Opossum!

In March and April of this year, I decided to set our box trap in the woods down by the creek. I wanted to see what I could catch. After baiting the trap with a little dog food, I left it there for the night. The next morning, I went down to see if I had caught anything, and as I got near the trap, I saw a clump of white fur sitting in the trap! As I got closer, to my excitement. I saw that it was an opossum! I picked up the trap, then I noticed something hanging out from under the opossum. Wondering what it was I saw, I looked and to my surprise the opossum had a pouch full of babies!

I took the opossum up to the house and asked Dad if I could keep it for a while. After getting his permission, I went down and fixed up one of the rabbit cages for the opossum’s new home. After putting her in, the opossum walked right into the nest box I had prepared for her.

Every day I gave the mama some dog food and filled her container with water. I never got to see her eat because opossums are nocturnal animals and come out at night. Even though I did not see her eat, the food was still gone every morning.

Every day the babies were getting bigger. Sometimes I would go down to check the opossum, then I would see the babies out of the pouch, and some days I would not see the babies at all. Baby opossums leave their mother’s pouch after 60 or 70 days. They still go into the pouch when the get cold, or when they’re hungry. Eventually they got too big to fit in their mother’s pouch, then they started exploring their cage. That is when I knew it was time to let the mother and her babies go.

I released the mom, and her eight babies down in the woods, but I kept two to raise for a while. The two babies are now big enough to eat dog food, and other things. 

An opossum has more front teeth than any other animal. These teeth are used to hunt other small animals. I will keep the two opossums for a while, then let them go.

I am glad I caught and kept the mom opossum. It was exciting to watch her babies grow. 

I enjoyed learning new things each day, and I hope to learn a lot more as I watch them grow and change.

~Jonah

Post script-  Jonah's possums have since been released into the woods.  

Quit Ye Like Men!

One of my Christmas presents I got this year was a chisel set that came in four varied sizes. I was excited! For this was going to be put in the toolbox I have sitting at the end of my bed.

The last many years, I have gotten all kinds of tools, and my toolbox is full of different items. 

I have a hammer, screwdrivers, a wrench set, a level, vice grips, pliers, a saw, a tool belt, and lots more objects in my box. This year I got to add a chisel set!

Dad and Mom started gifting tools when their first grandchild was born. They wanted to give their future generations something that would help them later in life, so they decided to provide each of them and us with a basic set of tools. 

The first year they start out with a toolbox, then each year for Christmas they give everyone one or a couple of tools to add to their box.

All the girls get other tools like paint brushes, measuring cups, and knitting needles. They also have a toolbox to store these things in. Theirs are called Titus 2 Kits, and the boxes that we boys receive are called Quit Ye Like Men toolboxes. 

These tools help us all become men. In 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 it says: Stay steadfast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 

It is always thrilling to use my tools. I used my tool belt, hammer, and tape measure while repairing the granary roof. I used my square and level while we built the deck on the back side of the house. I am glad Dad and Mom had the idea of giving these kits as gifts. I am excited to see the next item I acquire!

~Jonah

A Ride to Remember

While we were at Myrtle Beach, Dad and Mom took us out to go on a helicopter ride! We had never ridden in a helicopter or an airplane before, and we were all very excited and scared at the same time. We pulled into the little airport where Oceanfront Helicopters was located. We walked into the building to sign up for a ride.

We were considering taking the five-minute trip, but the employee working there told us that it was a very short ride. After some discussion, we decided to take the Broadway Tour. This took you up 90 feet above sea level for ten minutes in the air, and you got a beach tour along the coastline with views of local attractions, including the Grand Strand and the boardwalk.

The helicopter could only hold four people total and there were ten of us, so we had to split up into groups. Mom and Dad were together, so were Jayla and Samuel. Halayah, Unique, and Isaac were in a group together. My group included Mamaw and Aunt Sue.

After we were organized into our groups, we headed out to the landing pad where the helicopter was waiting. The first ones to ride were Samuel and Jayla. They climbed into the copter with the help of two employees. When they were in and the door was shut, the helicopter lifted off the ground and was soon out of sight! We stood in our spots, amazed to see them go. When we saw the copter flying back in over the trees, we knew our turn was getting closer. After they had landed, Samuel and Jayla were let out, and Mom and Dad were in for the next ride.

After they were back, it was our turn. Mamaw and Aunt Sue got into the two back seats, and I was able to sit in the front seat beside the pilot. After buckling and putting on our headphones, the door of the copter was shut, and we were off! We started lifting higher and higher into the air and heading toward the ocean. A couple of seconds later, we were hovering over the sea! It was amazing to see the water under us, and to look to my left and see the beach. The pilot told us we were 200 feet in the air and going over one hundred miles per hour! I was surprised, because it felt like we were hardly moving! We flew over the beach, and the people looked very small. We also saw Swamp Fox, one of the oldest roller coasters in the world, and the Sky Wheel in the streets of Myrtle Beach.

Sadly, it was nearing time to return. The pilot banked to the left, as we turned around to head back to the airport. As we got closer, I could see Halayah, Isaac, and Unique waiting in line for their turn to take a flight. They got bigger and bigger was we approached. After a nice smooth landing, we got out and the next riders got in.

It was thrilling to ride in a helicopter! It was fun to fly over the ocean. It was also neat to fly over the tops of the trees and see all the beautiful colored leaves. I hope someday to be able to ride in a helicopter again. It was a ride to remember.

~Jonah

Warm and Toasty

A few days ago, Dad bought some fire bricks for the wood stove. A couple of the old bricks lining the back that were cracked were missing, and they needed to be replaced. A fire brick is made of clay, alumina or mullite, and a lot of other ingredients. Fire bricks are used in wood stoves to protect the inside, and to reflect the heat back into the stove which helps it hold a lot of heat.

Before we put in the new stones, the old ones had to come out. I got a flat headed screwdriver and a hammer. Then I started working on taking them out. It was a lot harder than I thought, because the rocks were broken, and hard to get the screwdriver underneath to pry them up.

After getting all the broken pieces out, I cleaned out the ashes that had fallen into the crack along the back and pried out little pieces of rock that were jammed in between. After cleaning the crack out, I inserted one of the new fire stones, and it slid right into place.

The metal rack which held the stones in place had gotten bent down, this made it too hard to slip the fire stone into its spot. We heated the bent metal with a torch till it got so hot the metal turned red. Then we took a pair of pliers and bent it back into its original place. We placed in the new rocks, and they fit in perfectly. We had only one left over.

With the new stones, the stove will put out a lot more heat. When winter temperatures come, the house will be toasty and warm. I am very thankful for our wood stove and the new firebrick that will keep us safe and sound.

~ Jonah

One By One

A few months ago, we noticed the grain in the granary had been getting wet. Opening the door and looking up, I could see cracks in the ceiling where the water was coming through. After telling Dad about it, he told us it was time to take off the old shingles and replace them with new ones. The granary was constructed in 2007. The roof that Trey had made had lasted for sixteen years! That is a long time.

When the time came to replace the roof, Samuel, Isaac, and I gathered up the tools we needed. We needed out hammers, our pry bars, roofing nails, and we also took our two biggest ladders. After climbing onto the roof, we began taking off the old shingles. 

It did not take long to remove them. Most of the shingles were rotting and falling apart. That made the job a lot easier. After they were off, the granary looked very strange.

Now it was time to put on the tar paper. This would keep out the water when it rained. We had a roll in the shop left over from building the back porch roof, so we used it. Starting from bottom to top, we laid out the paper on the bare roof. We also put a strip of flashing on the ridge of the roof where the tar paper would not be placed.

The shingles were made from cedar wood, and each piece was wedge shaped. Dad showed me how to put the shingles on. He showed me to work from bottom to top, the thick end of the shingle facing the ground, and the other end facing the top.

I put on the shingles one by one, working from right to left. When I got to the left side, I would measure and then mark a line, then start on the next row. I continued this repeatedly, and each time moving five- and one-half inches up, overlapping the last row. I did this over and over again. Finally, I got to the top! It took pretty much all day. I climbed down off the ladder and looked at the new roof. It looked wonderful. I took a little break, stretched my legs, and got a drink of water. After moving the ladders and tools to the other side of the roof, I went back to work. It was starting to get dark, so I put on two rows. 

I was exhausted, and glad that it was time to be done for the night. The next day I continued working on the roof, and that evening, completed it! It was exciting to see it finished!

Although it was a long and slow job putting on the shingles one by one, I had an enjoyable time doing them. It was fun to watch the roof slowly get covered, and I knew it would not only look good, but also help protect the grain on the inside. Now when it rains, it will roll right off the new shingled roof.

~Jonah

What I Found In My Net

With the net from Critter Corner, I strolled to the hay field, to see what kind of insects I might capture. As I walked through the tall grass, I swung the net in front of me to catch anything in my path. When I thought the net was full, I moved to a clearing to investigate whether there was anything trapped in my net.

As I slowly looked in, I saw something green climbing up the side. To my excitement, it was a praying mantis! Mantids come in various colors- white and red, green, brown, grey with black spots, and a lot more selections. I put my green insect in the container I had brought with me. After a little more searching, I headed down to the house to add the new insect to Critter Corner.

Then I had an idea. Why not catch and raise these remarkable creatures? I took our butterfly house and put about two inches of dirt in the bottom of it. I dug up grass with its roots to plant in the soil. When that was completed, I placed the praying mantis in his new home. I had to supply his food, so I returned to the field to gather grasshoppers for him to eat.

With nearly ten grasshoppers now in with the mantis, I went out to gather more mantids. I was incredibly pleased that I ended up catching three more praying mantises that day! The insects were about three inches long, and some were brown and others green.

To hunt, the mantis sits very still and waits for its prey to come to him. A praying mantis is the only insect that has stereo-vision. This means that both eyes can focus on the same target at the same time. When the insect gets into reach, as quick as lightning the mantis shoots out its arms, grabbing the insect to devour. Its front arms are covered in little jagged barbs. These help it grip its meal in a firm hold.

After keeping the insects for about a month, it was time to let them go. I took them to a tall grassy spot and watched them crawl away. It was a little sad to see them go, but I knew I would see them again next year as a new generation of mantids. Praying mantises are very amazing insects and are wonderful to see and study.

~Jonah

An Exciting Game In Section D!

For the past many years, we have been going to Hillsboro Family Camp. It is in Ohio and is one of my favorite places to go each year. At the camp we play and visit with others, and we also get to listen to lots of excellent preaching. This year we were asked to do a fifteen-minute concert!

When we were packing up our clothes, food, and other things, Samuel, Isaac, and I also made sure to bring our ball gloves, bats, and balls. Ryan and Amanda and their family were planning to come also, so they made sure to bring their baseball gear, too. We packed everything up the night before we left, so we would not forget it. We were hoping to play a lot of ball that week, and we were excited to go.

Every day while we were at the camp, we played ball a good bit. A bunch of the time, all our friends would come over and play with us. When that happened, we would start a game. We played in an open field in section D where we camp. The field was a perfect spot to play. It was lots of fun. When it was just Samuel, Isaac, Justus, Gideon, and Me, we would throw a hard baseball to practice our skills. Most of the time we would use wiffle balls. Baseball is very thrilling to play. You never know which team is going to win. There are lots of positions you can play.

One of the games we like to play is kind of like grounders and high flies. The game involves one of us boys hitting the ball out, and the fielders trying to catch a fly ball to get him out. The batter would continue hitting the ball until he got three outs. Then it was the next person’s turn to try. The goal for the runner was to score as many runs as he could before they got out, and the fielder’s goal was to get three outs as fast as he could, and not let any runs score. My favorite position to play on the field is short stop. It’s very exciting!

I enjoy going to Hillsboro Family Camp, and I hope to return next year. If you want to have a good time, come to Hillsboro Family Camp. Not only will you get to play ball, but you will hear lots of good sermons and have lots of good fellowship. Come and join us in section D!

~Jonah