Wednesday began as a foggy and dreary day.

October 4, 2012 – Thursday

37 degrees

Pentoga Road

I’m not sure what I’m doing up at three-thirty this morning reading papers and entering grades. I awakened around two, wide-awake, ready to spring from bed for the day. Now, is that sick?

Poor Sargie. Our clocks are definitely set to different sleep cycles. If I put in the long days of work that she does, I’m sure mine would be different. Sargie often arrives home from work around 9 PM and is ready for some kind of social interaction and down time. After getting up at 5, sometimes 4, each morning, by 9 that evening, I’m beginning to think of bed and if I see 10 PM, my skin turns orange and a stem spouts on the top of my head as I begin morphing into a pumpkin.

When I sleep, I sleep hard. If I awaken past 3 AM the following morning and open my eyes, I’m usually awake for the day. When that happens, I quietly sneak from under the covers, close the bedroom door on my way out, then hit the floor running. It’s the only way I know to live. If Sargie can grab an extra hour of sleep, she takes it. I don’t blame her.

With cold and rainy/snowy weather forecast, I took the time on Wednesday to fill the wood box.

Speaking of turning into a pumpkin, Wednesday morning was spent cleaning and clearing the garden; preparing it for the coming winter months. I thought it might take me an hour, possibly two. In the end, I spent almost four hours hauling residue to the compost pile, removing stakes, and gathering what few vegetables were left. The only evidence of what grew this past summer are the corn stalks and pole beans. Sheri wants some stalks, I’m assuming for decoration and I’ll shuck the pole beans once they are thoroughly dry either for seed for next year or to make soup from this winter. I was going to put a few stalks on the front porch with the pumpkins, but it sounds like something I don’t want to clean up next month when the snow is falling and the winds are howling.

What to do with the pumpkins that remained in the barn? No one here is going to make pie from any and other than Mark and Sheri’s nephew, Leroy, and his baby sister, I don’t know who else to give them to. I decided to display them on the front porch. For sure, we’re ready for Halloween!

The thermometer was registering 70 degrees early Wednesday afternoon. I changed into shorts, plugged in the iPhone to my favorite podcast, and set out on my five-mile stroll. As has been the case all week, the weather was ideal and the miles flew under my feet.

I talked with the neighbor across and down the road and received permission to trap on his 120 acres of fields and woods. He’s an avid deer hunter and I told him I’d stay out of his woods in November. Most of what I’ll be targeting, coyotes and raccoons, will be on the edge of the woods or walking the dirt roads in the fields.

I started working in the barn by late afternoon. Things were put away and a table was installed in the area that I’m calling my trapping shed. Everything inside should be squared away by today’s end. After that, I’ll begin boiling, dying, and waxing my traps in preparation for October 15, the opening day of trapping season.

Gourds anyone?

It appears I’ll be teaching three classes of Alaska Studies for UAS this next semester. Here’s a quiz that is being posted today in ALST 300, an undergraduate course required for all new Alaska teacher hires or beginning teachers. How good is your Alaskan modern history and geography?

1. What year did Libby Riddles win the Iditarod? 

a. 1888

b. 1985

c. 1967

d. 1790

e. 1945

                       

2) Mike Martin and George Clark opened what in Ketchikan?

1. Hootchie Kootchie Parlor

2. Salmon cannery

3. Saloon

4. Boat building factory

5. Saltery and general store

3) A native Alaskan community east of Palmer is called?

A-Chickaloon

B-Sutton

C-Willow

D- Talketna

E- Butte

4) The Russians attacked the Kiksadi at which river?

a) Yukon River

b) Indian River

c) Stikine River

d) Chilkat River

e) King Salmon River

5) Who designed the Alaska state flag?

A. Vitus Bering

B. Joe Juneau

C. Richard Harris

D. Vince Vanier

E. Bennie Benson

Of course, there’s been discussion and research by the class on all the above.  Anyway, we’ll see how well you do. I’ll post the answers in the next day or two.

It’s almost 5 AM, time to throw another log on the fire and get a fresh cup of coffee.

The last vegetables from the garden for this season.

And so are the tales from Pentoga…

I've brushed snow from vehicles so I could see. This was AFTER I'd swept the leaves from the hood and windshield.

October 3, 2012 – Wednesday

34 degrees

Pentoga Road

I’m having a heck of a time getting a fire going this morning. Seems I was too lazy to go out to the wood shed for kindling last night. When I looked into the wood box on the back deck, I remember thinking, “Good ‘nuff.”  Yeah… well, I’ll baby the flames along and hope they get hot enough to take the chill out of the house before Sargie gets out of bed. If not, it’ll be furnace time.

Sunday was another beautiful day. After writing, I hiked the 5.35 miles in a bit over an hour enjoying the gorgeous weather. The leaves are past prime now and I’m noticing bare places among the branches. I imagine you’re tiring of pictures of fall leaves, but hang on, within a short time, there’ll be plenty of opportunity to view those of snow, and more snow, and lots of snow. It kind of goes with the territory.

I fixed super-duper omelets for breakfast on Tuesday morning. We decided to eat our big meal of the day early so that we wouldn’t have to worry about cooking later.

It was time to play Pumpkin Fairy… she’s a Tinker Bell type who flits the world over handing out pumpkins to all the good little girls and boys in preparation for Halloween. Whoa, wait, hold on, Sargie’s the fairy… I’m merely the gardener who supplies the thirty and forty pound fruits and manhandles most in and out of the Fairymobile.

There’s still a pumpkin here for Sargie’s sister, Nancy, but since she lives clear out on the frontier, in the suburbs of Foster City, we weren’t able to drop it off.  Hopefully we’ll get to see her before Halloween. If not, Sargie can turn into the Thanksgiving Fairy and Nancy can make a pie out of the thing.

Most of the afternoon was spent at Sargie’s old home where she was packing the remaining odds and ends, mostly clothes. I made the mistake of lying down on the couch.

I didn’t realize the Sandman moved in after Sargie vacated. It was over two hours later before I opened my eyes. Two hours? I’ve not taken a two-hour nap during the day in decades. It must be caused from all the stress I’ve been under; having to put meat on the table, snapping thousands of pictures of the fall colors, eating a bowl of ice cream nightly, taking a wonderful daily stroll among the woods and lakes. I guess this lifestyle is taking its toll.

The ski jump in Iron Mountain waiting for another season of Olympic class athletes.

We arrived home well after dark last night. It didn’t take too long to unpack the little car and soon we were enjoying a bowl of popcorn and watching Dancing With the Stars. We watch little television in the evenings, but that’s one show we enjoy. No, Luke, I’ve not crossed over to the other side. I’m simply more cultural and sensitive than you.

I assumed I’d have difficulty dropping off to sleep last night, but I read for… three minutes before my eyes closed. Hopefully, I’m caught up on being lazy and can get some real work done today.

Sargie returns to the Vision Center this morning to save the eyes of the UP and America. As soon as the sun comes up, I hope to clear the garden and tuck it away for the winter.

Next on the agenda will be the barn. Now that the majority of pumpkins are gone, it can be cleaned and a place made ready for a trapping shed inside, an area for my trapping equipment and where I’ll be skinning, fleshing, and mounting the skins… assuming I get some.

And finally, I hope to end with my daily hike, something I always look forward to.

According to the weatherman, this is the last day for a quite some time that we’ll have nice weather. It’s to turn nasty, cold, windy, and there’s a 50% chance of snow with a low of 14 on Saturday night. I guess I won’t be sneaking down to the bridge over the Mighty Brule and skinny-dipping this weekend.

	Friday Overcast with a chance of snow and a chance of rain in the morning, then mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 41F. Breezy. Winds from the WNW at 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph. Chance of precipitation 40% .
	Friday Night Mostly cloudy with a chance of snow and a chance of rain in the evening, then overcast. Low of 27F with a windchill as low as 19F. Winds from the NNW at 5 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 20% with accumulations up to 1 in. possible.
	Saturday Overcast with a chance of snow and rain showers in the morning, then mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 39F with a windchill as low as 21F. Winds from the NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 50% .
	Saturday Night Overcast in the evening, then partly cloudy. Low of 14F. Winds from the WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
	Sunday Partly cloudy. High of 41F. Winds from the WSW at 5 to 15 mph.
	Sunday Night Mostly cloudy. Low of 19F. Winds from the SW at 5 to 10 mph.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road… 

October 2, 2012 – Tuesday morning

38 degrees

Pentoga Road

I’m a bit slow getting around this morning. I’m not really sure why other than I awakened at four AM and was going to get up. Sargie said she was cold, so I lay back down snuggling beside her. The next thing I knew, it was past seven.

I knew I was being watched as I hiked on Monday. This gal was only about ten feet from me. She never did move.

Monday was a busy one. I went fishing for a couple of hours with three small bluegills to show for my effort. I’m certain had I wanted to stay on the water longer, I’d have caught enough to make a meal, but there were other things I wanted to accomplish. As usual the leaves and beauty more than justified the time spent.

I was home by eleven and putting fuel/oil in the chain saw. I’m clearing one corner of the yard, the one alongside the big trail going to the back. It’s always been so brushy and difficult to see any wildlife that are passing through. Being so close to the house and back yard, I want to be able to enjoy it.

It was a chore cutting and chipping the spruce branches. The butt ends chip fine, but the bushy ones tend to get caught in the chute. It took a while, but in the end, everything was made into mulch. I applied one wagon full to the strawberries. The other two are in the orchard and will be spread around the blueberry bushes and fruit trees.

It’s been almost a month since I’ve hiked. Now that I’m re-retired, it’s been my desire to get back into the daily routine. The usual 5.35-mile route was traced yesterday without too much difficulty. At first, I felt as though I had weights on my ankles, but after the first half-mile or so, the endorphins kicked in and I was on my way.

The last activity of the day was sweeping or vacuuming all the floors downstairs. With the moving that’s been occurring, it seems as though there is always dirt or dust being brought in.

It looks like the skunk and raccoon get along just fine.

A feral cat or a fisher? 

Sargie arrived home fairly early last night and we enjoyed a meal of leftover Southern style ribs, baked potatoes, and a salad. The evening was spent watching TV and relaxing.

I must have been tired. The last thing I remember is being snuggled next to Sargie in the big recliner watching television. My next recollection is early this morning, ready to get up for the day. You don’t think she threw me over her shoulder and carried me upstairs, do you? These Yooper girls are known for being made of the “right stuff.”

Sargie’s off today and we’re heading back to Vulcan to try to clean up a few loose ends in moving. It seems that when we think we’re completely finished, we find something else stuck away in a corner, a closet, etc. I’m discovering that moving is a process. Thankfully, we’re not under a timeline, it’s simply something we’d like to get finished as soon as possible before the weather gets bad.

Many of the pumpkins will be loaded today and delivered to the good little nieces and nephews in plenty of time for Halloween. (And Uncle Tom will be happy to get them out of his barn!)

I think I’ll go for my walk hike this morning and get that out of the way for the day. It’s sunny and cool… perfect.

So are the tales of Pentoga Road…

Another view of Pentoga Road. That's our white mailbox further down on the right.

October 1, 2012 – Monday

34 degrees

Pentoga Road

I’m still full from last night’s meal of fried fish, zucchini, and spuds. Why do we subject ourselves to such agony? Oh, wait, I remember… because it tastes so good!

Where’s the internet this morning? It appears the signal vacated the premises during the night. I’ve been so happy with the service for the past month. It’s been perfect. Hopefully, the signal will reappear before it’s time to upload the log.

While Sargie was doing her early morning girl stuff Sunday, I finished digging the potatoes. Several are the largest Pontiac Reds I’ve ever seen and estimate out of a five-pound bag of seed potatoes, around sixty pounds of spuds were harvested.

Sunday was moving day for big stuff. I piloted the Man Truck with Sargie riding in the right hand seat. Together, we rumbled down the highway often causing those who became stacked behind us to grow impatient for passing lanes or straight stretches. In my younger years, I used to swear at my misfortunate when coming upon an old guy driving a man truck at less than the speed limit on a narrow and curvy two-lane road.

 

Sargie has a park bench that belonged to one of her aunts weighing in the vicinity of a million pounds, give or take eight or ten. Along with a chest that obviously had six or seven boat anchors along with a semi-load of anvils in each drawer, and other goodies too numerous to mention, all were transported either home or to the storage unit for safekeeping.

The biggest news of the day wasn’t the move, but rather of the peak fall colors. Sargie was yesterday’s photographer and snapped pictures the entire way to and from her house.

It seemed around every curve lay a new palate of brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges, and regardless the subject, our conversations came back to how beautiful this country called the UP is. I hope to always carry a picture of yesterday’s beauty in my mind. It ranks right up there with the mountains and water of Sitka, the remoteness of the arctic, or the big woods of Maine.

I was just proof reading this… and how lucky I’ve been to have lived in some of North America’s most beautiful places. The never-ending woods and water of northern Maine along with its rapids and swift flowing rivers seemed to be the most beautiful place on earth. I well remember the first time I stepped off the plane in Kotzebue, Alaska, and was stunned at how BIG everything seemed, mostly the emptiness and expanse of the arctic. When I first looked at the majestic Brooks Range from the seat of a snowmobile and wondered how I might find a pass through them, I wiped away an emotional frozen tear. I’d never seen anything so beautiful.

Years later, perched on a rock, several thousand feet over Sitka Sound, I told myself this was the most impressive place I’d ever been. The mountains. The water. The sheer ruggedness of southeast Alaska…

And Sunday, the colors were almost too much for the human mind to absorb all at once. I found myself once again thinking this truly is the most beautiful place on earth.

We arrived home by mid afternoon and I immediately turned on the Packers/Saints football game. Every timeout, commercial, or between quarters, I’d dash out to the truck and help Sargie unload. At halftime, I began frying fish and taters.

I think anyone who is a Packer fan might have aged a few years during yesterday’s contest, but in the end, we triumphed despite another lousy referee’s call. As I mentioned to Andy during our long distance post game conversation, if the Pack didn’t have bad luck so far this year, they’d have none. Maybe with yesterday’s victory, their fortunes are changing.

We enjoyed a quiet Sunday evening sharing the big recliner with a blanket wrapped around us in front of the television. Bedtime came shortly before ten. It had been a long day of driving, moving, and helping the Packers win from afar.

Sargie is off early today. I think we’ll have left over southern style ribs for supper and a salad. Meanwhile, I’m undecided whether to go fishing or begin chipping some of the thousands of popple saplings for mulch. I rather imagine I’ll stay home and work. It’s going to be another beautiful day and there’s so much to do before snow flies.

Trapping season begins two weeks from today. I need to take a day or two to boil and dye the traps and get everything ready. Other than a coyote stretcher, when it comes to traps and equipment, I think I’m ready to go.

The sun is rising and skies are becoming light. It’s time to greet the day.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…