December 6, 2020 - Sunday morning

10 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Sargie walked in the door late Saturday afternoon happy and full of stories from the afternoon's annual Milligan Sister Christmas Tea that included daughters, granddaughters, in-laws, and cousins. If one was female and attached to a Milligan in any fashion or manner, she was invited.

Unfortunately, work and the virus got in the way of some, but I'm told it was a rousing success for those who could attend.

Home from my morning walk, I spent Saturday in the shop working on the pup. Usually, it takes me several days to complete a segmented piece, but this one came apart and so far, is going back together fairly smoothly.

The first step after mounting the picture/pattern is to cut the pieces apart very carefully. One slip can spell disaster for the entire piece.

Then, in a Humpty Dumpty fashion, the pieces are put back together. Note, I have another identical pattern to the left with corresponding numbers. Without that, it would take much longer to figure out what goes where.

And finally, each piece is sanded, carved, and shaped, to make the head appear as life like as possible and giving it a 3D effect.

A third of the head is shaped and sanded. So far, so good. The next step after shaping will be painting each individual piece before gluing and mounting it all onto a backer board.

Other than apply multiple coats of finish to a spalted birch bowl, the dog consumed my entire day. Well, except for making the mistake of laying back in the recliner after lunch and closing my eyes.

We ordered a take out pizza last night and enjoyed a quiet evening.

I'm not certain what today will bring. I may work in the shop, but with no snow on the ground, I feel as though I should work up another dead ash tree to add to the firewood pile. Then again, Sargie may have other plans. 

Should all the above fail, being Sunday and all, I may do absolutely nuthin'. Seems anymore, I do that really well.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Aria and Sasha with Grandma Jeanne close at hand

Yooper Brother Mark and I had a good walk Friday morning.

Oh, and did I mention Jimmy greeted us when we arrived back home?

December 5, 2020 - Saturday morning

24 degrees/cloudy skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Modern day drip coffee pots cause me no small amount of frustration and right now, I'm really really really frustrated. There are two requirements Tom needs first thing in the morning:

1. brush my teeth 

2. a cup of coffee

Brushing the fangs is easy. I delight in getting rid of the bad little doggies that obviously made my mouth their home overnight.

But the coffee? WHERE'S MY COFFEE?

Is a lousy cup of coffee too much to ask for at 5 AM?

I gave up drinking and smoking many years ago and my physical addictions can be counted on one finger, a cup of coffee.

There's a reason why our county is named after a mineral that stains clothes and clogs coffee pots.

Iron County. We live ten miles from Iron River. Iron Mountain is forty miles in the other direction.

Iron iron iron iron iron... it's iron this and iron that. 

The red mineral clogs the coffee pot and rather than emitting a gentle stream of java, makes it drip... yawn..... drip.... check the time... drip... pause... drip... check the weather... drip.

I was tempted earlier to lift the coffee pot to head height and replace the pot with my tongue, but fearful Sargie might catch me in the act, I've decided to use my nonexistent patience. It'll be done sooner or later, won't it? 

So, fending off the urge to curl up in the corner while laying on my side in the fetal position, sucking my thumb, and exhibiting signs of the DT's, I'll attempt to continue writing with the hope that this morning's cup of Joe is close at hand.

Drip... look in the mirror and wonder who that old man is...drip... I wonder what's for supper... drip.

Yooper Brother Mark and I had a good walk Friday morning. We discussed and cussed, gabbed, laughed, and solved almost all the world's problems.

Sargie and I took our usual drive late Friday morning. There's a home in Crystal Falls that always has some humorous figures in the yard. During the summer months, cutout children are playing and there are farm animals and other critters featured in a funny manner.

Christmas is no exception.

Someone obviously has a lot of artistic talent and one of these days, I'm going to stop, introduce myself, and see if they might give me a lesson or two.

Our friend, Norriene, sent this picture of three day's worth of baking.

My Pennsylvania friend typically bakes Christmas goodies for a large traditional family celebration, but this year, for the first time in forty eight Christmases, the annual gathering won't happen due to the Covid.

Still, being the trooper she is, Norriene is taking orders from various family members so all can enjoy their holiday delights. 

Christmas may be a bit down this year, but at least in Norriene and Big Jim's home, it's definitely not out.

I spent some time in the shop yesterday afternoon laying out another puzzle and readying a segmented piece.

Once a piece is cut, the number is drawn on the bottom so when the paper pattern is removed, I know where it fits into the overall scheme of things. The setup, sawing, carving, sanding, painting, and gluing, are all painstaking, but making a segmented piece is probably my favorite activity in the shop.

Sargie will be attending the annual Milligan Sister Christmas Tea at sister, Trish's, today in Felch. I think men refer to such a gathering as a "girl thing," but then I don't remember being invited. Sipping tea and nibbling crumpets isn't my idea of an action packed afternoon.

Coffee's done! Well, at least there's enough in the bottom of the pot for a sip or two. 

After my sips are complete, I'll head out the door for my morning walk before starting a fire in the outside wood furnace and calling the shop my home for the day.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Sunset Friday afternoon

Bird Hunter Ivy

Her daddy, Andy, said that birds were scarce yesterday, but that they had a good time in the woods.

December 4, 2020 - Friday morning

31 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Not a lot in the news department this morning from Pentoga Road, but then there's not supposed to be. That means all is well.

Sargie and I made our appointments with no problems yesterday. After, we enjoyed a bit of breakfast and a leisurely drive home.

I immediately strapped on my hikers and left for a round trip stroll to Pentoga Village and back. I was trekking down the last hill when I saw a hiker babe coming towards me. Every hiker's dream come true!

Much of the afternoon was spent in the shop. I think I'm getting my bowl mojo back and completed turning and sanding one made from birch. All that needs to be done is to start applying the million, billion, and thirteen, coats of food safe finish, then separate it from the tenon that connects it to the lathe.

Sargie and I made a trip down the main path to check the disk in the trail camera. Taking rakes, we cleared the area of sticks and twigs, residue from working up the ash tree on Wednesday. 

Sargie pointed out a couple of buck rubs along the way, places where buck deer had rid their antlers of velvet during the late summer and fall.

As always, we gabbed and talked. With temperatures well above normal, it was pleasant being outdoors.

I spotted this artwork while carrying in firewood last night. Though insect damage is never a good thing, the grub carved in an interesting pattern on its way to killing the tree. Hmm, it's pine, a soft wood. Even so, I've thought of fashioning a bowl while preserving nature's intricate design.

Yooper Brother Mark just texted and said he'd be out to walk with me this morning. I know the boy has been putting in mega hours at the plant. Seems demand for animal bedding, farm, pet, and laboratory animals, is healthy. It'll do the boy good to get out of Dodge for an hour or two and get some blood pumping through his veins.

There are a couple more things that I want to do in the shop and two puzzles yet to make before week's end. With that said, I guess I ought to get busy.

The Christmas spirit has definitely arrived on Pentoga Road!

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

 

The bridge over the River Brule

The nearest side is Michigan, the far side Wisconsin

December 3, 2020 - Wednesday morning

30 degrees/clear skies/breezy

Pentoga Road

Not much time as Sargie and I have appointments in Iron Mountain at 9 this morning. Of all days, I slept later than usual. Grrr.

Tuesday was a busy one. I had a gorgeous walk to Wisconsin (just on the other side of Pentoga) and back.

The temperature was in the upper teens and hoarfrost covered everything making it look magical, almost like a scene from a childhood story book.

The lack of snow shouldn't lull us into thinking winter is too far away. I noticed slush and ice racing along in the river's current. It's a matter of time before a solid sheet of ice forms, tucking the Mighty Brule in for the long winter ahead.

Back home, I resumed work in the shop. First things first. I needed to change a carbide tip on the chisel that Mississippi Brother Garry had given me last spring.

Rather than using an aluminum oxide wheel to keep a razor edge on the tool, the carbide tip can be changed in a matter of minutes.

Work continued at the lathe. It's coming, although I seem to be having more than my share of difficulties lately. I suspect that I need to slow 'er WAY down, turn a shallower bowl or two to regain my confidence, and remember that I'm standing at the lathe because I enjoy it, not with a specific goal and time period in mind. This happened last year while I was under the gun making presents.

I'll hit restart today, take a big breath, and continue on.

I finished the scroll saw piece I've been working on. Another one's ready to go!

My eyes and patience gave out by mid afternoon. I think Sargie was beginning to get a bit of cabin fever and I didn't want to stay inside on such a nice day. 

What to do?

Why not cut down a dead ash tree and make firewood!

Often together, Sargie and I have developed a well oiled and coordinated method of working up firewood. I cut the tree into chunks while she loads it onto the four wheeler. We later take the branches and bark to the burn pile.

Last night was another one spent in front of the tv. For receiving hundreds of channels, we tend to watch the same six or eight shows, even reruns. 

What's next, Hallmark Christmas movies? (Ooh, my involuntary gag reflex just reared its ugly head.)

Time to move along and get this day started. I'll take my walk when we arrive back home then spend this afternoon collecting deer poop to put on the garden. Literally, piles of it are lying everywhere and it makes a great fertilizer. 

Now you know my secret... deer poop. I used moose poop while attempting to grow a garden on a sand bar in the arctic, but have found deer droppings work much better, plus, moose are scarce in this particular area.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

I'm teaching Jimmy to get his own sunflower seed from my pocket, saving me the time and effort of having to pause, remove a glove, and get one out for him.

December 2, 2020 - Wednesday morning

10 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

I've been trying to decide how to keep the blog going while on the Appalachian Trail in 2022. If all goes as planned, I'll be departing from northern Georgia a year from this coming February.

I know it seems premature since the departure date is so far away, but when one leaves life for almost six months, it takes an immense amount of planning, let alone physical and mental conditioning. 

Like I've said, I want to be the 51st person over the age of 70 to ever complete a through hike of the AT in one season. Failing a physical injury, I believe I'm that man. 

I already write a hiker blog using a pseudo name, one primarily read by trekkers, but it remains tucked away on the internet. (You don't have to read everything I write.) My main concern is how to post my progress and thoughts on a daily basis. It's part of my hiking survival plan, to know when I get hurt, tired, lonely, or discouraged, I'm not alone, that there are those who are, in some fashion, walking alongside of me. Remembering that and sharing my journey will help me to continue hiking the the 2,200 hundred mile trail from Georgia to Maine.

Plus, I have Trail Boss, Scotty, who will kick me in the backside if the Q word (quit) begins to enter my vocabulary for any reason other than injury.

Facebook? A podcast? Instagram or Twitter? I don't know anything about any of those and really, don't care to. Right now, I'm experimenting with video and thinking of creating a Youtube channel. I'm told I can upload videos via cell service fairly easily from the trail. It might be easier than trying to write, considering the time involved, carrying a portable keyboard, etc. 

Sargie gave me a GoPro camera last year and I intend to video much of my journey as I wind my way through the mountains. I've approached the subject of live streaming parts of my journey and it doesn't seem completely out of the question. 

We'll see. I've got a year and two months to get it all figured out. Right now, I'm working on my sleep system, a quilt or sleeping bag. Life's all about priorities and a good night's sleep ranks at the top of the list. 

I wanted to make hay early Tuesday morning so, deciding to take my walk later in the day,  started a fire in the outside wood furnace at first light. I've noticed the air being blown into the shop has been only lukewarm. Not a good thing.

It was then then that I remembered I'd forgotten to replace the insulation on the discharge hot air duct. Crawling over head of the shop, I got out a couple of pieces of surplus rolled insulation and wrapped them around the duct work. Problem solved.

Other than a quick ride to town, the rest of the day was spent in the shop working on a scroll saw piece.

Things were going well until I lost control of my right hand due to a tremor and the blade cut across one of the letters. I think it's fixable and hopefully, that piece will be finished by the end of today.

So that's about all the news from this end of the earth. Yooper Brother Mark and I were talking a bit ago about how much snow had already fallen last year by this time. Other than a dusting, mostly in the shadows, we have none and that's okay. 

As Dad used to say, "Every day without snow is one less day of winter we'll have this year.

A year ago in early December

It's begining to get light enough that I can go for my walk. Today looks to be a carbon copy of yesterday with most of it spent in the shop.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

This St. Bernard pup and I became instant BFF's Monday morning.

December 1, 2020 - Tuesday morning

22 degrees/cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Look at that. It's already December. Joy to the World and all that good stuff. 

Just one question.

Where'd November go? Weren't we just celebrating Halloween?

Watching Sargie drive away after being let off alongside the road, I enjoyed a four mile walk back home Monday morning. It was cold and very windy, but I like feeling the sting of freezing air against my cheeks. It reminds me of my Alaska travel days, those times when I was younger and the nip on my face meant I was living life to its fullest.

My philosophy of life hasn't changed other than my daily activities are a bit slower and possibly more age appropriate. 

Worry, not, I still subscribe to the Peter Pan Syndrome, that of being a boy and young forever, but you understand, there are certain limitations.

Home from Monday's walk, I drove to town to take advantage of a one day sale at the grocery. I hadn't stopped by Yooper Brother Mark's plant for quite a while and enjoyed a visit with both him and Ann, his assistant.

The three of us had a good talk. Mark took a picture of Ann and me then said, "Just wait until Sargie finds out what you're up to when she's gone."

Laughing, Sargie later showed me the following text.

Thanks, Mark. You KNOW what they say about paybacks. You will pay. Oh yes, by all that is holy, retribution will be mine!

Mark asked if I wanted to ride with him to take his buck to Crystal Falls to be processed.

Heck yeah. We haven't had a chance to catch up in a long time.

I was initially greeted by a huge St. Bernard who was just a sweetie. No matter which way I'd move, she'd position herself to lean in, preventing me from moving any further. The gal wanted attention.

Extricating myself from the pup, I helped Mark unload his buck and place it with the others that were waiting to be processed.

It soon became quite obvious that Yooper Brother Mark wasn't the only hunter in the UP who put meat on the table this year.

Leaving instructions on how he wanted his deer prepared, we drove back to Iron River where I retrieved the Kia and came on home.

I made decent progress yesterday afternoon in the shop, not stopping until Sargie called and said she was about forty five minutes out and on her way home.

Work on a new scroll saw piece was started. The first step after attaching the pattern is to drill very small holes through which the blade is inserted to saw the letters or design. It's my least favorite part of the entire process.

Each hole in the back means that the tiny blade will have to be taken from the top clamp of the saw and threaded through to cut that part of the pattern on the opposite side.

My Sargie came through the door last night all smiles and giggles saying she and Nancy had a wonderful day in Escanaba. I'd made a large pot of potato soup (with corn and shrimp) earlier to simmer all afternoon and we enjoyed that for supper while sitting by the wood stove. Sargie said the strong wind blowing in from Lake Michigan was brutally cold.

I'm heading out the door for a quick three miler this morning. After, it'll be back to the shop. The window for making Christmas presents is quickly diminishing. 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...