Pony News, Views and Attitudes Vol. 1 Number 40 April 21-27, 2008

New Pony Pal from Australia! Meet Aurora and Rocket on page 3

Sap to Syrup - Sugaring Season Winds Down Around New England, for the past few weeks there has been a sweet smell in the air. As the weather warms each spring, sap begins to flow up into the area's sugar maple trees and the maple syrup season starts. A year’s harvest of maple syrup is gathered during three weeks each spring. As temperatures rise above freezing during the day but drop below freezing at night, farmers put taps into their trees to collect the tree sap, then boil it down to make syrup. Maple Hill Farm, owned by the Morse family, collects sap the old fashioned way, using horses. They tap about 700 maple trees to make 200 gallons of syrup each year. They also milk about 30 cows. "Our small, diversified farm is far from famous. In the wintertime we cut logs and firewood from our 350 acres," Terry Morse said. "Each summer we bale about 8000 extra bales of hay to sell to local horse owners." Sugaring Season Winds Down continued on page 2 Percheron mares Gesse' and Mandy, Elizabeth G. and her cousins Steve and Terry Morse of Maple Hill Farm

Wiggins Weekly Survey What's your favorite kind of adventure? · Help other people · Solve problems · Help animals · Ride pony to see someone · Ride pony to go somewhere Vote at http://www.clubponypals.com _________________________________________________________ LAST WEEK'S SURVEY RESULTS What kind of pony do you want? 398 Shetland 391 Welsh/Connemara 404 Quarter Pony http://www.aqpa.com/ 363 Pony of Americas 390 Don't care as long as I get a pony

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Pony News, Views and Attitudes Vol. Number 40 April 21-27, 2008

Sugaring Season Winds Down Continued from page 1 Cathy Morse being watched by Samantha as she pours sugar maple sap into a collection tank Steve Morse and Samantha riding a sugar maple sap tank from the woods to the sugar shack . Pulling are Gesse' and her daughter Mandy "We also raise, train and sell Morgan-Percheron crosses as saddle or carriage horses, " Terry continued. "We use the horses to pull our sap collection tank." "We make a new hole in the maple trees each year, in healthy wood," Terry explained. "Each time you tap, it kills a small spot in the tree, so you don't want to take too much from any one tree. We stopped collecting sap on Wednesday." People can mail order maple syrup from the Morse family. (Parents, this is a real place). Their syrup is $40 a gallon, $23 a half gallon plus $10 in shipping. Send orders to: Terry Morse, Maple Hill Farm, 40 Maple Hill Lane, Whitingham, VT 05361. For more information call (802) 368-7763.

Readers want to know: · Where is Wiggins located? Garland · One more thing - is Wiggins a real place?  Where is it located? Meredith · I was wondering where Wiggins is? My uncle is in Seattle so we might be visiting him. Is Seattle near Wiggins? If it is close to Seattle we would like to come and visit. pony pal, Kayla from New Zealand Dear Garland, Meredith and Kayla, Seattle is on the West Coast of America, across the Pacific Ocean from New Zealand. Wiggins is in New England, which is about 3000 miles across the United States from Seattle. Stories in this e-newsletter are based on Jeanne Betancourt's books, so … Jeanne Betancourt writes: As a kid I spent a lot of time on my neighbor's farm. I loved the big animals and wished I could ride the horses. …When my editor at Scholastic asked me if I would like to write a series of six books about girls and their ponies.  I immediately said, "Yes!" Three girls on three ponies, I thought, can have loads of adventures. I also liked the idea of writing books about the same characters. I remember the day I made up the main characters for the series. I was walking on a country road in New England. First, I decided that the Pony Pals would be strong, smart, independent, kind, and fun-loving. Then I gave them their names: Pam, Anna, and Lulu. I wanted the first letters of their first names to spell PAL and they do. I also decided that the Pony Pals should live in a small town like the one I grew up in. It would be a place that had a lot of good riding trails. Another idea I had that day was that the girls should be able to ride to one another's houses. When I came home from my walk I drew a map of Wiggins and decided where each girl and pony would live.

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Pony News, Views and Attitudes Vol. 1 Number 40 April 21-27, 2008

Letters

Hi. I am aurora and I am eight and I ride a horse called Rocket. I love your good pony pals books. My favourite person is Pam and my favourite horse is Acorn. From Aurora in Australia _____________ One more question -- Do I qualify as a Pony Pal? Kayla _____________ Hi am 10 years old and in fifth grade. I love the Pony Pals. I want to read the whole series. I feel like when I am reading the book I am a pony pal. V _____________ Dear pony pals      Hi my name is Mary and I'm 8 years old. I love horses and I take lessons on horses and pony. I really do love them both. I enjoy your books there so cool I love then and I have a lot. I've always wanted to meet the pony pals. I hope someday I do. I want them to E-mail me back if they can. Maybe we can be pen pals. p; p; so long. Mary

Webmaster, More of our Pony Pals have letters written but they're in need of editing before we send them.  Stay tuned for more notes. Before we vote on our favorite ponies, we're searching the Internet to find out more about them so that we will make good decisions when we vote. We'll get back to you ASAP with our votes. Mrs. S. & Pony Pals NB Elementary School Dear Pony Pals Kayla, Aurora, V, Mary, Mrs. S and the NB Elementary students -- Thanks so much for all your letters. Whenever the Pony Pals e-mailbox has a letter from a reader in it, everyone smiles here at the "Weekly" offices. Everyone is welcome to join Club Pony Pals! Once you sign up for the newsletter you are in the Club, where you get special benefits and can write directly to Pam, Anna and Lulu. You can read their responses in this e-newsletter. Other members of the club look forward to hearing more about your adventures, both on and off a horse. Write and tell us about anything you find interesting, or send in your drawings. This is the place to share your love of the Pony Pals with other friends who love ponies as much as you do here. Stay in touch. We are glad to have you in the Club! Editor, Wiggins Weekly

Pony Pals Thought for the Day - - by Mary Twelveponies

A pony doesn't take advantage of your fear.

It takes advantage of your indecision.

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Pony News, Views and Attitudes Vol. 1 Number 40 April 21-27, 2008

Pony Pal Letters to Anna Dear Anna, This is Meredith.  How are you doing?  I'm reading Pony to the Rescue.  It is a good book. I have a lot of horses.  My horses' names are Dolly and Pants. Have a good day.  Tell Acorn I said, "hello." Your friend, Meredith P.S.  Mrs. S scanned the picture I drew for you. _________________ Dear Pony Pal Meredith, Wow, you are sure lucky to have two horses! Draw or take a picture of them and I will share it with Club Pony Pals.

Hi Anna I wanted to tell you that when I see your  drawing I say wow!!  Oh and I just wanted   to ask if you could tell me how you take care of Acorn.  Thanks. Pony pal   Isabelle Dear Pony Pal Isabelle Its great you like my drawing. My tutor says I am really smart even though it is hard for me to read and do math. She said my drawings are one way she knew that. If you want to draw better you need to draw every day for practice. Taking care of a pony is not too hard. You do the same things every day. First thing in the morning I go out and give Acorn and Snow White some hay and a handful of oats. Each pony gets their own feed in a pile. When I get home from school I go out and give them an apple or carrot. I tie them up and then I take a cart and pick up all their pony plops. That plop all goes into a big plastic container we take over to Nelson's Farm for composting. Every day I clean their feet. Then if Lulu and I are going to ride we brush both ponies until they are shiny and saddle them up. We brush them again after we ride. About dinner time we give Acorn and Snow White another feeding of hay and oats. I like to check on them just before I go to bed. Sometimes I put on a coat and boots over my pj's if its cold. I take out another apple or carrot and say good night to Acorn. That's all there is to it. Pony Pals,

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Pony News, Views and Attitudes Vol. 1 Number 40 April 21-27, 2008

Pony Pal Letters to Lulu Hi Lulu My name is Olivia and if I had a favorite pet that I have already have it would be our Bokboks (chickens). Return this e-mail Sincerely, Olivia Dear Olivia Your chickens sound fun! Where are you from or what kind of chickens are they that you call them Bokboks? Can you send me a picture? When I visited my Dad in Africa, there people had a kind of chicken called a guinea hen. It is speckled and makes a kind of "ding-tock" sound when it gets scared. Is that the kind of chicken you have? Let me know. Lulu _______________________________ Dear Lulu, Thank you for putting our picture in the Wiggins Weekly.  We are sharing it in our classroom.  Thank you for sharing our banner.  We love your books.   Love, Garland Lulu, My name is Kayla. You are my favorite character in the Pony Pal books. Kayla Dear Garland and Kayla It's always great to hear from new friends. I'm a little shy about being anybody's favorite anything, though I'm glad to have another Pony Pal in our Club. Write back about your adventures, Your Pony Pal, Lulu

New This Week In The Pony Pal Art Gallery Black Beauty and Miracle by Allison, age 8

Send in your drawings or letters to the Wiggins Weekly 1665 Soledad Canyon Rd. #382 Canyon Country, CA 91387 email WebMaster@clubponypals.com