Home Sweet Home
by Carla Gajewskey
1 Many years ago I lived right in front of a spring fed Lake. My house was a small log cabin.
2 In the mornings I would sit out on my back porch. I would sip my coffee and watch the ripples in the lake.
3 In the afternoon I would walk to the other side of the lake where a rope swing hung. I would run, grab the rope, and swing out over the lake.
4 Once I got over the lake I would fall in. The cool water covered my body. I would swim up to the top and just float. I went swimming every day that summer. As much time as I spent in the water I never paid much attention to the huge pile of limbs, logs, and twigs in the middle of the lake.
5 One morning that was about to change. I sat on my back porch drinking my coffee, and noticed something missing. I planted a peach tree close to the lake. It was the perfect place, or that is what I thought.
6 There were three peaches on that baby peach tree. In a few days they would have been ready to eat. My mouth watered just thinking about biting into one of those juicy peaches. After what I saw that morning my mouth dried up. My peach tree was gone. Not just the peaches but the entire tree.
7 I walked out to where the peach tree was supposed to be. I tried to think to myself what could have happened. By the time I got to the tree I figured it must have been aliens of some sort. When I looked down, I saw just a stub left of my peach tree. It looked as if something just chewed right through the tiny trunk.
8 I looked out towards the pile of wood in the middle of the lake and saw one of my peach limbs. I then realized that my very quiet neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, thought my tree would make a nice addition to their home.
9 Beavers are known to be as busy as bees. They are excellent homebuilders.
10 Beavers love lake property as well. This explains why Mr. and Mrs. Beaver loved my lake. It was quiet, peaceful, and fresh from the spring.
11 If a beaver does not find a lake or pond they will make one. Beavers will make a dam by chewing down trees and branches with their teeth. They will use that and mud to block streams and turn fields and forests into large ponds.
12 Beavers construct their homes out of branches and logs. You can see the dome from the top of the water. The entrance to their home is underwater. This looked just like Mr. and Mrs. Beaver’s home in the middle of the lake.
13 Beavers can hold their breath for 15 minutes. So this makes it possible to get in and out of their house.
14 Beavers build their home for themselves, their children or yearlings, and babies or kits.
15 Beavers stay with one another for their life. I’m not sure how many anniversaries Mr. and Mrs. Beaver celebrated, or how many kits they have had, but by the look of their lodge it was a lot.
16 I was not upset with my neighbors because they were trying to care for their families. The way they take care of them is by using resources they find off of the land around them.
17 How can I fault them for having good taste? I would have chosen the best tree for my home too.
Who is Albert?
by Carla Gajewskey
1 I am sure you have heard about Rex, who was one mean dinosaur, but did you ever hear about Albert? He was pretty mean too.
2 Albertosaurus dinosaur bones were found in Canada by Barnum Brown. He put these bones in a basement for many years.
3 Philip Currie wanted to know more about this dinosaur. He started digging for answers to his questions.
4 He found that this dinosaur did not eat plants, but was a meat eater.
5 He had many sharp teeth, and could crush bones with his strong jaw.
6 He also could smell and see very well.
7 The Tyrannosaurus rex was part of his family. He was not as big as Rex, but he was still strong.
8 The bones of twenty-two Albertosaurus dinosaurs were found in one spot.
9 What did this mean? Did the Albertosaurus live in groups, hunt together, and even die together.This is a good guess since other meat eating dinosaurs have been found in groups.
10 You can find many clues to the past by digging in the ground.
11 The items you find will let you know who or what lived here before you.
12 When you go home dig deep. You may find that army man toy you have been looking for, or maybe your doll’s shoe. You might find shells, or neat rocks. Who knows, you might even find a dinosaur bone in your backyard.
