Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:30 a.m. in "The City."

I was sitting here and thinking about a song I once penned that I entitled Home Again. In my dotage, I can't remember most of the lyrics, but the opening went something like this. "They say you can't go home again, but ain't it worth a try." There was something in there about people being unable to do the things that they really should because they were possessed with feet of clay. But, that's about all I can remember. The genesis for the memory was thinking about all of the places that Mary, Adam, and I visited when we were younger. Later when we were a tad older, we added Stephany to our entourage.

One such place, or places really, was Dixon, IL. My grandmother's son, my mother's brother, and my uncle, Harold, lived in a state facility for the handicapped there. We'd all go to visit the him at the school about once per month and depending on the time of year, we'd usually go to a place called Lowell Park, a facility on the Rock River that was perfect for kids to play and enjoy. Trees, trails, the river, and all of the things that make being outdoors for a kid a great place to be.

My grandmother, Nane, would prepare burgers for grilling at Lowell Park. We'd just enjoy the ride and the atmosphere.  In the winter, we'd have lunch at the school's commissary where instead of burgers, we'd have Sloppy Joe's that my grandmother prepared at home in her covered pot and then reheated on the industrial stoves there. At that time, Dixon was a small city that had as it's main claim to fame, that it was the boyhood home of President Ronald Reagan. We'd pass through towns along the route like Elgin, St. Charles, Sycamore, Oregon, and a little town called Grand Detour, a town that John Deere once called home, and where he invented the self-cleaning plow.

Today, Deere's family home and it's grounds have an archaeological site to showcase Deere's original forge that sits alongside the family home. I'm sure that Adam remembers it because we traveled there with him when he was a child. Strangely enough, Mary thought I had lost my mind when I described visiting Harold and Lowell Park as one of my fondest childhood memories. It wasn't until I took her there that she got the idea. There are so many things to recall, that I could spend reams writing about them. But the point is, sometimes the memories are probably better than the reality, as the memories grow sweeter with the remembering.

Trainspotting yesterday was good. At 9:55 a.m., the regular cast of locomotives passed by heading south, towing a mix of one BC, 13 CHCs, three DBTCs. and a single GTC, all heavily laden. The same tandem of locomotives passed by again heading north at 1:19 p.m., with a lone BC, 11 CHCs, followed by two DWTCs bringing up the rear.

Sports news yesterday was not good for the NIU Huskies. Adam encouraged me to watch the game, but the Huskies lost to the Bowling Green Falcons, 14 - 34. Bowing Green is now the MAC champion. Oh well, wait til next year. The Spartans of MSU take on the Iowa Hawkeyes for the Big 10 Championship at 8:17 tonight. As of now, the Spartans are the favorite. The Cubs paid 32 million dollars for two years of service from John Lackey, a 37 year old pitcher, to strengthen the starting rotation on a team that won 97 games this past season. Here's hoping.

I made an appointment yesterday morning at the nearby barber/stylist for next Monday. Since Joe retired to Florida, I've been doing my own hair and beard, but they have gotten out of control. It's time for professional help. STWD accompanied me to the shop, where she received a treat. As is often the case with Sugar, it will take time for her to get used to new people in her life.

We made it out yesterday afternoon to the hardware store to pick up a blade for my new to me hacksaw. Then we returned home, parked the car, and walked downtown to go to our favorite watering hole and the Post.

Today, the morning safari, football in the evening, and possibly the Jingle Bell Parade downtown in between. I'll also find time to finish the highlighting to get it off my desk.

The weather will go from the current temperature of 44°, to 34° and then back to 44° under partly cloudy skies. The sun will rise today at 8:00 a.m. and set at 5:10 p.m. Ciao.