The story behind this post: It all started with a publicist, not mine, Riley’s. Riley’s owner, Jill Mangel Weisfield , had a publicist for her book, and she emailed me and asked if I’d review it. She sent me a copy to read. I loved it so much I decided to review it for My Reads and write a post about working dogs.

In her adventure Riley searched for the right job. She imagined pulling a sled, guarding the president, competing in a dog show, guiding a blind person, working at a fire house, and becoming a therapy dog.
​
I researched and found even more job opportunities for Riley! It’s true— a dog is man’s best friend! Keep reading to find out why dogs are the best pet ever!

Sled Dogs: Long ago dogs pulled sleds in cold and snowy places like Alaska. Mushing peaked during the 1880’s gold rush. In the early 1900’s dogs still delivered mail until planes took over. Sometimes dogs still help out by moving people and supplies.
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Dog sledding was a popular sport until snowmobiles appeared in the 1960’s, but in 1973 the Iditarod revived dog sledding. It takes 8-15 days to race from Anchorage to Nome. It may be early March, but the dogs race through blizzards and gale-force winds. The wind chill can drop to −100 °F. Yikes!

​Carting: Carting or dryland mushing is a sport found all over the world. It looks like dog sledding without the snow, and it keeps the dogs in racing form during the off-season.

Draught Animals: These are draught (draft) dogs from long ago. I’d never seen the word draught before. It means that they’d pull carts for their owners, usually farmers or peddlers. Sometimes they carried mail or people. 

​In WWI they pulled small field guns. The Soviet Army in WWII used them to pull carts with stretchers for wounded soldiers. Would you believe the military dogs had guard dogs to protect them too. They were valuable!

​​Turnspit dogs: Can you find him in the picture? He’s inside the wheel, and he’s running to get some meat. He reminds me of a hamster on a wheel, except hamsters do it by choice, for fun.

​Now can you see the spit on the fire? It’s cooking some meat. The dog’s wheel is connected to the spit. 

​Turnspit dogs were also called Kitchen Dogs or Canis Vertigus, but no one’s sure what breed they were because no one recorded that information. Some people think they might be related to the Glen of Imaal Terrier or the Welsh Corgi. I think both are too cute to be put to work!
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Hunting Dogs: Dogs have been helping people hunt since before bows and arrows. Hunters love their dogs. They can find, track, and bring back the animal you shot. Sometimes they chase away animals you don’t want like mice or cockroaches. 

Dogs are trained to hold big animals like bears or wild boars in place until you arrive. 

​Bird Dogs: These dogs were bred to point hunters toward the game and to retrieve it. They’re energetic, and they love water. Bird dogs are great with kids, and they’re great as therapy dogs.
 
Here are some of the most popular bird dogs. Do you recognize any of them? Do you have one?

​My dad’s favorite dog was a Brittany. She was his best friend and a family legend, pointing out pheasants hidden in the woods.

Sight Dogs: I’d never heard of Sight dogs till this post, but they have great eyes and great speed. They can chase down things that move fast like cats, squirrels, even kids. They love to play games like fetch. Sight dogs love to run, but if there’s nothing to chase, they’re happy laying by your feet. Here are a few sight dogs.

Herding Dogs: Everyone can picture them. They’re Biblical! Remember, the shepherds watching their flocks by night? I picture them with a dog or two. Don’t forget cowboys and their dogs herding cattle. I’ve never pictured dogs herding geese, but they are in the first picture below. I’ve seen dogs herd kids. My border terrier, Leia ,used to herd me if there was something she wanted me to do. 

​Did you know there’s actually a herding group of dogs? There are 80 different breeds in this group! But not all herding dogs turn out to be good herders. Some are better as pets. Click on the next link and you can read the whole list. Link: https://www.dogbreedinfo.com/h/herdingdogs.ht

Did you know herding dogs have trials? To win one, a dog must move the sheep when their handler is farther away. BTW a handler can be the owner or a professional hired by the owner. The dog must control the sheep and take them to the handler, and then repeat, by doing the opposite. It’s interesting that the away drive is harder. It’s against instinct for a dog to move the sheep away from the handler. The final task for the team is to move the sheep into a space like a pen or a cart.

Sometimes the dog must separate the sheep into 2 groups according to a judge’s directions. It’s called shedding. Singling is when the dog and handler work together to pull a few sheep out of a large group. They may also do a cross drive where the dog moves the sheep from one side of the field to the other, in front of the handler, but at a distance from him. 

The picture above is from a 2010 trial in Utah. I found it, plus more information at this link.
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheepdog_tria

Fire House Dogs:  That’s the one and only Dalmatian. You know as in 101 Dalmatians? I’ve never seen a live one at my home fire house. They’re just statues. Read on and discover how Dalmatians became fire station dogs.

​Back in the days of fire carriages in merry old England, the firemen would get the call, throw in a steam pump, hitch up the horses, and take off. The Dalmatians kept the horses from spooking and they could run forever beside the coach.

I love this fact! Dalmatians were the first siren. Their bark warned people to get out of the way because a fire carriage was coming. They also kept the horses calm when they arrived, and they guarded the equipment. Back at the fire house, they took care of vermin like rats. 

But when fire trucks were invented, Dalmatians weren’t needed to bark or calm the horses. Any dog would do, but firemen have kept Dalmatians around. They’re tradition! I hope it never changes! Here’s the link that helped me write this post. It has more information than I could share.
Link: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/01/why-dalmatians-are-fire-dogs/

Show Dogs: Have you ever seen dog shows on TV? The dogs are shampooed, trimmed, combed, and primped until they’re perfect. It looks like a beauty contest, but it’s not. 

The AKC, American Kennel Association, says dog shows are about finding the dog that best fits the breed standards. That’s a list of physical traits, movement, and temperament. Each breed has its own standards. A Cocker and a Brittany are both spaniels, but they have different standards. A judge picks a winner based on those standards. A handler preps their dog to show off their best traits and to minimize others. ​

​The AKC, American Kennel Association, says dog shows are about finding the dog that best fits the breed standards. That’s a list of their physical traits, how they move, and their personality. Each breed has its own standards. Boston and Border are both terriers, but with different standards. A judge picks a winner based on which dog fits the most standards. A handler preps their dog to show off their best traits, and to minimize others.

Did you know there are 340 recognized breeds world-wide? The AKC recognizes 192. Each breed has its own American club. There’s one club for Boston Terriers, and another for Border Terriers. A dog that conforms to standards will do well in shows. Winning means your dog is worth more money. Their puppies are worth more too. Winning might even get them a dog food commercial, and more money.
Some shows are small local events with just one breed. Others, like the one at Westminster feature all 192. They might have more than 3000 dogs entered in them. Here are 2 links to the AKC: https://www.akc.org/sports/conformation/  and  https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/
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If a dog doesn’t have enough traits, or it’s a mix of breeds, they can’t be in dog shows, but don’t worry! They can still be a great pet, and here’s another possibility.

Agility Dogs: Agility contests are for all dogs. It’s a growing sport across the US with over a million entries a year. Winning is strictly about how fast and how accurately a dog can race. It reminds me of the obstacle courses some people do on TV. Fast and accurate is the way to go! Each mistake is subtracted from your score.

The course is too complicated for a lone dog. They need a handler to guide them through a series of jumps, dog walks, seesaws, tunnels, pause tables, and weave poles.

The handler gets to walk through the course before the race, without their dog, but during the competition they’ll work together as a team. The dog will race off leash, without rewards like food or toys.  The handler can’t touch the dog or anything on the course, but they’re allowed to use voice or hand signals. It must be hard for them to do this cold without running the actual course, but at least at home the handlers can prepare their dogs by using different obstacles, and by changing the order. Training, obedience, and working together is key!

To learn more, click on:
​https://www.akc.org/sports/agility/    and     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_agility

Guard Dogs: Dogs have been guarding people and their possessions since the shepherds watched their flocks, since dalmatians became fire house dogs.

​Guard dogs and watch dogs are basically the same. They both guard something, but guard dogs work professionally for businesses like security firms and the military. Watch dogs work as pets and as home protectors. If this dog lived at your house, I think I would call and check before coming over. How about you?

​Police Dogs: This is a German police dog, but dogs serve policemen world-wide. They can check out crime scenes and track down the bad guys. Dogs can make them freeze until policemen can arrest and handcuff them. Police dogs are also called K9 units. Did you get their joke? Policemen chose K9 because it’s a play on the word for dog…canine. LOL!

Military Dogs: They’re also known as War Dogs or the K9 Corps. Their newest name is Military Working Dogs. Whatever you want to call them, they do many of the same jobs that Police and Guard Dogs do, but these dogs also detect mines and wires. They track or scout for enemy soldiers. They stand guard as sentries. They also serve in search and rescue units. They are truly a soldier’s best friend.
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Most military and police dogs are German shepherds, Dutch shepherds, and Malinois (Belgian shepherds). They look like they’re related. That’s probably because they come from the same part of the world.

re’s a map of Western Europe. The part that’s colored is Germany. Each color represents 1 of their 16 states, and that’s where the German Shepherd came from.

Find the northeastern corner of the map. Do you see the Niederlands? That’s the Netherlands where you find all things Dutch, including the Dutch Shepherd.

Go south. Do you see Belgien? That’s Belgium, home of the Belgian Shepherd.

​Tao learn more, click or copy this  link:
https://www.thesprucepets.com/types-of-working-dogs-1118684

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​Search and Rescue Dogs: If you’re ever in trouble, you need a search and rescue dog out looking for you. Their sense of smell and hearing are incredible, and they’re so agile, they can find you no matter where you are. They’re trained to specialize in specific kinds of rescues. Read on to find out about these talented dogs. 

​Tracking Dogs: They track scents, of course! Their skills help them find both people and animals. They can even track down criminals before the police know who they’re looking for. 



​​Detection Dogs: These dogs can sniff out a single ingredient or a mixture of them. Some of the common scents they look for are illegal drugs, bombs, blood, and dead bodies. They can even smell those things inside a suitcase or a trunk. They can also find live bedbugs, termites, or mice from the scent of their waste.

You can find detection dogs working for police departments, for biologists who study living things, and for medical departments.
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Hunting truffles was one of the first detection jobs. Truffles are a special fungus that people like to eat, kind of like mushrooms. They’re harder to find because they’re buried underground, but detection dogs can sniff out this hidden treasure.

Cancer Detection Dogs: These dogs can detect certain forms of cancer by smelling your breath or your urine/pee. Research is promising, but it hasn’t been verified by enough studies. Maybe someday dogs will work for your local doctor or medical lab.



​Cadaver Dogs: These dogs can find dead bodies or the parts of one. Whenever there’s a disaster like an earthquake or hurricane, dogs can find our loved ones faster than we can. They also work crime scenes and accidents.

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This picture shows the site of a plane crash. A dog is looking for bodies that are buried under snow and ice. It’s sad work, but I’m glad dogs are there to help. If you’re looking for a search and rescue dog, these are the best ones around.

​Service Dogs: As a retired teacher these dogs are close to my heart. They help you live with a disability, and they can also be your best friend. I researched five of them, and here’s what I discovered.
 

​Seeing Eye Dogs/Guide Dogs: These are the most famous kind of service dogs. This picture is from 1941, but these dogs have been around even longer. They started work in Germany during WWI, about 1914. They were supposed to help veterans adjust to postwar life.

In 1927 Morris Frank brought a German dog home to Nashville, Tennessee. He started a Seeing Eye school for dogs that’s still working today. If you are blind or have trouble seeing, these dogs can guide you through life.

I was surprised to learn that dogs are red/green color blind, and that they don’t understand signs like stop signs. I wondered how they could help blind people with these 2 big disabilities.
​
Dog schools teach both people and dogs how to work as a team. You are trained to navigate by keeping a map in your head. You must know how many streets to your destination, which ones have stop signs, and which ones have traffic lights. The dog acts as your pilot and directs you around all the obstacles in your way.  

​​Mobility Assistance Dogs: This is not a mobility dog, but it’s wearing a harness like mobility dogs do. Can you imagine how difficult life would be if you had trouble walking or were in a wheelchair?

These dogs are great, especially if your home is dog-ready. They push buttons for doors and lights. They get things that have fallen or are out of reach. They pull wheelchairs up ramps.
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They bring family when you need help. They brace you if you have balance problems. A mobility dog could change your life.

Seizure Dog: This isn’t a seizure dog, but it could be. Seizure dogs are tuned into their humans. They detect seizures that are caused by epilepsy or something else. 

​Seizures are caused by an unexpected electrical charge in the brain. They show up in different ways, with different symptoms. Most are mild and last about 2 minutes, but if they last longer than 5, they can cause long term issues. Seizure dogs are for these patients.

​Seizure dogs help in lots of ways. They summon help. They can start emergency response systems. They can help their human out of the seizure or into a better position. They can even help them stand.
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Seizure dogs can also get phones or medication. If their human’s in danger like in the middle of the road, they can help them to safety. Some dogs even tell their humans that a seizure’s coming. Can you imagine what a difference these dogs make in the lives of their families? 

These are the most common therapy dogs. They’re also the most common working dogs. Why? I think it’s because they’re all smart, obedient, and easily trainable. They’re perfect pets too!

​Hearing Dogs: These dogs aren’t as famous, but if you have trouble hearing, a hearing dog would be a god-send. They are trained to nudge their owners and lead them towards a sound, like a doorbell, alarm clock, telephone, crying baby, a smoke alarm, even their human’s name. If you can hear, you’ve probably never thought of how difficult a hearing disability can be.



Therapy Dogs: They are the most common kind of service dog around, and any dog can be a therapy dog. They just have to have the right personality and the right training. Then they must pass a test to prove they have the right stuff.  
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If your dog passes, they earn a special vest. It tells everyone around that they’re a working dog. Then they can visit hospitals, nursing homes, libraries, schools, and even colleges, anywhere humans need a little TLC…tender loving care. 

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If you see a dog in a vest, they’re on the job. Always ask if you can greet them. Sometimes their humans will say yes. Other times no. It depends on the situation.

If you’d like to learn more about working dogs, here is the link that helped me get started: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_dog
​

Click on this one to learn more about the dog breeds that like to get to work:
https://www.petwave.com/Dogs/Breeds/Working-Group.aspx

Living things respond to their environment. They do different things in different places.
Nonliving things don’t respond. They do the same thing everywhere. Something must change them.

Let’s play soccer! What do you see? Living things? Nonliving things?​

Living things have babies who grow up to look like them.
Nonliving things can’t have babies.

Come visit an aquarium! What do you see? Living things? Nonliving things?

Living things have breathe in air, even underwater.
Nonliving things don’t need air.

Let’s go to the beach! What do you see? Living things? Nonliving things?

Living things have cells. Cells allow living things to grow and change.
Nonliving things don’t have cells. They can’t grow or change.

Let’s go camping! What do you see? Living things? Nonliving things?

Living things have cells. Cells use energy to move, grow, and change.
Nonliving things don’t have cells. They can’t use energy. They can’t move, grow, or change.

Let’s ride a roller coaster! What do you see? Living things? Nonliving things?

Living things have cells. Cells have protoplasm. It’s the living stuff in cells that makes life possible.
Nonliving things don’t have cells. They don’t have protoplasm, and life is impossible.

A penguin.  Father penguins have a pouch between their feet.  It keeps the egg warm so mother penguins can go hunt for food.
  
Who laid these two tiny eggs?

A hummingbird.  Tiny birds should lay tiny eggs.
They got their name because their wings hum.

​Who lays giant eggs?

The largest bird of course! An ostrich.
Ostriches don’t bury their heads in the sand. They lay their head down to hide. It only looks like they’re buried.
 
​
Who else lays eggs?
​All insects do, except for flies and aphids.
Do you know who laid these eggs?

Not this bee. She’s a worker bee.
Only a queen bee can lay eggs. She can lay 1000 to 2000 eggs, a day. That’s a lot of eggs!

​Who laid their tiny eggs on this leaf?

A butterfly or a moth. They can live anywhere, except Antarctica.
Did you know there are 12-15,000 kinds of butterflies? There are 150-250,000 kind of moths. That’s a lot of moths!

​Who laid these eggs? Hint…it wasn’t an insect.

An alligator! How can you tell? Alligators are dark green. They close their mouths and hide their teeth.
Crocodiles are olive brown. They close their mouths and show their top teeth. Beware a crocodile’s smile!

Who laid these eggs?​

A lizard did. Little lizards lay little eggs. Big lizards lay big eggs.
All lizards have four legs, clawed feet, and a long tail. Most have dry, scaly skin. That sounds rough to me!

​​Who laid these eggs?

A snake did. Snakes can be smaller than a ruler. They can be longer than 7 rulers.
All lizards have a forked tongue and a long body. They don’t have arms or legs, ears or eyelids. They never blink. Ever!

​Who’s hatching out of these eggs?

A dinosaur did, millions of years ago. They never got to hatch. Instead they turned to stone.
I wonder who’s inside. A Tyrannosaurus Rex? Maybe a Triceratops?  I guess we’ll never know!

Who else lays eggs?
Amphibians do!
Amphibians live half their lives on land, the other half in water.

Do you recognize these 2 amphibians? The green one is a frog. The brown one’s a toad.
There’s only 1 other kind of amphibian, a salamander.
 
Most water animals lay eggs, whether they live in freshwater or saltwater.  
Who’s inside these eggs? Fish!​

There are more than 27,000 different kinds of fish. They live in water. They have a backbone. They breathe using gills. Both these fish live in the ocean.
The first fish is a clown fish. Why? It has bright colors, like a clown. The fish in the second picture are salmon. They swim up river to lay their eggs, in the spot where they once hatched.

Who laid this strange egg?​

A shark or a skate. I wonder what’s in my picture. What big eyes it has! I wonder about its mouth…
The egg case is called a Mermaid’s Purse, because of its shape. It never belonged to a mermaid. Some purses hold 1 egg. Others hold up to 7.


Who laid this strange egg?

A jellyfish did. Its body is soft. That’s because it’s mostly water with just a little gelatin (like jello). On top it looks like a bell. It has tentacles that string down to catch or sting its prey.
Jellyfish usually float in the ocean. Their top can pulse and move them along too.

Who laid these strange eggs?

An octopus did. Did you recognize this one with its huge head, 2 eyes, and 8 arms? The arms have suction cups.  
Squids look a lot like octopuses with their 8 arms. The difference, squids have 2 long tentacles.​

Seven more days…that's three weeks. 14 + 7 = 21 days. Your chick is covered in feathers. It has hard scales, claws, and a beak. It’s Day 21. It’s time to hatch!

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How does the chick get out?

Did you guess the egg tooth? You’re right! The chick taps and taps with its egg tooth. Finally its shell cracks. Can you see the chick peeking out?

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Does hatching look easy or hard?

1. What's the main idea? 
2. As you read, name the 4 hurricanes, in order.
3. Why aren’t hurricanes K and L in this post?
Answers are at the end of this post.

This was Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 25th. (Post: 9/12/17) It was the first in a series of hurricanes that hit the US last fall. On Sept. 6th Irma blew through the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Florida. Jose threatened the Caribbean but never showed up. Thank goodness!
 
On Sept. 22nd Maria appeared. Look at the picture below. That’s what Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands looked like after Hurricanes Maria and Irma. (Post: 10/21/17)​​​​

On Jan. 22nd I got an email saying everything arrived, and this picture. What a great looking class! Their happiness makes me happy too.
 
But I was also sad. I learned half the kids moved away over Christmas vacation, off the island to new schools in new places. I can’t imagine losing half my class over Christmas vacation. These kids survived so much, 2 hurricanes, putting their homes back together again, and now losing classmates. They’re my heroes, and it makes me happy to do something for them. So…
 
To Lockhart first graders,
 
Thank you for letting me help you! I had a ball shopping for you. I hope you have a wonderful finish to your school year. You deserve it!
 
All the best,
Mrs. Beach

Update on an Update
1. What’s the main idea?
Ex: The main idea is to update the reader about what has happened in the US Virgin Islands since the fall hurricanes.
2. As you read, name the 4 hurricanes, in order.
Harvey, Irma, Jose, Maria
3. Why aren’t hurricanes K and L in this post?
Ex: They didn’t affect Texas, Florida, or the US Virgin islands.

1.  What’s the main idea?
2. Name one way ants and bees are the same. Name one way they’re different.
3. What’s your favorite ant fact? Defend your answer.
Answers are at the end of this post.

* Ants have both compound and simple eyes. ​
* Ocelli, or simple eyes, come in sets of 3. They’re at the top of their head. They detect light levels (high or low) and polarization (the light source). Simple eyes are weak, and they don’t seem to be important. They're not even in my story.
* Compound eyes have lots of tiny lenses stuck together. They make those big bug eyes. BTW, their eyes detect motion, but send them blurry images (see below). When I googled eyesight, my sources only mentioned compound eyes.
* This week I discovered a new fact, neither ants nor bees have eyelids. They can’t wink or blink so I had to change a couple sentences to fit my new fact.
*Another fact I got wrong is how ants breathe. They don’t have lungs. They have spiracles or breathing holes that let air in and out. Ants can't take a breathe. They open their spiracles and wait. Go figure!
*This diagram shows a stinger. Stingers were never in my story. I googled them for this post. Only ants, like fire ants, have stingers. The rest bite. That’s probably why I never read or wrote about them.
* Ants use their claws to grip, climb, hang and detect vibrations/sound.
* All workers are female whether they work inside or outside the hive, just like bees.
* Drones ants, like bees, have one job, to mate with a queen. They’re smaller than other workers. They have wings and live outside the colony. I found no evidence that drones return to the nest after they leave. My guess, they find food outside.
* Ants, like bees, have queens. They have 1 job, to lay eggs. Minor ants take care of the queen and her new children, keeping them clean and fed. Major workers are soldiers and food foragers.​​

​As promised, here's how you look to a bee. Would you rather have your eyes, or an ant's? I like mine!

Home sweet home, for ants, whether it’s a bug-created habitat, or a human starter-home. My 2nd graders had an ant farm every spring for years. We started with all our sand at the bottom. I pushed a straw in 3 times to give them starter tunnels. Within a week the ants had passages like this, and, had brought sand to the top. No one works like an ant!

When our ants arrived, we sent them to a refrigerator to fall asleep. That way I could put them into their new habitat and remain bite-free. A student once got confused and put them into the freezer. Poor ants! They didn’t wake up. Cold temperatures put ants to sleep. Freezing cold kills them.

My kids promised every year to keep their hands off the farm. Why? A tiny bump is like an earthquake in the ant world. Tunnels could collapse and leave our ants in danger. My 2nd graders took this promise seriously…we never had a fatality.

Do you recognize the bugs above? They’re aphids, and they’re the most interesting thing I learned about ants. Ants farm aphids, really!
​
Some new queens take aphid eggs to their new colony. They put them out to pasture on a juicy stem. The aphids drink the plant juice. Then when an ant’s hungry, she strokes the aphid with her antenna. The aphid poops, and the ant eats it. YUCK!

The poop is called honeydew, and to an ant it’s like pure sugar. Would you believe ants even clip aphid wings so they won’t fly away?
​
FYI…this post was easy to write. Why? I’ve been reading and writing about ants for over 6 years, but I’m still learning about them.​

A Little More Research…Ants, Please!
​1. What’s the main idea?The main idea is to learn facts about ants from what research says..
2. Name one what ants and bees are the same. Name one way they’re different.Same: Both ants and bees have queens who lay eggs.
Different: Ants farm aphids. Bees don’t farm other bugs.
3. What’s your favorite ant fact? Defend your answer.
Ants eat bug poop. YUCK! I can’t believe any creature would do that!

1. What’s the author’s purpose?
2. Name a fiction and nonfiction detail.
3. Name 2 places I found information.
Answers are at the end of this post.

Later bees came into the story so I did bee research. I googled and looked at different sources. I made sure multiple sources confirmed my facts. These are my need-to-know bee facts:
* Their jaws are called mandibles. They use them to carry and construct things. They’re compound tools, like our jaws and hands.
* Their antennae help them sense the world around them.
* Bees have compound/multiple eyes. Drones (male bees) have the biggest eyes in the bee word.
* Only females have stingers. Sorry drones, no stingers for you.
* All workers are female whether they work inside or outside the hive.
* Drones have one job, to mate with a queen. They don’t work in the hive. They don’t collect pollen, and they’re kicked out before winter.
* Bees have queens. They have 1 job, to lay eggs. Worker bees take care of them, keeping them clean and fed.
​
My story became a mixture of fiction/nonfiction. My ants ride on bees. Real ones don’t. I wanted 3 ants onboard. I googled and compared their size. The ants fit, at least in a story!
 
I also wanted my ants to fly through the hive, They can’t. Why not? I called a bee keeper. He said the tunnels are only big enough to crawl through, so my ants had to crawl to meet the queen. I used the pictures below to help me imagine it, so I could write it.​​

This is Don. He pulled out a frame from one of his hives. It’s man-made but similar to what bees create in the wild. A picture, better yet the real deal, is worth 1000 words. Thanks, Don!​

care for the larva. It’s called travel stain.
​
If you want light-colored honey, use a queen excluder. It keeps the queen out so she can’t lay eggs.   ​​

1.     What did we find? Name the animal and its bones.
2.     Why could my husband see the remains when I couldn’t?
3.    Do you see details like my husband, or the big picture like me? ​Support your answer. Think about how you solve a puzzle, do a math problem, or read a book.       Answers are at the end of this post

Can you believe it? I wouldn’t have, but there it was, right there between my feet. I looked down to find eye sockets staring up at me. Now that is Halloween spooky! 
​I cut and pasted these two pictures close together. It's pretty much what I saw, except, eye sockets aren't looking up at us. ​

In all my years on the planet, I’ve never been this close to a skull. Ever! I'm a city girl. You don't find animal skeletons  in town. I’ve only seen them in  books and museums. And no, I didn’t get any closer, but I was fascinated enough to take pictures. ​​

​But it gets better...Look at this picture. It’s what I saw when my husband told me to look at his feet. You see two skulls and  a spine, but originally, that top skull was between by my feet.

I’ve still can’t believe I was that close. I didn’t bend down, and I definitely didn’t touch it. ICK!!! 
​
Do you know what animal these skulls once belonged to? I didn’t, but my husband knew right away. I looked at the bones slowly, carefully. Then I saw a clue. Do you see it? Look at the bottom skull. There’s something beside it that says “deer.” Can you find it?​

Can You Guess What We Found at the Lake?
1.     What did we find? Name the animal and its bones.
The skull and spine of 2 deer
2.     Why could my husband see the remains when I couldn’t?
My husband can see details in a landscape, like the skeleton. I see the big picture and then go down to detail. I saw the woods. I probably wouldn’t have looked down to see the skull.
​3.     Do you see details like my husband, or the big picture like me? Support your answer.  Think about how you solve a puzzle, do a math problem, or read a book.
Possible answers: I see  details like your husband. When I’m working a puzzle, I can see the small parts of pictures, and I can put them together.
I see the big picture like you. When I do a puzzle, I have to look at the box. I go back and forth from the box to the pieces until I see parts of the picture.

1.    What are 3 things you’d  lose if you lived in the US Virgin Islands?
2.    Name 2 groups who are helping families or schools.
3.    What could you do to help children in the US Virgin Islands?
Answers are at the end of this post

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​Can you imagine surviving Irma, then Maria, and returning home to this? That’s what happened to people who live on St. Thomas, St. Johns, St. Croix, and the minor islands that make up the US Virgin Islands. I can’t imagine living like this for a month-and-a-half with your home open to the elements. Water’s leaking or blowing inside. YUCK!

​You’ve also lived with a boil-water advisory for 45 days. If you don’t have bottled water, you boil or add a few drops of bleach every time before you drink or brush your teeth. What a pain! YUCK!

October temperatures average about 86F with high heat and humidity. You’re on an island so you can go to the beach. Except, no swimming. Bacteria in the water could make you sick. 

​Here’s a tiny bit of good news: the water system is now 90 % restored, and there’s 4-9 days of emergency water.  

With high heat and humidity, you miss air conditioning. It doesn’t work without power/electricity, which you lost 45 days ago. That means no AC, lights, running water, or toilets.
 
If you’re lucky, you have a generator. But it only works with a tankful of gas or diesel fuel. Gas and diesel are in short supply, like everything else. They must be shipped in, then delivered or picked up. Roads are damaged, like everything else in the US Virgin Islands.

Little by little the power’s coming back on. By Christmas 90% of the electricity will be restored. That’s still 64 days away. I hope things go faster than expected.
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Worst of all, if you live on the US Virgin Islands, you might feel forgotten. People talk about Puerto Rico, and not you. But it’s not true! There are people who want to help.

​Homes got hit, and so did schools. The first picture is a pair of twins from the Lowcountry of South Carolina. These 4th grade girls spearheaded a drive in early October that brought in about 1,000 books. If my classroom was destroyed, I’d be grateful for their help.
 
The second picture is from adoptafamilyusvi.com. They came up with the idea to adopt a classroom. The need is still great. I just read a post today that showed a building like the one in my first picture. It read “This is not an old picture.” That post was 4 hours old.
 
If buildings look like this, so do schools. Some were condemned while other were severely damaged. So, Adopt A Family decided to sponsor Adopt A Classroom, USVI to help classrooms in need. I checked them out and signed up. I should hear early in November who I get to help. I can’t wait!

Here’s the basic supply list. There are so many things that I, as a retired teacher, can buy, and I get to help 1st/2nd graders.  I’m so excited! I'm ready to start shopping!
 
There’s also an adoption  form/contract. It says:
 1.    We’re committing to adopt (1) classroom in the USVI for three consecutive months.
2.    By adopting a classroom we are committing to sending enough supplies for a classroom of 15-35 students for three consecutive months.
3.    I understand Adopt A Classroom, USVI suggests we send (4) Large Flat Rate USPS priority boxes per month OR the equivalent.
4.    A pen pal relationship is highly probable however we ask you to please send a return envelope and stamps.
5.    I understand that our preferred adoption grade is NOT guaranteed.
6.    I understand our primary resourced for questions/concerns is:
                                   http://tinyurl.com/launchclassroom

I hope you'll consider adopting either a family or a classroom. For parents, teachers, and schools, this is a great opportunity to help others, and maybe, to find a pen pal from another culture. Just think how many children you can help, when you help one classroom.

Update: The US Virgin Islands Work to Repair Hurricane Damage​    
1.    What are 3 things you’d  lose after the hurricane?
Possible answers: drinking or running water, electricity, air conditioning, toilets, swimming at the beach
2.    Name 2 groups who are helping families or schools.
Adopt A Family USVI
Adopt A School USVI
3.    What could you do to help children in the US Virgin Islands?
Talk to your parents or teachers. Show them this post. Decide together how you’d like to help.

​The second picture is from a couple weeks ago.  Over time my husband cut down lots of small trees from the front and backyard.  A professional just cut down 6 huge trees.  I hated to see them go, but they were too close to houses, or had roots in the septic system, or simply blocked the view.  Can you see the difference?  I hope “editing” over 50 trees will tame the forest so we can see the lake and the trees.  Editing/cutting is an excellent thing!