Let it grow, let it grow

Mom starts her plants in these "pucks" of potting soil.  These are tomatoes..

Mom turned her sunroom into a greenhouse! I came home from school one day and found her up to her elbows in dirt. Potting soil, actually.

Since Alberta’s weather is, er, unpredictable, Mom says her garden grows best when she starts her plants from seeds – and then waits until way after the May long weekend to actually put them in the dirt outside. Hopefully by then, the roots will have taken hold and they can survive more drastic weather changes.

I bet Grandpa wishes he could plant his canola field inside first, too.

Tonight, I’m helping Mom with the vegetables. I tried to grow my own pumpkin patch last year, but the rainy weather early in the season drowned the plants before they even had an opportunity to pop out of the ground.

Mom says they’ll have a much better chance this year if we wait a little longer to plant them. If I’m lucky, I might even get to carve a pumpkin from my OWN garden.

Gotta jet.

- Chase Superman Duffy

Let's celebrate World Earth Day!

Kevin (the driver) and his Jet Engine Funny Car

I’m turning my cell phone off on April 22.

Sounds drastic, right? But not really. Grandpa says its one way I can make a difference on World Earth Day. 

My family tries to think “green” all the time (Mom is really picky about making sure we always recycle) but April 22 is a day of recognizing the importance of paying attention to the environment.

My Dad says he’s going to change all of the light bulbs in the house to more energy efficient bulbs. My sister isn’t going to watch ANY TV that day, either.

Did you know Alberta canola farmers are looking out for the Earth, too? Canola can be made into biodiesel that is Earth-friendly because it has fewer emissions than petroleum diesel, which keeps our air cleaner. It even smells like popcorn or French fries when used as fuel.

Grandpa and I went to the car races last year and I met a race car driver who uses 100% canola biodiesel in his Jet Engine Funny Car. Want to read more about it? Write a comment below about how you will celebrate World Earth Day and I’ll mail you a copy of Gotta Jet.

And now I…gotta jet!

- Chase Superman Duffy

You’re a poet and you know it

Did you know that April 15 is the start of Young Poet’s Week across Canada? 

It’s part of National Poetry Month – a 14-year-long tradition of celebrating Canadian poets.



We’re learning about different types of poetry in class. I love to write short stories, so maybe I can write a poem, too? 

I’m going to start with a Haiku.

A Haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry, and it’s only three lines. The first and last line each have 5 syllables, and the middle line has 7. 

Think you’ll forget? Here’s an easy way to remember:

I am first with 5


Then 7 in the middle


5 again to end

Easy, right? How about you try with me? Can you write a haiku about something to do with canola? Or maybe the colour yellow? Email your haiku to me at chase.superman.duffy@gmail.com and I’ll send you a copy of Gotta Jet, the second Chase Duffy adventure book – and, I’ll publish your haiku on this blog!

But don’t stop there. Go to www.youngpoets.ca for a list of activities you and your teacher can do to celebrate Young Poet’s Week. There will be games, poetry ideas, and even the chance to have your poem critiqued by an online mentor. Good luck!

Gotta jet – I’m starting my yellow canola haiku right now.

- Chase Superman Duffy

Fun family time this Easter

Dad bought me and my sister an X-box Kinect for Christmas this year. It’s one of those gaming systems where you play all kinds of sports and it’s almost like you’re really doing it! Mom uses it for her “Biggest Loser” workouts.

But over the Easter holidays, we’re going to play some games as a family. Like bowling. And track and field. (Okay, maybe I have a bit of an advantage in that game…even running on the spot I’m almost as fast as Superman.) Seriously!

I’m not usually much of a gamer – I don’t have the kind of patience my friends do for some of the popular games. I need to be on the move, or I feel anxious. But the Kinect is different…plus, I’ll still get a little more exercise.

Coach says exergaming is better than just watching TV or playing Pac Man, and it’s great fun while  keeping active, but we all know that if you truly want to to stay fit, you need to pair it with a more traditional workout.

Like running of course.

How will you spend your Easter holidays? Hope you work in a little activity to burn off some of that chocolate from the Easter Bunny.  


Gotta Jet!

- Chase Superman Duffy