The Finch House

The Finch House has myriad problems. The air conditioning doesn’t work. The paint is cracking. The floorboards are warped. The shower head is broken. The toilet doesn't flush. The pipes are leaky. Old and worn, the carpet looks like a mangy dog's fur. The basement is flooded. The kitchen sink doesn't even have a faucet. These are only a few of the many issues with the house. If you were to buy the house, it would take fifty-thousand dollars in renovations just to make it livable. Besides, you can find better

Essay Sample

The carpets were thick and cream-colored. They looked immaculate, as if no one had ever walked on them. Large windows filled the rooms with cheery light. The tiles in the kitchen shone like precious gems. It seemed like the perfect house.

“Oh, Gilbert. I love it,” Sharon said. “We’ve been looking for a house for so long. I think this might be the one.”

Gilbert turned to Ted, their real estate agent. “I think you’ve sold us on it, Ted.”

“Great. I’ll just run out to my car and get the paperwork.” Ted slapped Gilbert on the back and went outside.

“Sharon, can you believe this place?”

“I just can’t understand why it’s so cheap. It’s almost too good to be true.”

“Plus, the kitchen comes fully stocked with every appliance we could ever need. And they’re all brand new!” Gilbert patted the lid of the blender lovingly.

“It almost makes you wonder what this Ted guy is hiding. Maybe there’s something about the house we don’t know.”

“We’ve had it inspected. All the plumbing and electrical work is brand new and in perfect condition.”

“What if it’s something else?”

“Like what? Are you worried that it’s haunted or something?”

“No. Nothing like that. I’m just always a little suspicious of a deal that sounds too . Maybe the roof leaks or something, or the place might have a bad termite problem.” Sharon continued to walk around the kitchen, inspecting various cabinets and drawers.

“The roof can be fixed, the bugs can be killed. Don’t be so pessimistic.”

“You’re probably right. Hey, look at what someone left in here,” Sharon said, opening the refrigerator.

“Carrots.”

“That’s odd.” Gilbert said. He stood next to her, then pulled all nine bunches of carrots out of the refrigerator and set them on the counter. “Maybe the people living here last really liked carrot cake, or maybe they had a lot of rabbits.”

“Whatever the reason, it’s pretty weird.”

Ted came back into the kitchen. “I’ve got the papers!” His eyes caught sight of the carrots, and a nervous look came over his face and he quickly turned it into a smile. “Say, why don’t we sign these forms in the living room?”

“Ted, did you know these carrots were in here?” Sharon asked.

“I hear that they are great source of Vitamin A. How about signing these papers?”

“Gilbert, maybe we should put them back into the fridge.” She moved to reopen the refrigerator.

“No!” Ted shouted. “I mean, carrots are so much better at room temperature.”

Bee Eaters

Bee-eaters are birds that eat...well...bees. Technically speaking, they eat "flying insects". Honeybees are their favorite. (Though they will eat a wasp from time to time.)
Now, you might be wondering exactly how a bee-eater eats a honeybee. After all, a honeybee doesn't seem like a meal that goes down easy. What about its stinger? And what about the venom inside it?
Here's how it happens. First, a bee-eater catches a honeybee in its beak. But it does not swallow it right away. It hits and rubs the honeybee against a hard surface. It does this repeatedly. It hits and rubs and hits and rubs and hits and rubs. After all this hitting and rubbing, the honeybee's stinger eventually falls off. And the honeybee's venom leaks out. The bee-eater can then eat a tasty (and safe) meal.

Told You

"We should stop," I said.
Mary rolled her eyes as we passed another gas station. Just then I heard a beep and a light flashed on the dashboard. I didn't have to look. I knew what it was. The car was telling us we were almost out of gas.
"Told you," I said.
"Thatcher," said Mary, "just be calm." Her fingers closed tightly around the steering wheel. A heavy mist began to roll over the highway.
"I am calm," I said. "This is getting serious. Maybe we should turn around."
"There's a gas station just over this hill," Mary replied, nodding ahead.
We crested the hill and saw no gas station. I looked sideways at Mary. She scowled back at me. I shook my head. I couldn't help feeling anxious.
"Just around this curve," Mary said, "There's a gas station just around this next curve. You'll see."

A Good Person

Roberto Clemente was born in 1934 in Puerto Rico. He played baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He became the first Latino player to reach 3000 hits. But he was not just a great baseball player. Clemente was also a good person. He spent a lot of time helping people who were poor, sick, or in trouble. He died in 1972 when his plane crashed. Clemente was flying to bring supplies to people who had been hurt in an earthquake in Nicaragua.

Mekong Cruise

We boarded the boat in Chiang Rai. A woman named Anh sat on the bow and paddled. We moved slowly down a narrow canal that led out to the Mekong River.

We woke the next day in Huay Xay. From there we boarded a larger boat and moved east. We passed by hundreds of Buddhist monks dressed in bright orange robes.

The next stop was Pak Beng. There we saw herds of elephants moving freely along the water.

Days passed, and we arrived at Pak Ou. We got off the boat and stretched our legs. We spent the day exploring a number of wondrous caves.

After nine days on the boat, we arrived in Kuang Si. We took a short hike into the jungle. We ended the trip with a day of sun and swimming in the waterfalls found there.

Pickleball

The game of pickleball was invented by two dads in Washington State in 1965. During a game of badminton, the birdie—the object players hit back and forth—got lost. So Bill Bell and Joel Pritchard suggested their children try using a wiffle ball instead. The badminton rackets were too light to hit the wiffle ball well, so the dads created wooden rackets that resembled ping pong paddles. The dads came up with simple rules based on the rules for tennis, ping pong, and badminton. They named the game after Pritchard’s cocker spaniel, Pickles.

Pickleball can be played indoors on basketball or volleyball courts and outside on any hard surface. The playing area is approximately the size of a badminton court, which is about one-fourth the size of a tennis court. The net is the same height as in tennis. The ball is served underhand and only the server can earn points. The receiving team and the server must both allow the ball to bounce before it can be hit. Volleying (hitting directly from the air) is allowed after the double bounces, but not within the seven-foot no-volley zone on either side of the net.

Interest in pickleball has continued to grow. Because players aren't required to be great athletes to play, and because it is easy to learn, pickleball can be played by just about anyone. Grade school students play it in physical education classes. Senior citizens compete in pickleball tournaments. No matter their age, people can spend hours playing this fun sport with their friends and family.