Like most of the Midwest, Wisconsin was cold and dreary the
majority of the time in April Two lesser
snows and one DUMP of heavy wet snow was nasty for everyone, especially for the
many rural folks whose pole barns lost roofs last month and felt enough was
enough.
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| Hungry Muskrat |
Finally at the end of April the
forsythia and crocuses bloomed, but everything else is awaiting more sun and
warmth.
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| Krispie Chicks |
The first week of April the maple sap really ran! Since the ground was bare that week (the snow
was later) Mark and Hilde decided to play it safe and have the neighbor do the
finally syrup cooking…no outside flames in wildfire season. Mark did not take the tractor chains off
until April 29th, fearing yet another late storm, but the last blast
went south and was mostly rain.
April marked a new venue and time for taekwondo testing, as
it was held in the morning at Master Johnson’s studio. It worked well and the many black belt
helpers mean a very smooth and efficient process. Right after Hilde printed all the
certificates, the printer had a hissy fit which was FINALLY traced to a tiny
fragment of paper which required inversion of printer, a high intensity flash
light and tweezers to extricate. The other
small, but irritating breakdowns of the month included a coffee maker dying and
the far corner of the garage door rusting off right at the cable
attachment. Mark’s metal stash and
ingenuity allowed for that repair to work.
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| Easter Treats |
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| Add caption |
Hilde has been busy sewing, doing the finishing and quilting
on both a baby quilt and a warm red-tones goose quilt. She also made
new shower and window curtains as the start of spring cleaning and
tackled another remnant baby quilt…still lots of fabric to use up in her and
her mother’s stash. She also enjoyed
assembling and mailing a birthday gift for Caleb (he is 4 already!) and then
Easter baskets and goodies for the four grandchildren. Even when they are not able to be present,
giving to the grandkids makes the grandparents happy.
Mark and Hilde used the few ‘good’ days productively and
recreationally. The apple and pears
trees were thoroughly pruned, and they planted 50 balsam and 25 river
birch. The recreation was two trips to
Horicon to spot the awaking and arriving creatures there, from muskrats to
cranes, swans and ducks. Spring time in
that large refuge is surely enjoyable even in brisk winds and cool temps.
Easter was spent at John and Evie’s enjoying their company,
Evie’s holiday feast and the delightful Hazel.
She is 18 months old and tries to copy her daddy’s sit ups and pushups,
scoots all over and evens tries front kicks.
Hazel enjoyed two Easter egg hunts and Mark and Hilde enjoyed her! It was warmer in Chicagoland with no snow, either.
The other inside tasks of spring have begun: Mark has a fine crop of tiny tomato and
pepper plants started and at the end of April, he started up the incubator for
eggs. The hatch should occur around the
18th of May…always something to look forward too.
