If I drive around, I sometimes notice the houses and buildings all around.

There
are also pieces of farm land that are very large. Houses can be built from diff
erent kinds of materials. The most common types are brick, wood, and vinyl or sy
nthetic siding. Houses have lawns that need to be tended. Lawns need to be mowed
regularly. Most people use riding lawnmowers to do this. You can also use a pus
h mower. These come in two varieties: gas-powered and manual. You don t see manual
push-mowers very much anymore, but they are a good option if you do not want to
pollute the air with smoke from a gas-powered lawnmower. I notice that many fam
ilies designate the lawnmowing responsibility to a teenager in the household. Ma
ny of these teenagers are provided with an allowance for mowing the yard, as wel
l as performing other chores, like taking out the trash, washing the dishes, mak
ing their bed, and keeping the house organized. Allowances are small amounts of
money given by parents to their children, usually on a weekly basis. These usual
ly range from 5 dollars to 15 dollars, sometimes even 20 dollars. Many parents f
eel that teenagers can learn financial responsibility with this system.
Now I will talk about farm land. Farm land can be identified by some common feat
ures. They almost always consist of a very large patch of dirt with small green
plants lined up in very long rows. You may sometimes see farm equipment riding o
ver these rows, like tractors or combines. These machines help farmers grow more
crops in less time. They are a very helpful invention. Some different types of
crops are soybeans, cotton, corn, tomatoes, tobacco, and lettuce (which I mentio
ned earlier). Most crops are used as food, and can be defined as either fruits o
r vegetables. Some are commonly eaten raw, after being rinsed in water to remove
any dirt. Some are often cooked, which helps give them a more pleasant taste an
d makes them easier to chew. A very versatile vegetable is the potato. It can be
eaten raw, or it can be cooked in a variety of ways. They can be baked, and man
y people like to add butter to them. They can be mashed, and a lot of times brow
n gravy or milk gravy is poured on top of them. They can be cut into thin strips
and fried. Typically a large amount of grease is required to prepare potatoes i
n this style, but they are easy to make and easy to eat. You can order them at s
everal fast-food restaurants. Potatoes can also be boiled, stewed, and scalloped
. There is a wide variety of options available to you when cooking potatoes.
Some other types of crops grown on farm land are used for other purposes. Cotton
is used to make clothing (which I also mentioned earlier). It is a very versati
le and inexpensive material for clothes. Such items as shirts, pants, socks, and
underwear can be made from cotton. The process of converting cotton from a cott
on plant to clothing is fairly complicated. Today, cotton is harvested more effi
ciently through the use of the cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney many years ag
o.
Tobacco is another type of crop. It is used in making cigarettes. A lot of peopl
e smoke cigarettes, even though many medical sources have identified them as har
mful to people s health. Warnings are printed on cigarette packages reminding peop
le of possible dangers resulting from smoking. Cigarettes are available in sever
al brands, including Marlboro, Salem, and Virginia Slims. There is a brand calle
d Kool, but I don t know whether they are still available at most outlets. Tobacco
farming is a large industry, and currently there is debate about it. Recently t
he government decided on some regulations that cost tobacco companies a large am
ount of money.
If you notice, some farm lands have animals living on them. Most of these are co
ws, and there are also pigs, sheep, and goats living on farms. Some are raised f
or the milk they provide. This milk goes through several processes to ensure tha
t it is not contaminated before it is made available to consumers at stores (whi
ch I mentioned earlier). Another use for farm animals is meat. Three popular typ
es of meat are beef, pork, and chicken. Beef comes from cows. Pork comes from pi
gs. Chicken comes from chickens, but you probably knew that. These animals are r
aised to become plump and healthy, then they are killed, sometimes at slaughter

houses. The meat is then removed from their bodies, cleaned, and made available
at a variety of stores and restaurants. Sometimes this process can seem gross, b
ut it is part of an advanced ecological food chain on earth. Just like birds eat
worms and tigers eat deer, human beings eat cows and pigs. The main difference
is that we don t eat animals raw. We cook the meat to remove blood, fat, and germs
from it. We also season our meat with salt or different kinds of sauces. The en
d result is food that is very tasty and is healthy for us.
Farmers do not like trespassers. If a farmer sees one, he will sometimes shoot a
t them with a shotgun that he owns. Trespassing is against the law. Laws are cre
ated by government to prevent people from living in fear. They are meant to prov
ide safety for citizens. Our government in America consists of a legislative bra
nch, an executive branch, and a judicial branch. The legislative branch makes la
ws based on the concerns of citizens they represent. The executive branch consis
ts of the President. This person enforces the law, and he has certain other duti
es like declaring war and approving bills prepared by members of the legislative
branch. The President is also considered the leader of our country. The judicia
l branch interprets the laws. This branch consists of the courts and the trials
held in them. Here a judge and jury determine from evidence presented by lawyers
whether someone is guilty of breaking a law. Initial law enforcement takes plac
e among police officers. They are the first people to encounter situations where
a law is being broken. If a criminal (law-breaker) becomes too violent or hosti
le, they will use guns or mace or nightsticks to administer immediate punishment
. Their goal is to bring the criminal under control, so that he can receive a pu
nishment determined by members of the judicial branch of government. Punishments
mostly include time in jail, but they can also include fines and, in extreme ca
ses, the death penalty. There is controversy surrounding the death penalty.
Children play with toys. This is common to almost all kids. Toys come in a very
wide variety. Boys tend to like cars, action figures, and toy weapons. Girls ten
d to like dolls, toy kitchens, and make-up. Both of them like building or assemb
ling things, be it with Legos, blocks, Play-Doh, or something similar. Toys can
be found at most stores, and these days entire stores are dedicated to selling o
nly toys. The most popular of these is Toys R Us (with a backwards R ). Their mascot
is Geoffrey the Giraffe. Children love to go to Toys R Us and look at the wide var
iety of toys available. Most children receive the greatest quanitity of toys on
their birthdays, or during the holiday season in December. For the majority of c
hildren, this holiday is Christmas. For Jewish children, the holiday is Channaku
h. Either way, the kid gets presents during this time, and most of these present
s are toys.
Christmas is a holiday which has gradually become centered around the character S
anta Claus and his elves and reindeer. Children are told that Santa s elves build t
heir toys, and Santa delivers them personally to each house in the world by ridi
ng in an airborne sleigh hauled by nine reindeer, including Rudolph the red-nose
d reindeer, who leads the way. Another popular Christmas character is Frosty the
Snowman. Frosty is basically any snowman that comes to life. So during Christma
s, many children build snowmen, and some of them hope that theirs might come to
life. But all of these characters are myths. The true origin of Christmas is a c
elebration of the birth of Jesus, who founded the religion of Christianity a cou
ple of thousand years ago. Many popular Christmas carols deal with his story, su
ch as Joy to the World and Silent Night.
Other holidays include Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Independence Day. Thanksgivi
ng has become a tradition of preparing large quantities of food for a large gath
ering of people, mainly family and friends. This meal usually features turkey or
ham as the main course. Turkey and ham are both kinds of meat (which I mentione
d earlier). The meal usually also consists of dressing and a wide assortment of
vegetables (which I also mentioned earlier). The origin of Thanksgiving is usual
ly traced to the days of the pilgrims, who were the first settlers in America. T

hey made peace with the native people, the Indians, and together enjoyed a large
feast, thanking God for providing them with such an abundance. (Their concepts
of God were probably very different.)
Halloween is the holiday when people dress in costumes to look like other charac
ters. Most of these are children, who go from door to door in different neighbor
hoods to request candy from the people living there. They usually say trick or tr
eat then receive a treat. Very rarely does the person in the house respond with a
trick. Halloween has some sort of demonic origin that I am not quite sure about
, but the name derives from All Hallow s Eve. I will not say much about Independence
Day, but it is the day Americans celebrate the anniversary of our independence
from Britain. Most families purchase fireworks during this holiday and set them
off in their lawns (which I mentioned earlier).
America gained independence from Britain in the late 1700 s after the Revolutionar
y War. Britain was hoping to extend its empire across the Atlantic Ocean, but th
e colonists who settled the territory did not want to be under Britain s control,
with their various taxes and regulations. Both sides were very passionate about
their position on the issue, so a war occurred. This war featured a few heroes,
including George Washington and Paul Revere. George Washington became America s fi
rst president when we gained independence. I am not sure what happened to Paul R
evere. The Declaration of Independence was written before the war by Thomas Jeff
erson in 1776 and made clear the position of the colonists. It was signed by man
y important people, including Ben Franklin and John Hancock. Ben Franklin is wel
l-known for many things. One of these is inventing electrical conductors in the
form of lightning rods. A famous tale is that he flew a kite with a small piece
of metal somewhere on the string during a lightning storm. This was an effective
way to test his theory. Another thing Ben Franklin is known for is publishing P
oor Richards Almanac. This was like a magazine and contained some of his famous
writings and quotations. One famous quote was Tell me, I forget. Teach me, I reme
mber. Involve me, I learn. Maybe this had something to do with why he flew that k
ite.
Trees are one of our most important natural resources. They are made of wood, an
d wood can be made into a variety of products. Some of the more obvious kinds ar
e furniture, houses, and toothpicks. However, wood can also be made into paper.
When I first heard this, I was skeptical, but it is true. Paper is a very import
ant product in our society. Writers and artists have greatly benefited from the
invention of paper. With only some paper and a pen or pencil, a writer can produ
ce stories and poems that can captivate readers. They can also write down histor
ical facts about their society. Actually, these writings don t become historical u
ntil years later. At the time, the writings could probably be considered news. A
rtists use paper for their drawings and paintings. They can also use canvas. Dra
wings and paintings can be very beautiful. They can depict a wide variety of sub
jects, including flowers, animals, landscapes, and people. They can be realistic
or impressionistic. Some paintings also attempt to convey emotions merely by th
e way the colors are combined and the brushstrokes are applied. This is a modern
or contemporary approach to art. Many people think this approach does not requi
re as much talent as the realistic styles.