3 Treemendous

TREEMENDOUS Diary of a Not Yet Mighty Oak

YEAR 1, DAY 1 APRIL 5 Hello, world! They say that from the smallest acorn, the mightiest oak tree grows. I hope that's true.

YEAR 2 • APRIL 5 I'm turning one today! Oh, how I wish to be a tree like all my relatives in the forest. That's my grandmother over there. And those are my aunts and uncles. Of course, there are other families in the forest, too, like: the Walnuts (they're a little nutty, if you ask me), the Florals (which have a certain buzz about them), and the Pines (that one family who always goes overboard with Christmas decorations). Though the forest is filled with trees, I mainly hang out with my brothers and sisters. We're just an average family-all 10,000 of us. My twigmates and I are especially close sometimes too close. Ugh, scootch over!

SEPTEMBER 22 It's getting cooler. One by one— plink!—my brothers and sisters fall, until finally... Whee! It's myyyyyy tuuuuuurn! Um, now what? SEPTEMBER 24 By Mom's side, we have it made in the shade! But each of us must find our own place in the sun.

OCTOBER 10 I catch a ride with a furry friend. NOVEMBER 1 Oh, no! I've lost my cap. And where is that squirrel, anyway? It hid me and then never came back. Worst game of hide-and-seek ever! Sigh. Might as well snuggle in and catch some ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZS.

YEAR 3 • MARCH 23 I'm rested and ready for spring. In fact, I'm bursting with energy! Whoa! I did it! I sprouted! Root? Check. Stem? Check. Leaves? Check. Check. Check. Hey, I'm growing right next to Grandma. And one of the Pine seedlings. The three of us spend our days soaking up the sun! Ah, that's the stuff!