July 2016

July always seems to be the peak of the summer and 2016 was especially summery, sultry and fun.  The Henkels don not do the “lazy hazy” version of summer since the garden and lawn work getting them hopping, and this summer with abundant rains and heat, things really grew and grew.  But the warm weather, hours of sunshine and fresh air plus all the garden goodies to eat seem to fuel them up to get lots done also.

Summer haircuts for Ro and Rhi

July means a lot of birthdays, but this year was Hilde’s 65^th, significant to the governmental agencies, but more significant because Jim, Kayme and all three grandkids came to celebrate.  While Hilde and Kayme played kept the kids happy with tree-climbing, bubbles and coloring, Jim and Mark tackled a serious problem in the big shed:  due to leaks in the roof seams, two cross members of the roof had rotted out.  Getting the old ones out and new ones in place took both of the, block and tackle and some noisy sawzall work.  The afternoon was a girl-time:  Kayme, Rhiannon and Rowan ALL got hair cuts, new headbands and barrettes and then a trip to the ice parlor in Rudolph, while Grandpa and Daddy watched Caleb.  Playing in the wading pool helped clean up the blue moon and chocolate faces!  Another birthday landed on the calendar as niece Alana gave birth to Thomas Justin Laufman.  It is such a joy to see the family growing and thriving.

Mark's monster mullein

Mark was not done with roof activities, however, as a three-inch rain later in the month revealed yet more places where the original nails had loosened and allowed significant leaking.  He spent another morning up on the metal roof, at the end of the month, installing screws while tied to safety rope and watched by Hilde.  Since the roof now appears to be up to snuff, cleaning out junk and redoing the east window should be the next steps of maintenance.

Hilde’s meeting schedule was full in July, with several acrimonious meetings and one whopper running 4 ½ hours.  To balance off those things, she enjoyed lunch with the crafts friends, a lunch with her county board friend and then both Mark and Hilde enjoyed a picnic with Loren and Claudette at Lake Emily.  The Henkels also joined the Heart O Wisconsin Sportsmen Club to get back into trap shooting.  The first morning was not impressive (except for the bruises on Hilde’s shoulder) but practice should bring them up to respectable results.

The frequent rains, heat and humidity may not have been great for folks’ outdoor plans, but have brought abundant garden goodies, meaning Mark and Hilde has spent significant hour picking, prepping and preserving:  peas, beans and peach jam plus lots of cucumbers and zucchini.  Hilde bakes up zucchini bread, muffins and tots in summer and has quite a stockpile already, with the next crops (tomatoes and corn) about ready to start.  All this wonderful food is a blessing, and as Granny would say (auf Deutch) Work makes life sweet!  And working in a beautiful place is even better:  this is the view to the west on a hazy July day.