Morse Code

You can imagine how much trouble armies had when trying to communicate. They were often miles away from each other and it was extremely difficult to contact each other to warn them about the enemy, or news and changed plans. Around 1832, a code was created that enabled people to communicate over long distances. Now armies could contact each other much easier than before.

Morse coke was invented and developed by Samuel Morse. He patented the first functioning receiver in 1837. A partner of Morse, Alfred Vail, having greater technical abilities, later improved the machine. In 1830, Joseph Henry had made the first long distance telegraph machine. It sent and electric signal over a mile on wire. When the telegraph reached the end of the wire, there was a magnet that caused a bell to ring.

Morse code is a series of "dots and dashes, or "dits and dahs" representing letters and numbers. It is a method of transmitting info by on-off tones, lights, or clicks. A telegraph sends electrical signals over long distances. Because of it can be read without a decoding device and is easily sent, it is one of the simplest methods of telegraphy.

Presently, it is still used, thought it is not as popular. The U.S. Coast Guard stopped using it for their distress signals because of their automatic satellite relays. It is often used on ships and in radio telegraphy; and pilots are still required to know it.

Morse did a great deal to help America as it grew. Eventually , it was modified to the point that it is wireless and is known as the telephone. Perhaps Morse didn't know how much it would impact America. Morse code was once the newest device in electronics. Since then, America has developed tremendously.Do you ever wonder, in fifty years, what will have changed? Will cars be considered as old fashioned as horse-drawn carriages?

Ellie the Cucumber

Mayday!! Mayday!! My friend Ellie had just been turned into a giant cucumber!!!! Well, she couldn't stop eating cucumbers and all of a sudden she just turned green and sprouted leaves!! She won't respond to anyone; Ellie just keeps singing, "O, where is my hairbrush, O, where is my hairbrush......." We don't know what to do with her; the police want to lock her up, the zoo wants to put her in a cage, and the local museum wants to put her on display. Yikes, here comes the news reporters!!! Hide!! Never mind, Larry the Cucumber from Veggie Tales just quit and they want Ellie on the show. I think she'd be a natural.........!

Cinnamon spills the Sugar!! Part I

My name is Cinnamon. Except the ironic thing is that I am a sugar bowl. Oh well, I like my name. Anyway, I work, or sit, at Millie's Cafe. One day I was sitting on my table and thinking to myself, "What a beautiful day!!", when two rude, sinister looking men came and sat at - whose table?? Mine!! Out of the 378 table at Millie's Cafe, they picked mine. They sat down and began talking. Suddenly, I was interested again. They were talking about the zoo. Not about going there, no, but of something else. This is what I heard: "So Larry, we need the tiger, lion, cheetah, elephant, cougar, and some kangaroos." "Right Joe" said Larry, "first we break into the zoo at night, distract the guards, then take their keys and make chaos by unlocking all the animal. Next, we'll get out with the above animals, and then the fun part-WE DOMINATE THE EARTH!!!!!"

To be continued.

The Sea of Snow

The Sea of Snow

Sparkling crystals,

A sea of snow,

Icicles dripping,

This sea of snow.

Trees are weighed down,

Covering the ground,

A sea of crystals,

And sparkling white snow.

Last night I watched,

As it all came down,

Flurries and snowflakes,

Covering the ground.

The wind did blow,

Did it stop? No.

A mini blizzard raged,

In our backyard,

Icy blasts,

And snow so cold,

Through the night,

A storm of white.

Now it is still,

A sea of snow,

A silent wonderland,

With a crystal glow.

The trees are covered,

With shimmering ice,

A bright-eyed junco,

On it's snowy perch.

The waves are still,

The sky is blue,

The snow so bright,

The sun shines true,

I an afraid,

I must confess,

I could go blind,

In this sparkling,

Shimmering, icy,

Sea of snow.

So, from the window

I will go,

Leaving behind, a sparkling,

Shimmering, icy,

Sea of snow.

Finish I must,

So leave I will ,

Tearing my eyes,

From the scene so still.

Rainy Day Blues

Meditating on the gloom,

Out the window of my room,

Seeing it might stop quite soon,

To the door I quickly zoom.

Excitedly, I step outside,

Noticing the growing "tide",

Watching it, to my surprise,

All it does is swell and rise.

Alas, goodbye,

O day of play,

Inside I'll stay,

'Till it goes away

A lesson in kindness

Adapted by Caroline Meek

Once there was a lion who was absentmindedly walking through a forest in Rome, when he accidently stepped in a rose bush. To his chargin he had a stubborn thorn stuck in his paw. Try as he might, he couldn’t get it out. Frantically, he roared and charged about until he came to a pasture at the edge of the forest. There he spotted a humble shepherd watching his flock. He pleadingly walked up to him and because he showed no signs of malice, the boy kindly pulled out the thorn without a single thought as to his own safety.

Sometime after this, the shepherd was wrongly accused and arrested. His fate was in the hands of the evil emperor Nero, who sentenced him to be thrown to the lions. The shepherd pleaded miserably but it was in vain. After a lion had been caught and starved, the shepherd boy was thrown into a ring and there the lion was released. He let out a vicious roar, which did nothing to improve the boy’s nervous, no, petrified state, and without warning, began to charge!!

The shepherd lost all hope as the lion leaped toward him. But suddenly, to everyone’s surprise, the lion stopped in his tracks. Wtih a small coincidence, and a great deal of luck, he had recognized the boy to be the same one who had helped him not so long ago in the little clearing in the forest. Presently, he laid down beside the shepherd and gave him a thorough licking. In the end, the king graciously pardoned the boy and let them both go free. Because of his kindness, the boy’s life was saved.

The Night Before the Meek's Christmas

"Twas the night before Christmas

And all through the house,

Not a creature was sleeping,

Not even a mouse,

They jumped on their beds,

Giddy with glee,

With high hopes that soon they would see,

A big large fellow,

Dressed in red,

With a big fancy hat

Hanging over his head.

"Twas the night before Christmas

And outside the house,

Someone had landed,

Not meaning to rouse,

Four little children,

Who crept to see,

Hiding behind the Christmas tree.

When Santa came down

The chimney so small,

It was all he could do

Not to stumble and fall,

For strewn on the floor,

And thrown on the ground,

Many toys did abound,

As he looked all around,

And exclaimed with dismay,

"No toys for these kids",

They heard him say,

"This is a disarray!!"

So they crept up to bed,

Constant with dread,

Fearing that Santa

Soon would head

Back to his sleigh

With his coat so red.

They thought he might skip them,

Because of the mess,

They mused as they dressed

"Twas the night before Christmas,

And into the house,

Crept inside like little mice,

Tiny elves, who were quite nice

They tidied the house,

Set right the shelves,

Then left quite suddenly,

with a leap quite nimbly

So Santa filled their stockings and left,

The children were asleep in their beds,

So tired they were,

That they failed to hear,

The swooshing of a sleigh,

An occasional neigh,

Or Santa whispering into their ear,

"Good night my dears,

I'll be back next year."

By Caroline Meek

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hope you all have a great day!!

The Farmer and his Sons-Retold by Caroline M.

A farmer, stricken with a fatal disease, was worried that his sons would be negligent towards the fields, the crops would perish, a his family would be without a cent. So he summoned his sons and told them that there was a great treasure hidden in one of his fields. Accordingly, after their father's death, they searched in all the fields, which, to their frustration, yielded nothing. In response to their wasted digging however, the crops were well plowed and they collected an abundant harvest which sustained the whole family for a very long time. By and by, the sons realized that their well-spent anger was, in truth, the fruit of their own labor.

A Contrast and Compare Paragraph on the Differences between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians

The Rockies and the Appalachians are both mountains, yet they have many differences. Such as, the Rockies are on the Pacific coast, ranging from British Columbia, Canada to New Mexico, U.S., while the Appalachians are in the Eastern Region, stretching from Newfoundland, an island of the coast of Canada, to northern Alabama, in the U.S.. Although the flora is of difference, the fauna contrasts noticeably. Located in the Appalachians, live many animals, including - bears, cougars, tree squirrels, rabbits, deer, wolf, moose, elk, fox, skunk, raccoon and boars. Birdwise, there are woodchucks, hawks, owls, doves, ducks and wild turkey. Also, the Common Garter Snake, the Copperhead, Black Rat Snake, the Timber Rattler, and the

poisonous Pit Viper. The streams and rivers are abundant with fish. In the Rockies, however, due to the harsh climate, there are limited species. Bears, Cougars, lynx, snow-hare, American Marten, squirrels and a few birds - the Mountain Chickadee, Steller's jay, owls, Nut Hatches and finches. Both area's woods include firs, spruces, oaks, herbs, monk pines. The climates are harsh; frost is not unexpected even in the summer. Thunderstorms occur often, and hurricanes, although uncommon, can happen. Lastly the Rockies are taller and sharper than the Appalachians, which are older and have been wore down by erosion. Although they are similar, they both have their differences.

An Argumentative Paragraph on the Advantages of A Large Family - By Caroline M.

A large family is a good thing. One of its advantages is that the older children can help with the younger ones. Also, the more children you have, the more grandchildren you'll have. Still, it costs more to feed and house a larger family than for a smaller one. Although the former single child may feel jealous at first, he or she will soon accept Number 2 as a playmate and friend. Large families have their disadvantages, but they also have many benefits.

The Hound of the Baskervilles - Summary by Caroline

The Hound of the Baskervilles begins when, after Sir Charles' mysterious death, a man called Dr. Mortimer comes to Sherlock Holmes seeking advice to a certain family legend. This legend contains a gigantic, fearsome hound. Sir Charles, thought to be the victim of the phantom hound, was found dead, paralyzed with signs of utmost fear written on his face. Holmes and Watson investigate, while guarding Sir Henry Baskerville, the heir of Sir Charles' estate. When danger arises, Watson does his best to keep Henry away from the moor, where signs of the hound are frequently found. In the end, Holmes devises a plan to catch the criminal responsible for Charles' death, risking Henry's life to save it.

Once upon a time, we went to Lake Quivira to swim in the lake. We had a great time there. After our lunch of PBJs, Annie and I went back to the water, but Charlie stayed behind to play in the sand. While we were playing water tag, Charlie had found a mound of dirt and had started poking it with a stick. The hours passed by and suddenly we realized we hadn't seen Charlie for a long time; in fact, not since lunchtime! He wasn't in the water; he wasn't on the beach, no one was. There was just a little beach ball that had been put on the top of a pile of sand, it looked like it had a face on it. "Wait a second!" cried Annie, "Beach balls aren't allowed on this beach!" We ran over to the ball and realized that it had a mouth too! The 'beach ball' was really a human head just sitting there on the beach! Really, it was Charlie. He had buried himself in the sand!

The End.

Ask the Computer

Hi. My name is-well never mind. That's Top secret with a capital T. I'm a computer. I can answer about anything you ask me. Go ahead, ask me a question. "What is the capital of Massachusetts?" Asked an elderly woman who looked like she could have been a teacher. "Easy!!" I cried, "Concord." Suddenly, a crowd of people had crowded around me and were firing questions at me left and right! "What is 3010+4990?" A man cried out. "8000." How many people are there on the earth?" "7.3 billion," I said. These questions are way too easy for me! Then someone asked, "What is 1+1?" "Um," I said,"Um,uh - let me ask the printer."

That was the end of my career.

Damara and the Mailbox

One day Damara was walking down her neighborhood street when she heard a voice. "Damaraaa.... Damaraaaaa..." Damara turned around quickly. No one was in sight but an old mailbox. Then she heard it again, "Damara!! Come here!!" " Who are you?" Said Damara. "Why, I'm a mailbox, of course." Replied the voice. "Right." Said Damara. "No really, who are you??" The mailbox said nothing. Damara got up close and inspected the mailbox very closely. There was silence. Then the mailbox said, "BOO!!" Damara said, " Ahhhhhhhh!!!! Sophie, I know you're in there!!" "Sophie?" said the mailbox, "Who's Sophie? Damara just knew Sophie was in there. But she wasn't!!

Special Powers for a Day

My name is Lily. I used to have special powers. This is how it happened: One day I went fishing; and I felt a tug at the end of the line. I thought to myself, "Yes! I have a bite!" But it turned out to be an ankle bracelet with only 50 large real diamonds, it's string just 100 karat gold spun by a princess. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention a little rainbow gem that shone in the sun. It wasn't much, but I tied it around my ankle anyway. As I cast my fishing rod I said to myself, "I wish this ankle bracelet was a fish." All of a sudden, I felt something flapping around at my feet. It was a fish!! Had I tied a fish around my ankle??! Then I realized I had just turned my new ankle bracelet into a fish! As I was thinking all this, the fish had squirmed off of my ankle onto the deck, and toward the edge of the water. I looked up from my ankle just in time to hear my precious fish plop into the ocean, never to be seen again. I still can't believe what happened that day. So much for the special powers.

Drums!!

My friends and I are on a trip through the jungle. As we get deeper deeper into the jungle, it gets darker and darker. All of a sudden we here the sound of battle drums and marching feet. We froze, then slowly, we turn around. No one in sight. Oh well, it must have been just our imaginations. Then, out of the blue we hear a tiny voice, "I'm down here you crazy humans!!" We look down and see an army of ants! They are shouting a war cry and have red paint on their cheeks!! In the blink of an eye they swarm all over us, knock us over are

carrying us

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All Aboard!

I am the conductor of the Transylvania Express. About a year ago, I was collecting train tickets when these two weird people came up to me and said, "Ving shoe laa na ha, ow no lee va na. Hee, Hee." In fact I wouldn't even call them people. They had green skin and two little green things coming out of their head. Oh yeah, did I mention they were only two feet tall? I asked them if they wanted anything and they said, "Na." And then it came to me! They were Martians!! So automaticaly I screamed, "Martians!" All of a sudden, the bigger one put his finger to his lips, pointed to my neck and said, "Mwahaha!" Then they put me in their little polka-dotted space ship, which had been blending in with a nearby leopard. What the leopard was doing out of the zoo, I don't know. They set the course for an endless route through the universe. Right now I am writing from a place near Jupiter. I have seen some amazing things out here. Although I don't recommend trying it. Their food is not very sustaining; by the looks of my meals, it would seem their favorite food is potato chips. They have a 18 year supply of them. Signing out.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!!

These are a few pictures from our Father's Day celebrations. The top picture is a typical Father's Day activity!

The Millionare Mouse

Lily the mouse had just found out that her Aunt Lulu had died and left her 10 million, 5 hundred thousand, 9 hundred, and 53 dollars! Lily was now very famous, wealthy, and above all, very powerful. She was out buying cheese, Colby Jack, American, and Pepper Jack. When she got home, she told her messenger, the pigeon to summon all neighborhood dogs. The pigeon said to the dogs, Lily wants you. Uh-o, you're in trouble!! When they were all assembled around her they began to beg, "Please Lily, O powerful mouse, have mercy on us!" But all Lily said was, "Shhh" O.K., here's the deal, every dog that chases the alley cat will receive $100." The dogs replied in a chorus,"Alright!!", and were off! Within 30 seconds the cat that had once had Lily and her family on the dinner menu raced in and begged the mouse for help. O.K., I'll stop the dogs, but you will have to promise to never again try eat me or any other mouse in the world. And warn your kitty friends too." And from then on, thanks to Lily, dogs, cats, and mice lived peaceful together.

Stinky the Skunk

I am a skunk named Stinky and I would make a great pet! I'm house broken, I won't bark when a stranger comes to the door; I don't have stinky breath, and I will protect you with all that I have. Did you know that it is very stuffy in this glass cage on the outside of the pet shop? Pleeeeeaaaase buy me!!!! Don't listen to them! I wouldn't stink up your house, unless I don't get my food on time, if you step on my tail, or if I am trying to protect my toy bunny. You only have to cut my hair twice a day! I'm very young, and have no chance of dying anytime soon. No, I don't smoke, and I love children. In my earlier days I was a nurse. Oh, so you won't buy me? O.K., then asked for it! You won't like what I'm about to do! I'm going to lock you up in my cage and set off stink bombs 24/7!!! Bye, I hope you make the right decision in favor of this small, poor, sincere, honest, and loving homeless pet.

A Retelling of The Boy Who Cried 'Wolf!'

Once there was a shepherd boy. He lived on the outskirts of town and was responsible for 300 sheep. One day he decided to play a trick on the townspeople. He ran into the village screaming,"Help! Come quick! A wolf has got my sheep!" They came running with pitchforks, guns, and large sticks. When the arrived, the sneaky boy laughed uproariously and rolled on the ground. The villagers were disgusted and went back to their work in the fields. Another day, when all was peaceful, the boy played the same prank again. And once again, the townspeople fell for it. The boy laughed uncontrollably and eventually the villagers resumed their duties. Then, on a dreary fall day, a wolf crept into the flock and began killing all the lambs! When the shepherd boy saw this, he ran in great alarm to the village in which he begged," Please help! A wolf is killing all the sheep!" But the people exclaimed," Come on, we aren't that foolish! Do you think that we would fall for your escapades again? No!" Upon hearing this, the boy sank to the floor and began to cry. As a result of his pranks, he lost all of his sheep. This is what comes about when one lies.

War on People

I am a large turkey from North America, and I am going undercover for all species of animals, big and small. You see, we animals have decided to do war on people because they have been polluting our environment and taking our land. I have been chosen to sneak inside the city limits of New York and penetrate the powerful forces of the People. Duck! Here comes a car! Phew, that was a close one. I am now inside the city, and I am sneaking along the main highway. Okay, let's review the plan. So I dramatically throw myself into the main Pizza Hut and cry out pathetically. Then, make a poor attempt to stand, fail, succeed, and then stagger pitifully around the room. The People will then take me to a nearby hospital. After this, I will signal other animal spies to come, repeat the above, and end up in the hospital with me. After we have all of our spies in the city, we will start the war. Did I forget anything? Good, see you around!

Bow Wow Chow Dog Food

Commercial:

" I am Muffin, the famous Muff. Have you heard of me? Anyway, it is 9:00 and I have been to write this commercial for the Bow Wow Chow Dog Food Company. Here we go:

Bow wow wow bow wow wow, whuff whuff whuff. Arrr arrr arrr arrrr. Owwwwwwwww!!!!

Thanks folks, please take my advice FOR YOUR SAFETY!!! "

Later:

"Sorry folks, it seems that we are clean out of stock! Actually, at approximately 9:05 we had a stampede! Dogs, big and small, rushed out of their houses to the Bow Wow Chow Dog Food Company. One thing is for sure, whatever Muffin said sure convinced them! Have a good day folks!

BUMP!!!!

BUMP!!!

by A. C. Monster

So I was swimming along just minding my own business when this hard thing came and whacked me on the head! I couldn't believe it! I looked back and can you guess what I saw? A so-called-extinct wide, hollow, floating stick with people in it! You see, I am a sea monster, and we haven't seen one of these since last winter. I guess they hibernate. O.K., it was getting pretty annoying! They were standing on their thingy yelling at the top of their voices, "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" They were pretty scared about something. Hey, I didn't do anything! I decide that I would have to give them an extra push to get them on their way. Down the river they went, screaming the whole time. I don't know where they ended up, but one thing is for sure, they never came back.