Of Fifth Graders, Trees, Hamburgers and BUGS!

I received my orders yesterday afternoon.

"You ARE coming tomorrow, aren't you?" Laurie asked rather emphatically during our greeting yesterday afternoon. "I don't have any parents coming."

"What time?" I asked, then knowing for sure I WAS coming tomorrow. 

"Be at the school at 8 a.m.," my sister said.

"Yikes," I said, thinking about how fast I'd have to scramble around here to head out by 7:30.

Laurie informed me that my job is to keep her fifth graders occupied while she gets her forestry team registered for the 2014 Idaho State Forestry Contest.

"Then, you can go take pictures and do all your talking (she has this strange idea that I talk a lot)," she explained, "and then come back and spell me off." 

Then, she announced the big reward for my chaperoning duties.

"Hamburgers at noon," she said.   I already knew about the menu cuz Fairy Delay told me last week about the 700 hamburgers cooked for each year's contest lunch.  

Besides, I've been to a past forestry contest and watched my next-door neighbors, the Taylors flipping those hamburgers.

Needless to say today will be a busy day and one needing bug spray.

Laurie told me not to forget that very important item.  I really needed no reminder as we stood at their place yesterday afternoon slapping off nasty, hungry bugs while talking fence construction. 

The bugs HAVE arrived in North Idaho and they're not particular about whose body they want to feed from.  So, when I finish this posting, I'll ask Bill where the spray is.  

Bill is heading out earlier than I am this morning because he's one of the honchos (actually one of the founders) of this contest that has been held at the Delay Tree Farm in Careywood for 31 years. 

When it's over, Laurie's hoping her team repeats the tradition established with her first team two years ago---first-place rookies and last year, first-place rookies.

Time will tell, but the kids will get a reward, regardless----a day in the beautiful forest and those hamburgers.  The sun will shine too.  

Can't beat that. 

So, I'm out of here in search of bug spray and then headed to the woods where we'll see the forest AND the trees. 

Happy Thursday.