Editor: Rachel
McGahey
Article List for October 16, 2002:
Welcome to the creative writing section of the newsletter! Here are the great submissions I received this month.
The Wind
A Haiku by Sarah McGahey
Softly sifting
Runs through fingers
Waves in the air
The Chocolate Cake Dilemma
By Jenny Rose Bridgens
The sweet aroma of chocolate tickled my nose. I had to investigate. Chocolate,
my favorite food, called to me from the kitchen. I stretched, then lazily jumped
off the couch, my warm spot of sunlight left behind.
I found it - the chocolate! Chocolate cake batter filled a big silver bowl on the kitchen table. Unfortunately, Jenny Rose and Nicole stood guard on that precious bowl. They dipped their fingers into the batter, but wouldn’t share with me. I tried “sitting pretty” and “paw”, too. Nothing worked. Then I saw it! A smidgen of batter dropped to the tablecloth. Slowly, quietly I crept closer. Back to a “sitting pretty”, I carefully raised my front paws to the table’s edge.
“Down, Brooke!” scolded Nicole.
Quickly, my long tongue darted out to capture that delicious chocolate.
“Brooke, get down, now!” snapped Jenny Rose.
“This isn’t your birthday cake, Brooke. It’s mine,” said Nicole.
“Go away, Wubbies,” ordered Jenny Rose.
You must understand that “Wubbies” is my nickname. My family thinks I’m a little bit on the chubby side, you know, “Chubby Wubbies”.
Anyway, I got down, but I didn’t exactly go away. I moved a few feet from the table, and carefully watched as they stirred, tasted, and then poured into the pans what I so longed for.
It was agony to smell but not taste that luscious chocolate cake baking in the oven. Finally, the cake came out of the oven. And just as I thought I would get nothing at all, they all left. The door slammed behind them with a “See you later, Wubbers. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.” My beagle brain began to plot my mission - to seize that chocolate cake. Then guilt took over. I know I should listen to my family, and not eat that cake. Maybe I am getting a little chubby; I have noticed my tummy touching the floor a time or two. But how could a little bit of cake hurt me? I’ll just eat one bite, or maybe just two. It’s decided. I’ll pursue my mission: The Chocolate Cake.
Quickly, I check out the cooling cakes on the kitchen table. Too far from the edge of the table, I can’t reach them from the floor. Plan “B” here I come. A chair not pushed in all the way? Yes! The first four chairs snugly rest against the table edge. But, ah yes, the fifth chair - Rachael’s chair - it out a teeny, tiny bit…just enough room for me to squeeze onto the chair. An easy leap and I am on the table, next to two delicious smelling chocolate cakes. Dog heaven for me.
Oh, no! I forgot to take only one bite. Half the cake is gone! Maybe they’ll think it’s mice. Maybe they won’t notice. I better go hide just in case! If that Mama’s van I hear?
“Mama, Brooke ate the cake!” screamed Jenny Rose. “Half of one cake is
missing!”
“Not my birthday cake!” wailed Nicole. “What are we going to do? We are
supposed to take it to Bible study tonight!”
At that point, I felt very guilty. I slowly crawled across the floor when I was called. Mama scolded me, and sent me outside. After a while, I begged to come back in, howling at the door.
Finally, my exile was over - they let me in. I tried to snuggle with Mama, but she ignored me. They were all busy cutting a heart shape out of the “damaged” cake. At last I got their attention. I rolled onto my back, and hesitantly wagged my tail. That is beagle language for “I’m really, really sorry. Please forgive me.”
“It’s okay, Wubbies, we forgive you.”
I’m happy now, because my family loves me again.
Hmmm, I wonder whose birthday is next…
The End
Apple Orchards
By Kathleen Ocker
Running through the apple orchard,
Looking up at the clear blue sky,
Eating a freshly picked apple,
Letting out a nice big sigh
My Favorite Songs
By Anna McGahey
I’m going to tell you about my favorite songs. One of my three favorite
songs is “You’ve Got to be Taught.” I like this song because it’s from
one of my favorite movies--South Pacific--and also because my favorite character
in South Pacific sings it. That would be Joe Cable, of course. It’s a short
song that only has one verse.
My other favorite song is a hymn, and it’s “Jesus, What a Friend for
Sinners.” I like that song because I like the tune and also, at the end, I
like it when it says “saving, helping, keeping, loving.”
My other favorite song is “When You’re a Jet,” because my favorite actor in the whole entire universe is Russ (or Rusty or Russell) Tamblyn and he sings that song. The song is from West Side Story, a movie that I like. The lyrics are words that someone would normally talk, not sing. That’s why I like it.
Little Girls
by Kathleen Ocker
Little girls love to giggle.
They talk the whole day through.
They play pretend and bake cakes.
Outside they make pies with dirty goo.
Book Report on
"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
By Rachel McGahey
I've noticed that it is very hard for me to settle on a favorite book.
Whenever I read one that I like, I place it at the top of my list of favorites,
pushing all the others down one notch. There are some people who can pick a
favorite and stand by it through a hailstorm of other good books, but a book
that stays in my number one spot for longer than a month deserves special
attention. A few weeks ago I had four books crammed into that top opening, but
then I met "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.
When I first started reading this book, I was determined that I wouldn't like
it. I was disgusted with the shallow minds of the characters first introduced by
the author. They lived for balls and parties, and they gossiped endlessly. I
wondered if the whole book was going to continue in the same way.
I think it was the author's plan to first show what that society was like, in
order to contrast it with her main character. From the frivolousness of the rest
of the community rose Elizabeth Bennet, who was her father's favorite because
whe had more sense that the rest of her four sisters.
The Bennet family and the rest of Hertfordshire were in a flurry because of the
arrival of Mr. Bingley and his relatives, who were rich and had bought a house
in the area. Every girl in the neighborhood had hopes of marrying him, but Mr.
Bingley chose to give his attentions to Elizabeth's calm and gentle sister Jane.
Mr. Bingley had brought a friend with him, whose name was Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth,
who prided herself on her abilities of discerning people's characters, saw his
aloof manners and lofty way of speaking and immediately decided she hated him.
She didn't mind giving her opinions to anyone else who was interested.
In time, she deeply regretted that decision, and by the end of the book I
realized that I had made the same mistake as Elizabeth. The book was much better
and more interesting that I had thought at first. It was well written and
included a variety of different characters and personalities, most of them eager
for money and importance, but some kind and generous. I am now glad to say that
"Pride and Prejudice" is in my list of favorite books, and it is
viciously competing for the number one title.
This American Day
(A poem in remembrance of 911)
By Caitlin O'Driscoll
They thought that they could change our lives
Instead America survives
They thought they’d have us in their hand
Instead we sift through like the sand
They thought they’d keep us all inside
Instead it’s them who now do hide
They thought they’d have the final say
Instead we live stronger in the US of A
We will stand stronger; we will live this through
We don’t fear them or what they might do
We will not break or bend or stray
Instead we’ll stand proud on this American day.
An Acrostic
By Nicole Bridgens
Players
Exciting
Noisy
National Anthem
Score
Touchdown
Action
Tackles
Eating
Fun
Other Team
Outdoors
Tailgating
Blue Band
Athletes
Lion
Linemen