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Wind Dancers - short story by Kathryn W., age 13
The Life of a Carrot - A biology lesson by Jesse B., age 8
DINOSAURS, WHEN DID THEY LIVE AND WHERE DID THEY GO? - By Megan H., age 13
Kit Carson - by Luke E. age 9
The Future - by Josiah R., age 10
The Titanic - by Trevor L. age 11
Lessons For Life: Do Unto Others - by Josiah R., age 10
Dachshunds - by Rosemary K., age 10
Work - by Jacob H., age 10
Computer Problems - by Josiah R., age 9
ARCHEOLOGY - by Laci K., age 11
The Grass Man - by Trevor L., age 11
Little Spring Showers - by Ben S., age 6

She had been the only survivor of a fatal plane wreck that had left her paralyzed from the waist down. In the beginning she had truly believed that she would get better soon, but as the months and then years wore on and no change presented itself she sank into despair and turned her back on life. Before the accident she had been an avid runner and had several medals to show for it, but now that she was left without the use of her legs, her one true strength, she no longer wished to live and no amount of pleading from her family could breathe it back into her.

The sound of doors slamming noisily woke Casi out of her dreams and shoved her into the world of the living once more. Blinking rapidly, she peered out the window and observed that the rain had stopped. The sun was still shielded from view by the clouds, but Casi easily made out the form of a two-horse trailer standing between her window and the large barn. Two men appeared out the front door with her father and opened the trailer’s tailgate revealing a gray Arabian mare. She stood silently, her ears perked alertly, but she made no move to step onto the ramp until one of the men grabbed her halter. Casi leaned against the window as her father stood by the mare and expertly ran his hands over her. He then, to Casi’s bewilderment, waved a hand in front of the horse’s eyes and shook his head at the men. The mare was led into a nearby pasture and with a few parting words the men left and her father headed back for the house.

By now curiosity had gotten the better of Casi and even her crippled legs were forgotten for the moment as she gingerly hoisted herself into a wheelchair that was resting near her window. She quickly and silently made her way through the halls of the Sartins’ spacious home and in minutes she was outside and down the ramp that had been built especially for her, though she rarely used it. She wheeled the chair over the immaculate paths towards the breeding manager’s office and let herself in. Brian Sartin stared for a moment as he recognized his sister, for it was the first time he had seen her at the stables since her accident.

Before her brother could say anything Casi asked hastily, "Who’s the new horse, Brian? What’s she doing here?"

The older boy chewed his lip for a moment before answering. "C’mon, I’ll show you," he said finally as he reached for the handles of her chair.

As the two reached the little mare’s pasture they found her standing next to the gate, peacefully cropping grass, but her ears were already perked attentively towards the path. She was small and elegant with a beautiful dished face, which she stuck obligingly over the fence as Casi’s chair came to a stop there. The girl’s hands reached automatically to stroke the mare’s delicate face as she listened to her brother speak.

"You see, Case, she was brought here because her owner thought Dad might want her."

""Does he?" Casi interrupted, as she ran her fingers through the horse’s forelock, admiring its silky texture.

Brian shrugged, "Yeah, he’s gonna keep her, I guess. You see, Case, the mare’s blind."

Casi looked up in surprise at this last comment and then turned to stare into he mare’s beautiful eyes. They were so soft and understanding, yet they saw nothing. Despite her blindness, or perhaps because of it, Casi was immediately drawn to her. They both had handicaps that had separated them from the rest of the world and they both had been built to run with the wind, but because of their disabilities were unable to. Casi peered at the mare and thought, I have the eyes, and she the legs, if only we could put them together.

The months passed and ""Dove" was officially pronounced Casi’s horse; not only that, but Casi once again took an interest in life. The little mare seemed to be all the medicine that she needed, for her heart once again beat with purpose. She gloried in imagining how the mare would run if she only had eyes to see where she was going. Casi longed to feel the wind dancing against her own face and whistling in her ears. She wanted to be Dove’s eyes, to see where the little mare could not. However, it had been discovered that Dove had a serious eye disease that could be life-threatening if it was allowed to continue. She bore her pain patiently and Casi remained blissfully unaware of how serious her beloved mare’s condition was. Meanwhile, therapy and her renewed lust for life was slowly but surely strengthening her legs. So while the one’s future was growing brighter daily, the other’s was darkening.

Brian watched all of this with interest as well as concern, for he knew that his sister needed the mare. In the future she could learn to live without her, but now, while she was still recovering, Casi needed Dove more than anything. She had come to depend on her horse more and more over the past few months, but now Casi was going to have to learn to say good-bye.

The days wore steadily on and although Brian did not know it, Casi had become aware of her mare’s condition. Although heart-broken at the thought of Dove dying, she knew that it was inevitable. However, before that time came she was determined to ride Dove just once. She had subtly gotten the vet to assure her that riding would not further hinder Dove’s condition and her own doctor had told her that her legs were finally strong enough to allow her to ride.

One evening Casi told Brian her plan to ride Dove, and although her brother was skeptical he knew that it would be Casi’s last chance to do so. He obligingly helped her saddle the little Arabian and then he lifted her onto the mare’s strong back while dove waited patiently, her ears set back, in order to catch every sound that was made. Finally, Brian let go of the bridle and Casi and Dove were on their own. The little mare moved softly and slowly, as if she knew how frail her load was. Casi’s hands were gentle on the reins and her heart beat fast as she guided Dove about the pasture. Finally, she urged the little mare into a slow canter. Dove obeyed immediately and for the first time in several years Casi felt as if the wind was once again dancing about her body and urging her on. She once again felt the unabandoned freedom of running, and she knew that no matter what happened later on it would never be worth giving on life. She had learned more from this little mare than from anyone else, and it was to this mare, and God working through her, that she owed everything.

Dove died later that week, but Casi knew that the mare’s sufferings were finally over. She herself would never forget the last ride and the last lesson that was given to her by the little gray Arab mare.

-Editor’s Note: Katie is the editor of Horse Tails Newsletter, a wonderful monthly publication. We loved her story, didn’t you?

My name is Orange and I live in a large carrot patch by a running river with lots of whirlpools in it . I love it there with warm sun so I can heat my body. Actually, I don’t have a body, I’m a carrot. There I was one day, just sitting in the garden, eating the nutrients, vitamins and minerals and drinking water, when along came a big ol’ fat farmer. He grabbed me by the hair (which is the green stuff on top of a carrot), and pulled me out of the ground. I thought I was going to go to seed again. At first I thought it was the farmer’s dog again, ‘cause that dog has pulled me out of the ground before, and the farmer would put me back, and spank the dog. Anyway, the farmer stuck me in a big bag with my brothers and sisters, took us in his house. I never saw such a horrible place. There was carrot cake, carrot juice being drank and one of their kids came out of their room munching on a carrot! (Their last name was Carrot). I was the biggest and juiciest carrot of all and I know for sure they were going to EAT ME! or put me in a juicer and use my pulp for carrot cake. He chopped off my hair, leaving just a small piece on top. Then he put me back in the bag and threw me in his truck with some other bags of carrots from his crop, organic you know. He drove us to the store and put us in the coldest place I’d ever been. Colder than the coldest winter I’ve ever been through. Then a family came along and saw me in the bag with the other big carrots, and they decided this one would be good for their carrot juice. First they checked to see if we were organic, and we were. So they put us in their basket, bought us and took us home. They pulled me out of the bag and first they chopped off my scalp and the rest of my hair, and then my feet!! And then the horrible part...they chopped me up into pieces so I would fit into the juicer. First they put in my legs, and then my thighs, then my arms and chest and...OH NO...not my....BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Oh my, where am I?? Oh dear, I’m in a glass, it’s tipping, I’m falling... what are those two big rocks? Whoa, they are mushy. Wait, I’m going down again. What is that liquid coming towards me? It burns.... Ow, ooo, eee, ah, it’s burning me. Hey, there is a hole opening up below me. Oh no, I’m falling again! EWWW, what is that smell? Yuck, doesn’t smell like carrots to me. Then all of a sudden I landed in a cold white bowl full of water, it’s a whirlpool, just like the ones in the river by the farm. Maybe I’m going home....... FLUSH!

But he wasn’t.... THE END

When the earth was created, about 6,000 years ago, everything was perfect. God placed a canopy of water over the earth that filtered out the sun’s harmful rays, causing things to grow faster and live longer. Dinosaurs are reptiles, they never stop growing, so naturally they’re just overgrown lizards.

The oxygen was more concentrated back then, thus the answer for the dinosaurs strangely small lungs. A dino 40 ft. long and 20 ft. high could live on lungs the size of a horse’s!

The T-Rex, known to the world as a vicious meat eater had very loose tooth roots in his jaw. One bite of another dinosaur’s hide...Oops! There goes his teeth! Some scientists think he was a melon eater, living on plants. Another nickname for the T-Rex is the "Air-headed Dinosaur." Why? His huge head (I’m sure most of you have seen one) held only a brain the size of a kitten’s. Two strange tunnels leading to the T-Rex’s nostrils, came from two "empty" sacks in his head. Some scientists think the sacks held two chemicals. If these chemicals touched each other they’d explode. So when these chemicals went down the tubes and met each other at the end...Presto! A fire breathing dragon!

When the flood of Noah’s time came, God removed the canopy of water. Lives immediately dropped off to several hundred years, slowly decreasing ‘till the present day lives of 70-90 years...if you’re lucky.

Dinosaurs all of a sudden lost the abundance of oxygen and slowly died off, but not completely. Today, dinosaurs still roam the earth. They are not common at all but one or two have been sighted.

I wrote this essay after hearing Dr. Hovind on the radio. He has a variety of tapes and videos that cover Creation and the like. He also has a good sense of humor. For more information write: Creation Science Evangelism, C/O Kent Hovind, 29 Cummings Rd, Pensacola, Florida, 32503

Christopher Carson was born in Kentucky in Dec. 1809. Kit Carson wanted to be a mountain man. When he was nine he wanted a flintlock gun like his dad had. He was a good shot with a bow and arrow. But they were too poor to buy a gun for Kit.

When he was nine he was helping his father chop down trees and one of the trees hit and killed his father. Kit got his father’s gun. After his father died he had to become an apprentice saddle maker, but he ran away because he wanted to be a hunter and trapper instead. He got a job on a wagon train taking care of extra horses and mules and cattle. Sometimes he helped hunt food. When a 1¢ reward was offered for Kit’s return to the saddle maker he ran away again.

He learned a lot about hunting and trapping from different men he met. When he was in his twenties he became famous in the Rockies for being a good hunter, trapper and clever and brave at fighting the Indians. He became a leader and arranged his own expeditions. He wasn’t afraid of danger and one time he went into grizzly country to find food for his men and barely escaped from two, one thousand pound bears. He climbed a tree and beat them off with a limb of the tree and at midnight snuck back to his camp.

He married an Arapaho Indian and had a baby girl. His wife died and he brought his daughter to his sister in Saint Louis to raise. On his way home from Saint Louis he met Charles Fremont who was going west to map the Oregon country for the government and wanted Kit Carson’s help as a guide. He paid him $100 a month. Kit saved Charles Freemont's life several times. When he was 35 he married again. A 15 year old girl and they had several children. He went with Fremont on two expeditions. They brought back valuable maps and information about the west.

A way over the Sierra mountains was named after him and is still called Carson pass today.

He is remembered for his bravery and work with the Indians. He fought in the Civil War. He was known and liked by many tribes of Indians. He never learned to read or write. He died in Colorado in May of 1868 at 59 years of age.

Luke has enjoyed a unit study on the "Frontier" along with his family. He read the book Kit Carson, by Nardi Reeder Campion that he checked out from the library. It was so exciting and action packed. He wrote this report as an assignment. Luke lives on a beautiful homestead in Eastern Washington. He likes animals, reading, and anything to do with western cowboys.

The Future
Story & Picture by Josiah R., Age 10½

The future. Always coming but never here. We are forever wondering what it will bring. Will we be reduced to horse and buggy again? Or will we live on Mars? We will always wonder what tomorrow may bring. But we can put facts of today to use and make a guess!

My guess is we will use hovercars that use magnetic power for transportation. They would work like this: You know how the earth is like a giant magnet? And the way two magnets repel each other? Well if you wrap a wire around an iron nail and connect it to the terminals of a battery and then touch it to another iron nail it will lift nail #2 up. Then touch nail #2 with a magnet and the same thing will happen. The hovercraft is the nail and the wire. And the earth is the magnet. Since two magnets repel each other the craft would float away from the earth. This could be controlled by raising or lowering the electric current.

Now how could men live on Mars? Well, I’ve read in a couple places how there are ice caps on its poles! The plan is to heat up Mars by putting more gases in the atmosphere, therefore causing the greenhouse effect. In case you don’t understand what I mean by this, the greenhouse effect is when gases and things cause the earth to act like a greenhouse. And the way a greenhouse works is: The sun comes in through the covering, bounces off the ground and then off the inside of the covering which means that it stays inside. Well, that makes it hotter and hotter and hotter and will eventually melt the ice caps. That means the water will make rivers and streams. Then we could plant plants. The plants would take carbon dioxide from the air and replace it with oxygen. And after a while, PRESTO! A planet with oxygen, water, and plants, suitable for people and animals to live on.

And the engine of the future? I read on the Internet about an engine that runs on... WATER! It uses electricity to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen. Then the car uses the hydrogen for fuel, and oxygen is the exhaust. Guess what? A man, Stan Meyers, drove a car across the United States on 20 gallons of water!

Just look around. There are many things that people think the future will be like. But first try and use the facts we know today to see if it makes sense before you agree. Who knows? Maybe we can tell what tomorrow will be like.

Josiah likes technology and science. His favorite interests are planes, electronics, and computers. He is the oldest of four brothers, and co-editor of the Homeschool Gazette.

On April 10, 1912, the Titanic set off on its first trip from England to America. There were 2,227 people on board. On April 14, 1912, the ship was in the icy waters off the coast of Canada. Sometime shortly before midnight an iceberg appeared out of the darkness. The crew tried to steer the ship away from the iceberg, but it was too late. The giant iceberg scraped along the side of the ship. The captain hurried below to see how bad the ship was hurt, and soon learned the terrible truth. Water was pouring in and five compartments were already full. It seemed impossible, but it was true. The Titanic was sinking.

The captain radioed for help and ordered passengers into lifeboats. But there were only enough lifeboats to hold 1,100 people. And the only ship close enough to help was a ship called the Californian. It was only ten miles away. But it was late at night, and the Californian's crew had their radio off and did not hear the call for help. The Titanic set off rockets to signal the Californian, but the sailors on the Californian did not understand that the Titanic was in trouble.

By 2:20 am on April 15th the Titanic was gone. Hours passed and as the sky was growing light a ship appeared by the name of Carpathia. It had come from 58 miles away to help. Boat by boat the people were taken aboard. Only 705 people were rescued. Two of the Titanic's lifeboats had gotten hung up and couldn't be used. Some were only half full and the sailors had lowered them anyway.

When the Carpathia reached New York, forty thousand people were waiting to greet the survivors. As the Titanic survivors told their story, the world learned the truth. The safest ship was not safe at all.

The Titanic was a terrible loss, but the world learned from it. Today, every ship must have enough lifeboats for every single passenger, a ship's radio may never be turned off, and patrol airplanes keep track of dangerous icebergs and warn ships.

Trevor likes to read about interesting historical events and facts. He became intrigued with the Titanic. After doing some research, he wrote the above report. He is the oldest of four children in his family, and lives in rural Washington.

Lessons For Life: Do Unto Others
By Josiah R., age 10

There were once two men who were just the opposite of the other. One man worked hard for a living while the other stole for his bread and butter. One day the man who stole was caught and taken to prison. At the same time a poor woman and a little girl knocked at the hardworking man's door. Seeing the poor couple he took pity on them and took them into his house and gave them a good dinner and when he was done the woman asked him, "Kind sir, please tell me where the king lives". And he answered, "He lives in his castle over yonder hill but if you plan to see him let me take you to him for it is a long walk from here". And so he put the two on his old mule and took them to the king who upon seeing them cried out joyously, "This is my wife and daughter who were lost at sea many years ago!" He then turned to the man and said, "For your kindness to my wife and daughter I shall reward you with whatever you ask". The man replied, "O king, there is one thing I ask for and that is a new animal to help me with my work". Soon the man was on his way home with his old mule and a strong young donkey, while the other sat in a deep dark dungeon.

The lesson in this story is: Doing unto others as you would have them do unto you may bring you many things, such as wealth or fame (or as in this case a new donkey), and always the joy of helping others; while stealing leads you in only one direction: Repentance.

Dachshunds by Rosemary K., age 10

Dachshunds get their name from chasing badgers out of their holes. Dachshund means "badger dog" in Germany. Dachs means badger and hund means dog.

They were used to drive badgers out of their holes. Dachshunds were also used to hunt fox and wild boar. Now days they are valued as pets.

Dachshund are bold, charming, sometimes a pain but almost always lovable and very affectionate. Their nick names are Dachsie and Wiener Dog and they have a very good disposition.

The different sizes are standard, tweenys and miniature. Standards range from 16-32 pounds, tweenys are 11-17 pounds and miniatures weigh under 11 pounds.

The different types are long hair, wire hair and short hair. Wire hair are more tenacious and terrier like, long hair are more mellow and soft and short hair fall between the two.

My dachshund is a red miniature. She's very shy and likes to have her belly rubbed. She just had puppies, on Oct. 29, 6 boys and one girl. I love my Dachshund because she's brave, sweet, shy and she loves to be petted.

Bibliography
1. Burris, Christopher, The Proper Care of Dogs, Neptune City, NJ:T.F.h publications, ICN. 1991
2.Fiedelmier,Leni,Dachshunds,Hauppauge, NY: Barrons, 1985
3. Fischer-Nagel, Heiderose & Andreas, A Puppy is Born, NY:G.P. Putnam's Son's, 1985

Last fall I did a study on work which I shared at the meeting house where my family fellowships. The following are some of the highlights of my study.

The first place the word work is found in the scriptures is in Genesis 2:2. "And by the seventh day God completed His work which he had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done." In the first chapter of Genesis there are seven times our Father looked back at His work and "saw that it was good." This suggests that He had a very positive attitude towards work. We sing a song out of Revelation 4:11 that says "And for they pleasure thou art created...". So He took pleasure in His work! Here is a big punch line. If I think work is a curse, I am wrong. Because Our Father can not be cursed. If work was cursed, HE would not have worked!

Exodus 20:9 says, "Six days you shall labor and do all your work." In Proverbs 6:10 & 11 it tells me what will happen if I do not obey. "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest " And your poverty will come in like a vagabond, and you need like an armed man."A vagabond is a wanderer or a homeless person with no place to go and nothing to do, and poverty coming in like an armed man would be a true threat.

I have observed that my dad gets sad when he does not have much work. I have watched what he does: 1. He prays 2. Examines his attitude 3. Thinks about if he made God mad. But then he always gets up and does something. Any thing around the house to stay busy, and Father always gives him more work.

When I do my work with a happy spirit it makes my mom happy and she gives me more work. If I whined and cried about working, no one would want to hear that so I probably would not receive more jobs. I think that is what our heavenly Father is like. If we have a good attitude and do not get lazy, He gives us more jobs to do.

Proverbs 14:23 says, "In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." So, if I keep busy and am faithful even in smaller jobs, I will profit.

To conclude my study I will quote two extremely wise statements which should be adopted as truths to live by. William Penn who was the founder of the colony (Pennsylvania) once said: "Love labor. It is wholesome for thy body and good for thy mind." The bible tells us, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might."!

Computer Problems by Josiah R., Age 9

Getting a computer can be fun, except for when it doesn't start up right away.

When my Dad got our first computer, he pushed on the button, and the most horrible, gruesome monster you ever saw appeared on the screen. We finally found out it was a loose connection in the haywire.

Did you know that computers are stuffed with hay? You don't, if you have never looked inside one. The hay must be used as wires. Talk about advanced technology!

I hate the fact that there are a million keys on the keyboard, so to lessen the amount on mine, I ripped out a few. Now, there are just the right amount, and I have extra ones I use for unlocking doors, starting the car, etc.

I like the mouse a lot. It's soft and squishy and every time you move it, a little mouse moves around on the screen. One objection is that you have to put it in a cage and feed it when not in use. Another thing, be sure to get a couple of mouse pads so the mouse can go bathroom without doing it on the keyboard. My advice to all you people out there who can't stand mice...Don't get a computer!

I hope that you don't have the same problems that we did.

ARCHEOLOGY by Laci K., age 11

Your own back yard could be an archeological site!

The Grass Man by Trevor L., age 11

David Douglas was a man who liked the forests and he liked to hunt and fish. He came to the Northwest long before the pioneers had settled it. Everywhere he went, he studied trees and flowers. He collected seeds and gave names to the new plants.

The Indians called him the Grass Man. If they were unfriendly, he won them by many tricks. He carried seltzer powder, and he let the Indians see him drink the fizzy water. They thought he could drink boiling water. They thought this was magic. The Grass Man talked with the Indians by sign language and jargon.

David Douglas was a very tall man, and he wore a high beaver hat that made him look even taller. His constant companion was a little terrier dog. He also tamed a young eagle, which rode on his shoulder. He was a fine shot. When he wanted a pine cone from the top of a tree, he just shot it down.

Mr. Douglas traveled a great deal in our Northwest. At the end of each day he wrote about what he had seen and done. His light was a piece of burning pitch-wood. He called it his Columbian candle, because the wood came from near the Columbia River. Many of the great evergreen trees in the Northwest are named for him. They are called the Douglas Firs.

Little Spring Showers by Ben S., age 6

Drop, drop. Little spring showers go drop, drop. When the rain is over, the grass has dew on it. The sun is shining and there's a shiny rainbow up in the sky.

"W hatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." Colossians 3: 23-24

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