What am I doing?- Part 2

What am I doing? I know one person has figured out what we have been looking for, has anybody else? Read on and you can see if you had the right idea.

I knew, though, I would be able to find them. I had heard the direction the elk had gone crashing through the aspens and pines.

We got off the 4-wheelers and started to walk in the direction the elk had gone. First, we had to cross the fifty-feet beaver dam. Luckily it was August, so the water level had dropped due to evaporation and drainage. If it hadn’t, the crossing would have been impossible due to the large amount of water: we would have had to cross elsewhere.

As we made our way across the beaver dam the only sounds we could hear were the chirping of birds and the wind blowing through the trees. The logs were close enough together to walk on or there were dry spots. If there hadn’t been, we might have fallen into the stagnant water.

Soon we crept up the embankment. I turned to the others behind me, put my finger to my lips, and softly said, “Shhh.” Although we crept up the hill as quietly as we could, there was the sound of pine needles crunching under our feet. Soon I could hear the elk stamping and calling to each other. I waved with my hand to continue. We kept walking and soon I could see them.

I motioned to everybody to get behind a large granite rock so we could se them, but they couldn’t see us. I could see the excitement in everybody’s eyes. I thought that perhaps we could get a little bit closer to see them more clearly.

As we moved closer, the elk saw us and took off again. We must have walked another 100 feet and found a perfect spot to take some pictures. Johnna, Jessica, and Jon were stunned. They just knelt and looked at the elk over the edge of a lichen-covered rock, while I took the pictures.

This time the elk didn’t know we were behind the rock. The twenty cows and calves were majestic against the white-barked aspens, dark pine trees, bright green grass, and the gray granite rock in the clearing. They just called to one another and grazed. Some of the calves were nursing and others were playing. The calves butted one another and tried to be king of a small mound. This was the largest herd of elk I had seen up close. For me it was the most riveting wildlife experience ever. I could see in Jon, Jessica and Johnna’s eyes that this was an experience that would influence their wildlife watching for the rest of their lives.

Did anybody else know this is what I was doing? There is even more to this story. You will have to wait for another day.

How did You get to School?- Part 1

“Sue, can we take our bikes to school tomorrow?”

“I don’t know. I don’t want Mom to be as upset as she was last time. Maybe we should take the 4-wheeler. Do you remember what happened on Breakneck Hill?”

“I know. I almost had a terrible accident, but I’ll be more careful this time. Please, can we ride our bikes?”

“I don’t know.”

“Please, can we?”

“Okay, Jack. Let’s go to sleep now so we won’t wake up late.”

I thought about my school as I started falling asleep. It was very unique. What made it unique was that it was a trailer house that used to be a bank. It had one big room, one small room, and a bathroom. The walls were painted yellow, the floors were orange carpet and the trim was brown. The curtains were a hideous orange and brown, but at least they matched the rest of the room. Another unique feature was that there were only five students and one teacher. We were in the first, third and fifth grades. My last thought before I fell asleep was how much I loved going there

Additions You can make to "This Little Pig went to Market"

Many children know the nursery rhyme, “This Little Pig went to Market” and here are some ideas so you can make your own rhyme. Have fun and make sure you have five pigs not four or six.

This little pig went to:
Ride a 4-wheeler
Brand
Drive a tractor
Chop wood
Go to school
Go swing
Go slide
Go on the merry-go-round
Push bales
Play in the snow
Build a snow fort
Go skiing
Go snow boarding
Go sledding
Build a snowman
Rake leaves
Use binoculars
Plant a garden
Drive a truck
Drive a trackster
Send an e-mail
Do the dishes
Cook a meal
Set the table
Clear the table
Say grace
Put on pajamas
Brush teeth
Take a bath
Go to the bathroom
Shovel snow
Mow the lawn

I hope you enjoyed these ideas. I look forward to hearing about any ideas you have.

What are your favorite 15 things?

Write down 15 of your favorite things and then save them for your writing prompts.

1. No wind
2. my children
3. my husband
4. God
5. rasberries
6. 4-wheelers
7. spring time
8. elk
9. my family
10. west of the Mississippi
11. Montana
12. England
13. food
14. a good book
15. dogs