Furious, fast February 20109

Way too much time out moving snow!

Sand, sun and smiles

Furious, frosty, fabulous, fun and full- for a short month, February flew by with lots of ups and downs.  First off, and influencing everything, February in central Wisconsin SMASHED all records for snowiness, going into the record books as the snowiest month ever recorded here.  It snowed , it iced, it got bitterly cold and blew at ferocious speeds.  For the first time ever, the class (and testing) for Stevens Taekwondo Academy had to be canceled, which involved Hilde using every type of social media, email and phones to make sure no one tried to get to the YMCA.

The very next morning, Mark and Hilde headed south, driving away from -7 degrees and sun dogs and rejoicing in every increment of temperature improvement along the way to Orange Beach Alabama.  Along the way they stopped in Huntsville AL at the National Space Museum, which is an awesome spot and full of memorabilia.   While the gulf weather was said to be ‘lousy’ by one native, they Wisconsin couple found that 60s were lovely and the incidents of rain were minor.  Ft. Morgan was romantic and evocative in the rain, and the rain stopped just in time for a picnic before heading to a refuge for a long walk.  The Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola was another wonderful time…these places could be one or two days of looking if your feet can hold out!  Mark and Hilde clambered around on the USS Alabama battleship also…those ships are enormous and tall!  Lots of time on the trip, mornings, evenings and in between, was spent on beaches watching the gulf waters surge and  sparkle, watching the shore birds and fishermen and seeing NO SNOW. 

All good things must come to an end, so Mark and Hilde headed home knowing that more than18 inches of snow had fallen while they were gone.  Good neighbors are a real blessing!  Brandls had cleared the west driveway enough for the car to crawl up to the door and allow for reasonable unloading while the tractor was warming up.  In the last 12 days of the month, Mark spent over 9 hours out on the tractor plowing again and again.  They are both hoping no more record-setting concerning snow occurs!

The tough weather has allowed both Henkels to work on their respective hobbies.  Hilde has been stitching up a storm, using more of the fabric stash from her mother.  After completing a set of quilted place mats with chicken prints for herself, she has been finding other ways to use the fabric---and spends considerable time on pinterest getting new ideas.  Mark has been working on a couple of electronic projects and work on the case in Minnesota, preparing for mediation.

The February testing, though postponed, went well and the level of enthusiasm and energy was very notable.  Hilde spent more time on record keeping and updating some of the handouts for STA students and both spent a snow day gathering and getting all the papers for taxes together for the accountant.  It surely is a relief to get that done.

Family news went the spectrum.   Mark’s dear Aunt Veiga, a truly Christian woman, died at age 100 plus 4 months early in the month.  Later, Hilde’s nephew Curt was blessed with a second healthy son.  While the weather and trip kept Mark and Hilde from seeing any of their grandkids, they got to enjoy lunch with the musical duo of Kayme and Alana.  A YMCA luncheon also provided pleasant socializing. 

Although it looks like March will come in like a lion or a polar bear, eventually things will start thawing.  Mark has gotten his supply of sap bags and is ready for syrup cooking, when things finally de-ice around Rudolph.  Think spring!