The Christmas Eve ice storm damaged or snapped off several of our trees. Jim and Kayme could hear the snapping during the night. Morning showed branches and pieces all over the yard. We are only slowly cleaning them us...lots iced into the snow and footing is so treacherous working out there is tough. Mark and John took down the remnants of one birch, but we will probably wait for early spring to climb up and deal with the higher limbs from the white pine and cotton wood. It is discouraging how much damage can occur and how many years of tree growth can go in one night!
The New Year started very quietly here, since Mark was only s
emi-mobile after an attempt to smash the icy coating in the yard with his back. Neither the ice nor he broke anything, but he moved from one uncomfortable position to another for several days.
John actually took a vacation in Arizona, going out for a short week to visit friends in the warmth and sunshine. He visited a missile silo, aircraft museum and got in some hiking. It looks like he got up fairly high.
Hilde had lots of meetings to make up for the long break for Christmas and new Years...at least most of them were in Rapids and Point, only one run to Wausau. Planning meetings in the winter months is tricky, especially when most of the folks are considerly older than Hilde.
Jim and Kayme took a long winter hike up a trail called the Old Rag in the Shennadoah Vally area. They seem to like heights also. It was good for them to get out in daylight and fresh air. Jim works long hours in the lab and Kayme is teaching or in transit many of the daytime hours.
Mark's mother is, at 91, feeble and more and more confused. It is painful to see and hear her in this condition, but Phil and Connie really spend a lot of time and love making things work, so far.
Heidi stopped by for a visit on her way to her last semester at UW-Stevens Point--that was fun--it was good seeing her.
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