Author: Mark

It’s That Time Again!

We are starting to collect sap to start syruping again! It is getting pretty warm during the day and chilly at night. So we decided to start again.

Today we drilled the holes (about 2 inches deep), put the taps in and directed it to the buckets. We put tin foil over to keep the bugs out. We watched the sap drip out! Hooray! We checked it about 5:00 and have about a half cup already! I hope it starts going a lot faster.

Now Daddy is going to get longer tubing so we can put them both in one bucket. We need to find another tree to tap it and more buckets to save the sap in.

If you have clean milk containers or clean food grade buckets, please save them for us! I hope to get lots! I hope for enough to last all year and extra to try maple sugar and candy.

Happy Groundhog Day 2011

Happy Groundhog Day! Adrian is my assistant writer today.

I am a ground hog. My name is Punx Phil. I made a tunnel. I sleep all winter. If I see my shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather! I don’t want to see my shadow!

Here is what I know about groundhogs (other wise known as woodchucks and whistle pigs–by the way, how much wood would a Woodchuck chuck if a Woodchuck could chuck wood?). Groundhogs are mammals, rodents and true hibernators. They are very  naughty, they stuff themselves before winter. In the winter they have a starvation diet. They come out of their holes, very very very thin.

Ground hogs are ground hogs. They hog the ground! Their dens are big and some parts of their hallways go straight down for 2 to 3 feet. Their tunnels can be up to 50 feet long!

Happy Groundhog’s Day! Do you want “Punx Phil” to see his shadow?

Whether the weather be mild or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold or whether the weather be hot,
We’ll weather the weather whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not.

Fifteen Questions

Instead of a normal book report I decided to do “fifteen questions”.

Who am I thinking of?

  1. He was born in China on January 16, 1902 .
  2. During World War Two the Japanese ordered that there were to be no meetings of over ten people. so he wrote a sermon, invited nine people over and talked about it. then the nine people asked nine more people and they talked about it. and then the nine people asked nine more people and they talked about it. and then …
  3. He helped the hospital at Li Mu Shi, China.
  4. He and he taught school in China.
  5. Got Married to Florence Mackenzie on March 27 1934.
  6. He had three kids.
  7. When he and his family were going to Canada the ship got hit by a U- boat torpedo but did not explode
  8. Rode a bike to different villages in China to tell them about Jesus and to help bring wounded people .

Do you know who he is yet?

  1. Took two men to the hospital on a small cart, on a bumpy road.
  2. He died 21 February 1945 in a Japanese interment camp
  3. He died because of a brain tumor.

Here are some easy ones.

  1. He raced in the 1924 Olympics.
  2. He won the gold medal for the 400 Meter dash!
  3. He would not run on Sunday.
  4. His nick name was “The Flying Scotsman”. Can you tell me why?

I’ll tell you who this person is in a few days.

Amy Carmicheal

When Amy was young she was taken out of school because her Dad’s mill was not making enough money. Then her Dad died so she had to help with her siblings while her Mom worked. She started a Bible study for “Shawlys”– women who worked in factories. She went to China to help the missionaries there. She decided not to wear European cloths on trips because it distracted from what she was saying about Jesus. She went to Japan to help there, then she got sick and had to go back to China. One of her friends had a stroke so she went back to see him. She traveled to India and rescued lots of girls from the temples and taught them about Jesus. She worked there for 55 years! She never went back to Europe before she died.

Carpentry 100 Year Merit Badge

I made a bench for a Boy Scout merit badge. It took a week or two to earn the badge.

This merit badge is special because it was taken out of circulation. We can  do it because it is BSA’s 100th birthday! It needed to be finished by 1 January 2011 to count.

To do it I had to

  1. Demonstrate the use of the rule, I already knew how on paper square, EZ level,simple plumb-line, mitre, chalk-line, and bevel.
  2. Demonstrate the proper way to drive, I already knew how set, ez and clinch a nail , draw a spike with a claw-hammer, I already knew how and to join two pieces of wood with screws I already knew how so these where easy.
  3. Show correct use of the cross-cut saw and of the rip-saw. The saws where easy to use but tiring.
  4. Show how to plane the edge, end and the broad surface of a board.
  5. Demonstrate how to lay shingles It took a while to learn how to lay them.
  6. Make a simple article of furniture for practical use in the home or on the home grounds, finished in a workman-like manner. all work to be done without assistance. Hardish but fun !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are some pictures.