P. 59
Galway Kinnell’s “Blackberry Eating”
P. 74
Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
AUNT JESS’S PHO-DOH GAME DIRECTIONS
Supplies:
Play-Doh (homemade is fine)
photos
timer (phone or hourglass)
sense of humor
1. Divide players into teams of two, three, or four.
2. Lay out (or display on-screen) a grid of photos that feature the players. Use an odd number of photos for an even number of teams, and an even number of photos for an odd number of teams. Use more photos for a longer game. Nine or ten makes a good starting number.
3. Decide who goes first through a coin toss.
4. On their turn, a team designates the sculptor for the round. The sculptor chooses a photo to recreate, without revealing their choice, then turns their back to the photos. The sculptor has three minutes to make forms, figures, or shapes that prompt guesses from the team. No number or letter formation is allowed. A point is awarded if the team guesses correctly before the time is up.
5. Play moves to the next team.
6. The job of the sculptor should rotate between team members.
Tip: Make your own house rules!
FROM GRANDMA MILLER’S SCIENCE NOTEBOOK
Bald eagles: Our national bird, many bald eagles really do live in Florida and start nesting in September, always near water. They usually choose a high pine tree and sometimes make a second nest in their territory just for variety, like a vacation home. Quijana noticed the bald eagle on her passport, but she likes watching real ones through binoculars from the car—a great place to observe from, since you don’t disturb the nest. She can also watch the webcam footage of one pair named Romeo and Juliet at: https://www.nefleaglecam.org.
Bioluminescent algae: This magic is real. I took a kayak tour of Merritt Island to see these dinoflagellates—single-celled organisms that flash every time the paddle moves the water. I’ve also walked along the Mosquito Lagoon shore in summer with Quijana and watched the glowing tide sweep in and out. Her eyes sparkled as much as the water!
Crocodile: These shy reptiles only splash around if frightened, and they sit with their mouths open to regulate their body temperature, not to scare people. Their message to humans: “Please leave us alone.” Since crocodiles gulp their food, they can’t eat manatees. Quijana is happy about this, and she finds it funny that a manatee can just nudge a croc out of its way if they meet in a swamp.
Gopher tortoise: These large land tortoises share their burrows, which are big and comfy enough to attract other species. So many animals live with them that they are called a keystone species. Like Quijana, they attract friends by doing their own thing. They actually need occasional brush fires to clear out high vegetation around their homes. Then they can eat the low plants and not have to steer around trees. Folks who live in Florida can report any injured gopher tortoises they see to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at: http://myfwc.com.
Manatee: These gentle, vegetarian “sea cows” usually weigh more than one thousand pounds. They sometimes play in the water, doing barrel rolls and swimming upside-down, but spend most of their time resting and eating. The manatee is Quijana’s favorite animal.
Sea turtle: Quijana’s bracelet shows a loggerhead sea turtle, but three types (leatherback, loggerhead, and green sea turtles) nest on Florida beaches. It’s important to keep lights off during hatching season so that baby turtles paddle to the sea instead of toward electric lights. Sea turtles can live up to eighty years, and they migrate hundreds, or even thousands, of miles to lay their eggs on the beach where they were born.
Spider orchid: These perennial, knee-high plants create a long bristle on the end, filled with little flowers. Each one has long, slender petals that extend from an oval with two dots. No wonder Quijana thinks they look like fairies wearing hoods!
Woodpecker: The United States hosts many varieties of woodpecker, and while they like insects and seeds, most of them love my suet feeders. I buy suet cakes (mainly animal fat) at the store, and Quijana puts them in the wire cage feeders. We hang them from a branch and watch the woodpeckers enjoy themselves!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
GUITAR STRUMS, UNENDING APPLAUSE, AND THANKS TO:
Agent Katie Grimm, for seeing a book that didn’t exist yet in the early manuscripts, for faith in Quijana’s voice, and for frankness at the right moments.
Editor extraordinaire Taylor Norman, whose first thirteen single-spaced pages of analysis made me see where else Quijana could go.
The whole Chronicle team, especially Ariela Rudy Zaltzman, Claire Fletcher, and Jamie Real, for fine-tuning that made all the difference. Nadia Hernández, whose artistry and attention turned this book into a beautiful reality.
Erin Watley, Ph.D., of McDaniel College, for her thoughtful, sensitive read of Quijana’s story.
The Roots Coffeehouse group, for reading, rereading, and critiquing with tough love. Algirdas, Lynette, Melanie, and Suzanne, I couldn’t have done it without you.
Urania Fung’s NE Arlington Writers’ Critique Group, whose comments and catches helped me fix the false notes and make the book sing.
Charlotte, whose encouragement helped me persevere and also fine-tune the sensitive moments Quijana faces.
Trich, who helped me break the guitar!
Sharon Morrow, best seventh-grade English teacher ever, who read an early version, showed twelve-year-old me how grammatical music is made, and inspired Port 3.
My sons, who ate cereal for supper when deadlines loomed, and who always remind me what really matters.
Mom and Dad, whose bicultural home let me live this story and whose love gave me the confidence to write it.
REBECCA BALCÁRCEL took her MFA in Creative Writing and Literature from Bennington College’s Writing Seminars and received their Jane Kenyon Poetry Prize. Her poems and essays have appeared in journals such as Third Coast and North American Review, and her book of poems is titled Palabras in Each Fist. She currently serves the students of Tarrant County College as Associate Professor of English. Find her on YouTube as the SixMinuteScholar.
The Other Half of Happy Page 23