April Activities 2012

April 20

April is always transitional, but with the weather 
fluctuations, it felt like Wisconsin  moved from warm
 to cold to warm almost every day!  The early blossoms on fruit trees got some hard freezes and some rather attractive snow along the way, so the fruit crop looks to be minor this year—very sad after the failure in maple syrup!

One is Not Enough!

April featured some great family moments, right from the beginning.  Jim and Kayme flew into Milwaukee (with Rhiannon, of course!) to look for a future home.  As Mark and Jim examined basements, roofs and carpentry details, Hilde got to play with Rhi and help keep her out of trouble in each house (some had LOTS of breakables!).  For the evening, Claudette and Rachel brought food and the very good gathering with four grandparents, both parents and Aunt Rachel had Rhiannon very happy and excited---all those people to read to her, to feed her and to pay her attention!  Rhi got a little Easter candy, too, so all was good with her world.  Although there was no immediate solution of the housing problem, Jim and Kayme are waiting to see what will happen next.  The move will occur later in July so there is a little time yet.

 For Easter, Mark and Hilde headed south again, to Palatine to share the weekend with John and Evie.  With John tackling the crazy traffic downtown on Saturday, the four got to visit the Chicago Field Museum and see the Genghis Khan exhibit plus lots of very interesting animal exhibits.  The day was lovely, and the delay with the drawbridge up did give a glimpse of a sailing armada.  The “Next Generation” put together a delicious Easter feast for the evening and then some Cattan .  Worshipping together on Easter morning was very special.

Hilde was unopposed and re-elected to Wood County Board, and then received some new assignments.  Since she knows that Executive committee (finance, treasurer, clerk, human resources, maintenance, insurance and risk management are the oversight responsibilities) will take more time, she reluctantly asked to be removed from the McMillan Library Board after ten interesting and pleasant years there.  Hilde will also step down as chairman of the Aging and Disability Resource Center in June.  Both of those boards have been friendly and challenging---but especially while acting as chair, the time commitment is large.  Zoning issues, both town and shoreland (thru the county) have added meetings, study and lots of phone calls to fill out the month.


Mark has been busy preparing for both the long trial next month in Missouri and the two trials later in the year (both in Wisconsin, thank goodness!), however, he got some other interesting tasks done also.  In the violent winds accompanying the flip-flopping weather, the rotor atop his radio tower vibrated so much that his rotor came apart when the bolts shimmied out!  He ordered some replacement parts and re-installed the old rotor until that can be done.  Mark has been busily diving into spring tasks: working up the two gardens, transplanting blueberries and a tamarack and weeding and working up the blueberries and strawberries.  He added some summer raspberries to the small berry bed also.  It took about four hours of both Hilde and Mark digging and pulling and grubbing around to remove the violet infestation in the huge fall berry bed.  Mowing season for Hilde has begun—Mark sharpened the blades and Hilde hopes to avoid any rocks, bricks or other noisy mowing impediments this year.

Happy Rhi

There were some other really good moments:  Hilde went to Waupaca to visit Claudette and admire their lovely home and yard there, and she accompanied Mark to Platteville—always a pleasant and nostalgic place to visit.  The first asparagus was enjoyed April 15th which is very early for this northern location!  Down in Maryland, our Rhiannon has learned to climb and slide down the playset and is happy whenever she is out there—what a smile!