Ticks

Watch out dogs, cats, and animals of all kinds! That time of year is here again..... TICK SEASON!!! I hate it when Lucky gets ticks.... not that I take them off of him. That's Dad's job. But I still have to take them to the toilet and flush them. It seems that the only way to get the ticks to leave Lucky alone is to spray him with apple cider vinegar... but that's no fun for him OR my family's noses.

Here is an article I wrote back in 2011 on ticks, better known as siphonaptera:

Fleas are pesky insects with no wings, and are usually dark in color so as to blend into things.  They usually reside in dark woods, or on animal fur.  They have long legs that help them get onto animals, and tube like mouths for sucking blood. A flea can jump 200 times its body length, and despite it's size, can do a lot of damage to a human or animal.

An ugly, bloodsucking, gut-wrenching tick

The flea goes through four transformation stages, starting when the female lays her eggs. Adult fleas must feed on blood before they lay eggs. The four stages, starting from baby, are: egg, larva, pupa, and imago. The eggs are usually laid in batches of 20, and are hatched in 2 weeks tops.

The flea has been thought to have been descended from the fly, because of similarities in looks. But in any case, whether fleas came from flies or not, they are dangerous bugs, both for animals, and for humans. ( Note: always check your pet if he/she has been outside. They could have ticks or fleas. Fleas will usually go into places near the tail and under the collar.)

Doll Design Contest

Today, I am going to be hosting a contest. I frequently play a game called "Erte Elegance" on a site called dolldivine, and it allows you to save the doll you create to your computer. Here is a doll that I made recently:

That is where the contest comes in. Since the site allows you to save your dolls to the computer, I'd like my readers to follow these steps to enter the "Doll Design" contest. Whoever can create the best doll will get it featured in next Friday's post, so all entries must be received by me by 12:00 a.m Friday of next week.

How to enter:

1. Click the link to go to the site below
2. Design a doll
3. Download it to your computer  (make sure to add ".jpg" to the end of whatever name you give it)
4. Send it in an email with your first name or nickname ONLY titled "Doll Design Contest" to prettypinkprincess1975@yahoo.com
5. You are entered.

Though I know that no one else enters but a few family members, I still enjoy these contests. I like seeing the creative side of my family, especially Dad (even though he said that he REFUSES to do this contest). Remember, all entries must be received by me by 12:00 a.m. Friday of next week.

Thanks and good luck,
Maddie

Link to site: http://www.dolldivine.com/erte-elegance-art-deco-fashion.php

News

Well, in two days, a new month will start: June! The month of Father's Day. I love father's day because I love doing nice things for Dad all day.

That brings up the new blog background- I made a Father's Day collage featuring me, Ashleigh, and Dad. Like my mother's day one, you can't really see it, but this is what it is supposed to look like:

My test results are not officially in yet, but as long as the scoring stayed the same since last year, I think I tested out at 12th grade level in all 3 of my tests. But I am not 100% sure yet. I will blog when the official results come in.

My sister is still sick, as well.... I feel so bad for her. She had a fever of 99.8 degrees as of this morning, and though she has most of her energy back, is still coughing and wheezing a lot. Hopefully she is better by the weekend, as I would like to have my friends over.

I have to get ready for karate now, so I will end my post here.

Maddie

Google Glass

There is a new technology product coming out this year- Google Glass. Everyone seems to be talking about it (even my Dad), so I figured I'd say my piece on it.

What is 'Google Glass'?
Google Glass is this cool pair of glasses that can comprehend voice commands, kind of like Siri for many iProducts does. Whatever you search on Google pops up right in front of your eyes as you are wearing the glasses. You can even video chat people and text message them! The Glass also gives you directions, music, videos, internet access, and SO much more. However, I am wondering about safety.....

Many argue that the glasses will cut down on car accidents, because people texting on their phones look down, and with this, you can just look straight forward. I, however, DO NOT agree. How safe can you be if it is IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES!? I know that on my iPod, when I get a new message, my screen turns on. So what about Google Glass? Here is an example:

You are driving along the road, wearing your newly bought pair of Google Glasses. You just finished telling your friends your new text message address and blah blah blah. Suddenly, your friend messages you and the world goes dark. All you can see is a big red message that says: You have received: 1 new text message. As you are trying to figure out how to get it to turn off, you forget you are driving and crash into a tree.

That sounds safe to me.... another issue that has come up with the glasses are the safety issues. A few places in the US have already banned the glasses as they think they are too dangerous, and that if people have these glasses, they can be spied on too easy. I agree with this argument... I would hate to think that I am being filmed everywhere I go. That is just downright creepy.

I do think that these glasses are cool, and despite the safety issues would like to have a pair when they come out.

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day! Today, I didn't have any work (except for my blog), so I had some fun. First, I went out shopping with Grandma. My sister was sick, so she didn't come with us. We stopped at WalMarts, Hannafords, and the Dollar Tree before heading home. Along the way, I picked up some things to take home to my sister:

• A free cookie from Hannafords
• A small plastic handheld game
• Binoculars
• Gel Stickers 

When I got home, I watched a little TV with my sister and took care of her. We ended up watching movies until dinner, and after dinner watching another. I am happy I had a great day with my sister. I love spending time with her. Right now she is up in bed. I am going to finish my blogging and then.... I don't know. Maybe watch a movie with Dad? Or I could play a computer game..... or play with Lucky...... I really don't know. 

Here is something fun for Memorial Day (or the 4th of July) that I did:

Festive Ice-cubes

These ice-cubes are very good to put in milkshakes, milk, and or even water. They are red, white and blue, and perfect for Memorial Day- or if you like things festive, every day. Here is how to make them:

1. Dye a small bowl of milk red. Stir well.
2. Then, fill about 1/3 or your ice-tray with the red milk using a teaspoon. About 2 tsp of milk per cube.
3. Freeze.
4. After the first layer is frozen, put 2 tsp of plain milk over it per cube. Leave room for another layer.
5. Freeze.
6. Finally, die a small bowl of milk blue. Layer your final layer over the ice cubes, 2 tsp per cube.
7. Freeze.
8. Enjoy your red, white, and blue cubes! Best served in milkshakes and milk, not recommended for water as it washes the color out.

Shirley Holmes and the Mystery of the Stolen Project

Shirley Holmes and the Mystery of the Stolen Project

By Madison Nef

It was a cold, stormy day in the town of RedBrook. Puddles covered the roads, and people with umbrellas hurried home. But at RedBrook Middle School, students were bustling about. In 3 days, there was to be a science fair at the school. Now, many fairs were very small, but this one was being sponsored by MIT (Massachusetts Institute to Technology). Whoever won first place got a certificate from the college and a scholarship when they were older. But not all the students were bustling.

In the science lab in the basement of the school, two girls were sitting at a counter together. One of the girls was tall and wiry, with thick black hair and green eyes. She was wearing experiment goggles and gloves, and was working on a machine. The other girl is also tall, but shorter than the other girl and has brown hair and eyes. She is reading a sleuthing magazine.  “Shirley, are you done yet?” asked the brown-haired girl. “Not quite, Dot,” said the black-haired girl, whose name was Shirley.

Dot sighed. She knew that this science fair was important to Shirley, but did she HAVE to spend their after-school time in the lab every day? “What are you building, anyway?” asked Dot, who had forgotten. “I am building the Shirley 5000. It is a helpful robot; all you have to do is program it with your list of chores, and it will complete them all,” replied Shirley, connecting some wires together. “I only have 3 more days to finish it, and I have to figure out why these wires keep glitching. PLEASE do not distract me because this is very complex work.”

“Alright, geez,” muttered Dot, turning back to her magazine. There was a very good article in it about recognizing clues, and how clues could look like other things at times. About 15 minutes later, she nearly jumped out of her skin when an electronic voice said, “I am the Shir-r-r-rley 5000. How ma-y-y-y I help yo-o-u-u?” “YES!” cheered Shirley.

“Look Dot!” she cried. “I am going to give it a command….” She said, breaking off her sentence as she pressed some buttons on the machine. “Y-y-y-es, mistress,” stuttered the machine, and it rolled over to Dot and gave her an uncomfortable hug. “GET AWAY FROM ME!” screeched Dot, who didn’t like anything that talked and moved when it was supposed to be inanimate. She frowned at Shirley, who was on the floor laughing.

“Come on, I’m going home,” grumbled Dot to her friend. “Ok ok, fine,” said Shirley, and she took her robot and put it on the top-most shelf in the lab. Since she was the tallest girl with access to the 5^th grade lab, she was the only person other than teachers that could reach the top shelf without the step stool. After putting her robot away, she dashed out into the rain with Dot.

The girls lived next door to each other, so they walked home together. When they were 2 blocks away from their houses, Shirley suddenly stopped. “What’s the matter?” asked Dot. “I forgot my backpack in the lab,” said Shirley. “All of my homework is in there, and I DON’T want to break my average of A. I am going to go get it… wanna come with me?” “UGH… Sure,” said Dot.

The girls raced back to school and out of the rain. Shirley used her key to the lab, given to her by the principal himself, and went down to the basement. “I am glad we came back,” chuckled Dot. “I left my magazine here!” Shirley laughed as she grabbed her backpack. The girls raced up the stairs and headed home.

The next day at school, Shirley could barely wait for science. She wanted to show off her robot to her class; everyone, including Dot, had told her she wouldn’t be able to do it. Finally, it was 1:30. Shirley raced down to the lab, grinning. Her teacher, Mrs. Mickle, smiled and said, “What’s the big hurry?” even though she knew quite well that Shirley loved science and was ready to show off her project.

At about 1:35, the rest of the class trickled in, slouching themselves into chairs and slumping their projects onto the counters. Dot scooched in next to Shirley and asked “Well? Where is it?” “Still on the shelf…. I am saving it for last,” replied Shirley. “OK,” said Dot. After a boring talk about the fair, Mrs. Mickle finally called out, “Would anyone like to show off their science fair projects?”

Pandora Chesney’s hand went up first. Pandora was a short, heavyset blonde girl that was known for being popular and very bratty. She brought out a sparkly pink bag with fluffy feathers all over it. “THIS,” she began in a preppy voice, “is the ‘Super Bag 200 by PaNDorA’. All you have to do is press one of the buttons, either lipstick, compact, cellphone, or gum, and it will open up and a mechanical hand will give it to you. However, it still has a bit of a glitch… But don’t worry, it’ll be ready for the science fair!”

Next, Rose Neret raised her hand. Rose was a quivery little redhead with brown eyes. She was very small, very shy, and also got picked on a lot. She was also very passionate about science. Next to Shirley, she was the best in the class. She pushed out a large silver machine and smiled. “This is called ‘the Knit It’. All you have to do is enter the yarn of your choice, and press what you want it to make, and voila! You have a new hat, or mittens, or even a stylish new scarf.”  She put in a small red ball of yarn, hit a button, and after a minute, out came a cute red scarf. She bowed and went back to her counter, taking her machine with her.

A few more people went, and finally it was Shirley’s turn. She grinned and turned to her class. “What you are about to see is a do-it-yourself robot that I like to call ‘The Shirley 5000’. Enter your list of chores, turn her on, and find yourself kicking back to relax!” With that, Shirley went to the shelf to get her project. But it wasn’t there!

Shirley gasped. Where was her science project?! “Um, uh, I actually seem to have misplaced my project. Come back later,” said Shirley, in awe. The class stared at her awkwardly. She blushed and returned to her counter. Dot said, “WHAT HAPPENED?!” “I don’t know!” said Shirley. “I put it there yesterday when we left… somebody must have taken it!”

After the class had finished, Shirley and Dot stayed behind to look for Shirley’s project. “Where did you see it last?” asked Dot. “Well, I had put it on the shelf, then I had run out with you. When I went back to get my homework, it was still there… I must have forgotten to lock the door when I left!” she exclaimed.

Dot looked around the shelf for clues as to where the project was. Shirley looked around the stepladder. “Who would even want my project?” asked Shirley. “Uhm, ANYONE?” said Dot. “You’re the best in class, and anyone in the science class would want that scholarship. So to get it, they’d have to knock the best person out of the competition. Right?” “Right,” said Shirley.

Shirley examined the stepladder closely. The person who moved it would have had to have stepped on the stepladder. She looked, and sure enough, there was a mud mark on the ladder that was very fresh. “Aha!” she said. “Come here, Dot!” Dot ran over to see. “That is definitely a girl’s shoe print,” said Dot after examining it. “Look, you can see the little heel mark in it. However, the toe mark is more defined, meaning that whoever took your project was so small that even with the ladder, they had to reach.”

Shirley looked up on the shelf with Dot, but all they could find was a pair of knit gloves kept for cold days. The shelf was covered with dust, and Shirley had bad allergies, so she climbed down. However, Dot saw something that she hadn’t before- two jars were missing. Not that she was a science whiz, but she saw the two marks in the dust where something had been there before.

Upon asking Shirley, she found out that the jars missing were oil for creaky machinery and the manual of science, a big, off-limits book that teachers used for assigning projects and keeping student project records and diagrams. “If a teacher ever caught ANYONE poking around with that book….. OUCH,” stated Shirley.

By this time, it was starting to get dark out, and the girls headed home. The next day was Friday. In the morning, Dot got to school early to use the bathroom and brush her teeth, as the water had been shut off that night. As she walked in, she heard a girl talking on her phone. “…Yeah, and now it just shut down! …Yes, I know it was a bad idea to take it…. No, of course I won’t get caught! Goodbye Gracie.”  Dot turned on the water and started brushing her teeth casually, and was shocked to see little Rose walk out of the stall!

As she brushed her teeth, Dot thought about it- it all made sense. The bootprint had been very small, and looked like it had come from someone about Rose’s size. Also, Dot saw dried mud on her shoes as she walked away. Rose WAS very small, and would need to stand on tiptoe to grab the robot. Also, she must have left the knit gloves- Shirley hadn’t mentioned anything about extra gloves.

It all made sense to Dot. Now all she had to do was confront her- and she knew how. That day in science, she raised her hand. “Yes?” said Mrs. Mickle. “I know where Shirley’s project is!” announced Dot. She called Rose over. “I know you took it! I heard you on the phone this morning! You were worried about people finding out you took something! Besides, you left a boot-print on the step-ladder AND you have muddy boots. PLUS, you left a certain pair of mittens on the shelf!” Dot yelled triumphantly.

The whole class was watching in a stunned silence as Dot made this accusation. Suddenly, an older woman who until this point Dot had not noticed raised her hand and stepped forward. “Excuse me,” she said kindly. “My name is Jenny Ginter, and I’m the school’s janitor. I was cleaning the lab the other day, and since your project was in a box, I mistook it for my cleaning supplies. I just now realized my mistake…. Does this machine belong to anyone?” she asked, and with that she rolled The Shirley 5000 forward.

Shirley jumped up and cried “YES! Oh, thank you so much!” as she ran to her machine. Dot held up her hand. “Wait,” she said. “There is one thing I do not understand. Why is the manual of science gone?” At this point, Rose was slowly slinking out of the room. “OH NO YOU DON’T!” yelled Mrs. Mickle. Rose sighed and went up to the front of the room. “My machine stopped working, so I stole in here and grabbed the oil and my plans. I’m sorry,” she said, with tears in her eyes.

“I’m very disappointed in you,” said Mrs. Mickle. “I am giving you 1 month’s detention after school, and you will give that book over to me RIGHT NOW.” Rose nodded and pulled the book and oil out of her backpack. She handed them to Mrs. Mickle and muttered “I’m s-s-sorry.”

Shirley showed off her robot, letting each student give it a command, even Rose. Dot apologized to Rose for humiliating her like she had. Rose said it was ok, and that she was glad she had humiliated her- after what she did, she definitely deserved it. Dot and Shirley couldn’t help but agree.

Dot and Shirley decided to have a sleepover the night before the science fair. Dot helped Shirley pick out what to wear: a cute jean skirt with a clean white t-shirt and black flat shoes. Then, the girls stayed up watching monster movies, telling secrets, listening to music, and snacking before falling asleep at 12:00 midnight.

In the morning, Shirley got up bright and early to get ready for the fair. She took a shower, dried her hair, brushed her teeth and ate a nutritious breakfast of sausage, eggs, and a yogurt before getting into her outfit. Then, she woke up her mom, dad and Dot. Dot was rather annoyed at Shirley, as she was used to getting up late on Saturdays. However, when reminded about the science fair, she got ready fast.

By 11:30, Shirley was at the science fair. She went over to her booth and set up her board, telling about her robot, and set her robot up with it. She also put up a sign that said: TRY IT NOW! GIVE THE ROBOT A COMMAND OF YOUR OWN! She couldn’t wait for the fair to open at 12.

Soon, more and more people started to come, and at 12, the judges arrived. There were three: A kind, fair skinned lady with blonde hair name Claire, a heavyset man with a big black moustache and large front teeth named Joe, and another young woman with darker skin and black hair that had a rather large nose named Joan.

Slowly, the judges walked from table to table, nodding, whispering among themselves, and taking notes. Shirley watched as Claire went towards Pandora’s table. She heard her giving her cheesy little speech. “…yes, push that button and it will give you lipstick,” said Pandora with a smile. But when Claire pushed the button, instead of lipstick, the metal bag shot out a glob of hair, chewy gum, and lipstick right into Pandora’s face.

Shirley couldn’t help but laugh at the look on Pandora’s face. It was SO funny. But Shirley quickly put on her business face again, because the judges were heading towards her table. She smiled politely as she told them about her machine, and Joe tested it out. The judges smiled at her, wished her good luck, wrote down their notes, and moved on.

The clock ticked, and time flew by. Finally, Claire got up onto a podium and spoke into the microphone: “And the winner of the RedBrook Middle School Science Fair (sponsored by MIT) is….. Shirley Holmes, with her invention “The Shirley 5000, a Do-It-Yourself Robot”. Congratulations, you have won a scholarship to MIT when you grow up!” Shirley quickly accepted her award, and felt the happiest she had ever felt. As for Dot, she was very happy for her friend….. but mostly, she was happy to only be spending an hour in the musty school lab for classes.

The End

WEDGE SNEAKERS!

Yes, you read the title right... and you are probably thinking: "Oh no, she lost it, she is blogging about things twice". But, as you will see in a moment (if you keep reading) you are wrong.

This post is because...... I GOT THE SHOES!!!! And now I am so happy! It was nearing the end of the day, and everyone was going to leave the mall, but me and Grandma and Mom and Ashleigh decided that we would check Sears.

I was at the end of my rope, we had walked for about 2 and 1/2 hours with no prevail. I was about to give up, when I saw them: The most perfect pair of shoes I had ever seen. They were black with pink stitching, and had small grey studs on them- and the best part- THEY WERE ONLY $30!!!

Well, I still have math to do, so I will end this post here. Check back tomorrow for the next blog post!

Maddie

Math Test Results

Well, today was my math test.... I got up at 9:00 and left the house at 9:30 to get to the school for 9:45. The test had already started when I arrived, and when I went in, the first class had almost finished.

 I started my test, and I was so nervous, because as I moved up, the questions got harder, and I was positive I got a lot wrong. Plus, there weren't any tissues in the library, and my allergies were bothering me... by the time I was done with my 52 questions, my nose was dripping.

However, when I compared my score to what I got last year, it was even HIGHER! My score last year was 230 or something, and this year, my score was 242. According to the grade levels, I tested out at 12th grade level in math. I was so happy!

Now, I just have a mineral, 3 math, and some reading to do. Then, I am going to karate, and when I get back, I intend to play either Wizard101 with Dad, The Sims 2, or practice the webcam with Dad. That reminds me.... I am going to end my post here, because I need to be out of the room in a moment for Dad's video call.

Maddie

My Favorite Singers - 2013

Avril Lavigne

Age: 28

Genre of Music: Pop

Songs I like:

Push

Darlin'

I Love You

Wish You Were Here

4 Real

Skater Boy

Complicated 

Alice

When You're Gone

P!nk

Age: 33

Genre of Music: Pop/Rock

Songs I like:

Cuz I Can

Perfect

This is How it Goes Down

Missunderstood

God is a DJ

Please Don't Leave Me

Funhouse

Taylor Swift

Age: 23

Genre of Music: Pop/Country

Songs I like:

Red

I'd Lie

Knew You Were Trouble

We Are Never Getting Back Together

Better Than Revenge

You Belong With Me

22

Bella Thorne and Zendaya Coleman

Ages: 15 and 16

Genre of Music: Dance/Pop

Songs I like:

Fashion Is My Kryptonite

Contagious Love

Made In Japan

Something to Dance For

This is My Dance Floor

Victoria Justice

Age: 20

Genre of Music: Pop

Songs I like: Every single one, so too many to name.

Katy Perry

Age: 28

Genre of Music: Pop

Songs I like: Once again, too many to name.

These are my favorite singers right now. I am sure that by next year, I will have a ton of new favorites, but that's a subject for, well, next year. If you see one of your favorite singers on this list, (or even if you don't), leave a comment below telling who your favorite singer is and what songs you like by them.

Maddie

Teaching Dad How to Video Chat

Today, I had a very interesting thing to do- teach my Dad how to video chat. He recently set up a Google+ account, and I had the honor of teaching him how to use video chat. He set up a video chat interview for Wednesday, and then- right after- set up a Google+ account. Teaching Dad was easy- getting things to work WASN'T.

 First, we had to find webcams for the both of us, since he wanted to test the program with me. Then, we had to find working headsets and microphones. When all of this was set up, the microphones wouldn't work. Then the headsets. Then Dad's camera was blurry. It was one stinky problem after the next, but in the end, Dad and I both knew how to use the program.

Other than that, the day has been going pretty well. I played with my sister a bit, and then gave her a shower. I went to karate earlier and did good. However, I still haven't heard back from Ruminate- I wish that they would hurry up and read my story already! I am ABSOLUTELY ON EDGE waiting for a response!

Also- I have not forgotten about the website I spoke about last month. I still have to write a few more articles for it, but today I set up the a-Store for it, and it should be up sometime in late June- early July.

Maddie

READING TEST: ACED!

Remember the reading test I was all worked up about? I took it today, and I got an EXCELLENT score on it! I was VERY VERY nervous when I came out because the stuff I got was relatively hard and there was some stuff I didn't know.

I actually CRIED all the way home because I thought I hadn't done well... but when I got home, Dad compared my score with last year's score... AND.... I FINISHED OUT AT 11TH GRADE LEVEL!!!

I was so happy. Dad told me that "I had gotten him worked up over a success". He said that he knew I could do it and that he was very proud of me. Now I just have to survive the other 2 tests- language arts and math.

Tomorrow is the tournament, and I am going to be going to be early tonight. I have some other stuff I want to get done before the day is over, so I am going to end my post here.

Wish me luck!
Maddie

The French and Indian War

The French and Indian War (The Seven Years War)  (1754-1763)

2-Page Paper by Madison Nef

The French and Indian war was started when both Britain and France claimed territories in the New World. This territory was the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. At the time, the Native Americans inhabited these lands, and they were very attached to their land.

After much trading and begging, the Indians eventually allied with France, as the French knew that the Indians were all about getting things- so they would do good fur trades and other trading with the Indians for their alliance.

Because this war is well known in the United States as the French and Indian war, many think that the title refers to an on-going battle between the French and the Indians. However, the war's title instead refers to the friendship between the two groups.

The French and Indian war was different from some of the other battles that had been fought. The number one reason it stood out was because many previous wars started in Europe, and then spread to other parts of the world as the war progressed. However, the French and Indian war was started in North America, and so war erupted more in North America than anywhere else.

This conflict lasted for two years before England officially declared war with the French in 1756. For the next nine years, the French and British battled for dominance of the Indian territory. In the beginning, the French had many great successes such as the defeat of General Braddock in 1755. Early success was attributed to the Native American allies. The Indians feared the British with their weapons, and believed the settlers would drive them away from their homes.

However, the French victories did not last long. In 1757, British forces captured Fort Duquesne. Two years later, the successes continued with the captures of Forts Quebec and Niagara. Once the French city Montreal collapsed, the French were through with fighting. Montreal had been their main post, and with it gone, the French were helpless.

The French and Indian war was brought to an end in 1763 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The Treaty of Paris was signed to officially end the French and Indian war. It was signed by Britain, France, and Spain. It stated that the British would get the lands east of the Mississippi River and Canada, while Spain would get Louisiana in compensation for Florida, which was also given to the British. It was a wonderful success for the British.

 Before the war's finale and the signing of the treaty, the battlefield had extended to Asia, other parts of Europe, and Africa. Unfortunately, France lost control of all of its colonies, and England gained possession of Canada and the territory between the eastern United States and the Mississippi River. The French were driven back out of Canada, which the British now had control over.

Here is a map of where the war took place, and where the different forts and victories by both sides were:

 

Although the war with France ended in 1763 with the signing of the treaty, the Indians were poor losers and continued to fight with the British over the issue of land claims. "Pontiac's War" was started shortly after the Treaty of Paris was signed, and many of the battlefields that had been fought on previously—including Detroit, Fort Pitt, and Niagara—were the same.

The Indians, however, were already worn out by many years of war, and quickly lost to the ferocious British retaliation. Even though the British won, the issue remained a problem for many years to come.

The results of the war quickly ended France’s political and cultural influences in North America. While England gained massive amounts of land and vastly strengthened its hold on the continent and its colonies, it badly damaged the relationship between England and the Native Americans. This worsening relationship between England and its colonies was what eventually led into the Revolutionary War.

Last of the Mohicans

The Last of The Mohicans

Progressing Report by Madison Nef 

This report is going to be a little different than some of the other reports I have done. I am going to do this report as I read the book, describing my thoughts on the book.

The author of this book is James Fenimore Cooper. While he doesn’t go into depth about characters, he has very good dialogue. Here are the characters in the book.

Hawkeye (The Scout)

Hawkeye is a white Indian. During the book, he is referred to as “the scout” more often than he is by his true name. Though he is white, he was raised by Indians. He has learned to accept both the Indians and the British. His name means “Long Rifle”, which is suiting since he is very good with a rifle.

Uncas (The Young Indian)

Uncas is a young Indian archer who is very able with the bow and arrow. He is a Mohican Indian. He is called “the young Indian”. His character in the book was named after a well-known Mohegan sachem, or head chief. He is the son of Chingachgook, and he is the last of the Mohicans, meaning the last pure-blood Mohican born. His name means “Bounding Elk”.

Chingachgook (The Indian)

Chingachgook is the strong, brave father of Uncas. He is the last Mohican Indian chief. His name means “Big Snake”, because he can comprehend even the slightest movement very well.

Colonel Monro

Colonel Monro is a war officer for the British who is posted at Fort William Henry.  He is the father of Cora and Alice. He is the reason that the girls are traveling. He is very caring and gets worried about his girls very easily.

Duncan Heyward

Duncan is the escort to the two girls, Cora and Alice. He is very easily worried. He is known to have a strong attraction to Alice.

Alice Monro

Alice is the younger sister of Cora and the daughter of Colonel Monro. She is described as very beautiful, and more delicate than her sister. She is also more easily frightened and is very timid. She looks up to Cora a lot, at one point calling her “mother”.

Cora Monro

Cora is a dark haired, beautiful girl. She is the older sister of Alice, and the first daughter of Colonel Monro. She is more spunky and courageous than her sister, and she is like a mother figure to Alice. Magua, the enemy, has a liking for her and kidnaps her to take her for his wife. In the end, she dies with Uncas while trying to protect herself.

Magua (Sly Fox)

Magua, or Sly Fox, is the main antagonist in the book. He is a cunning former Indian who was humiliated by his tribe. He had been caught drunk, and was whipped in front of his tribe. Since it was Colonel Monro who introduced him to alcohol, he swore vengeance. However, he has a strong attraction to Cora, and kidnaps her to take for his wife. In the end, when Cora and Uncas die, it is said that they will be married in the afterlife.

The only character that I think Cooper really developed was Magua. He gave him a back-story and everything. He gave him a love interest, a good motive, and the perfect bad-guy spirit. Also, Magua is the only character in the book that I really understand. The rest of the characters are not ever developed.

Here is the plot:

The story starts out with the author describing the characters a little, mainly the sisters and Heyward. The story tells us that they are going to Fort William Henry with reinforcements because their father needs help- he asked for more troops and none are coming, and the fort might be taken over. Heyward is the girls’ escort.

However, Magua claims to know a shorter trail to the fort, and leads them away from the reinforcements and right into a trap, where they are ambushed by Huron Indians. Now, at the same time, Uncas, Hawkeye, and Chingachgook are also out in the woods, walking to the same fort to offer help. They see the other party getting ambushed, and run to help. They manage to save the troop, and offer to go with them to the fort, as they suspect that the Indians will be back with reinforcements.

As they walk through the woods, Chingachgook hears a noise and claims that it is a “four footed beast”. The “beast” turns out to be a horse and rider, whom they mistake for a foe and shoot down. The horse is killed, and the rider gets spooked. After drinking some water and regaining his senses, he introduces himself as David, a psalmist and music teacher. He admires the smart thinking of the Indians as they throw his dead horse into the river, saying that “water leaves no traces”.

David proceeds to join the group as they go forth. Soon, they come upon a waterfall with a cave behind it, and as it turns to nightfall, decide to sleep in it while the Mohican Indians stand guard. During the night, the Hurons return and capture Cora, Alice, and Heyward. They are brought to Magua, the head of the Huron tribe, and questioned. Magua proposes to Cora, but she declines and asks why he is so intent on killing her family.

Magua then goes on to say that he was introduced to “firewater” (alcohol) by Colonel Monro and that Indians are not supposed to be drunk.  He is caught misbehaving while drunk, and is humiliated in front of his former tribe by being called up in front of them and whipped harshly. He says that Indians are usually proud to show scars of war, but these marks are shameful and he must hide them under the dyed cloth of the white-faces.

The Mohicans, upon finding their company gone, run to the woods to find them being held. Uncas and Hawkeye are quick to kill 2 of the Huron tribe, and in shock, they leave their prisoners and run off. After regaining the members of their troop, they continue to Fort William Henry.

Upon arriving at Fort William Henry, they discover that Frenchman Montcalm is there giving bad news: The British will send no more reinforcements. Distraught but happy to finally see his daughters, Monro orders everyone to leave the fort. Displeased that Montcalm allows the people to walk away so freely, the Hurons massacre them as they leave and take Cora and Alice as prisoners. David, unbeknownst to the others, follows the girls and their captors.

When Colonel Monro realizes his daughters are gone, he immediately tells the Mohicans to hunt for clues to her whereabouts. When Uncas searches, he finds small and large boot prints that he says belong to Magua and Cora. He says that there is no trace of Alice. Monro insists that they search for Cora. As they move through the woods, Uncas finds a musical object, along with some more boot prints. He recognizes that David followed the Indians.

They follow the trail all the way to the outskirts of a Huron village, where they find David. He tells them that the Hurons consider him mad for all of his singing and won’t kill him. He also tells them that Alice is being held in this village, and that Cora was brought to a Lenape one. Together, they all devise a plan to save the girls.

Disguised as French medicine men, David and Heyward enter the village with intentions of saving Alice. Uncas and Hawkeye are sent off to rescue Cora, and Chingachgook stays with Monro, who, as a result of the events, is deranged. David and Heyward are barely into the village when Uncas is brought in by Indians, having been caught.

Magua comes into the village and demands that Uncas be put to death, but does not recognize Heyward in all of the chaos. Hawkeye “borrows” a bear skin from the Hurons and sneaks in with Heyward to help save Alice. They find her in a cave, wrap her in cloth and bring her out as a person that the “medicine men” have to heal.

While Heyward carries Alice off towards the Lenape village to wait for the others, David and Hawkeye, still disguised in the bearskin, sneak back in to save Uncas. The guards recognize the bearskin and let the two in. Uncas, once found, puts on the bearskin and leaves, while Hawkeye pretends to be David and starts singing. David stays behind in Uncas’ place.

Discovering David, the Hurons realize that Uncas has escaped. They find Magua, bound and gagged, in the cave. Seeing they have been deceived, the warriors become enraged and swear vengeance. Meanwhile, Magua ventures off to the Lenape village, where he demands the return of his prisoners, and warns the Lenape of Long Rifle’s reputation. A chief asks the prisoners who is the "long rifle".  Heyward, mistaking Hawkeye's wishes, claims he is the man. Hawkeye also claims the title, and the chief makes them do a shooting match, which Hawkeye wins.

Tamenund, the Lenape chief, at first grants Magua's wish to keep his prisoners, but Cora begs him to reconsider. She eventually begs him to hear from a Delaware warrior, referring to Uncas. When first taken to the tribe, Uncas offends the Delaware. They tear off his clothing and see a turtle tattoo on his chest, the symbol of his clan. Tamenund accedes to all Uncas asks and frees the prisoners, except for Cora, as she belongs to Magua. Magua reluctantly agrees to Uncas's demands but says he will keep Cora. Hawkeye had offered himself as sacrifice, but Magua refuses. Uncas and Heyward both vow to hunt down and kill Magua and rescue Cora.

According to custom, Tamenund has agreed to give Magua a three-hour head start before permitting the Delaware to pursue to try to rescue Cora. As the Delaware prepare for battle, David arrives. He said he saw Magua and Cora at the Huron village, and she was hidden in the cave where they earlier found Alice. The Mohicans go back to the village to take back Cora.

The Delaware are in three parties: one led by Hawkeye and Heyward, one by Uncas, and one by Chingachgook and Munro. They force the Huron back to their village and finally take the village over. Magua escapes with Cora and two of his warriors and Uncas, Hawkeye, and Heyward pursue them through the mountains. Cora stops on a rocky ledge, refusing to continue because she has had enough. When Uncas attacks the Huron guarding Cora, both he and she are killed. Hawkeye arrives to see Uncas and Cora die, and enraged, shoots Magua.

The book ends with the accounts about Uncas’ and Cora’s funerals. It says that Cora and Uncas will be married in the afterlife.

Test Tomorrow

I am kind of nervous right now, and the reason is because I am doing my yearly school testing tomorrow. Who DOESN'T get a little nervous over tests sometimes? Anyway, tomorrow's test is reading, which I am really good at, so I shouldn't have too much of a problem with it... It is my math test NEXT week that I am dreading.

Here are the tests I have this month:

• Reading - May 15th
• Math - May 22nd
• Language Arts - May 29th

But apart from that, I am having a pretty good week. I have a tournament this Saturday in Franconia NH. I am competing in forms, weapons and sparring. Hopefully I have as much luck as I did last time... but probably not. It is rare for me to get all 1st places at black belt level. I really need to apply myself.

Yesterday, me and my family (minus Dad and Lucky) went to Keene to get Grandma's license registered up here in NH. However, when we got to the Department of Motor Vehicles, we found out that, for the SECOND time, we didn't have enough information to get Grandma her license. We decided that it was their fault- we had been last week and they had told us we needed so on and so on, but when we brought it in this time, they wouldn't accept it!!! GRR!

Well, I have a 2 page paper to write on the French and Indian War, so I am going to end my post here.

Maddie

Wedge Sneakers

That's right- the title of this post is WEDGE SNEAKERS. Wedge sneakers are this cool new type of shoe I have been looking for. They are SO cool, and I really want a pair. Besides, my current pair of shoes has a hole in the bottom. However, since my feet are still growing, Dad says no shoes over $20... and the cheapest pair of these shoes I could find was $45! AND THAT WAS ON SALE!!!

So now I have been saving my money... Well, not really saving, because I just went out and bought my mom her Mother's Day present... I guess I should rephrase that to BANKING ON GETTING INTO A MAGAZINE. It takes Ruminate about 6-8 weeks to get back to someone, so I have a long wait ahead. I'd better get used to waiting... If I am not published, I have a long while to go before I can save $45.

When my family last went to the mall, me and Dad walked off for about half an hour to check EVERY SINGLE shoe store in the mall. No luck. The cheapest was $45, and the most expensive was $85. And guess what excuse the girl who tried to sell us the $85 pair gave us? "There is extra padding" OH REALLY? I DIDN'T KNOW THAT. THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING. JUST TO LET YOU KNOW.... THE OTHER PAIR HAD PADDING TOO!

OK. Below I have made a collage of the 4 pairs of wedge sneakers that I want most. Leave a comment saying what pair you like best. I will end my post here :)

Maddie

(Oh, and Dad... If you are wondering where Lucky is, he is sleeping in my room tonight. He fell asleep when I was reading my book, and now Ashleigh is up there so... Yeah. Love you. Maddie)

MORE COMPUTER PROBLEMS?!

My computer stuff is always breaking! ARRRRGH! The other day it was my internet connection, and now it's my keyboard! Well, should I say WAS my keyboard. It wouldn't let me type, even though it was plugged in and turned on. Thankfully, I was able to fix the problem by restarting my computer.

I have a lot to do today... I fell behind on schoolwork yesterday again so I have a ton of it today. Here is what I have to do:

1. Finish this post
2. Get 2 minerals done
3. Get 6 math done
4. Read the book "Last of the Mohicans"
5. Teach my sister (I start at 11)

And since I have such a big pile of crud to do, and not a lot of time to get it done, I am going to make this post short and sweet. By the way, a new poll is up.... Please check it out and vote on it!!!

Thanks,

Maddie

Teaching My Sister

For 3 days now, I have been tutoring my sister in the morning for about 20 minutes. She is 3 now, and since Dad is busy during the day and Ashleigh cannot use the computer very well yet, I tutor her in the morning when I get up. She has 5 lessons that she does:

• Writing
• Math
• Spelling
• Reading
• Karate

Her favorite lesson out of them all is karate. I always end up telling her that if she wants to do her karate, she has to get through the rest of her lessons. She does good in almost all of her lessons.... the only trouble she has been having is writing the letter B.

The lessons my sister does REALLY good in are math and reading. With math, I have taught her how to count on her fingers and we are just starting to work on bigger math problems with columns. For reading, I write down a few of the words she knows on paper in capitalized letters so that they are easier for her to read.

Since Ashleigh has been having trouble with writing, I let her pick out some pens and a new notebook at the Dollar Store. I told her that if she wanted them, she would have to practice her writing for me. Since she agreed, I bought them for her.

Maddie

Computer Difficulties

Some of you are probably wondering why there was no Think a Thought yesterday... if so, here is the answer. I loafed most of the day away playing and hanging out with my sister, and then I had to go to karate. When I got back, the internet on my computer wasn't working, and since Dad was doing his computer programming class and couldn't fix my problem, I went upstairs to read the book "The Last of the Mohicans". However, when I came down this morning, Dad had fixed my computer.

So now I can continue my blogging! Anyway, Mother's Day is coming up soon, and I STILL don't know what I want to do with my Mom yet. I want to make it something so that Dad can spend time with HIS Mom too... It should be fun for everyone's mom on Mother's Day. Here is what I think would be a nice day:

1. Go to Bagel Mill for breakfast (Bagel Mill is this awesome bakery/cafe in Peterborough that has Maple Cream Cheese... Yum.)
2. Go to the park and hang out for a little
3. Head into Keene for a little shopping
4. Finish off our day with a peaceful dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse.

I think that that would make for a nice Mother's Day. Now all I have to do is convince my family!

Maddie

COURSERA SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED!!!

Today, I looked on Coursera to see if I had earned my certificate of accomplishment. To earn it, you had to have a grade of above 70%. (Now, let's please keep in mind that this is a COLLEGE course I am doing here.)

I checked my grade, and I got very excited! I had gotten a 80.6% for my score! So now, all I have to do is figure out how to print the certificate.... Which will be hard to do since we do not have a printer that works.

But you know what? Even if I hadn't gotten the statement of accomplishment, I still would have had the knowledge from the course. I don't need a piece of paper to tell me that. A piece of paper could get destroyed easily, or stolen, but my knowledge can't be. (Unless I get Alzheimer's... that would kinda stink.)

I am trying to accomplish a lot these days- getting the certificate, starting a new website, riding my bike, and most recently, trying to get The Picture of Dorothy Gray published in Ruminate magazine. If I can get it published, I would get my name put in the Library of Congress as an official published author! (Also, I could make $60. I told Dad that if my work is getting published, I wanted to get payed for it.)

Well, I have a mountain of more work to get through, so I will end this post here.

Maddie