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!