Living on the fringe

This summer has really flown by. Just two more weekends and then it’s back to school. Can you believe it?

Most of my friends do a big family thing on the Labour Day weekend and take advantage of the extra day off – but my grandparents are farmers, and Labour Day isn’t a holiday. In fact, it’s one of the busiest times of the year.

So, this is our family weekend before my sister and I go to school. 

We’re going to start it off at the Fringe. Do you know what that is? Every year, Edmonton is host to a theatre festival where writers, actors, and producers take over Whyte Avenue, a part of the city, and put on dozens of plays. Edmonton’s Fringe is the second largest in the world - it’s awesome!

I don’t know if Grandpa will have time to come to the Fringe with us, but I know he’ll be there for our family picnic. I’m in charge of the salad this year – so I snuck one of Grandma’s salad dressing recipes. 

It’s easy:

Spritzer Raspberry Vinaigrette

15 mL syrup – pancake, maple, raspberry, etc.

5 mL white vinegar

15 mL water

10 mL canola oil

Measure all the ingredients into a spray bottle. Shake to mix well.  Take to the picnic and let everyone spritz on the amount they want on their salad. 

Gotta jet! I’m picking cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, carrots and tomatoes from Mom’s garden for my salad and then heading out for a run.

Have a great weekend!

- Chase Superman Duffy 

Hey! How about this imaginative ending to Gotta Jet by Vital Grandin Grade 4 student , Lucas.

GO!

As Chase saw an incomplete image of what appeared to be a scientist working on a device through the bushes right after the finish line, he sped swiftly across the racing track.

Neither Lightning nor the red-headed kid could catch up to the lightening-like speed Chase was going. Everything was going perfectly  until Chase’s foot sprang from the pedal accidentally. He realized the car was still going.

After three more miles of panic and anxiousness, Chase looked up to see a big, cement block as decoration, with a turn leading to the left where the finish line was. He looked up too late to turn to the finish line and crashed into the cement block and flew into the air, over a large bush, and landed into a device.

It didn’t take long for Chase to figure out it was a time machine.

Chase saw an unclear date, and that was the last thing he saw that day.

The rest of this story is to be continued by….YOUR imagination.

THE END

What if...?

I know the Olympics are over, but I can’t stop thinking about all of the athletes and how hard they have to work. I mean, the Olympics are the pinnacle of peak performance, right?

I’ve been practicing my running all summer. I even beat my personal best in the 50-meter dash. But Dad says I need to start thinking about the future – before I go into high school. Because what if I'm not good enough? Gulp.

It’s not that he doesn’t think I’m a good runner. My family is really supportive, especially Grandpa, who has never missed one of my track events. But even Grandpa thinks I should have a back-up plan.

I mentored at the library this year, and teaching kids how to read was pretty fun. I could be a teacher… I also love writing, so a career in journalism might not be so bad.  Maybe I could be a SPORTS REPORTER, for like TSN or something?

All I know is that lately I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to be when I grow up.  It’s not as easy as I thought…

Gotta jet. School is right around the corner so I’m taking advantage of the sunshine and hitting the BMW trails with Gordon. It’s just supposed to be for fun, but I bet it turns into a race.

Speaking of races, don’t forget to check below for the alternative ending Gr. 4 Vital Grandin student, Kail, wrote for Gotta Jet.

- Chase Superman Duffy

GO!

Chase was racing down the hill as his Grandpa and Kevin were cheering him on.

Chase was in first place heading toward the finish line faster than a speeding bullet. “Man, I feel like I’m in NASA,” Chase said, speeding down the bumpy road, heading closer to the finish line until…whoosh!

Gordon sped right past him.

But Chase wasn’t ready to give up. He released…THE JET!

Faster than ever, he simply shot past “Lightening” and crossed the finish line.

THE END

Crafting with my little sister

My Mom had to go away on a work trip and my Dad couldn’t get the day off, so I stayed home to watch my little sister. It wasn’t so bad.

We started out watching The Princess Bride, one of our favourite movies. I made stove top popcorn for breakfast (sorry, Mom) and we ate the whole bowl.

But then we kind of got bored. I looked through our games, and there’s only so many times we can play Monopoly before my sister gets upset about losing, so I looked up a recipe on the Internet for play dough.

We created the most amazing things and had so much fun. I mean…if you’re forced to look after your sister and all…

Want to make your own? Here’s the recipe.

Remember, though, play dough is for playing with, not to eat!

Easy Dough

1 cup flour (250 mL)


1 cup salt (250 mL)


1 Tbsp. canola oil (15 mL) 

drink crystals for colouring 

enough water to form the dough.

Mix flour and salt. Add canola oil. Add drink crystals or food colouring to a couple of teaspoons   of water. Then, slowly add water until mixture is pliable (spongy and claylike).

Enjoy. Store in a used margarine tub plastic container. Make more colours.

Have fun!

Gotta jet.

- Chase Superman Duffy

Lessons from the Olympics

Mom and I have been watching a lot of the Olympics. (Who hasn’t?)

Our Canadian athletes are doing so well in diving and rowing! I even watched the re-runs of those events with Grandpa. He’s  busy getting the marchinery ready for harvest and generally doing chores, so he can’t watch too much of the Olympics during the day. That’s ok, though, I send him texts from my Mom’s phone whenever Canada does well, so it’s almost like he’s watching with me.

Of course I’m cheering for Canada, but at this level of competition, it’s tough not to watch all of the athletes. I can’t even imagine all of the training required to make it to the Olympics.

Well, maybe a little. Watching the games has got me thinking about my track and field goals. Maybe it’s a little optimistic to think I might ever represent Canada at the Olympics, but why not aim for the stars? That’s what coach says.

And to quote one of my favourite authors, C.S. Lewis, “You are never too old to set another goal or dream another dream.”

Gotta jet! We’re going on a family road trip for the long weekend, so I need to catch as much of the Olympics as I can now.

- Chase Superman Duffy

PS – Here’s another ending to Gotta Jet, by St. Vital Grandin school student, Noah. It’s all about being a good sport!

GO!

I started in the lead but then Lightening cut me off.

Head-to-head…clank!

All of a sudden we’re going down the road banging against each other. Something got caught in my wheel. I spun out. Red Head won the match!

He got the first place trophy and I settled for second.

Even though I know I lost, my family and Kevin and his wife were still proud of me. I walked over to Red Head and shook his hand. He happened to be a good guy and we became good friends.

THE END

Company's Coming!

I’m so excited! Grandpa’s pen pal from Greece is coming to visit this weekend – they’ve been writing to each other for more than 50 years.

50 years!

Grandpa said he started writing to Niko in junior high as part of a class assignment, and they’ve been close friends ever since. Grandpa even went to Greece after high school to visit Niko.

I wonder if we’ll write to pen pals in class this year? Grandpa says it’s the best way to practice writing (they don’t even use e-mail!), learn about new cultures, and sometimes, if you’re lucky, find friends for life.

Grandma’s busy in the kitchen baking and coming up with recipes. I hope she makes her famous Greek salad J

Gotta jet!

- Chase Superman Duffy

P.S. Don’t forget to check out another alternate ending to Gotta Jet by Grade 4 St. Vidal Grandin student, Sharla. It’s a real thriller.

GO!

As the race starts, the wise words of Kevin pop back into Chase’s head.

“Did you have fun making the car? Did you practice? That’s what’s important, son.”

Chase sees Lightening way in front of him, but as he speeds down the hill, Prairie Gold whips by Lightening. Five feet away from the finish line, Lightening and Chase are neck and neck.

Just an instant before the finish line, they smirk at each other. The tips of their cars snap the ribbon. The flagger hesitates…

TIE!

The End 

Fields of yellow...and Capital X

I love Alberta!

Grandpa and I took a little drive around some of the rural areas near Red Deer, and the land was like a patchwork quilt of green and yellow. The canola fields are in full bloom! Isn’t it beautiful?

This weekend we’re going to take some pictures of Grandpa’s canola fields. I kind of hope we get one of those awesome thunder storms. The yellow looks great under a blue sky, but it’s even more stark against a giant grey storm cloud.

Got any canola pictures? Send me a photo! We can publish some on the blog or even on www.learncanola.com

I’m heading to Capital X with my friends this weekend. Last year, we saw some carnival rides that ran on canola biodiesel, the kind of fuel race car driver Kevin Therres uses in his jet engine funny car.

Speaking of that car…check below for an alternative ending to Gotta Jet, written by Vital Grandin Grade 4 student Rod. It’s another cliffhanger!

Gotta jet!

- Chase Superman Duffy

GO!

It all went black. Chase was in a dark alley. There were two soap box cars parked there. Kevin and Grandpa were getting ready to race. The surprising thing is that they were like ten-year-old kids.

But when they saw Chase, they said, "Who are you?"

Chase's jaw dropped. "You sure look like people I know. Are you Kevin and my Grandpa?"

One kid answered, "I'm Kevin, but there's no Grandpa here!"

"But you look so familiar. Well, it looks like you like to race cars. Let's go!"

Chase shook his head. he crossed the finish line and the crowd went wild. Grandpa hugged Chase and escorted him up to the podium to get this trophy. Chase couldn't believe it. Was he dreaming?

Berry Delicious!

Mom and I went to the grocery store last night and guess what I saw? Berries! That's right, it's that time of year again - not just the end of the school year, but the season for fresh betties. Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries - yum!

It’s perfect timing since I’m really trying to step up my training for track and field this summer. Which means eating healthy, running, and drinking lots of Grandma’s special berry smoothies.

Last year she taught me to add just two teaspoons of canola oil to my berry smoothie  - which gives it an added boost of vitamin E and omega-3 fat, the stuff I need to run faster, like Superman.

I really noticed a difference in my training last year,  so now that fresh berry season is back, I’m ready to fire up the blender.

Gotta Jet!

- Chase Superman Duffy

P.S. - Ready for another alternate ending to Gotta Jet? Check out this action-packed mystery ending by Ashley, a Grade 4 student from Vital Grandin elementary in St. Albert, AB.

Go!

Chase and Gordon were off around the corners and back! 

Grandpa, Kevin and Grandma cheered as they zoomed by. Smoke from Lightening's car passed Prairie Gold Jr. Prairie Gold started slowing down!

His gas was gone.

Chase looked back at Kevin, but Kevin was wearing a mask. It was Gordon's dad. He tricked him!

Grandpa raced to see what was wrong and Chase told him they'd been tricked. 

Grandpa ran to get the canola biodiesel  - together the poured it in and Chase was off again. He passed Gordon at the finish line. Gordon could not believe it. 

"I won, I really won," Chase screamed. 

THE END

Want to try your hand at an alternate ending. Send your story to me at chase.superman.duffy@fieldsofhome.blogspot.com and it might be published on the blog!