Saturday, May 4, 2013

Fun Day 5/4

Hello, We are back with Fun Day!! As we promised you last week here is the new story for you! There will be 2 parts.

Its called "The Plot Of Ground"
By Abbie Wagner


As I stand here on the edge of the grassy lawn, I see a bunch of laughing children playing at the back of the big white house. I push my strong branches, which hold a tree house, up in to the clear blue sky. I hear a splash that draws my attrition to the pond just down the hill. The older boys are jumping in to the pond trying to make the biggest splash. I smile; I have seen many young children do that. I look toward the house and see the old grandma looking out one of the windows at her grandchildren.

I remember when she was a little girl. I was a young tree, not more than eight years old when I saw her. She came with her parents and older brother for a picnic in the meadow. The big white house was not yet built. She was not more than three years old but something about her struck me. I don’t know if it was her golden curls bouncing in the wind as she played or her smile and laugh. Then I realized it. She limped. It seemed that her right leg just wouldn’t work. But she didn’t seem too sad about it. Whenever she would fall down she would hop right back up and keep going. Then in a little bit down she would go again. I watched in fascination as she followed her brother around this way. Soon it was time for them to go and I watched the family walk down a little path with the little girl between the mom and dad. I began to think of her as my girl. I hoped I would see her again.

I did. The family came often to picnic in the meadow or swim in the pond. And every time my little girl came I was surprised by how much she had grown. Soon she was not that little girl that had followed her brother’s every move. And she never let her leg get in her way. She began to do her own things. She climbed up in to my branches to play or sat under my shade to read.

One day my little girl and her brother brought another brother and sister to the meadow. They explored around the meadow and pond. The boys walked together and the girls walked a little slower behind because my girl couldn’t always keep up. Then they finely stopped at the foot of me.

“It’s a good strong oak.” the new boy said. I glanced down. I really had grown. Just like the little girl I had grown. I smiled.

“I bet we could hang a swing right there.” my little girl’s brother said pointing to one of my branches.

So they did. Soon the little girls where playing here every day. Some days the boys would come too. After dark they would play hide-n-seek in the trees. The children continued to grow. In the winter they would play in the snow and in the summer they would go swimming and play in my branches.

Two years later my girl, her brother and their friends from the farm next door, decided to build a tree house in my branches. It took them almost all of the summer but when it was done it was a good tree house. It was a big platform with a railing all the way around and poles supporting the roof above it. A rope ladder hung down the front. The boys played pirates and cowboys and the girls played house and had sleepovers. And my girl always found a way to join them.
 
What do you think? Come back next week for the last part!!
~Marie-Grace & Mckenna~

Thursday, May 2, 2013

New Blog!!!

Hi from the Dollville Staff! Layla's sister Bella has created a blog of her own. But it will look like Layla is posting it, because Bella is using Layla's google account. Because well she don't have her own. It is called The Life Of Leah Rose. The diary of a 12 year old girl. It is cool check it out!! She won't be posting as much as Layla but she will be posting about 2 times a week! :)
~The Dollville Staff~

Photo Of The Week 5/2

So it snowed today! Imagine!!! May 2nd and it snowed!!! Its still snowing!!! I think we have at least 3 inches. :( And just 2 days ago it was 80 degrees! Anyway today I took a picture of the snow. So lets
 
LOOK AT THE WORLD












 
DIFFERENTLY.


 
So what do you think? I hope you enjoyed!!
~Beth~ 

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

The Farming Report 5/1

Hello all! Joe here. So work has started at Hilltop Farms. We will be covering the action as the year progresses. So for the past 3 days we have be doing Walls-Of-Water. This is usually done at the end of April. If you have any questions ask. (Sorry for the bad quality on the pictures they where taken from my phone.)

So here is a Wall-Of-Water.

 
It is covering a tomato plant. (that is all we put Walls-Of-Waters on)
 
So let me start form the beginning. We start by planting (which I will cover in another post.)
 
Then we put wires in.
 
 
The wires are put in a tepee shape, over the plant.
 
 
 Here is the pile of wires on the wagon.

 
We have to crawl up on the wagon to get some of the wires off.
 
Next the sheaths are put on the wires.
 
 
Here is one of the boys putting a sheath on the wires.

 
The sheaths are stored over the winter in these big boxes.

 
Here is a close up on the sheathes.
 
 
After we have wired and sheathed a ways up the row we hook up the pipping. My boss is doing it in this picture. his name is Luke. (P.s. He is getting married the end of May) J
 
A look at the piping (Which we use to fill the sheathes)

 
The pipe is a flexible hose with a hard plastic spout.

 
There is a nob that you can turn to adjust the speed of the water.

 
Here is a picture of the hose. 
 
 
A tangled mess of hose. J
 
 
Here is motor that pumps the water.

 
Here is one of the girls filling the Sheath.

 
More filling!
 
Here is a video of one of the boys filling a Sheath.
 
 
Everyone Filling!
 
 
Water Boots are a MUST for the workers wardrobe! Because mud is EVERYWHERE!

 
 
Here are some pictures of the field.
 



 
 
 
So that is all there is to it! If you have any question, Fell free to ask!
 ~Joe~

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Ask Abbie 4/30

 Hello and welcome to Ask Abbie. This weeks question si fro Rachel. It Says

Dear Abbie,
I have two friends, and they are always going somewhere without me! And It makes me feel left out when they do that! What should I do?
~Rachel

Well Rachel,
This is a very common problem, Sadly. :( I experinced this to but they where going places. They happened to be cozeins and we we would be toguther they would talk about things that happened in the family. And i had NO idea what they where talking about! So you are not alone. Here is what I did. I explained to them that when they talked about that stuff I felt left out. They understood and stopped talking about that stuff, for the most part. So my segestion is to explain to them how you feel. If they are any kind of friends they will try to include you or explain why they feel they can't include you. If you can work out your problems it will strengthen your friendship! :) Hope this helps!
~Abbie~

Do you have a question for Abbie? Ask below or on the Ask Abbie page!

Monday, April 29, 2013

The Weekly News 4/29

Hi all! Ruthie here! We have left on our trip! Actually its been almost 1 week! So we have done a bunch of things! This past week we crossed Maple River. (See Map)

 
Now you may be asking yourself, "Why would it take a WEEK to cross a river? Don't they have a bridge? And Is that the biggest thing that happened this week?"
Now I will take one question at a time. :)
 

Day 1

 
First off, we USED to have a bridge.
We have bridges all over the place. But for some reason just before we got to the River Crossing a Big Storm came And there was flooding and it washed the bridge clean out. Not a trace of it anywhere! GONE!! Poof! So there we were with no way to get across the river. So we were standing there staring at the spot the bridge was SUPPOSE to be when I suggested, "Why don't we just go back up the road and try another bridge?"
But Josie wouldn't even think about it!
"We are going across the river like we said we would do! So No going back!"
So we made camp there that night. The next day Josie was busy doing SOMETHING at camp (I don't know what) so I snuck off. What was I looking for?
A crossing.
Now don't look at me strange. The floods in AGS come and go at the snap of a finger. One day it can be overflowing its banks (And washing out bridges) and three days later be back to normal.
So I was looking for a shallow spot in the river.
Two miles down stream I found what I was looking for.
 A old path through the river. A old farm trail was on both sides and I was SURE the car wouldn't get flooded. Now to convince Josie........
That was another problem, She was Soooo busy working on What Ever she works on. That she wouldn't pay attention to me.
 
 
 By then it was dark and I couldn't ask her.
 
Day 2
 
The next day It took me FOREVER to get her to listen to me. Finely she did and by then it was almost dark so she decided to wait till morning.
 
(Us Sleeping)
 
 
Day 3
 
She dawdled around the camp till after she had gotten us lunch then she finely came with me. When we got there she didn't think it would work, but I finely convinced her to try.
 
Day 4
 
So we started off. We drove slowly down the old farm road. And when I say slowly I mean REALLY   S....L....O....W....L....Y. Yeah. so although it was only a 1 and a half mile drive it took us till noon to get to the crossing. Then true to my dread...... Josie drove REALLY S....L....O....W....L....Y though the water and got Stuck.
 
 
:( So there we where in the water. Not Good. Did we push it out? No. We had to wait till the next day before we got to push it out.
 
Day 5
 
We FINELY pushed the car out which took about 2 hours.
 
 
Then Josie rested for another 2 hours then we finely drove 4 more hours and set up camp.
 
Day 6
 
We drove all day.........
 
Day 7
 
 
We are finely in Spring Valley. An old deserted Indian village. More on that next week.....
 
~Ruthie~
 
Note from Josie: I AM NOT AS SLOW AS RUTHIE SAYS I AM. SHE IS JUST INPATIENT.
~Josie~

 

 

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Verse Of The Week 4/28

HI!! Mellisa here! Today's verse is found in Psalms 117.
(The Shortest Psalm)

Ps 117:1 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.

 2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.
(KJV)


All I can say is "PRAISE YE THE LORD!!" Hehe J

~Mellisa~