It´s still three weeks until The Easter, but the melting snow makes Ken feel eastery.
He puts some decorations on the porch and is thankful for this village: no need to be afraid that some vandals would destroy anything.
Even though the ice on the Lake Saimaa looks pretty scary, it´s still 30 cm thick.
Kaarna goes for a walk, but finds it hard to move forward in the soft slush.
She gets all hot and sweaty, and when she sees a dock with a hole in the ice, she knows exactly what to do.
Without any hesitation Kaarna takes off her clothes and steps down in the cold water.
And it feels the best ever!
Naturally she didn´t take a towel with her, so she chooses to dry herself up with her underpants.
Isn´t she lucky that she happens to prefer boxers to some girly strings or thongs or whatever they are called!
Poor Herbert needs help because there is a lot of rust on its sides. Also the damage that Kaarna made last summer needs to be fixed before the annual inspection.
Ken can´t afford to take Herbert to Reiska, so he just has to learn to do it all by himself. Hector gives him advice and because the weather has warmed up, Ken can start the project.
But suddenly the winter is back! Ken has to stop the rust repair project and think of something else to do.
He invites Hector and Janne to eat some tacos.
Hector tells that he has to go to military refresher training, so he asks if Ken and Kaarna could baby sit Touko the hamster.
- Janne gets nicely along with Sulo, but he's not comfortable with Touko yet, Hector laughs.
- Of course we´ll take Touko! And Sulo is welcome also if needed, Ken and Kaarna say.
Kaarna sighs:
- Oh that army shit. I would die if I had to live in a tent in a forest with total strangers and take orders without questioning.
Janne says quickly:
- You might not! Actually you could try it out. Do you know about the short army camps to women organized by MPK? They only last a weekend and they are sort of an introduction to army life. Here, I'll send you the link!
Ken gets very excited:
- What a great idea! Kaarna, you always complain that your life is boring and you have accomplished nothing. Now here´s a chance for some adventure!
- Oh shut up you all!!! Kaarna shouts.
In the next morning Hector brings Touko, who has traveled in a shoebox inside a thermobox and survived well the short car trip from the cabin.
Kaarna especially is so pleased to have a little creature to take care of.
In the evenings when Touko gets more active, she takes him out of the terrarium and cuddles him.
The spring begins again and Ken can continue his rust repairing project. He finds it impossible to make the repaired spots look decent, so he decides to make them special.
- Herbert looks like a ladybug, Kaarna says and they both think it´s a good thing.
If you haven´t heard from Ken for a while it´s because he has totally immersed into genealogy!
He spends days and days going through various archives and creates a family tree.
Kaarna wants to learn it too and naturally Ken is happy to teach her.
After a while Kaarna is struggling with her research and says:
- I think i need your help, Ken. I have a great great great whatever grandfather called Johannes, but I can´t find anything about his birth...
- Ha! I also have a mystical Johannes in my tree. It has been a common name.
When Kaarna shows her tree to Ken, Ken is astonished:
- It´s the same Johannes!!!! We are related!
Kaarna has a secret to tell:
- Remember that army camp for women that Janne was talking about? I signed in.
- You did!!!??? So cool!!!!
- Don´t you dare say a word to Hector and Janne! If I can´t make it and I have to come home too early, I don´t want anybody to know that I even tried.
- I won´t tell... But this is so exciting! I know you´ll do great. You are so brave!
- I´m terrified. But I´m 40 and it's about time to start doing scary things.