"Wake up! Look at the frosty morning!" I said to my children on Monday. I knew that they wouldn't want to get out of bed; after all, it was a school day. But something about the beginning of winter makes the morning more interesting for them. I opened the curtains in the rooms of my two youngest, who normally moan and complain when they have to get up. "Wow, look at all the crunchy frost," my daughter said. She was right. As we looked out on the back garden, there seemed to be a sheet of sparkling powdered glass laying on everything. It twinkled(1) in the morning light. "I'll make some hot chocolate," I said, still trying to coax(2) them into coming downstairs. I had their winter clothes laid out on the lounge floor:coats, boots, gloves, hats, and scarves. While they ate their porridge, I spoke to my oldest sons. "Now, its best to leave early, so you don't have to hurry. Keep your distance when you drive because its icy." They both nodded in agreement, and gave me that look, the look that says, "Mum, I already know all of that. I'm a teenager, remember?" As I went outside to warm up the car, I noticed a neighbor was scraping the ice off of her windshield(3). Another neighbor was sprinkling ice melter on his path. I realized that winter has arrived, and we need to prepare ourselves in order to live comfortably with the cold. Just then, I got a text from my husband, "Remember to get the snow tires put on your car" it read. Yes, it was another thing to add to my list of preparations for winter. Here are some more things to add to it:
Flu shots for everyone.
Chop wood for the fire.
Buy vitamin C and Zinc.
Ingredients for soups and stews.
Put fuel in the snow blower, and get the snow shovels out of the shed.
Each day I try to check off one or two things from the list so we will be ready for the chilly season. Nobody likes to be unprepared, especially when it is so cold.
1. 'To twinkle' is a verb that refers to an intermittent shining of light. We associate the verb with Christmas lights, frost, stars, and other kinds of light.
a. It was a very clear night. There was a full moon, and the stars were twinkling.
b. Look at those twinkling lights on the trees. They are so pretty!
2. 'To coax someone into...' this phrase is similar in meaning to 'to persuade someone to do something'.
a. I coaxed my dog into going to the vet by giving him pieces of bacon.
b. I coaxed my husband into going to see a ballet with me by promising that I would go hunting with him.
3. 'Windshield' is the main front window of a car. It shields/ protects you from the wind.
a. My windshield cracked when a big truck went past me and threw up some stones.
b. You might prefer a motorbike with a windshield if you are traveling far.
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The Redwood forest is located on the west coast, from the south of Oregon to the south of California. There isn't just one forest; there are several along and near the coast. Together they cover 133,000 acres. In the 1800's many people went to the west coast to mine gold. Of course, a lot of people didn't find any, and so logging became a second option. At that time there were 2,000,000 acres of redwoods. The trees were quickly chopped down and used for buildings in the San Francisco area. In 1920 a movement started to preserve the remaining trees, but it wasn't until(1) the 1960's that they were finally safe. And I'm so glad that they are. I was lucky enough to take my family there this summer, and we were amazed at their size and beauty. Their age was just as astonishing(2). We came across a slice of a massive tree that was around(3) before the Vikings came to the Americas. Some trees had fallen over, and their root systems were the size of houses! We walked around the forest, straining our necks to keep looking up, up, up. I noticed a few things in particular. First, the bark of the redwoods is spongey, not hard. Second, there are hardly any plants on the forest floor because of the lack of sunshine. And third, the forest is so, so quiet. There are so many photos on the web of these amazing trees. Click this link to see some.
1. 'It wasn't until...' is a phrase that indicates the passing of time until an event/ change/ an action. I mentioned that a movement to preserve the trees had started in the 1920's, but nothing happened until the 1960's. That is why I used 'it wasn't until...'
a. We asked for building permission, but it wasn't until 3 years later/had passed that we were given permission.
b. I asked him to close the door, but it wasn't until he got cold that he closed it!
c. We bought our ski gear, but it wasn't until February that we were able to use it.
2. 'Their age was just as astonishing.' This is a separate sentence which refers back to the size and beauty of the trees of the previous sentence.
a. The boys received excellent results in English. Their mathematics results were just as good.
b. She is tall and attractive. You are just as beautiful.
c. The new car is computerized and stylish. It's fuel efficiency is just as impressive.
3. 'a tree...that was around before the Vikings..' Here I could have used 'was growing' or 'was alive', but 'to be around' is a highly used phrase for something or someone being alive or present.
a. I am wise because I have been around for a long time.
b. That radio program has been around for about 50 years!
c. How long are those noisy kids going to be around here?
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