April 4, 2021 - Easter Sunday

30 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Indeed, He has risen and for that, we should all be eternally grateful. Amen.

I received this picture of the Easter Bunny, but I'm thinking on the other side is a two eared cutie pie named Ivy.

Looks like Ivy and Daddy were having fun making Easter goodies.

Saturday was one of the most enjoyable days I've had in a long time. It began with a sunrise walk with Yooper Brother Mark.

Once home, Sargie and I had a bit of time before leaving for the Mighty Milligan Easter Celebration in Iron Mountain. We decided to assemble the inside greenhouse while waiting.

The garden seeds that were placed between damp paper towels a few days ago are sprouting and it's time to transplant those into potting soil in six packs. The greenhouse will be placed in the garden house where the bedding plants will grow until it's time to plant them in the garden.

Yesterday's family celebration was one of my favorite Easter gatherings. Surrounded by youngsters (and oldsters alike) we talked, ate, laughed, and of course, enjoyed watching an Easter egg hunt. 

As always, with these gatherings, there are way too many pictures on which to comment, so I'll just post them and let you fill in the blanks.

Grandma Sargie and Pawpaw holding Squirt and Cheeks

Super Model Auntie "Nana" (Nancy)

Normally a no no, Grandma's giving Squirt her first taste of frosting. Isn't that what grandparents do?

Cheeks and Pawpaw are bonding

The day passed entirely too quickly. It was with lots of hugs, kisses, I love you's, and full bellies that the celebration came to an end.

The next Mighty Milligan Celebration will be held on Memorial Day.

Sargie's kissing nephew and godson, Taylor, goodbye.

On today's agenda:

I'm heading out the door for an Easter sunrise walk. This morning it will be just God and me. We have lots to talk about and I want to thank Him for this wonderful life I lead. 

There are the seeds to transplant later this morning then no doubt, Sargie and I will take our yearly Easter afternoon drive. It's become a tradition that we go nowhere in particular, just meander the beautiful roads of northern Wisconsin and the UP, talk, and enjoy the day. 

My SPF (selfie pal forever) niece, Sasha, was modeling the popular "duck lips" look.

With that said, Sargie and I wish you a happy and meaningful Easter Sunday.

Time to go have that walk with God.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

What? Do I have something on my face? 

I guarantee that this picture will reappear sometime later in Cheeks' life.... perhaps her wedding rehearsal dinner?

April 3, 2021 - Saturday morning

31 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Happy Easter Eve! For those of us who believe, we recognize Easter Sunday as the day when Jesus rose from the grave to save us from our sins, but what about the Saturday before Easter? 

Easter Eve.

Aren't we are happy that, somewhere along the line, the Easter bunny crept into tradition? There're those baskets of eggs along with a few silly traditions that rival some of Santa's antics. 

We also use the day to celebrate the arrival of spring. The woods are beginning to turn in the Upper Peninsula and green will soon be the predominant color. If today's forecast comes to fruition, we'll see sunny skies and temperatures close to 70 degrees.

I love it.

My bride has added to our Easter decor and if she continues, we'll need to build another storage shed in which to keep her Easter goodies in the off season. That's one of the things I love most about my Sargie. She doesn't do anything half measure and that includes getting into the spirit of the season.

In spite of my expert plumbing skills, the new facet was installed Friday morning. I worked under the sink while Sargie either pulled out the old or threaded in the new from above.

It took awhile, but I only bumped my head six or eight times during the installation. In the end, the new faucet was installed leak free. 

Having purchased a new spark plug and kill switch in town, I was hopeful those two would provide a simple fix for the lack of spark with the backhoe.

Not to be. In the end, I ordered a new ignition coil and all that goes along with it. It's to be here Wednesday and hopefully, I'll be back in business shortly after. 

The Easter puzzle was finished, or at least it's "good 'nuff." Once grubby little fingers play with it a time or two, any mistakes will hardly be noticed. As with most things I make, this was a learning lesson and the next time I make a puzzle from inch thick hardwood, I'll use a more appropriate blade.

I set the tent up in the backyard, mostly for practice, and was less than happy at the outcome. Seems one end is never taut. I KNOW it's something I'm doing wrong and probably so simple that I'm not seeing it. Sargie said she'd help me the next time. No doubt, with a fresh set of eyes, we'll soon solve the saggy tent mystery. Using trekking poles rather than a pre-made frame, setting it up correctly requires a bit of practice.

We're off to the Mighty Milligan Family Easter Celebration later today in Iron Mountain. I see Sargie set several things out on the kitchen counter last night to take with. There'll be lots of laughter, talking, food, no doubt an Easter egg hunt for the babies, and of course, the most important ingredient, love.

It's almost daylight. Yooper Brother Mark will be here shortly for our Saturday morning walk. Time to get this show on the road.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road... 

Mid Summer Sam and his girlfriend are decked out for Easter

April 2, 2021 - Friday morning
16 degrees/clear skies/calm winds
Pentoga Road

I don't know who dresses Mid Summer Sam and his lady friend, but someone puts in a lot of work and has a lot of fun keeping both dressed for the season. Sargie and I drive by once a month or so just to see the latest in fashion wear.

Thursday turned out to be a busy day. After my early morning walk and a quick drive to town and around one of our area lakes, I was out in the shop working on the Easter puzzle. Thursday's goal was to use a router to hollow a base for the letters. Since the puzzle is for little ones, Sargie felt it best to paint the topside of each. Looking at them after, I'm glad I followed her advice.

Today will see me sanding and staining the base and I'll be able to call this project finished and ready for Saturday's Mighty Milligan Easter Celebration.

I was changing the carburetor on the backhoe when Sargie came outside saying a pipe was leaking in the house. I dropped my tools and took off for the basement where water was pooling.

Hmm, no leak in the basement, but rather was dripping through the floor overhead. The water could be coming from only one source, the kitchen sink.

Sure enough, when being used, the kitchen faucet had a rather severe drip.

I have a real problem with plumbing, namely, I hate it. 

Hate's not a strong enough word, but it's the only one that comes to mind at this moment.

Where do plumbers go to school to learn their trade? It has to be some masochistic evil place that dwells on the edge of Hades. 

Satan Tech?

What are the classes? Head bumping 101? How about a graduate course in swearing? Better yet, a internship entitled, "The Longest Two Hours You've Ever Spent. PLUMBING! A Rotten Vocation for a Better Tomorrow!"

I hate it even worse when I'm trying to cram my 215 pound body into a tight space and either continually bump my head or skin my knuckles.

Self admittedly, I'm not very bright in the plumbing department. At one point, I'd disconnected both the hot and cold water, made an adjustment, forgot to connect one outlet, then turned it on only to have cold water pour up into my ear that was directly over the valve.

All that was needed was John the Baptist and I could have been christened right there in the bowels of the kitchen cabinet. A laughing Sargie handed me a towel but not before using it to wipe the tears from her face. 

Don't even go there. I'm not a happy camper at this point.

In the end, we found the leak was coming from inside the sealed faucet. No doubt, one of the molded plastic washers had rotted to the point of allowing water to escape. Time for a new faucet.

We made a quick trip to Iron Mountain late in the afternoon and purchased a new faucet almost exactly like the old one. It doesn't take an Einstein to know what's on this morning's agenda. Sargie doesn't think that using a bucket sitting under the sink, catching the dripping water, is a permanent solution. 

Oh, and the backhoe? The new carburetor was installed and so far, the engine has refused to fire to life. There's spark, there's fuel, but nothing beyond that.

I believe the problem lies with the rusted kill switch that fell apart in my hands. I disconnected it, wired both sides together, and so far, nothing. I need Trail Boss and Master Mechanic Scotty here to help with the problem, but where is the boy? He's in the suburbs of Atlanta, no doubt sitting on the veranda singing songs of the south while drinking mint juleps. Again, Einstein won't have to be present to guess what else is on today's schedule.

I'll finish the base of the puzzle at some point this afternoon and it will be ready to go out the door tomorrow. 

Yooper Brother Mark will be here in a bit for our usual Friday morning walk. It looks to be another busy day ahead so I better wrap this up and get the show on the road.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

My new micro spikes that will be used when needed during the winter months on the AT next year. Until then, I'm thinking of hiring myself out to aerate lawns.

Isabella solved every puzzle in the house on Wednesday

April 1, 2021 - Thursday morning

13 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Thankfully, the gale force winds that blew through the UP on Wednesday have left. Though cold nighttime temperatures replaced them, this weekend's Easter day forecast is for mild, sunny, conditions.

Speaking of blowing through, Sarah and Isabella came in like a breath of fresh air Wednesday morning. 

We had a wonderful couple of hours talking about teaching, playing a bit with Isabella, and even getting to snuggle a bit with my young friend. Shy at first, she eventually crawled up on the couch and cuddled right into Uncle Tom. 

I like that.

Other than the usual "I love you's," I told her to go home and tell Grandpa (Yooper Brother Mark) that she was really Uncle Tom's girl.

Bet that went over like a lead balloon.

I'd earlier started a fire in the outside wood furnace to warm the shop.

Hopefully, there won't be too many more occasions that I'll need the stove.

My walk was a cold one and intermittent snow squalls were driven by a gusty north wind.

Home, the warm shop looked mighty good at the end of the hour-long walk.

Sargie and I decided to have brunch before our usual daily drive to town. My favorite morning meal is a spicy breakfast, a three egg cheese/brat/pepper omelet along with cottage chesse, fresh fruit, and bacon.

I finally finished rough sawing the Easter puzzle, cut from one inch mahogany. I found it particularly difficult cutting a straight vertical line that would allow the interlocking pieces to easily slip into each other from the top as well as the bottom. The blade, no thicker than a human hair, wanted to flex from one side to the other while sawing.

In the end, I had to saw from the top side, then turn the piece over and saw from the bottom in the same cut.

Sargie and I eventually took our ride. Though we've had some warm weather, many of the area lakes are hesitant to relinquish their ice. It's going to take a few more days before all will be ice free.

Late afternoon found me in the kitchen placing this year's tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower seeds between wet paper towels and placing them in baggies to sprout. 

Sargie called for me to come to the living room.

In the blink of an eye, a flock of robins magically appeared from the south and were calling our yard their resting place.

At one point, Sargie counted over twenty, no doubt on their way further north for the summer months.

Speaking of birds, Holly sent this picture of a flock of loons that had landed on their lake. She said they counted sixteen in back of their house.

On today's agenda will be to continue work in the shop. I also want to assemble the indoor greenhouse where we'll put the delicate bedding plants once they sprout and are planted in six packs filled with potting soil.

Lying on a heat mat on the kitchen counter (NOT making Sargie happy) all should be ready to plant this weekend. The indoor greenhouse will be placed in the garden house with artificial heat and light.

The sun's up and it's time to go for my walk and get this beautiful day started.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...