America is known for many things. We won the Revolutionary War, we defeated the Japanese in World War II, we conquered the Great Plains, plus more. We are also know for our ingenuity. I have to say, we have created quite a lot of stuff. From the atomic bomb to new battle strategies, we are a creative bunch.
In 1873, an Illinois farmer named Joseph Glidden created barbed wire on his kitchen table. Now sure I can make an owie fence, too, but the fact that an American made it is what really matters and besides, that's something I probably wouldn't think of making. Within ten years, a billion acres of the mid-west are parceled up by half a billion miles of barbed wire. That was a pretty ingenious idea. I can see where it was more helpful then to keep cows out of your yard, but it's still used today. They still use barbed wire to keep the cows in their pasture, but now it is also used on other places too, to keep the robbers away.
In 1879, Thomas Edison invents the electric light bulb. It would soon get a thousand patents. It's almost funny to think about how the light bulb has helped us. It is really helpful. Before the light bulb we had to go try and kill whales to get whale oil. He also created the first commercial power grid. In two years, he sets up 5,000 power plants. Five more years and he creates a further 127,000. The power plants are the ones giving the power to the light bulb so we have it to thank for the light bulb's light. It wouldn't be a light bulb without the light. Then it would just be a useless bulb.
In the 1940s, a single computer was the same size as a Greyhound bus with the same power as a modern PC. It needed as much power as a small town. Many people didn't believe the computer would go very far. Trust me, I don't think I can fit a school bus in my bedroom. In 1976, in a garage in northern California, two computer hobbyist, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, create the first practical, personal, computer (PC). In the 1980's there are just 300,000 PCs, but in the 1990s there are 67,000,000. I thought the 300,000 was a big number, well, compared to the people in the US that number is tiny.
America has created a lot of things. As I'm typing I am thinking of more. We would probably top on the list of "country that has invented the most stuff." I wouldn't be amazed if America had invented fireworks, too. Happy Fourth of July!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
The People Who Really Won America
We recently finished our History Channel documentary America: the Story of Us, and since I wanted to do a Fourth of July post, I decided to tie them in with each other. I think that the biggest part of our culture is our rebellious spirit and our willing to fight for what we believe in. This can be demonstrated through the actions of the Pilgrims, the colonists, and the slaves.
The Pilgrims went a long way to insure this country came into existence. They went 3,000 miles to be exact. The Pilgrims pretty much sold everything they had to go to a place where there was nothing there. They did it all for religious freedom. Thousands of people died of diseases, starvation, and animals they did not know about. However, they found ways to survive with the help of the Indians, and kept on going with life without even thinking of trying to go back to England.
The colonists were probably the biggest rebels in history. They started with small riots like the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre and then started the Revolutionary War to establish their country. The colonists fought the British for seven years and 25,700 people died, but they never gave in or said, "Fine you can have this place." They fought it out and were able to have that freedom the Pilgrims always dreamed about.
The slaves were also very rebellious. Harriet Tubman even went back and helped other slaves after she escaped through the Underground Railroad. The Civil War was then fought until the Confederate states submitted and the Thirteenth Amendment was signed. Even after the Civil War, racism still continued, and people rioted often against racism until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed to prevent it. Because of the rebels like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., racism is now much less. We even have the first black president because of these people's struggles.
Along with these rebellious successes, many other rebellions helped America like the Vietnam War protests, and other slightly more violent protests in which many people lost their lives defending their beliefs like the Kent State Riots. Either way, rebels are definitely a major part of the American culture, and I am proud to be one of them.
The Pilgrims went a long way to insure this country came into existence. They went 3,000 miles to be exact. The Pilgrims pretty much sold everything they had to go to a place where there was nothing there. They did it all for religious freedom. Thousands of people died of diseases, starvation, and animals they did not know about. However, they found ways to survive with the help of the Indians, and kept on going with life without even thinking of trying to go back to England.
The colonists were probably the biggest rebels in history. They started with small riots like the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre and then started the Revolutionary War to establish their country. The colonists fought the British for seven years and 25,700 people died, but they never gave in or said, "Fine you can have this place." They fought it out and were able to have that freedom the Pilgrims always dreamed about.
The slaves were also very rebellious. Harriet Tubman even went back and helped other slaves after she escaped through the Underground Railroad. The Civil War was then fought until the Confederate states submitted and the Thirteenth Amendment was signed. Even after the Civil War, racism still continued, and people rioted often against racism until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed to prevent it. Because of the rebels like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., racism is now much less. We even have the first black president because of these people's struggles.
Along with these rebellious successes, many other rebellions helped America like the Vietnam War protests, and other slightly more violent protests in which many people lost their lives defending their beliefs like the Kent State Riots. Either way, rebels are definitely a major part of the American culture, and I am proud to be one of them.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Why the First Amendment is Important to Me
A few weeks ago while at our church's camp, my best friend and I were about to go to the camp's coffee shop, and while I was looking for my wallet, he happened to notice my Blog Notes journal. He asked if my mom was still forcing me to write in this blog. I told him no she wasn't, but whenever I tell anyone the next sentence, they seem extremely surprised. I told him I write in it of my own free will, and then I found my wallet, and we went to the coffee shop with Devin still recovering from shock.
What I don't understand from this conversation is why no one believes I like to write in an online journal which is exactly what a blog is. Throughout history many people have kept journals. Without Christopher Columbus's journal, America would probably be uninhabited; without Lewis and Clark's journals, we would all still be stuck on the east coast; without Charles Darwin's journals, some crucial species of animals would not be known. Other people who wrote journals were John Muir, Anne Frank, and I haven't even mentioned all the people who have written autobiographies so why are people surprised that I'm not being forced to write in this online journal? It's not uncommon for someone to enjoy writing; look at Christopher Paolini: he started writing Eragon when he was fifteen, and I don't think his parents said write a 500 page novel or else.
There are many reasons why I love writing. My favorite part about blog writing is reading it after it's been published because of the thrill of reading my ideas and opinions being publicly voiced. Why people don't voice opinions is another question of mine. Freedom of speech is a right of ours, why do we not use it? Many books, autobiographies, and even journals (real events in history) have been banned because we have not demanded our right to speak out. If writing didn't exist, the world would fall into chaos. There would be no communication because no one would be able to write anything to message, no movies because no one would be able to write the scripts, no internet because no one would be able to program it, and no civilization because no one would be able to converse with more than a few people. Face it, we need writing to survive. Why do so many people insist on hating it? The First Amendment states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government to redress grievances." I love these words drafted by James Madison in the United States Constitution.
What I don't understand from this conversation is why no one believes I like to write in an online journal which is exactly what a blog is. Throughout history many people have kept journals. Without Christopher Columbus's journal, America would probably be uninhabited; without Lewis and Clark's journals, we would all still be stuck on the east coast; without Charles Darwin's journals, some crucial species of animals would not be known. Other people who wrote journals were John Muir, Anne Frank, and I haven't even mentioned all the people who have written autobiographies so why are people surprised that I'm not being forced to write in this online journal? It's not uncommon for someone to enjoy writing; look at Christopher Paolini: he started writing Eragon when he was fifteen, and I don't think his parents said write a 500 page novel or else.
There are many reasons why I love writing. My favorite part about blog writing is reading it after it's been published because of the thrill of reading my ideas and opinions being publicly voiced. Why people don't voice opinions is another question of mine. Freedom of speech is a right of ours, why do we not use it? Many books, autobiographies, and even journals (real events in history) have been banned because we have not demanded our right to speak out. If writing didn't exist, the world would fall into chaos. There would be no communication because no one would be able to write anything to message, no movies because no one would be able to write the scripts, no internet because no one would be able to program it, and no civilization because no one would be able to converse with more than a few people. Face it, we need writing to survive. Why do so many people insist on hating it? The First Amendment states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government to redress grievances." I love these words drafted by James Madison in the United States Constitution.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Companion Post to Rebecca's America: The Story of Us
I want to start by saying that Rebecca has given me full permission to publish her first draft of her America piece, now that she knows the word she misused in paragraph two. As a matter fact, she has taken to reminding me daily that the Revolutionary War was started by "mobs of angry prostitutes" because she knows she gets such a laugh out of me. In our family, there are four of us always trying to go for the biggest laugh -- dinnertime is crazy!
So before I get, "What is she teaching those poor children?" I must say that Rebecca now knows what the word prostitute means, and I don't feel her new knowledge means she has anymore chance of becoming one (but that's another blog post . . .) Remember, she's 10 years old. I love hearing parents' stories of how kids learned certain new words. Feel free to comment and share! Is language acquisition innate as Noam Chomsky suggested, or learned as Jean Piaget suggested? Hmmm . . .
Rebecca's post made me realize that in my pursuit of explaining what we do for homeschooling, I never covered how I went about teaching my kids to read, write, or learn vocabulary. I have spent the last few weeks since she originally wrote this post, trying to figure out what I did or did not do. Unfortunately, researching this topic started a huge reorganization project around the house as I've been frantically looking for some key books and notebooks from several years ago. We're just finishing up the project, and I now have ELEVEN full bookcases in a house that is under 1200 square feet (thanks Ikea!) So as a side note, if you're considering homeschooling your kids, be prepared to turn your house into a small library/school.
So here are a few of the key things I think I did in the language arts arena (which I admit is probably the subject in homeschooling that I have been the "loosest" in teaching):
So before I get, "What is she teaching those poor children?" I must say that Rebecca now knows what the word prostitute means, and I don't feel her new knowledge means she has anymore chance of becoming one (but that's another blog post . . .) Remember, she's 10 years old. I love hearing parents' stories of how kids learned certain new words. Feel free to comment and share! Is language acquisition innate as Noam Chomsky suggested, or learned as Jean Piaget suggested? Hmmm . . .
Rebecca's post made me realize that in my pursuit of explaining what we do for homeschooling, I never covered how I went about teaching my kids to read, write, or learn vocabulary. I have spent the last few weeks since she originally wrote this post, trying to figure out what I did or did not do. Unfortunately, researching this topic started a huge reorganization project around the house as I've been frantically looking for some key books and notebooks from several years ago. We're just finishing up the project, and I now have ELEVEN full bookcases in a house that is under 1200 square feet (thanks Ikea!) So as a side note, if you're considering homeschooling your kids, be prepared to turn your house into a small library/school.
So here are a few of the key things I think I did in the language arts arena (which I admit is probably the subject in homeschooling that I have been the "loosest" in teaching):
- From the time they were babies, I talked to them incessantly. Yes, I am a "Chatty Cathy" by nature, but I think this made a big difference in their learning the spoken word. This is why they make you go into language labs to listen to audiotapes to learn a foreign language -- you want to learn the language, then you must listen to the language.
- From the time they were mobile, I took them to the library. We did story-time every week, Read Your Way to the Ballpark every year, saw movies and puppet shows there, etc. And yes, we brought home bagfuls of books every week, which were always a pain to keep track of and haul back and forth, but I think it was good for them to select their own books, and be exposed to a variety of different subjects.
- I read to them before they could read. And when I was tired of reading, I made sure they had books on tape and CD to listen to -- they loved working the equipment, too.
- I keep a stash of books and magazines in the car and the bathroom -- I find these are two places that they'll spend hours reading in.
- I never said no to a Scholastic book order. Yes, homeschoolers get these, too.Who doesn't love Scholastic Books!
- They've always kept journals, and I save all of them because they love reading them later on. They also keep photo-journals of their vacations and scrapbooks.
- Whenever they write something, I read it with them, and we find their mistakes together conversation-style. I never found the red-pen process to be at all helpful since then they aren't involved in the finding part of the proofreading errors.
- We look stuff up in the dictionary (frequently), we all have our own dictionaries at our desks, have dictionary.com bookmarked on our computers, and know how to use the "tools" section of Word.
- I let them read whatever they want. I LOATHE the AR (accelerated reader) program in schools. If I want them to read a certain classic that they haven't shown an interest in, then I let them watch the movie, see the play, or find a related subject that sparks an interest in the book (for example, Patrick likes fencing so we pick plays with famous duels.)
- The only spelling book we ever used was Natural Speller by Kathryn Stout. I love this book because it teaches Latin and Greek roots, prefixes and suffixes, and patterns of words. I can tell what Rebecca was thinking with her "prostitute" and "protester" mix up because she knows "pro" has a Latin origin meaning "before" in both words. In prostitute it is combined with "statuere" which is "to cause to stand" and in "protester" it is combined with "testari" which is "to witness." I myself, never realized how much the two words had in common! If you've seen America: The Story of Us, that particular scene is a little confusing with the imagery, if you know what I mean! Watch it if you haven't seen it! This documentary is a great chronological overview of American history with frequent commentaries by notable people. The kids are both working on American history blog posts to correspond with July 4th patriotism. Check back to find out how else the prostitutes have contributed!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
America: The Story of Us - Part One
Last night, I watched the movie America: The Story of Us part one. Part one told us the story of the Revolutionary War. It told me many things I already knew and just as many that I didn't.
I never knew that one of the main reasons America won the Revolutionary War was because we gathered sharpshooters to hide in the bushes and trees and shoot the British as the hiked to a battlefield. The British were used to fighting on battle fields and they were surprised when a bullet came out of the bushes and killed one of their many Indian guides. The job of the sharpshooters was to kill all the Indian guides and the British leaders. The British needed the guides because they didn't know the area compared to the sharpshooters who knew it very well. The sharpshooters had killed all the guides and all the British leaders but one. The leader of the sharpshooters chose a man named Tim Murphy, an Irish man, to shoot the last British leader. He shot three bullets: the first missed, the second skinned his horse, and the third "hit home." The sharpshooters shot the British and about a half of them died under no leadership, that's double how many Americans died in the Battle of Lexington.
One of the reasons the Revolutionary War started was because mobs of angry prostitutes roamed the streets on May 5th, 1770. They gathered because they had lost their jobs and blamed the British gathered on King Street in Boston. The hundreds of protesters faced off against the eight armed red-coats who were told not to fire. Edward Garrick, a 17-year old wig maker's apprentice "lights the fuse." He is hit in the head with a red-coat's gun. This is how wars start. British Private Hugh Montgomery is hit with a club. Edward Garrick was the first to be shot. African-American Crispus Attucks dies instantly. When the smoke clears, four more are dead.
I would love to tell you more about the movie, but I don't want to ruin it for you. To watch it, go to the History Channel.
I never knew that one of the main reasons America won the Revolutionary War was because we gathered sharpshooters to hide in the bushes and trees and shoot the British as the hiked to a battlefield. The British were used to fighting on battle fields and they were surprised when a bullet came out of the bushes and killed one of their many Indian guides. The job of the sharpshooters was to kill all the Indian guides and the British leaders. The British needed the guides because they didn't know the area compared to the sharpshooters who knew it very well. The sharpshooters had killed all the guides and all the British leaders but one. The leader of the sharpshooters chose a man named Tim Murphy, an Irish man, to shoot the last British leader. He shot three bullets: the first missed, the second skinned his horse, and the third "hit home." The sharpshooters shot the British and about a half of them died under no leadership, that's double how many Americans died in the Battle of Lexington.
One of the reasons the Revolutionary War started was because mobs of angry prostitutes roamed the streets on May 5th, 1770. They gathered because they had lost their jobs and blamed the British gathered on King Street in Boston. The hundreds of protesters faced off against the eight armed red-coats who were told not to fire. Edward Garrick, a 17-year old wig maker's apprentice "lights the fuse." He is hit in the head with a red-coat's gun. This is how wars start. British Private Hugh Montgomery is hit with a club. Edward Garrick was the first to be shot. African-American Crispus Attucks dies instantly. When the smoke clears, four more are dead.
I would love to tell you more about the movie, but I don't want to ruin it for you. To watch it, go to the History Channel.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The Case of the Freezing Mine, the Stagecoach Ride, the Crazed Spork Murderer, and the Invisible Ostrich Farm
Earlier this year, the Eagleridge student council decided to go to Bisbee and Tombstone for the 6-8 grade end-of-the-year trip. Earlier this week, we actually went on the trip. We all got to Eagleridge at 6:30AM and got on the tour bus. We then drove for about 3 and a half hours playing many dramatic games of Mafia in which the mafia really liked stabbing people with sporks.
At about 10:00AM we were told by the tour guide that an ostrich farm would be coming up on the right-side of the bus after we pass a trailer park. About half an hour later we passed the trailer park. Another half an hour passed and still no ostrich farm. Another half an hour passed and my friend Devin realized that it either was never really there, or was passed without us knowing it. I have spent the last couple of days trying to find it on Google Earth without success. Three more hours later (or exactly 32 throwing spork murders later) we arrived in Bisbee, Arizona. After we got off the bus, our tour guide for the away-from-the-bus part of the tour met us. Bisbee was originally started as a copper, silver, and gold mining camp before they found the Copper Queen Mine when they decided to make it a city. After the tour of the city, she brought us to the Copper Queen Mining Museum. There, we learned all sorts of stuff from the equipment they used in the underground mine to how they separate the ore from the dirt in the open pit mine (the gasses from a bacteria imported from Norway literally burn away anything that isn't copper ore.)
After the museum, we got back on the bus and drove another twenty minutes until we reached the entrance to the Copper Queen Mine. We went inside a little warehouse next to it and were given bright yellow jackets, hardhats, and a car battery with a light bulb about big enough to cover the head of a pin, and we were told to haul the car battery around on the belt of the jacket. They then loaded us onto the mine cart: a somewhat small engine that stalled often but had a soft cushioned swivel chair. Hauled by this engine was twelve two by fours on wheels with two thin rods running down the length of the cart. Along with the unstable method of transportation, it was also informed five minutes after we entered, that the mine stayed a naturally flat 52 degrees! If you don't believe me here's a picture of a thermometer in there:
It was fun though, and we got to see many old crystal and mining caves along with a lift shaft, detonation cave, and a honey cart (the portable toilet). Here's a picture of the honey cart (I don't know why they call it a honey cart):
After we left the mine, we ate lunch on the bus and went to see one of the many open pit mines. The mine we went to see was the Lavender Open Pit Mine which was literally 80 ft. from the Copper Queen Mine. Apparently the shadow at the bottom of the mine isn't a shadow. Instead, the shadow is a mass of trapped rain water that is mixed with large amounts of copper, lead, iron, sediment, and bits of TNT. This combination makes a black toxic fluid that guarantees a painful death to a person in less than an hour if the person drinks it. Here's a picture of the toxic liquid:
After we went to the Lavender Open Pit Mine, we left Bisbee, and we were able to play another eight games of Mafia (all of which involved someone eating Teriyaki chicken while someone was being killed with a spork) before we arrived in Tombstone. Brief history of Tombstone: founded by a guy who was thought to be crazy for venturing out to the middle of nowhere and told all he would find was his tombstone. This guy (Edward Schieffelin) found silver and named the town Tombstone as an ironic joke. When we got there, we were broken up into two groups for the stagecoach tour. The other group went first. The group I was in went and found the biggest ice creams I've ever seen (a two scoop is about the size of four scoops). The stagecoach tour was a bit of a disappointment, but it was still interesting. To summarize: now you should understand the case of the freezing mine, the stagecoach ride, the crazed spork murderer, and the invisible ostrich farm. This case has been solved. Never trust anyone with a spork. ;)
At about 10:00AM we were told by the tour guide that an ostrich farm would be coming up on the right-side of the bus after we pass a trailer park. About half an hour later we passed the trailer park. Another half an hour passed and still no ostrich farm. Another half an hour passed and my friend Devin realized that it either was never really there, or was passed without us knowing it. I have spent the last couple of days trying to find it on Google Earth without success. Three more hours later (or exactly 32 throwing spork murders later) we arrived in Bisbee, Arizona. After we got off the bus, our tour guide for the away-from-the-bus part of the tour met us. Bisbee was originally started as a copper, silver, and gold mining camp before they found the Copper Queen Mine when they decided to make it a city. After the tour of the city, she brought us to the Copper Queen Mining Museum. There, we learned all sorts of stuff from the equipment they used in the underground mine to how they separate the ore from the dirt in the open pit mine (the gasses from a bacteria imported from Norway literally burn away anything that isn't copper ore.)
After the museum, we got back on the bus and drove another twenty minutes until we reached the entrance to the Copper Queen Mine. We went inside a little warehouse next to it and were given bright yellow jackets, hardhats, and a car battery with a light bulb about big enough to cover the head of a pin, and we were told to haul the car battery around on the belt of the jacket. They then loaded us onto the mine cart: a somewhat small engine that stalled often but had a soft cushioned swivel chair. Hauled by this engine was twelve two by fours on wheels with two thin rods running down the length of the cart. Along with the unstable method of transportation, it was also informed five minutes after we entered, that the mine stayed a naturally flat 52 degrees! If you don't believe me here's a picture of a thermometer in there:
It was fun though, and we got to see many old crystal and mining caves along with a lift shaft, detonation cave, and a honey cart (the portable toilet). Here's a picture of the honey cart (I don't know why they call it a honey cart):
After we left the mine, we ate lunch on the bus and went to see one of the many open pit mines. The mine we went to see was the Lavender Open Pit Mine which was literally 80 ft. from the Copper Queen Mine. Apparently the shadow at the bottom of the mine isn't a shadow. Instead, the shadow is a mass of trapped rain water that is mixed with large amounts of copper, lead, iron, sediment, and bits of TNT. This combination makes a black toxic fluid that guarantees a painful death to a person in less than an hour if the person drinks it. Here's a picture of the toxic liquid:
After we went to the Lavender Open Pit Mine, we left Bisbee, and we were able to play another eight games of Mafia (all of which involved someone eating Teriyaki chicken while someone was being killed with a spork) before we arrived in Tombstone. Brief history of Tombstone: founded by a guy who was thought to be crazy for venturing out to the middle of nowhere and told all he would find was his tombstone. This guy (Edward Schieffelin) found silver and named the town Tombstone as an ironic joke. When we got there, we were broken up into two groups for the stagecoach tour. The other group went first. The group I was in went and found the biggest ice creams I've ever seen (a two scoop is about the size of four scoops). The stagecoach tour was a bit of a disappointment, but it was still interesting. To summarize: now you should understand the case of the freezing mine, the stagecoach ride, the crazed spork murderer, and the invisible ostrich farm. This case has been solved. Never trust anyone with a spork. ;)
In the Attic
I love to write. At Eagleridge, in our composition class, we have been writing lots of stories. Here is one of them I wrote. It is called "In the Attic."
One day I was reading the book Caddie Woodlawn when I got to a chapter where Caddie went into her attic and found some breeches and clogs. I wondered if there was anything in our attic and what it was. I decided to go find out.
Once I had the ladder set below the trap door in our bathroom, I was ready to climb it. I started climbing. Once I was at the top, I pushed open the trap door. It was big and heavy, but I was able to open it. I then climbed inside. It was very dusty inside and hard to breathe in, but I just covered my mouth and nose with my shirt and started walking forward. It was strangely quiet, but then I thought, "How loud should it be in an attic?" Finally I saw a few piles of boxes all pushed aside in a corner. I also saw some tables, chairs, and other types of furniture by the boxes. I went over to one box and peeked into it. Inside was some pretty, exotic fabric pieces. I went over to a table. On it was a deck of playing cards, an old 1950's black-and-white movie, a basket of old Christmas cards, a board game, and a small, pink diary with a bejeweled butterfly on it. Then I went over to a dresser. On it was a few toiletry bags, a hand-held mirror, and a pair of torn-up slippers. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a drawer slightly open and I opened it all the way. I took out the only item in the drawer: a box about big enough to hold a cat. I took the box with me as I went to go sit in an old, dusty armchair. I opened the box. Inside was a library book, a broken name badge, a library card, a bag of German money, and a picture of a teenage girl at a library. I wondered what all of these things were here for, so I left the attic to go ask my mother.
Once I had safely gotten down the ladder, I put it back in the garage and went back inside to show my mom this stuff. I found her checking her e-mail on the computer. When I showed her the items, she was surprised to see them. I asked her whose they were and why they were in the attic. "Oh, these are just some of the things they gave me while working at a German library," she said. "You got a broken name badge for working at a German library?" I said, astonished. My mom laughed. "No, no," she said, " That was the name badge I used while working at a library in Germany." " They gave you a library book also?" I asked. She nodded, "A library card also," she added. "This is the money they paid you with," I guessed. She nodded. "Is that you in this picture?" I asked. "Yes," she said, "that picture was taken by one of my friends in Germany, by the way, where did you find this stuff?" I blushed. "In the attic," I said. She laughed. "Go return it to the attic and don't go up there again without my permission," she said. I smiled and ran to go get the ladder.
While writing this story, I kept asking my mom questions some of which were not included in the story. It is true that my mom worked in a German library back when she lived in Germany when she was a teenager. She told me that she never wore a name badge though. Oops! I wouldn't be able to find that stuff in our attic though because ours is an "unfinished" attic meaning it doesn't have a floor. I hope you enjoyed my non-fiction/fiction story "In the Attic." What's in your attic?
One day I was reading the book Caddie Woodlawn when I got to a chapter where Caddie went into her attic and found some breeches and clogs. I wondered if there was anything in our attic and what it was. I decided to go find out.
Once I had the ladder set below the trap door in our bathroom, I was ready to climb it. I started climbing. Once I was at the top, I pushed open the trap door. It was big and heavy, but I was able to open it. I then climbed inside. It was very dusty inside and hard to breathe in, but I just covered my mouth and nose with my shirt and started walking forward. It was strangely quiet, but then I thought, "How loud should it be in an attic?" Finally I saw a few piles of boxes all pushed aside in a corner. I also saw some tables, chairs, and other types of furniture by the boxes. I went over to one box and peeked into it. Inside was some pretty, exotic fabric pieces. I went over to a table. On it was a deck of playing cards, an old 1950's black-and-white movie, a basket of old Christmas cards, a board game, and a small, pink diary with a bejeweled butterfly on it. Then I went over to a dresser. On it was a few toiletry bags, a hand-held mirror, and a pair of torn-up slippers. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a drawer slightly open and I opened it all the way. I took out the only item in the drawer: a box about big enough to hold a cat. I took the box with me as I went to go sit in an old, dusty armchair. I opened the box. Inside was a library book, a broken name badge, a library card, a bag of German money, and a picture of a teenage girl at a library. I wondered what all of these things were here for, so I left the attic to go ask my mother.
Once I had safely gotten down the ladder, I put it back in the garage and went back inside to show my mom this stuff. I found her checking her e-mail on the computer. When I showed her the items, she was surprised to see them. I asked her whose they were and why they were in the attic. "Oh, these are just some of the things they gave me while working at a German library," she said. "You got a broken name badge for working at a German library?" I said, astonished. My mom laughed. "No, no," she said, " That was the name badge I used while working at a library in Germany." " They gave you a library book also?" I asked. She nodded, "A library card also," she added. "This is the money they paid you with," I guessed. She nodded. "Is that you in this picture?" I asked. "Yes," she said, "that picture was taken by one of my friends in Germany, by the way, where did you find this stuff?" I blushed. "In the attic," I said. She laughed. "Go return it to the attic and don't go up there again without my permission," she said. I smiled and ran to go get the ladder.
While writing this story, I kept asking my mom questions some of which were not included in the story. It is true that my mom worked in a German library back when she lived in Germany when she was a teenager. She told me that she never wore a name badge though. Oops! I wouldn't be able to find that stuff in our attic though because ours is an "unfinished" attic meaning it doesn't have a floor. I hope you enjoyed my non-fiction/fiction story "In the Attic." What's in your attic?
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