The new year kicked off in Rudolph with lots of snow (Mark
got to plow four more times!), very little sun (gloomy most days) and mild
enough temperatures for some outdoor work.
Mark and Hilde had been eying the dying birch by the big shed for a
couple years, planning an approach which would not damage either shed or
driveway lights, while carrying away dead branches which had fallen. So one of the milder days, Mark pulled up the
tractor, climbed aloft and trimmed the remaining branches before successfully
dropping the trunk where he wished.
There is a root sprout there which should survive to replace it and some
very productive black cap berries (seedy wild black raspberries) circling the
stump.
The very fresh balsam stayed in good shape until Mark and
Hilde reluctantly took it down in mid-January.
Taking down the Christmas tree and the colorful decorations is always a
sad point in January.
However, watching
the Packers lose to the 49ers was actually more painful.
They came very far this season and all the
fans can hope for even more
next year!
Determined to use the dull winter time for projects, Mark
and Hilde both tackled clearing out some of the years of accumulated files and oddments. The hope is that it won’t take 48 years to
de-clutter. Hilde has been trying to
organize and digitalize all the genealogy information and the many, many
heritage photographs she has been given.
It is a daunting task. Mark has
years of legal files downstairs and must carefully sort through them so that all
confidential material is burned, not recycled.
Mark began a special project: making a dining table from the red elm
harvested on the Lomira land more than 30 years ago. He has gotten the base section done, joined the lovely elm boards for the top and
now needs to do all the tricky support work.
By the time the weather permits Hilde to do the staining and finishing
outside, he will have it done, ready for that final step.
Hilde has continued her craft work also, producing a slew of
handmade ornaments for the coming Christmas, a bright and warm afghan and some
smaller cross stitch items.
Two more
duffle bags are almost complete, using yet more of the combined fabric
stash.
She is contemplating another
quilt and looking at more ways to use up fabric and notions.
Hilde’s mother celebrated her 88th birthday with
a black eye form a fall, but Hilde had a nice photo from the previous
month. Arlene is resilient and cheerful
and had no other injury. She keeps busy
with little sewing projects and television—Hilde calls her frequently.
The new session of taekwondo has brought a trio of students
returning to the sport after lengthy absences.
It is interesting to work with this different challenge—regaining stretch
and relearning forms is tough after a long absence. The high level of illness
in the school population especially has had class attendance down in
January.
More people enrolled than
present.
January really sped by as Mark and Hilde kept busy. They are thinking about ordering garden seeds
and more sap bags for the syrup season.
Once January is done, the winter if half gone!
Akiva Lyon was awarded the trophy for testing excellence as
he earned his yellow belt. Lyon, ten
years old, snapped a full-sized board with a switching axe kick on his first
attempt.
