Still in velvet

A hunter's dream come true

July 23, 2021 - Friday morning

63 degrees/cloudy skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

That big boy walked out alongside the road in front of us yesterday and stood there, STOOD THERE, daring us to take a shot.

Well, I showed him. I pulled the camera from my pocket and nailed that big ol' buck right between the eyeballs. That'll teach him to give me sass.

Thursday was a busy one on Pentoga Road playing catch up. I went for my usual early morning walk and was happy that I didn't keel over from a heart attack. I notice at this age, skipping a day or two results in my body rebelling from doing any strenuous exercise. It was kind to me yesterday and I chugged up and down the hills as usual.

The rest of the morning was spent in the garden.

Weed or water? Take your choice.

I picked the first of the cucumbers and zucchini with the promise of many more to come.

In fact, we enjoyed a young zucchini for breakfast Thursday morning.

Fried to a golden brown, it, along with eggs, cottage cheese, bacon, and fruit, made the perfect meal.

The flowering onions are at their absolute peak. Perfectly round and fully in bloom, the bees are busy collecting pollen.

There are some who shake their heads when we tell them we grow onions for their beauty. The bulbs, which we occasionally use for cooking, are simply an added bonus.

The pond needed my attention as it had grown a mega crop of algae while we were away. A lot of time was spent raking the long, stringy, stuff and getting the water quality back to where it normally is. I'll go swimming later today and trim the underwater weeds from our swimming hole. After, it should be good to go.

The rest of the day was spent digging an old tree stump from alongside the barn. It was the first test of the backhoe since being overhauled and I was thrilled that it performed like new.

The stump, a large one, is from a spruce that Andy and I cut over ten years ago. We are preparing to lay gravel on that side of the barn and though it was sawed close to the ground, the stump was something we'd be tripping over for the next umpteen years.

Talk about a challenge. At one point, after using a reciprocating (sawzall) saw to cut any stubborn roots, I employed a twelve ton jack to loosen the stump.

It took most of the afternoon, over an hour, for clean up after, but in the end, the stump was moved to the burn pile, the large hole filled, and the area raked level. Time for gravel!

I thought Hambone was coming last night to spend a day or two, but evidently, he found something better to do. I heard through the grapevine he may come tonight. 

Yooper Brother Mark is due to arrive for our usual Friday morning walk so I guess I better get this uploaded. If I can get the old Blazer started, I'd like to get a load of gravel today and begin spreading it on the far side of the barn. There're underwater weeds to trim in the pond, garden beds to clean, and then there's the cords of wood waiting to be brought in from the woods. Time to get a move on.

Sargie's day lilies in full bloom

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...