new to me. Besides that, the fountain turned out to be amazing.
Maya's Green Tip for the Day
Remember when I told you about “recycled art”? Well, this is how I made a decorative fountain for the patio. First I had to buy a fountain kit at the local hardware store. Then I took an old washtub and treated it with a special kind of paint that made it look even older, kind of rusty but cool. Then I put some large stones in the bottom to anchor the pump. I cut a piece of old screen (probably from a window) into a circle and placed it over the stones and pump, making a hole for a water tube from the fountain. Then I put smaller, prettier stones on top of that, and I stuck in an old decorative garden faucet that had never worked quite right. But it's cute with a frog on it. I pushed the tube right into the bottom of the faucet so that the water would come out the spigot, pouring back into the rocks. And I filled the whole thing with water, plugged it in, and voilà—we have a fountain.
July 1
U ncle Allen surprised me by showing up at Jacqueline's just in time for my lunch break. (It's actually more like an early dinner break since it's at four.)
“How about if I take my favorite niece out for a late lunch?” He winked at Jackie like she had known he was coming.
I laughed. “Do you have any other nieces?”
He shook his head and smiled sheepishly. “But still.”
“Just let me get my purse.” Luckily, Marissa wouldn't be meeting me for lunch like she often did. She'd already told me that she was doing community service on a road cleanup crew for the next two weeks, and they were required to eat their lunch alongside the road. And since Dominic had just been by yesterday, I doubted he'd show up again today. Although I had been hoping. Still, I was curious as to what had brought my uncle to the mall.
We settled into a booth at the only restaurant in the mall with waiters to serve, and after we placed our orders, I looked curiously at my uncle. “So did you get off work early?”
“Actually, this is work related.”
“Oh? Some big story breaking here at the mall?”
He chuckled. “Not exactly. I've come to proposition you.”
My eyebrows lifted, and he laughed.
“I guess I should make myself clearer. Do you remember your challenge to me about the recycling boxes and how our town needs to be more environmentally aware?”
“Of course.”
He frowned. “It's not going as well as I'd hoped, and today I got an inspiration.”
I nodded, waiting for him to explain.
“This is an idea that involves you, Maya.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I wondered if you'd be interested in writing a green column for the paper. We'd publish it in the Twenty Below section.”
“Twenty Below?”
“That's a section for young people. It comes out on Saturdays, so you'd only need to write your column weekly. And I don't think it has to be too long, just a way to make readers more environmentally aware. You could share some of your concerns about conservation or recycling or whatever in an attempt to educate the readers. What do you think?”
I wasn't sure what to think. On one hand I was flattered. But at the same time I felt uneasy.
“That seems like a pretty big responsibility. I mean, I'm only sixteen.”
He nodded. “If it's any consolation, we've done somethinglike this before at the paper. We have an advice column called ‘Just Ask Jamie.’”
“Yes, I've read it a couple of times, and it's good. Are you saying it's actually written by a teen?”
“That's right. And the teen was about your age when the column began.”
“Really?”
“You seem sincere in your quest to protect the planet. And you also seem to know a lot about it. By the way, Kim showed me that patio fountain you made from recycled pieces. It's really delightful.”
“Thanks.”
“In fact, you might even write in the column about doing something like that.”
“I guess…” Still, I wasn't so sure. What if I messed up?
“And I realize the
Maya's Green Tip for the Day
Remember when I told you about “recycled art”? Well, this is how I made a decorative fountain for the patio. First I had to buy a fountain kit at the local hardware store. Then I took an old washtub and treated it with a special kind of paint that made it look even older, kind of rusty but cool. Then I put some large stones in the bottom to anchor the pump. I cut a piece of old screen (probably from a window) into a circle and placed it over the stones and pump, making a hole for a water tube from the fountain. Then I put smaller, prettier stones on top of that, and I stuck in an old decorative garden faucet that had never worked quite right. But it's cute with a frog on it. I pushed the tube right into the bottom of the faucet so that the water would come out the spigot, pouring back into the rocks. And I filled the whole thing with water, plugged it in, and voilà—we have a fountain.
July 1
U ncle Allen surprised me by showing up at Jacqueline's just in time for my lunch break. (It's actually more like an early dinner break since it's at four.)
“How about if I take my favorite niece out for a late lunch?” He winked at Jackie like she had known he was coming.
I laughed. “Do you have any other nieces?”
He shook his head and smiled sheepishly. “But still.”
“Just let me get my purse.” Luckily, Marissa wouldn't be meeting me for lunch like she often did. She'd already told me that she was doing community service on a road cleanup crew for the next two weeks, and they were required to eat their lunch alongside the road. And since Dominic had just been by yesterday, I doubted he'd show up again today. Although I had been hoping. Still, I was curious as to what had brought my uncle to the mall.
We settled into a booth at the only restaurant in the mall with waiters to serve, and after we placed our orders, I looked curiously at my uncle. “So did you get off work early?”
“Actually, this is work related.”
“Oh? Some big story breaking here at the mall?”
He chuckled. “Not exactly. I've come to proposition you.”
My eyebrows lifted, and he laughed.
“I guess I should make myself clearer. Do you remember your challenge to me about the recycling boxes and how our town needs to be more environmentally aware?”
“Of course.”
He frowned. “It's not going as well as I'd hoped, and today I got an inspiration.”
I nodded, waiting for him to explain.
“This is an idea that involves you, Maya.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I wondered if you'd be interested in writing a green column for the paper. We'd publish it in the Twenty Below section.”
“Twenty Below?”
“That's a section for young people. It comes out on Saturdays, so you'd only need to write your column weekly. And I don't think it has to be too long, just a way to make readers more environmentally aware. You could share some of your concerns about conservation or recycling or whatever in an attempt to educate the readers. What do you think?”
I wasn't sure what to think. On one hand I was flattered. But at the same time I felt uneasy.
“That seems like a pretty big responsibility. I mean, I'm only sixteen.”
He nodded. “If it's any consolation, we've done somethinglike this before at the paper. We have an advice column called ‘Just Ask Jamie.’”
“Yes, I've read it a couple of times, and it's good. Are you saying it's actually written by a teen?”
“That's right. And the teen was about your age when the column began.”
“Really?”
“You seem sincere in your quest to protect the planet. And you also seem to know a lot about it. By the way, Kim showed me that patio fountain you made from recycled pieces. It's really delightful.”
“Thanks.”
“In fact, you might even write in the column about doing something like that.”
“I guess…” Still, I wasn't so sure. What if I messed up?
“And I realize the
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