Hair Blog

My hair was curly, full and long. Until, of course, I chopped it all off one day. I had worn my hair long for years, only occasionally getting a trim or slightly different styling. However, the years of brushing it out, untangling a bad hair day's hair, had built up to a point of which I was only vaguely aware. That point was the tipping point, the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Clouds of that insidious dust, tree pollen, mingled into my seemingly luxurious strands, added to the tipping point. So on one otherwise lazy Saturday, I went to an appointment with my regular hair stylist. I had only one direction for her, which was to "make it short." A few inches off and it seemed short, scary short, but the stylist kept cutting. Sometimes I would look away, waiting for the finished product, but then a sideways glance in the mirror would show the drastic progress. After a long period where I believe I took no breaths, my time in the chair was finished. I shook my head, the hair flowed side to side, but much less than before. It was a new look, a new me. Best of all, it was so much easier to care for, so much less time needed to prepare my hair for any event. Yes, I now had so much more time to do my make-up and try to have my face look good!

Vocabulary:

1. chopped (verb) - sudden cutting

2. untangling (verb) - taking out knots

3. aware (adjective) - knowledgable of

4. insidious (adjective) -wickedly pervasive

5. sideways (adjective) - furtive

6. progress (noun) - movement toward a result

Practice:

1. The chef _______ the vegetables into tiny pieces.

2. The sailor demonstrated the art of ___________ complicated knots.

3. As she awoke she was only dimly ______ of her suroundings.

4. The racist thinking spread ___________ ideas on the campus.

5. The racers cast ________ glances at their nearest competitors.

6. Trying to reach the trapped miners was slow but rewarding _______.

Grammar point:

Transitional words or phrases show the direction of our thoughts from one sentence to the next. Some transition words/phrases in this blog are: however, sometimes, after a long period, best of all.

Welcome Spring

The signs of spring are everywhere. Tree branches, long barren over the dark dreary days of winter, have sprouted green everywhere. My neighbors, who maybe had a view of my activities through the bare trees, now have their views blocked. Interior living and thinking turns more and more to the outdoors and social events. I already smell barbecues in the backyard. My gardener is gearing up for lots of work and plenty of billed charges. The tulips in my yard are beginning to show their gentle faces filled with color to the world in spring.

Too bad, though, about those nasty trees. Without regard for the humans who live, work, and play all around them, they spew "pollen" into the air. While the buds and leaves fill out, the trees continue to emit their nasty dust. Worst of all, that dust is aimed at those sensitive allergy sufferers like me, causing weeks of red eyes and flu like symptoms. Maybe we should just have plenty of palm trees, or giant cacti that never bloom. Oh! how I miss those clear, crisp, cold days of winter.

Vocabulary:
1. barren (adjective) - devoid of life
2. sprouted (verb) - began to grow
3. regard (adjective) - the ability to care
4. spew (verb) - gush out
5. buds (noun) - initial growth
6. symptoms (noun) - ill effects

Practice:
1. The surface of the moon appeared _____________.
2. After the first rain, the seeds all ______________.
3. The children show __________ for protecting the environment.
4. The smokestacks continuously ________ black smoke in the air.
5. The little flower ________ showed a tinge of color to come.
6. The school nurse carefully checked each child for _________ of the disease.

Grammar point:
It is important to maintain the correct "verb" tense. If you are writing about something that happened in the past, the verbs in the writing must also be written using the past tense.

Cardinal Guilt

Last spring my small dog Oreo went roaming about in the backyard. I realized something was dreadfully amiss when I saw three birds, one a flashing bright red and two more brownish, swooping back and forth over Oreo's head. I ran to the spot and saw Oreo trying to swipe at a tiny reddish object, which upon closer inspection proved to be a baby cardinal. The bird had probably fallen from a hidden nest, could not yet fly, and its parents and extended family were attempting to scare off the dog from mauling the curious object. My daughter and I rescued the bird, but couldn't really save it, and, alas, it sucumbed to the grievous injuries a week later.

This spring, we decided to create a haven for birds, a virtual place of freedom for winged creatures. Birdfeeder hanging on a pole, providing food and sustenance for the nesting parents and hatchlings. They have flocked to our backyard, scarlet cardinals, tiny yellow finches, ordinary sparrows and cooing doves. However, even in paradise, always a culprit to blame! "When Squirrels Attack" seemed to be filming right in the backyard. Sharp raps on the window proved to be only momentary respite from the furry creatures attempts to steal all the food. Humans being smarter and wealthier, I exchanged one hanging pole for a better, taller one, and the birdfeeder now swings free of the rodent like animals. After all, don't they have nuts to eat?

Vocabulary:

1. roaming (verb) - wandering and exploring

2. amiss (adjective) - wrong, out of place

3. haven (noun) - place of refuge

4. sustenance (noun) - nourishment needed to survive

5. hatchlings (noun) - newborn birds

6. respite (noun) - temporary break

Practice:

1. My friend was never comfortable in one place and was always _________ around.

2. I could tell from their sad faces that somehing was ____.

3. The hurricane survivors struggled across the flood to reach a safe _______.

4. Bread and water provided enough ______ to keep them alive.

5. The students watched in awe as three little _____ emerged from their eggs.

6. The truce provided a much wanted ____ from the fighting.

Grammar Point:

A description tells what someone or something is like. You can describe a real or made-up person or place. Make sure you use "details" to help your readers "see" the place you are describing. You can use sensory words to tell your reader how things look, sound, feel, smell, or taste.