Sunrise over beautiful downtown Alpha, Michigan

February 20, 2020 - Thursday morning

-21degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

I'm back among the living once again. Thankfully, the meds the teledoc prescribed worked their wonders. There for a while, I was considering having Sargie just put me out of my misery. 

There is absolutely nothing, zilch, nada, in the happenings department on Pentoga road to write about. Knowing that, I dug deep into my Alaska files and attempted to dictate a six page narrative onto my computer yesterday, but that didn't work worth a darn. There have been several requests to publish my Alaska memoirs and I thought this would be as good a place as any.

I've got to figure something out as there are literally, tens of thousands of pages of narratives, blogs, interesting interviews, and documents, in storage. I don't want to retype each and every one. My next step is to try scanning each page then cut and paste the content and see how that works.

Andy's currently working off the coat of NW Australia and sent some pictures of him hard at work.

Seems when the crew has a bit of rare downtime, they have the option of fishing from their large boat.

You might want to turn down your volume as there is a word or two on the following video that might be considered "boat" language.

Andy said they are catching snapper, trout, and cod. He's had his line broken by something "big" and another fellow had his rod snapped in two.

Other than the cod on the far right, the fish don't look anything like the Alaskan varieties I've caught.

I'm told the guys give the fish to one of the cooks who filets them and will fry them later in the week. 

My baby boy said it's hot off the coast of Karratha with daily highs averaging around 105 degrees. I told told him that I'd swap a day of his 105 temperatures for this morning's low of -21. On the other hand, I'm not so sure I would. There's a reason we live in the North Country and sweating to death isn't one of them.

Lately, in my spare time, I've been thinking about what I want to do this summer. I have to be careful of what I dream about during these long winter months. If you remember, it was last winter that I came up with the idea to dig a pond, a BIG pond, for a bunch of goldfish. 

My dreams aren't nearly that grandiose for this coming summer, mostly to finish the garden house, plant greenery in and around the pond, build a couple of park benches, install lights, and so forth, and of course, I'll be gardening.

The main activity I want to concentrate on is to go fishing for giant crappies and bluegills with Sargie. 

I have downloaded podcasting software and am thinking of doing a daily or weekly podcast for older folks, but that's way in the future. Seems most the podcasts I see are for much younger people or are unrealistic for seniors like myself. Mine would be similar to the blog, only video.

I could be blowing smoke, but it's fun to think about and dream during these cold days of late winter.

We've not been without our snow these past two days

So that's about all the news from this end; not much. The Milligan Big People Getaway is this coming weekend in Escanaba. I'm looking forward to two days of eating too much, gabbing too much, sitting in the hot tub, and maybe even taking a nap or two. 

No doubt, it'll be stressful, but someone has to do it.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Lambeau Field, where the memories of Vince Lombardi and Curly Lambeau live on.

February 18, 2020 - Tuesday morning

23 degrees/cloudy/windy

Pentoga Road

I've been careful this winter to dodge the local cold and flu germs that seem to be gripping the UP as well as the rest of the nation. Sargie and I, both, have taken Air Borne every day. I swallow the Areds vitamins for my eyes as well as including an extra dose of vitamins C and D. We certainly don't go around hugging and kissing anyone who appears to be gasping their last dying breath and bleeding from their eyes.

It's been to no avail. The dreaded germ found me.

We had a visitor a few days ago who was sick. Part of the germ obviously vacated her body and decided to call mine home. 

I'm not going to blame our visitor entirely. It's also the lion's fault... as in The Lion Sleeps Tonight. 

The visitor shared her germs, the lion the symptoms.

Darn lion. More about that later.

Monday was a lot of fun. Sargie had given me an Alexa Auto for Christmas and we weren't too many miles down the road before Sargie had it installed. 

Let the fun begin.

We enjoyed requesting songs, those from the 50's through the 80's, and with Alexa in such high demand, we took turns asking for our favorites. I was trending towards Alan Jackson crooning the old time gospel tunes while Sargie's tastes tended to be a bit more modern, Meat Loaf, Fleetwood Mac, etc. 

If a song was newer than thirty years old, we probably didn't request it. Sargie and I were in search of quality, not noise.

I became teary-eyed more than once yesterday as I listened to some of the gospel songs that Dad I played every evening after supper. We seldom missed a night of playing and singing from the time I was in the lower grades until I graduated from high school and went off to the university.

I've been told I'm musical, but Dad was a musician. Thankfully, he shared almost everything I now appreciate about the art.

Dad played either baritone ukulele or sometimes laptop steel. I picked the banjo. When Aunt Doogie and/or Uncle Bugsy was around, Dad's sister and baby brother, they'd join us and we'd sing three and four part harmony. Aunt Doogie was a piano/auto harp player, Uncle Bugs played the bass.

Listening to yesterday's songs evoked a litany of wonderful family memories, all of them good.

Precious memories,

How they linger,

How they linger in my soul...

Amen. 

We arrived in Green Bay a few minutes early and were soon driving a rental car, paid for by Hyundai, while the recall work was being done on the Sonata.

I showed the girl at Hertz my driver's license. She quickly informed me that my license was expired and was no good.

What? Oh Lord! 

When I renewed the license last summer, I must have thrown away the new one and kept the old. 

Consequently, Sargie was the designated driver.

Our auto du' jour was a Kia Soul. For being so ugly, it sure was nice on the inside.

 Shopping and Sonata completed, we were on our way home by mid afternoon.

Now's when the lion comes into play...

I requested the age old favorite, The Lion Sleeps Tonight.

Now I don't consider myself a music snob and prefer the old country music genre to that of more modern or classical, but I do have a couple of degrees in music. 

Assuming the all consuming role of Director of Music while Driving Down the Highway, a self appointed title, I decided to let Sargie garner all the credit and sing the lead, the person who crooned, "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight."

Having such a deep and intimate knowledge of musicology, I took it upon myself to do double duty. I'd sing the accompaniment "a whim a wat a whim a wat," then occasionally switch off and do the ultra high soprano voice that interacts with the lead.

So down the road we drove, singing at the top of our voices. At one point, I got so carried away "a whim a wat' ing" that I began driving into the wrong lane. 

The long arm of Sargie quickly rectified the situation and we continued crooning on the right side of the road.

If singing the song once was so much fun, why not twice, or how about three times?

"Alexa, play In the Jungle," and we'd once again begin to sing, the last time with hand gestures and coordinated dancing from the waist up.

We were midway through, the umpteenth time around, when it happened. I was singing the high soprano at the top of my voice, being quite operatic really, when it happened. My falsetto voice cracked and my throat began to hurt. 

I remember thinking that as long as I was going to be sick, I might as well enjoy the moment. We sang different songs all the way home, but my "a wim a wat" and soprano singing day was over.

I continued to feel worse last night and finally, at bedtime, I decided to call a tele medicine doctor to get a prescription. The annual Mighty Milligan Big People Get-Away is this coming weekend in Escanaba and we leave in two weeks to see Mississippi Brother Garry and Miss Jody.

My appointment was uneventful and I'll be picking up my prescription in Crystal Falls as soon as the pharmacy opens.

Oh, my current driver's license, the one I threw away?

I was tearing through one drawer after another last night when Sargie walked up and plopped the current license in front of me?

"Where you'd find that?" I asked?

She smiled. "You were going to throw it away last summer and since it had your picture, I decided to save it. It's been in my dresser since."

When God made my Sargie, he broke the sweetheart mold.

I was up at 1:30 this morning having a coughing fit, but soon went back to bed and slept the remainder of the early morning hours. 

What's today bring? I'll drive to the pharmacy after while and Sargie has one or two things she wants me to get at the grocery store while I'm in town. I could warm up the shop and play the day away out there or I may simply lay on the couch under a blanket and read, letting my body fight off the dreaded germ.

For certain, I won't be singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." 

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Congratulations to Coleman for being Maine State Wrestling Champion in the 136 pound division.

February 16, 2020 - Sunday evening

4 degrees/partly cloudy/breezy

Pentoga Road

I thought I'd write tonight since Sargie and I will be on the road before 7 in the morning going to Green Bay. 

Yes, indeed, my grandson, Coleman, won the state wrestling title in his weight division. Luke captured his final championship match on video.

As the patriarch of the family, I can say we're all proud of Coleman. He's worked hard to earn his title and we are looking forward to his accomplishments in the future.

Congratulations, buddy.

I began Sunday morning with a seven mile stroll and was happy to see Tim and Rose walking towards me. We kept our conversation short as I needed to complete my walk and they were heading back home to St. Charles, IL, later on. 

If I wouldn't have stopped to socialize along the way, my time would have been shorter and miles per hour faster. 

Macrea, Mel, and Hambone came to pick up Sadie. They'd been outside all day yesterday in the cold and wind watching the ski jumps in Iron Mountain and after staying up late last night, were a bit tired.

Seems everyone was having difficulty keeping their eyes open after lunch. Sargie fixed tacos and everyone ate all they wanted and more.

I'm going to miss Sadie the dog. She's been good company and a lot of fun to have around. Oh well, she'll be with us the week after next while the kids go to Florida on vacation.

Sargie and I have had a quiet evening and will be going to bed fairly soon as Monday morning will be an early one. There's a chance of snow in the forecast and we've decided if conditions grow too bad, we'll get a hotel room and come home Tuesday. As of now, it appears any accumulation won't occur until Monday night.

I'm sleepy and it's time to get this uploaded and think about climbing those long, hard, steps towards the bedroom.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

We'll see Tim and Rose the next time they are in the neighborhood.

Tim and Rose

February 16, 2020 - Sunday morning

4 degrees/partly cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

We have new neighbors in the form of Tim and his lovely wife, Rose. They purchased a home and acreage about two miles from here, just up the hill and around the corner.

I was on my walk Saturday morning when I met the folks and their pup coming my way. After a quick introduction, I soon discovered that Tim's into long distance hiking (among other things) and Rose has a Master Gardener's certificate. Needless to say, we had no trouble finding common subject matter to talk about, including children. 

One of their sons is on the other side of the world in India on a mission trip. Of course, Andy's working off the coast of Australia. 

We just kept checking all the boxes of things we have in common. 

At any rate, Sargie and I are excited to have new neighbors and friends and looking forward to spending time with them in the future.

Welcome to the burbs, Rose and Tim!

Simply put, that was the high point of the day. Sargie, Sadie, and I played inside and out. We worked especially hard on how to play fetch and once she got the hang of it, the dog was relentless in bringing the tennis ball back... or at least plopping it to the ground in the near vicinity.

Sadie also took her first long distance walk totaling one mile, to Neighbor Sue's. She did well and began her training on how to heel via a leash. I was proud of the girl. I didn't even know she was beside me for the last third of the walk.

The entertainment of the day was watching the rag muffin be spooked by the Rumba vacuum. She'd sneak around like she was going to attack it until the robot whirled in a circle and began sweeping her way. It took Sadie little or no time to run and hide between Sargie's legs.

Sadie acts and behaves (for the most part) like a much older and mature dog. We forget she's not only a pup, she's a young, three month old, puppy. She doesn't offer to chew anything other than her bones and toys, but yesterday, she ate the dining room rug.

I was upset, but it didn't seem to bother Sargie at all. My bride's been wanting to replace it for sometime and now she has the perfect excuse. 

As for Sadie? She got a good scolding and was put to bed beside my recliner. That lasted all of ten minutes.

We made up and my face was soon covered with licks and kisses. 

I've always been an easy mark for cute girls.

I'm going to head out the door and do a quick seven miles. Hambone and his parents will be along later this afternoon to pick up Sadie, but otherwise, I'll let Sargie decide what today brings. No doubt our activities will include how to sit, lay down, play fetch, and our newest game called, "Let's go poopie in the woods and not the middle of the drive."

We'll be out the door early tomorrow morning headed to Green Bay. There's a bit of recall work to be done on the Sonata before we head south in a couple of weeks. As I tell Yooper Brother Mark, if there's anything you need in Title Town, let me know.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

After promising she'd never eat another rug, Sadie and I made up.

Aria and Auntie Sargie at Friday evening's 50th wedding anniversary celebration

February 14, 2020 - Friday evening

5 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

I thought I'd write tonight. Why? I don't know. There's nothing on television that interests me and I'm tired of reading. Writing sounds like the best option.

A random little girl, chewing on her tongue, with her finger stuck in her belly button at tonight's celebration.

We just arrived home a bit ago from Allen and Debbie's 50th anniversary gathering.

I'm pretty certain that most of the Upper Peninsula was in attendance and just as sure that half of those people were related to Sargie in some way or the other.

And eat? Lord, just like a good old fashioned church potluck, there was enough food to feed the starving third world countries. If anyone went home hungry, it was their own fault.

My day was pretty much a non event. It was cold and windy with the high topping out around 8 degrees. I worked with Sadie off and on teaching her how to sit, then lay. The pup is a quick learner and easy to teach.



I also dug around in the storage container and found Brutus's old brush. Unlike the old bulldog, Sadie absolutely loved to be groomed, brushed, and babied. Guess that's the difference between boys and girls. 

I think we're all heading to bed pretty soon. On the agenda for Saturday? Tomorrow's a seven mile day. After doing three this afternoon, I'm looking forward to the longer mileage.

Otherwise? 

Well, we'll just have to wait and see what Saturday brings. It's called living in the fast lane.

Speaking of fast lane, Eileen sent this picture of Stef and Rob, both who teach in Beirut, Lebanon, and are on holiday in Egypt. Like her brother, Andrew, I taught Stefanie from the time she was in sixth grade through high school and I'm pretty certain I never taught her anything about how to ride a camel.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

February 14, 2020 - Friday morning

-16 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

It's a tough one this morning. Valentine's Day was a special one for Mom and Dad and as I've written previously, just before he passed away and in keeping with Dad's sixty year tradition, I promised to give Mom a dozen red roses and a box of candy from him every Valentine's Day after he was gone.

I kept my promise, except this year, Mom's not here. 

I've certainly never been accused of being a Mama's boy, but God how I miss her. I miss writing her every morning, calling her two or three times a week, and sharing thoughts and ideas. 

* Five minutes later and a few shed tears

How selfish can I be? It's been almost twenty years since Dad passed away and finally, he and Mom are celebrating together. Dad can give Mom all the roses and candy he wants. 

It's time to come to the realization that my job is finished. I'm turning the Valentine's Day tradition back over to Dad. I was merely a substitute.

S'cuse me, Dad. I know you won't mind.

Happy Valentine's Day, Mama. I love and miss you both. You two kids have fun, okay? Oh, and be in before midnight, you hear?

And of course, it's a happy Valentines Day to my Sargie. The second generation tradition continues with a dozen red roses, candy, and a card. I don't know what I'd do without that beautiful girl of mine. She truly is my life. I surely didn't think when I lost my glasses years ago that I'd meet a true soulmate in the form of a beautiful optician with a strange name.

Happy Valentine's Day, Sargie. I love you with all my heart.

Thursday was a busy one on and off of Pentoga Road. We left bright and early for Iron Mountain so Sargie could babysit for her great nephew Grayson. He's sure a cutie pie and was full of giggles, laughs, and spit up, for his Auntie Sargie.

No, your eyesight isn't going bad. Just a poor quality picture.

I left Sargie to babysit and made my way around town and after a stop or two, ended up at a Jiffy Lube to have the oil and a headlight bulb changed in the Sonata. 

We're taking the car to a Hyundai dealer in Green Bay next Monday to have a recall fix performed, then it will be ready for our spring trip to Mississippi in three weeks.

Sargie and I attended a wake for Grandma Lettie Thursday afternoon. I wish it was under different circumstances, but it was good to see Germaine's family, many of whom I can now put a face to a name that I'd previously heard. 

Sadie, the Goldendoodle, popped into our lives last night. Only three and a half months old, she was hesitant for Mel to leave and clung tightly to her.

We laughed how she wrapped her front legs around Mel and laid her head firmly on Mel's shoulder.

In the end, Sadie was okay with Hambone and Mel's absence and called the base of Sargie's feet her new home.

Weighing around thirty five pounds, Sadie's only half grown. The overstuffed Teddy bear is going to be a monstrous cuddle bug in another few months. One thing is certain, she's sure a lover.

I'm going for my walk in a few minutes. I've purposely been slow this morning to let the outside temperatures warm a bit. Later on today, Sadie and I will take another hike in an effort to get rid of some of that puppy energy. I'd love to turn her loose on her own outside, but the fluff bag has a penchant for following her nose deep into the woods without a thought of coming back.

I'm too darn old to chase a three month old pup through four feet of snow.

We'll be heading to a fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration later this afternoon in the big town of Felch, just down the road from Foster City which is just a hop, skip, and jump, from Hardwood. 

Whee haw, baby, don' 'cha know?

Time to go for a walk.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Wednesday morning's sunrise

 February 12, 2020 - Wednesday evening
7 degrees/cloudy skies/windy
Pentoga Road

Happy birthday to my son, Matt. Sargie and I talked with him a bit ago and he was having a great celebration along with Jess, Em, Ben, and Wes.

Again, happy birthday, son. We love you!

I started a fire in the wood furnace early this morning before taking a quick three mile jaunt. 

The "burbs" in Pentoga Village
Both homes are vacant

Arriving back home, I noticed the small area where the water is usually open in the pond was frozen over. 



The extension cord that carries power to the pump had become jarred from the outdoor outlet. It didn't take long for an inch of clear ice to form, preventing the gasses from escaping.

There was nothing to do but wade through deep snow, waist high in some places, dig down to the surface, then chisel the newly formed ice away.

With twenty, five year old, 17 cent, goldfish living in the eleven-and-a-half feet of water underneath the ice all winter, I wasn't about to let them die. 

The pump recirculates 5,400 gallons an hour, pulling water through the underwater gravel filters. By drawing warmer water to the surface from the bottom of the pond, a small area never freezes.

I was working in the shop when I rammed a sliver into the meaty part of my thumb. Despite many attempts to remove the two by four sized piece of wood myself, I finally had to consult Nurse Sargie who, with the aid of a needle and tweezers, was finally able to remove the runaway piece of wood.

 

Work was done on several projects today. The first is a piece of shadow art, a man kneeling and praying.

Things were going well until I snagged one corner of the back board while sanding. I'll have to replace it with a new one.

I've been working on an Alaska sign for friends that has presented some problems, several that call for some different measures. I'll continue working on it over the next few days.

Don't judge it yet. It's not close to being finished.

I worked for quite a while fashioning a bowl from a random piece of firewood.

It was strictly a spur of the moment decision. I was refilling the wood furnace when I saw the wood in the wheel barrow.

Though the wood has been long dead, it's difficult to tell if it's dry enough that the wall of the bowl won't crack and split. Only time will tell.

Sargie will be babysitting her nephew Thursday morning in Iron Mountain. I'll go with and run a few errands while in town. The wind is to howl with the temperature barely reaching above zero. Sounds like a good excuse for an afternoon grandpa nap.

Sadie, the goldendoodle, will be staying with us beginning Thursday evening through this coming weekend. At three months of age, her visit promises to be a real rodeo.

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

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Sparky checking out the wood pile.
The pup belongs to our neighbors, Dean and Kelly. Dean was out walking Wednesday afternoon and stopped by for a visit.