Run, Katie, Run!

We had a really long winter this year.

I hate the winter. At first it's lovely: the snow falls and covers the earth in sheets of silence...icicles hang like icing off the roofs of houses...the wind brings color back into my ever-pale face...I get to wear warm mittens and soft scarves...and then it gets ugly. After the tenth snow day the nine feet of snow become disenchanting. It's no longer a fun challenge to clear the driveway so that I can drive to the store without getting stuck multiple times. It's too cold to go outside. It's too wet to go outside. I stay inside all day and get DEPRESSED.

But my point wasn't winter depression. My point was that during a long winter such as this past one, it's easy to forget all the fun little nuances of spring. Out of sight, out of mind, right? I mean, just because we can't see any signs of grass or leaves in the winter doesn't mean that we forget how green the earth is when spring gets here. But it's the little things we forget about. Like clovers. I forgot all about clovers. One day in early April I was walking around without my shoes on, and I felt something unusually (that word has a lot of u's) soft under my bare feet. I looked down and noticed that the ground had erupted into beds of clover. I was delighted. Clover comes in huge patches. It smells sweet, and it's softer than a pile of feathers (I don't actually understand why people are so into feathers. They're like needles with eyelashes).

Another thing that I forgot about was lightning bugs. Fireflies. I don't know where I've been these past few summers (I suppose my twilight hours have always been filled with CI rehearsals. I just assumed they didn't have fireflies in Decorah), but I forgot all about those little buggers. Now I'm free to wander around after sunset, watching hundreds of little bugs wink at me. It's almost as if they're choreagraphed, like those Christmas lights that blink in weird patterns. The lightning bugs look so happy. And they're everywhere.

I killed a lightning bug.

Just by looking at it.

I was walking...really slowly...staring at the scintillating wonders all around me, and then I noticed one in particular. He was beautiful. Maybe it was a she. I really can't tell. Anyway, I stopped to look at it, and it stopped to look at me. I smiled at it, and it winked at me with its little butt-light. Several times. Now, I'm no fool. I know what that means. The light for a lightning bug is its mating call. This insect was falling in love with me. And I'm pretty sure the feelings were mutual.

It was flying lower and lower, closer to the ground. And then it dropped. Dead. I screamed and ran along on my merry way, unbelieving that I had killed that poor, innocent creature. But then I remembered that Fireflies don't only fly, but they also walk around sometimes. This made me sigh with relief. I hadn't killed the bug; He was just tired of flying.

I walked a few more steps and then a thought occured to me.

I turned around to see if the bug had transformed itself into a handsome prince waiting on the sidewalk to whisk me away to his enchanted castle.
But he hadn't. Better luck next time.

*peace*

So there I was
Stuck
Inside a gumball machine
Not knowing why I was in there
Not caring if I ever could get out
I was a happy kid
Not even three years old
There were gumballs
All so brightly colored
And I was happy.

I looked out at the world
And smiled
And laughed
Because my brothers were freaking out
How to get her out?
But I smiled.

I didn't realize it was candy
Until it started to get sticky
Really sticky
I put one in my mouth
I was not used
To the consistency
They'd never let me have gum
before
So I started choking on it
I wasn't even three yet.

Luckily I did not stay
In the gumball machine
Forever.

Okay guys, ever since I was young it's kind of been my dream to be a writer. When I was eight years old, I wrote my first book, an American Rip-off of Harry Potter called "Poppy McEnnin". Today I unearthed the beginning of a second draft to this book, and I would love to share it with everyone. It's not good, but it's pretty good for a third grader.


Chapter 1
Full House

Poppy Mcennin was a nine year old girl who lived with oridanary people. She lived in a log cabin in minosota. She lived with her many sibleens, Even, Magie, Billy, Jessica, Ben, Garry, and ash, and her grandparents and her parents. Evan was short with brown hair. Magie was bossy sometimes…all the time! Billy had no charisticks. Jessica only cared about fassion. Ben could get studip, but mostly smart. Garry and Ash were always lost in a world of fantasy. The grandparents were boring. Her parents were strict. The funny thing about Poppys family was that Poppy was the only one in the whole family with red hair! Pretty weird, huh? Once Jessica had brown hair but when Poppy wished it was red the next morning it was blond!

Poppy was fascinated with magic. She Dreamed of being a magiceon when she grew up. She already knew a few card tricks. She was stuggeling on changing things into other thing. Her grandparents weren’t interested in magic aat all (they weren’t interested in any thing!).Poppys favoret boods were the cronicles of narnia.

Our story starts one buetiful June morning. Poppy got up and looked inside her bueatiful Dresser. It was made of bueatiful smooth red wood. It was carved beautifully. Poppy looked in the dresser to find that the ugly dress her mother bought was no where in sight. “Good riddence.” Mumbled Poppy. She put on her best dress (Her uncles family was comeing to live at the log cabin today) and she went downstairs to breakfast. All the boys in the house were digging a tunnel that led to a small underground room in the Kitchen. The room was for Poppys four year old cousins Anna and Susana who both had short black hair. Right now they’re probably getting ready to move to minsota while singing “We’re going to live in a whole! We’re going to live in a hole!” Just then Billy walked in. Poppy couldn’t wait until Uncle Bob moved in. He was bringing Uncle Rob, Ant Dolly, Anna, and Susana. Uncle Bob and Uncle Rob. were comedians. Aunt Dolly was an elegent lady. Anna and Susana were stirring up trouble all the time. Speaking of time, it was 10:30. Uncle Bob and his family showed up at midnight. The whole family stayed up and had a party. All seventeen people stayed up all night watching Poppy try magic tricks and Uncle Bob and Uncle Rob tell Jokes. What a full house.

Wow. I still can't believe that yesturday I ate all that fudge.

Yeah.

Once upon a time there was a very sad man.
He was sad because he had lost his puppy and did not know how to find it.
He looked all over, high and low, but he could not find his little puppy. He asked every person who crossed his path, but none could tell him where his little puppy had gone.
Weeks went by. Months went by. Even years went by. But the sad man still had not found his puppy, and he was still sad about it.
The man could not even remember what his little puppy looked like.
One day, the man heard laughter coming from down the street. The man followed the sound, because he had been sad for a very long time, and liked the sound of laughter.
Running down the street was a delighted little boy, followed by a large, handsome Golden Retriever.
Tears came to the man's eyes as he remembered the love that he had shared with his long-lost puppy.
The boy tackled his dog playfully, and then hugged it. The man cold see the height of joy in the little boys eyes.
Just then, the dog walked up to the man, sniffed him, and wagged his tail. Suddenly, the man understood.
This was his lost puppy. It had grown into a handsome dog, and found a home with the lonely boy.
"His name is Pat," said the boy, "He's very nice--my best friend in the whole world! Would you like to pet him?"
The man looke down at the boy and remembered his years of sadness.
"No thanks," the man replied, as he turned his back and walked away, glad that his lost little puppy had found a home.

Um Ya Ya is the title of the Saint Olaf fight song. I've always wanted to hear my oldest brother sing this.
I went on a wacky confirmation trip with my church one time to Saint Olaf. This inevitably led to my brother singing the Um Ya Ya song. Unfortunately i wasn't paying attention at the time. Later i wanted him to sing it again, but he wouldn't.
Here's the point: I lot of times in life we're looking for something, something specific. That something specific is often times God. That thing is around us constantly, and even reaching out to us...but we're just not paying attention.
And then we ask the age-old question: "Where were you when i needed you? Where ARE you, God?"
Fortunately, God is much more patient than my brother. He will always sing the Um Ya Ya song. Just make sure that this time, you pay attention.

Crazy (But True) Stories From Jim Widner Big Band Jazz Camp
aren't you glad I wrote the title twice?

• I saw a very good looking guy (and I said VERY good looking!) who looked like Emaich but with amazing long hair. He talked with a lisp, but that was okay. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of anything clever to say to him. So I didn't.
  



• Well, it's a lot better than not having anything clever to say, but saying it anyway. Trust me.



• I amused myself for 30 min, timing my watch with the flashes on my meteronome.



• I amused myself for 2o min staring at my name backwards in a mirror.
• I drew a face on a roll of toilet paper.
• I saw Gavin. I said, "Hi."



• The door to the room for my theory class was confusing. People kept trying to pull it open while people inside the room kept yelling "PUSH! PUSH!" which only brings one question to mind: "Where's the father?"