Were there only 30 days in September this year? It seems like a lot got crammed into the month,
with amazing weather,
too, after a wet, mild summer, Rudolph had dry weather (half the norm for
September) and then a stretch of HOT weather with three days in the 90 degree
range. This delayed leaf color change and
fall, but made for some great days for getting out and about. Mark and Hilde made the most of it, out visiting
several lovely Wisconsin sites and county parks. That Wisconsin park system is amazing, and
the natural areas and wildlife areas are spread throughout the state for
recreation.
September was also the peak
month for harvest and some wonderful tomatoes.
Mark helped Hilde process stewed tomatoes, tomato juice , tomato sauce
and, of course, a batch of great-grandmother Schultz's ketchup. They gave away several boxes of tomatoes
also--it is always good to share bounty.
There has been a great apple crop also, which has been shared out and
fills the fruit cellar, so applesauce, apple pie and coffee cake are on the
agenda. They also had a bumper crop of
cauliflower, now frozen and tucked away, and dried lots of parsley to season
the winter meals.. After a slow start,
the fall raspberries came along beautifully and Mark and Hilde spent many hours
picking and eating the Rudolph Reds, plus freezing a year’s worth of oatmeal
toppings plus!
This was the last year that
canning frenzy will overlap County board frenzy for Hilde, and she is glad of
that, because it was tough to fit everything in, especially since the
retirement of two department heads and the reorganization of the extension
program demanded extra meetings and
interviews on top of extra budget meetings, a zoning meeting and an ethics
meeting tossed in for fun. It would not
have worked without Mark's help on the canning and the normal errands and his
insistence on the recreational time. He himself
(Hilde doesn’t do heights) spent a couple days scrubbing and then painting the
white on the big shed—aloft in the tractor bucket again!
Mark and Hilde were blessed
with a couple of family weekends also.
Hilde' sister Terri had a family baby shower for Evie and John, so we
could all gather in Palmyra...that was fun and the evening provided another
grand parenting gig with Jim and Kayme's children while they attended a
symphony. The following weekend John,
Evie and the dogs came to Rudolph for a pre-baby visit, which was very nice.
Hilde and Evie froze grated zucchini and zucchini muffins and bread, and then
they all relaxed with a grill out.
Mark and Hilde also got up to
De Pere to visit his aunt Veiga just before her 99 th birthday. It was sweet to be able to show her pictures
of Adolph' four grandchildren and talk of two more coming this year. They also heard from a gentleman trying
connect with Emma Schultz relatives, but
this didn't seem to be the correct Emma.
One happy September surprise: after several years and two different
foresters, the current guy finally got someone to start the prescribed cut of the
managed forest land in Seneca. When he
is done, the Henkel work plan will include clearing the tops and making sure
the trail is maintained and kept free of saplings.
Also this month, Dr. Stevens
publically announced his retirement from running Stevens Taekwondo Academy at
the end of the year, and that Mark and Hilde will be running the school
henceforth. This has been in the works
for a while, but now the couple is diving into all the administrative details that
go with teaching the class, handling testings and certificates and even getting
Mark hired as an official YMCA employee after years and years of being a
volunteer. The plan is for a reception
celebration in December to recognize Dr. Stevens decades of influence through
the school. Hilde is working on those
details..
All in all, September was a
varied and fun month, although rushed. There were still times to sit in woods
and by beaches enjoying peaceful, beautiful moments.
