Mossflower

Ivey woke up. She looked at the clock. It was eight! “Oh n- wait, we had movie night last night, so today is Saturday! Phooey, an hour of – ok, a half hour of playtime wasted. I would have used at least half an hour for getting dressed, putting in contacts and cleaning my room.” 15 minutes later the squirrel was out in the backyard in an Indian costume. Little Warrior (Ivey) was helping Little Swallow (Allie) and “Big Chief Daddy” (name submitted by Little Princess (Lauren)) take the playset to bits. The rickety structure’s slide had come off the other night. When it had come down, Little Princess, Little Swallow, and Little Warrior looked sadly at the pile of wood and the bucket of screws, nuts and bolts that had once been a castle, a pirate ship, the Swallow or the Amazon, Redwall, a house or a hotel and just plain a playset.

Allie grew bored of Indians and said, “Can we play ‘Mom and Kid’?” This game had many variations. You could have an Indian, Middle Ages, 1800’s, modern, busy or calm mom and kid(s). 1800’s was chosen, and so Ivey got into a lot of slips and skirts for a full skirt look and put on her colonial outfit and cape, Allie found a green plaid shirt, over which she wore her cowboy vest, and Lauren’s green skirt. She put on Ivey’s blue cape over it (Ivey was wearing Lauren’s white one) and Lauren was wearing a multicolored leotard and a pink silk skirt with Ivey’s white cape with the gold stars on it. (See how many more outfits you can find when you have sisters!)

Allie and Lauren’s room was chosen for the "house” and the squirrels got busy. Pillows and a quilt transformed Allie’s upper bunk into a bedroom while toys were set on Lauren’s bunk – the playroom. Allie’s breakfast-in-bed table had a baby blanket thrown over it and set with Lauren’s Pooh Bear tea set. Capes were hung on the “coat rack in the hall” – Lauren’s dresser. The closet doors were the end of the house at first, but Lauren – “Julia”- needed to get her doll, and then Grover, and then Pooh, and finally Allie said it could be the attic.

Ivey, “Willow”, cut up an apple and put the slices on the plates for breakfast. No water in open cups was allowed in the bedroom, so Allie, “Edith”, and Julia’s water bottles sat on the table. Three small forks were taken from the kitchen while Mom was blogging, and also three shallow Tupperware dishes for bowls and plates.

After breakfast Willow decided that they were going to do housecleaning. Julia, not having a very good opinion of housecleaning, announced that she was sick. Edith wanted to get sick too, but Willow said she couldn’t take care of all of them and the housecleaning, and promised her that that as soon as Julia was better she could be sick. However, they finished the housecleaning and Julia was still sick, so Willow got some of her perfume (see recipe at bottom) and sprayed it on her head. Then Julia had to be better so Edith could have a turn.

Edith got over it quickly. She had to, because Mom called, “Girls! We’re going Christmas shopping!” The outfits were quickly stowed in Allie and Lauren’s hanging cubbyholes. They were out to the car in a few minutes. Foley’s was a while away, so there were books in their owners’ paws. Ivey had Marlfox, which was a very absorbing book and would keep her busy for a while. Allie had a book about Wilbur and Orville Wright, the two otter brothers who had invented the airplane. Lauren had a book of Christmas stories and poems.

Foleys was crowded. It was filled with Christmas shoppers. The squirrels bought matching plaid flannel nightgowns, an origami calendar for Sister Rachel, the mother of a mouse family that had recently joined the church, and a tie for Goggy, their grandfather. While they were in line to pay, Mom’s phone started ringing.  It was Goggy, who wanted them to take him to see the “real Santa”  at Stonebriar Mall late Sunday afternoon, and then “take him to the ice rink so he could watch his ‘beautiful little grandsquirrels’ skate”. Mom pretended to hesitate, and asked the squirrels, “Do you think we might be able to do that Sunday?”

“Yes!”  Ivey, Allie and Lauren almost yelled.

“Shh,” said Mom, as she turned back to the phone.

They went outside. Their car was parked near the bottom of the kid’s favorite grass slope. So, while Mom and Dad tried to walk down without slipping, the young squirrels ran down the slope, each in her own way. Allie turned somersaults (which she regretted when she got down to the car and found that she had grass stains all over), Lauren looked almost as if she was flying, running with her arms outstretched, and Ivey felt as though she were flying. She ran and jumped down the slope, called “galumphing” in the Arthur Ransome “Swallows and Amazons” books.

The ride back home was filled with eager conversation and laughter from the back seat. Lauren and Allie were discussing with Ivey what they were going to play outside when they got home. Ivey had no doubt about it. They were either going to play Redwall or castle or searats or privateers, (which was only searats reversed and the privateers capturing the searats) since those were the games that they usually played. Lauren didn’t want to play privateers or Redwall, and Allie was bored of searats, so as Ivey had no objection to any games, they decided on castle. They sat composing the background. “Hmm. Oh, I know! There was a fire where the queen lived before, and the castle burned up, and so she had to run to another place to escape the flames. When she came back, all her people had left as well, and had settled in a wide open plain. The queen built a new castle and lived in it with her knight and her maid/squire. How does that sound?” Allie piped up. Ivey and Lauren liked that.

“I get to build the castle!” Ivey said. She picked up her notepad and drew a plan:

“The balance beam is on top of the Big Black Box and the table, the slide is balanced on the balance beam.

“Oh, that’s neat,” said Allie. “Which way is the Big Black Box facing?”

“Inward,” answered Ivey. “I would have drawn the door, but that would have gotten all over the slide.” They pulled into the driveway. The squirrels ran inside and dumped their stuff inside their rooms, and ran to the backyard. The castle was quickly built, according to Ivey’s plan, and Allie stood on the balance beam. “Hey!”

Ivey looked up from where she was sitting on the “throne”- an old green camp chair. “Hey, there. Hay is for horses, don’t hay me,” she answered, which was a silly thing that Dad said. “What is it?”

“I can see the sunset from here!” There was an immediate scramble for the balance beam. “Wow!” Everyone sat down as they watched the rose-colored, lavender, orange and pink sunset disappear beyond the treetops.

Sock Dolls

These are the two sock dolls I have made. The one in black is called Amy. I made her a long time ago, before December. The one in the flowered shirt I made this week. She is called Alicia. So far Alicia has ridden on my bike, in a cupholder in the car, has been shown to several people at church (thanks to Mother Auma, who is very proud of the doll) and something silly: sat on the birdhouse patio! Our birdhouse has a little area bordered by the birdhouse on one side and a little short fence on two others. It's for putting seeds up in, but there weren't any and I set her up there. She was so cute!

My Favorite Poems

These are poems from my poetry book for this term. They were written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

The Secret of the Sea

Ah! what pleasant visions haunt me

As I gaze upon the sea!

All the old romantic legends,

All my dreams come back to me.

Sails of silk and ropes of sandal,

Such as those in ancient lore;

And the singing of the sailors,

And the answer from the shore!

Most of all, the Spanish ballad

Haunts me oft, and tarries long

Of the noble Count Arnaldos

And the seaman's mystic song.

Like the long waves on a sea-beach,

where the sand as silver shines,

With a soft, monotonous cadence,

Flow its unrhymed lyric lines:-

Telling how the Count Arnaldos,

With his hawk upon his hand,

Saw a fair and stately galley,

Steering onward to the land;-

How he heard the ancient helmsman

Chant a song so wild and clear,

That the circling sea-bird slowly

Perched upon the mast to hear,

Till his soul was full of longing,

and he cried with impulse strong,--

"Helmsman! for the love of heaven,

Teach me, too, that wondrous song!"

"Wouldst thou,"--so the helmsman answered,

"Learn the secret of the sea?

Only those who brave its dangers

Comprehend its mystery!"

In each sail that skims the horizon,

In each landward blowing breeze,

I behold that stately galley,

Hear those mournful melodies;

Till my soul is full of longing

For the secret of the sea,

And the heart of the great ocean

Sends a thrilling pulse through me.

Isn't that beautiful? and then this one is also one of my favorites:

Daybreak

A wind came up out of the sea,

And said, "O mists, make room for me."

It hailed the ships and cried, "Sail on,

Ye mariners, the night is gone."

And hurried landward far away,

Crying, "Awake! it is the day."

It said unto the forest, "Shout!

Hang all your leafy banners out!"

It touched the wood-bird's folded wing,

And said, "O bird, awake and sing."

And o'er the farms, "O chanticleer,

Your clarion blow; the day is near."

It whispered to the fields of corn,

"Bow down, and hail the coming morn."

It shouted through the belfry tower,

"Awake, O bell! proclaim the hour."

It crossed the churchyard with a sigh,

And said, "Not yet! In quiet lie."

San Francisco Narration

San Francisco is in California. Cable cars go down the slanting streets. I can see the bay and smell the sea smell as I walk around. A car goes over the Golden gate bridge. The huge bridge is really not golden, but reddish orange. Cars zoom over it and sightseers with cameras walk on the sidewalks and take pictures of this amazing marvel. There is a stand to buy tickets for a ferry cruise, so I buy one and get on. Another bridge looms up near me. The Bay Bridge attracts my attention as the ferry sails by the large gray bridge. The ferry stops at a town across the bay called Marina. I wander around the decks for a while, looking at all the boats. One looks like the Taj-Mahal.  There is a restaurant nearby. I have dinner there. The sun is just beginning to set as I return to the ferry. A seabird wheels overhead. All is quiet except for the low murmur of other top deck passengers talking together. The sun goes down. As soon as it is completely down, I see the lights of San Francisco, far across the bay. But closer, I see the Golden Gate Bridge. It is lit up and looks like a flock of stars have settled on it instead of seabirds. It is beautiful and amazing. San Francisco is closer now. You can see the lights of the city- restaurant signs, window lights, and more- and some of the most important CA buildings- the building that looks like a fire hose, the Museum of Art. And, of course, the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges.

Animal Adventures Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Ivey's Dream

Ivey had gone to bed. She lay there thinking on what had happened that day. They had had church. Very nice, but it went as usual: Church, lunch, kid’s bible study, and then playtime outside. That, too, had gone as usual. She and Jessie climbed their favorite tree, Aaron had attempted to climb it and ended up in the tree next to it, and Jessie had gotten stuck in the tree. Again. The squirrel rolled over. After church they had had the entire afternoon open, so they went shopping for Christmas presents. Mom had to get some books for the church party, so they went to Border’s Books. There, in the young adults section, Ivey had found the Redwall book Triss. She had read to about page 46, but then they had to leave. Ivey had been haunted by the question “What happened next?!?” for the rest of the day. She rolled over again and fell asleep.

For a few minutes she dreamed she was Eowyn. That lasted for about five minutes. Then a confused dream followed. She was Triss, fighting – Orcs?? That didn’t make any sense, and then the dream completed its change and she really was Triss. And this dream was the most realistic one she had ever had. She was Triss, and everything happened exactly as in the book – until she finished what she had read. Then a small voice seemed to float past her – “The rest is up to you…” dying away to an echo. Ivey-Triss stood confused for a moment, and then realized fully what the voice had said. “The rest is up to you.” That meant that she was who made up the rest. She looked around for an inspiration. Somehow she was on a beach that seemed deserted except for a ship.

Suddenly a hedgehog’s head poked out of the ship. It looked surprisingly like Samuel. “Come on, Triss, we need to get going.” She went into to the ship. It began to go. She was about to ask Samuel where they were going, when it caught her that she was supposed to know, and that Samuel probably had a different name. She saw a vole closely resembling her friend Angela, who solved her problem by talking to Samuel and calling him “Matthias”. And so Angela was? “Songbreeze”, she heard Samuel-Matthias call her. Who else of her friends was on the ship?

Garret suddenly appeared. “Songbreeze, your turn to steer,” he called. Songbreeze answered him as “Deyna”. Suddenly Triss realized something. Each of her friends was an animal from the Redwall books, and so was she! Triss was from Triss, Matthias was from Redwall, Songbreeze from Marlfox, and Deyna from Taggerung! If Jessie was there, Ivey thought, she would be … Mara from Salamandastron, Bella from Mossflower, Auma from Mattimeo, or… Lady Cregga Rose Eyes from The Long Patrol. It turned out it was Auma. Triss found out by hearing Matthias ask Deyna, “Is it Auma’s or my turn to be on watch?”

“I’m not sure, go check the list. I just know that Auma and Triss are supposed to be on the same watch. Triss on the starboard side, Auma on the port.” (Better get this straight right now. Facing forward, starboard is right and port is left.) Matthias ran below to check the list. Triss, who had been exploring the deck of the ship, heard him call, “Auma! Where are you? Hello?” Jessie (Auma) came cautiously up the ladder to the deck. She winked at Triss, and whispered, “I slipped around him without being noticed and when he comes up, you and I’ll be on watch and he’ll wonder how I got up here without him seeing me.” She moved to the side of the ship.

There was a loud bump, and a muffled exclamation from below deck, followed by a half angry, half laughing yell.  “Sloey! Come back here!” Lauren shot out on deck, laughing, and as Matthias ran at her, she slipped around him and ran below. Matthias ran after her.

“What just happened?” asked Triss.

Auma giggled, and replied, “I think Sloey jumped out on Matthias and he fell over, that was the bump, and something like a pillow must have fallen on him, that was just as he said something, and Sloey bolted.” She laughed again.

Triss went back to her own side of the ship. She saw a shadow on the horizon. It came closer and closer, and suddenly was – “Land!” she yelled. Everyone rushed to the side of the ship but Songbreeze, who was still steering. Matthias, Auma, Sloey, Songbreeze, Deyna and Triss stared at the island, which slowly grew to a peninsula with a river running into it.

“I know that place!” said Auma. “That’s the river that goes right past Redwall!” It was agreed to go to Redwall, and Triss kept a lookout carefully, for she had never seen the place. Besides, her friends and she were from different times and books, so she wanted to know if Redwall had an Abbess or Abbot and also which one they were.

The stream flowed on almost lazily. Auma and Triss still had watch, but everyone was out on deck, even Sloey, who sat up in the prow on a blanket “keeping watch” but soon grew bored and set about trying to make a tent out of a pole and the blanket. She finally succeeded and curled up inside. Auma watched the trees go by. Triss was on her side, and they pointed out certain trees to each other, saying, “Do you think I’d get stuck in that one?” or “How high do you think we’d get in that one?”

Matthias was swinging around in the rigging reading a book. Deyna was in the crow’s nest, when suddenly Triss, who had just climbed up the rigging, exploded into a shrill “Redwall! REDWALL AHEAD!!”

Ivey woke up yelling, “Redwall! Red-“ She had woken herself up with her yelling. Allie had climbed up the ladder and was trying to put her paw over Ivey’s mouth. “Be quiet will you? Your clock says it’s 7. Good thing you yelled. Mom thought you got up already!”

This Country of Ours Narration

No one really liked having to give up George Washington. He had been a good president and everyone loved him, but he didn’t want to be in charge any more so they had to let him go and they appointed John Adams in his place. Everyone followed the late president to his home. When he had gone inside, a large sob broke from the crowd.

            The French were upset because of the Jay Treaty. They threatened to attack America if it didn’t give it a large sum of money as a bribe and they wanted something else too. I think it was to repeal the treaty. John Adams sent an ambassador named Pinckney to France but he was not received at all even when two more ambassadors were sent to France. Many Americans talked of war with France.

            The French, however, didn’t want war. They just wanted to get something for nothing from the United States. When they saw the spirit of the nation they switched and tried to make peace, but the Americans were so upset they wouldn’t cooperate so John Adams quietly sent to France and solved the quarrel.

            Then everyone got upset with John Adams because everyone was saying that he had made peace with France for all sorts of bad reasons. John Adams was rather upset and said, “When I die, write on my grave, ‘John Adams, who took upon himself the responsibility of peace with France.’” He could think of no better epitaph.

            Then Tennessee joined the Union. First it was its own republic, under the name of Franklin. Then it became part of the union, but it was very uncivilized and unprepared. There was hardly anything but it grew into one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Vocabulary Notebook

I have some interesting words in my Isaac Newton biography: Apocryphal and Polemics.

apoc·ry·phal
Pronunciation: -f&l
Function: adjective
1 : of doubtful authenticity : SPURIOUS
2 often capitalized : of or resembling the Apocrypha

po·lem·ic
Pronunciation: p&-'le-mik
Function: noun
Etymology: French polémique, from Middle French, from polemique controversial, from Greek polemikos warlike, hostile, from polemos war; perhaps akin to Greek pelemizein to shake, Old English ealfelo baleful
1 a : an aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another b : the art or practice of disputation or controversy -- usually used in plural but sing. or plural in constr.
2 : an aggressive controversialist : DISPUTANT
 

Thank you Merriam-Webster Online! I love that dictionary.

Why didn't I read this before I went to CA?

I have been reading Book of Marvels and I went to Yosemite, which is in the 3rd chapter:

I was in Yosemite! And that is where I climbed rocks that had fallen off of Half Dome, dug in Mirror Lake, saw Bridal Veil and Yosemite Falls’ places and did other things. And now, I see what I was walking past. The Indians and whites were fighting against each other and one guy called Major Savage was exploring w/some people and suddenly he found a beautiful waterfall 4 times taller than Niagara! It was a river that fell over the edge of the cliff. Major Savage must have thought it looked like a bridal veil as it broke into lacy spray and mist on its way down, and called it Bridal Veil. Then, as they walked by more beautiful Yosemite sights, they heard thundering, like a cannon. Had the Indians gotten one? NO! It was Yosemite Falls, higher than sixteen Niagaras!  First, it fell 1500 feet. Then there was 800 feet of cataracts. Then was the final drop to the canyon floor, 300 feet. 1500+800+300=2600 feet! There was a really good picture of it in the book, even though it didn’t show the cataracts.

I think I like geography better when I've actually been there myself.

Animal Adventures Chapter 5

1.  Story taken from Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel

2.  Story taken from Mariel of Redwall by Brian Jacques

Engineer It!

Animal Adventures Chapter 4

Chapter 4: At the Park

Ivey couldn’t wait! The car seemed to creep along as she waited impatiently to get to the park. Finally she got out Salamandastron and found her place. Two pages and they were there! Ivey tucked her book under her arm, grabbed a Wal-Mart bag and ran to the pavilion where the church had gathered for a picnic lunch. Ivey set down her bag and peeked into her grandmother’s. It was chocolate chip cookies and chips, yum. After lunch, the playground saw a group headed for the castle. Claire, Ivey, Jessica, Allie, Aaron, Lauren and Adam (Ivey was babysitting the little mouse) had become, in the same order, Shieldmaiden, Eowyn, Princess Arwen, Queen Mariel, King John, Princess Belle and “Bonny Prince Charlie” (Adam’s name had come from Claire). “We need a bad guy,” said King John decidedly. Everyone agreed, but no one wanted to be the bad guy. “They can be invisible pretend bad guys. That’s how we do it when nobody wants to be the bad guy at our house,” said Princess Belle. Eowyn had gone to the top of the castle. “Bad guys approaching! Do we stay and fight or take the little princess and prince somewhere else, or both?”

“Both,” said Queen Mariel. “Princess Arwen, take Belle and Charlie to the rocket ship and wait for John and I. Eowyn and Shieldmaiden will fight them and catch up with us.” It must have looked funny – if any one had seen it. For the bad guys had conveniently chosen to try and ambush them on the swing side of the castle, where there was no one but a little five-year-old, who looked at them and walked off. Two knights fought thin air and went to the rocket ship, where the others had spent most of their time trying to make sure that the prince did not wander off. He had finally escaped them and was going down the steps as Eowyn and Shieldmaiden came up. “Prince Charlie,” said Eowyn, “you should be with everyone else – going back to the castle.” The prince knew how to win himself back into Eowyn’s favor. He gave her a hug and got her to pick him up. Inside everyone was debating what to do next. Princess Belle wanted to be captured, King John wanted to go to sea, Princess Arwen said she seconded that, Queen Mariel said she was bored and wanted to go to the pond, Shieldmaiden and Eowyn were both in favor of Belle being captured, and Charlie ran from one to the other looking puzzled. Finally Belle was to be captured (Belle, Shieldmaiden, Eowyn) by searats (John, Arwen) and Queen Mariel would have not gone on the voyage (so she could go to the pond). They went to the boat. A “pirate ship” came sailing by and the pirates boarded the ship. Eowyn, Shieldmaiden and John fought valiantly, and Prince Charlie ran around waving his arms and saying “arrrrrr!” but they carried off Princess Belle and added princess Arwen as a bonus. So the rest of the crew sailed after them and found a tall tower. Inside were the princesses. Eowyn and Shieldmaiden snuck up on the guards, tied them up and threw them over the playground fence (good thing there weren’t any real guards!) and went in. Princess Belle was very dramatic. “You saved us! If you were boy knights I would marry one of you!”

“Yuck,” said Eowyn. Princess Arwen made a face in agreement. They all went back to the castle, where Mariel had waited. Then Eowyn’s dad found them. “Ivey, Allie, Lauren, time to go.”

A Limerick

There was an old man of the Lear

Who always played chess with a spear.

But one day when he did,

The spear ran and hid,

And eluded that man of the Lear.

(I made this up when I was little and so I have no clue where "the Lear" is!)

Animal Adventures Chapters 1-3

Characters:

• A squirrel family, named Ivey, Allison, and Lauren.
• A family of mice, named Aaron, Jenna, and Adam. (Adam was a baby).
• A dormouse boy, J.L.
• A hare family, whose names were Claire, Caitlin, and Justin.
• A hamster family, Eliza, Emmy, and Ellinor. (Ellinor was a baby).
• A mole family, Evans, Audra and Hannah Grace. (Hannah Grace was a baby).
• A gerbil family, Cameron and Reagan.
• A badger family, Nick and Jessica.
• Another dormouse boy, Joel.
• A hedgehog family, Samuel, Maddie, Chloe and Brennan. (Brennan was a baby.)
• An otter family, Garret and Steven.

(There will be an assortment of other animals for some chapters.)

Chapter 1: The Ground-Breaking

THE SUN smiled down on a large field bordered with trees where the church had gathered. Almost all of the children had shovels. Ivey took one and, after figuring out what she was supposed to do, jammed it into the ground and jumped on it. Both footpaws came down hard and she sat on the end to push the shovel up. Allie, watching, giggled. “I think you jammed it down too—yipe!” The shovel had suddenly sprung up, leaving a hole and a rather surprised Ivey, who had tumbled off the end of the shovel. Allie collapsed laughing. Indignantly Ivey dragged the shovel over to where everybody else was digging. She settled herself between Jessica the badger and Caitlin the hare. Jessica looked up. “Hi, Ivey. Oh, look, over in the trees!” Ivey looked and started laughing along with her.

The Three Gladiators, Aaron the mouse, Justin the hare and Evans the mole were chasing their archenemy Nick the badger, armed with two toy guns of Aaron’s. Justin had a stick for a sword. Nick led them on an obstacle course through the trees and then climbed a hard one. Aaron, who seemed to be the leader this time, had the other two help him form a ring around the tree, waving their weapons and yelling. Nick merely threw down some twigs on them. The Three Gladiators got bored and retreated to a big pile of dirt and rocks they called "their fortress". They yelled something inaudible. Then a hamster called Brother Parker yelled, “Come here, kids.” All the children ran over to him, dragging shovels. Nick climbed out of the tree and grabbed a stray shovel. Unknown to anyone, Aaron, Evans and Justin’s shovels had been stowed on a ledge of the dirt pile, so Aaron threw his down and jumped down after it. Justin repeated the process and, after thinking it over, so did Evans. Slightly smaller then the others, he landed on all fours over his shovel. They ran over to where Brother Parker was telling the kids what to do. He wanted them to push dirt back into a trench where a dirt fence was. Ivey dropped her shovel and headed for a dropped rake. It worked a lot better. As they were finishing, a mole named Sister Andrea called, “Lunch time!” As they all sat down, the pastor, a squirrel named Brother Mike said, “Let’s all pray that God will sanitize our paws.” A hamster named Sister Birdie said, “For those of us with weak faith, I have wipes.”

“I need one,” said an otter named Brother Dennis. Everyone laughed.

******************************************************************************

After lunch the kids played under the trees. Ivey climbed up one and sat when the Three Gladiators came by, chasing Nick. Secretly she wanted to join in. But the thought vanished as her best friend, a hare slightly older than her named Claire joined her. “Ivey! Remember on Wednesday night I said I’d bring you the first Redwall book?” Ivey nodded. “Well, here it is,” said Claire. She handed it to her. The squirrel opened the book. It was about an Abbey called Redwall, where the villainous rat Cluny the Scourge attacked, and how a brilliant young mouse named Matthias found the sword of the Abbey’s long-ago hero Martin the Warrior and defeated him………

Chapter 2: The Zettles

INSIDE HER room, the squirrel Ivey was sharpening a stick. The wood shavings fell onto the floor until she decided it looked enough like a sword. “Ow!” It feels like one too, she thought, as she put it in a sheath made out of plastic swing casing. ‘Dingdong’ went the door. The two mischievous otters Garret and Steven were here! Although troublesome at times, the otters were two of Ivey’s many best friends, perfect for war games. Today each of them had brought a wooden sword. After their mom left, everyone headed for the backyard. Ivey grabbed a bamboo stick called Flydeath. “Do you want to play searats?” asked Allie. “Ok!” said Steven. He scrambled onto the playhouse. “What’s your pretend name?”

“Isabella,” said Allie.

“Clara,” said Lauren.  

“Summer”, said Ivey.

“Capt. Badrang,” said Garret.

“Mr. I’m-going-to-catch-Clara. No, Gabool”, said Steven. He laughed and leaped from the “ship”. ‘Clara’ screeched and ran, but ‘Summer’ blocked her way. ‘Badrang’ kept her against the fence. She was surrounded. “Parley!” she yelled, trying to break out. “Fine. I’ll name our terms,” said ‘Gabool’. “1, you are our prisoner. 2, we play castle. 3-”

“Ok, ok,” she said. She went to the sandbox. “I am not being a queen cause then I have to marry someone. I’m a knight,” “I’m the King.” “Ok, I’m a knight too.” “Can I be the Princess?” Finally everything was settled. Steven was king, Ivey and Garret were knights, Lauren was princess and Allie was queen. Steven said, “Ok. I’m king and I say you’re all fired. Ha-ha.” Garret stood up. “Then we’re rebelling. Ha-ha to you!” He drew his sword. “I’m with you, Garret!” Ivey stood and drew hers. Steven scrambled out on the monkey bars. As a squirrel, Ivey easily scampered under and barred his way by sitting on the other end. Steven swung down. Ivey leaped for Flydeath, yelling her warcry, “Eulaliaaa!” She grabbed Flydeath and locked him with it. He poked her with his sword. Ivey poked him with her sword. She wrestled his out of his paw and tossed it to Garret. The otter caught it. Ivey let go of Steven and ran to Garret. “This is war, Garret!”

Garret stuck out his tongue. “And we have your sword. Maybe you should surrender!” He blew a raspberry. Just then Allie, who had now decided she was on Steven’s side, came up with a toy bow and suction cup arrows. “Here, use these.” Ivey scampered down the side of the playhouse and made several sandballs. The squirrel returned with a bucket of them. She dodged an arrow and flung a sandball down. It hit Steven on the back as he turned to pick up another arrow. This one hit Garret on the forehead. It didn’t hurt, but it stuck. He lay down on the floor playing dead. Outraged, Ivey smashed five sandballs together and threw. It hit Steven’s head, and as he wiped sand out of his face he yelled “Flag of truce! Flag of truce! Parley!”

“Of what would you parley?” asked the squirrel. “You killed Garret. Take that!” She threw another sandball, which was so big it knocked Steven over. “I said parley!” he yelled.

“Fine. Of what would you parley? My terms are 1, you stop attacking, 2, you leave, 3, you let me pelt you with another sandball.”

“Ok, my terms are 1, no sandballs, no arrows, 2, you’re all un-fired, 3, Garret’s only wounded.”

“Agreed.” Smack!

Ivey pulled off the arrow and gasped, then laughed. There was red on the tall otter’s forehead but on closer inspection it proved to be cherry Kool-Aid that Allie had dipped the ends of the arrows in. She grabbed a stick and string and quickly made a bow. She shot it at Steven as he picked up the arrows. A yell proved her accuracy as she turned back to Garret. “Garret, just get better now, would you?”

“Ok,” and he got up. After lunch, Ivey tiptoed outside and hid the bow and arrows in a box in the playhouse.

Chapter 3: The Swimming Pool

“WAHOO!” LAUREN tossed a blowup whale into the air. The three little squirrels could hardly wait. Their otter friends the Zettles and the hedgehogs from across the street were going to the pool with them. Dingdong! The Zettles! Dingdong! Samuel, Maddie and Chloe, with Brennan in a float suit.  Vrmm! “The pool!” Piling out of the car, each one had a pair of goggles, alligator diving toy, float, towel and sunglasses. Brennan had a rubber duck. Garret and Steven, the otters, bounded in immediately. “Ooh, look who’s gonna get sunburned!” said Ivey. The two quickly waded out and stood in line for sunscreen. “Brennan!” screamed Ivey. She ran to the pool and dove just as Brennan stepped off the tanning ledge into 5’ water. “Bad boy, no-no, got to go in the little pool.” The little hedgehog was upset and began to cry as Ivey hauled him out of the pool. His mom hurried over. “Thanks, Ivey,” she said. “I’m just glad I remembered the float suit.”

“Get your toys!” Ivey grabbed a pair of goggles and diving toy, the otters took floats, Samuel began floating on his back, Brennan, Lauren and Chloe splashed around in the baby pool, Allie and Maddie, inseparable friends, played mermaids on the tanning ledge and the moms talked.  Garret beached his ‘boat’ where the mermaids were. “Any mermaids coming back to the sea with me?”

“No way!” Allie and Maddie answered simultaneously.  Allie pushed the whale away, with Garret still on it. Halfway to the other side of the pool it capsized. Allie and Maddie capsized laughing. Something grabbed Garret’s footpaws as he went under and pushed him up. Ivey’s head popped up beside him and laughed as she let go of him. “You OK?”

“I’m fine. Thanks. Hey!” Steven was making off with the whale, leaving Garret with an inner tube. He flopped onto it and struck out hard with all paws, moving across the water at a tremendous speed. He went underwater and capsized the whale again, leaving Steven with the inner tube. Four noodles floated by. Steven grabbed one and bopped Garret with it. Ivey bopped Steven, Samuel bopped Ivey and Garret bopped Samuel. Soon they were all in a noodle war. Ivey fought wildly, taunting when Garret took her noodle, “Ha-ha! You’re so scared of a girl that you have to take her weapon in order to feel safe fighting her,” and latched onto the noodle. Garret tried to hit her with one noodle and drag her around on the other. The squirrel hung on and laughed. “Whee! It feels like a roller coaster! Ha-ha!” With a sudden jerk she spun off Garret and took the noodle. She hit hard at him and he stepped back. Steven got tired and said he was the referee. Samuel joined him. “Ok, there are two rules,” the otter said. “ 1, the referees can’t hit and 2, you can’t hit the referees.” Leaving the two “enemies” to fight each other, they objected only if they were hit. When Garret took Ivey’s noodle and she tried to push him underwater, Garret said, “Hey, is that fair?”

“Those are the only two rules,” said Samuel. Ivey pushed Garret under and took the noodle. She pulled at his and tried to get him underwater again. (Later, the squirrel found out the moms had been watching during the battle and wondered why she wasn’t swimming away while all three boys were hitting her with noodles.)