The answer my friend, is blowin' in the wind...

The windmill wheel and vane had deteriorated over the years, but the basic structure was still ok. Tom had it moved about 20 yards to the south and fitted with some new parts.

Dan cut off the vines.

Putting up the new wheel and vane.  It also has a little motor which Tom plans to use to hook up a hose and aerate the pond.

The worst things in life are also free...

Here are those kittens we talked about in the last email.  Please come and take 2, 3 or 8.

Kyle, center right, organized a surprise 18th birthday party for Dan!

After they plowed through 4 extra-large pizzas they retired to the Dan cave to watch the Bulls.

Boys gone wild.

ISU's Commencement was yesterday.  You don't want to get in the way of parents taking pictures of their college graduates!

Later was Prairie Central's Pop's Concert and recognition of the seniors.

Dan's cousin, Britney, is in the percussion section (snare drum) of the 6th grade band.

And Dan's cousin Brianna is playing trumpet in front of the bass drum in the junior high band.

Tom Terrific picked / snipped a bouquet of wild flowers for me this morning.  And I received some very nice cards!

Tom

Picking up seed corn from Kerber.

It's raining it's pouring!

The pond hasn't been this full in years!

Somehow I have "mallet finger" on my left ring finger. Dr. Selkow diagnosed this and informed me that I must keep it splinted/immobilized for 6-8 weeks. Not taking any chances on my stringed instrument-playing hand, I'm going to wait 8 weeks. Thinking that I won't get to play all summer is quite humbling, but certainly worth it if it heals properly!!

Dan and his senior prom date, Tara.  :)

Tom's new farm mobile.  I thought it would replace his motorcycle...sigh.  It hasn't.

 Our barn has a new face (so does the crib)!  Next will be to move the windmill and make it functional again so that it aerates the pond and indicates the wind direction.

Kittens

Almost heaven...

One night last week we saw a huge blaze to the northeast! It was so large that Dan and I went out to be sure that our neighbors to the north weren't burning down.  So we did some snooping, only to learn that it was a controlled burn that apparently got out of control.

ELIQUATE - the name of my cousin Kathy's son's band from Santa Cruz, California. They are touring the US and made a stop in Wauconda. Tom, Dan, and I met up with Cosmo and had a great time visiting before their gig at Middleton's On Main.  My favorite song is "Family Unit."

Here is their tour schedule. Next stop is Boulder, Colorado where Karen and Joel live.  Hopefully Cosmo will have some more family in the audience this week!

We wanted to do a 3 mile hike, but there wasn't enough time so we hiked to Bummer's Rock instead.  It was a bummer.

Dan attended Admitted Student Day at U Colorado/Boulder this past weekend.

Foothills outside Boulder

Here is a picture of Dan when he was probably 8 years old. :)  He told us tonight he's decided to go to college at the University of Colorado at Boulder.  

Spring Snow Storm!

According to Amtrak's "train status" link, Mom and Dad departed  3 minutes early this afternoon from Sanford, FL for Lorton, VA on the Auto Train. They will arrive in VA tomorrow and then, depending on the weather, they'll either drive back to Hancock or spend the night in VA.

Meanwhile, we received about 7-8 inches of snow last night. This was the day after Dan's baseball team split their first double header!  The storm caused the U of IL and Illinois State to cancel classes!!

 Watch dog

 Tom folded Shadow's "front porch" to cover the entrance to her house to keep the snow out.  She slept in the garage.

She wasn't happy spending too much time outside, though. Dan and I constructed a snow man and a wall. I tried to cross-country ski this morning but the snow was too sticky for a proper glide.

Winter Fun 2013

Yankee Spring Training Baseball - Tampa, FL
Mom and Dad have been coming here since 1996 to escape the snow and to cheer on the Yankees. I loved meeting all their friends and seeing their digs in the Sunshine State!

Devil's Head, WI
Since 2006 the PC Hawks have been honing their skiing and snowboarding skills. Actually, we missed one year because it was too warm.  Dan and Addison

By pure chance Tom and I met up with college pal Jeri, her husband Mike, and daughter Jeana down in New Orleans back in February.

What I Learned on my Trip to the West Coast

10.  Get rid of the old rat poison pail and invest in a real Kitchen Compost Canister.
9.  Get a salad spinner.
8.  Start carting cloth bags and old plastic bags to the grocery store. Plastic bags have been banned in San Francisco, and they charge a 10 cent tax if you need a paper bag!
7.  Rent a bike and take a ride.
6.  If you're Dan, you'd skip the stupid bike and rent an ATV.
5.  Celebrate your dining room table's wood and get rid of the table cloth.
4. While you're at it, forget buying paper napkins and just go with cloth.
3.  There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people.
2.  Skip the taxi cab and call a cool, classy black Uber car.

and the number one thing I learned (from my 17 year old) on my trip to the west coast...

1.  Ten days is too long to spend with your parents and without Xbox.