Beginners.

We have a mouse in our garage. There might be more than one. The one I have seen is small, grey, and causes a lot of mess. As much as I love animals, I'm afraid we have to put down a mousetrap. My husband bought a box of traps a long time ago, some of which we have used. So, he prepared the trap, put some cheese in it, and put it on the floor of the garage. My youngest son, Robert, wanted to make his own trap. He went into the garage and bashed about for a while, moving things, and arranging his special trap. "Mum, come and see," he said after a few minutes. He had the lid of a metal cage propped up with a stick which was attached to a string. Under the lid was enough bird seed to feed a hundred mice. Ingenious! "I'm just going to wait here until the mouse comes, then I'll pull the string and trap it!" "Okay," I said, and walked back to the kitchen. About ten minutes later he came back into the house to watch cartoons. Waiting for a mouse is not that entertaining.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary and expressions: to prop up, some of which, I'm afraid.

Exs:

The workmen propped up the fence posts before they secured them.

I bought five pounds of bananas, some of which are ripe and ready to eat.

I'm afraid we will have to cancel the barbecue; there is a storm coming.

Advanced.

The other day, I walked into our garage to put some cardboard boxes in the recycling bins, when I noticed a lot of bird seed on the floor. I looked up on the shelf above, and saw that a big bag of seed that we keep for the birds in the Winter, had a hole in it. As I looked around, I realized that the seed had been spread all over the shelf. This was not a case of an accidental tear in the bag; the hole had been made by an animal, a small one. My husband had warned me that as Autumn turns to Winter, small animals will try and get into the house, and will do so if we leave doors open for too long. This creature must be a mouse, and usually where there is a mouse, there are mice. The little thing must think that he is in heaven. He is in a nice, warm garage, and has a huge bag of bird seed all for himself and his family. My son, Robert, was very excited about seeing the mouse, so I picked him up, and very quietly and slowly walked into the garage, staring at the shelf. And would you know, we saw the little grey mouse running back and forth between the seed bag and a little hole in the wall. Robert and I looked at eachother and grinned with excitement. The mouse actually stood up on its hind legs and looked at us for a few seconds. It looked so tiny and cute. I actually wanted to let it live in the garage for the Winter, but I realize how unsanitary it is. I certainly didn't want to encourage mice to live in our house. That could end up being a real problem.

Grammar notes.

Vocabulary: a bin, to spread, to tear, unsanitary, hind leg.

Exs:

A bin is a kind of container for different storage needs.

Don't spread too much jam on your toast.

Be careful that you don't tear your new poster.

This bathroom is really unsanitary. It needs to be thoroughly cleaned.

One of the dog's hind legs is broken. It will have to wear a cast for a while.

Beginners.

Life in a small town is very quiet, some would say boring. However, one good thing about living here is that there is not a lot of crime. It is something that you get used to. On a few occasions, I have left my handbag in the shopping cart when I am buying groceries. It is not until I get home that I realize what I have done. Thankfully, the times that this has happened, I have been able to drive back to the supermarket and find the bag, still in the shopping cart. When I lived in London, that was not the case. Though most people are good, and mean well, you have to be careful. I suppose it is just one of the many differences between a big city and a small town. When a crime does take place here, it makes the front page of the local newspaper, The Wenatchee World, and the whole town talks about it. A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine told me that there had been a burglary at a pharmacy in town. I don't often read the newspaper, so I was not aware that it had happened. I looked through our pile of unread newspapers and found the February 26th edition, and sure enough, on the front page was a picture of the suspect. The man has not been found yet; the police and crime task force are still looking, and have offered $1000 reward for information leading to an arrest. How exciting! I will keep my eyes peeled.

Grammar notes.

 Related vocabulary: crime, handbag, groceries, local newspaper, burglary, pharmacy, reward, task force.

*Would. Ex: Some would say that the governor is wise, but I think he is foolish.

To mean well. Ex: They mean well, but they are very unhelpful.

(Not) the case. Ex: The land was to be protected, but that was not the case.

Advanced.

So there has been a robbery in town, a double one. It's a shock for the community, especially considering that everybody seems to know eachother. The reward has not been claimed, and so far there are no leads. Mind you, the picture in the newspaper is pretty awful. The suspect looks like an alien. I think if there was a creature like that in this town, he would be spotted immediately. Thankfully, no one was hurt in either robbery. It would be very scary to be the one behind the counter who has the gun pointed at his face. I would not like to be in his shoes. Perhaps the criminal will be caught by making some kind of mistake. They are human, so they are prone to errors, just as we are. There are stories of criminals who are not so bright, who give themselves away. Apparently, one man decided to rob a quick stop foodmart. The trouble is, he was on his lunch break from work, and he had forgotten to take off his name tag from his place of employment. As soon as he had taken the money and left, the cashier phoned the police and told them the name of the criminal and where he worked. The poor guy, how embarrassing! It must have been his first time on the dark side. It sounds like he was nervous and unprepared. Well, hopefully the embarrassment of the situation stopped him from ever trying it again. As they say here, "If you don't want to do the time, don't do the crime."

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: creature, to be prone to .., mistake, error, lunch break, cashier, embarrassing, foodmart.

* Claim. Ex: The lost puppy has not been claimed.

Embarrassing. Ex: His pants fell down infront of everybody. How embarrassing!

Lunch break. Ex: I would not like to miss my lunch break. It's the only time that I have free.

Beginners.

Snow keeps us busy. It needs to be moved and removed. If it is not moved, life becomes difficult. Cars, trucks and buses have difficulty driving along the streets and up the hills if there is too much snow. Around our house the snow builds up higher and higher. A few nights ago it snowed all night. It was silent, beautiful, and non-stop. When we woke up in the morning, we were quite surprised at the height of the white stuff. We felt surrounded. After my children went to school, I got out the snow blower to clear the driveway. Usually my husband does that. But, it really needed to be done. I carefully read the instructions and started up the motor. It was noisy, but fast and effective. The whole thing took me about one hour. When I had almost finished, I saw something infront of me. It was a deer. It was very close and looked quite calm. It was a female. It walked past and looked at me. Then it went on its way. What a beautiful surprise on a snowy day.

Grammar notes.

Regular verbs: to remove, to build (up), to snow, to clear, to finish, to look.

Irregular verbs: to have, to become, to wake up, to feel, to do, to take, to go.

Useful vocabulary: busy, difficult, up hill, higher, a few, snow blower, driveway, fast and effective.

Advanced.

Because the snowy Winter lasts for about four months here, animals who normally live in the surrounding mountains come down into town to find food. Food is scarce up in the hills for animals like the deer. It is plentiful for them, however, in the town. Hedges, bushes and other plants provide all the meals they need for the Winter, plus they have sheltered, wind-free gardens to bed down in. Us gardeners are generally not too happy about our prized plants being gobbled by these night time eaters, but, that's just how it is. Generations of deer have come and gone through this town. They are so plentiful that they actually become a nuissance. As we drive through the snowy neighborhoods, we have to keep a careful watch for deer families crossing the roads. Often, a little one will be found bounding along a side walk or hesitating right in the middle of the road. The other day, while I was snow blowing our driveway, a doe calmly walked right past me. She completely took me by surprise. She looked as comfortable in the neighborhood as I feel. Off she went, without even checking over her shoulder to see if I was following or could cause a threat. She knew better. I was the one caught off guard. Another magical occurance that comes with the season. 

Grammar notes.

Useful vocabulary: snowy, normally, surrounding, scarce, plentiful, sheltered, a nuissance, a doe, a buck.

Verb expressions: to bed down (reg), to be scarce (irreg), to gobble (reg), to keep watch (reg), to bound along (reg), to take by surprise (irreg), to know better (irreg).

The turning leaf.

Beginners.

Are there many trees where you live? What kind are they? Do their leaves change color and fall this time of year? We have many different trees in this valley. Naturally, most of them would not be here because it does not rain very much. However, this whole area is irrigated, so trees, plants, and grass can grow. In my garden there are many trees. Most are deciduous which means that they loose their leaves in the fall. It is a beautiful sight. As I look out of the window, I see yellow, orange, red, brown and pink leaves in the trees and on the ground. Now that the frost comes every early morning, the leaves look like they are covered in powdered sugar. The ground is crunchy, the air is cold and still. What a magical time!

Grammar notes.

Questions: are there..? are they..? do their leaves..? *Verb first, then subject. Further examples: Does he sing? Are you okay? Is it raining?

Many and much.

Many usually used with plural subjects, exs: many trees; many children; many people (singular but plural implied).

Much used with negative verb or singular subject. Exs: He didn't have much luck; they don't have much sugar in the store.

Useful words and expressions: Naturally, however, what a sight (beautiful/horrible etc), what a .... (boy, sight, nightmare, surprize etc).

Advanced.

The other day, when I dropped my daughter off at preschool, something tiny but sparkly caught my eye. It was a pair of frozen leaves on the grass, just outside the school. The pattern of their edges came to my attention, as they are maple leaves. Each leaf has between five and seven serrated looking triangles pointing out in a star-like fashion. The frost had dulled the true color of the leaves, but had, at the same time, added a soft, crystal covering, subtle like a lady's veil. The frost is a morning phenomena which melts away as the sun gets higher in the sky, so it is small treat, on a cold day, to see such a pretty picture. I suppose this time of year really signifies the end of a season, and a necessary death of a part of nature. But what beauty we see in the passing of one season to another! As the leaves twirl and flutter to the ground, they are butterflies playing, dancing around and through the serious and motionless trees. A similar contrast is seen in the bright bursts of Autumn sun which soon give way to dark clouds and shorter days.

Grammar notes.

Pluperfect tense: subject + had + past participle, exs: the leaves had fallen; the time had come; they had driven there etc.

Metaphors. Exs: The leaves are butterflies; he is a pig; she is an angel.

Useful expressions: To drop a person off/ to pick a person up; ...came to my (anybody's) attention; at the same time; to give way to.

Advanced.

As the seasons change from Summer to Autumn, a certain recipe that I use starts to appear more often. Chicken soup. Ah, what a concept! It has been used for centuries by people who are ill; runny noses, coughs, and aches and pains disappear as this special liquid is digested. It's simple, hot deliciousness warms up our bones and makes us feel comforted, like babies being wrapped in warm blankets. In fact, comfort is exactly what it is, a comfort food, like macaroni and cheese, or meat and potato pie. But there is something extra special about this soup. Grandmothers swear by it; some even say that it has magical powers. All I know is that the combination of chicken stock and thin pasta noodles is an endearing childhood memory.

Grammar notes.

Autumn is replaceable with Fall(americanism).

Useful expressions: aches and pains, exactly, extra special.

Verbs with prepositions: to swear by, to warm up.

All I know is that (colloquial) = in conclusion, as a summary, to sum up.

Beginners.

When it is cold outside, I feel like having something warm to eat. Many people get coughs and colds when the weather changes from warm to cold. Sometimes, children have to miss school for a day or two because they are sick. There are medicines that you can buy to help you feel better. One thing that always makes me feel better is a bowl of chicken noodle soup. It is magic! I feel warm and happier when I eat it. You can buy it in cans, or packets, or you can make it yourself. Either way, it is delicious, natural medicine that chases away our colds and flus.

Grammar notes.

Opposites: cold/ hot, warm/ cool.

To feel ill = to feel sick(americanism)

Common illnesses: cough, cold, runny nose, sneezes, fever, aches.

Useful expressions for writing: sometimes, either way.