March 2016

March madness does not necessarily include anything basketball…the Henkels managed a very busy month and never watched a game.  As all the snow melted and the temps were above normal early in March, they feared this would be a year without effective sap run, but they were wrong.  Even better, the sap ran during the week off of taekwondo so the things worked very smoothly for three days of cooking and a good supply of syrup for family pancakes.  This is the first year it was snowless in the swamp….but deep mud is equally challenging while carrying sap buckets!

But maple syrup was only part of the month, which included visits to both sons and special times.  Mark and Hilde headed to Jim and Kayme’s early in the month and Hilde got to visit with her mom, and then play with grandkids while Jim and Mark did the painstaking cutting and setting of the new kitchen floor.  Two big guys, tools and appliances pulled out for access, all crammed into a small space, but they managed very nicely.  Not only does the floor look great, but the appliances were reinstalled without incidents!  That weekend ended with Rhiannon and Rowan singing with other children at church, which was sweet.

Hilde has continued to work through the old pictures, copying and identifying the best she can with Mark’s help.  His cousin Bill has added some of his collection, so the genealogy picture collection is growing.  Mark and Hilde also filled in covering the UWSP taekwondo class one day, which is always enjoyable.  They also went to La Crosse for a conference and began talking to roofing guys in preparation for that project.  Many roofing folks out there, but some do not seem very businesslike.  The Henkels are eager to get that project taken care of.

For Easter, Mark and Hilde went to Palatine and enjoyed a weekend with John and Evie.  The project for Saturday was removing the old, leaking shower in the master bath, which provided some real challenges.  Again, two big guys in a small space working at awkward angles, then hauling out chunks of cement from the old base.  A chisel did slip, resulting in the demolition of the toilet, but heck, these things happen, don’t they?  They always enjoy spending time with the next generation, and Evie provided a great Easter feast.

March also featured a new addition to the family:  Hilde’s nephew and godson, Curt, became a Daddy:  mom Lori and little Henry David Orchard are doing fine!  The expanding family is such fun.  The real question each day:  will he wear purple or green and gold?

The one heavy snow left quickly, the trees are beginning to bud, the crocuses have cheered us…even though it is chilly and slushing outside at the end of the month, spring is arriving.

 

Evie's sunroom, so cozy!

First crocus while cooking sap

February 2016

Feb 6 little spring on Tower open all winter

February in 2016 was….funny.   The weather was neither snowy or very cold, the time flew by and Mark and Hilde really had some fun but leisurely activities.  As opposed to the usual struggle with bitter temps, dumps of snow and dark days, this was wonderful, but felt…odd.

The Henkel’s wedding anniversary on the 5^th was very nice as it combined a stop at Teri Jenkins’ retirement party at Oso brew pub…that Lucius Maximus is a delicious beer which packs a punch!  Then off for a lovely dinner at the Sky Club, which reminded them that even after 44 years, they always enjoy time together and have plenty to talk about.

Emanuel Scheid, Mark's grandfather

Hilde has been working on copying and saving the old photos from Henkels, Scheids, Riebes, etc.  She has found some great photos, even a few old tintypes of Mark’s great-grandparents, but is saddened by the many, many pictures which can not be identified.  This is a work in progress and will take many more months just to  photograph, clean up and identify, after which comes the daunting task of starting back into genealogy after nearly 25 years and getting things into the computer.  She has already found that sharing photos thru facebook with distant cousins (especially Al Hodnett!) really speeds things up!

Mark has really been enjoying working on his radio while spending less time in the office.  He also has decided to upgrade the cooker for the maple syrup, so Mark and Hilde spent one afternoon on the road up north of Wausau, getting sheet steel for that.  The view of Rib Mountain from the north west must be beautiful at night with the runs lit.

Mark at EAA

The February taekwondo testing was short and sweet, with excellent black belt candidates.  There is a lot of satisfaction when even the white belts overcome their learning difficulties, persevere and improve.  Hilde also got to teach the UWSP classes one day---fun to work with adults who both know left from right and are able to learn quickly.

Feb 28 ditches full along Second Ave and 55 degrees

Mark and Hilde had one other outing for the month, spending a day at the EAA museum in Oshkosh.  What a wonderful place to revisit the past!  American history told from the flight viewpoint brings a whole new perspective.  The feats and heroics of those early flyers are awesome, and to have so many planes on display indoors is amazing.  They spent about 3 ½ hours absorbed in the collection before feet, knees and back protested.

All in all, February was fine this year for the Henkels.  The snow is almost gone, which is great, but the prospects for a good maple sap season are diminished.  As February Leap day ends, who knows how March will go? 

 

January 2016

January went by quickly this year in Rudolph, with Mark and Hilde being HOME and eating at HOME (no Subway at all!) for the month except for visits to each side of the family.  They really needed the time to rest and catch up after the last hectic year and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The weather in central Wisconsin was mostly mild and gloomy, ending the month with cold rain and fog…first time Hilde has used an umbrella with winter coat and gloves to go to worship services in January!  As a counter to the dark skies and winter gloom, Mark ordered vegetable seeds and Hilde treated herself to a colorful bouquet.

 

Mark has been making good progress on his latest radio project and worked half-time for the month, giving a much more leisurely tempo to everything.  He also helped Hilde identify photos from the first of several boxes of old pictures from his side of the family.  Hilde has been trying to preserve them electronically, since both old and newer color ones are deteriorating.  There was even a pair of tintypes of his Schultz great grandparents as young people.  So many are blurred, and both undatable and  unidentifiable.  That’s very sad, but many are in good shape and have Granny’s scrawled identification in pencil on the back.  There are some Bormann and Heidemann photos to deal with next month…challenging work scrutinizing them, but interesting, too.

Lori and Curt orchard getting ready for baby O

Mark and Hilde headed to Rice Lake early in the month to visit his brother Phil and Connie---always good to get together with them, even the weather cooperated with clear roads and sunshine.  Mid month there were a couple of long tramps into the back of the hunting swamp, but no success at getting a photo of the otters which slide on the Elm Creek.  For the end of the month, they headed to Oconomowoc for a baby shower with many Bormanns gathered to celebrate the coming grandbaby for Hilde’s sister Terri. Since Jim had had a plumbing incident, Mark spent that time over there, fixing plumbing and assessing the floor damage. 

Lori, Leslie, Laure, Kim, Terri, Arlene, Lisa, Hilde  and Heidi

January was a good month, restful, contemplative and not much snow.   However, if the forecasts are correct---February is going to start with a major snow and wind storm, so winter is definitely not over yet.  From Rudolph, Mark and Hilde are hoping all family and friends stay warm and safe!

 

Sunset January 31

December 2015 Busier Still

December was busy---very, very busy!  It was crammed with meetings, preparations, two weeks out of town and a wild and wonderful Christmas with both sons, both daughters-in-law, three grandchildren and two dogs….really wonderful.

Those meetings:  Hilde had a stretch of three days with six long meetings, two with someone losing temper and acting childish (not Hilde), and pages and pages of notes.  Fortunately at one meeting she was able to get most of the required signatures for her nomination papers, but the frenzy was incredible.  During the same (first) week of December, Mark was in last minute, pre-trial mode, which means he is partially in some other dimension, planning and focusing on what can/should/or might happen in court.  This state always reminds Hilde of The Absent-Minded Professor.

Hilde made some cookies, finished a pine cone wreath for herself after making four for others and partially decorated the house for Christmas and then packed up for the trial in Algona Iowa.  That is a small town, limited in shopping and fairly isolated, getting there takes 6 hours on the road.  Mark and Hilde left right after church and arrived in foggy dark, grateful to have no further to go under those conditions.  Throughout the trial, the weather was ‘mild’ and no snow, so the extra difficulties of dragging things to court every day in snow did not occur---everyone involved was grateful!  These kind of trials mean a lot of folks there:  Mark, his partner Eric, assistant Sandy, company rep, local counsel, and then all the folks which are witnesses.  One night there were 14 for dinner, usually less.

Mark celebrated his birthday by selecting a jury, but Hilde managed to get him a little chocolate cake and he heard Rhi and Ro sing happy birthday to him in the evening…that brought a big smile to his face!  On the weekend in Iowa, Hilde and Mark walked (32 degrees and gray) around Smith Lake and then visited the POW museum…interesting stuff there, as Algona was the center for POW camps.  Kind of sobering when, in the displays, they saw a HENKEL as a captive and a BORMANN as a local killed in fighting.  Those same POWs carved a 60-piece, half-life size nativity scene, complete with a flock of sheep, camels and all the rest.  The scene is housed at the fairgrounds and was the neatest thing they found there. 

Hilde did learn a lot about a Hungarian freedom fighter for whom Kossuth County is named, so history lessons in a couple of ways.  Hilde also knit a sweater, hat and sewed ornaments during the trial, plus attended county board telephonically.  Mostly her job was to make sure Mark ate and rested, so he was in good shape at end of trial

After two weeks in trial, Mark and Hilde finally headed home.  Mark was pretty happy with the result, since the plaintiffs weren’t happy.  It was a very long ride home with both so tired, but they managed and gratefully hit their own bed.  

Then it was rush, rush, rush:  to get a tree, get groceries, get tree up, clean house, prep more food, and during it all, Mark was on the phone about after verdict details.

Then it was Christmas!  Having everyone home was wonderful and the hustle and bustle invigorating.  There was no real snow (in fact adults walked the girls in rain and fog on Wednesday!), but so many happy faces as Caleb crawls very rapidly, the girls dance and sing through the days and their parents got some time off with John and Evie to “be bros” and adults away, while Grandma and Grandpa babysat.  After church (what a blessing to have all the loved ones worship

together!) the kids’ excitement level and happiness made for a joyful night for everyone.

Grandma Hilde does regret giving the girls punch balls…almost as bad as a drum set for noise makers!  The girls rode their scooters in the basement and read new books…wonderful time.  There was even a little layer of snow to belatedly make it a white Christmas!

After everyone departed on Saturday, it seemed very, very quiet, but Mark and Hilde decided it was the perfect day to go see The Force Awakens, and they were right---great time to go and it was tantalizing and enjoyable.  The month and year ended quietly as Mark and Hilde stayed home, thereby enjoying the big snow after Christmas.  It was good to have a little quiet time to rest and reflect on the many blessings of 2015.