Though I much prefer book-length stories, short stories have their place. They are good for reading at night when one is trying to fall asleep, for times when one needs something to occupy the mind while one’s bum occupies the “throne”, and for conveying succinct, powerful messages. Today I have short stories. None of them have life-changing insights, I don’t expect you to post them in your bathrooms, and they are probably too short to induce sleep, nonetheless, here they are.
Fowl Play
Who would have thought?
Last Friday (10/11/14) Ogden Prep had its annual fund-raising carnival. Unable to mimic last year’s performance—Dad was out of town and I was hesitant to use his horses without him—I decided to sponsor a petting zoo. I haven’t any exotic animals—just farm stock—but, thought I, farm stock may be exotic to city kids. So, I loaded a charming Soay ewe (so tame she ate from the children’s hands), three soft, silky bunnies, four molting hens, and a big, dumb dog into the back of Dad’s truck and hauled them to school.
I made a woven wire enclosure that was filled most of the night with free roaming chickens, a wandering dog, a Grace-tethered ewe, rabbits boxed in by hay bales, and many, many children. For $3 each, the children could spend as much time as they wanted in our zoo and parents could take as many pictures as they wanted from the perimeter. In 2.5 hours we made $370.
Who would have thought?
The biggest surprise of the day, however, was not the zoo’s popularity but the particular popularity of some of its inhabitants. I thought the hit of the day would be the sheep but I was wrong. My second guess would have been
the bunnies. Wrong again. The most popular pets were the chickens. CHICKENS! The kids loved holding them, setting
them down, catching them, and holding them again. One young girl spent over an hour with us, catching and releasing chickens.
Who would have thought?
The Trophy Awarded
Grace ran in the Charter School State Cross Country Championships as a member of Syracuse Art Academy’s (SAA) District Championship team. She was the fifth runner in for her team and was almost disconsolately disappointed in her personal
performance. Tears turned to smiles, however, when the SAA team took third place at the state meet.
Later her grandfather kindly, teasingly, and very clearly hassled her about running over the summer. In various ways, using many avenues, his message was the same: she would be a better cross country runner if she put in miles over the summer. “It made me feel good,” commented Grace, “because if he thinks I can be better then he must think I’m good to begin with.” Good, better, best, right?
The Trophy Not Awarded
Tanah participated in her first debate tournament last week. Though she is a novice, she won her first two Lincoln-Douglas debate matches. The room in which she was scheduled to appear for her third and final match was quite far behind
schedule, so far behind, in fact, that the director of the tournament looked at the upcoming debaters, saw that Tanah was a novice, noted that she would be debating a J.V. girl, recognized the J.V. girl as one having a lot of talent, determined that there was no way that Tanah could beat her, and decided to begin the awards ceremony before Tanah’s third debate took place. Happily for Tanah she won the debate. YEA! Sadly for Tanah, the trophy she earned for winning all her matches had already been given to someone else by the time she completed her debate. Not-so-yea.
The Fish Not Caught
Last weekend Miles, Lance, Chris, and Cooper went fishing. There was no catching and releasing of fish because there was no catching of fish….except for Miles; he pulled in the excursion only fish. Those who fish with him suspect that he is a fish whispherer because he always seems to pull them in. In true Hislop style, he is NOT humble about it.
The Races Lost
However, humble pie was on the menu for Miles at the Pinewood Derby. His car placed very consistently….last. It was not easy for our super competitive boy to take the constant defeats.
Being Upset with your Husband Is Bad for your Waistline
I gained three pounds yesterday.
One of These Things Is Not Like the Other
Last Sunday Aunt Linda awoke to find a sheep in her backyard. She lives in a residential neighborhood and her yard is surrounded by a tall fence. Where did the lamb come from? No one knows. Where did it go? Soon you will know.
I told Aunt Linda we would adopt her sheep. When I arrived at her house I found a young (probably born in May or
early June), crossbred (Hampshire and a white face breed), very (VERY) wild ewe lamb; she clearly was not someone’s bottle fed, backyard pet. I brought her home and put her in the pasture with the Soays. On our place she looks like a Utah girl in an Alabaman Southern Baptist congregation. (See photo.)
Ten Miles Is Ten Miles
When Dad Hislop invited me to walk 10 miles with him, I gave it no thought. Running 10 miles, at this point in my life, would push me but walking 10 miles on the relatively flat river pathway would hardly qualify as exercise. Wrong. Ten miles is still 10 miles. I walked with him Friday morning and Saturday I still felt twinges of stiffness.
Small Golf = Large Fun
Fall Break's planned two day family camping activity morphed into a two hour family outing to the local miniature golf course where Tanah and Lance each made a hole-in-one, Teresa made a hole-in-ten, Grace made a whole lot of marks on the score card, Miles wholly enjoyed himself, and Chick made a hole in the Club House window. (Just kidding about the last one.)
Not So Fast
The week before we were to sing in General Conference the family fasted, petitioning for divine help ; we needed God’s help to both hear and match the notes. Miles, ten minutes after he started his fast, was experiencing intense hunger pains.
"Do I have to fast, Mom?” he asked.
“No.”
“But I want the blessings of fasting……” he said.
“Then you will have to fast.”
“Can’t I get the blessings of fasting without fasting?” he asked.
If only! If only we could get the blessing of fasting without fasting, of dieting without dieting, of exercise without exercising, of knowledge without studying, of loving without investing….. Doesn’t happen.
Love ya!
Teresa
Fowl Play
Who would have thought?
Last Friday (10/11/14) Ogden Prep had its annual fund-raising carnival. Unable to mimic last year’s performance—Dad was out of town and I was hesitant to use his horses without him—I decided to sponsor a petting zoo. I haven’t any exotic animals—just farm stock—but, thought I, farm stock may be exotic to city kids. So, I loaded a charming Soay ewe (so tame she ate from the children’s hands), three soft, silky bunnies, four molting hens, and a big, dumb dog into the back of Dad’s truck and hauled them to school.
I made a woven wire enclosure that was filled most of the night with free roaming chickens, a wandering dog, a Grace-tethered ewe, rabbits boxed in by hay bales, and many, many children. For $3 each, the children could spend as much time as they wanted in our zoo and parents could take as many pictures as they wanted from the perimeter. In 2.5 hours we made $370.
Who would have thought?
The biggest surprise of the day, however, was not the zoo’s popularity but the particular popularity of some of its inhabitants. I thought the hit of the day would be the sheep but I was wrong. My second guess would have been
the bunnies. Wrong again. The most popular pets were the chickens. CHICKENS! The kids loved holding them, setting
them down, catching them, and holding them again. One young girl spent over an hour with us, catching and releasing chickens.
Who would have thought?
The Trophy Awarded
Grace ran in the Charter School State Cross Country Championships as a member of Syracuse Art Academy’s (SAA) District Championship team. She was the fifth runner in for her team and was almost disconsolately disappointed in her personal
performance. Tears turned to smiles, however, when the SAA team took third place at the state meet.
Later her grandfather kindly, teasingly, and very clearly hassled her about running over the summer. In various ways, using many avenues, his message was the same: she would be a better cross country runner if she put in miles over the summer. “It made me feel good,” commented Grace, “because if he thinks I can be better then he must think I’m good to begin with.” Good, better, best, right?
The Trophy Not Awarded
Tanah participated in her first debate tournament last week. Though she is a novice, she won her first two Lincoln-Douglas debate matches. The room in which she was scheduled to appear for her third and final match was quite far behind
schedule, so far behind, in fact, that the director of the tournament looked at the upcoming debaters, saw that Tanah was a novice, noted that she would be debating a J.V. girl, recognized the J.V. girl as one having a lot of talent, determined that there was no way that Tanah could beat her, and decided to begin the awards ceremony before Tanah’s third debate took place. Happily for Tanah she won the debate. YEA! Sadly for Tanah, the trophy she earned for winning all her matches had already been given to someone else by the time she completed her debate. Not-so-yea.
The Fish Not Caught
Last weekend Miles, Lance, Chris, and Cooper went fishing. There was no catching and releasing of fish because there was no catching of fish….except for Miles; he pulled in the excursion only fish. Those who fish with him suspect that he is a fish whispherer because he always seems to pull them in. In true Hislop style, he is NOT humble about it.
The Races Lost
However, humble pie was on the menu for Miles at the Pinewood Derby. His car placed very consistently….last. It was not easy for our super competitive boy to take the constant defeats.
Being Upset with your Husband Is Bad for your Waistline
I gained three pounds yesterday.
One of These Things Is Not Like the Other
Last Sunday Aunt Linda awoke to find a sheep in her backyard. She lives in a residential neighborhood and her yard is surrounded by a tall fence. Where did the lamb come from? No one knows. Where did it go? Soon you will know.
I told Aunt Linda we would adopt her sheep. When I arrived at her house I found a young (probably born in May or
early June), crossbred (Hampshire and a white face breed), very (VERY) wild ewe lamb; she clearly was not someone’s bottle fed, backyard pet. I brought her home and put her in the pasture with the Soays. On our place she looks like a Utah girl in an Alabaman Southern Baptist congregation. (See photo.)
Ten Miles Is Ten Miles
When Dad Hislop invited me to walk 10 miles with him, I gave it no thought. Running 10 miles, at this point in my life, would push me but walking 10 miles on the relatively flat river pathway would hardly qualify as exercise. Wrong. Ten miles is still 10 miles. I walked with him Friday morning and Saturday I still felt twinges of stiffness.
Small Golf = Large Fun
Fall Break's planned two day family camping activity morphed into a two hour family outing to the local miniature golf course where Tanah and Lance each made a hole-in-one, Teresa made a hole-in-ten, Grace made a whole lot of marks on the score card, Miles wholly enjoyed himself, and Chick made a hole in the Club House window. (Just kidding about the last one.)
Not So Fast
The week before we were to sing in General Conference the family fasted, petitioning for divine help ; we needed God’s help to both hear and match the notes. Miles, ten minutes after he started his fast, was experiencing intense hunger pains.
"Do I have to fast, Mom?” he asked.
“No.”
“But I want the blessings of fasting……” he said.
“Then you will have to fast.”
“Can’t I get the blessings of fasting without fasting?” he asked.
If only! If only we could get the blessing of fasting without fasting, of dieting without dieting, of exercise without exercising, of knowledge without studying, of loving without investing….. Doesn’t happen.
Love ya!
Teresa
Catch and release; it's fowl play!!!!
I cannot say enough good about this darling 8th grader. She stayed with me the entire evening, from set-up to tear-down. She ran the rabbit den, ensuring that children had a success experience with the bunnies and that the bunnies' attempts to escape were not successful.
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Feed my sheep!
One of Lance's runner, also known as Elastic Girl, stretching out before the Region race.
Two old coaches chatting about cross country.
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Syracuse Arts Academy girls, coached by Lance Hislop, won the Region Cross Country title. Grace was among the top ten finishers in the race.
Grace and her SAA teammates running in the Charter School State Cross Country Championships.
Still running......
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Grace, disappointed with her performance at the State meet, finds comfort in the arms of her daddy coach.
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Nothing like a THIRD PLACE AT STATE trophy to turn tears to smiles!
One of these things is not like the other......
Chick concentrates on his shot during the family miniature golf outing.
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It turns out that taking pictures of people on the golf course is much more entertaining that taking pictures of people actually golfing......
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.....unless the people actually golfing are not using a club!
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And she huffed and she puffed and......
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....she blew the ball in!
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Lance's ball was blue.......
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