History Exam (English Colonies in America)

Filed under:Uncategorized — posted by the Yearning Heart on May 29, 2007 @ 5:46 pm

All of these answers are from the same student.


Short answer


(Write your answers in complete sentences.)


5. When did the Pilgrims arrive in Massachusetts?


The Pilgrims arrived in Mass. after they crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and got off their ship Mayflower. Once all were ashore, they all arrived.


8. What was the Mayflower Compact?


The Mayflower Compact was a deal the Pilgrims made with each other to work together and not run off and they wuld [sic] be English and not just people living in the woods with no goverment [sic].


11. How did the local people react to the arrival of the English colonists?


Mostly the local people died. Some didn’t, though, and they shot at the English because the other English captured or killed their people before. And some didn’t shoot at them but wanted to know who they were.


I counted all questions as correct. I need to learn how to write better questions.

Dear Maggie

Filed under:Uncategorized — posted by the Yearning Heart on May 25, 2007 @ 4:22 am
It’s raining. Rain, rain, rain. I’m home with Littlest Boy, who is now watching Curious George and graciously allowing me to not play Princess Leia to his Luke Skywalker. I get tired of being rescued all the time. So the rain pours down, forming into rivulets and then into streams and the cattle out in the south pasture are complaining about it. I’m thinking about you.
Has it been two years since you’ve been gone? Two years, about a thousand diapers, a few hundred meals.
Your boys, as frustrating as they are, are still the joy of my life.
Bigglest Boy is struggling with dealing with people, those closest to him. He’s still more comfortable with books than with people. I don’t expect that to change but one thing that is changing is that he’s learning to talk instead of yell.
He’s also learning that people love him. Last weekend Littlest Boy was playing with his Jack-in-the-box. He would crank it one way, and the music would play and the puppet would pop out. Then he would turn it around, crank it the wrong way and nothing would happen.
This offended Bigglest Boy’s sense of order, and as I came into the room I heard Bigglest Boy say, “That’s WRONG!” and then thumped Littlest Boy on the head. Littlest Boy burst into tears. I immediately separated Bigglest Boy, put him upstairs in his room, then I went downstairs and checked on Littlest Boy, kissed his head, dried his tears, and told him he could turn the crank any way he wanted.
I then went upstairs to talk to Bigglest Boy.
“Do you know why your little brother is crying?” I asked him.
“Because I thumped him on the head,” he answered.
“Right. Do you know where that hurts?” I asked.
“Um,” he paused, knowing my method by now, “well, on his head…”
“Not enough to make him cry. He’s hurting inside, because his big brother, who he loves very much and who he thinks is the greatest boy in the world, just yelled at him and hit him on the head. So yes, his head hurt for a second, but his heart hurts even worse. He thinks you are disappointed in him, and that he did something wrong.”
Long silence; I stood there with my hands folded.
“Do you know what you should do now?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“Then I’ll tell you. Go straight downstairs, apologize to him, and ask him if he’s okay.”
I expected an argument. His eyes narrowed, and Maggie, when they do that he looks EXACTLY like you. I expected an I won’t or you can’t make me or something.
“Now [Littlest Boy] doesn’t know if he can play with you anymore,” I continued. “He’s afraid you’ll hit him again.”
Bigglest Boy stared at the floor.
“And he’ll probably stay afraid until you tell him you’re sorry and you act like you’re his big brother again. He loves you.”
Bigglest Boy rolled his eyes, but he got up and went downstairs, went straight to Littlest Boy and said, “I’m sorry.” He meant it, too, I think, which is a first.
I don’t know if I handled it like you would have, Maggie, but I handled it.
Middlest Boy is driving me nuts with the food thing. He won’t eat anything I cook except for plain pasta, or plain potatoes. If he doesn’t like anything that’s for dinner, he happily eats bread and water. He eats everything his daddy makes, though. I’m trying not to let it hurt my feelings, reminding myself that I am the grown-up and he is the child.
I had a birthday on Monday. I’m 26 and I feel like I’ve grown up more in the last two years than I did in the previous ten.
I’m getting by, and we’re doing okay. Still, I’d give anything for you to be here right now.

Dawn

Filed under:Uncategorized — posted by the Yearning Heart on May 9, 2007 @ 3:44 am
It was just daylight, and I was standing at the window in my scruffy old nightgown, looking out to see if it was rainy or not. I stretched, and Monsieur said softly, behind me, “My word.”
I turned around and he was just looking at me. “What?” I asked.
He smiled. “You look like … a vision,” he said. “You’re so beautiful.”
I needed that. I’m still tingling.

Back

Filed under:Uncategorized — posted by the Yearning Heart on May 3, 2007 @ 4:54 am
I’m back.
I’m totally drained.
“How was your trip?” my mom asked.
“It was a car and an airport and a wait and a plane and an airport and a wait and a plane, and an airport and a wait and a train and a train and a car, “I said. “And a funeral. Then, the same thing in reverse.”
The boys were pretty good on the flights over. Bigglest Boy nearly had a fit just from being stuck on planes for 12 hours, but one of the attendants on the long international flight recognized it and let him sneak up to 1st class and then let him sit in the attendants’ station and played Yahtzee with him for a little while.
In France, we were staying at his brother’s house, which is this converted old stone monstrosity of a house. When we got there, the boys said, “This is a house? It looks like a castle.”
Then they played pirates and castles with their uncle and aunt.
Monsieur’s grandfather’s funeral was quiet and very well attended. I actually borrowed a dress from a cousin, who was tall and elegant and had really gorgeous clothes. I got to wear a lovely black thing with a lovely black hat. I felt like Lauren Bacall.
There must have been five hundred people in that little church. There was a wake later, that was a bit more private as it only had eighty people or so. I gathered they were only family and close friends rather than business people.
Monsieur’s family is very wonderful. They’re all good-looking. There seems to be two types in the family – tall, dark, and gorgeous; and medium, blond, and gorgeous. And lots of both. The language barrier didn’t affect me one bit since everyone said, “Oh, you’re the American!” as soon as I opened my mouth, and everything was in English from then on.
There was much food and all of it was good; some of it was even identifiable.
There was something brown on a plate which Monsieur didn’t touch but I ate with bread things.
“What’s this?” I asked him, shoveling it into my mouth.
“Pork liver,” he said, and turned away to help Littlest Boy to a plate of fruit.
I looked at my plate, then shrugged, and ate another bite.
“You’re with our American boy, aren’t you?” said someone behind me.
I turned and recognized one of Monsieur’s grand-uncles. I introduced myself in French but he answered in English.
“You know,” said the old man, confiding in me, “[Monsieur’s grandfather] didn’t like to admit to having favorite grandchildren. But, I think his favorite was [Monsieur].”
“Do you really?” I said, smiling.
“I do. But he would never say so, so don’t you tell him. But, it is true. And if you have to pick one man in this family to be the favorite, it would be that one. So, don’t let him go.”
“I’ll remember that,” I said with a wink.
“Good. He is my favorite nephew, too.”

Grand-père

Filed under:Uncategorized — posted by the Yearning Heart on April 26, 2007 @ 9:27 am
Monsieur’s grandfather passed away.
He was 98 years old. When he was born in that little village in Gascogne (Gascony), there were no paved roads leading in or out of town. World War I was still five years away, and everyone in his family lived within walking distance of each other.
He fought for his country and for the world in six different conflicts, for three different countries. He also converted the family business from a manufacturer of horse tackle to a global security information consultant firm. He never officially retired; instead he would “advise and consult” with Monsieur’s father by phone from his home. He went from writing with a fountain pen to faxes and e-mails. He was active up until about three weeks ago, when he felt “tired” and went to bed. After that, he only got up to go vote in the Presidential election, and then went back to bed. He died yesterday (Wednesday). We just found out a couple of hours ago.
Bigglest Boy remembers meeting him, but to the boy, the old guy was just an old guy. Middlest Boy was just a baby, and Littlest Boy had not even been born. Middlest Boy rather idolizes both his grand-père and his grand-grand-père – “You know, they both fought the GERMANS.” Like, with their bare hands and a burning tree branch, they held off Panzer divisions or something.
Turns out the old guy was a bit of a spy and resistance fighter in a small way, keeping tabs on equipment that the Germans and Vichy were moving around. His son, Monsieur’s dad, was helping move little notes back and forth, doing what he could too, as he ran deliveries, cigarettes and prescriptions, first on foot and later on bicycle.
The elder was a fun guy, from what I heard, and had a million stories and opinions, and tried to make the most out of every day.
Monsieur’s father arranged to purchase airplane tickets for, the note said, “[Monsieur] (and family), and [Monsieur’s sister Mademoiselle].” I’d thought he would be going with the boys and I would stay home. But Monsieur said that I was specifically invited, and that I must go, if I’m willing. I’ve got my passport.
I’ve got no decent shoes to wear, since my last good pair disintegrated. But, I hear they sell shoes in France.
We’ll be gone just till next Wednesday at the latest.

All-nighter

Filed under:Uncategorized — posted by the Yearning Heart on April 19, 2007 @ 12:23 am
I stayed up way too late last night.
First, trying to sort out this new curriculum, getting the right kids on the right track and making sure that no one falls through any cracks. That’s a job, I’ll tell you. Not a day goes by when I don’t feel bad for how bad I acted up in school, because for the most part, my teachers were pretty hard working, and sincere. They really tried, and they had more than a few kids who were real teaching challenges. It was (back then) a pretty small rural school district. I sometimes want to call each one of my old middle school and high school teachers (except Coach Diamond, the bitch) and apologize. I bet most of them are still listed in the book – the ones who didn’t drop dead within a few years from sheer exasperation.
Next, online. I worked at Lady Ann’s last night. I think I’m addicted. I don’t know. Whatever it is, I can’t stay away from it. Anonymous sex, one after the other, and it’s all perfectly safe, if you don’t count the loss of sleep from staying up all night. For a change of pace, I tried sitting on my purple vibrator and just kept it touching me, roleplaying the perfect whore. Well, I was far from perfect; sometimes the tremors would keep me from typing for half a minute, but I tried to give as good as I got. I finally had to go to bed, and I was soaked by the time I shut the computer off.
I took a shower so I wouldn’t come to bed reeking of solo sex. Monsieur is a very light sleeper, and he woke up after I had laid my head on the pillow.
“Are you all right?” he whispered.
“I’m fine,” I said, my eyes closing.
“It’s 3 AM,” he whispered. “Is your stomach hurting?” (I’d had cramps a few nights before that woke me up, but I think it was because of the fast food I ate too fast, when I should have waited for dinner.)
“No, I was just reading,” I said.
He hugged me close to him, holding me in his arms. I felt like such an unfaithful person.
He was breathing long and slow. I thought he went right back to sleep. I curled by back up into him, pressing close, tried to relax.
“Is something bothering you?” he asked finally. “Something on your mind?”
Sex, I didn’t say. Cock, I didn’t say. Fuck me, you idiot would have sounded somewhat unfair.
“I’m just out of sorts, I guess,” I said finally.
His hand slid from around my waist and went down to the elastic drawstring of my pajama bottoms. They were tied in a bow, and he pulled on the loose end for a few seconds to try to untie them.
“Actually,” I whispered, helpfully, “they don’t need to be untied to come off.”
He pulled them off and I started to turn over, but he kept holding me in place with one arm. Sliding my bottoms down, he teased me with his free hand and then slipped his hand in my panties from behind.
I moaned softly, trying to encourage him.
He took his damn time. I could feel myself building up, swelling and softening and turning all buttery. The hand around my waist moved up, held my right breast firmly, then his fingers spread so that the nipple was between two fingers, then he pressed his fingers in and held my nipple between his middle and ring finger, just holding it, then he pulled my nipple out, slowly, distending it and gently twisting it.
I bit my lip but I couldn’t keep from sneezing. That broke down some kind of wall, and he quickly turned me face down and lifted up my hips until I was on my knees. He was behind me and I could feel his cock tapping against my panties, pressing them into me slightly.
“Those can come off too,” I whispered the suggestion, but his hands were all over me and he didn’t say anything. I pressed against him. I was trying to will his cock into me, to push past my panties. I reached back to pull my panties down but he pushed my hand away gently. He kept teasing me, as he does, not really being cruel, but certainly not in any hurry.
I arched my back and pressed back against him. I wiggled and moved and spread myself wantonly, wanting him inside me so badly that I almost couldn’t bear it. I made guttural sounds and generally behaved in a way that embarrasses me to think about.
Finally he pulled my panties to one side and ran his fingers up and down my labia. I nearly screamed at the touch but instead buried my face in the pillow and lifted my bottom up higher. He gently touched me from the back to the front, and I squirmed. I knew better than to follow my instinct, which was telling me to just turn around and pounce on him. I knew he’d do what he usually does; he would pull back and lose enthusiasm. But if I just held myself there and was patient, I knew he would enter me and fill me.
Which, he did.
Slowly.
Agonizingly.
Deliciously.
In one
smooth
stroke.
I was blind with lust. I chewed a corner of the pillow, bit my finger, breathed in and out in ragged gasps, and still he kept pushing his way in. I reached back behind me and held myself open, then felt where we joined at the stretched ring of my labia. It was as snug as a tractor tire on a rim. I didn’t think I’d be able to move. It seemed like he was even bigger than he’d ever been. He was certainly hard, and I felt the curve of him, arcing into me, all the way in.
There was still more to go when he started to pull out.
“No…” I begged. His hands were on my hair, and he stroked it.
“Steady, now, love,” he whispered.
He started to move and I don’t think I was capable of rational thought at that point. My entire consciousness was reduced to my pulse, which I could feel in my ears and in my vulva, and my electrified synapses. Every touch seemed to have current flowing through it. I was a switch that had no “off” and his moving in and out, his hands – sometimes on my hair and occasionally on my breasts – kept turning me on, on, on.
‘I can’t last,” he said, clenching his teeth.
“Please, please don’t try,” I asked him.
He reached under me where we joined, his hands moving slowly up from the junction to press against my mons, then he ran his fingers in slow circles over my clitoris until I came almost from desperation. Still, he moved in and out.
“Where?” he asked suddenly.
“Where you want,” I said.
His thumb went in my bottom, suddenly.
I came again.
He withdrew his thumb, then pulled his cock out of me slowly, and I gasped, then collapsed face first into the sheets. I was exhausted.
He turned me over, then began stroking himself. I got up on my knees and pushed his hands away.
“You can touch it anytime. This is my turn,” I said.
I stroked him, getting him wet with my saliva first, then I lowered my mouth to it. I sucked the head a little, then ran my tongue around the rim. I could tell by his breathing, even as measured as it was ,that he was close, so I opened wide, stuck out my tongue, and dived down on it.
It was halfway in when I felt it spasm, swell, and then release.
Yum.
It filled my mouth with warmth, too much to handle, and I just backed off, pointed it down to my chest and let it soak me.
He held me, kissing me tenderly, and telling me how wonderful I was.
“You should do that more,” I advised him.
“No,” he said. “I like for us to stay just a little unsatisfied. Most of the time.”
“I need more, most of the time.” I said.
“It is when you are at your best. Though you shouldn’t lose sleep over it,” he added.
I thought about my evening at Lady Ann’s and felt guilty. “If you see me up too late, that’s most likely the reason,” I said to him.
He held me for a few minutes, and then got up. The bed felt suddenly too cold and too large.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“To feed the animals and start the day,” he said. “It’s 5:30 in the morning.”
I looked at the clock. Damn, I thought, I haven’t pulled an all-nighter in years.

mist

Filed under:Uncategorized — posted by the Yearning Heart on April 17, 2007 @ 9:50 am
We’ve had freezing to chilly temps up here on Blue Hill and lots of fog, rain and drizzle.
While taking the boys home the other day, the van would not go out of low gear (second gear? like I’d know) which worried Monsieur. He ended up taking it to a (Johnson City) mechanic, then another transmission mechanic in Austin.
When he got home, he had a pinched look on his face, like someone was pinching his forehead with pliers. The estimate for a transmission rebuild: $1400-$1900 depending on how bad it is.
“Ouch,” I said, and I meant it.
“I’m going to call the bank,” he said, and headed for the den.
I said, “I’ve got $186.26 in the bank. I was going to spend that on meaningless bills and student loan payments, but if it could help–”
“No,” he smiled. “I’ll figure it out.”
I wished I could help. I mean, I know I contribute pretty deeply, and I know it’s his job to worry about the money but I wished I could do something.

I’ll just put them all here

Filed under:Uncategorized — posted by the Yearning Heart on March 26, 2007 @ 8:42 am

I truly have not had a moment to finish a single post in three weeks. Here are the posts I’ve begun since then, unproofed and unedited, not even spell-checked, for those three or four of you who might still be reading.


Thursday was another gold star day.

When I was in middle school, I thought that all the guys who wore
famous football player t-shirts wanted people to mistake them for the actual
famous football player. I then thought the girls who wore the t-shirts
wanted people to mistake them for the famous football player’s
girlfriend.

Littlest Boy (3 yo) is tired of being the baby, and is beginning
to push back on his brothers. Really hard.

The sole split on the left one of my nice dress shoes. These are
my favorite shoes and the worst thing is I hardly ever wear them. I
can’t justify getting new shoes because I really never dress up
anymore. I can’t justify the money, and it makes me sad,
somehow.

Middlest boy (6 yo) is becoming the snitch. Sometimes it’s a
good thing: “[Littlest Boy] locked himself in the closet and
he’s pooping himself,” sometimes it’s kind of
tiresome: “[Bigglest Boy] (9 yo) called me a ‘bleeding
polyp’. I think that’s a bad word.”

We are sick with allergies. Fine, OK – I am sick with
allergies, and the Two Bigglest Boys are tired of me and my wimpy
self. Littlest Boy has sniffles and swears he’s fine. He says
he hopes I get better, every time he hears me talk.

Bigglest Boy: Pepper? [E] (bossy 8 yo girl in school) says you and
Daddy are ‘getting it on’. What does that mean?

Yearning Heart: Uh… Um…

Bigglest Boy: Does she mean you’re doing sex?

Yearning Heart: I think she does.

Bigglest Boy: [E]’s such a chancre, sometimes.

Yearning Heart: Well, we all have a lot of growing up to do.

Breakthroughs

Filed under:Uncategorized — posted by the Yearning Heart on March 2, 2007 @ 6:08 am
Tuesday, Bigglest Boy was, to put it mildly, having a bad day. He could not tie his shoes – not that he was incapable of it, or forgot how – he just didn’t want them to be tied. It bothered him. One loop would always be bigger than the other, or the ends would not match, or they touched the floor when he walked, or they made too much noise.
His shoelaces made too much noise.
I took a deep breath, choosing my battles carefully, and allowed him to go shoeless all day. He walked around in his socks, even in school. The other kids didn’t say anything; I think they are now sufficiently cowed by his withering intellect and no don’t challenge him the way kids do when confronted with his odd or abnormal behavior. He can be quite overpowering when challenged.
The next day, after school, he wanted to do “a science experiment.”
“I need some charcoal,” he announced, as we were at the kitchen table doing artwork.
“Okay,” I said. “There are some charcoal pencils in the art supply box. Do you want to do charcoal drawings?”
“No,” he replied. “I need some charcoal that I can make into a powder. Also some potassium nitrate. Do we have any?”
“Potassium nitrate … h’m … I’m gonna say ‘no’. What is potassium nitrate?”
“Well, its common name is saltpeter, or niter. We might have some in the shed,” he suggested.
“Wait a minute – what do you need this for?”
“I want to make some solid propellant for my rocket,” he explained. “I think I can adapt this formula for it but I need to start with the basic formula first and then alter it to try to get it to burn at a higher temperature.”
“No burning, [Bigglest Boy]. You know the rules. What is the formula?”
He showed me the formula. It was entitled “Formula for Gunpowder”.
“Um,” I said, “I think that, without talking to your daddy, the answer is no.”
“No what?” he said, his eyes narrowing.
“No, you may not manufacture, possess, or store gunpowder, nitroglycerin, plastic explosives, gasoline, kerosene, or any other highly flammable or explosive chemicals or compounds.”
“I’m not going to blow anything up!” he cried. “I’m just going to make a fuel cartridge for my rocket!”
I took a deep breath, and said, “[Bigglest Boy], you can have a pressurized water rocket, and you do have one. You can do experiments with it if I’m watching, or if your daddy’s watching. But you may not make any fuels, or anything else, than could burn or explode. My answer is no, and I am very certain that your daddy will say the same thing.”
He looked at me. He turned around and by the way his shoulders hunched up I was prepared for an emotional eruption. He turned around again and faced me.
“I’m very, very angry at you,” he said.
“I understand,” I said. “It’s okay if you’re angry. But you still can’t have gunpowder or anything else unsafe. It’s not because I think you’re going to start a fire or blow anyone up. It’s just that I don’t know that much about gunpowder, but I do know it’s pretty tricky stuff, and I don’t know how to work with it and keep everyone safe. My job is to keep you, and your brothers, safe.”
He didn’t say anything, but looked at his formula. I went back to pastel coloring on my art paper.
“Well,” he said, after a while, “I’ll just have to do something else.”
“All right,” I said.
Later when I was checking on him, he was reading about Skylab. “Are you still angry at me?” I asked him.
He shook his head.
“I’m very proud of you,” I said.
“Why?”
“Because even though you got angry, you kept your temper and just told me you were angry without losing control. I know how hard that is for you and I think you did a great job. I’ll even tell your daddy that you did that. I bet he’ll be proud of you, too.”
“Can I make some solid fuel now?”
“No, sir. But you can talk to your daddy about solid fuel,” I suggested. “He may be able to explain how it’s made, better than I could, anyway, and why it’s so dangerous for young scientists to work with.”
“Okay.” He looked at his Skylab schematic, and then said to me, “I am going to make a rocket, you know. A real one, not a water rocket. And I’m going to put it into sub-orbital trajectory.” He seemed to be challenging me to say “no”.
“You know what?” I said. “I think you will, too. But, you’re going to do it with the cooperation of the federal and local authorities. And those authorities include me. Is that a deal?”
“Yes,” he said vaguely, without looking up from his book.
“Hey, [Bigglest Boy], guess what?” I said.
“What?”
“Chicken butt!”
He tried to keep a straight face, but laughed in spite of himself.
“Guess what else?” I asked.
“What?”
“I love you.”
He didn’t reply, but looked down at his book. Then he smiled.

Sick Bed

Filed under:Uncategorized — posted by the Yearning Heart on February 23, 2007 @ 10:00 am
I had the WORST case of flu I’ve ever had this last couple weeks. I am just getting over it.
Of course, I got it from the school kids. E gave it to me, I gave it to Bigglest Boy, then Littlest Boy. Middlest Boy only got sniffles. Monsieur, damn him, didn’t get anything. He never gets sick. I was hating on him so badly last week, laying in bed, coughing up my lungs between runs for the bathroom. He was all chipper and concerned at the same time. I asked him why he never even got a hangnail, and he said, “Don’t you remember? I had a strained back just two weeks ago!”
Oh, right, I thought, I stand corrected.
Monsieur’s maternal grandfather is still alive at age 96. His maternal grandmother probably would have lived as long, but died from complications from a car accident that she was in at age 84.
“Why don’t you ever get sick?” I asked him.
“I’m not sure that I know,” he replied. “I eat well and I work on my feet every day or so.”
“How would you define ‘eating well’?” I asked.
“Well, about food choices, it’s pretty simple: Eat food. Don’t eat very much food. And don’t eat very much of your food as milk.”
“What do you mean by ‘eat food’?” I asked. “Everyone eats food.”
“Food,” he said, pulling up a chair and sitting down, “means things close to how they were when growing. Don’t cook the vegetables too much. Don’t refine the grains and sugars too much. For example, white flour and polished rice are not really food. They may taste good, but they’re not food. Not any more.”
“I pretty much eat what you eat,” I pointed out.
“Yes, you do, and you exercise often and you stay active,” he agreed.
“So why do I get sick and you don’t?” I whined.
“I honestly cannot tell you,” he admitted.
I grumbled, turning over and putting my face into the pillow.

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image: detail of installation by Bronwyn Lace