Vacation

This week I am on vacation with my family at Topsail Island, N.C. Three years ago we chose this vacation spot to teach our kids about helping endangered species. This island is the home of the Karen Beasley Turtle Hospital designed to hospitalize injured and sick sea turtles. Loggerhead sea turtles are the most common sea turtles for this area of the ocean. Topsail Island is a favorite nesting spot for sea turtles to lay their eggs. Right now I am listening to the infinite, constant crashing waves of the ocean on the beach.

Summer is almost here. And for many people, summer is synonymous with "vacation. " If you have children or grandchildren, they're most likely on vacation from school, and if you've got the time and motivation, you may take a family vacation over the next few months. But there's one part of your life that should never go on vacation - and that's your investment portfolio. How can you keep your investments working for you in all seasons? Here are a few suggestions to consider: Don't stop investing If you want your investment dollars to continue working, you can't pull them out of the "work force.

It's the first week of summer vacation, but Lindsey Hall doesn't feel like she's on vacation yet. Hall is still getting out of bed and going to school every morning, just as she did last week when Boyle County schools were still in session. On the other hand, she said she's having a lot more fun this week. Hall is one of a number of Boyle basketball players working at this week's Boyle County Basketball Camp, and she said it's a little more fun than the typical school routine, even if it means delaying her vacation.

Regular school is ending for the summer for hundreds of youngsters in the area, however, another school is about to begin in community churches, Vacation Bible School. These photographs were taken by Bobby Smith during Bible School in 1952-53 at Mitchellsburg Baptist Church in Western Boyle County when his father, the Rev. Stanley Smith, was pastor. The children were dressed in their Sunday best. Girls wore dresses and boys wore dress pants, not jeans as is the fashion today.

My mom said she wanted to go on a trip this summer, to somewhere she'd never been before, and she wanted me to come. I am always up for a vacation, especially when Mom is footing the bill, so I agreed. It sounded like a pretty good idea to me - a week at a beach somewhere, doing absolutely nothing, and eating lots of good food. As I said, all this sounded like a great idea, but there's one thing I didn't count on - people need vacations because of the stress of planning the vacation, especially when you're dealing with my mother and me, the two most indecisive people in the world.

Steve Becker of Danville and his wife, Mimi, have three kids in college, which can put a strain on any family's budget. But Becker says he and his wife are getting their own "personal stimulus package" by the beginning of summer. Two of their children are graduating this spring, leaving only one, a freshman, still in college. So the Beckers feel they now have a little more room in their budget to pay for their vacation plans. "We are taking a trip overseas, and we are able to do so by taking advantage of some very big bargains and by budgeting carefully," Becker said.

Dear Editor, In response to the Feb. 13 story titled "Lincoln cuts three days of spring break," as a former teacher I have two issues with this plan. First is the idea that it is necessary to prepare students for tests. Somehow, teaching to the (state) test, or preparing for those tests always seemed like the wrong reason for schools. Unfortunately, the public has come to rely on state-generated test scores, which make them believe their children attend good (or bad)

HARRODSBURG- The Kentucky Supreme Court has vacated the sentence of life without parole for confessed killer Louis Lee Anderson and remanded the case to Mercer County Circuit Court for resentencing. No date has been set yet for a hearing. Anderson pleaded guilty to the 2006 robbery and murder of retired teacher Louise Pulliam of Harrodsburg and was given life without parole by Judge Darren Peckler. He appealed the sentence, however, and the Supreme Court ruled recently that Anderson, who was 17 at the time of the murder, should have been sentenced as a juvenile because he was considered a youthful offender at the time of his indictment.

As the days of summer wind down, you might be thinking about a long rest from lawn care. But don't take that vacation just yet, or if you do, make it a short one, because fall is a good time to take care of weeds, remove leaves and fertilize grass. Fall is the best time of the year to control such broadleaf weeds as dandelion, plantain, chickweed, henbit and clover. These weeds are actively growing in the fall, making them easier to control. And since grass also is actively growing during this time, it will fill in spaces the weeds formerly occupied.

I have a brother who always has been able to take off on a trip to most anywhere, seemingly on a moment's notice. I am the polar opposite of him in that arena. It takes me forever to get ready for a trip, and even when I have months to get ready, I still never feel quite prepared when the time comes to depart. For me, it just always seems like there are so many things I must get squared away before I can afford to be away for a week or so. Even a weekend getaway presents challenges that at times seem insurmountable.