A boy and a frog

Good old fashioned summertime fun on Pentoga Road

July 12, 2021 - Monday morning

51 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Funny, how after a few days of no electronics, including phones and anything that requires only thumbs, (and very little television), a boy can quickly detoxify, resulting in greatly improved hearing and a sharpened attention span. He's learned to be perfectly happy doing boy things like catching frogs, driving a four wheeler, getting dirty, and helping when needed. The boy even voluntarily clears the dirty dishes after meals, rinses them off, and puts them in the dishwasher, all without being asked. 

And eat? Holy cow, when more body parts than the thumbs are pressed into service, he becomes an insatiable empty hole into which we pour food. Last night's hamburger and large salad quickly disappeared.

There are skills that even phones and computers can't teach, mainly, how to communicate and have good, old fashioned, summertime fun.

I began Sunday morning by spraying three tanks of Round Up. It's something I do every year, but the weeds seem to be worse this summer. Donning long pants, gloves, and all the other protective paraphernalia, spraying is one of my least favorite jobs and I'm happy to have it over with for the year. 

Finished with the spraying, I slipped out of the house before Hambone awakened. Normally up fairly early in the mornings to go to daycare, he's been sleeping until 10 or even later during his stay with us. 

Playing outside in the sun, swimming, and doing all those other things, requires a lot of energy.

Sargie was busy on Sunday spray painting some of our old outdoor patio chairs, those that have been confined to the barn in recent years. As with most of what Sargie does, after a good cleaning and a coat of paint, she has them looking like new.

When Hambone learned that Grandma Sargie was painting, he was eager to help and she was happy to teach him how. It's another of life's practical lessons that requires more than a mere thumb.

We purchased a patio umbrella sometime ago and upon assembly, found that a part was missing. The company has been called and emailed, but the only response I've received has been, "Let me look in the warehouse and I'll see what I can find."

I can see the writing on the wall with that kind of response. Since we've heard nothing since and having grown tired of tripping over the umbrella and supporting parts in the garden house, I decided to improvise. 

With Sargie's help and advice, we made it all come together yesterday afternoon.

I have a feeling snow will be falling before we get the part, and that's if the company sends it.

Grandma Sargie and Hambone spent some quality time together yesterday. With the temperature in the upper 70's and lots of sunshine, the pond was, by far, the most popular place on Pentoga Road.

Dollar for dollar, digging that big hole and filling it with 18,500 gallons of water has produced the most bang for my buck possible. Not only do we enjoy sitting around it and watching the fish and other wildlife, but it's the perfect backyard pool.

Since we'll be away for a week to ten days visiting the sons and their families, I decided to mow the front meadow and lawn. Hopefully, it won't grow too much.

Darkness fell, the stars came out, and the frogs began to croak. What better way to finish a perfect day than by making s'mores!

With a fire blazing by the pond in the chilly nighttime air, it quickly became evident that Hambone wasn't the only person who enjoys toasted marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers, all smooshed together in a big, tasty, sticky, morsel.

Today's going to be a busy one. I'm going for my walk as soon as the sun is up. I promised Grady I'd take him fishing this morning and he said he'd like to spend this afternoon playing in the pond. Since today's Macrea's birthday, we'll be heading to Iron Mountain later, first to have the oil changed in the car, then meeting Mel, Macrea, and Cheeks, for not only a birthday supper, but also for the Hambone exchange. It's been a fun five days. 

Sargie and I will be leaving for the East Coast either Tuesday after lunch or fairly early Wednesday morning. The Pennington boys, sans Andy who is working off the coast of Trinidad, and families will be gathering at Matt's outside of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, this coming weekend. Grandma Sargie and I are looking forward to seeing and playing with eight of our fourteen grandchildren during that time, plus catching up on life with the Pennington boys and their spouses. 

This will be a quick trip for a weekend gathering, a warm up for a longer, more leisurely one this fall, when New England's famous colors are on full display. We'll time it when Andy's back in the states so we can play with Ivy. 

Oh yeah, we'll play with Andy too. 

OK, time to get the day started. I recorded a short video yesterday that I'll put at the end of today's writing.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...