and cutting and removing the underlying landscape cloth, I found black soil with few rocks.

An idea began to form. Why not simply work up the ground rather than make a raised bed covering it? Living in the rock-strewn Maple Valley, it's a concept that's fairly foreign to me.

I dug and leveled the area to the best of my ability. Next came removing old tree roots that were left over from those that a windstorm had destroyed several years ago. 

Finally, I began to till.

For the first time in the years of gardening in Maple Valley, I wished I had a real tiller, the kind the big boys like Jambo use, not the play model. The small electric tiller is perfect for the raised beds, but now I was working up some real dirt just like real gardeners. 

I shoveled and tilled, then shoveled some more. With the area sloping downhill, I decided to frame around the patch, in a terrace type fashion, mostly to keep the dirt from washing away and to separate the chips from the soil.

As of now, almost half the new bed is framed. I should finish that this morning and after adding cow manure, quick lime, and a pat on the butt, it ought to be ready for a summer's worth of growing.

The honey berries are in full bloom. Bearing the first fruit of the year, we should be enjoying the soft, elongated, dark blue, delicious, berries in another three to four weeks. 

A member of the honeysuckle family, honeyberries don't freeze well, but make delicious jam, syrup, and are great for eating directly from the bush.

Son, Luke, sent along a couple of pictures in his formal uniform. Looks like to me he was going to church in a fire truck. That would get everyone's attention.

I most like the picture of the the bad a** Luke, the one where he looks more like Darth Vader than the Captain of a firehouse.

We're proud of ol' Lukie. He was just named as a member to Maine's JHAT, Joint Hazard Assessment Team. Comprised of the National Guard, law enforcement, and fire fighters, the elite undercover squad infiltrates large gatherings. Armed with meters and other paraphernalia, they serve as yet another barrier against any terrorist attack. 

If I were a terrorist and saw anyone wearing sunglasses like those above, I'd be fearful he'd morph into Robo Cop and run the opposite way. 

All kidding aside, we're proud of you, Lukie. Thanks for all you do. Just be careful, eh? For once in your life, listen to your dad. BE CAREFUL.

Okay, it's daylight and time to strap on the boots and hike a few miles. On today's hiking agenda is to practice making another video, so consider yourself forewarned. No singing this time. Otherwise, it'll be back to the garden. 

We measured for Sargie's new patio by the pond, so maybe we'll start on that today. Also, a garden bench was purchased late last fall and needs assembling. 

For the love of God, will it ever end? Probably not.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...