Brilliant Blueberries

November 2016 is in the books as one of the warmest in records here in central Wisconsin, and it was delightful.  Mark was able to find fresh raspberries until the middle of the month….all-time longest season for the fall berries.  Hilde was out digging around and clean-up weeding until mid-month also.  Together, they dug the carrots, harvested swiss chard of gigantic size and finished cutting and taking the final four loads of prickly ash, sumac and honey suckle out of the east fence.  Spock enjoyed chasing leaves and climbing each and every tree on the place.

Swiss Chard

It was such a relief to have the election over and the barrage of ads, calls and mailings stop.  Other countries manage with a much shorter election cycle…this one felt like the old saw about banging your head on the wall because it feels so good when it is over.  Only time will tell how much of the campaign rhetoric will actually materialize.

Hilde was down for half the month with a nasty virus turned to lung infection so vicious that when Mark dragged to the urgent care they tested for whooping cough and put her on home quarantine her until testing proved that not to be the case.  She was determined to attend the November County Board for the budget vote (absence is effectively a no vote) but it was a near thing as to endurance.  Thank goodness for modern antibiotics which meant that the plans for Thanksgiving did not need to be canceled.

Form work

Mark and Hilde went to Jim and Kayme’s for Thanksgiving and were delighted to do child care for the preceding day.  Even low on energy, Hilde enjoyed time with the grand kids, dipping pretzels, rocking Caleb to sleep and hearing Rhiannon play piano.  Those kids are just a big bundle of fun.  Jim and Kayme have completed the downstairs room for visitors, and it is very nice indeed.  John and Evie came up on Thanksgiving so the Henkels were all together.  The three males did some preliminary work on the 7^th dan form….good to see them practicing together again.

Dr Rhi and Princess Ro with Aunt Evie and Caleb

Hutkowski moving marvels with Jenifer, Mark, Gail, Sandy

November was not only transitional month for seasons, but a professional one for Mark.  After just over 20 years, the First Law Group got an offer they couldn’t refuse for their building, and when discussing going forward elsewhere, it became apparent that it was the ideal time to go separate ways.  Mark elected to set up a small office within the new Jenifer Binder Law office, but with every intention of only part-time and working from home mostly.  The details of incorporation, insurance, websites, signs, etc seemed endless, while sorting through twenty years of dead and open files led to mountains of shredded paper.  The huge numbers of document boxes carried up and out provided quite a workout for Mark.  Around 40 of those ended up stored in the home basement, many more at the new office, which is Henkel Legal Services LLC, 3313 Church Street, Stevens Point.  Sandra’s family came with trucks, trailers and manpower to move the files, furniture and everything in just over 2 hours.

With all this going on in the last half of the month, Mark only managed a couple times to hunt, and did not get a deer this year.  That is probably for the best, since the above took LOTS of time, and butchering does take a bit.

Now, the brilliant final leaves of early November are gone, the trees are bare, and ground saturated from late heavy rains, so Mark and Hilde are turning their attention to  Advent and Christmas.  The lights are up outside, the snow fence put up, and the holiday baking begun.

Jim with his cuddlers:  Rhi, Caleb, Rowan