L,
It certainly has been busy here this past week. Every day Harry and Tom send large colorful packages to their family and other friends. Also every afternoon, after the mail has come, I see Harry and Tom coming around the corner of the house with their red wagon and go to the mail box to get the many packages the mail carrier left for them.
One sunny afternoon, I was sitting outside when Harry and Tom came with the wagon to get their mail. I asked them who they were sending so many presents to. Tom told me their mom and dad did not like the cold and snowy weather at their home in the Michigan U.P. Now their mother and father go to Florida where it is warm and sunny during the winter. In Florida they have a house on the beach by the ocean. Their house has lots of windows to let in the cool ocean breeze and a large porch in the front where they sit and eat their breakfast. Harry and Tom also told me that they have two sisters. Their sisters, Henrietta and Thelma live in California. Because their family lived far away in two different states, they have to send their presents to them. Harry told me that they were finished shopping, wrapping, and sending all the presents to their family.
The next morning, I smelled the most delicious baking smells coming from Harry and Tom’s house. I wondered what they were doing, so I made some hot chocolate, put it in a thermos and took some Christmas cookies from our cookie jar. I put thermos of hot chocolate and the Christmas cookies in the box on the back of my wheelchair. I rolled down the ramp, out the garage, and went around the corner of my house to their house in the back yard. I knocked on their door and when Tom came up the stairs and opened the door, I asked if he and Harry would like some hot chocolate and cookies. Tom said they would and because I could not get my wheelchair down the stairs, he and Harry would come outside and have some hot chocolate and cookies with me.
As we sat around the fire in drank the hot chocolate and ate the cookies; they told me that they were busy baking their favorite Christmas cookies and cakes. I asked them what the two of them would do with so many cookies and cakes. They told me they would make hot apple juice and take the cookies, cakes and hot apple juice to share with the others after the Christmas program. They also told me that they liked to wrap some of the Christmas cookies and cakes in packages and on Christmas Eve leave them at their friend’s doors. I think that Charley the cougar, Dan the deer, and Samantha the squirrel will have a nice surprise on Christmas morning.
What color wrapping paper would you use to wrap the cookies and cakes that Harry and Tom are going to leave on their friend’s doors? Do you think you can draw a picture of Harry and Tom’s mom and dad’s house in Florida? What color would you make the house?
Until next time,
Grandpippy
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Harry and Tom Prepare for Christmas
L,
One day last week, I looked out the window and saw a Christmas trees being carried past the window. I hurried to a window and looked out at the back yard in time to see Harry and Tom carrying a big Christmas tree to the door of their underground house. When they reached the door and tried to carry the tree through the door, they discovered the tree was so large that they would not be able to get it into their house. What to do? They measured the tree, measured the door, took their hats off, scratched their heads, and talked to each other about what to do. Because I was in the house, I could not hear what they were saying. As I sat looking out the window, I saw Harry and Tom go back to the front of our house and walk off down the street. I did not know what they were doing. What do you think they were doing?
Well, later that morning, I saw Harry and Tom coming down the street carrying another Christmas tree. Actually, Harry was carrying the tree and Tom was pulling a red wagon that was full of boxes and bags. When they came to their door, Tom opened the door and Harry had no trouble bringing the new Christmas tree down the stairs. As Tom was carrying the boxes and bag from the red wagon down the stairs, Harry walked off into the trees and talked to Dan the deer. Dan, his family, and Charley the cougar live in the woods at the end of our street. After talking to Harry, Dan ran off toward his house and came back with Charley and Samantha, a squirrel, who lives in a nest high up in a tree. They knocked on Harry and Tom’s door and after a short wait Harry and Tom came outside and the five friends took the Christmas tree, that was too large to go through Harry and Tom’s door, and set it up in the yard and began to decorate it. Harry and Tom had some dried cranberries. Dan had some colorful Indian corn. Charley had lots and lots of brightly colored leaves that he had collected and Samantha had a bag of acorns and other nuts that she had gathered and painted many different bright colors. So the five friends sat down in a circle and began to string the dried cranberries, Indian corn, colored leaves and nuts together. After they had made long strings of dried cranberries, Indian corn, leaves, and nuts, they stood in a circle around the tree and began to decorate the tree.
I wanted to help so I made them a lunch of hot soup, cheese sandwiches, and apples for dessert. I put the hot soup in a thermos, the sandwiches and apples in bags and put everything is the box on the back of my wheelchair. I went down the ramp, out the garage door, and around the side of the house to the five friends. They stopped decorating the tree and we all had a picnic lunch around the fire they had. After lunch, I went back into my house and had to take a nap. When I woke up and looked out the window, I saw that the five friends had finished decorating the tree and had gone home.
That night after everyone had gone to bed, I got out of bed and looked out the window and saw bright Christmas lights on the tree. However, when I went back to bed wondered how Harry and Tom had decorated the tree they had carried down the stairs to their house. Do you think you can get some paper and draw a Christmas tree and decorate it? Would you put lights on their Christmas tree? What would you put on the very top of the tree?
Until next time,
Grandpippy
One day last week, I looked out the window and saw a Christmas trees being carried past the window. I hurried to a window and looked out at the back yard in time to see Harry and Tom carrying a big Christmas tree to the door of their underground house. When they reached the door and tried to carry the tree through the door, they discovered the tree was so large that they would not be able to get it into their house. What to do? They measured the tree, measured the door, took their hats off, scratched their heads, and talked to each other about what to do. Because I was in the house, I could not hear what they were saying. As I sat looking out the window, I saw Harry and Tom go back to the front of our house and walk off down the street. I did not know what they were doing. What do you think they were doing?
Well, later that morning, I saw Harry and Tom coming down the street carrying another Christmas tree. Actually, Harry was carrying the tree and Tom was pulling a red wagon that was full of boxes and bags. When they came to their door, Tom opened the door and Harry had no trouble bringing the new Christmas tree down the stairs. As Tom was carrying the boxes and bag from the red wagon down the stairs, Harry walked off into the trees and talked to Dan the deer. Dan, his family, and Charley the cougar live in the woods at the end of our street. After talking to Harry, Dan ran off toward his house and came back with Charley and Samantha, a squirrel, who lives in a nest high up in a tree. They knocked on Harry and Tom’s door and after a short wait Harry and Tom came outside and the five friends took the Christmas tree, that was too large to go through Harry and Tom’s door, and set it up in the yard and began to decorate it. Harry and Tom had some dried cranberries. Dan had some colorful Indian corn. Charley had lots and lots of brightly colored leaves that he had collected and Samantha had a bag of acorns and other nuts that she had gathered and painted many different bright colors. So the five friends sat down in a circle and began to string the dried cranberries, Indian corn, colored leaves and nuts together. After they had made long strings of dried cranberries, Indian corn, leaves, and nuts, they stood in a circle around the tree and began to decorate the tree.
I wanted to help so I made them a lunch of hot soup, cheese sandwiches, and apples for dessert. I put the hot soup in a thermos, the sandwiches and apples in bags and put everything is the box on the back of my wheelchair. I went down the ramp, out the garage door, and around the side of the house to the five friends. They stopped decorating the tree and we all had a picnic lunch around the fire they had. After lunch, I went back into my house and had to take a nap. When I woke up and looked out the window, I saw that the five friends had finished decorating the tree and had gone home.
That night after everyone had gone to bed, I got out of bed and looked out the window and saw bright Christmas lights on the tree. However, when I went back to bed wondered how Harry and Tom had decorated the tree they had carried down the stairs to their house. Do you think you can get some paper and draw a Christmas tree and decorate it? Would you put lights on their Christmas tree? What would you put on the very top of the tree?
Until next time,
Grandpippy
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Harry and Tom decide to build a house.
L,
Well after Harry and Tom told me that they were going to stay, I began to think about how cold and snowy the winters can be here. So one cold morning in October, I made a large pot of hot oatmeal and brought it out to their tent. As I knocked on the tent door, I heard Harry ask Tom what they would do when it got really cold. Tom told Harry that he also wondered how they would stay warm and dry. When Harry opened the door, I asked him how they were doing and Tom answered and said they were wondering how they would like being in a tent when it got really cold.
As I gave them the big pot of warm oatmeal, I told them I thought they should build an underground house. I said they could put the door to the house under the trees in the back yard. They were so excited that they almost didn’t eat the oatmeal. They told me not to worry about building the house, they knew all about building houses. So, after breakfast, they began making house plans. The house would be all under ground with two large bedrooms, one for Harry and the other for Tom. There would be a roomy kitchen, a TV room with a fireplace, a computer room, and a bathroom with a HUGE bathtub the size Michigan Black Bears like.
All the rest of that week, people would park their cars and trucks at the front of our house and walk around to the back yard and talk to Harry and Tom about the plans for their new underground house. Harry and Tom had to decide what color the HUGE bathtub should be, how big their bedrooms should be, and should they have both a fire pole to slide down into the house and stairs or just stairs. By the end of the week, they were so tired of making so many decisions that they decided to not worry about the house and go for a long walk in the woods looking for nuts to pick, save and roast by the fireplace on a cold winter night.
The next Monday morning, a big red truck drove up to the front of the house and a big purple tractor slowly drove off the truck and around the side of the house to the back yard. There was a lot of loud noise and by bedtime that night, there was a huge hole in the back yard. Before breakfast the next morning, there were huge blue dump trucks, green cement trucks, and lots and lots of people in shiny yellow hard hats busy at work putting gravel and cement on the floor of Harry and Tom’s new house and pouring the walls and ceiling. I was busy that day making lots of hot chocolate and grilled cheese sandwiches for all the people helping Harry and Tom build their house. By suppertime, Harry, Tom and I were so tired that we almost fell asleep at the table eating supper. It took another week of busy, busy days and finally the walls were all finished and the roof was put on. All Harry and Tom would have to do would be to paint their different rooms and move in.
However, Harry and Tom were having trouble deciding what color to paint the kitchen, TV room with the fireplace, computer room, and each of their bedrooms. If you were Harry and Tom what color would you make each room?
Until next time,
Grandpa Pippy
Well after Harry and Tom told me that they were going to stay, I began to think about how cold and snowy the winters can be here. So one cold morning in October, I made a large pot of hot oatmeal and brought it out to their tent. As I knocked on the tent door, I heard Harry ask Tom what they would do when it got really cold. Tom told Harry that he also wondered how they would stay warm and dry. When Harry opened the door, I asked him how they were doing and Tom answered and said they were wondering how they would like being in a tent when it got really cold.
As I gave them the big pot of warm oatmeal, I told them I thought they should build an underground house. I said they could put the door to the house under the trees in the back yard. They were so excited that they almost didn’t eat the oatmeal. They told me not to worry about building the house, they knew all about building houses. So, after breakfast, they began making house plans. The house would be all under ground with two large bedrooms, one for Harry and the other for Tom. There would be a roomy kitchen, a TV room with a fireplace, a computer room, and a bathroom with a HUGE bathtub the size Michigan Black Bears like.
All the rest of that week, people would park their cars and trucks at the front of our house and walk around to the back yard and talk to Harry and Tom about the plans for their new underground house. Harry and Tom had to decide what color the HUGE bathtub should be, how big their bedrooms should be, and should they have both a fire pole to slide down into the house and stairs or just stairs. By the end of the week, they were so tired of making so many decisions that they decided to not worry about the house and go for a long walk in the woods looking for nuts to pick, save and roast by the fireplace on a cold winter night.
The next Monday morning, a big red truck drove up to the front of the house and a big purple tractor slowly drove off the truck and around the side of the house to the back yard. There was a lot of loud noise and by bedtime that night, there was a huge hole in the back yard. Before breakfast the next morning, there were huge blue dump trucks, green cement trucks, and lots and lots of people in shiny yellow hard hats busy at work putting gravel and cement on the floor of Harry and Tom’s new house and pouring the walls and ceiling. I was busy that day making lots of hot chocolate and grilled cheese sandwiches for all the people helping Harry and Tom build their house. By suppertime, Harry, Tom and I were so tired that we almost fell asleep at the table eating supper. It took another week of busy, busy days and finally the walls were all finished and the roof was put on. All Harry and Tom would have to do would be to paint their different rooms and move in.
However, Harry and Tom were having trouble deciding what color to paint the kitchen, TV room with the fireplace, computer room, and each of their bedrooms. If you were Harry and Tom what color would you make each room?
Until next time,
Grandpa Pippy
Friday, May 18, 2007
Harry and Tom Arrive
L,
One day in October I looked outside and saw two black bears. These black bears looked a little strange. After I watched them for a time, I realized the reason they looked strange to me was they were dressed in flannel shirts and bib overalls, the type of overalls farmers wore when I was your age. Because they were sitting in our back yard, I thought I would go outside and introduce myself. So I put an oxygen tank on my wheelchair, rolled down the ramp, out the garage, and went around the house to the back yard.
I introduced myself and they told me their names were Harry and Tom. They said they were brothers and that Tom was the older brother. They told me they came from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and were traveling south for the winter. Well I said that if they were tired they were welcome to stay and spend some time at our house. They said they appreciated the offer and because yes they were a bit tired from traveling, they would accept my offer.
When they told me they had a tent I suggested they put it up in the trees at the back of our yard. Later that evening when it was getting dark, I noticed a small campfire and what smelled like hot chocolate and a camp stew cooking. It appeared that Harry and Tom were all settled in for a lovely evening with a nice campfire, hot chocolate, stew and all the tinkling stars above them. Seeing them so comfortable made me glad I was able to offer them the use of the back yard. I had a hard time going to sleep that night because I was so happy that Harry and Tom had decided to stay. I could hardly wait for the next day to arrive so I could go out and visit with Harry and Tom again.
What color do you think their tent is? Can you draw a picture of Harry and Tom standing by their tent?
Until next time,
Grandpa Pippy
One day in October I looked outside and saw two black bears. These black bears looked a little strange. After I watched them for a time, I realized the reason they looked strange to me was they were dressed in flannel shirts and bib overalls, the type of overalls farmers wore when I was your age. Because they were sitting in our back yard, I thought I would go outside and introduce myself. So I put an oxygen tank on my wheelchair, rolled down the ramp, out the garage, and went around the house to the back yard.
I introduced myself and they told me their names were Harry and Tom. They said they were brothers and that Tom was the older brother. They told me they came from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and were traveling south for the winter. Well I said that if they were tired they were welcome to stay and spend some time at our house. They said they appreciated the offer and because yes they were a bit tired from traveling, they would accept my offer.
When they told me they had a tent I suggested they put it up in the trees at the back of our yard. Later that evening when it was getting dark, I noticed a small campfire and what smelled like hot chocolate and a camp stew cooking. It appeared that Harry and Tom were all settled in for a lovely evening with a nice campfire, hot chocolate, stew and all the tinkling stars above them. Seeing them so comfortable made me glad I was able to offer them the use of the back yard. I had a hard time going to sleep that night because I was so happy that Harry and Tom had decided to stay. I could hardly wait for the next day to arrive so I could go out and visit with Harry and Tom again.
What color do you think their tent is? Can you draw a picture of Harry and Tom standing by their tent?
Until next time,
Grandpa Pippy
Friday, May 11, 2007
Intoduction
Harry and Tom the introduction.
When C and K told us we would be Grandparents, I started thinking about how my father would send his children a weekly email. In his emails Dad would tell about his youth growing up in IL. I decided that writing a weekly email about my youth might not interest a young child. One day, while sitting in my wheel chair looking out the window at the row of trees in the back yard, I decided to write a weekly story.
I wanted these stories to contain several things. They had to be interesting allowing the reader to use their imagination. I wanted the stories to invite the reader to interact with the story. The stories are written to illustrate how we can and should help each other. Finally, I wanted the stories to show that even though someone may be handicapped we can include them in our everyday activities.
It took several months of thinking of different ideas. I would come up with an idea, think about it and try to tell a story. While some ideas worked better than others did none seemed to meet the goals I had. One day I decided to tell a story about two black bears. The black bears seemed promising and after a couple months they formed personalities and seemed to fill the goals I had set forth for my stories. Thus Harry and Tom were born.
I am not certain that I will be able to achieve all these goals. However, I am going to try. So these stories will be part of my legacy to my grandchildren.
Pippy
When C and K told us we would be Grandparents, I started thinking about how my father would send his children a weekly email. In his emails Dad would tell about his youth growing up in IL. I decided that writing a weekly email about my youth might not interest a young child. One day, while sitting in my wheel chair looking out the window at the row of trees in the back yard, I decided to write a weekly story.
I wanted these stories to contain several things. They had to be interesting allowing the reader to use their imagination. I wanted the stories to invite the reader to interact with the story. The stories are written to illustrate how we can and should help each other. Finally, I wanted the stories to show that even though someone may be handicapped we can include them in our everyday activities.
It took several months of thinking of different ideas. I would come up with an idea, think about it and try to tell a story. While some ideas worked better than others did none seemed to meet the goals I had. One day I decided to tell a story about two black bears. The black bears seemed promising and after a couple months they formed personalities and seemed to fill the goals I had set forth for my stories. Thus Harry and Tom were born.
I am not certain that I will be able to achieve all these goals. However, I am going to try. So these stories will be part of my legacy to my grandchildren.
Pippy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
