Shady Pines Salutes Winnie the Pooh’s Big Day!

by Mary Jane | Jan 14, 2020 | The Kindness Connection Blog

Breaking News

Hello Everyone. Scoop here, the Cub Reporter from The Shady Pines Gazette newspaper.

This just in. Mark your calendars because January 18 is National Winnie the Pooh Day! This is important to so many of our neighbors here in Shady Pines Story Town because we’re known to celebrate wonderful stories for children. We’re all about showcasing inspiring and entertaining cartoon characters. In fact, we have a town full of them.

THE AUTHOR

Did you know that it was author A.A. Milne who brought, Pooh, the adorable, honey-loving bear to life? The stories also which also feature Milne’s son, Christopher Robin. This special day commemorates the author’s actual birthday on January 18, 1882.

Milne’s lovable Pooh Bear, as he was fondly called, is a fictional bear inspired by a black bear named Winnie who lived at the London Zoo during World War I. The author’s son, Christopher Robin, would visit the bear often and named his own teddy bear after her and a swan named Pooh.

Winnie the Pooh is known for his loving nature and acts of kindness. He and his pals continue to brig joy to families everywhere.

LOCAL CONNECTION

One of the biggest Pooh fans we know is our very own Edna Sanders. She A happy family hugging their pets and her husband, Harold, are parents to Boomer and Halley. Because of author Mary Jane McKittrick’s national award winning Boomer and Halley books, you could say the Sanders are sort of the first family of our small Southern town. Want to take a look? Go HERE

I’m about to visit the Sanders’ house and interview Edna about why it is that Winnie the Pooh holds such a unique place in her heart. Do you have a favorite Pooh character or story?

Well, let’s find out what Edna has to say. Go HERE

-Scoop Out.

Shady Pines Celebrates Winnie the Pooh Day

by Mary Jane | Jan 14, 2020 | The Kindness Connection Blog

WINNIE the POOH and FRIENDS on Their Big Day!

The loud roar of a vacuum cleaner fills the Sanders’ home with deafening sound. It’s mid-morning and Edna is in a hurry to finish cleaning her house. She’s expecting Scoop, the Cub Reporter from The Shady Pines Gazette newspaper to show up any time now. He’s coming to interview her on one of her favorite topics – Winnie the Pooh. As a cartoon character herself, Edna is crazy about the adventures of this bear and his buddies. Their stories are filled with kindness, friendship, caring, and other positive themes. And, best of all, January 18th is the official Winnie the Pooh Day!

BOOMER and HALLEY

“Something about those Pooh stories reminds me of the books our local author, Mary Jane McKittrick, writes about our family. My husband, Harold and I think Boomerang, our Australian Shepherd dog, and our silver streak of a cat, Halley’s Comet, are very entertaining critters. I guess other people do, too! Honestly, when we first adopted those four legged “children” we had no idea how to be parents. But, just like the Pooh stories, The Boomer and Halley books inspire kids to be good, honest and decent people. Although, I must say, our Boomer and Halley often have us spinning and they tend to get the whole town of Shady Pines into the act!” (For Boomer and Halley books Go HERE)

As she puts the vacuum away in the utility closet, Edna sees Boomer and Halley are hanging out in the kitchen. She smiles. “You two act like you don’t like one another, but I know better!”

Boomer cocks his head. “Whaaat?”

Halley can’t believe what she’s hearing. “Mom thinks we get along?”

Edna sweeps up dog and cat food that has spilled onto the floor. “Listen you two, this is a big day. It’s National Winnie the Pooh Day. I am a big fan of the lovable bear and all his friends.”

Boomer is confused. “Halley, Winnie the Pooh is a bear? Does he live in Shady Pines?”

Halley shakes her head. “I don’t know. And who are his friends?”

Edna pulls a book down from the shelf. “Here it is. My very own Winnie the Pooh book.”

Ding Dong!

Boomer barks and gets ready to head to the front door. “That must be Scoop,” says Edna. “I’ll bet he ran here like always.”

When she opens the door, she sees a familiar young man with a shock of red hair. He has his camera equipment slung over his arm and a reporter’s notebook sticking out of his jacket pocket.

“Hi ya, Mrs. Sanders, hey Boomer, how are you?”

Edna motions for him to come in. “Good to see you Scoop. Let’s go into the kitchen.”

Scoop follows Edna while Boomer brings up the rear. “Here we go Scoop. You can have a seat right there at the table. Would you like something to drink?”

Scoop takes out his notebook and puts his camera bag down by his feet. “No, thank you. I’m OK for now.”

Edna sits beside him and puts her Winnie the Pooh book on the table. “One of my prized possessions.”

THE SANDERS CONNECTION

Scoop reaches for his camera. “Would you mind if I get a photo of you reading your book? And, maybe some shots of the pages?”

Edna is thrilled. “Of course.”

While Scoop gets set up, he asks, “Tell me why this means so much to you.”

Edna clears her throat. “Well, first, do you see the name above the entrance to Winnie the Pooh’s tree house? It’s Sanders!”

Scoop is shocked. “Really?”

Edna shows him a page with that very specific picture. Scoops snaps a photo. He can’t believe it. “Would you look at that. It does say Sanders.” Scoops looks through more pages.

“When I was working at the Community Center one day, a young boy asked me to read a Winnie the Pooh book to him. That’s when I got hooked. The youngster told me he liked all of the characters but related the most to Christopher Robin.”

Scoop looks up. “That’s the young boy in the story, right? I just wrote an article for the Gazette. Christopher Robin was based on the author’s real life son.” (Scoop’s article HERE)

SCOOP GETS the SCOOP!

Edna nods. “Exactly. Think of it. Humans and animals together telling wonderful stories. What does that remind you of, Scoop?”

Scoop is smiling. “Sounds to me a lot like what happens around here in Shady Pines Story Town! That’s why it’s cool being a reporter. Just like Pooh, we’ve got plenty of interesting characters around here.”

Now Edna is smiling. “That’s your story, Scoop. Now I’ve got to scoot you out of here. I’ve got some moms and their kids coming over for a Winnie the Pooh lunch.”

Scoop places his photo equipment into his camera bag. “Let me guess, you’re going to have some honey on the table.”

Edna gets up from the table. “In honor of the honey-loving bear, there may even be some honey baked ham.”

As Scoop heads back to the newspaper office, Edna gets ready to welcome her guests. It’s going to be another memorable gathering in Edna’s Kitchen and it’s happening, once again, in the small Southern town of Shady Pines.

LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT WINNIE THE POOH DAY!

Fun Facts for Spring

by Mary Jane | Mar 25, 2019 | Breaking News

Hi Everyone! Breaking News

Scoop, the cub reporter from The Shady Pines Gazette at your service. This time of year I have a certain spring to my step. Get it?

Spring is in the air here in Shady Pines Story Town. Everywhere you look people are out enjoying the warmer air. Kids are zooming around on their bikes and skateboards, the dog park is busier than ever, and the folks with a green thumb are doing some gardening.

I’ve been studying up on what makes Spring so special. Here’s some of what I found:

Spring fun facts

The days are longer during this spring time because the earth’s axis is tilted towards the sun and it is away from it during winters.

The spring and fall equinoxes are the only two times in the year when the sun rises due east and sets due west.

Before it was called spring, the season was known as Lent or Lenten.

In the Southern Hemisphere, this equinox marks the start of the fall season. That means in Australia, they’re having fall right now!

Easter is the main festival celebrated during this season. It falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the start of spring.

Every year the US president conducts an Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn. The tradition was started by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878 and the practice has been followed by every president since then.

Spring flowers that are typical to the season are daffodils, dandelions, lilies, tulips, iris and lilacs.

During this season, many give their home a deep cleaning, which is called spring cleaning. The earliest known use of the term was in 1857.

One often gets “spring fever” during this time as the human body is trying to adapt to temperature change and variations in diet.

Now that you know some of the fun stuff I discovered about this time of year, I’d like to know what makes this season special for you. Let me know.

-Scoop out!

St. Paddy’s Day is Coming!

by Mary Jane | Feb 26, 2019 | Breaking News

Hi Everyone, Scoop, the Cub Reporter here, from The Shady Pines Gazette newspaper. I’ve got some news for you. This is important if you’re looking for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Get it? That’s a hint.

It seems like yesterday it was New Year’s. Then, all of a sudden we were celebrating Valentine’s Day. Remember? Well, now everywhere you look, folks in Shady Pines Story Town are seeing green! There’s a perfectly good explanation for that. See, St. Patrick’s Day is coming up fast. Have you got the date circled on your calendar? ST. PATRICK’S DAY It’s Sunday, March 17th. I can tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to ask Ms. Zulah Talmadge, my editor, if she wants me to do a story about what’s special about this holiday. Who knows? She might even want to work with me on this one. We like to explore other cultures and celebrations. I can tell you if there’s a food angle, and there is, she usually wants to report on it. I can’t wait to see what people around Shady Pines are planning. Here’s a tease. Ms. Talmadge says she does want to go with me and report our story together. We did get that food angle and more. Follow along as we talk about the history of St. Patrick’s Day and more. Read it HERE. Hey, while we work on that article for The Gazette, you can head over to our Activities Page and check out some St. Patrick’s Day Traditions. There’s some good stuff to know. GO HERE. – Scoop Out!

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Shady Pines!

by Mary Jane | Feb 26, 2019 | Shady Pines Stories

PUTTING ON THE GREEN TO CELEBRATE

In spite of the growing fear of the Coronavirus, Shady Pines Story Town is gearing up for St. Patrick’s Day. Green is the color and joy is in the air. You don’t have to look very far to see signs, shamrocks, cards and decorations all over the small Southern town. St. Patrick’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the Irish people and all their traditions.

Neighbors in this tight knit community like to take this opportunity to celebrate the Irish. It’s also an opportunity to let children know about other cultures and show them some of the wonderful ways we celebrate them.

Scoop, the Cub Reporter with The Shady Pines Gazette is on the story. He’s not alone. His editor, Zulah Talmadge, is along to help out with the reporting. They’ve just arrived downtown. Sitting in their news car, they’re trying to figure out what angle their story should take.

“Scoop, do you know about the history of St. Patrick’s Day?” asks Zulah. Scoop thinks about that for a minute. “You know what, Ms. Talmadge? I don’t.”

“Well,” says Zulah, “St Patrick is one of the patron saints of Ireland. He’s supposed to have died on March 17 around the year 493.”

Scoop’s eye get really big. “That was a really long time ago.”

Zulah nods. “Yep. He grew up in Britain, but was captured by Irish raiders. They took him to Ireland when he was just a little older than you are now.”

Scoop is amazed. “So he didn’t have a choice?” Zulah shakes her head. “Nope.”

“Wow. Was he stuck there? Did he ever get home?” Scoop wonders out loud.

THE SAINTHOOD OF ST. PATRICK

Zulah continues. “Years later Patrick did get back to his family. He was very religious so he dedicated himself to the church, like his father and grandfather before him. Later, he returned to Ireland as a missionary.”

“That’s interesting,” says Scoop. “He went back to Ireland. So, how did he become a saint?”

“History tells us that he gained sainthood for his missionary work,” says Zulah.

Scoop reaches for his reporter’s notebook.”I’ve got to write that down. This is so cool!”

“Maybe we can work some of these background facts into our story,” says Zulah.

Scoop is reaching for his gear. “Oh, we’ve gotta. Children need to know this stuff.”

“All right,” agrees Zulah. “But now let’s go find some fun!”

ST. PATRICK’S DAY FUN

And with that, the dynamic news duo heads down Main Street to Maggie’s Diner. If there’s one person who will know what to serve on St. Patrick’s Day, it’ll be Maggie. The lunch crowd has cleared out and Maggie is wiping down tables.

“Hi ya Maggie!” says Zulah.

Scoop sets up his camera to get ready for the interview.

“Hi yourself, Zulah,” chuckles Maggie. “I guess this story was big enough for both of you?”

Scoop is smiling. “There’s a food angle, Ms. Maggie.”

Maggie nods. “Of course. I should have known.”

Zulah pretends not to believe what she’s hearing. “I don’t know what you two are talking about.”

Scoop pins the microphone onto Maggie’s blouse and readies his video camera.

“So, what do people tend to eat on St. Patrick’s Day?” asks Zulah.

“I can tell you we’ll be offering some of the favorites on that day,” says Maggie. “I’m talking about Irish soda bread, Irish stew and of course, corned beef and cabbage. We’ll use vegetables like potatoes and carrots to fill out the plate.”

“What about for desert?” asks Scoop.

“How could I forget your sweet tooth, Scoop?”

“Aw, Ms. Maggie.”

“I’m just teasing. We’ll have shamrock cookies for the kids, and the kids at heart.”

“Those are always such a favorite,” adds Zulah.

Maggie agrees. “Yea, they always go really fast. We’ll also have an assortment of pies. I might even make a mint green cheesecake, just for something different.”

Scoop’s mouth has dropped open. “Oh man, that sounds SO good.”

Zulah is really enjoying this. “Just remember, if you need people to help taste any of your recipes ahead of time, you know we’re available.”

Removing the microphone, Maggie smiles. “That goes without saying.”

Zulah and Scoop say goodbye to Maggie and thank her for her time.

“You’re very welcome. “Where are you going next?”

Zulah looks at Scoop. “I think we’ll find out what St Paddy’s Day specials are brewing over at Cup ‘O Joe’s coffee shop.”

“Then we can find out what Fred is stocking at his Corner Grocer,” adds Scoop. “Oh, and let’s make sure the parade is cancelled because of the Cornavirus. We’ll have to check with Mayor Fibbs. And, l we need to find out what changes in scheduling are happening over at the Shady Pines Community Centr. Rita Mallena will know.”

Zulah throws up her hands. “Clearly we have a lot of ground to cover. See ya later, Maggie.”

“‘Bye you guys. Have fun!”

Zooming around in their news car while tracking down their St. Patrick’s Day story, Zulah and Scoop are determined to bring us all the news that fit to print in the small Southern town of Shady Pines!

***TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ST. PATRICK’S DAY TRADITIONS WE’VE GOT THEM. GO HERE