I've never had a doctor before. I've never been sick for a day in my life, probably cuz the germs haven't figured out what to make of me. But Mrs. Johansson says I need regular check-ups to monitor my "condition," like somehow being 17 feet 10 and one half inches is a sickness that'll clear up with the right drugs!!!
So I get a weekly exam where Dr. Crisp draws my blood with a needle made for circus elephants, climbs up on a ladder to look into my ears, takes my measurements with a laser device, and asks me lots of questions. But he's cool about it. It's just his job, and if he wasn't doing it somebody else would have to instead.
Dr. Crisp is also on the school board and does after-school tutoring in the sciences. So when he's not working as my doctor, he's tutoring me in math and biology until the town figures out how the public high school can "fit me in." It won't happen this year, since there's only a couple weeks of the school left on the calendar, but I'm going to have to do a whole lot of studying this summer to catch up with the other kids my age.
I don't blame Ma and Pa for that. Ma tried to school me, in her own way, though she'd dropped out after 8th grade herself. She used to borrow books from the library, and I'd sit Ma on my knee while she read to me. After Ma died, Pa didn't have time for book-learning. I'd have to wait for Pa to go to sleep for the night so I could read and reread the large-print story books that Ma had left behind. And the bible. And the New College Dictionary. I wonder if the library wants those all back by now cuz I've memorized them all and have a new batch of books from Mrs. Appleton.
Illustrator Challenge
Artists can create illustrations of me or the events in my life, as long as they are appropriate for my young readers. Any previous post on this blog can be illustrated. If I like an image that goes well with a post on the blog, I may add a small thumbnail version along with credit to the artist and a link to the full-sized image. Images of me posted elsewhere should link back to the "Giant Girl Rampages" blog.
If you want to draw a picture of me, here's what you need to know:
I'm 15 years old and almost (but not quite) 18 feet tall. Mrs. Appleton says I'm very pretty and well proportioned, which I guess is a complement. I'm not super thin or anything but I think I'm in pretty good shape.
I have dirty blonde hair that's kind of wild because I trim it with Pa's old hedge trimmers. My eyes are green as the ocean, as Ma always said, but I wouldn't know because I've never seen an ocean. My skin is tanned from being out in the sun a lot but not too dark and (usually) not burned.
I wear a blouse and skirt-shorts that my mother quilted for me three years ago. They look like a big patchwork cuz she used many squares of fabric and cowhide. I've grown since then, so the skirt-shorts no longer come down to my knees, my blouse is way tight, and there's a bit of skin showing in between. I don't have any shoes (and that makes me sad to think about so I usually don't).
If you do draw my picture, send the link in a comment so I can post it to my blog. Thanks!!!
If you want to draw a picture of me, here's what you need to know:
I'm 15 years old and almost (but not quite) 18 feet tall. Mrs. Appleton says I'm very pretty and well proportioned, which I guess is a complement. I'm not super thin or anything but I think I'm in pretty good shape.
I have dirty blonde hair that's kind of wild because I trim it with Pa's old hedge trimmers. My eyes are green as the ocean, as Ma always said, but I wouldn't know because I've never seen an ocean. My skin is tanned from being out in the sun a lot but not too dark and (usually) not burned.
I wear a blouse and skirt-shorts that my mother quilted for me three years ago. They look like a big patchwork cuz she used many squares of fabric and cowhide. I've grown since then, so the skirt-shorts no longer come down to my knees, my blouse is way tight, and there's a bit of skin showing in between. I don't have any shoes (and that makes me sad to think about so I usually don't).
If you do draw my picture, send the link in a comment so I can post it to my blog. Thanks!!!
Posts
I do like the tone of this. I'm a bit curious about where it's going, too -- it has several interesting possibilities.
ReplyDeleteMy only concern is that I'm not sure how I like the text -- the extra exclamation points where they don't belong, the use of slang ('cuz'), etc -- would she be exposed to net slang?
I can understand her 'folksie' tone -- but if she had read the dictionary as much as she said she had, wouldn't she be using some bigger words (or, at least, not slang of the ones she knows -- esp. since she's been so secluded?).
Just some thoughts, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this is going.
Thanks, Originalpuck!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to write the way I talk, and I almost always say "cuz" instead of "because" even though I know it's wrong.
As for the exclamation points, I just love them to death and it seems wrong to only use one at a time!!! Heh!!!