Sparta

Have you seen Sparta the cat? The cat is the main character in the video "Mean Kitty Song". It is so funny and has a good tune. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qit3ALTelOo Ok? Enjoy the show!!

Crocuses

Yesterday I saw crocuses in our neighbor's woods. There were two purple batches and one white with purple veins. The purple is an awesome color.

I love spring and I love flowers. Roses are my favorite flower. What's yours?

Easter Eggs

On Tuesday my mom and I colored Easter eggs. It was fun until the vinegar was eating the egg shells. ha ha ha ha ha. I love spending time with my mom.

Easter 2009

Mom, Dad and I went to a seal release on Easter. The seal's name was Harvey. He was cute and fast. Then we went to the movies and saw "Knowing". It was a good, sad and scary movie.

The movie was about a girl writing down numbers and putting it into a time capsule that is put into the ground for fifty years. When the time capsule is opened, a boy gets the girl's note full of numbers. His dad, played by Nicolas Cage, uncovers the secret to all the numbers. That's all I'm going to say.

Robert E. Lee, Civil War 1861-1865

Robert E. Lee was the southern general for the Civil War. He was born in Virginia. Lee took risks because that's how he thought the south could win. They had so few men compared to the North. Lee was on a winning streak until Gettysburg when he told his armies to attack in the center of the enemy's line. Most of the south got blown up by cannons or shot.

After that battle, Lee wanted to quit. He talked to Jefferson Davis who was the President of the Confederacy, but he wouldn't let Robert E. Lee resign. After that talk, Lee kicked Union butt in several locations.

Towards the end of the Civil War, Robert E. Lee was under siege in Petersburg, Virginia. He escaped, but his men were hungry. Grant caught up with them at Appomattox Courthouse. The Confederates held up the white flag. Lee and Grant talked about the south's surrender and a peace treaty.

You should see the movie "Gettysburg". We borrowed it from the library. Other good movies are "Glory" and "Gods and Generals". Also, a great book is called Civil War for Kids.

The Badger

Badgers are mammals and in the mustelid family. Mustelid means that they have musk which is a stinky, vulgar spray. Some of their relatives are otters, wolverines, skunks, ferrets and weasels.
Badgers have a white stripe on their nose, have a bushy tail and are short. They live in burrows.
They use the musk which they spray from a back gland for marking their territories and to keep predators away. Badgers' eyesight is not great, but their hearing is excellent.
They are omnivores, but mostly eat meat. Their favorite meal is worms because they are easy prey. At night the worms pop out of the dirt and that's when badgers hunt.
Badgers are not in Maine, but they are in other parts of North America, Europe and Asia.
Would you like to run into one out in the wild?

The Newton Letter

Dear Aunt Deb,
I met this man in a book store. He reminded me of Uncle Phil because of his long, wavy hair and because he loved to read. He bought so many books I had to give him a hand back to Trinity College where he works. He offered me tea as I sat and listened to him talk about light and gravity.
Before going home, he showed me some of his experiments. He held a crystal (which he called a prism) up to the sunlight. I saw beautiful reds, oranges, yellows, blues, violets, and indigos. He claims that white light is made up of these colors. Black is the absence of color.
At dusk I got to look through his reflecting telescope which is made with mirrors. I looked at stars in the sky.
Accidentally I dropped my tea cup and it shattered into a million pieces. I thought he’d be upset and I apologized, but he seemed excited. Newton said it was an example of gravity. He said gravity is a force that pulls an object to the ground. He just couldn’t explain why.
After that I went home. I saw flames in the distance and discovered my home was burnt to the ground. Newton has been kind enough to let me stay with him at Trinity College for a while, but I was wondering if I could live with you until I get my home rebuilt.
Your nephew,
Austin Burtt