April 2016

Ominous sunset on cold April 8

April in Wisconsin is always such a jumble:  weather bouncing back and forth between extremes, flowers starting, stopping when it snowed and then finally coming out in glorious welcome color.  April in itself is a month of photo ops!  There was snow in Rudolph on the 8^th  (the last we devoutly hope!) and just a week later, Mark and Hilde enjoyed a warm sunny day at Horicon Marsh viewing wildlife and plants and actually getting HOT.  There was a prescribed burn going on which led to some eerie photos, too.  On the way home they finished with dinner at Silvercryst in Wautoma…a very excellent day.

Spotting ducks at Horicon April 15

Several of the things on the list for “in spring” got taken care of too.  Mark had the farm truck checked out and the carburetor membrane replaced and the part of the exhaust system, so it is ready to be used (is no longer gassing occupants!), and Hilde started the process of getting medicare coverage in place.  Once the truck was available, Mark and Hilde worked on trimming brush in the fence rows and then around some of the buildings, hauling three truckloads to the pile where the wood chuck resides.

Redhead ducks at Horicon

Mark’s major chore was retrofitting the eaves with air channels in advance of the re-roofing with a ridge vent scheduled for early May.  This was a dirty, awkward job, removing the soffits and then cutting  slots in the solid and ancient wood before wriggling the channels up there.  Mark managed with no blood loss, only a little cussing and no incidents of dangerous drops of debris on Hilde, so it was a very successful project.

Adding eave venting

Some socializing was fit in around the work---lunch with Dr. Stevens, Hilde’s ladies breakfast and then crafts was out for a delightful evening, with frog chorus instead of snowfall.  Hilde continued to work on the heritage photos and was able to send off three envelopes to descendants after copying them.  The sad note was saying good-bye to the Douglas family.  Hard to see such great folks move on, but St. Paul’s has called another pastor and the congregation awaits word on that.

After the spring elections and the re-organization meeting of county board, Hilde was reappointed as chair of the conservation, education and economic development committee and to the executive committee.  There is much happening on the county level and in the departments overseen by CEED so it is a challenging time.

Naking cherries abloom

The last week of April was very interesting as Mark received a call on Sunday the 24^th saying ‘come to the law office, we have a flood!’  Due to a malfunctioning sensor, water had been running all weekend and the office had to go virtual, working out of seven locations with everyone off site for a week while the experts brought in enormous fans and dehumidifiers to dry out the upper level.  The lower level is going to take longer to repair ceiling and drywall, but things are returning to normal there.  There have been leak-related projects at all three Henkel households, so with this disaster at the firm, the hope is for a finish to the trend!

The sequence of bloom in April is so beautiful—from bloodroot to spring beauties and fawn lilies to plum brush.  Mark and Hilde had a little time to get out and enjoy those changes around Rudolph, hearing frogs and birds and welcoming the changes.  They spent an afternoon at Lake Emily in Portage County and many shorter walks.  And to end the month, Hilde began mowing lawn….that first time smells as special as early morning coffee!

Yellow fawn lily in Rudolph