It's that time of year, the last few days of school.  It was always a special time for me.  Knowing that the school year was coming to an end and that I
was fortunate to have been a fifth grade teacher.  I always had a sense of pride in that I had had a successful year and hopefully had made a difference in the lives of my kids.  But by May I was ready for summer vacation, just like these boys.  And as summer waned, the anticipation of a new school year always
got me ready to return in the fall.  

·        James Matthew Barrie, " What is genius? It is the power to be a boy again at will.?



·        
Robert Baden-Powell, " The spirit is there in every boy; it has to be discovered and brought to light."

Charles Dudley Warner, " One of the best things in the world to be is a boy; it requires no experience,
  but needs some practice to be a good one."




   
   

Went to see Dad in Effingham this afternoon.  Turned off the highway onto a
country road on my way  home.  Ran across this old barn and grain bins.


‎"A farm is a manipulative creature. There is no such thing as finished. Work
comes in a stream and has no end. There are only the things that must be done
now and things that can be done later. The threat the farm has got on you, the
one that keeps you running from can until can't, is this: do it now, or some
living thing will wilt or suffer or die. Its blackmail, really.”  
      Kristin Kimball

    The Y-Flyers were racing on the lake today.  It was a sunny day with
plenty of wind.  

    "Here's a toast to you on the coast and the sailors out at sea
Drink your ales, hoist your sails
 Ride the winds and think of me."
     Kenny Chesney 



CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE.



   

   

    When given a choice, take the back road.  There's so much to see!

 "And it makes me wanna take a back road
Makes me wanna take the long way home
Put a little gravel in my travel
Unwind, unravel"
Rodney Atkins

Spring time in Central Illinois is my favorite time of year.  I stopped and took this photo on my  way to Arcola to mow Dad's yard.  There's so much to see taking the country roads through the area.

    "Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty if only we
have the eyes to see them."
     John Ruskin

 

 
Click on image to enlarge.

     Jake pitching and Shane catching in tonight's game.  Jake had 3 strong innings of pitching and got a "no decision."
Shane did a nice job catching, but really showed his fielding ability at shortstop.

     "Pitching is 80% of the game and the other half is hitting and fielding."
               Mickey Rivers

  

This old barn roof is being restored with left over metal roofing.

"Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the
floor after her husband has walked across it in his barn boots."
    Hoosier Farmer

     Today's post is not a recipe for turkey.  It's a shot of two turkeys in a patch of wild mustard weed.  A total of four wild turkeys came out of the field. 
    Sunday, Brian asked if turkeys could fly.  The two pictures at the bottom of my post are of one of the birds that flew across the road.

     "I hate turkeys. If you stand in the meat section at the grocery store long enough, you start to get mad at turkeys. There's turkey ham, turkey bologna, turkey pastrami. Some one needs to tell the turkey, 'man, just be yourself. "
     Mitch Hedberg

     Beach crews are getting the beaches of Lake Michigan ready for the summer crowds.  The life guard towers are in place, the beaches are being groomed, and the parking lots are being cleaned.  All that's missing are warm weather and the crowds.

   " Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air." 
       Ralph Waldo Emerson



 

    Spent the afternoon at the Tiger game.  Sat in the cold, saw periods of snow, and worst of all saw the Tigers blow a lead.  Comerica Field is a fun ball park to visit.  

    "Why does everyone stand up and sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game
when they're already there?"
      Larry Anderson