Christmas,
2014
From New
Journey Farm Nestled in the Rolling Hills of Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
 |
Just before Christmas and after this newsletter went to print,
Sabine fell while hiking and cracked her femur. After two
weeks on the couch with a walker she sees her Orthoped
tomorrow. We are hoping and praying all has been
mended! |
Another year of amazing
changes! The saying that stayed with us this year came from our summer family
get-together, “Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful!” Sabine’s mom,
Charlotte, is still doing great in her 90th year, Sabine continues
to fight her cancer and David is still the best dialysis nurse ever.
Thankfully, for the last half of this year, Sabine has been on oral
chemotherapy and avoided the twice-weekly IV infusion lab. She begins her 8th
year fighting this nasty blood cancer in January.
At the end of 2013, we built
a dialysis room in Charlotte’s basement and put the cottage in Mazomanie up for
sale. We were fortunate to have it sell within a few months but vowed to always
avoid moving in winter at all costs (thanks Josh and Rachel!).
Sabine’s piano lessons went
on the back burner as she suffered a chain of injuries including falling down
the hay chute in their barn. The time was quickly filled up with trips to Lake
Lawn Lodge, Lake Ripley, a local spa, Minneapolis, and an over-night at
“Headless Woman” B and B in Fennimore. She found the best rehab was playing
disc golf at courses we came across (including one in Dubuque).
Granddaughter Gracie and her
mom, Heather, made their usual winter trek and David and Gracie found a frozen
lake is the very best place to fly their kites (no trees!). They also joined us
in the summer with Gracie’s sister, Heather, when Niece Teak and daughter Malea
came for a visit. Everyone was introduced to Mallard’s baseball on the coldest
day of the summer. On our new 6-hole disc golf course the game became a new
field of family battles.
The remainder of the Couper
clan made it out in June. Cut-throat games of not only disc golf filled the
days (and nights), but also competition in bowling, archery, and kayaking the
Wisconsin River.
David was thrilled by the
summer farm projects after three decades of waiting for the outbuildings to be
painted and new fencing installed. Then
they got a notice that this was the year they must harvest timber according to
their Managed Forest Program they enrolled in over 30 years ago. After
consulting with a forester and having their plan approved by the DNR, they
decided to have the logging done by draft horses! They said it was an amazing
sight to see them working. Hopefully, the logging will be done by Spring.
The longest and farthest they
travelled this year was up to Mackinac Island in the Upper Peninsula. They took
to ferry from Manitowoc to Luddington. David was disappointed that Sabine
didn’t schedule a dialysis center while travelling Lake Michigan. They attended
a weekend dance workshop with sister Barbara and Ken at the famous Grand Hotel.
No motor vehicles are permitted only horses and bicycles! The four of them
danced and biked around the island and had amazing meals at the hotel.
The really exciting news from
New Journey Farm came at the end of summer when David forged a new retirement
plan and bought an older 32 foot river boat which was berthed in nearby (a one
hour drive) Dubuque, Iowa, called “Kokomo.” Remember the Beach Boys song by
that name? They took a lot of trips to Dubuque this fall and their boat was the
last one out into dry dock on a cold, windy day in November!
This fall, David has been
taking some on line power boat courses to get him acquainted with a larger,
twin engine craft. I think we will know
where to find David this summer. Rainer and Rannae were visiting with them when
they closed the boat deal. David thought he saw a boat-glimmer in Rainer’s
eyes. Hmmm.
With all the police use of
force problems that erupted this past year, David’s blog has never been more
active. Along with his blog “Improving Police,” he has written op-eds, given
interviews and publicly lectured. His book, “Arrested Development,” and his
work was highlighted on the national Rachel Maddow show. It’s been an exciting
year for our nation’s police. Pray for major changes.
Sabine and David’s church
life continues to be centered at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church about 90 miles
east of the farm. David leads Sunday worship and does a couple of book/Bible
studies each year. Sabine did a great job leading three of our youth through
Confirmation and manages a one-room Sunday school each week. It seems to
re-energize them for the week to come. They also managed to squeeze in dance
lessons at Arthur Murray’s this fall.
In this Christmas letter,
they have often in the past shared what their kids were up to – but they didn’t
have time to do so because they are so busy themselves. Their kids will simply
have to start writing their own letters.
David and Sabine noted,
“Well, that was our year and, remember, it all doesn’t have to be perfect to be
wonderful.” David and Sabine send their love and blessings to all of you and
those whom you love. They ask your prayers for peace around the world, a cure
for the Ebola plague, and an end to economic and social disparity. While
celebrating the birth of Jesus, and as Cosmologist Dr. Steven Hawking reminds
us, “Where there is life there is hope!” -- From The Hill Scribe
