Ode to Acorns

“In agriculture, a bumper crop is a crop that has yielded an unusually productive harvest.” Source: Wikipedia

Ode to Acorns

Acorns everywhere. Bumper crop of acorns this year. In the driveway, in the yard, banging down hard on the roof. Then rolling–banging down a second time onto the deck–hard! Acorns on the car, in the windshield, rattling around, keeping you company when you turn, even after you’ve cleaned them off the car. Acorns like ball bearings on the driveway. Acorns, inches deep around the trash bin after being swept off the driveway. Acorns ready to make you slide, make you glide, twist an ankle, crack a skull. Acorns looking like the skulls in Lord the Rings, ready for Halloween. Acorns everywhere!

     

The Hunger Games

I recently saw the Hunger Games and while I enjoyed it and admired the acting (Stanley Tucci takes the prize!), I found it quite disturbing.  It left me with a chill similar to the one I felt after reading and seeing Lord of the Flies and 1984.  Before I saw the movie, I heard the hullaballoo about parents allowing their children to see the movie.  I have no issue with what parents allow their kids to watch.  The issue I have is when people ask how is the movie any more violent or different than the Harry Potter films or other fantasy movies?  It’s completely different.  In the Harry Potter story, the element of good versus evil is behind the combat.  Harry and Dumbledore are fighting against the evil Voldemort and his sidekicks who are power hungry and seek to keep their kind pure (no mudbloods!).  Yes, children fight and die in the story but it is in the battle of good versus evil.  The Hunger Games is a different story.  The tributes are put in an arena to slaughter each other for the amusement of others just like the Gladiators were put in the Coliseum to fight to the death.  I think children can grasp the difference between these two story lines.  I disagree that the story is no different from any other fantasy story.  The Hunger Games has a real and creepy feeling to it.  It draws parallels to real life tragedies like the Lost Boys of Sudan.  In Second Sudanese Civil War, among the atrocities that occurred, was the conscription of boys to take up arms againt their own villages and family members.  How does this happen, how do people decide to use children to kill?   I think people could use the Hunger Games story to teach something to children but they need to make some meaning of it for themselves first.

The Dog Log – Day 1

Sully’s story.

I was good. But I did eat the cat’s food (a whole bowl) at 10 am. It wasn’t my fault, someone left the bedroom door open and the bowl was right there on the floor. I was put in my crate for a time out. I didn’t mind.

I played fetch and I ran around the yard a little bit with Teddy. He is very fast. He’s nice because he lets my chase him, instead of him chasing me. We wrestled in the house a few time and were told to “GET OUT.” I’m a good wrestler, Teddy yelped a little bit once but it wasn’t my fault. His mom said it was good for him. We try to respect one another if one of us wants to have a lie down.

Once we both got put in time out and I went into his crate. He didn’t know where to go so his mom put him in my crate. He seemed to like it.

Teddy in my crate

Suppertime was great. We ate at 3:15 pm and we both had a glop of my canned dog food on top, it was delicious.

When we play outside, our paws get really muddy. So before we come in, Teddy’s mom cleans our paws (all eight of them) with a wet towel and then she spends a long time drying them. This takes a while so we both get a little bored and sometimes we start playing again. She says “STOP!” Then when we go inside. We have to sit on the little rug that is right inside of the door. If we sit and stay, we get a cookie. So far, we’ve had four cookies today.

Sitting on the rug

I’ve seen the Katahdin the cat a couple of times today. He acts cool but then his eyes get huge when I bark. I try not to bark too loud but I can’t help it since I find cats to be so interesting. Then I dance around on the floor and sort of chase the cat which I can’t help.   But I never jump up so I think I someone should give me credit for that, or at least a cookie.  The cat’s eyes get even bigger and he moves very quickly away from me.  Someone usually intervenes at the point, but they don’t put me in time out. Once the cat and I sniffed noses. Then Teddy came butting in and sort of ruined our meeting, but that’s okay because I really like Teddy.

Katahdin waiting to meet me

After dinner, we sat on the deck. Teddy chewed sticks and I looked out over the back yard. Some birds are at the bird feeder and the morning doves are acting like big babies- whooooo whoo whoo whoo whoo- where are they flying off to and what’s the hullaballo? The crickets are chirping and it’s going to be a nice fall night. So far, Day 1 has been great.

Sully in Teddy’s crate