Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Stately Verse

This puzzle has been a long project. I groaned when I saw the box make an appearance in the living room during school. Anna can't stand to just sit and listen to books, she has to be busy - coloring, drawing, or making a puzzle. But did it have to be so big? And 1,000 pieces?

Yes, it did. And for the past four or five days of school, maybe longer, she has been working on this 3D puzzle of our nation's capitol building. At first, Isaac helped quite a bit, but as the side walls began to take shape, Nathaniel started feeling quite protective of this project, and requested that Isaac keep his distance.

"You're making me nervous, Isaac, being so close."

You can imagine their excitement as they put the roof and dome on this morning - we had to take a break from school to watch the finishing touches. And take pictures, of course.

Then Anna said, "Let's take it all apart and do it all over again!"

To which Nathaniel said, "Let's call Papa and show him first!" (They did inherit the puzzle from Papa's middle-school classroom when he retired.)

In honor of their accomplishment, and in honor of the very rainy day we're experiencing here, I give you this delightful little verse - which has no attribution.

STATELY VERSE

If Mary goes far out to sea,
By wayward breezes fanned,
I'd like to know - can you tell me? -
Just where would Maryland?

If Tenny went high up in air
And looked o'er land and lea,
Looked here and there and everywhere,
Pray what would Tennessee?

I looked out of the window and
Saw Orry on the lawn;
He's not there now, and who can tell
Just where has Oregon?

Two girls were quarrelling one day
With garden tools, and so
I said, "My dears, let Mary rake
And just let Idaho."

An English lady had a steed.
She called him 'Ighland Bay.
She rode for exercise, and thus
Rhode Island every day.

5 comments:

Beth said...

What a fun poem! I love your puzzle! I did one once of a castle - it was terrible, but fun!

Beth said...

Oh my goodness. What an accomplishment. Truly. And don't let my children anywhere near it!

Love this poem. Your have a knack for finding poems that make me smile and my children giggle.

PS In honor of Papa (your dad), we have begun to use the word "mickey mouse" as a verb. As in, "Russell, stop your mickey mousing around!!!"

Carol said...

That's amazing! We did a 3D one once and it was so hard. I also liked your poem - reminded me of a camp song from way back. "What did Delaware? She wore her New Jersey. What did Iowa (pronounced I O Way)? She weighed her Washing-ton." etc. There were lots of verses. Funny memory.

Kris Livovich said...

Very cool puzzle! A puzzle the Mikey would destroy in two seconds flat!

That poem is so much fun. We just read one with names of cities in the U.S. The kids did a lot of giggling at the strange names.

DoRe' said...

This is awesome! We considered one a while back, but this mom was too faint of heart. ;-D Bring on the green fangs any day, but 1000 piece 3-D puzzle--now THAT'S brave.

Hugs!