Ukulele version of “The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night”
He prayed for the moon to give him light
For he’d many a mile to go that night
Before he reached the town-o, town-o, town-o
He’d many a mile to go that night before he reached the town-o
The ducks and the geese were kept therein
He said “a couple of you are gonna grease my chin,
Before I leave this town ”
Said a couple of you are gonna grease my chin, before i leave this town-o
And he threw a duck across his back
And he didn’t mind the quack quack
And the legs all dangling down-o
He didn’t mind the quack quack
And the legs all dangling down-o
She ran to the window and popped out her head,
Crying John, John, the great goose is gone
And the fox is on the town-o, town-o, town-o
John, John, the great goose is gone and the fox is on the town-o
And there were the little ones, eight, nine, ten
Sayin’ Daddy, Daddy, better go back again
For it must be a mighty fine town-o, town-o, town-o
Daddy, Daddy, go back again for it must be a mighty fine town-o
Cut up the goose with a fork and a knife
They never had such a supper in their life
And the little ones chewed on the bones-o, bones-o, bones-o
They never had such a supper in their life
And the little ones chewed on the bones
Wolves in Yellowstone
Yellowstone became the first National Park in 1872. In the first 50 years or so, there were no laws protecting the wild animals. As a result, the wolves in Yellowstone National Park were hunted and killed by farmers. The wolves were killing their livestock. The last gray wolves in Yellowstone were killed in 1926, and there were no more wolves in Yellowstone.
In 1995 biologists decided to do something about the lack of wolves in Yellowstone National Park. To introduce the Gray Wolves back into Yellowstone, Doug Smith, Yellowstone’s wolf biologist, had to transport wolves from all over Canada. The wolves in all of the new packs didn’t know each other because one could have been taken from the British Columbia and another from Alberta. The packs were organized with one dominant male, one dominant female, and several subordinate younger wolves. The packs were completely new. One hundred four wolves split into 11 packs were transported to Yellowstone and placed into one acre acclimation pens per pack. The new alfa wolves mated and had babies. All but one of the packs bonded well. When the one pack was released, the males went one way and the females went another way. These wolves either died, or they found a way to join another pack.
The Rangers released the wolves using the soft release method. The soft release method involves great commitment and effort. You must continually feed them at the exact place the animals were released. This soft method, while time consuming, helped the packs acclimate.
While the wolves were in their acclamation pens, they were fed roadkill and other dead meat. This is called back-up feeding. They were fed once a week or less. The longest time interval between feeding times was 14 days without any sick conditions. A pack of six wolves will eat about 800 pounds of food per month. This weight would be equivalent to about two elk and a small deer. When the wolves did make a kill, each wolf would eat about 30 pounds of meat.
There was a huge environmental change with the reintroduction of wolves. Before the reintroduction, there was only one colony of beavers in Yellowstone. Now there are at least nine. Because of the lack of predators, the elk had been heavily eating the willow. This made a huge impact on the beavers because they need willow to survive the winter. When the wolves started hunting the elk again, they could no longer stay in one place to heavily eat the willow. Instead, they were constantly moving. Because of this, the beaver population rose. More beavers were living through the winter.
The scavengers were impacted by the reintroduction of wolves too. Since there were wolves now, there was more carrion in the winter and spring. This benefits magpies, ravens, eagles, coyotes, and bears (both black and grizzly). It especially affected the bears coming out of hibernation. It positively impacted a lot of animals.
Even though the wolves were taken from their Canadian habitats and brought to Yellowstone National Park, with some help, they thrived again. They helped a lot of animals, and the ecosystem. Without wolves the elk would have overrun the park, and the beavers would have disappeared from it. Wolves are a crucial part of the ecosystem.
A Little About Me
I am from under the dusty steps to the front porch where I scared Noah when he
walked past.
I am from the line between Mom and Dad’s side of the yard.
I am from the old ash tree where its branch was dangerously half shot off.
I am from Dad and Evie’s favorite cake – lemon cake.
I am from, “That is enough!” and “Turn it down!”
I am from Brownsville Community Church, and greeting the people who come.
I am from, “Start stuffing eggs!”
I am from being the Parson’s daughter.(A parson is a pastor. It is also the name of our farm.) (what about adding something like–and all that is expected…)
I am from goat, chicken, and rabbit farming. ( farming or raising?)
I am from catching wild, and domesticated rabbits. (who….tell us something about them..)
I am from cuddling with my cat Spurgeon (who…… tell us something about him)
I am from deer hunting with my dad, and checking trail cameras.
I am from ice fishing with my uncle, and my dad. (catching….. Or not?)
I am from my Grandpa’s famous blueberry muffins, and German Chocolate Cake.(rich, gooey, served on a special plate–other detail?)
I am from bee farming and pure Vermont maple syrup. (add a detail about the fact that these are from your land and that your family harvests — from buzzing hives and tapped maple trees tells us the same thing, but in a more interesting way, try something like that!)
I am from my German Grandpa, Opi, who fought in WWII for America. (for America in WWII)
I am from Opi fooling the Germans fighting the US so we could win. (is fooling the best word here? Try the thesaurus on this one because it is so fascinating!)
I am from a puncture wound from falling on slippery logs. (puncture wound, best words?)
I am from Noah’s glued cheek from tripping on a stick in the ground.
I am from the heaping basket of wedding and birth photo albums behind the
widescreen TV
I am from hiding nerf bullets in the victrola (capital V?)so Dad could not shoot us (omit with them)
I am from the bare branches of the maple tree in the fall, to swinging on the rope swing
hanging on one in the spring.
I am from a busy family of 6, and this is A Little About Me. ( not just busy- find a better word: This is an incredible team, an amazing farm where you all work together etc….. See what you can do here.
Moving!
We are going to move! It’s just down the road. It is yellow and has bigger rooms. We will move in June or early July. It’s sort of messy. Its ceiling is made of plaster. The plaster is peeling off. It has 26 acres. Its attic is huge! My brother and I will have our own rooms built into the attic. There are three bathrooms, one on the second floor, counting the basement and two on the third floor. It is four stories high, counting the basement. My little sister, little brother, Mom and Dad are on the third floor. The first floor is the basement. I can’t wait to move!
Moon
I am as bright as a nightlight.
I’m a sneaky, misty moon.
I blanket the trees with my shadowy blankets as the swooping bats comfort them.
The swooping bats take their place as the silent sneakers of the night.
I lay down my silvery pools of light
So that my friends the raccoons can look for their food in dim light.
I am shadowy and mysterious.
I am the night’s protector.
I use my rays as an bright LED light
To spy on the little houses below.
I watch as I protect.
I watch the buzzing crickets.
I am the moon, mysterious and quiet.
January and June
January
teeth-chattering
freezing, chattering, shivering
Don’t be scared, June!
swimming, suntanning, biking
sweaty, burned
June
Panning for Gold at MVCS!
In 1848, James Marshall found five gold nuggets in Sutter’s Mill. John Sutter named a town after himself. He was selfish. James Marshall found five gold nuggets in the American River there.
All the people wanted the gold for themselves. Some people who didn’t want gold said other people had Gold Fever. Gold fever is when all you want is gold.
Mostly storekeepers ended up getting the gold. They charged a lot for things people needed like eggs and mining equipment. People really hurt other people when it came to fighting over gold sometimes.
God’s Cheer!
O death, where is your sting?
O death, where is your victory?
O God, You have wind the war!
You are powerful and mighty!
