My daughter-in-law and I put my credit where our mouths are this morning. We have been gee-whizicating on a train ride to Chicago for a while now. For me - the chief instigator - the excuse for the venture is a spot in what used to be the historical "Union Stockyard" on the South side of old Chicago. A huge piece of US history for any history buffs that don't already know about it. My personal herstory with that chunk of history began somewhere in the late 60s when I cut classes to ride the train from Homewood to Chicago to tour the streets of Upton Sinclair's novel, "The Jungle." I was cutting classes allot in favor of riding trains in those days. Chicago was an easy train shot for a few years of the traveling family carnival. My current draw to this part of Chicago is called, "The Plant." I have been watching the development of this operation at a distance through my . . . ?Tree-hugger Net? . . . for a very long time. Long enough that I bet the neighborhood has changed allot since 1967 (give or take) when I was touring the streets of Upton Sinclair's novel. Long enough that even the Wall Street crowd is taking note of their "vertical farming" ventures.

For my daughter-in-law and grandson it will be a first venture out of Texas. April 16 to 24 are our scheduled dates. Exciting times!!!