Pear Trees

Pears, like apples, are fruits, but the part we eat is not technically the fruit.  The "edible" part is a swollen section of flesh around the true fruit.  The pear fruit is actually a part in the center, usually discarded as the "core." 

Pears grow on hardwood trees that need sufficient amounts of seasonable cold weather to produce buds for flowering, and therefore fruit as well.  This makes it difficult to grow pears in tropical regions.  Pear trees do not grow very fast, so I have never seen a large one, and I don't know the maximum height, but I do know that they take kindly to being pruned. 

Pear tree wood makes a delicious smell when burned.  This, along with the fact that they burn for a long time, makes pear trees desirable for firewood.  Pear trees are great.  I wish we had one!



Written by Peter in November.

The Hardy Boys

The same plot always happens in the Hardy Boys.  Especially in the end, the boys always get trapped by the bad guys.  Little by little, the bad guys get slowly tricked into confessing their part in the crime.

I also can see a thing that is going to happen a mile away!  In almost every book, Joe and Frank get surprise attacked.  I can always see that coming.  In some books a rock or dud grenade or even a gas grenade is used on them!  And in almost every book, some of their friends get hurt.

I have read a lot of Hardy Boys books and I am looking for different books to read, now.




Written by Thomas, January 22.

Ways of Cheering People Up

• I can write notes.
• I like doorbell ditching.
• Asking people to do stuff with me.
• Just plain giving treats to people.
• Playing games together.
• Yard work.
• Heart-attacking people's doors or mailboxes.
• Let people use my things.
• Jokes are sometimes good things to do.
• Staying with Grandma Jensen.

Ideas by Thomas, February 18

Blue Poppy

Blue poppies are a variety of Japanese poppy.  This interesting flower has a truly ingenious way of surviving. 

Each flower has millions of tiny seeds that disperse in the wind and collect on the ground.  Poppy seeds can stay on the ground for a long time, waiting for it to be churned.  Over time, the seeds build up until, suddenly, there are hundreds of perennial poppies everywhere!  This chokes out all the rest of the plants, and also ensures that the poppies stand no chance of not being pollinated.

Upon returning from their trip to the Butchart Gardens, my parents presented me with a packet of Blue Poppy seeds.  I don't think they knew how fascinated I was with this flower.  I look forward to growing them in my garden when spring finally comes.  I shall have to remember to dead-head the flowers, or they might take over the world!

Peter wrote this in September, with later additions after he unexpectedly received seeds.

Emeralds: The Green Wonders

Emeralds are a kind of crystal made up of beryl.  They are colored by either chromium or vanadium.  Emeralds also have a naturally hexagonal shape.  This makes them refract light in a beautiful way, even in nature.

On a hardness scale, emeralds are a 7-10.  This means they are relatively easy to break, so people judge them by the bare eye, instead of a microscope, because there are often many inclusions.  If an emerald has visible inclusions, it will sometimes be treated with oil to smooth out fissures.  An oil-treated jewel would be less expensive.

Other qualities determining an emerald's value are color, cut, clarity and weight.  Color's three components are hue, saturation and tone.  The best emerald is right in the middle:  medium large, clear but not watery, dark but not black, and cut so it sparkles.

There are different hues of emerald.  Most are green, blue-green or yellow-green; but some are different.  Emeralds may even be aquamarine or red.

Red emeralds are only found in Beaver, Utah.  They are so rare that one red emerald is found per 150,000 diamonds.

I think emeralds are really cool.


Written by Peter in September.  

Information on emeralds found in Wikipedia.

The Bastables

We are finishing up with E. Nesbitt's The Treasure Seekers, a witty story about six children whose goal to "restore the fallen fortunes" of their house lead to a variety of adventures -- and mishaps that turn out well.  The story is told from the anonymous perspective of one of the children, but he repeatedly lets his identity slip, which is a delight to the hearers when they catch him.  This is an excellent resource to use to teach about irony in all its forms.

As a mother, it has been pleasant to read the book aloud; it has been even more delightful to see my children "play Bastables" together at the park.  Not only does this classic story introduce new vocabulary and spark discussion on traditions of former days, it has prompted insights on interpersonal relationships and highlighted truths about pride and innocence.