Belated Birthday Bucks from Aunties and Uncles

This past weekend, I got mail and then I got guests.  Those experiences=Holden the hundredaire.  I will spend my money on a remote controlled plane that I have wanted since Dave from guitar circle told me about them.  Now I am determined to get to the hobby store ASAP. 

Sad.

We used to have seven and now we have six.  Last Tuesday I came home and heard very sad news which toppled my happy day.  My parents announced we had lost one of our ducks because a hawk or other animal attacked it.  We buried him and I'm going to stop there because it makes me emotional to think about too much. 

What did Holden learn?

Things can get upsetting pretty fast.

 

 



What would Holden do?

Be happy about the time he has/had with his animals.



THE BIG TEN--PART ONE

It's been awhile since I've written so I'm going to cover ten happenings from the last month.

 Fishing--Labor Day weekend,  we went out on our boat and the motor broke down. We (really, Daddy) had to row.  While we were fishing, we saw this huge fish jump.  Ella had her worm on a lily pad.  Daddy thought she was caught on the lily pad when she said she had something.  But, it turned out it was a large-mouthed bass.  Ella (with some of Daddy's help) reeled it in and Daddy was about to put it on a stringer and he had Mommy look at the NYS Fishing Guidebook to decide if we could keep it up.  She said it had to be bigger.  So we threw it back.  Then, Daddy realized she was looking at the trophy section and the fish was way beyond the required length.


School--My teacher is Mrs. Page and she has me working hard.  Right now, I'm running for Student Council, starting intramurals again, and practicing my trumpet.  I'm really excited to do my State in the Box project and I also am looking forward to in the winter having a Civil War snowball fight--with real snowballs.  At the end of the year, there will be an auction for a huge dragon named Fred.  I'm saving all of my Scottie bucks so I can win him.

Anika's birthday--Anika turned 7 on September 19th.  We went to her party on September 15th.  Her dad put up a tightrope.  I made it across the first time without using my hands.  After we ate, we went back out and the tightrope had been moved so the distance you walked was longer.  It was a lot more difficult to walk across.  When it got dark out, we sat on the trampoline, watching the wish lanterns launch.  Ankie also put a stick in the bonfire that changed the color of the fire to greens and blues.  While we were there, we built a fort, rode the zipline and tried to scare each other in the dark. 


STAY TUNED AND I WILL WRITE ABOUT THE OTHER 7 TOPICS THIS WEEK!  I'm off to have dessert, read and go to bed. 

Star Wars with Uncle Wayne

On Saturday night, I watched The Return of the Jedi and my favorite characters were the Ewoks.  They were so cute and funny.  One of my favorite scenes was when Darth Vader is staring at Luke Skywalker getting zapped and then after a while decides maybe he should push the emperor and save his son. 

What did Holden learn today?

Ewoks are smart. 

What would Holden do?

Respect the force.

Back to School Blues

School shopping is stressful because there is so much stuff to choose from and you can't get everything.
Another downer is that I might not get to go to the Cock'n'Bull guitar circle again until November.

What did Holden learn today?

There are such things as RangeRovers.

What would Holden do?

Spend his time wisely in the next week. 

"Uncle" Dave

Dave plays the mandolin in the guitar circle.  He is a funny guy.  One of my favorite things he does is that he always wants to have me stay longer and he says my parents can leave me there.  He is also funny when I wear paste in my hair and he calls me Justin Bieber.  Also, he isn't afraid to tell me I wear too much cologne!  He gives me good advice about who to tip and what to own when I'm older.  Cars and guitars! 

What did Holden learn today?

The Hartford Whalers were a hockey team.

What would Holden do?

Tip his barber, his waitress and his bartender. 

Skimboarding on State Beach

Can you do a moondoggie or a Scoldin' Holden on your skimboard?  When I was in Martha's Vineyard, my Uncle Jim helped me practice and came up with different names for skimboarding tricks.  A moondoggie is a 180 and Scoldin' Holden is a 360.

What did Holden learn?

There are lots of things to do at the beach.

What would Holden do?

 Keep practicing. 

Tuesday on the vineyard

I went to the flea market and Nana bought me a leather wallet. I bought a Swiss army knife for only four dollars from the same man who sold me a knife last year.  We also went to Menemsha and I got splinters on the dock before checking out the lobsters.


We spent Monday on South Beach and I got knocked over by the waves.

Taller!

The ducks are getting so big.  It's so surprising how fast they grow.  We've had them two weeks and just 14 days ago, their whole body fit in your hand.  Now, their bills are bigger.  Their feet are bigger. I would call them plump but I don't want to hurt their feelings.  Each one has a light purple mark at the end of their bill that wasn't there when they first came or now shows up because they're bigger.  Three of the seven are bigger than the other four.  We are wondering if those three are males, not working out, or hogging (or would it be ducking?) all the food.  

The bunnies are also growing.  We fed them apples tonight and they liked them.

It is hard to all the chores and still have time to play with them.

What did Holden learn?

 The ducks don't rush out of the pool when there's thunder and lightning.  

But when they finally get out, they're smart enough to go under their house.

What would Holden do?

Enjoy this time with the ducks and bunnies. 

*This entry was written around 8/10.  Photos were taken today 8/19.

 

Funday Sunday

On Sunday, I went to the Cock'n'Bull because Steve's friend Joe was in town from Texas and he plays the harmonica.  We played with him last year and had a special guitar circle on Sunday instead of Wednesday so we could see him again. It was fun.  The harmonica sounded great during "Wagon Wheel," "Brown-eyed Girl" and "The Weight." 

More fun...
We went swimming and ate dinner at the Ostrander's home.  And, when we were told we had only five more minutes to play, we all hid in Eric's closet and used spyware equipment to avoid being found.  Nobody could find us until the security camera went off when Tom was searching and he figured out what we were up to.

What did Holden learn?

A harmonica player needs to know keys and have a good ear.

What would Holden do?

Eventually learn how to play another instrument (the harmonica). 

BUSY,BUSY,BUSY

I love my dad.  Because of my dad, I can see one of my teachers during the summer (he is working on my 3rd grade teacher's house).  I can work with him and even though it's hard, I learn a lot.  Plus, I can get paid now.  Thursday was the first day I earned my own money working with him.

I love my nana.  On Saturday, Westport had its annual festival.  Nana volunteers at the Heritage House and does A LOT for the festival.  Because of her, I ran the 5K Fun Run .  I'm happy because I was in the top ten. There's confusion about how I placed, some say 4th while others say 7th.  Either way, I'm proud to be in the top ten.  My time was 25:15, not my best time, but I feel good about it.

After the race, I went to Nana and Papa's to shower and get dressed.  Yes, I was dressed for the race, but not in nice clothes.  Then, I participated in the Open Mic.  One more thing...besides sitting on the hill listening to good music, I spent my afternoon ambushing some of Nana and Papa's friends/relatives with the marshmallow shooter my parents bought me from one of the vendors in Ballard Park.

What did Holden learn?

It's normal to be nervous before a race.

What would Holden do?

Go out strong.  Maintain your pace. 

Tuesday Wednesday Replay

I have been SO BUSY.  Ladderball.  Unicycling. Skateboarding.  Directions blowing away.  Watching the Olympics.  Playing Settlers of Catan. Eating Pop Tarts. Getting a blueberry milkshake at the caboose.  Sleeping.  Those are all the things that happened at Nana's when I spent the night.

Rode in the car early in the a.m. for a long time.  Made wolves howl.  Saw baby coyotes.  Collected some arctic fox hair and watched them go through tubes.  Hiked.  Ran off with a bunch of kids, away from our parents.  Watched a HUGE snapping turtle and HUMONGOUS fish swim.  Those were the highlights of my trip to Wolf Mountain and the Rogers Environmental Center.

What did Holden learn?

Coyotes are louder than wolves.  When they howl, it sounds like there

are more of them than there actually are.

What would Holden do?

Grin BIG.

First Swim

The ducks' habitat needed to be cleaned.  So, we took the hay, food and drinking water out and filled up the pool partially on uneven ground.  Then, we put the ducks in.  At first, they didn't like it and stayed on the dry side and then the next thing you know they were all in the water.  They would swim in the deepest part and then walk around on their little webbed feet in the water on the other part.  We thought one was drowning a couple times but really he was diving and having fun.
It's a good thing they got used to the water easily because they are going to have to get used to a new habitat soon.  They're going to outgrow their kiddie pool and move into the big pen Dad built yesterday.  It was a lot of work to nail all the fencing on to the frame.    I tried to lead them in to it today and they couldn't be bothered! 
When Ella and I were exercising them today, they went to the bathroom on the magazine I had been reading.  I went to get a towel to wipe it off and left the ducks with Ella on the lawn.  When I looked back, they were running up the hill after me. 

What did Holden learn today?

 Things happen fast.

What would Holden do?

 Embrace change.  

Have you hugged your little ducks today?

Keep it steady

Thank you Uncle Jim for giving me the unicycle last summer after our 3rd Westport 4th of July parade.  Thank you Ankie for mentioning the unicycle to me today.  Now, I am working on learning how to ride it.
Yesterday Auntie Chris made me laugh when we talked on the phone and she kept giving me the update on a bunny that was hopping all over the campground.  Apparently it went by about five times with different people chasing it.  I'm getting excited to go there soon and thinking of  bringing the unicycle to show Uncle Jim my progress and share it with my friend KJ. 

What did Holden learn?

Synchronized diving must be a stressful sport.

What would Holden do?

Forget fear when it comes to learning something. 

Up north

I was able to tube yesterday behind Papa's boat.  Then, I played a song on my guitar at the Essex Hotel and was accompanied by a bassist and a Grammy-winning trumpet player, Taylor Haskins. This morning we picked up Ella and came home.  I was excited to show the ducks off to Ella. They got a lot bigger since yesterday.

What did Holden learn?

 Jazz music can tell people's stories.

What would Holden do?

Keep playing.

Baby Animal Week

My sister has been gone all week and though I thought I would miss her, I don't, probably because I'm so busy.  It's hard having enough hands to take care of all of the ducklings and bunnies.  They have had a lot of visitors too. 

What did Holden learn today?

Teamwork makes chores easier.

What would Holden do?

Give attention and love to all his animals.

The bunnies are 14 weeks old.  Hopefully Ella doesn't mind I posted Chrysanthemum's picture too!

Ducky Day

They are here!  Mom woke me up this morning because the post office had called to say we could come pick up the box full of ducks.  At first, we had them in a little crate that our friends let us borrow but it was too small and while one was trying to escape through the chicken wire  another one was drowning in the water trough.  Too much energy in a little space.  Now we have them in the kiddie pool we hope they will eventually swim in. 
Chase is getting used to them after feeling left out.  Hopefully, he didn't pass a duck retrieving hunting class as a pup. 
They are the size of my hand.  When they fall asleep, they look like they are dead. 

We ordered six but the company sent seven.  Their names are Tenny, Memphis, Nashville, Penny, Peabody, Savannah, and Carolina. 

What did Holden learn today?

Ducks imprint FAST.

What would Holden do?

Count to 7 and breathe. 

LOL

 A peek inside my life right now.  My ducks are coming tomorrow.  This is week 2 with the lionhead bunnies.  I'm still thinking of the thrill and fun of the Gravitron at the fair last week.  
 Right now, I'm dressed up with a tie and dress shirt to Skype.  I hope to make cousin Julie laugh. 

What did Holden learn today?

Superman was a superhero character before Captain America was.

What would Holden do?

Find ways to have fun.