Two four-legged reasons why there are nine hundred volts of electricity surrounding the garden and pond

September 4, 2021 - Saturday morning

57 degrees/light rain/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Due to our harsh winters, of which we haven't had one in several years, no antlerless permits have been given during firearms hunting season for quite a while. The result has been an explosion in the deer population.

For the first time in years, many of the flowers and bushes in our yard have been decimated and if it weren't for the inclined electric fence around the garden, it too would be nonexistent. 

I heard not long ago that anterless permits were going to be issued this year, meaning the harvest of does will be legal. I hope so. I'm tired of donating our flowers and bushes to the hoards of grazing deer.

Friday's walk was uneventful. I've been asked about the shoes I'm wearing, the Altra Lone Peak 5 trail runners. As I said in the video a couple of days ago, they feature a drop heel with no support, which puts more pressure on the arch. For me, a person with a very high arch, they seem to be perfect. The shoes also feature a very wide toe box, something I need to house my herd of fat little piggies as I hike.

If there were such a thing, I could become a leg model for the Big Bird line of clothing. I'm just waiting for the phone to ring from my nonexistent agent with a big offer.

Friday morning ushered in a new recipe for brunch. In keeping with our northern heritage, it featured fresh broccoli harvested from the garden, fresh brats, the UP's unofficial meat of choice, picked from the freezer, and half dozen eggs, plucked from the chickens at Aldi Foods. 

The word to best describe yesterday morning's delicious meal has yet to be invented.

The remainder of much of Friday was a wash. Sargie and I loaded the Blazer with goodies to go to the dump. After traveling ten miles, we found it was closed due to a lightening strike. What? We haven't had any lightening for sometime and besides, what would a bolt of energized electricity harm, someone's discarded, mouse ridden, couch? 

We were successful in obtaining a new burning barrel from our local recycling plant. Continuing on to town, I purchased a VERY expensive battery for the red four wheeler only to find that it won't fit in the metal case in the machine. The battery will go back to the auto parts store this morning and hopefully, we can find one that will fit.

Arriving home mid afternoon, a frustrated Tommy P unloaded the pavers and carted them into the garden. With Sargie's help, we began to make a pad for the patio table and chairs.

Someday, we'd like to have pavers throughout the entire pond area. The gravel works and is certainly much better than the original sand and dirt, but pavers would be much nicer. Until then, we'll keep adding a few at a time.

I was about to begin mowing when the rain began. It was a fitting end to a very frustrating day. The dump was closed, meaning we had to unload the Blazer of trash, and then the battery didn't fit in the four wheeler. Why shouldn't it rain and ruin my plans to mow?

Poor poor me. If only you had my life, you'd understand.

I harvested a couple of Delicata squash, fed the fish, and slopped the giant pumpkin before turning on the electric fence and calling it a day.

Delicata squash are often called "Sweet Potato Squash." These were probably picked a bit prematurely, but they were tasty and let's face it, anything fresh from the garden tastes good.

In keeping with our tradition of eating like it's going to be our last meal, Sargie and I enjoyed, as Mom used to call it, a "Sunday meal," last night. 

Squash, along with grilled brats (again, the UP's unofficial meat of choice) and Flat Iron steaks, were the table fare. Our minds may have been frustrated, but our tummies were very happy.

We both have a ton of piddly things to do today in final preparation for tomorrow's Mighty Milligan Labor Day Celebration. I just took the large pork loin out of the freezer to thaw, the one that will be wrapped in bacon and injected with pounds of butter before being placed in the smoker tomorrow morning. That, along with brats, burgers, and "fixin's" brought by others, will comprise the family feast.

I hope Carl is right with his weather forecast. He says the rain's to end this morning with a nice day predicted for tomorrow. 

C'mon Carl, for once, please be right.

Time to get the day started.

After all, a man's work is enver done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Just removed from the freezer, the pork loin set out to thaw.