A Passage from Johnny Tremain That Relates to My Life

Here's a passage from Johnny Tremain that relates a little bit to my life... In other words, I can relate to this passage and understand how Johnny feels in this piece of text:

The womenfolk had spent all day paring apples, threading them on strings preparing to dry them for the winter. Even Mrs. Lapham looked tired. The lazy apprentice bursting in, happy for the first time in two months, irritated her. Then she saw his new shoes.
'Johnny Tremain,' she cried, 'what have you been up to?'
'What?'
'You wicked, wicked boy! Oh, I declare, you are going to bring disgrace on us all.'
He did not understand.
'Them shoes!' she roared. 'You never got them honestly. You've taken to thieving. I'm going to tell your master. He'll call a constable and then see if you darest not tell where you stole them. You've just gone from worse to worse. Your going to get whipped for this - set in the stocks. Your going to jail. You'll end up on the gallows.'

This passage reminds me of an incident that included my brother losing his retainer. He blamed me, though I never even touched the case. When my mother started to believe him, I began to get irritated. I'd had a retainer before; they're no fun. So why would I want another one? That's right... I wouldn't want another one.

And the ending to that story is that he pushed it off the top of his dresser and it landed in a drawer, which he closed later. Problem solved. Basically, I was blamed for something I did not do, just as Johnny was.

That's all for now, folks!

~Cassie

Band, Teen Rally, and Other Stuff

Hey everybody!

I just wanted to give you a little (okay, not very little) update about what's been going on lately! Recently, I've been doing quite a few things around the Island, from Camp Casey to our school. And it has been stressful (in a good way. I'm not one for self-pity), exciting, and fun. Most of the events/activities I've been helping with are school- or 4-H-related.

Christy and I are starting a band here at the LMS. Not just an instrumental band, like the kind we have, but a band with vocals, guitars, drums, and keyboards. If you want more information, talk to Christy or me. We'd be happy to answer any questions, as long as they aren't asked at an inconvenient time. (Please ask me at school, not by commenting on the blog. I probably won't notice you comments. Sorry ahead of time.)

I'm also a member of the Planning Team for Northwest District Teen Rally '08. There's an announcement in the bulletin, so listen hard! There are also brochures in Student Services, and you can talk to me as well.

A writing group will be forming at the end of the month for students interested in the Scholastic Writing Contest. Mrs. Kizer will be helping with that.

Yep... And if you want to check out my rabbits' website, click here.

That's all I really have time to type out, so...

Bye!

~Cassie

Morning

The sun began to rise slowly, leisurely, turning the gray sky lavender. A golden rooster crowed, for once on time. His hens clucked and ruffled their feathers, not wanting to wake. A pair of dogs barked and growled at a doe and her twin fawns. A cat slept on one of the three beds in a house, stretching lazily and meowing in her master's ear.

Three alarm clocks went off in the giant, three-floor house. One alarm stayed on, the country music blaring loudly, trying to escape the closed door of the light purple room. One alarm was slapped twice, for the first slap missed the 'sleep' button. One was turned off with a gentle touch of its owner's hand after it played for fifteen minutes.

A dark Russian blue cat carefully placed a paw full of unsheathed claws on her master's cheek, and curled her long claws. The girl yelped and leaped out of her bed, the feline hissing. This was not a good way to begin the morning.

Bleary-eyed, she walked down the fir-wood hall, careful not to dent the soft wood. Making her way to the laundry room, she dressed slowly, not wanting to go into the kitchen. Going into the kitchen meant dealing with them.

She reluctantly left the warmth of the laundry room and went into the gloomy, dark kitchen. The bowl-shaped light wasn't on in the dining room, where a a boy with reddish-brown hair was eating Cheerios out of a gigantic bowl. "Doesn't anyone ever turn the lights on in here? Aren't you tired of the dark?" she said as she slid her finger under the light switch and flipped it so it said on in little letters on the bottom of the light switch.

A blond-haired, blue-eyed man roamed about the kitchen, carefully putting sandwiches in plastic baggies. The girl had the same blond hair.

"Morning, Daddy!" she said, trying to sound cheery.

"Hi, Cassie," her father said blandly.

"Hi, Jacob!"

"Leave me alone," the boy eating cereal replied.

"Fine."

And the rush to catch both buses began.

First Day Reflection

The first day of school made me feel as if I was coming home for the first time in a very long time. I loved being able to breathe in the crisp air on a cool morning; being able to see my friends in person for the first time in three long months. I almost felt like someone had knocked the breath clean out of me so I could take in the scent of my homeland. It just felt right to be back on the grounds again.

Throughout the day, I saw people I had not seen in ages: some had just moved back to the district, others had just enrolled in LMS. A few were brand new to the state of Washington. I met up with some of my old friends as well, and discovered that I, surprisingly, liked every single one of my teachers.

My schedule was convenient; my classes mostly took place in the eighth grade hall, where my locker was. And my new science teacher completely changed the views I'd acquired from the year before, when I'd had a science teacher that wasn't really the best personality match for me.

And as I got on the bus to go home, I realized that I loved my schedule and my teachers. And I knew exactly what I was going to say to my mother when she asked how my day had gone.