We've known for sometime that the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was our home on Pentoga Road. Here's the proof.

November 19, 2015 - Thursday

31 degrees/snow showers/very windy

Pentoga Road

Whew. I just arrived home after a three-mile stroll. It was a tossup to see if walking into a 30 mph wind might do me in or if it's the mere fact that I've not trekked for any distance to speak of in the past several months. Either/or, I feel as though I just climbed Mt Everest. I'm badly out of shape and it's time to get active again.

Once I discovered that I probably wouldn't be hiking the Appalachian Trail, I lost my zest for walking daily. I'm a goal walker... a person who has to have a vision, a reason, for walking. I've got one now, to keep my burgeoning belly from becoming bigger. 

Thursday was a wet and windy day. I worked on the snowmobiles off and on for several hours. 

I think I'm on the verge of getting one going and another hour or two of work will tell the story. 

I removed the carburetor from one and found it was coated inside with sludge and gunk. When we went to town, the local ATV mechanic (whose brain I was picking) recommended I take all the parts and pieces and soak them in vinegar.

I'd never heard of doing that, but decided it was worth a try. It worked! I'll blow everything out this morning, put it together, say a prayer to the god of carburetors and hope for the best. 

Gas drained from the tank of one snowmobile. The white on the bottom is water. Hmm, I can't figure out why it wouldn't run.

After working on a couple of loose legs on Mom's cedar chest, we finally got it back together.

The legs have been worked on several times before. Hopefully, yesterday's repairs will have more permanent results.

We're not yet sure where the final resting place for the cedar chest will be. Everywhere from the dining room to the upstairs hallway, to the foot of our bed, has been mentioned. I'll let Sargie make the corporate decision. She has better taste when it comes to furniture and decoration.

We took a short drive into town to purchase wood glue. Coming home, we noticed this gazebo wrapped in plastic wrap for the winter months. At first, I laughed, but later thought it was a pretty good idea.

The biggest news of the afternoon was the wind. It came up suddenly and was strong enough to blow two panels out of the greenhouse and knock out the power.

I went to Neighbor Mike's for better cellular reception to call the power company and when I came home, Sargie was in the garden picking up that which had blown out of the green house. With her help, I soon had the panels locked back into place.

At one point, the sun came out and we were treated to the most magnificent rainbow. It was a treat to witness.

Last night was spent listening to our wind-up emergency radio and reading from our Kindles. Sargie warmed up chili on the wood stove and we had a wonderful, cozy, evening. The power finally came back on during the nighttime hours.

The emergency deep cell battery that we've used in conjunction with the solar panels died. I knew it was getting weak, but last night, it completely failed. I've also used that battery with my trolling motor, so I can't complain. It's given us two years of good service and has been depleted and recharged numerous times. I need to bite the bullet and purchase two or three gel-celled batteries for the backup solar system, a more permanent solution. 

My sister, Barb sent me this article. It's humorous, but makes perfect sense to me. I'll refrain from getting political (and sometimes that's difficult to do) but I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Picture taken from the MSN website

Sargie's back to work today. I'm going to get this uploaded then head out to the barn and see if I can get a snowmobile running. After that, I'll be working on the sign in the shop.

Yooper Brother Mark is going to Iron Mountain to get windows this afternoon. I'll be keeping him company.

Time to get busy. That snowmobile isn't going to fix itself.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Sargie's modeling a new winter coat. With the hood up, she reminds me of Kenny on South Park. 

November 18, 2015 - Wednesday

51 degrees/cloudy/windy

Pentoga Road

It appears this current bout of warm weather is not going away gently. Thankfully, Sargie doesn't have to work today, so we're not worried about driving.

It's hard to believe that I was ice fishing a year ago now. Thanks to the El Nino (I'm told) we continue to experience temperatures well above normal accompanied by wet conditions. It's to change beginning tonight and normal temperatures are forecast for the near future.

Tuesday was a relaxed day on Pentoga Road. It was rainy and windy so playing outside was out of the question. I did pull in the other old snowmobile and work on that for a while in the barn. Other than having it fire once while outside, I've been unable to resurrect the old beast back to life. If I'm unsuccessful today, I'm going to sell both Arctic Cat snowmobiles and see about getting a better machine for ice fishing.

I also spent over an hour adjusting the blade on the scroll saw in the shop. I took the saw apart and discovered where the adjustment screw had slipped off the arm. It was an easy fix and I was delighted when it purred and cut like new.

Page Two

Andy sent a picture of a coin he was presented from Shell Oil for his work as a supervisor aboard a large vessel used in the arctic. Andy was in Alaska this past summer and is currently working in the Pacific off the coast of Washington State. 

Page Three:

Luke was in the interior of northern Maine hunting this past week and sent a few pictures of the places where we used to camp when the boys were growing up.

Seminary Brook is about forty miles from the closest community, assessable only by dirt and gravel roads. Little did I know it at the time, but the big woods (as the locals refer to it) of northern Maine were my training grounds for what was to become my future, the Arctic Circle of far northern Alaska.

That's the St. John River. We fished, hunted, and swam in that area for years and the boys and I probably knew those thousands of square miles as well as anyone. It was our stomping grounds.

To the left is Longs Rapids. Though you can't see them very well, the current is very fast and choppy. On hot summer days, the sons and I would swim in the rapids, letting the swift water wash us down (feet first, on our backs) through the rocks, to the calmer water below. Andy was so light that I would tie a rope around his waist and let him zip down the rapids, then haul him back up between the rocks where he would surf on the surface. I often thought of Longs Rapids as nature's water park. We had a great time that only northerners who grow up in the woods can understand.

 

Page Four:

Sargie and I made a quick trip to town on Wednesday afternoon. Since we'd ridden for ten hours the day before, we skipped our usual ride around the countryside. 

Once home, we unloaded the cedar chest. I have to glue a couple of the legs that have dried out over the years, but otherwise, it will be ready to carry upstairs.

After being cooped up for several days, Brutus was acting crazy and delighted in running, playing fetch, and mock attacking anything that looked as though it was moveable, including chunks of fire wood.

Sargie made one of my favorite meals for supper, a huge pot of chili. I ate entirely too much and have every intention of doing the same today. 

Last night was spent watching the latest episode of Dancing With the Stars on the internet. We missed Monday's live performance.

This is Sargie's last day of vacation. With the forecast as it is, I doubt we'll get too wild. I am going to continue working on the snowmobile. I also want to work in the shop. 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

I was too lazy to get the ladder, so I stood on a tractor tire when storing the chairs above the shop that had been sitting on the front porch.

That's me, Sargie, Mom, sister Barb, and brother in law, John

November 17, 2015 - Tuesday
46 degrees/rainy/breezy
Pentoga Road

Well, let's see. It's been so long since I wrote that I can't remember what was in the last entry.

This past weekend was wonderful. Mom, Sargie, and I, talked and laughed, ate way too much, and enjoyed each other's company.

My sister, Barb, and her husband, John, drove over on Sunday afternoon. We enjoyed brunch then talked the rest of the afternoon away.

 Without a doubt, the biggest project of the weekend was dismantling Mom's cedar chest and packing it and its contents into the compact Kia. 



When Mom realized how small our car was, she couldn't believe we might fit everything inside. I assured her we would... and we did.

Sargie's giving me directions 

It was a close call, but by removing the lid and loading the chest upside down, it lay nicely on the back seat.

We took walks each evening around Mom's complex. The temperatures were in the fifties and the weather almost perfect.

The view of the courtyard and fountain from Mom's large living room window

Of course, no trip to the big city would be complete without a shopping expedition. We were at the local mall first thing Monday morning.

Watch out, Sargie's power shopping! Mom and I elected to walk slower and bring up the rear.

We kissed Mom goodbye early Monday afternoon and with assurances that we'd see her in a few weeks when she flies in for the holidays, we departed for home.

Sargie drove most of the ten hours. It was raining and windy and we were both happy when we pulled into the drive shortly before 11:00 last night.

I was up early this morning and bailed Brutus out of the kennel. He was happy to see us and is now in his accustomed place in the living room.

Sargie has a couple of days to rest before heading back to work. We'll spend today finishing unloading the car and getting the cedar chest carried upstairs to its permanent place.

The turn signals have quit working in the Blazer. I need to see if I can get them blinking again. Brutus will want to play fetch, then no doubt, we'll make a trip into town for a few groceries. If only you had my life.

But then we all know that a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

See you in a few weeks, Mom!

We made it to Mom's by early afternoon on Saturday

November 15, 2015 - Sunday

37 degrees/clear/calm

Terre Haute, Indiana

It appears we are going to enjoy at least two more days of fall on this trip as today's high in west central Indiana is 65 degrees.

Friday morning at home

Not bad, leave the UP in driving snow and cold and arrive two days later enjoying balmy temperatures. I just heard from Yooper Brother Mark who is sitting in his deer blind (opening day!) and said he's too hot. The weather is also mild up home today.

Let's see. Where do I begin? Friday was a hurry up and go/wait/go day.

Taking Brutus to the kennels on Friday

After arriving home from taking Brutus to the kennels and dropping Sargie off at work, I was pleasantly surprised when Neighbor Mike's daughter, Amelia, and her friend, Emily, came to visit. Amelia was bearing a loaf of homemade bread, something she knows her Uncle Tom LOVES. Amelia's a musician and I told her sometime ago that she could borrow one of my five-string banjos. Since she's a fiddle player, I also lent her my mandolin. Amelia's claim to fame (other than being a nutritionist way up north on the Keweenaw Peninsula) is that she plays in a polka band. I told her to go use the instruments and make me proud!

These girls are bad! Emily on the left/Amelia on the right

Page Two

My oldest son, Josh, was asked to address ESPN, the sports cable news network, on Veterans Day. He sent these pictures and remarked how impressive it was to meet some of the cast and be in the studios.

US Coast Guard Commander Joshua Pennington

I don't mind bragging about my oldest little guy. He enlisted in the Coast Guard at age 18, received an appointment to the USCG Academy two years later, graduated and has distinguished himself throughout his career. With the rank of Commander, he currently teaches at the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. 

Page three

We stayed Friday night in Janesville, Wisconsin. Sargie had driven the entire way and we were ready to stop. Thankfully, we found a clean, inexpensive, room close to the interstate.

Saturday's drive to Terre Haute was fun. There was little traffic, a bit of construction, and we laughed and ate the miles away, finally pulling into Mom's in the early afternoon.

Windmills dot the landscape in Central Illinois

Mom's community has been celebrating Veterans Day. Mom has been an integral part of the Service Committee that ensured everyone was reminded of the importance of the day.

There's my daddy!

Great job, Mom and committee members. It's too bad our public schools and other institutions can't seem to remember the importance of remembering those who have served.

When we approached the entrance to Mom's building, I was impressed when I saw her new car... a Beemer convertible.

... but was sorely disappointed when she informed me that it wasn't hers. 

All three of us were hungry and it didn't take long for us to decide that a meal at Red Lobster was called for. 

We spent the next hour eating, talking, and laughing and unfortunately, discovered way too late we'd eaten too much! The food was delicious, plentiful, and after, we went for a walk around Mom's senior complex.

Mom has given us her cedar chest, one she purchased from a neighbor as a teenager in DesMoines, Iowa. I can never remember a time that the cedar chest wasn't a part of our lives when growing up.

We also have inherited the contents of the old cedar chest and found silverware that belonged to my great-great Grandma Jones, Mom's "straw man" that she played with as a small child, and the best thing, Mom's wedding dress from 67 years ago.

We were three tired people last night and bedtime came quickly. Mom and Sargie both said they slept well. I know I did.

My sister and her husband are to come over today from their home forty miles to the east. Sargie mentioned something about doing some shopping, and Mom seems to be game for anything.

I'm bummed as we won't be getting the Packers/Lions game. These Hoosiers are nice people, but obviously, they are misguided when it comes to NFL football.

Time for one last cup of coffee before greeting the day.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Where I asked Sargie to marry me several years ago.

November 14, 2015

23°/clear skies/calm wind

Janesville, Wisconsin

For the first time ever, I am trying to dictate this morning's log on my iPhone. I have no idea if it will work, but I am too lazy to go to the car from the hotel room and get my computer.

We left iron Mountain yesterday afternoon around 4:30 PM and drove south.

Yesterday was a busy one. Sargie and I dropped Brutus off at the kennels on her way to work. I came back home and did a few things around the house and before I knew it, it was time to go back and pick up Sargie and take her to her doctors appointment. 

Naturally, like most doctors, he was running way behind so we didn't get out of there until dark.

With Sargie behind the wheel, we talked and laughed for the next 3 1/2 hours and made it as far as Janesville, Wisconsin, right on the Illinois border.

We will leave here after while and I estimate we have about another six hours of driving before we get to moms house. 

Hopefully, I will be able to do a lot of the driving and give Sargie some rest. The day is clear and it is four-lane with little traffic most of the way.

I think I will end now, as it will probably take half an hour to figure out how to get this uploaded if I can even do it.

So much to do, so little me.

As we all know. A mans work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...