Dear Dad,
I hope your business trip in Europe is going well. I wish that you would hurry up and come home because things aren’t going too well here in stupid New Jersey. I mean, why did we have to move here anyway? Oh never mind! School is bad, Mom has been stressed, and well I want to go back to Michigan!! I shouldn’t make you worried with so much other stuff on your mind. See you soon!! (I hope!)
Love, Kami
Hi Dad!
I forgot to tell you in the last note that before I had left Lansing Middle School for the last time, my teacher Ms. Millard told me that a good way to get settled in is to keep a letter journal so that I can write my feeling of everything that has happened to me. So when I finish the journal, I can send it to you and you can read it all at once. I found a phone call from you on the answering machine. WHY ARE YOU STAYING LATER!!!!!!!!! This ruins everything! I guess I won’t be seeing you soon then.
Yours Truly, Kami
Dad,
Today Mom got all stressed out AGAIN!!! I got kinda nervous so I left the house and walked to the beach. At this time of cold year nobody is there so I like having the whole thing to myself. When I got there I sat in the sand and buried my hands while watching the waves rolling in and out over and over again. I couldn’t resist so I through my sneakers off and dashed towards the crashing waves. Walking along the edge, I felt the icy water touch my toes. I kept my head bent down so that I could find some pretty seashells. But then something shiny and red caught my eye. I bent and scooped it up before the next wave could have a chance to wash it away. It was a gold ring with a beautiful ruby in it. I got to go!!
Love, Kami
Dear Dad,
So when I found it I immediately put it in my pocket and ran to Harold’s Coins and Jewels. I swung open the door and rushed over to the counter.
“Can I help you young lady?” the clerk asked.
“Are you Harold?” I asked back.
“Yes and do you need anything?” Harold asked.
“Can I trust you with what I need help with?” I wanted to know.
Clearly annoyed he replied,” Yes. Are you here for a reason or do you just want to mess with me?” I sighed and showed him the ring that I found.
“Mighty fine piece you got there!! Worth ‘bout $3,000,000.” He grabbed it out of my hand and studied it mumbling something to himself. Then he started to walk away with it.
“Hey!” I shouted. I ran behind the counter and snatched it away from him. “I believe that it’s MINE fair and square!” I told him matter-of-factly.
He rolled his eyes and said something about lousy kids. I glared at him as I
left. Yours always, Kami.
Dad,
When I got home I set to work in the bathroom cleaning and polishing my new ruby ring. Then I rummaged through my closet and found a tiny box. I gently put it in a soft cloth and then carefully set the ring inside its new ring box. After that I went to the bathroom to take a shower. But guess what? When I came back to my room the ring box was not on my bedside stand like I had left it. It was nowhere in sight. Franticly I practically through apart my room to find it. I check under my bed, in the closet, in my dresser drawers, and all over the floor. I hurried downstairs yelling,” Mom, Mom, Mom!”
“What is it honey?” she asked wearily. I told her about the ring and she went wide-eyed. “Kami this ring that you have told me all about is a genuine treasure that could be worth a lot of money. Please try your best to find it. I’m sure you put it somewhere and then forgot about it” Mom told me.
Suddenly it hit me. I knew exactly where the ring was. “Mom I’m going out!” I called to her.
“Kami you have been in and out all day. What are you doing?” she asked suspiciously.
I sighed and said,” Mom it’s really nothing. I’m just kinda busy. That’s all.”
“Okay then. Just stay out of trouble. Do what you need to do” Mom grumbled.
So I shrugged and ran out, slamming the door behind me. I hopped onto my bike and pedaled as fast as I could to Harold’s Coins and Jewels. Once I was there, I stomped in and slapped the counter. Harold just looked at me blankly as if he did nothing wrong and was a regular angel.
“Harold, what did you do to my ring? I want it now.” I barked. Instead of answering, he busied himself by concentrating on something inside of the glass counter. “WHERE IS IT?” I screamed loud enough for practically everyone in the universe to hear. This got his attention.
“Quiet little girl. I don’t know what you are talking about. Heck, how could I steal it if I don’t even know where you live? So there you go. Now out of my shop with ya” Harold answered.
I groaned but did as I was told. Can you believe this guy? I know, he’s horrible. So, I thought, I guess I better take this into adult hands. I sat on the nearest bench and called the police. I said,” Hello, this is Kami Wellen and I am reporting a robbery. Just today a man who claims to be Harold from Harold’s Coins and Jewels stole my ruby ring. I am thinking on him because he tried to take it from me in the store. Can you send help as soon as possible? Oh my phone number is 978- 009-7634. Yes, I live at 14 Bayside Lane. New Jersey. Okay. Thank you so much”. I hung up the phone and started home. Once there, a policeman called and asked me a few questions and also told me that I should meet him at Harold’s in a couple minutes. Well, it’s getting pretty late here so I’d better go. Love, Kami
Dear Dad,
I got down there pretty easily since Mom was upstairs taking a shower. Or so I think. It doesn’t matter anyway because the good news is that I actually got there. Back on topic; as I got there a policeman came running up to me and asked if I am Kami. I said yes and followed him to the shop. He told me that he is going to question Harold and that I should just back him up. The Police asked these questions:
-What is your name?
-Where do you live?
-Have you ever been to jail?
(This is where Harold started fidgeting).
These were his answers:
-“Harold”.
-“New Jersey”.
-“No, why would you think that?”
Then the police asked if he had stolen a ruby ring from 14 Bayside Lane. Harold got a funny look on his face like he was deciding on weather to tell the truth or lie. I guess he decided to lie.
“No of course not. Why do you think that I did such a horrible thing?” he said. Mr. Police stared at him for a long time then reached out and pulled off a wig. He ripped a fake mustache off too. Caught by surprise and shock I almost fainted but remembered the last time that happened. Do you remember? I happened to have been standing on a mound of rocks! Well I didn’t do that because I didn’t want another lump on the side of my head.
“Aha! Jerry Motow! I knew it was you! Now tell me again, did you steal the ring?” Mr. Police asked.
Jerry held up his hands. “Yes! Yes I did. It’s in the back room if you want it. I admit I was going to sell it. I have been posing as Harold to get at a chance like this one. PLEASE DON’T TAKE ME TO JAIL!!”
“Oh you will be doing a fair amount of time! Kami you may go and get your ruby ring. I’d better get going. Mr. Mottow, put your hands behind your back!” the police said.
I thanked him and went to retrieve my ring. But as I was leaving the shop my mother came rushing up to me. She asked me a LOT of questions and I was getting pretty board. But I guess it turned out okay!
Yours Truly, Kami!
Hi Dad!
My ring is now safe and sound in its little ring box and that’s where it will stay. I certainly don’t want it to be stolen again. I got the message from you saying that you will be back in a week! I’m sooo glad!!!! Today I went for a walk on the beach. I walked up where the water couldn’t even reach. Then I saw an emerald necklace half buried in the sand.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Walking on Sunshine by Aly and AJ VS Katrina and the Waves
This one is Aly and AJ
This one is Katrina and the Waves.
Which do you like better?
Monday, December 3, 2007
Black Squirrels
The “black squirrel” of Chicago Wilderness is actually a dark form of the gray squirrel. It’s most commonly seen in northern Chicago and suburbs.
Myths & Realities of the Mysterious Black Squirrel
By Nancy Shepherdson
A black squirrel is one of nature’s great “gotcha” moments, as if something shaped like a squirrel couldn’t possibly be that color. Those who have never seen a black squirrel before often describe their first sighting as something magical. Some quite literally doubt their senses.
“...I saw a black squirrel today while returning to work from lunch through a residential area of Des Plaines, IL,” wrote one visitor to the Chicago WILDERNESS online message board. “After a double-take and verification that I was awake, I returned to my desk and jumped on the Web to verify that such a critter existed and now I no longer need to question my vision or sanity.”
With its shiny, bottomlessly dark coat, a black squirrel stands out vividly at a distance, and is instantly memorable. Relatively little is known with scientific certainty about the specifics of black squirrel life. Still, scientists have come to some tentative conclusions about Chicago-area black squirrels, mainly from encountering them in gray squirrel studies. Black squirrels are not a separate species at all, but a melanistic morpheme, casually known to scientists as a “color morph,” a fairly rare genetic variation. In the Midwest, as far as has been determined, all of the black squirrels are actually morphs of the gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis.
Some black squirrels aren’t pure black, but have unpredictable patches of gray or white. Some have even been reported as having a black front half and gray hindquarters or other strange combinations.
Scientists are curious about whether these mutations come complete with predictable behavior and size components, but as yet no studies have been funded. “It would probably cost around $500,000 to do the needed breeding and genetic experiments,” says Joel Brown, who is a professor of biological sciences at University of Illinois at Chicago and runs a citizen-based monitoring program called Project Squirrel. “Since grays are not an endangered species, there are definitely better things to do with that kind of money.”
Still, black squirrels seem to engage the inquisitive zoologist in all of us. Marty Mueller of Mount Prospect, Illinois, relates how every Halloween, the black squirrels in his backyard get into the spirit of the season, if not into his heart. “Every time I look out there, at least one black squirrel is perched on top of one of my pumpkins. They look at me, and then they just go back to burrowing into them.” They have also carried away ears of corn from his decorative stalks. Mueller has resorted to dosing his jack-o’-lanterns with hot sauce, but it doesn’t seem to faze his black invaders. “I never saw the gray squirrels do any of this. The gray squirrels will run away if you yell at them, but not these guys!”
With this phenomenon fueling his curiosity, Mueller started a thread about black squirrels on chicagowildernessmag.org that has attracted almost 60 postings and is one of the most active on the message board. Web surfers followed Mueller’s lead and quickly chimed in with reports of their own, excited to share their discovery of nature in the neighborhood. At times, the comments sounded like a support group for those who had seen alien spacecraft: “I thought I was seeing things until I found on this web site that they really do exist.” “I’m hoping [the black squirrel] won’t be too elusive so I can get a picture of him to prove to my friends that I’m not making it up!” “I don’t know of anyone who has [run] across [these] little creatures in the city. I’m glad to know I am not alone now.”
Others remarked on the squirrels’ looks, from “the black squirrels are gorgeous, their coat has a nice sheen in the sun” to “they look like black rats.” Pieced together, the entries leave the reader with the impression of a creature both fat and skinny, aggressive and gentle, ratlike and gorgeous. Verified facts about this seemingly exotic animal are somewhat harder to come by.
Black squirrels on the Eastern seaboard are far more likely to be fox squirrels. No one knows why. In fact, the first fox squirrel observed in the 18th century was a black one, forever causing the species to be known to science as Sciurus niger, or black squirrel. The fox squirrel, which usually has a rusty or orange tinge, is bigger than the gray and has a temperament that allows it to feed more successfully with predators around. However, in the absence of predators, gray squirrels, despite their smaller size, typically chase the fox squirrels out.
Photo by Rob Curtis/The Early Birder.
According to a radio-tagging study by Daniel L. Rosenblatt, a graduate student under Ed Heske of the Illinois Natural History Survey, fox squirrels will leave an area for good if a threat becomes too severe. Grays (and blacks), on the other hand, will quickly retreat to the nearest tree but stay close by. And that very behavior helps explain the appeal of black squirrels, says Heske. “Grays and blacks pay attention to you; they’re keeping an eye on you. They’re interested in finding out if you’re a food source.” In fact, Joel Brown discovered that people may preferentially throw more food to blacks than to other squirrels, which could explain some of their seemingly pushy behavior.
People who report seeing huge black squirrels are probably not from around here. They are almost certainly seeing black fox squirrels. And people who say their black squirrels are smaller than the grays? “Probably an optical illusion,” says Brown. Gray squirrels, but usually not the black morphs, have white guard hairs that are longer than their gray coats. “It gives them a halo effect and makes them look bigger.”
However, some of those smaller blacks, especially the ones with sparsely haired tails, may actually be juveniles. Brown believes that many black squirrels may not get a chance to grow very old, given their possibly dangerous tendency to stand out against a white or green background. Some scientists, says Brown, speculate that black squirrels aren’t necessarily easier targets for predators, especially in winter when many predators migrate. “But tell that to the squirrels,” he laughs.
From his own observations and those of visitors to his Project Squirrel Web site, Brown concludes that black squirrels are more common in the northern suburbs of Chicago than in other parts. He attributes that finding to, of all things, leash laws. Loose dogs and cats are much more prevalent in the south and west areas of the city and suburbs. Given the gray squirrel’s lower predator tolerance, fewer grays, and therefore fewer black morphs, make their home there. Oak Park recently got a leash law, though, so they may be seeing more black squirrels in the near future. And we can all expect more Web postings about those mysterious, enchanting squirrels of a different color.
Myths & Realities of the Mysterious Black Squirrel
By Nancy Shepherdson
A black squirrel is one of nature’s great “gotcha” moments, as if something shaped like a squirrel couldn’t possibly be that color. Those who have never seen a black squirrel before often describe their first sighting as something magical. Some quite literally doubt their senses.
“...I saw a black squirrel today while returning to work from lunch through a residential area of Des Plaines, IL,” wrote one visitor to the Chicago WILDERNESS online message board. “After a double-take and verification that I was awake, I returned to my desk and jumped on the Web to verify that such a critter existed and now I no longer need to question my vision or sanity.”
With its shiny, bottomlessly dark coat, a black squirrel stands out vividly at a distance, and is instantly memorable. Relatively little is known with scientific certainty about the specifics of black squirrel life. Still, scientists have come to some tentative conclusions about Chicago-area black squirrels, mainly from encountering them in gray squirrel studies. Black squirrels are not a separate species at all, but a melanistic morpheme, casually known to scientists as a “color morph,” a fairly rare genetic variation. In the Midwest, as far as has been determined, all of the black squirrels are actually morphs of the gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis.
Some black squirrels aren’t pure black, but have unpredictable patches of gray or white. Some have even been reported as having a black front half and gray hindquarters or other strange combinations.
Scientists are curious about whether these mutations come complete with predictable behavior and size components, but as yet no studies have been funded. “It would probably cost around $500,000 to do the needed breeding and genetic experiments,” says Joel Brown, who is a professor of biological sciences at University of Illinois at Chicago and runs a citizen-based monitoring program called Project Squirrel. “Since grays are not an endangered species, there are definitely better things to do with that kind of money.”
Still, black squirrels seem to engage the inquisitive zoologist in all of us. Marty Mueller of Mount Prospect, Illinois, relates how every Halloween, the black squirrels in his backyard get into the spirit of the season, if not into his heart. “Every time I look out there, at least one black squirrel is perched on top of one of my pumpkins. They look at me, and then they just go back to burrowing into them.” They have also carried away ears of corn from his decorative stalks. Mueller has resorted to dosing his jack-o’-lanterns with hot sauce, but it doesn’t seem to faze his black invaders. “I never saw the gray squirrels do any of this. The gray squirrels will run away if you yell at them, but not these guys!”
With this phenomenon fueling his curiosity, Mueller started a thread about black squirrels on chicagowildernessmag.org that has attracted almost 60 postings and is one of the most active on the message board. Web surfers followed Mueller’s lead and quickly chimed in with reports of their own, excited to share their discovery of nature in the neighborhood. At times, the comments sounded like a support group for those who had seen alien spacecraft: “I thought I was seeing things until I found on this web site that they really do exist.” “I’m hoping [the black squirrel] won’t be too elusive so I can get a picture of him to prove to my friends that I’m not making it up!” “I don’t know of anyone who has [run] across [these] little creatures in the city. I’m glad to know I am not alone now.”
Others remarked on the squirrels’ looks, from “the black squirrels are gorgeous, their coat has a nice sheen in the sun” to “they look like black rats.” Pieced together, the entries leave the reader with the impression of a creature both fat and skinny, aggressive and gentle, ratlike and gorgeous. Verified facts about this seemingly exotic animal are somewhat harder to come by.
Black squirrels on the Eastern seaboard are far more likely to be fox squirrels. No one knows why. In fact, the first fox squirrel observed in the 18th century was a black one, forever causing the species to be known to science as Sciurus niger, or black squirrel. The fox squirrel, which usually has a rusty or orange tinge, is bigger than the gray and has a temperament that allows it to feed more successfully with predators around. However, in the absence of predators, gray squirrels, despite their smaller size, typically chase the fox squirrels out.
Photo by Rob Curtis/The Early Birder.
According to a radio-tagging study by Daniel L. Rosenblatt, a graduate student under Ed Heske of the Illinois Natural History Survey, fox squirrels will leave an area for good if a threat becomes too severe. Grays (and blacks), on the other hand, will quickly retreat to the nearest tree but stay close by. And that very behavior helps explain the appeal of black squirrels, says Heske. “Grays and blacks pay attention to you; they’re keeping an eye on you. They’re interested in finding out if you’re a food source.” In fact, Joel Brown discovered that people may preferentially throw more food to blacks than to other squirrels, which could explain some of their seemingly pushy behavior.
People who report seeing huge black squirrels are probably not from around here. They are almost certainly seeing black fox squirrels. And people who say their black squirrels are smaller than the grays? “Probably an optical illusion,” says Brown. Gray squirrels, but usually not the black morphs, have white guard hairs that are longer than their gray coats. “It gives them a halo effect and makes them look bigger.”
However, some of those smaller blacks, especially the ones with sparsely haired tails, may actually be juveniles. Brown believes that many black squirrels may not get a chance to grow very old, given their possibly dangerous tendency to stand out against a white or green background. Some scientists, says Brown, speculate that black squirrels aren’t necessarily easier targets for predators, especially in winter when many predators migrate. “But tell that to the squirrels,” he laughs.
From his own observations and those of visitors to his Project Squirrel Web site, Brown concludes that black squirrels are more common in the northern suburbs of Chicago than in other parts. He attributes that finding to, of all things, leash laws. Loose dogs and cats are much more prevalent in the south and west areas of the city and suburbs. Given the gray squirrel’s lower predator tolerance, fewer grays, and therefore fewer black morphs, make their home there. Oak Park recently got a leash law, though, so they may be seeing more black squirrels in the near future. And we can all expect more Web postings about those mysterious, enchanting squirrels of a different color.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Dahlia's Birthday
Dahlia's birthday was nice. Kuckle and Aunt Carry were there. So was Mamuma and Ajja. Of course me mama daddy and J were there too. Dahlia insisted on having Texes Sheet Cake. Mommy said she would make it, but not for her party. She said the kids prbably wouln't like it. Before we had cake I sat everyone down in the living room and played a concert for them on my violin. I played Happy Birthday To You, It's The Blues Man, Cruise Control, Ode To Joy (not the whole thing!!), and I think I played Bile Them Cabbage Down. Then we had cake. After cake D got to open her presents. It just blows my mind how she opens presents! She oh so carefully unties the bows and carefully rips the paper slowly. Or she slowly lifts the tissue paper out of the bag and struggles with taking a dumb little thing out! I think that people should just tear the paper and get out the present nice and fast so that the people watching aren't sitting there snoozing! Am I right? Well people have their own way of oopening i guess. For a present I gave her a magic kit. It has 125 tricks you can do. Jemma got D a sea monkey thing. What you do is you plant the eggs and then they grow into sea monkeys! (Really they are brine shrimp). Mamuma and Ajja gave D some money and a Kohl's gift card. Knuckle and Aunt Carry got Dahlia a Bull Frog Webkinz in which she named Bruce.
On Sunday it was D's B-day party. The theme was Mad Science. When the kids got here, Mommy let them play in the backyard. My friend Sam was my guest. When everyone got here, we started the games. First it was a scavenger hunt. After that we played "Pin the Tongue On Albert Einstein". When that was done Mommy made everyone wash their hands because we were outside touching things. Then we went and sat down for lunch. Me and Sam sat in a seperate room because the dining room was full. For lunch we all put together tacos. Sam didn't like tacos so lucky for us, chicken nuggets were also being made. The kids really liked the tacos. For a center piece, Mommy had placed some celery into a beaker of red water. She said that in time the leaves of the celery should turn red too because of the tube in the celery. The celery uses that tube to bring water up it to drink, so when it brings the red water up the stalk, the leaves and stem should turn red. And indeed that is exactly what happened! One girl reached in and ate one of the sticks of celery! It was really cute. After lunch, me and Sam ran upstairs and played Polly Pockets for a while. Then the Mad Scientist got here so we went downstairs and watched the show. It was really cool and funny. Then in the end, the guy lunched a rocket that of course got stuck in a tree! When that was done, we ate cake and ice cream. Then everyone left and D opened presents. She got a lot of good stuff and now I can't wait till my B-day!
On Sunday it was D's B-day party. The theme was Mad Science. When the kids got here, Mommy let them play in the backyard. My friend Sam was my guest. When everyone got here, we started the games. First it was a scavenger hunt. After that we played "Pin the Tongue On Albert Einstein". When that was done Mommy made everyone wash their hands because we were outside touching things. Then we went and sat down for lunch. Me and Sam sat in a seperate room because the dining room was full. For lunch we all put together tacos. Sam didn't like tacos so lucky for us, chicken nuggets were also being made. The kids really liked the tacos. For a center piece, Mommy had placed some celery into a beaker of red water. She said that in time the leaves of the celery should turn red too because of the tube in the celery. The celery uses that tube to bring water up it to drink, so when it brings the red water up the stalk, the leaves and stem should turn red. And indeed that is exactly what happened! One girl reached in and ate one of the sticks of celery! It was really cute. After lunch, me and Sam ran upstairs and played Polly Pockets for a while. Then the Mad Scientist got here so we went downstairs and watched the show. It was really cool and funny. Then in the end, the guy lunched a rocket that of course got stuck in a tree! When that was done, we ate cake and ice cream. Then everyone left and D opened presents. She got a lot of good stuff and now I can't wait till my B-day!
Monday, November 26, 2007
I Love This!!!!
I vote for Gulianne! Only problem is that I am only 10 and cannot vote. That stinks!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Winter's Gift
Jump
.......Play
..............Run
...................Step
Like Snowman's friends
Fly like Angel's wings
Shimmer like hope
Glitter like the stars
Shine like you are the moon
Snow like our ice cold gift
Dream I am
Dream I can
Light like the gift of Winter.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
A Disturbing Lullaby
Didn't think a lulaby could ever be disturbing. WRONG!
Here's how it goes:
(To the tune of the "alphabet song")
Z,Y,X, and W
Fat ones , skinny ones, thin ones too
One day I saw mother goose,
She was married to a moose,
That was quite a sight for you.
Now it's time to take a snooze!
Here's how it goes:
(To the tune of the "alphabet song")
Z,Y,X, and W
Fat ones , skinny ones, thin ones too
One day I saw mother goose,
She was married to a moose,
That was quite a sight for you.
Now it's time to take a snooze!
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Jemma's Dance Recital
Jemma's dance recital was so cute that I almost cried. She is so pretty in this. And she is one of the best dancers because she was put in front! I hope you enjoy this!
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