Spring vs. Summer

 

           This essay will show a lot of the good and bad similarities and differences of spring and summer.  These two seasons actually have quite a bit of things different from each other.  There also are a good amount of similarities, too.

            Spring.  In Minnesota, you never know what the temperatures are going to be like.  Usually there is an average of about 65 degrees.  But there could always be a chance of snow.  Assuming there isn’t snow, there are a lot of things about a normal spring that are different from summer.  The grass has almost a camouflage look to it with the different browns and greens as it tries to come out of its hibernation.  The trees are just starting to bud, also coming out of their long winter.  The birds making themselves known after a very long winter away, chirping louder than ever.  The air is cool and crisp in the mornings and evenings.  And there is always the school baseball.  It can be either in 60-70 degree weather with the sun shining, or about 40 or less and windy or raining/snowing.

            Summer, it is the time of year when it’s hot and humid, but yet enjoyable more often than not.  Even though it can get to about 100 degrees and humid on some days, there are a lot of things that make it great.  The grass is a lush green and thick and soft.  The trees look better than in spring because they have all of their leaves on them.  Family and friends go with you on vacations to popular tourist places, or just to the lake.  The lake is a great place to relax and have fun, enjoy the peacefulness and quietness of the calm water, birds, and other things.  Sometimes you can even go for a swim in the nice, cool water.  Then there is the 4^th of July.  It is the holiday where you participate in town activities with your friends, and then go to the parade at night.  There is also the fireworks that explode and make awesome colors during the night.  Another difference is that in spring, you don’t think of grilling hamburgers, making corn on the cob, watermelon, or lemonade.  Then in the summer, there’s even more baseball.

            Spring and summer’s temperatures are both enjoyable for most people.  The birds, as well as in the spring, chirp 24/7.  There’s always constant playing or watching baseball all throughout the two seasons.  Also during spring and summer, the smell of rain and good fresh air fill your nose.  There are probably more, but I can’t think of much more in detail.

            Spring and summer are both good seasons and are alike and different in many ways.  Isn’t it great spring is finally here!?

Left Behind: The Vanashings Book Review

            The book that I decided to do was one of the Left Behind series books.  It was the first book of them.  I have read 25 out of about 50 books in the series.  I just chose this one because you have to read them in order for them to make sense.

            It’s called The Vanishings, two different authors who work together to write all the different books write it.  Their names are Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye.  They wrote it as a Christian book.  It’s based on the book of Revelations when Christ returns and takes all the Christians to heaven.  It could also be considered a fiction story because the characters and some of the setting is made up, except for when there is one of the judgments from God.

The main characters in the book are the four kids, Judd, Vicki, Lionel, and Ryan.  There is also a pastor who got left behind. His name is Bruce.  Judd is 16 years old who decides to take his dad’s credit card, since they had the same name, so he can run away from home.  Vicki is 14 at the time.  Her and her family live in an old, run down trailer park.  Her parents and little sister come to know Christ shortly before the disappearances, but she wants no part in it.  Lionel was 13.  His family is originally from the South but lives on the outside of Chicago.  He pretends that he knows and loves God, but he really doesn’t at all.  Ryan is only 12 years old.  Him and his best friend do everything together, except that his friend loves God and Ryan doesn’t.  The four kids get basically adopted by Bruce, who they met at a church service that was intended for him to explain to everyone what in the world was going on.

The book begins with the author introducing and describing the main characters.  Then it goes on to tell the stories of what the night was like for all the four kids when their families disappeared.  It says how all that was left of them were piles of their clothes and anything that was not flesh.  Judd was on an airplane running away when everyone disappeared.  Vicki wakes up and realizes that her whole family is gone and trailers are being burned down, smoke everywhere from people cooking and then disappearing. Lionel was sleeping in the basement along with his uncle who had been out late together the night before.  His uncle wasn’t a Christian either though, so when his parents didn’t wake him up, he didn’t start to wonder if anything was wrong.  But when the phone rang and no answered it, he went upstairs and realized that the cars were still there, but everyone was gone.  When Ryan wakes up, he gets ready to go to school and heads downstairs for breakfast.  There is a note on the table from his mom saying where she was, so he wasn’t nervous yet.  But when he turned on the TV and saw the news of the disappearances, his stomach turned upside down because his parents had told him about this.  The phone then rang and it was someone who explained everything to him.  Including that his mom had been killed in an oil tanker accident from the driver disappearing, and they had found her body.  The four kids had been left behind.

I thought that this was a good book to read because every chapter ends with and exciting part that leads to the next chapter.  The pace is good because it doesn’t go through the important parts too fast or slow, but it does spend a good amount of time on the important parts.  It had good development of characters by spreading around their starting point and where they realize that they had made the biggest mistake of their lives.  The setting of the book was good because it was very descriptive in when everyone disappeared and things were burning down, smoke was everywhere, and the craziness of it was everywhere.  I also liked it because it was based on the book of Revelations and it mentioned praying for help a lot.

Baseball: The Best Sport

            Baseball is the best sport that was ever created.  Right now, football is “America’s sport,” but baseball definitely should be.  There are so many things about the game of baseball that make it the best.

            To start out with, baseball is one of the best sports to watch on TV.  You get settled in on the couches with your friends and/or family. Or just by yourself.  As the game starts, you cheer for your team.  It’s more fun when there are other people there who aren’t cheering for the team you are, but their favorite team.  The announcers on TV do a good job of getting the watchers interested.  They also start kind of a conversation on the air that can be humorous to listen to sometimes.  The two Twins commentators, I think, are the best around.  The two of them are good friends and joke around a lot.  They’re both very good at getting excited and getting you into the game as well as them.  Watching on TV also gives you the best view of the game: straight behind the center field wall.  You also get the advantage of instant replays on the insane or questionable plays.

            However, it’s even better to be at the game.  When you walk through the gates, you immediately get the great sensation of the smell, sight, and feel of the field.  The smell of hot dogs, other meat, and burning grills.  You can see out onto the nice green grass when you walk through the gates of the field.  The fans cheering and roaring every time the home team gets a hit or scores a run, but most of all, a home run.  Rain or shine, going to a baseball game is a fun and great experience to bring rain jackets and umbrellas along.  In the sun, it’s the great things I mentioned before.  Also at night games, the cool, brisk air, the bright green grass that reflects the stadium lights from above.  These lights see m to illuminate the players on the field.

            Baseball also is the best sport to play.  You get to go outside and play in the sunshine. Rain is fun, too.  It’s fun to play with your friends and teammates.  It can also be a satisfying feeling after you beat a team, knowing that that’s one team you’re better than.  Chewing sunflower seeds on the bench, and cheering your team on is a great part about baseball. 

            So as you can see, baseball is definitely the best sport ever created.  A special thanks to a guy named Abner Dubbleday, the creator of the best sport in the world.