Lizards

When we lived back in Ohio there were plenty of (small) birds, snakes (the non-poisonous kind), toads, tree frogs, racoons, moles, and every now and then you could see a rabbit, or deer in your backyard.  When we came to Florida we noticed that there were not as many of these animals.  Sure there are frogs, snakes, and racoons, but I see them less often in Florida.  There are plenty of  birds, but there are birds everywhere.  Plus since we came down here have not seen a single mole hole or deer in in the backyard. I have, however, seen these!IMG_2815 lizardsIMG_2805IMG_2800IMG_2792 lizardsThese lizards are all over the place!  We see them everywhere, next to the pool, in all our plants, and sometimes in the house!  What’s really cool is that we can sometimes see them fighting.  It’s very interesting, and if I ever see them fighting and I have a camera on hand I will be sure to film it for you.

The Man Behind the Blog

So far I have kept the identity of the man writing this blog a secret, but at urgings from my father, (and just because it makes sense) I have decided to introduce myself.  My name is Nathaniel; I am fourteen, and aspiring to be a writer.  I started writing this blog because my father said it would improve my writing skills, and I think he was right.  Then again, it doesn’t matter what I think only what the people who read my blog think.  For the most part I will be writing the blog, but sometimes my brothers and sisters will help to write it and when they do I won’t tell so you have to guess.  That way, if someone complains about something on the blog I can blame it on them.  Not really, I will introduce their work like I do with the Sunday comic.  Normally I might put a real picture of me up, but I like this one better.Nathaniel Close2Stephen drew this picture of me.

Park Adventures

One day Jonathan, Nathaniel, Christopher, Robert, and Veronica were playing at the park when they saw a group of hawks circling the trees.  They wanted to get a better look so they ran up to the top of the of the playground.  Once there, they saw an osprey swoop down and snatch a squirrel out of a tree.  The osprey flew down below the trees, and pinned the squirrel beneath his powerful talons.  The squirrel fought back writhing and snarling but to no avail.  The osprey’s crushing talons and tearing beak quickly ended the squirrels short life.  Then the osprey raised his wings and screeched a screech of triumphant, and taking his deceased prey he flew away.Red-OspreyLongboat4

Jackie Robinson Spiking. Racially Motivated or Otherwise?

Today I will tell you Joe McDonald’s take on the Jackie Robinson story.

As you may remember, Mr. McDonald was batboy for the Cardinals when Enos Slaughter spiked Jackie Robinson at Ebbets Field.  Since Mr. McDonald sat in the opposition dugout he had a great view of the game.  Mr. McDonald saw everything and his opinion is that the spiking was unintentional.

According to Mr. McDonald, Jackie Robinson was not a trained first baseman.  When the Dodgers brought him up to the major leagues, they played him at first.  Mr. McDonald explained that there is a different way to hold your feet so you are less likely to get spiked (who knew?).  Most stories make it seem like the spiking was racially motivated, but Enos Slaughter denied it. He said it was just because of his rough playing style.  As Mr. McDonald said to Mom and Dad, “Was Enos a racist? Maybe, but the spiking was unintentional.”

So there you have the scoop on the spiking of Jackie Robinson. Here is one more of Mr. McDonald’s rings.images.duckduckgo.commIt has nothing to do with the story at hand, but I thought it was pretty cool.

School Lunch

Stephen took a creative writing course in college.  One day, his professor came in  with a pile of photos from magazines, and told them to choose one.  She said to write a one page paper describing the scene from the photo.  Stephen choose the following picture, and wrote this story.A Tiger 006

                                    School Lunch

James slumped forward on his smooth, laminated desk. His head dropped to the seemingly wooden board as he stared listlessly ahead of him. The drab hum of the teacher’s voice blended seamlessly with the shuffling of the other children and the crinkling of their little readers. This perfect harmony formed an even drabber hum, the type of hum that puts some men to sleep and others in an asylum. James belonged to the latter class. He tried desperately to find something to amuse, entertain, or, at least, distract him, but to no avail. The white walls were completely devoid of character. The black board was only a little better, at least you could try to figure out what was on it last by the white smudges left behind from the eraser. Light streamed through the window directly behind James as if to taunt him. Even the succulent taste his ham breakfast had left in his mouth didn’t help him, it just made him long for lunch all the more.

James eyes grew bigger as he fixed them on the desk ahead of him. Of course, the overall problem was great, the straps would get stuck in his teeth the snaps hurt his mouth. Then out of the corner of his eye, James caught a glimpse of the desk next to him and his tabby fur stood on end, but on a second look he noticed the writing on the wall, or rather on the shirt. Printed tee shirts always upset his stomach. Looking further back James noticed another example of his first complaint. Overalls were apparently highly popular this year. James gave up hope of eating a nutritious lunch, when his eyes caught the final boy in class. He would be perfect. His clothes were organic and snap free, and the wearer was as tender as a school boy.