Way back in February, while there was snow on the ground, we posted our plans for the year. We had plenty of rehabbing left to do, but the hope was to spend more time outdoors. One tool I have learned to use in making goals happen is to review them from time to time to see if any progress is being made. The longest day of the year roughly coincides with the halfway mark for the year, a fitting time to look back and to look ahead.
The beginning of 2020 seems like a lifetime ago and in an alternate universe. Who in February could have predicted that within a month we would go from being at home due to snow to being at home due to COVID-19? The Madison Garden and Landscape Expo we attended in early February was probably one of the last mass gatherings before social distancing and shutdowns forced the cancellation of such events. Many touchstones and things we had been looking forward to seemed to be postponed on a daily basis. The Driftless Folk School did not release their 2020 catalog of classes. The Voice of the River Valley switched to a digital format. The WDNR cancelled all in-person meetings and suspended burn permits. Henry's university sent their students home to learn remotely. I was sent home to work remotely. A niece and nephew graduated from high school, missing out on proms, extracurricular activities, ceremonies, and parties.
It has been a sad time, but we have soldiered on, a day at a time. Progress has actually been made on many fronts on the homestead - a surprising amount, all things considered:
We were successful in making exactly 1 gallon of maple syrup. The novelty led us to having pancakes for dinner several times.
We inoculated the oak logs we set aside last November with shiitake mushroom spawn. The logs silently lie in the woods, and we hope to see mushrooms in the spring and a half-dozen years to come.
We spent many hours combing the woods for Morel mushrooms. The weather provided poor growing conditions, but we made it to previously unexplored areas of the property and the two Morels we found were a welcome sight.
We harvested a few stalks of wild asparagus, and found a third area of plants, thanks to their leafy fronds.
I got to spend several evenings fishing the Driftless streams for trout. I had one of the best seasons I can remember, catching fish using flies I tied myself.
We planted a small garden, a single bed, with tomatoes and onions. To date, the plant are flourishing with the early summer rains, and have not been eaten by the local wildlife. We have started work on a second garden bed and a separate bed for planting asparagus in the spring.
We have seen more owls this spring than I have seen my entire life. We welcomed orioles and hummingbirds to our new feeders.
We have one room of the house completely finished, with several others close to completion. A washer and dry will soon be installed, and hopefully a stove as well.
We installed a firepit and replaced the sea of fallen trees with grass. Controlling the Poison Ivy remains a work in progress.
Although the virus is still with us, people have adjusted and things are slowly beginning to reopen. The Driftless Folk School announced this week that they hope to offer classes beginning in August. The WDNR forester we were supposed to meet in March contacted us to set up a walkthrough of our woodlands in July. Henry will be back at Platteville in September. Apples, grapes, and tomatoes are starting to form.
As we enter the second half of the year, it is satisfying to see what we accomplished,
and were fortunate that we and our families remained healthy. There is still much to do and we all need to still be mindful of staying well. One does not appreciate good health until you no longer have it. This is the kind of year where it pays to focus on a day at a time, but those days add up, so use them wisely. Take every small victory you can.
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