Making a Garden (Creative Writing - Highland Hall 1974)

In order to make a garden you will need a pick-ax, shovel, rake, hoe and fertilizer. First, you must choose where the garden will be located. If you live in a hilly area, the base of the hill is the most desirable place because the water erodes the top soil on the hill down to the bottom, making it very fertile. If the area is flat, anyplace is good if it's not too "clayish" and fairly close to water.

The next step is to clear away any weeds. The hoe is well suited for this task. If the weeds are stubborn in coming out, soak the soil overnight. This will soften the earth and the weeds will come out easily. After this, the soil must be tilled. Chop the dirt up with the pick-ax and turn it over with the flat edge of the shovel and re-till the soil once again. If there are no more dirt clods, add the fertilizer. It is best to mix one part fertilizer with three parts dirt. Smooth the soil out with the rake. Dig out trenches around the garden plot, parallel to each other. Make them approximately two feet apart and throw the dirt onto the garden, raising the elevation to create beds. The beds should be about eight inches above the trenches. Smooth the beds out with the rake.

Now you are all set to plant! If you are planting seeds, make two rows in each bed. Plant the seeds anywhere from ten to eighteen inches apart, depending on the type of seeds. Dig the holes 1/4 of an inch deep and 1/2 inches wide. Gently cover it up with the rake. Do not pack the soil down. Water everyday lightly. If it is desired, you can cover the bed with burlap to retain moisture but it should be removed as soon as the sprouts appear. If you are planting already sprouted plants, it saves all the hassle of waiting for the seeds to sprout.

The Rushing River (Creative Writing - Highland Hall 1974)

I was standing on the west bank looking for a place to cross. The river was very deep in the middle which meant that I would be forced to swim. The water rushed angrily over the half-sunken rocks which were scattered in different places making the whole scene very treacherous. The water stunned me for a split second as I placed my feet in what seemed to be below freezing water. I started towards the other side, stumbling over the slippery rocks below. Thigh deep, the turbulence began to throw me off balance. I climbed up on one of the outcroppings. From where I was standing, it seemed like there was about fifteen feet of river ahead of me before I would be able to stand up without being dragged away.

I curled my feet over the rocks as best I could, crouched over and sprang off. Straightening myself in mid-air, I was able to plunge through the icy water with a minimum of friction. I came up to the surface screaming in agony as the cold literally penetrated my flesh all the way to the bone. I used every stroke I knew but to no avail. I became a victim of the mighty force of the current. I managed to keep my feet in front of me and my head above the water as I floated down the river, narrowly preventing a fatal collision with a large rock!

Frantically, I looked around for anything to grab onto. One hundred yards ahead of me, an enormous log floated by very slowly. "This is my only chance", I said to myself. The log turned out to be bigger than I thought. Exhausted, I managed to crawl up on it. My only wish was to somehow make it to shore. After what seemed like hours, my spirits lifted as the river wound its way around a bend and terminated into a large, expansive lake. I jumped off of the log and swam joyously to shore. I got off and lay down on the warm, sandy beach, breathing a thankful sigh of relief that I had made it out alive.