Actually Day Two Into Day Three
Bad Weather
Wednesday everyone was tracking the weather for overnight
and Thursday. It was supposed to be BAD. The line crossing the Midwest
included severe thunderstorms, tornado warnings, and flash flooding. To be on
the safe side, the Hvids outside the Power Tech Annex were moved into the annex
and Xyra moved me from the tent to the truck for overnight.
After preparations were set it was off to the Snow for
another late show.
Overnight, there were big thunderstorms with lots of rain
and lightening and thunder, but the rest seemed to bypass Coolspring; which is
a-okay with any tent dweller.
Day 3 Plan B
It was still raining Thursday morning and, actually, on and
off all day. So I stayed in the truck and read. Caught up on my magazines and
got through one of two books.
I’m wearing the Wildflower Pajamas; got to stay in them
until Saturday. My sleeping bag and pillow are quite warm and cozy too. I’ll
tell you more about them in Friday’s post.
While I was reading and staying dry, Xyra was out taking
pictures of engines. Here are a few from that day.
A Jones Oil Engine arrived.
The 18 hp twin ran some more.
A great little Bull Dog
A 20 hp St Mary’s.
This Parmeco is so very quiet.
Book Review
The book I finished that day is The Secret School by Avi.
(Xyra read it after I did…on the ride home.)
The books is set in rural Colorado
in 1925. (That’s after Samantha but before Kit.) The children of the area all
gather each day in a one room schoolhouse. The one teacher teaches all the kids
from kindergarten through eighth grade. She covers subjects like reading,
writing, grammar, penmanship, mathematics, history, geography, spelling, science,
and much more.
The students have to get their all by themselves, there are
no buses So Ida (age 14) and her brother (age 7) drive their family’s Model T
car 5 miles to the school. Ida’s friend Tom and his sister Mary ride their
family’s mule 7 miles to school. The other students walk however long from
their houses.
Ida and Tom are in eighth grade and are set to graduate at
the end of the year. If they pass their exams they could go to high school.
Apparently, k-12 isn’t guaranteed to them. In fact, even if Ida passes she
might not get to go to high school because the school is in another town and
she has to find room and board so she can stay there. That costs money their
family doesn’t have. All the money is focused on keeping the sheep farm
running. Tom is in a similar situation, but he wants to build and invent
things.
Near the end of the school year the teacher’s mother gets
sick and needs the teacher to stay with her. So she leaves. The school board
doesn’t have time to find a replacement and doesn’t see the need to do so. That
means all the students have to repeat the school year.
Tom and Ida are upset. So are the others. Tom suggests that
Ida continue teaching the rest of the year. That’s when the fun begins. Ida
learns a lot about teaching, working on her own schoolwork, keeping up with her
farm chores, and much more. Her concern for a fellow student trashes the secret
and a whole new set of challenges arise.
This story was really cool. If you’ve ever played
school…this goes to a whole new level. It was a fun read too. There could have
been a bit more detail with regards to the lifestyle and daily happenings in
this area of the country at that time, but it was still good. The main thing
you do learn about life in 1925 is just how different school was back then.
Doll Diaries Giveaway!
Doll diaries is sponsoring a great giveaway via Springfield Collection. You can see more about it and enter here.
I had a hard time deciding what to pick. Click here to see what I mean. My favorites included the Blazer with Dress, Camo Shirt with Jeans, Peacoat, Purple Dress, and Summer Dress. I decided that the Camo Shirt and Jeans would make me "happy, happy, happy."
American Girl Sale!
American Girl has slashed a few prices really low! Included is McKenna's dog, Copper. Just note he is listed as "goldenoodle." Only $7 While supplies last.
Best wishes,
Melody
Ps. Don't forget if you want more information on the power museum go to their website.
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