March 2020 has been a month like no other March, here and
across the nation. Mark and Hilde were
aware early of the coming epidemic, thanks to Jim’s knowledge and
vigilance. They were well supplied
anyway in the country with most things.
Before things got really nasty, Jim had a surgical procedure
and Mark and Hilde got to go down to Sussex and take care of the
grandkids---always a delight! They
picked them up from school, treated them with Culvers and even had a movie
night (Frozen II is musical and entertaining) cuddling with the kiddos as Jim
slept off his anesthesia.
The next day the happy grandparents got to walk with kids,
push them on swings and then play catch before heading home to Rudolph. It was the best part of the month, for
sure! Jim has recovered well from the
hernia thing and that is reassuring for the “parental unit”s also!
About a week before the stay away from group gatherings
order came out, Mark and Hilde were staying home except for the two nights of
taekwondo classes. When the “Safe at
Home” orders came down, they were ready for it.
Their church has offered online services for years, so although Pastor
Proeber is not seeing his congregation face-to-face, he is doing a great job of
helping all worship and hear the Word.
The good thing for the Henkels is that the first two weeks
of isolation coincided with the maple sap run in Rudolph---they were very busy
gathering sap (it was a good run!) and dragging it out of the swamp to the milk
cans in the cart, then off loading the milk cans and then cooking it all up to
delicious syrup. A point of info---milk
cans are fairly heavy EMPTY and with 10-11 gallons of sap can weight 120-130
pounds. This kind of thing takes
teamwork, for sure.
As entertainment during the month, Hilde and Mark have been
watching the birds migrate back in---always a treat! At the same time, the town of Rudolph has
begun the work on “up-grading” Tower Road.
This provided more of a fascinated horror as they began by cutting all
the brush and trees within the right of way (they are widening the road for
unfathomable reasons), including many basswood, oaks, maple, poplar, plum,
apple and the remaining elms. The road
has been blocked off partially or completely several days, and one day (so far)
was spent burning brush, right in the right of way.
In the rest of the time, Hilde has been sewing up a storm,
completing one quilt and nearly a second one plus several tote bags and smaller
projects, crocheting ornaments and mounting completed projects. The fabric stash remaining is more
challenging to blend into projects without shopping, but she will do it
somehow. Mark has been researching on
wood finishes, working on radio and continuing his remote legal practice.
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| First blooms of spring |
Now that the snow is gone, the yard work is beginning. The downed trees from winter have been cut
up, the fruit trees pruned and the many storm tossed branches cleaned up
also. There is plenty more to do in the
continued stay at home period, but both Mark and Hilde miss in person church
and the taekwondo classes and their students.
There will be more wood to cut as the town is taking down three more
trees and they will salvage what they can.
This has been a sad and painful time for the country, and it
is a time for prayer and trust. But with
spring and all the efforts across the nation, Mark and Hilde feel hopeful.
