Vocabulary 3
cranberry / hammock / pantry / crane / hardshippapoose / sod / crank / hare / parakeet
soda / crater / harp / sofa / admiration
credit / harpoon / pardon / admission / crest
It was a sweltering Saturday afternoon. I should be at the fair, but instead I was helping my dad lay sod. I didn’t even know what sod was before today! The big squares of grass were going to look nice once we did our job, but it was going to be a challenge. “This sod isn’t going to lay itself!” my dad joked as he saw me eyeing the hammock. “I know it’s a hardship, but I have a surprise for you when we are finished.” I reluctantly went to work lugging the grass across the yard, thinking it would be nice to have a big crane to do the work for me.
My little sister came outside to bring us each a soda. She had her baby in a papoose on her back. You could tell she had been into the cranberries again; her mouth was red and she looked guilty. Mom keeps a stash for her in the pantry, but she will eat a whole bag at a time if you let her. She handed me the soda and looked up at me in admiration. “You are doing a great job, Jay!” she said. You have to give her credit. She could charm the birds out of the trees with her smile.
“Thanks, Little Bit,” I said. “And no more cranberries for you!”
“You are not the boss of me,” she answered as she skipped away.
“Pardon me,” I muttered.
After I chugged the soda, I put my ear buds in, turned up the volume on my Ipod, and got down to business. Before I knew it, we were just about finished with the front yard. “Why don’t you go in and get some lunch?” my dad asked. “I’ll do the rest of the front yard.” He put something in my hand as I made my way back to the house. It was an admission ticket to the fair!
“Thanks, Dad!” I yelled. I ran into the house, grabbed a sandwich and a shower, and put on my favorite shirt (the one with the cresting wave and the harpoon on the front). Mom was sitting on the sofa practicing her harp.
“Done already?” she asked.
“Yes. I heard they have parakeets and hares as prizes at the fair this year! I’m going to win us a couple of new family pets!”
Mom groaned. “Good luck with all that,” she said. “Will you check on your dad on your way out? He’s been gone a long time. Make sure he hasn’t fallen into a crater or something,” she joked.
“I will,” I said. I checked on Dad, gave him a him a high-five, and cranked up the engine on my dirt bike. Although I had spent all morning working, I still had plenty of time to spend at the fair. I smiled as I thought of the prizes I would win. It was turning out to be a pretty good Saturday.