Posts by Peggy
Writing Prompt #6
From Sam’s summer school journal:
A way bears and people are alike is that they are both warm-blooded. Another way they are alike is that they both eat and sleep. They also stay with a family and are related. — June 24, 2002
Writing Prompt #5, apropos today’s summer solstice
From Sam’s summer school journal:
In the summertime, there is hardly any rain. In the summer, I can swim. In the evening, after dinner, there’s still daylight, but in the winter, it is dark. I also can go on summer vacation and even work with my mother and father and mow lawns. — June 21, 2002
Writing Prompt #3 and #4
From Sam’s summer school journal:
My favorite fruit would be apples and bananas. My favorite vegetables are carrots. I would have the advertisement to buy a red, juicy apple. Try to find this in an ad which will be shown in a T.V. commercial. — June 17, 2002
I would ask Garfield what he likes to do or why he’s mean to Odie. If I were a cat, I would go “Meeeeeeyowwwww” all day long to drive people berserk. Cats don’t even have to do homework, they like to sleep all day. — June 19, 2002
Cookies ‘n Cream recipe for Texas expats
I really missed Blue Bell Cookies ‘n Cream when we were living in California. Once, on a drive back from a visit to Texas, Mark tried to figure out where the last stop in order to bring back two half gallon cartons. He didn’t want to risk not finding it in Amarillo, so he picked it up before then and packed it in ice.
Writing Prompt #2, or why Texans love Blue Bell Ice Cream.
Sam opened his journal, which I’m now realizing must have been for summer school his freshman year, not high school English, given the date, by describing himself.
“My name is Samuel Donald Wolfe. I am 14 years old. So far my hobbies turn up to be games. I happen to like apples and bananas. My brother is 11 years old. My sister is 8 years old. My mother is 41 years old. She now works in Gainesville. My father is 45 years old He mows lawns, plays the tuba in concerts, and teaches in Arlington. I now have three dogs. I have two black dogs and one brown one.”
Not sure why he has me working in Gainesville. I never did.
Below is the result of his second writing prompt:
My favorite ice cream is Vanilla, Peppermint, White Chocolate Almond, Orange and Strawberry Sherbet with Starburst pieces. There will probably be a new flavor ice cream. I would try to invent grape ice cream or blackberry ice cream. — June 12, 2002
Writing prompts
I am cleaning out a closet this week. I kid myself. This closet will take more than a week to comb through. It is full of material meant to be the foundation for future writings.
I stumbled across some of Sam’s things I kept, just in case there was another book to follow See Sam Run. In high school English, Sam had writing prompts, too. I will be rolling these out over the next days and weeks.
As it customary with Sam’s writing, no editing is required.
If I were a cow, I would wake up before sun up. I would also take a day off to get fed. My favorite dairy product is, of course, fresh milk. I would also have Parmesan cheese as a second favorite dairy product. If I were a cow, I wouldn’t have to worry about homework. – June 11, 2002
Where running meets writing
It used to be that I ran with RunnerSusan.
It was easy. We were neighbors. Not in the Yankee way, (which we both are, by the way), living next door or across the street from each other, but in the Texas way, where we could be like the two trains in a story problem with 4th grade math. If two runners leave the house at the same time, and one heads west on Frenchtown Road and the other heads east, where and what time will they meet?
And then we’d keep running for an hour.
She moved to a new place, with a peach tree and a patio. It would take more than an hour to meet, so now I race alone.
It’s ok.
One day soon, we’ll figure out how to start the way we started last summer, trail running. Trail running is the best, anyways. If we get going good enough, we might race together this fall, through trails in the woods in East Texas, or up around Lake Ray Roberts.
I’d love to run the Palo Duro Canyon race in October, but a professional conference sneaked onto the calendar that weekend.
Maybe next year.
By the way, fellow Mayborn School of Journalism pals Valerie Gordon Garcia and Sarah Perry joined team-in-training.
We care about blood cancers in the Wolfe house.
A good friend is living with it.
And so is my dad.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad!
Overheard in the Wolfe House #181
Peggy: Hey, Sam, why don’t you help out here and dry some silverware? I don’t have room for one more piece in the rack.
Sam: Ok.
(sometime later) I don’t have to do all. I can just do enough that you have more room.
Peggy: Well, that’s true. But if you want to do the minimum, then just dry the big cooking and serving spoons. You’ll be done after just two or three pieces, then.
Sam: I’m afraid I’m just picking random pieces of silverware.
Overheard in the Wolfe House #180
Peggy: (whistling Orinoco Flow)
Sam (in a stage whisper): Oh, mom whistles off-key.
Overheard in the Wolfe House #179
Sam (after an upsetting morning): And don’t put that as an Overheard.
Peggy: I won’t.