Shimo

An Iditarod

 In the state of Alaska, teams of husky dogs are trained to race 1,000 miles across frozen ice and snow. It is called  the Iditarod, a very serious competition in the middle of the winter.  The lead dog is the most important dog on the team.  His leadership and obedience to his master will determine whether they win or lose.

Shimo was a champion Eskimo lead dog.  He loved to lead and had led his team of sixteen huskies to strong finishes in the last  three Iditiarods.  Ever since he was a young husky, Shimo had the heart to win and the drive to work hard. His trainer, Skilley and Shimo were inseparable.  Day and night they worked hard to be ready for the next run. Shimo's greatest problem was his pride.  He only wanted to be the lead dog, but he was getting older and his legs were crippling.with arthritis.

Jaco and Shimo

Shimo was having trouble working out with younger dogs. Skilley had no alternative then to start training another lead dog. He choose Jaco.  A young Husky, who was strong and was outrunning Shimo in practice.

In the Spring, when Skilly started training his dogs, he had to make a decision, if he should put Jaco in the lead and try Shimo in the pack. Shimo wanted nothing to do with it.  He did not like running with the other dogs and was very jealousy of Jaco taking his place.  Shimo would start fights with Jaco and refused to obey.


The day of the Iditarod was only a week away, Skilley, in order to save the team, had to take Shimo out of the pack.  It broke his heart, but he had no other choice.Shimo had been his very best lead dog for the last five years He had led his team to the finish line many times. If only Shimo wasn't so proud and would accept. his place on the team,, but he didn't.  He just wanted to be first and it cost him the very thing he loved the most, to run in the Iditarod.  Besides, people were financially supporting Skilley's team and expecting him to win this year.  

Shimo wrapped in his blanket

On the day of the Iditarod, Skilley had no alternative than to leave Shimo home.  He wrapped him in  a blanket and tried to settle him down. Shimo knew something wasn't right.  He heard all the others dogs barking excitedly, it had to be the run.  Shimo started to bark  and whine, but Skilley tried not to pay any attention.  It was very hard for him to hear Shimo crying.  Skilley was going to miss Shimo.  He knew how much he wanted  to run.   After hitching up his dogs and packing, Skilley went back for one last hug. "Shimo," said Skilley, 'I know that you don't understand, but it has to be this way.  Maybe you will learn to let Jaco lead and than you can go next year."


Skilley's heart was heavy leaving Shimo at home. About six hours later, Shimo couldn't stand it any more.  He pulled his stake out of the ground and jumped over the fence and headed for the trial.  The only problem was,, it was snowing and all of the tracks were covered.  Shimo thought he knew his way anyway and kept going.

Skilley and the team had finished their first,day, when they got a text from home. "Shimo was missing.  Beiieved to be out looking for you." Skilley's heart sank.  He couldn't  finish the race.  He had to find Shimo  He turned his team around and headed for home. Shimo was more important than winning the iditiarod

The snow was  heavy and Skilley was getting more and more  concerned .  Shimo had now been out in the cold already for a day without any food or water. As they were heading back to home, Shelly noticed somthing that looked like a rock in the middle of the trail..  Could it be Shimo? Skilley hurried , "Mush you Huskies" he shouted..  Quickly, Skilley brushed the snow off the object and there frozen in the snow lay Skimo. Skilley cried and cried as he picked up Shimo, tears streaming down his face. In Shimo's desperate effort to find his master.  Shilley, was caught in the storm and froze to death. He put his champion lead dog on his sled saying, "Oh Shimo, Shimo how much I loved you. Why wouldn't you trust me? You were getting older and I wanted to save your strength so I could enjoy you .  I miss you, I miss you so much.

When Skilley arrived back home everyone was so surprised to hear about Shimo's death. The whole town grieved and mourned his passing.. Shimo had won three Iditiarods and had become a hero.  Skilley didn't finish the Iditiarod that year, instead he created a huge snow statue of the great Shimo for the towns people to celebrate his life..

This is the snow sculpture that Skilley created to honor Skimo

Big Bear Lu and Micky

 

Big Bear Lu was the biggest bear in the whole Greenville Zoo.  The children from towns around came to the zoo in the Spring,when Big Bear Lu woke up from his winter's hibernation.  Big Lu was the most popular attraction because he had a friend, Micky, the monkey, who lived with him.  Micky loved to run all over Big Lu and especially sit on top of his head and scratch behind big Lu's ears. It made the children laugh seeing Micky, the monkey  playing with Big Bear Lu.

Early one morning when the zoo keeper came to feed Big Lu and Micky, they both were missing.  Oh, no,they had escaped in the night and no one knew where they were. The zoo keeper pulled the alarm and the police department responded within minutes. The TV reporters arrived with their cameras and put out a detailed description of the two animals. Everyone in the town were on the lookout for the two run-a-ways.  They were sure that if they found one, they would find the other.  Micky and Big Bear Lu were loyal and devoted to each other. They were the best of friends.  Where do you think they went?

For the next few days the police and zoo keepers looked everywhere.  They looked under under dry dead debris, old barns and sheds,  but they couldn't find them anywhere. Because they had been gone so long, everyone was getting scared because they knew that Big Lu and Micky hadn't eaten for days and would probably be looking for food in trash cans. It was getting very dangerous for the town's people, so the police rode up and down the street calling out on their loud speakers, "Stay inside until they are found "

But there was ONE PLACE where they hadn't looked.  Could Big Bear Lu and Micky find their way back to  the Green Forest? It wouldn't  especially be the best home for Micky, but he loved Big Bear Lu, so he knew that they should be together. The zoo keeper thought that if he made a bear trap that he could capture Big Bear Lu. As the police and zoo keepers started into the Green Forest, they notice Big Lu's huge bear foot prints.  He had to be in there, but where? The Zoo keepers set the trap and left. The next day they went out to the Green Forest hoping to find the animals, but the trap was empty and the food was eaten.  How did that happen?  The zoo keepers were stunned.  They couldn't believe how the food could be eaten and yet they were not caught.

 You will never believe what happened the following week. Early Monday morning just after the zoo opened, when the zoo keeper was getting ready to feed the bears, to his surprise, there was BIG BEAR LU with MICKY perched on his head.   During the night the two animals had eaten the food in the bear trap and decided to make their way back to the zoo.  The zoo keeper was so happy to see Big Bear Lu that he give him a big hug and three extra pieces of meat. Micky fared well with his own  bunch of bananas.  From what I understand , every Spring, just after Big Bear Lu comes out of hibernation, the zoo keeper allows both Big Lu and Micky to take a short vacation in the Green forest. Food is provided, while they enjoy all their little forest friends before they they head back to the Greenville  Zoo.

My name is Chipper the Chipmunk and I LOVE peanuts

My friend Johnny Williams loves to feed me peanuts.  I look forward to Johnny every summer when he visits his grandparents.  He always brings a big bag of peanuts and I eat every one of them. The only one that I will share my peanuts with is Caroline. We met while gathering our nuts last Fall. I want Johnny to meet Caroline. I think he will like her too. Maybe he will bring extra peanuts this summer.  I think Caroline is very special and I would like her to be my wife.  She has agreed to marry me and I am going to really surprise Johnny.

Johnny was excited to get to his grandparents.  School was out, his suit case packed and he was on his way.  When we arrived at his grandparents, he immediately went looking for Chipper.  He didn't know anything about Caroline.  But to his surprise, he could not find Chipper.  Chipper was no where to be seen. Every morning Johnny put out more and more peanuts, hoping to draw him, but day after day, no Chipper.  Johnny was getting very concerned about Chipper health.  What if a fox caught him this winter? Or he got sick and died? Johnny was very sad. 


His week's vacation was coming an end and he really missed his little friend Chipper.  He had trained Chipper since he was a little guy, who lived under his grandparents cabin.  But this summer, Chipper was not there. Johnny's vacation just wasn't the same. What was he going to do with all the extra bags of peanuts? On the morning that Johnny was leaving to go home, he tried to call for Chipper one more time.  To his surprise guess who showed up?  It was Chipper and guess who was with him?  Over the winter Chipper had created a family.  A little Chip was born and Chipper was so proud of his family. He brought out his family to meet Johnny. Johnny took all the peanuts and spread them out on the deck.  The little family quickly gather the nuts in their cheeks and scampered back under the cabin.  Johnny was so happy that Chipper had a family. Hopefully, by next summer Chippers family will have grown some more, and Johnny will  make sure that Chipper has enough peanuts for his family for the winter.

 

Nibbles saves the day

Once upon a time there was a shoe maker named Hans, and his little friend "Nibbles" the mouse.  Nibbles loved old, Hans and together they had lived in the village of Shoeben in a little tiny cottage.  Every night before Hans went to bed, he always left  a piece of bread for Nibbles and in the morning there wasn't a crumb left!  That is how Nibbles got his name.


Hans was the best shoemaker in all of Shoeben.  He not only made the shoes for the villagers, but even for the King and Queen. Before he started to work, each morning he would tuck Nibbles in his shirt pocket.  Nibbles loved to be close to Hans , while he diligently repaired old shoes and made new ones.  But, at the end of the day, Nibbles could always count on his little piece of bread.


One morning early there was a knock on the door of Hans' shoe shop.  It was a messenger from the Palace.  The pretty young princess was getting married in the Spring and the King and Queen wanted Hans to make a very special pair of shoes for her wedding. "What an honor it will be to make her shoes", answered Hans. "Do you have anything special that you would like me to put on them," he asked.  The messenger explained to Hans that the King had given him two incredibly beautiful and very valuable rubies to put in the toe of each shoe. "You will have a month to make the shoes, Hans," said the messenger.


Hans felt very honored to be making shoes for the Princess for such a special occasion.  He made sure that he put the rubies in a very safe place. That night when Hans and Nibbles were sleeping , two thieves broke into the shop and stole the rubies.  The commotion woke up Nibbles just as he saw the two thieves running down the street. Nibbles immediately followed them to an old abandoned  house. The thieves disappeared inside.  Nibble hopped up onto the window ledge to see where the rubies were being hidiing.


In the meantime, Hans woke up looking for Nibbles.but Nibbles was no where to be found.  Hans was deeply troubled.  Nibbles was always the first one up in the morning.  Hans looked all over the shop, but no Nibbles. Where could he be? thought Hans. 'I guess I will just have to start without him.  Hans went to get the rubies out of the safe place, "Oh, no!' exclaimed Hans fearfully,' the rubies, the rubies, where are they? What am I going to do?  I surely will be arrested. The king and queen will never believe that I lost them. What am I going to do"


No sooner had those thoughts entered Hans 'mind, when through his little mouse hole, Nibbles appeared.  He was half out of breath running so fast.  "Where have you been?" asked Hans fretfully. Without a word, , Nibbles opened his mouth and out  popped the two rubies.  "Nibbles, what is going on?" asked Hans.Nibbles started to explain,  "You will never believe it. Last night two thieves broke into your shop  and stole the rubies.  I followed them to an old an abandoned house, and when they weren't looking, I found the rubies, stuffed them into my mouth and ran.  I was so scared that they would see me, and hit me with a broom, but I ran as fast as lightening!


"You are my hero, Nibbles,  I didn't know what I would have done , if the King, ever thought I had stolen his rubies. Hans picked up Nibbles, gave him a big hug and put him back in his shirt pocket..  Nibbles still remains today Hans' most faithful, loyal  friend,and closest to his heart.