74   Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten!  74

Beginning 55 sec., 110k There were some kids in Brooklyn. They said "Mister Dave, we like to read your poetry about how to behave." "Saying all the words is fun! Will you please write some more? Some things that we have to do are B-O-R-E BORES!" In Maine, New Jersey and N.C., Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts and Ohio, Florida, Rhode Island, New Zealand and in England, in the cities and the towns the children said "We like the sounds!" So, okay, here we go again! Get ready tongue and eyes! It's time to read and think and get a vocal exercise! Copyright ©2000 David Austin Hush Up, SILLY BILLY! 93 sec., 186k Hush up, silly Billy! (Billy is my dog.) He's BARK, BARK, BARK, BARK, BARKING at a rabbit or a frog. SSSHHHHH!   Hush up, silly Billy. You'll wake the neighbors up. You make ten times more noise than when you were a pup. Back then, when he was little, he got hit by a bus. We nursed him and took care of him. Now, he takes care of us. He was lucky!   We were, too! We think it every day. Our great big Collie-Shepherd who likes to run and play. He's the best of two breeds, but, some people say "He's just a mutt." Some ways his Shepherd traits you see, but mostly he's Collie, to me. The neighbors like him.   So would you. (He watches for the neighbors, too.) They know that he would let them know and bark and put on quite a show if there was something they should know happening outside, you know. (I say "You know" too much.   You know?) But, mostly, he is quiet and we know all is well Our silly Billy, Billy!   OH! There's one more thing to tell! He LOVES to climb up in the car and take a long, long ride. He looks through all the windows. Front and back and side! Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Walk & Talk! 32 sec., 65k Walk and talk and sit and stand, answer questions, raise your hand, then listen to the teachers talk and read the words they write with chalk. Then stand in line and stand in line and stand in line some more. We have to behave ourselves. Sometimes it is a chore! But I see things are better when we all are good. Everyone seems happy when we act as we should. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Pretty Soon! 10 sec., 20k People on the playground! People on the slide! Pretty soon the time will come for US to go outside. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Sports! 21 sec., 24k Cohorts, shorts and courts are words that rhyme with sports. Sports mean a lot to many. Some people don't like any. And, even more importantly, they're physical activity. And the benefits are double because they keep me out of trouble. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Inside Exercise! 39 sec., 78k When it rains or snows outside, we like to exercise inside. We push our hands up toward the sky. One time and two times, and three, four, and five. We hold our hands out very wide then twist our bodies from side to side, and we keep on for 3 more times. Then we pretend we're making climbs. Sometimes we do it when we're tired but have to work some more. We're careful not to get too loud so they don't hear next door. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Hug a Bug? 15 sec., 30k Would you give a bug a hug? Would you give some ants your pants? Could you teach a clock to walk? Could you teach a bell to spell? Do you know the word "absurd?" Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Big little Princess 11 sec., 22k The neighbor's dog is Princess. She is very small. But she can make big dogs behave. She's tougher than them all! Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Add and Subtract! 15 sec., 30k We add and subtract and carry the two and add some more numbers and think we are through... But then we must go back through them again, backwards this time, not beginning to end. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  I'd Like To See... 11 sec., 22k I'd like to see a giant frog riding on a giant dog come in and ask us out to play. Something fun to do today. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Mirror Mirror 39 sec., 78k When I look in the mirror myself is who I see. Looking left and looking right and looking straight at me. I think about the way I look — about that person there. It's what everybody sees. Does it show that I care? Am I as neat as I could be? Do I show some pride? Does the outside picture show that I am good inside? We don't have much money, but we have a plan. I know we can succeed if we do the best we can. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Something New! 35 sec., 70k One day I was in my class room, expecting really nothing soon. Our teacher set a package down and said "Let's see what we have found." Inside was something really new. It helped us learn and have fun, too. It helped me read.   It helped me speak. It helped me learn days of the week. I like to be here every day. If you ask me, I will say that here in school it's not all play but lots of good things come our way. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Recess Time! 39 sec., 78k "Class, line up for recess time." We say "Yay!" "Yay!" "Yay!" "Please don't get dirty while you play." We say "Okay." "Okay." "What would you like to play today?" I asked my special friend LaRay. We decided on the slide LaRay climbed and I stood beside. LaRay said "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" and then slid down the slide, right to the end. Soon I was starting up at the top and down I went!   Fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, STOP! Copyright ©2000 David Austin  The Pencil Sharpener 29 sec., 58k We have a pencil sharpener that isn't very nice. I should say it is hard to use. I broke my pencil, twice. You've got to push it not too hard, but hard enough to go. And turn the handle pretty fast. Sometimes it's hard to know. I like to smell the pencil wood when I get a point that's good. A point helps make my numbers neat (and lets me get out of my seat). Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Spelling Bee! 36 sec., 72k The time in school that's best for me is when we have a spelling bee. (I practice spelling late at night. It really helps me when I write.) So, we line up from left to right and we spell everything in sight. We spell chalkboard, and desk and light and pencils, crayons, clock and kite. I haven't won the contest yet but I will try again. And next time I'll be better still. Some day I will win! Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Assembly! 39 sec., 78k A high school band came here to play. We had as-sem-b-ly. The players were a little scared. Their hands were trem-b-ly. The principal said "Quiet, please." "We have some guests today." "Let's welcome them here to our school." "Remember what we say?" "WELCOME" we all said at once. (We'd been practicing.) The players all got great big smiles from our welcoming. They played for twenty minutes. Most songs I had not heard. One that I remember had a flute sound like a bird! Copyright ©2000 David Austin  "Say 'Thanks!'" 33 sec., 65k "Say 'Thanks for teaching me!' That, of course, you know... ...tomorrow when you go. They're there to help you grow. "But Grampa, they're not always nice, and sometimes they get mad." "You watch and see how nice they'll be when no one's acting bad." "So, you go find out all they know, then add some more to it." "You know they have a tough job all for your benefit." "You know it so you should show it" Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Waiting! 42 sec., 84k Palm tree in a pot. Rubber trees, a lot. Pictures in the halls. Diplomas on the walls. Cubicles and chairs. And some one who stares. (A little lady, who has nothing else to do.) This waiting room's no fun, I want to go and run!   The End! Oh, over there's a magazine, one that I still haven't seen. Now I can stay occupied until it's time to go outside. Here's a picture of a pup, but I wish they would hurry up. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Jingle? 16 sec., 32k Is it tingle?   Is it jingle? Is it triple?   Double?   Single? What is the word I'm looking for? I guess I'll have to think some more. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Hello 14 sec., 28k Hello, hello, hello. I'm going to the show! Neat, neat, neat. I'll sit in the seat. Look, look, look. The bad guy is a crook. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Exercise 32 sec., 64k We exercise to give us strength and help our bodies grow. We eat fruits and vegetables for vitamins, you know. We wash our clothes so they'll be clean. We wash our bodies, too. We take care of the things we have. We have so much to do. And it goes on and on, you know, every single day. A little here, a little there. That's how we grow.   That way. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Just Rhymes 22 sec., 44k hall ball call mall wait rate mate fate oooh do you moo try it quiet Copyright ©2000 David Austin  I Make Rhymes 43 sec., 86k Since I've been reading poetry I make up my own rhymes and put the words together to tell about the times. A friend is sad 'cause things are bad. Some folks at home are sick. And so he's doing all he can to get them better, quick. First, he does his homework, then he helps with the meal, and then he helps with cleaning up. He says "It's no big deal." He wants to help, and be someone who does good things for others. He says we should help everyone, even pesky brothers! Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Music Day! 33 sec., 66k Music Day, Music Day! Piano Lady Comes to play! Simple songs and silly songs and songs we've heard before. She comes pretty often. I like it when she's here. Some times she gets frustrated and says "Oh dear, Oh Dear." I found out I like to sing. (And, it's not just noise.) Really, we sound pretty good, all the girls and boys. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Cat Nap 16 sec., 32k Cat nap tail flick nose wiggles real quick. Roll over look, yawn. Back to sleep... ...going ......gone. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Mean Old Lady? 59 sec., 120k There was a mean old lady. I thought she was, because she yelled at all the children and said "Cut out that noise!" And we would always run away and say "You mean old thing." But when I told my mom, she said, "That's poor old Mrs. King." "She's sad because her husband died. Then her two children, too. And she has lots of aches and pains like many old folks do." The next day, I said "Mrs. King, my mom says she knows you." And when I told her who I was. She said "How do you do?" Her face lit up like sunshine. It was a sight to see. 'Cause she was only lonely, and now she's friends with me. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  How Many Words? 47 sec., 94k How many words do I know now that I did not, before? Or since I was a baby? Is it 2,000 more? I really cannot list them, but they're ready when I talk. They help me say just what I mean. Words don't have to shock. Some people curse and yell, 'cause they don't know polite words they could say. I like words that make us friends and lead us all to better ends. Some words we do not use a lot, like presti-digi-tation. It means "magic." It's fun to say. A genuine sensation! Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Wake Up! 31 sec., 62k "Wake up, wake up," I tell myself, and look up at the clock. Just an hour more to go. Come on!  Tick Tock.   Tick Tock. I'm planning on some play today after school is through. I'm meeting with three other friends. We'll find some things to do. We'll find a place to run and yell, and laugh and joke a lot. We'll talk about our teachers and homework that we got. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Newspapers! 30 sec., 60k I like to read newspapers. (A lot of people don't.) Some stories I will want to read some of them, I won't. I start with the comics because I like to laugh. My brother reads the sports page every paragraph. I read about wars going on and people making peace. And who wants to be president or chief of our police. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Being Truthful 34 sec., 68k "What a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive." Someone said that long ago. I'll tell you, right now, what I know. It means that when you tell a lie soon you'll tell many more. You'll have to, just to cover up the lie you told before. I make myself stay busy getting good things done that I don't have to lie about, not a single one. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Just Fun 11 sec., 22k Stink, stank, stunk. Is this a lot of junk? Think, thank, thunk, and ibbidy, bibbidy bunk. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Like Your Book? 19 sec., 38k A friend came over here and whispered in my ear, "Hey.... is this book okay? You read it every day." "Yes," I whispered back, "I've picked up the knack. Reading, rhyming, rhythms and all the silly-isms." Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Reading! 31 sec., 62k You know, it seems to me that every time I read it gets a little easier. I'm picking up my speed! When I see a new word I remember it, and add it to the words I know. I have quite a list. Yes, I know some bad words but they don't come out of me. 'Cause I know better words to pick. I'm reading to succeed! Copyright ©2000 David Austin  We Speak Differently 40 sec., 80k Have you ever noticed how different people talk? I mean, how we speak differently, even on my block. Even if it's English we all have different ways depending on our families and where we are raised. Mr. Dave is from the south, a place called Tennessee. There, they drawl and stretch the words and he says "Yessiree!" All the different countries! And all the different states! All the different sounds we make as we communicate! Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Dave's Wife Says 51 sec., 102k (some wording is different) I am the wife of Mister Dave. My name is Sherry Anne. Dave says that I should tell you everything I can. First thing, he is messy. And, I will tell you that, second, he is messy. Oh yes, he's messy, too! Do you think he will get the hint and maybe straighten up a bit? So many papers piled around, I just might have a fit! He has lots of qualities that are very good. But, I have to fuss at him to clean up like he should. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Put-Downs 43 sec., 86k Has anybody put you down because you like to learn? Because you let your school work be a big concern? It's easy to put people down but I don't fall for that. They should all encourage me as I encourage them. Sometimes every one of us says "I just cannot do this!" But try, try, try, try, try again don't find what your excuse is. We have something special called opportunity. So I say "Let's ALL use it and be all we can be." Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Serious/Fun 33 sec., 66k Sometimes things are serious. Sometimes things are fun. I try to know the difference and get my work all done. I know that it's all up to me. I've got to organize! Then on my report card I'll get a GOOD surprise. I'll have grades I'm proud to show and still have time to play. Yes, I see things getting better every single day. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  I Thought I Was Stupid 153 sec., 310k I thought I was stupid. Really, really dumb. Dumbest in the whole school. Worse than ANYONE. I COULDN'T pay attention. I had to look around. I had to examine EVERYTHING I found. What happened when that happened? I'd get so behind! Starting from the second day! It didn't help my mind. That's because tomorrow adds what we did today. When test time came, I couldn't think of what to say. The moral of this story is make a strategy so you never make an F and you will pass.   You'll see! It was much much later before I found a plan. But, the way I finished school was not how I began. I found out that the key was to start the next year better. And make sure from the first day to get every single letter. Since I could not remember I started making notes. I wrote down things the teacher said. You might call them quotes. Then, before I'd take a test, I'd read what I wrote. And there were all the answers, like "A parka is a coat." And, homework is important. Sorry, but it's true. You find out there is something you need to go back through. Then the pressure went away. I kept up with the rest! And, can you believe it? I passed every test! Because I wasn't stupid. Not a little bit. For me, I had to make a plan then try to stick to it. (Um, I said I passed the tests. I didn't make all A's. But I did much better than in my early days.) I had to be the boss of me and not get in a jam. Start next year right and you will be as different as I am. I was miserable, you see, and I was not proud of me. But, when I did the best I could things got changed from bad to good. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Good Grief! 6 sec., 12k Good grief! Relief! Beyond Belief! Copyright ©2000 David Austin  I Will Draw..... 11 sec., 22k I will draw some circles. I will draw some squares. I will draw some rectangles and draw a star right there. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  I Think I'll Think 7 sec., 14k I think I'll think about a drink. The faucet is above the sink. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Cn U Rd Ths? 22 sec., 44k Cn u rd ths wrtg? I bt tht u cn! It s clld spdwrtg. U wrt fst wth yr hnd. It s gd 4 tkg nts. U jst wrt wht u nd. Tht way u wrt dn evthg & gt a lt f spd! Copyright ©2000 David Austin  My Gang 44 sec., 88k Come join me in a gang that is known for doing good, and working every day for a better neighborhood. We'll look for helpful things to do, even one per day. It takes so very little to help someone some way. And we will help each other to learn to read and spell, to do arithmetic and speak, and really do it well. We will help someone who's sick, run errands, read or clean. Just little bitty simple things.... Can you think what I mean? Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Respect 28 sec., 56k You know a truth that I can see? Respect I show comes back to me. If, you know, I send out frowns, frowns are what I'll get. Which ones do we need more of? Smiles, you'll say, I'll bet. If you had trouble reading I would not laugh at you. I hope you would not laugh at me if I had trouble, too. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Body Language! 45 sec., 90k We talk in many different ways. I don't mean just with words. It is called demeanor It's talking without words. You can tell if I am mad, or you can tell if I am sad, or you can tell if I am glad, or if I might be feeling bad. And look at how we hold ourselves. Do I want to fight? Do I want to be your friend? It shines out like a light! We talk with body language. So, I stand up straight. It's the picture that I want to communicate. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Mister Mouse 26 sec., 52k Mister mouse. Mouster miss. This I think. Think I this? Master blaster! Blaster master? Eager beaver! Beaver eager? A dumb that's thing or a thing that's dumb? Glad I am now, the ending's come. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Sherry Anne's Farm 114 sec., 228k Sherry Anne lived on a farm. They grew sweet strawberries, and beans and other vegetables. They had big cherry trees. After school she'd play and then get a hoe and go and chop the dirt and kill the weeds to help the garden grow. On Saturdays they would get up EARLY to go down to the farmer's market far in another town. Their truck would be filled up 'til it would almost bust. The fruits of all their labor grown out of the dust! Corn, tomatoes, squash and peas, raspberries and turnip greens, (They could not grow tangerines.) And fifteen different kinds of beans! People came from miles around to buy the things she brought. They'd say "These lovely carrots are exactly what we want. "The corn and the tomatoes sure look good today." And Sherry Anne would add up the total price to pay. And they, every one, would work. Father, mother, sisters, brothers. All up to them, no work from others. The hard work made them grow up strong and, even now, they get along. And all their work and tribulations paid for college educations. Today she says "There're things to do to reach the goals you've set for you. Make a plan, and think it through and work to make your dream come true." Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Things To Do Today! 114 sec., 228k I've made a list of things I need to do today. I need to fold my underwear and put it all away. I'm going to clean my desk at school. I'm tired of all the mess. Today I'll be a brand new me. I'm tired of doing less! But if I still have problems I'll try the next day, too. And slowly work through every one. Soon schools days will be through. The main thing is I WON'T GIVE UP! I won't let school beat ME! I will beat IT, just you watch! You just watch and see! Copyright ©2000 David Austin  The Principal 57 sec., 114k The principal's the boss at school. Can you imagine that? In charge of all the girls and boys. (Today I caused a spat.) (I have to talk real soft because Can you guess where I am? I have to tell the principal why I pushed a friend.) I really do not know why. And that is what I'll say. And I will say "I'm Sorry." And it will end that way. I won't try to spread the blame, or lie, or yell abuse, or say "You just don't like me." 'Cause I have no excuse. And that is just what happened. The principal said "You impressed me with your honesty, and your courage, too." Copyright ©2000 David Austin  My Diary 47 sec., 54k Do you know what a diary is? It is a book you write. You write things about your day. I wrote in mine last night. I wrote "Today was pretty good though it started bad. I worked hard and pretty soon I was glad I had." "Things really did get better. And, I ACED a test!" I wrote "This afternoon I watched red-birds build their nest." The best thing is I can look back and see how far I've come. And good ideas that I have had. Yes, we ALL have some! Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Grades, Grades, Grades 26 sec., 52k Kindergarten, and First Grade and Second, Third and then Fourth-and-Fifth, Sixth-Seventh, then Eighth and Ninth and Ten(th). Then will come Eleventh Grade and I can hardly wait. Some day I'll finish TWELFTH Grade and get to graduate. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Cares 49 sec., 100k I brought some cares with me today. I try, but they won't go away. I cannot think just what to say. It is about my friend, LaRay. We started out just playing, but then we started getting rough, and then we started talking tough. We didn't stop it soon enough. I was so very mad, you see. LaRay was very mad at me. I want things like they used to be. So, I owe an apology. "LaRay, will you forgive me?" "I forgive you, too!" It has had me feeling blue. But now I know what I should do. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Let Me Help! 43 sec., 86k "I want to help you, if I may," will be the first words I will say when I get out of bed today. It will not be a day for play. I have good deeds to do! It certainly is better than sitting, feeling blue. I'll run the vacuum cleaner (I think it's sort of fun). I know I can do it well. As well as any one! Then I'll clean up the bathroom with a great big sponge dipped in soapy water and it is "Bye, bye grunge!" Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Doctor Me 47 sec., 94k The person who I go to see ...the one I talk to quietly ...and talk about how things should be is someone I call Dr. Me. Though I cannot control the rest I can make ME be the best, and figure out what's right and wrong no matter what is going on. Dr. Me can make things be a little little better, a teeny weeny weeny bit like climbing up a ladder . . . The decisions that I make affect how many steps I take. Dr. Me shows me the way to make some progress every day. Copyright ©2000 David Austin I WON'T! 38 sec., 76k I won't, I won't, I won't, I won't. I won't and you can't make me. Nope.   I am not interested. I'm thinking critically. I'm staying out of trouble. My "No Way!" light is flashing. I'm doing things to build me up. Building up, not smashing. So, if you want to be my friend you won't be asking me again. What can we find to do instead that will help us get ahead? Copyright ©2000 David Austin  No Way! 50 sec., 100k I COULD have been in trouble twenty times today! But I used my intellect and told myself "No Way!" "Will it make things better? Or will it make things worse?" "Will I be glad I did it? Or will it be a curse?" "Please, please, please, oh please, please, please! Make me pick what's right for me." It is what my thinker's for. I use it more and more and more. And bingo, bango, bongo, bop, I'm working my way to the top. I told myself "No, don't do it." You see, I'm wising up a bit. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  What Word? 23 sec., 46k Please, please, please! What word rhymes with trees? What?   What?   What? I've thought and thought and thought. Trees, trees, trees! What words rhyme with these? Oh me, oh me, oh me. It gives me mis-er-ies. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Pigeons 11 sec., 22k Perching pigeons pecking pavement, peeping, peeking, posing, passing pretty pink petunias. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Will You Write? 40 sec., 81k Will you write to me tonight? I will write to you. When I read your letter I know I will feel better. Because I really care for you. And you do care for me, too. Letters give us time to say everything about the day. There is time to say it all, not like a two-minute call. Write me early.   Write me late. I'll write and we'll communicate, and know we're in each other's heart though we're miles and miles apart. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Religions 41 sec., 82k (does not match print version) People have religions. Many, maybe most. They tell us right and tell us wrong. They all say we must get along. There are many, many. I always show respect. If you told me you don't eat pork I would not offer you a fork. I take off my shoes when I go into your church. We both try for all we're worth to be good people on this earth. Today we nodded at a priest, an Imam, a man who wore a robe, some men with hats and curly hair. We showed respect for all they bear. We're all told the same things, build up, do not destroy, look to every grieving soul, and fill up every single hole. Copyright ©2003 David Austin click here for print version  The Big Bright Bug Light 49 sec., 100k Have you seen a bug light? We turn one on at night. And Zap, Zap, Zap, Zap, Zap, Zap! The bugs blast out of sight. Dead as door nails, every one. Now, what's done is done. The pretty light said "COME ON IN!" and "You'll have LOTS OF FUN!" Why do another thousand come? Why are they so very dumb? Why don't they see their friends' mistakes and save themselves, for pity sakes? "Why do you go?" "Why don't you know?" "Ignore that pretty, tempting light!" "Uh oh!  I told you so!" Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Boring, Boring Boring! 46 sec., 92k boring, Boring, BORING! Good thing that I'm not snoring! Arithmetic is dull today. I look at my best friend, LaRay. LaRay gives me a little grin. I smile but keep it pretty thin. Both of us, we understood, "Today our math is not so good." But, we didn't make a sound so no one was disturbed around. We didn't make the teacher mad. (That would have happened, if we had.) I know that if you get in trouble you will end up working DOUBLE. A quiet grin is just enough to help us get through all this stuff! Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Sounds at Night 35 sec., 70k What sounds do you hear late at night? Quiet peacefullness? Do you hear chirping crickets? Do you hear sirens pass? Do you hear freight trains going by? Do you hear airplanes in the sky? Do you hear a car horn blow? Do you hear buses driving slow? I listen and I think, when we turn off the light, identifying all the sounds before we say "Goodnight." Copyright ©2000 David Austin  I Knew Somebody 35 sec., 70k I knew somebody who got killed. Very tragically. And I think about it now effects it had on me. I know life can be over quick. It is much more clear. And NOW I must start over and take care of myself here. I can make you quite a list of all the things I learned from it. But, too, I want to shake my fist. I miss this person quite a bit. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  The Jig-Saw Puzzle! 100 sec., 200k I worked a jigsaw puzzle. It was good for me. Why?   Because at first it was one big mystery! I stared and stared and stared at it. I wondered how I'd ever make 500 pieces fit. I thought and I decided to start off with the border. Soon all the pieces with straight backs were in their proper order. Then I started filling in and making blocks I spotted. Some were sky, they all were blue. The dogs were polka-dotted. Sometimes I got frustrated. Sometimes things went well. Sometimes I was happy. Sometimes I would yell. But I kept on because my uncle made a bet. He said "You know the answer's there. You just haven't found it yet." He said "The plan you made was good, and very logical. You made the border and the sky. Just don't give up.   That's bull!" Then, when I would almost stop I remembered what he said. The answers lay before my eyes if I did not quit, instead. I GOT THAT PICTURE PUZZLE DONE! And many more since that first one. And I've solved many problems, too. Find out if it works for you! Copyright ©2000 David Austin  I Tell Myself! 47 sec., 94k I tell myself to go to bed. I tell myself to use my head. I tell myself to do what's right and not stay up too late at night. I have some friends who say that they make sure that they get smarter in some way every single day. I'll tell you this is so: Darn that TV show! It doesn't help me grow! The late-night stuff.   You know. That is just one thing I have found to share with everyone around: "Tomorrow I will not feel dead if I go to bed instead." Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Mister Storm and Miss Nasty 121 sec., 242k Mister Storm and Miss Nasty were kids here at my school. Everybody called them that 'cause they were so uncool. Neither one would ever smile or try to be polite. And if you asked one "How are you?" You would risk a fight. Storm, one day, was extra rough. Our teacher said, "We've had enough. "I want you to come here and say what is wrong with you today." When he told us we said "wow!" (I will not repeat it now, but it was bad enough that we all gave him our sympathy.) Our teacher asked if anybody else would like to share. We raised our hands but then Miss Nasty waved her's in the air. The things she said were really shocking. We were glad we'd started talking. Some others talked and I did, too, about what I was going through. Some were better, some were worse. It was good to know where we all were coming from, how far we had to go. We joined together as a group to help out one another so we can grow up to be a good father or good mother. Our teachers say we can escape into our studies here, and let them take our minds off things and bring us hope and cheer. Mister Storm and Miss Nasty? Well, we all changed that day. We're working hard to make tomorrow better than today. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  One Plus Two 19 sec., 38k One plus two plus three plus four makes ten, but then we add some more: a five, a six, a seven, too. Get 28 and you'll be through. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  In My Desk 27 sec., 54k These are things here in my desk and a word that rhymes. Paper clips   . . .   Potato chips. Tissues   . . .   maybe Issues? Pencils   . . .   Stencils. Paper   . . .   Taper. Books   . . .   Looks. Ruler   . . .   Cooler. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Red-Birds Hopping 14 sec., 28k Red-birds hopping in the trees... squirrels are doing what they please... but I have lots of pages yet and goals that I still haven't met. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Brain Lock 8 sec., 16k Brain lock mind block tick tock two o'clock. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  Can't Waste! 42 sec., 84k (some wording is different) I'm tired 'cause it's not funny to go wasting all my money! It is so very hard to get then I get talked out of it. I can't buy things that I don't need. It is good sense.   It isn't greed. I can't give in to salesmen's ravings, our money needs to go in savings. Commercials run around the clock. "Buy Me!" "Buy Me!" Talk-Talk-Talk! They say "We'll give you months to pay!" I say "No thank you, anyway." Copyright ©2000 David Austin  More Many? 63 sec., 126k many very Are there MORE? The words are rearranged What for? confuse to trying us Is he? Well, he is sure confusing me! Oh, I see the FIRST says "Are there very many more?" Then "Is he trying to confuse us?" Yes!   I'm right!   I score! Are you keeping up with me? As you are reading rapidly? I know that you are reading better since the first word and first letter. I've practiced every single sound. My speech is much more clear. Just like our plan when we began to read and speak and hear. Copyright ©2000 David Austin  The Notebook 35 sec., 70k (wording slightly different) Once there was a notebook. It only had blank pages. I started writing down my thoughts and learn from all the stages. Rage is not the right word. but I was often mad. So many things were going wrong! Some were pretty bad. It's better since I have calmed down. There is much less strife. The pages of my notebook help the pages of my life. Copyright ©2000 David Austin

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