My Sea Shell

by Lizzie

In my hand I hold a shell carried in from the Atlantic Ocean. As I feel the long grooves, I notice its soft texture. I can see the elegant colors, white with a yellowish-brown color on the smooth inside of the shell. The nice shell once belonged to a clam with a taste for beauty.

Who is she?

Who is she?

By Britany Freeman

I know a little blond girl with bright blue eyes and is very special. She is five years old and missing a tooth in the front of her mouth. Her favorite colors are pink, blue, red. She loves to watch princess movies. Her favorite princess is Princess Jasmine from Aladdin. She loves to play with dolls, dressing up, and rollerskating. Her favorite foods are tacos, pizza, and the only vegetable she will ever eat is broccoli. Although she likes to complain she us still very sweet. Can you guess who she is?

Pugly

By Mary

My name is Mary and my dog Pugly sleeps with me. He snores really loud at night time. Sometimes he will wake up and start scratching. He likes to snuggle with me at night time. Pugly is my best friend and I love him very much.

John McCain Rally

John McCain Rally

by Lizzy

On November 3, 2008, we went to a rally for John McCain. We had to wait in a long line to get through security. When we got in the hanger it was very crowded so that anyone under six feet could barely see. We listened to many politicians speak, and one of the Statler Brothers sang. We all sang songs, like "America the Beautiful", the "National Anthem", and "Rocky Top". I liked it best when he sang "Pretty Woman" and dedicated it to Sarah Palin. After our intense wait we saw John McCain's plane finally landed. We held the little kids on our shoulders so they could see, until we had to put them down because we ached. John McCain got on stage and talked about all sorts of issues including the coal mines. We listened to him for about twenty minutes before he had to leave. When he got on the plane we waved goodbye, then waited for the big hanger doors to open. We rushed out, all eager to sit in the car after three hours of standing.

The Long Wait

The Long Wait

by Ronnie

When I was in line to go into the hanger to listen to McCain I was very excited. McCain wasn't there yet, so we had to listen to other politicians speak about why we should vote for McCain and not Obama. We sang songs and listened to them speak for hours. Finally McCain arrived in a special airplane and everyone was screaming and hollering and taking pictures. When McCain was done speaking my back hurt from standing so long, and when I got out of the hanger I couldn't wait to sit down. It was a very exciting experience.

The Mudslinging of Politics

The Mudslinging of Politics
by Britany

Barack Obama and John McCain are running for president as part of opposing parties. They both like to boast on themselves and try to win everyone's vote. When I was watching the debate, I noticed that they were arguing with each other, interrupting each other, and putting each other down. Then we saw John McCain at a rally at Tri-Cities airport. All McCain talked about was winning the election and making fun of Obama. If I were able to vote I wouldn't vote, because they argue to much.

Different Party, Same Family

Different Party, Same Family

by Mary

People should be able to vote for different people like my mom and my dad did. My mom and my dad talk to each other about why they voted for different people, but they do not fight about it, because they love each other. Last night I read an article on the computer about Obama, and my dad read one to me about McCain. I love my dad, but I would vote with my mom, because she voted for Obama. My aunt Nicole was trying to teach us about both candidates, but she likes McCain better.

Cooking at Rocky Mount

Cooking in 1791
by Ronnie

When we went to Rocky Mount we cooked bacon, corn bread, and tea the way they did it in 1791. In wealthy homes the kitchen was a separate building from the house, because if the kitchen burned down, the whole house would. A slave cooked for the whole family, and lived in the attic above the kitchen. We made our own tea bags, and put spices in our tea from the garden. We cooked corn bread from scratch in a cast iron pot called a dutch oven. Everything we cooked was cooked over an open fire. The room felt like it was at least 200 degrees. We were told that more women died because of the kitchen fire than childbirth. In 1791 the children had chores to keep a good supply of water throughout the day for the slave, and to keep the dishes washed. I am awfully glad that I live in the year 2008, with an oven, running water and electricity!

Cooking at Rocky Mount
by Britany

At Rocky Mount we were able to take a cooking class so that we could understand how the cooking was done in the 1970’s. Megan, Jemma and I were in the corn bread group, Ronnie, Keegan and Mitchell were in the tea group, and a couple other kids made bacon. When we made the corn bread we used one and one-half cup corn meal, one egg, one tablespoon of oil, and one and one-half cup of milk. We stirred it until it was mixed well. Then, we set the pan of batter on hot coals that we scooped out of the fire, and scooped out more hot coals to put on the lid. It took about 15 to 20 minutes to cook. While we were waiting for the corn break to cook, we went outside to see the Spring House, and gather some mint leaves for the tea. We gathered spearmint, peppermint, and lemon balm leaves. When we got back to the kitchen the corn bread wasn’t quite finished yet, so we finished the tea and sat around talking for a few minutes. When it was done, we all enjoyed the snack we had made. It was very good. When we were done we had to wash our own dishes and put them away.

Blueberry Picking

Blueberry Picking

by Ronnie

Photograph by Mitchell

When we went blueberry picking there were tons of bushes to pick blueberries off of. There were big blueberries and small ones, but we wanted to get as many big ones as we could fit in our buckets, because they were the tastiest ones. We all plowed through bushes, picking blueberries and eating lots of them too. After a couple of hours of picking we had five gallons of blueberries. We made blueberry cobbler with some of them, and it was good!

Do You Know Who She Is?

Do You Know Who She Is?

By Britany

I am writing about a very special person. Do you know who she is? This person has been married for twelve years, and has three very sweet children. She has two jobs, and is very smart. She is really funny and has a beautiful smile. If you haven't figured it out yet, then this might give you a clue: this person loves to teach, and she is good at it. Can you guess who she is?