Hello again! Hannah here! Today I am going to be telling you about my tree book project. A tree book is a book that has covers that look like tree trunks and there are two flaps on the inside so stick things to. They kind of look like pages.

Mine was blue. I am a fully remote student so in the beginning it was a bit difficult, but I was able to come on campus a few times, just to sort out the kinks and to do anything that I couldn’t do at home.

The first thing that we did was we had to fold the books into this right shape. Then we had to cut a hole in the seam. This would be used later to stick things to it, such as my wishes and my roots poem, which I will explain later. We glued down the ends of the tree book next. 

The next thing that we did required me to go into school. We did a bit of collaging. We took a bunch of scrap paper and then glued them to the inside of the paper. This part took a long time because every time I would stop and say I was done, somebody would find something and then I would have to keep on gluing.

While everything was drying, we wrote one of four things that will be put on our tree books. This one was called Salute to My Roots. I wrote this on my grandfather who passed away last april. I will include the poem at the end of the post. The next writing piece was my Life list. It is where you write down your goals in life, near or far in the future. I will also include this at the end of the post. Second to last is my When This is Over poem. It is a poem I wrote about when we are all allowed to get together in public without masks. It is also at the bottom of the post. And finally we have my wishes. Those are all the things I want to accomplish. It is also at the bottom of the post. 

Once we glued everything onto the tree book, we brought them all to the Frank Gallery in Chapel Hill, where they were put in an exhibit. My family (me, my parents, and my little sister) went to see it. Then we went to get chick-fil-a. We had a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed my experience.

 

Salute To My Roots

 

I never really heard my grandfather talk. Ever since I was little, I have never really heard him speak. He wasn’t always this way. My mom said that he used to talk more often. When I was about two months old, my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer. And so, like most cancer patients do, he went through chemotherapy. And for a while it seemed to work. But the cancer came back. So, back into chemotherapy. It worked, and for a while he was fine. During this time, I was about eight years old. I didn’t know he was sick. All I knew was that, he needed help walking sometimes, and that he would fall. 

 

But as time went on, I noticed that something changed. He started to engage with us more. When they visited, he helped me with my math homework. Then we went to the Greensboro Museum. It’s more of a park, but nonetheless we had fun. As we were waiting in line to get tickets so I could ride the zipline with my dad, my little sister, sitting in her red wagon, looked up at my grandfather and said, “Poppy, get in the wagon so I can push you,” and without even thinking, he hoisted himself of the bench he was sitting on and started to lift his leg to put in the wagon. My dad stopped him, of course. There were so many ways that this could have resulted in disaster. But it was just a truly sweet moment and what makes this extra special is that was the last time I saw my grandfather. Unfortunately, the cancer came back, and he went into a coma. On April 11th, 2021, Arthur Elman, Poppy, passed away in his sleep. So in conclusion, my grandfather was caring, smart, goofy, and most importantly, he loved us so much.

 

Life List

 

Things I want to do: go to Paris, visit my cousins by the end of the year, adopt a dog from a rescue shelter, meet Tye Friis in person.

 

Goals that I have:  get better at organizing myself, fully train Lily, Cooper, and Winnie

 

Things I want to accomplish:  own my own coffee shop/dog shelter, feed a refugee camp, climb Mount Everest, Live to see the turn of the century, have some sort of meaning, act in at least one movie.

 

Want I want my family to look like by the time I am 40: partner, 2 adopted children, 3 dogs, 6 chickens, and 10 fish

 

Where I want to live: on a farm in North Carolina

 

When this is Over 

 

When this is over 

I will never take for granted again

Saying hi to a stranger 

Gobbling down food at a restaurant

The rush of bubbles floating past my face in the neighborhood pool

The warm glow of a friend’s smile

The sun on my face

Waking up early on a Monday morning

The sweet breath of a puppy retrieving a ball 

Smelling the sweet nectar from a flower

Laughing at the family dinner table

Running with a friend

The feel of the wood in my hands as you ascend your favorite tree

Dancing at the end of the movie 

The sweet taste of ice cream from downtown 

Pointing out all the stars in the sky

Racing to the top of a hill

The first line of the play 

Soaring through the air on a trampoline 

A long lecture 

Tracing my hand in chalk

The smell of the Thanksgiving turkey 

Cheering on family at a race

 

When this is over 

May we flood the streets

In joyous celebration

That we are now free

May we never again

Take for granted

The lives that we live

Every single

Day

 

Wishes

 

I wish to be successful in life

I wish for my sister to be successful in life

I wish my mom didn’t have to work as hard as she does

I wish my dad would talk to his friends more

I wish that I will get to see my family soon

I sometimes wish that our leaders acted like adults instead of petty children 

I wish that people use common sense more often