Henkel Family Blog: October 2014--Full Speed Ahead!

Putting up the Brooder House

Fall is a wonderful time and this October, Mark and Hilde managed to enjoy every bit of it, from family visits to tramping around in the woods and the first fleeting snowfall.

Right in the beginning of the month they packed up and attended the World Dairy Expo in Madison, learning interesting facts, and marveling at all the dairy-related equipment and doo-dads. Then off to visit Hilde’s mother, who is doing pretty well and managing at home okay. Then over to Jim and Kayme’s where those amazing little girls are growing, learning and getting to be even more fun. Family and friends gathered to watch the Packers win on Thursday night, with the little girls bouncing around .

Mark helped straighten and shore up the yard shed and then tackled a bad socket and tuck-pointing a crack in the foundation.. Hilde enjoyed spending time playing with the girls, watching them at their music class and getting some time to visit with Kayme.

Going out to Culvers one evening was really fun as Rhiannon ate a lot, and Rowan charmed everyone in hearing, giggling and playing peek-a-boo through the vegetation. The family is planning an expansion in April and the grandparents are very happy about it. Every visit means something new going on, or an interesting new stage with the girls. This time, Mark even got to assist in bottling operations with Jim…he never thought to be doing that.

Straight from Jim and Kayme’s, Mark and Hilde went to John and Evie’s, though the construction everywhere made for a slow and irritating journey…detours, slow downs and harried drivers. In Palatine, they met the new dog (Kubla) and Mark immediately began working with John on the drywalling of the garage ceiling. Those two work very well together and managed over Saturday and Sunday to complete the insulation and drywall, plus some of the mudding. John surely enjoys having a house to work on and he is doing a great job on the various tasks. Evie made a delicious squash soup and brownies, and everyone enjoyed relaxing together in the evening.

For the next couple of weeks, as the days shortened and cooled, Mark spent all his non-business time finishing the rebuild of the brooder house, with Hilde painting it and assisting in putting it all back together. Hilde mowed lawn for the last time, Mark dug carrots and they picked even more apples. The fruit cellar is full of bounty and goodness, because it was a good year for the garden, lots of apples and tomatoes, and all has been ‘put up.’

Both Mark and Hilde assisted at a taekwondo testing and Hilde taught a self-defense introduction at UW-Stevens Point with Karen Johnson. She also had almost double the average number of meetings for the month---including election worker training, instructions on performance review changes and a seminar on the new phosphorus rules. Mark had one tough morning, when fasting for his physical, when the car had a flat, the jack was too short and finally a crowbar needed to pry the wheel off. Thank goodness the flat didn’t occur on the road without the additional tools needed to change the tire!

October finished with a couple of delightful days. Claudette and Loren invited the Henkels down for lunch and playtime while they were caring for Rhiannon and Rowan. Good food, good friends and fun with girls who enjoy shuffling around in Grammy’s shoes, popping out of boxes and cuddling up for a nap….can’t ask for a nicer afternoon. At the very end of the month, Mark took off a day, knowing that with a trial coming soon, things would get very busy. Mark and Hilde returned to Green Lake to enjoy a long walk on the shoreline, scuffing through leaves and admiring the fall landscape, then went over to Grand River Marsh for fresh air and sweeping horizons. That is a very good way to relax before things get into high gear.

Finally this morning, for a Halloween trick, Mother Nature sent an inch of snow to coat the ground and end the growing season. So ends the month.