November 2018

child's chair Vesterheim

What a rush this month has been!  The weather was pretty nasty, even considering the month, and Mark was very busy indeed preparing for mediation on his case (trial planned for late January 2019).  

In order to get over to Decorah for that mediation in time, Mark and Hilde hustled out of a Tuesday workout, changed clothes and drove in the dark over to Sparta and then got up early and zoomed the remaining distance.  Mark and five lawyers, a high level mediator and both disputing sides spent a very long day hammering out a settlement.  Hilde wandered around Decorah, shopping in the morning and spending most of the afternoon at Vesterheim---Norwegian immigrant museum.  Then she read and knitted in the library until finally the exhausted guys finished and needed food.  Hilde was VERY happy the trial in January was off as it means no substitutions for running class and testing will be necessary and a break in the south will be possible.

The cold and wet weather kept farmers out of corn fields here, as saturated clay loam is a quagmire which will not support heavy equipment.  The churned up ruts at field entrances testify that they were trying to harvest, but bogging down.  It finally froze up and firmed up right before deer season.  Jim and his kids came up for the opening weekend, and Hilde had a fine fun time feeding hunters (early and hearty) and kids (different menu and time) and baking cookies, doing crafts, etc with them.  No venison, but lots of good times together, only missing Kayme, tied down with weekend stuff in Milwaukee.

November involved a lot of sorting and organizing, as Hilde worked on 30 years of Dr. Stevens black belt files and other files to condense them.  She also received four boxes of her mother’s stuff, mostly fabric stash items.  The stash provides a challenge as the pieces are  mostly not clothing candidates, but by the end of the month, Hilde had made a tapestry vest, and eight table runners in Christmas colors to share with her siblings.  One sister-in-law (like the bible parable) actually said thank you!  More projects are planned---winter is a good time for craft work.

Mark and Jim have been planning winter projects also.  Twenty years ago, after a wind storm, cousin Palmer cut and cleared the tangled mess in the small family woods in Lomira and Mark had the hardwood rough sawn and stored in the large shed since then.  Finally they are going to use the best of what Hilde calls heritage wood.

Jim and Mark are beginning the work on large rustic tables using the wood.  Jim is using the ash and Mark and Hilde’s heritage table will be of the ‘red elm” wood.  For Thanksgiving, Mark got the wood planed, roughly cut and managed to stack all of Jim’s in the passenger side of the car.  Hilde rode in the back enjoying the fresh wood smell, but not the cramped quarters and clattering on many bumps.  This is going to be a slow project, as everyone wants a great finished product…and the final finishing is best done on a warm spring day for ventilation!  It should be very interesting.

Thanksgiving itself was a wonderful gathering as John, Evie and Hazel came up to Jim’s from Illinois and all were gathered together.  Hilde’s brother Ray ‘shared’ their mom, so that she could be over at Jim’s for a while to see everyone—grandsons and wives, dogs, four small children and lots of happy noise.  Kayme did a great job with meal and organization and everyone  enjoyed themselves.

However, the month ended with Hilde getting a horrid cold and nearly losing her voice….Mark got a mild version.  She used the inside time for crafts and paperwork.  Dr. Stevens gave them more trophies to reuse or dispose of, so the lower level currently is glittering with many kicker trophies to work on.  Festive but crowded.

High Octane October 2018

What a month October has been!  Dramatic weather changes, family fun and trips to Horicon and Mankato kept Mark and Hilde on their toes, in the car and also swamp stomping.  It has been 31 full days and surrounded by the beauty of Wisconsin in fall.  harvesting the late garden crops was very satisfying, also.

Since two of the granddaughters have birthdays in October (plus a sister, two sisters-in-law, a niece and several cousins and friends!) trips to visit them were in order for Mark and Hilde.  They combined a trip to celebrate with Rowan with a day trip to Horicon Marsh, seeking out ducks and geese and a few swans.  It was a shock to find Hilde’s mother in the hospital again, but they were able to go and visit her there before taking Jim and Kayme et al out for supper and singing happy birthday to the new six-year-old.  What a beaming smile Rowan has!

The middle of the month included an inch of snow and a stretch of cold, damp days which were disheartening, but Mark and Hilde were vastly cheered by the trip to Illinois for the birthday celebration of Hazel’s first year.  That girl is really growing , crawling and all the time observing things very carefully.  What a joy to get down to see her happy parents also.  The trip combined with one to Mankato, so Hilde joked they took the long way to Minnesota:  Rudolph to Chicago to Janesville to Mankato!  It worked out well, though, and Mark had a productive couple of days of depositions.

As the colors faded and the leaves fell, it was time for the annual work of checking and repairing the deer stands on the hunting swamp.  It was a bit complicated this year, as the very rainy month left footings more than soupy---more like shin deep!  Hilde discovered that the prior year’s log trucks had collapsed the culvert by sticking her leg into it.  She was not hurt and a local man has been contacted to replace the culvert…hopefully before the ground freezes.  Both Mark and Hilde enjoyed the two days of outings there:  lots of fresh air, interesting sights, scents and sounds and amazing regrowth happening in the logged off area.  Mark was delighted to see a partridge and two wood ducks.  Now if the planned bulldozing to clean up the narrow, nearly invisible trail occurs things will be fine.

The Packers had some ups and downs through the month, but as loyal fans, Hilde and Mark stuck through it and went to visit Lambeau Field before the end of the month.  The part of the tour when visitors shout Go Pack GO! ---hearing the echoes from the stadium was amazing.  Lots of history there and a longer visit to the hall of fame would be in order some time.

Hilde and Mark at Lambeau

At the end of the month, Hilde’s mom moved to assisted living and is settling in there.  Everyone hopes this will help and she always makes friends fast.  Dr. Stevens is moved to Medford and Hilde and Mark now have the black belt files added to the rest of the taekwondo items.  They also made an appearance at a local tournament and are getting things planned for the December testing.  There is a surprising amount of paper and networking time required for the school.  

Between the trips and the excursions, Hilde and Mark have been getting the garden closed up, the yard ready for winter and working on the knitting and sewing projects put off until canning and freezing work is done.  Seasonal eating included lots of cranberries, pears, squash, apples and peppers.  All the gardening yields tasty food, and some can be shared with the 2^nd and 3^rd generations.  Fall is a wonderful time!

 

2018 September spectacular

September is always a special month…the last bursts of summer fun, the softening of the decreasing sunshine, the brilliance of the grass and beginnings of fall colors.  This September in Wisconsin marked a very abrupt change in weather, and lots of rain.  In fact a few places delayed the start of school because of flooded roads, but not for long!  Still the fall activities of harvest and families went forward.

Mark and Hilde got lots of time visiting family and friends during the month:  several trips to Wausau to visit Dr. Stevens, a run up to Peshtigo to see Mark’s dear aunt Veiga, who just turned 100 years old, and a short visit with Hilde’s mother, now home from rehab and determined to stay there!   Hilde managed to enjoy a lunch with her crafts friends, after Irene got her surgery taken care of and before Melodie headed south for the winter.  Those times are treasures laid up.

The garden did slow down, but Hilde spent many, many hours dealing with tomatoes and then drying herbs and freezing peppers.  The eggplants really produced this year and each one was delicious!  Zucchini was ongoing, with lots shredded and many chocolate zucchini muffins frozen.  Those are delicious when zapped in the micro---instant chocolate dessert.

Mark had a very busy month with work as there were deadlines for very complex expert reports on the one case and a farm visit in Sleepy Eye MN for another case.  He was able to build an extension on the loft in the big shed, and managed to get the antique brooder tucked away up there with help from our neighbor Robert. 

Mark and Hilde were both picking fall raspberries despite the attacks of hordes of late hatch mosquitoes which made outdoor activities miserable for folks all over the state.  The apples are ripening, so Mark spent time picking the early varieties and Hilde raked and raked the windfalls and wormy apples.  A doe jumped into the garden one night and couldn’t get out, so Mark had to take down part of the fence to shoo her away.

Taekwondo has been exciting this month as the class returned to the traditional 7 pm timeslot and more than a dozen new students showed up.  Hilde met the challenge of teaching up to 19 white belts with a little help from others, and things are looking good after the slow summer.  The all purpose room is full with students and lots of parents looking on.  That means lots of energy and activity on those Tuesday and Thursday nights.  Both versions of the seventh dan black belts arrived and now the head instructors for Stevens Taekwondo Academy are wearing them proudly.

September was special for some fun times, too.  Mark and Hilde grabbed some time to visit Sturgeon Bay, the Whitefish Dunes park, and the Cave Point County park with waves booming  in the caves underfoot.  They also overloaded on the colors and scents at the incredible lush Green Bay Botanical Gardens and visited the railroad museum…a great combination trip!

The highlight of the month was the long-awaited concert of Andre Rieu in Milwaukee.  Hilde and Mark enjoy watching his concerts in evenings at end of day, but the up-front, in-person sound and effect is truly incredible.  When an arena is full of happy, people humming, singing and swaying to the music, it is quite a happening.  Being able to stay with Jim and Kayme and visit even briefly with them (after Jim sternly admonished his parents for staying up so late and worrying him!) was the icing on the cake.  Going to church with either of the offspring and their families is a joy.

The fall has begun in a damp fashion, but the colors are starting change and fall flowers at their peak.

Absolutely Awesome August 2018

7th Dan Clan does Diamond Punch

The long-waited day for the Henkel family black belts kicked off a very full August.  On the Fourth, the four original Henkels assembled at Wisconsin Lutheran College, where Jim had made really excellent arrangements, parking space reservations and set up for the testing for 7^th dan.  Mark and Hilde came down first to Jim's  house, dropping off produce and eggs (plus Rudolph cheese, of course!) and then the four had about an hour to work on coordinating the forms…tricky to work that out at the last minute, but they had no opportunity to all get together before the day. 

Next Generation Cuties

In addition to the flags Jim brought, Grandmaster Robert Stevens set the scene with a Kukkiwon banner and an elegant table cover.  Dr. Dwight Stevens was able be present as the family he trained so long did cheonkwon, jitae and broke boards.   The papers on teaching techniques had been submitted before the day.  Jim and John also demonstrated fierce, but controlled sparring.  

This is the first time four family members, from two generations all earned seventh dan black belts together, so quite an occasion.  The special, special day was enhanced by the presence of Kayme, Evelyn and all three Henkel grandchildren.  Two of Grandmaster Stevens’ sisters attended and took photos, his daughter and nephew were also there, so three generations of Stevenses and three generations of Henkels together.  The celebratory hibachi dinner afterword was happy and relaxing before John and Evie took Hazel home.  It was a truly remarkable and memorable day!

August, as always, contained many garden and social activities, as the corn ripened and Mark and Hilde enjoyed sharing corn and brats with neighbors (Sarah and Robert), colleagues (Eric and Sandra) friends (Dr. Stevens, Kim, Karrie and Jeff, Carol and assorted kids) and family.  In between, they froze corn for the coming winter, and feasted on various old and new ways of enjoying beans, cucumbers, zucchini and eggplant.  Working together, Mark and Hilde processed and canned many boxes of tomatoes as stewed, sauce and ketchup, plus savored the fruits directly.  August is a lush and delicious month for gardeners!

There was time for family fun, with John and Evie bringing Hazel and the two dogs for a long weekend.  Hazel had just begun crawling and was delightful as she started exploring at Grandma and Grandpa’s.  It was good to see the parents relax and enjoy the slower country rhythms, tour the Point brewery with them , and attend church together.

The month included other family time.  Mark and Hilde got to visit her mother while she was in lovely rehab facility in southern Wisconsin.   She is now returned to her apartment and working at keeping active and well.  They also got to visit Hilde’s brother Brian and wife Anne at their new and beautiful home near Westfield and also joined Mark’s niece Alana and all the Rice Lake Henkels to celebrate the newest addition, Philip Henkel.

The first part of the month still very dry, so Mark and Hilde ventured into the swamp where they found great difficulty navigating, even with the ATV.  The tangle of tops, stumps and ruts from the logging last fall are now disguised by vigorous growth and after some struggles and  getting stuck, we resolved to return in cooler weather SEVERAL times with the chain saw…that will be lots of good exercise!  Right after that adventure, the waves of rain and storms started, so things are even less accessible over there.  Rudolph did not have the horrible flooding or tornadoes, but seeing what happened elsewhere in the state was painful.

Since other activities also continued, Mark and Hilde ran a taekwondo testing for their students, dashed to north central Iowa to supervise a farm visit, and fit in other projects.  Mark replaced the cracked washline posts, while Hilde handled the local publicity from the family testing.  She also enjoyed a lunch with dear friend Irene, a lunch gathering of the crafts ladies and then lunch with Linda from ADRC days.  All in all the month was very social, busy and fun.