Chapter 8 Word Search

“Don’t even think about it, son,” Pa commanded when he saw me getting ready to kill the slithering black snake I had found in the barn. “Leave him alone.”

“You mean we aren’t going to kill him?” I asked, proud I had gathered enough courage to even get close to the creature.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Pa said. “Snakes are good for farms. This little guy is a rat snake. He lives here in the barn and eats mice and rats. The snake gets his dinner, and we don’t have rodents.”

“Can I pick him up?” I asked.

“I didn’t say that,” Pa said, chuckling. “This snake might bite you, but it isn’t a venomous snake. Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between venomous and non-venomous snakes. That’s why it’s best to leave them alone and let an adult know a snake is around.”

“Should we tell Mr. Parker?” I asked.

“He knows. This snake has been here for years, which is why you don’t see rats or mice.”

“How about I take the eggs you’ve already gathered and give them to Mrs. Parker,” Pa suggested. “You keep gathering the eggs and we’ll take what’s left to Granny. Mrs. Parker always insists we take some home.”

“We’re going to eat these?” I asked.

“Of course, but after we clean them,” Pa said.

“I’ve never eaten eggs that didn’t come from the grocery store.”

“Where do you think the store gets the eggs?” Pa asked.

When we returned home, it was lunchtime. I couldn’t imagine being hungry after the huge breakfast I had eaten, but I was. It was a good thing because Granny had cooked a feast, and it smelled scrumptious! The beautiful oak table was graced with pork chops, corn on the cob, green beans, stewed tomatoes, biscuits and strawberry preserves. And of course there was a pitcher of cold milk straight from Patty and Bonnie.

“We’ve never seen such a large delicious lunch,” Chloe commented before asking Granny if we could help with anything.

“Farmers are accustomed to eating a large noon-day meal,” Granny explained. “They get up early, milk and do the morning chores, eat breakfast, and then work hard all morning long, burning off all those breakfast calories. By lunch they’re starved and will need the energy to make it through the rest of the day. And just so you know, everything on the table was made or grown right here in Kentucky.

“You bought it all at a Kentucky grocery store?” I asked, trying to understand.

“No, sweetie. All the vegetables – and the strawberries – were grown in our garden. The milk and the butter came from Bonnie and Patty, and the pork chops came from a friend who owns a pig farm,” Granny said. “You could say Pa and I are Kentucky Proud.”

“We’re proud of Kentucky too!” I said, happy I lived in the commonwealth.

“I know you are, doggies,” Pa said, “but Kentucky Proud is a program that encourages folks to purchase products that come from our state. The average meal travels 1,500 miles from somewhere far away to a table. During the travel process, the food loses its nutritional value and its taste, but if we buy Kentucky products the food doesn’t have to travel, which means its fresher, and we’re supporting our local farmers and keeping the money here in our state.”

“I wish we could eat Kentucky Proud products,” Chloe said, “but we don’t have any pigs or chickens or cows!”

“You can still eat Kentucky Proud,” Granny told us. “When your mom is at the grocery store, have her look for the Kentucky Proud symbol on the food. That will let her know it was made or grown right here in Kentucky. And if you ever go out for dinner or supper, make sure you go to a Kentucky Proud restaurant. You can find a list on their website, Kyproud.com.”

I couldn’t wait to give Mom that information. She was a terrific cook, but using Kentucky products would make her vittles even yummier.

After we finished lunch – or dinner as Granny called it – we ate fresh peach pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. No doubt about it, I loved life as a farmer.

“You doggies take a few minutes to enjoy yourselves while I check the weather forecast to see what tomorrow will bring. Then we will get back to work,” Pa said.

Chloe and I helped Granny with the dishes and then took a walk outside. We smelled a very interesting smell that we couldn’t quite identify. All of a sudden, we saw smoke coming from a barn. We ran back in the house as fast as we could and called the fire department. We hoped we weren’t too late!

Chapter 8 Activities

1. Pa told the pups that snakes are good for farms. What benefits do snakes provide on the earth?

2. What is the difference between venomous and non-venomous snakes? Name 3 venomous snakes found in Kentucky. Name 3 non-venomous snakes found in Kentucky. Do any of you have a snake for a pet? If so, email Woody at woody@thewoodybooks.com and tell him all about your pet snake. Remember, your responses will be posted on Woody’s website under the diary section.

3. Granny explained that farmers need a large noon-day meal to give them energy for the rest of the long work day. Imagine you are in charge of planning a large noon-day meal for the farmers in your area. The meal needs to include meat, grains, vegetables, fruit, and diary. Write down would you serve. Make a grocery list. Woody would love to know your answer so feel free to email him!

4. Preparing a meal can be expensive, especially if you don’t have a garden or a farm. Open your local newspaper and find the grocery store advertisement. Can you estimate how much you will spend on the noon-day meal you are planning?

5. Imagine the pups have just gathered a total of 48 eggs for Mrs. Parker and are taking them to the local store for her. The local store pays Mrs. Parker 6 cents per egg. On the way to the store, Woody dropped 2 of the eggs. How much money will they receive for the eggs? Mrs. Parker said the pups could keep 1% of the money. Woody and Chloe decide to split their 1%. How much money will each pup receive? How much money will that leave Mrs. Parker?

6. Pa checked the weather forecast for the following day. Why was it important for Pa to know the upcoming weather? Check your local newspaper to see the weather forecast. Watch the local news this evening and pay close attention to the meteorologist. Do the reports match?

7. The pups were excited to learn all the food on Granny and Pa’s table was from Kentucky – even the milk and butter! Purchase a pint of heavy whipping cream, put it in a jar and shake vigorously for a long time! After a while the cream will separate into curds and whey (remember Little Miss Muffet?) Gather the curds, press them in a mold and put them in the fridge. After a while, you will have butter!

8. At the end of chapter 8 the pups saw smoke coming from a barn. Email Woody and give him your predictions on what could be happening.

9. Read, listen and cut. Hopefully you are keeping up with the podcasts and cutting out weekly chapters. Visit Woody’s online doghouse at www.thewoodybooks.com or www.kypress.com to listen.

10. Click here to learn more about Kentucky Proud: http://kyproud.com/

RIDDLE: Why did the kid throw the butter out the window?

To see the butter fly!

WORK AND DREAM LIKE A BIG DOG!

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