Alex inspired me to share one of my favorite MUSES!
You’ll never guess what it is…
Cue the Choir in the loft, please…
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!”
WATERMELONS!
Watermelons are FESTIVE! They are MAGICAL! They are
COLORFUL! They are TASTY! And they happen to be my NAMESAKE!
My fascination with watermelons started a very long
time ago in Indianapolis, Indiana. My grandfather let me help plan the family
garden. Grandpa showed me where he was going to plant the tomatoes, string
beans, peppers, beets, and other vegetables. When we got to the back of the
garden, he told me that I could plant whatever I wanted. It didn’t take me long
to decide on THREE things…
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| Photo by: Andy Melton |
Popcorn!
Pumpkins!
And WATERMELONS!
We planted a row of popcorn. We planted 8 hills of
pumpkins and 8 hills of watermelons. (A “hill” is a gardening term. It is when
you mound the dirt into a small hill and plant three seeds in a small triangle
at the top. This method is often used for vining plants, like watermelons and
cucumbers.)
All summer I watered, weeded and WATCHED my garden
grow. And when I saw the tiny swelling of a baby watermelon behind a bloom, I
was CAPTIVATED. When the blooms fell off, and the watermelons grew bigger and
bigger, I was ENTRANCED!
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| Photo by: Harsha K.R. |
At the end of the summer, Grandpa and I harvested
our first watermelon. We took it inside the house and grandma taught me how to
cut it open. As soon as I saw the BRIGHT red center, speckled with black seeds,
I was EXTATIC!
When Grandma handed me a wedge of that beautiful
fruit, I sank my teeth into it and was transported to WATERMELON HEAVEN!
I HAD FOUND MY FIRST MUSE!
At that point I wanted to know everything there was
to know about WATERMELONS. And now, I will share what I know with YOU!
Watermelons have a RICH history. The first recorded
watermelon harvest was 5000 years ago in Egypt. Yes, EGYPT! Archeologists found
paintings of watermelons on the walls of ancient Egyptian buildings. It is
believed that watermelons were placed in the tombs of the Pharaohs when they
died.
By the 10th century, watermelons were
being grown in China, which is still the largest grower of watermelons in the
world.
By the 13th century, watermelons were
being grown in Europe.
And by the 1600’s, watermelons were being grown in
America. It is believed that African slaves brought watermelon seeds with them
from Africa.
Today, the United States is ranked 4th in
the worldwide production of watermelons.
And watermelons area a huge SLICE of American
culture! In fact, many regions have watermelon festivals. Take a look at this
watermelon festival in Lulling, Texas.
Did you see the Watermelon Water Tower? How about
the Watermelon Queen? Who would like to participate in the Watermelon Eating
Contest or Seed Spitting Contest? Me! Me! Me!
Take a look at this video to learn how to spit
watermelon seeds!
Not only are watermelons festive and fun, they are
also very nutritious! They are chocked full of vitamins and minerals, and they
keep your body hydrated on hot summer days. Why? Because they are 92% water! Maybe that is why they are called…
WATERMELONS!
Like I mentioned before, I am CRAZY about
watermelons, but this cat might have even ME beat.
HILARIOUS!
I can’t end this MUSE without sharing the world’s
largest watermelon. Lloyd Bright of Arkadelphia, Arkansas holds this record for
growing a 268.8 pound watermelon in 2005.
Here’s another quick fact: Early explorers used
watermelons as canteens.
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| Yellow Watermelon Photo by: Le Mai |
Okay, one more: The rind of the watermelon is often
pickled. Maybe this is because watermelons are the cucumber’s cousin.
Here’s one for the road: There are hundreds of
watermelon varieties, but there are five common types: Seeded, Seedless, Mini,
Yellow, and Orange.
With this new knowledge, what kind of story could
you write? Maybe these WHAT IF questions will help you get started.
WHAT IF there was a PLANET WATERMELON?
WHAT IF the seeds of the watermelon were creatures
and they turned their watermelon into a SPACESHIP?
WHAT IF your main character lived on a watermelon
farm? What if he/she grew a watermelon that would not stop growing?
The possibilities are endless, and please leave your
own what if questions in the comment section below. I’d love to see what you
come up with.
So, grab a cup of hot cocoa, a pencil and a piece of
paper, and let’s begin. With your imagination, we can go anywhere. I look
forward to seeing where you take us.
With Imagination,
Professor Watermelon
The word of the day is “canteen”. Here is the
definition: a small container used especially by soldiers and hikers for
carrying water or other liquids.
~what if watermelons were green on the inside and red on the outside?
ReplyDelete~what if watermelons had wings?
~what if watermelons had blue seeds?
~what if only one watermelon grew a year?
~what if watermelons were rare?
~what if watermelons was a name of a planet?
~what if watermelons had eyes?
~what if watermelons could sing?
~what if watermelons could play sports?
~what if watermelons wore clothes?
~what if watermelons were as hard as a rock?
~what if watermelons didn't need sunlight or water to grow?
~what if watermelons was made out of paper?
~what if watermelons could eat things?
~what if watermelons were grew on a tree?
~what if watermelons had phones?
~what if watermelons were top secret cameras?
~what if watermelons brought people home?
~what if watermelons made people rich?
~what if watermelons were always rotten?
~achir
What if watermelons could fly? What if watermelons could change color? What if watermelons could eat people? What if watermelons had special powers? What if watermelons could talk? What if watermelons had faces? What if watermelons didn't have water in them? What if watermelons could play board games? What if watermelons only had two seeds? What if watermelons could play soccer? What if watermelons could play basketball? What if watermelons were not edible? What if watermelons had teeth? What if watermelons went to school? What if a watermelon was a rare fruit? What if people changed into watermelons? What if watermelons had technology? What if watermelons lived in houses? What if a watermelon could read? What if a watermelon typed this?
ReplyDelete~Lord Cheescake
1.What if watermelons were colorful?
ReplyDelete2.What if watermelons were rotten?
3.What if watermelons grew on bushes?
4.What if watermelons could eat?
5.What if watermelons became rich?
6.What if watermelons grew on a tree?
7.What if watermelons had phones?
8.What if watermelons had a house?
9.What if watermelons had magical powers?
10.What if watermelons could talk?
11.What if watermelons could sing?
12.What if watermelons grew without water or sunlight?
13.What id watermelons had eyes?
14.What if watermelons could teach?
15.What if watermelons wore cloths?
16.What if watermelons made stuff?
17.What if watermelons had a family?
18.What if watermelons could eat?
19.What if watermelons were a top secret spy?
20.What if watermelons had jobs?
-Queen Puppy Lover
1.what if watermelons were really a dog
ReplyDelete2.what if your house was really a watermelon
3.what if watermelons were alive
4.what if they sounded like dogs
5.what if you ate a watermelon seed and a watermelon started to grow in you
6.what if when you ate a bite it came alive and danced on your tongue
7.what if watermelons were a cup
8.what if a watermelon could fly
9.what if you had a watermelon crayon
10. what if a watermelon exploded and turned into a brick
11.what if you were really a talking and walking watermelon
12.what if a watermelon stole the flag
13.what if a watermelon is writing this
14.what if a giant watermelon was a playground
15.what if a watermelon wore a wig
16.what if a watermelon was a cook
17.what if when a watermelon fell in the trash it attacked you
19.what if a watermelon was the queen
20.what if it ruled the universe
-miss watermelon