The Amazon Jamazon

How A Great Read Can Inspire Great Writing:

THIS STORY IS A GREAT EXAMPLE of how reading one story can inspire you to write your own. I wrote "The Amazon Jamazon" immediately after reading "The River of Doubt" by Candice Millard. The book beautifully details the exploits Theodore Roosevelt and his crew of hearty (& sometimes foolish) men, as they journey through the Amazon Jungle and explore a dangerous tributary of the Amazon River. I can't say enough about this book! It is in my top ten favorites of all time. After completing the last page of the epilogue, I knew the very person I wanted to share this story with . . .

By Jason Auch from Calgary, Canada (L1002527) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

        My Nana has shared with me some of my favorite stories. From childhood, all the way up to adulthood. We read all of Dr. Seuss, lots of Tall Tales and Native American Folk Tales. We read poetry and Shakespeare and lots of incredible biographies. She had a set of Encyclopedias that I would spend hours perusing. Later she volunteered at our small town library and would order in copies of YA  romance novels that were the perfect fix for my pining adolescence. 

       Our other favorite pastime was nature walks. We spent hours walking around her little camp on the lake looking at plants and evidence of animals. Each plant had a story, a cure for rashes, an edible delicacy, or a poisonous potion. She also would talk to animals. She would have long back and forth conversations with "Chippy" the chipmunk or sing joyous songs of call and response with her loon friends. I loved joining in on those loon calls. I'm sure neighbors thought that Nana and I were loons ourselves but we didn't care! 

       I just knew that "Nana Nature" was going to get a kick out of this book about the Amazon. And oh boy did she! Although she had some opinions about what Teddy Roosevelt and the boys should have done differently. I replied that she and I would have better luck on our own voyage down the Amazon River. . .

                "Eee-Eee Ahh-Ahh Holler at your Howler Monkey..."

Fun Links:

Listen to Teddy Roosevelt's Adventure

Take a virtual Feild trip!

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Magic & Merry Toyland

How a Childhood Toy Can Awaken Optimism:

TOYS... There is nothing quite like a child playing with a toy they love. A good toy can ignite the imagination and keep a child busy for hours. For me, it was my childhood dollhouse. You see, my folks worked hard to give us a comfortable life. We had everything we needed, but we didn’t grow up with a lot of “extras.” Those coveted trendy toys like “Power Wheels” or “American Girl Dolls” were outside of our budget. But there was one Christmas morning I woke up and felt like I hit the toy “jackpot.”

     I was five years old and I just loved playing with my dolls. My folks and my Nana conspired to make me something really special for Christmas . . . a handmade dollhouse! For months they would put my brother and I to bed then work downstairs on this project, like elves in Santa’s workshop. My father is a carpenter and he built the house and painted it the same colors as our real house. My mum decorated the house with wallpaper swatches from a catalog and free carpet samples. My dad made little dollhouse furniture out of reject wood scraps from the woodturning mill in our town. And my Nana put all of the finishing touches on the house by sewing the bedding & the other linens. They later told me how much fun they had putting this dollhouse together.

     When I woke up that Christmas morning I was overwhelmed with joy. To this day, this is my “dream house.” It was made with so much love by the people I love. It was a toy that kept me entertained for hours upon hours and made me believe in magical possibilities.

Christmas Morning with my handmade dollhouse!

 

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Fun Links:

Toys You Can Make! (Including a Dollhouse)

“March of the Toys” from Babes in Toyland

Digger Has A Dilemma

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How to Have Fun While Cleaning Up a Mess:

YOU GUYS AREN'T GOING TO BELIEVE THIS . . .  but I was a VERY messy kid! Like if those crazy reality TV shows about hoarders and extreme clutter existed when I was a child, I would have been a prime candidate. I just had so many “projects” that I wanted to do. That’s why I needed that tree branch that may or may not have a family of slugs living on it. And yes I needed to hold on to every seashell from every visit to the beach ever. And I ESPECIALLY NEEDED that pile of old JC Penny & Sears catalogs. (Kid’s ask your parents)  I HATED to clean my room or throw anything out. Indoor chores in general just weren’t my thing.

      My folks were always great about turning work into a game. We had special songs we would sing and fun records to play for upbeat “chore” music. A Cleaning Soundtrack, if you will. Music has always helped me get motivated. It still does.  So yes, this story is very autobiographical. In fact, in the first version, I was the one with the dilemma of not wanting to clean my room. I recorded myself rapping the “I’m Mad” rap in my own voice and everything! But it was just too weird. I didn’t want to scare any kids away. Plus I just loved the idea of Digger throwing a fit because he doesn’t want to pick up his dog toys!

      So I went with Digger. I really like the fact that Digger’s friends come to help. But instead of cleaning his room for him, they help him to change his attitude. It’s what my folks did for me and I hope this can motivate you too!

"Bless this Mess" -My childhood room

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Fun Links:

Tips for Making Chores Fun

An App Called the Chore Monster