RAE BROTHERS MAGAZINE—WINTER 2022
2— Letter from the editor 3 — All About Duck Tolling Retrievers 4 — All About Australian Shepherds 5 — The Rae Fellas Go To New York City 10 —Photo wall 15 — Washington State Bird Crossword Puzzle 16 — Podcast Review, READERS WRITE & NUMBERS 17 — GUEST POSTS 23 — Aunt Jodi Interview 24 —Percy’s Guide to Winter 25 —Chicken Squad: The Case of the Missing Chicken Scratch
Letter from the editors Hi everyone! We’re super excited to share this issue with you. It has a few new components that we think you are going to love! But don’t worry, all of the elements you know, and love, are still included. Here’s a list of few new things: - Guest posts! - Podcast reviews - Dog breed highlights - NYC travelogue And, there’s more! We had so much fun collaborating on guest posts in this issue that we have decided to add a Readers Write section to the Rae Brothers Magazine. Each issue we’ll be taking submissions on a specific topic. Find more details about the new Readers Write section on page 16. Finally, before we sign off, we want to mention that we are switching to publishing three times a year. We are making the change so that we can improve quality and content AND so that we can write longer and more detailed stories! Get in touch and let us know what your favorite part of the magazine is at abelfrederickrae@gmail.com. We hope to see your submissions for the Readers Write Section in the coming months!
Thanks for reading,
Abel, Waylon & Jenny Rae
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History • Bred to employ an ingenious hunting method. They imitate a fox, with their color and quick movements. This scares the waterfowl who then take flight and move within gun shot range. • Breed name comes from the Middle English word “tollen”, meaning to “lure” or “summon” Bred in the 19th century
Duck Tolling Retriever
Good with other dogs and young children Very playful and highly trainable High energy!
The smallest AKC retriever. Tollers have a trademark coat of stunning crimson, ranging from golden red to a dark coppery color, with white markings. Almond-shaped eyes Size- 35-50 pounds Height- 17-20”
Appearance
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Traits • • •
Behavior • Highly trainable • First class snuggler • Extremely playful & energetic
Traits • Height- 18-23” • Weight- 40-65 pounds • Physical appearance- Keen, penetrating gaze; varying coats, including merle (a mottled pattern with contrasting shades of blue or red).
Australian Shepard
History The Australian Shepherd bred started in the Pyrenees Mountains, where the Basques built their centuries-old reputation as world-class shepherds. In the early 1800’s many Basques, with their faithful dogs, sailed to Australia, a paradise for sheep herders. While in Australia the Basques continued to refine the breed, crossing them with Collies and Border Collies. They eventually set sail again, this time for California. Once in California, ranchers there admired the dogs and assumed they were Australian therefore adopting the name Australian Shepherd. Today, Australian Shepherds work as rodeo dogs, therapy dogs, drug detectors, service dogs, and search-and-rescue dogs.
New York City Travelogue by wfr & afr
In December 2021 we went to New York (NYC) to visit museums, see two of our dad’s good friends and eat yummy food!!! It was a jam-packed visit. In the pages that follow you’ll see random receipts, ticket stubs from museums, metro cards and more. We also put together a special photo wall for our New York trip. We had so much fun in New York, if you haven’t been we recommend going!
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Clockwise, from top left: Waylon, Ian and Abel posing with a disarmed, nuclear missile at the Intrepid; Waylon trying the Enigma Machine at the Spy Museum in NYC; Waylon giving Abel a squeeze in front of meteor at the Museum of Natural History; posing at the museum sign; and inside the Museum of Natural History and spending time at the 9/11 Memorial.
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Clockwise, from top left: Abel on the Submarine Growler in NYC; Ian, Waylon and Abel in Times Square; Waylon facing down a lion helm in the Metropolitan Museum; Abel and Waylon at the Met discussing medieval armor; and Abel looking at the revolver display also at the Met.
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Clockwise, from top left: Abel climbing in Tieton, Washington; building a fire and carving at Guemes Island Resort; Abel and Waylon braving the freezing sea off of Guemes Island; warming back up after jumping in the ocean; and a view of Mt. Baker from the Park Butte Trail.
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Clockwise, from top left: Waylon is stoked in Red Rocks; Ian squeezing through a canyon in Red Rocks; Waylon climbing at Civilization crag in Red Rocks; another deep canyon in Red Rocks, heading to Romper room; Abel and Jenny at the top of Chips and Salsa in Red Rocks and heading back to the car after a day of climbing, in the dark.
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Clockwise, from top left: Waylon at the Park Butte Lookout trying out the Lightening Stool; Abel doing the same; Abel, Waylon and Yoshi trail running at Galbraith; Halloween at the Rae house, complete with a Pika, Helmer the Black from the Green Ember book series, a dragonfly and Ken Rae costumes; and Maddie, Yoshi, Abel and Waylon trail running in the 100 Acre Woods in Bellingham.
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Birds of Washington State
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Homeschool History podcast review By Abel Rae Homeschool History podcast is a history podcast that covers a broad range of topics, ranging from Charles Dickens to the Space Race. In each episode the host tells the story behind an event, or person. He also inserts silly quips, songs and his own opinions! One of my favorite parts of the podcast is the quiz at the end of every episode. The host asks five questions about the topic and then shares the answers. It’s a fun way to test yourself. I like the podcast because it is informative and interesting. It is also funny! One of my favorite combinations. As I mentioned in the description it also has a broad range of topics, which I appreciate. A few of my favorite episodes are about Mary Anning and Florence Nightingale who are both fascinating! Sadly, the host is no longer making Homeschool History episodes. However, he also hosts “You’re Dead to Me,” another history podcast. I haven’t listened to it yet, maybe I’ll share a review of it in the next issue.
NUMBERS 22% of life on earth is beetles 850x Rhinoceros beetles can lift 850x their own weight 350,000 number of beetles species on earth 10,800 number of bird species in the world 4.5 billion roughly the age of planet earth 40,000 years ago, humans were creating musical instruments 64,000 years, first weapons were made 300+ number of dog breeds in the world 73 number of cat breeds in the world ~500 estimated number of chicken breeds in the world
Readers Write
In the Readers Write section of the Rae Brothers Magazine we invite readers to submit a nonfiction piece of writing (or art) about a pre-selected topic. All submissions will be considered for publication. There is no word limit, however we ask writers to be mindful of the length of their piece as we self-publish our magazine and printing is expensive! The next topic is Summer. All submissions must be received no later than June 1st, in PDF format. Please send your submissions, as well as any questions you may have, to abelfrederickrae@gmail.com.
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Frankie, Coco, and Mitzi by Dennis Whitcomb
Three of our pets passed away last summer. To us, they were family members, almost like people. Here are their obituaries. Mitzie was a farm cat, the best one we’ve ever had. She was wily. Dogs would run at her at full speed and she wouldn’t move. They would always end up running past her. Sometimes, she would even chase them. When she was young, her favorite thing was to ride around on your shoulder, or even your head, as you walked around. Even after she got a bit older, she would frequently come on walks with the dogs. She liked to run ahead, and sit on the top of fenceposts. Coco was the first dog Dennis ever had. He got her in 2008, a few months before he met Maria. Coco was part Husky and always liked to pull. She was just doing her job! We were her people. One day, she did something extraordinary. We say that she “earned her kibbles for life” that day. Maria was home sick at the farm, groggy and half-asleep on the couch. Someone came to the house, but they didn’t go to the front. Instead, they knocked on the back door. Coco made a noise Maria has never heard before or since, something loud and deep, somewhere between a growl and a bark. It could only be described as ferocious. Maria got up to see what was wrong and just barely caught a glimpse of a person walking away from the back of the house. They got into an old Honda and drove away. Maria is sure Coco scared off a would-be-burglar that day. Coco also liked to chase cats. She once even got in a fight with our cat Millie! But, when she got older, she mellowed out. She became friends with Millie and, towards the end, she was best friends with our kitten Panther. We got Frankie in the summer of 2009, about a year after we met. He was very special. And so smart! When we first got him, he didn’t know how to sit; but it only took about five minutes for him to learn. He had two speeds: zero and the lightning speed. He liked to chase birds and laser pointer dots, and he especially liked to ride in the car. He would jump in the air to try to catch birds way up on the electrical lines. He liked the laser pointer so much, he would wait in the same spot for hours waiting for it to come back, so we had to stop using it. One day he even got in our friend's car and refused to get out when they were ready to go home! We all got a good laugh that day. He loved car rides, but he’d fall asleep as soon as we started driving. He was also a great snuggler and couch partner who always kept us warm. In his later years he did a great job of protecting the farm from bicyclists and the mail delivery person. He scared them away every time, with a perfect record of all wins and no losses. Even after Frankie had a stroke, all he wanted was to be near us. He managed to stay around a couple months after his stroke, much longer than anyone expected. We miss him very much, along with Mitzie and Coco.
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Family interview questions Interview subject- Aunt Jodi Interviewer- Abel Rae 1. Did you have pets when you were a kid? If so, what pets did you have? We had a lot of pet dogs. My dog’s name was Zinna. She was a Golden Retriever. We also had a dog named Zak, he was a mutt, part Cocker Spaniel. I also had two horses. One named Dilly and another named Reno. Reno was a tall, grey gelding and Dilly was a silly, bay colored Arabian. My favorite pig ever was named Gill. She was a beautiful, deep red color and really sassy! 2. Tell me about an interesting place you have lived or traveled to. A couple of years ago I went to Bolivia with some friends. While I was there, I stayed in Sucre, it was at 9,153 feet! The language in Bolivia is Spanish, which I studied in college. A friend of mine worked at a restaurant in the city, so we ate there often! There were so many potatoes, but not many fresh vegetables. The water wasn’t safe to drink out of the tap, so everything had to be cooked. Even while I showered, I had to be careful to not get water in my mouth! 3. Did you like school? I loved college, not so much elementary school and high school. 4. What was your favorite subject in school, why was it your favorite? My favorite subjects were writing and English class. I enjoyed being creative. 5. What activities did you enjoy as a kid and why? I loved riding horses. We had a lot of freedom to go where we wanted. Our horses were also our friends, so we had a lot of fun riding them. 6. Tell me about your brothers and sisters. I have two sisters, Jesika and Jenny. We’re all very close. 7. What is your favorite holiday and why? I love Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite because I get to see friends and family and it’s a beautiful part of the year. I also enjoy cooking, which makes it even more fun! 8. What is your favorite food? Mexican food is my favorite! 9. Tell me about some of your hobbies. I enjoy hiking, quilting (making blankets) and gardening. 10. What is one of your favorite books or podcasts. I really enjoy a podcast called, “Dare to Lead” with Brene Brown. I recently read The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris; it was really good.
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It was a normal day in Peckingwood. The Chicken Squad were pecking around. The sun was shining, the birds where chirping; in short it was an average, idyllic day in Peckingwood. Suddenly, an alarmed “Bakok” came out of the chicken coop. The entire flock rushed into the coop. Snowy was staring at the feeder, it was empty!!! Amid the chorus of clucks, bakoks and bocks Dragon crows, “To the Tactical Planning Room!” The Chicken Squad clustered arounds a large, steel table in the main Tactical Planning Room. “The food went missing around 1400,” said Dragon, “This is the fourth occurrence in four days!” “All of the other heists occurred in the dead of night. Does anyone have any ideas about how to prevent this from happening again?” Vanilla raised a wing. “Yes,” said Dragon. “I’ve developed a device that can track, record and photograph enemy equipment, bases, and such. Additionally, my newest device can pick locks, hack computers and can completely fry any computer system within a quarter mile radius. Plus, it’s remote controlled and the size of a grain of rice.” The chickens clucked excitedly among themselves. “I concur” said Cheeks “additionally my unit could gather intel” “very well” said dragon “meeting concluded”
Vanilla and her team of highly trained chickens began gathering counterintelligence immediately. Their first stop was Pumpkin, the cat’s house. When they knocked on the door Pumpkin popped his head out. Pumpkin was a small, friendly, orange tabby cat. A delicious aroma wafted out of his home. “Hi ladies,” he said, “What can I help you with?” “We are wondering if you have seen any suspicious activity,” asked Vanilla. “I saw a long tail disappear into the bushes just after midnight last night,” Pumpkin told the ladies. “It was in the bushes south of my house, moving very quickly. I also heard an unfamiliar alarm just after the long tail disappeared.” “Thanks,” said Vanilla, “That’s really helpful information.” Many of the animals the ladies questioned had also seen evidence of some sort of rodent in recent days, including pawprints, damaged plants and several chewed up planks.
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The Chicken Squad regrouped in the main tactical planning room. “Many of the animals we questioned saw evidence of suspicious rodent activity, “Vanilla told them. She laid out several indistinct, blurry photos and several evidence bags. “Any ideas,” asked Dragon? “I know,” Creamy exclaimed, “It’s a rat!” “Hmmm….,” said Vanilla, “I think you may be right.” “I think I’m right too,” said Creamy! “Very well,” Dragon replied. “Cheeks, prepare your team for battle, we need to be ready for an attack. Vanilla, you and your team prepare the surveillance equipment. And, as for me, I am going to get myself a strong shot of strong cluckspresso,” Dragon declared. Cheeks and Vanilla both saluted and headed out the door to follow Dragon’s orders. Several hours later, as Cheeks and her team were preparing for an almost certain battle a security chicken rushed in. “We have a situation. The rats have infiltrated the yard.” “Copy that,” said Cheeks. She strapped on her chest plate and grabbed a dart rifle, simulatenously instructing her until to do the same.
TO BE CONTINUED
