Once Upon A Time - tell a story game.......

[Annie]

Once Upon A Time - tell a story game.......

Not sure how this will go, we may need to improvise if it takes off....

I will do the first two "stories" to give you an idea, ending each with a question for the next person to answer and follow up with a few lines to continue the story.

 

[Annie]

Once Upon A Time there was a family that lived in a city, mom and dad, a boy and a girl.

As the family grew they outgrew their city apartment and needed a larger home.

The question was WHERE would they move to?

 

[Annie]

Dad had a good job in the city so another question was, could he find a job outside of the city if they decided to leave.

Housing in the city was more expensive than what the family could find in the country. Would Dad have to train for a different job if they moved to the country?

Would Mom have to work outside the home?

 

[ChildofLight]

Mom will be a homemaker and teacher to their homeschooled children. She will also have a garden providing food for the family as well as teaching the children about gardening, and taking care of a few animals. It is a learning experience for all and also the joy of working together making memories.
What job did dad take?

 

[Annie]

Mom will be a homemaker and teacher to their homeschooled children. She will also have a garden providing food for the family as well as teaching the children about gardening, and taking care of a few animals. It is a learning experience for all and also the joy of working together making memories.
What job did dad take?

Dad had been an architect in the city. It was a bit of a challenge at first for him to find a new trade in the country. But not for long. He was hired by a construction company that was just starting out and before long he became the manager.
The family was enjoying life in the country and the children were enjoying farm life and taking care of the animals and getting involved in 4H.
What kinds of animals were they raising?

 

[Annie]

Mom will be a homemaker and teacher to their homeschooled children. She will also have a garden providing food for the family as well as teaching the children about gardening, and taking care of a few animals. It is a learning experience for all and also the joy of working together making memories.
What job did dad take?

Feel free to jump in with the next chapter if you'd like to!

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

The children were raising bison for meat and hides, alpacas for fur, and chickens for eggs and meat. Because they were Green Bay Packers fans, they picked Olive Egger chickens and Cuckoo Marans chickens so they would get green and "gold" eggs. When the parents found out there were wolves, coyotes, bear, mountain lions, raccoons, and other predators in the area, and couldn't make up their minds which livestock guardian dogs to get, they got two Caucasian Ovcharka guardian dogs and two Komondor guardian dogs. Since there was a male and female of each breed, inevitably, there were puppies. Fortunately the parents knew what they were doing and kept the two breeds' females away from the "wrong" males when they needed to.

EDITED TO ADD: The male Komondor was named Tangle and the female was named Snarl. The male Caucasian Ovcharka was named Bear and the female was named Fuzzy.

Life is never boring on the farm. One day, the little girl climbed on a sleeping bison. Startled, the bison woke up and stood up. The little girl was now over six feet in the air! The rest of the bison herd was now looking at the funny hump that was laughing and giggling.

What happened next?

. . . and which breed of dogs had puppies first? How many? Which child raised and trained which breed of puppy for 4H?

 

[Annie]

The children were raising bison for meat and hides, alpacas for fur, and chickens for eggs and meat. Because they were Green Bay Packers fans, they picked Olive Egger chickens and Cuckoo Marans chickens so they would get green and "gold" eggs. When the parents found out there were wolves, coyotes, bear, mountain lions, raccoons, and other predators in the area, and couldn't make up their minds which livestock guardian dogs to get, they got two Caucasian Ovcharka guardian dogs and two Komondor guardian dogs. Since there was a male and female of each breed, inevitably, there were puppies. Fortunately the parents knew what they were doing and kept the two breeds' females away from the "wrong" males when they needed to.

One day, the little girl climbed on a sleeping bison. Startled, the bison woke up and stood up. The little girl was now over feet in the air! The rest of the bison herd was now looking at the funny hump that was laughing and giggling.

What happened next?

. . . and which breed of dogs had puppies first? How many? Which child raised and trained which breed of puppy for 4H?

Awesome chapter

 

[Annie]

The children were raising bison for meat and hides, alpacas for fur, and chickens for eggs and meat. Because they were Green Bay Packers fans, they picked Olive Egger chickens and Cuckoo Marans chickens so they would get green and "gold" eggs. When the parents found out there were wolves, coyotes, bear, mountain lions, raccoons, and other predators in the area, and couldn't make up their minds which livestock guardian dogs to get, they got two Caucasian Ovcharka guardian dogs and two Komondor guardian dogs. Since there was a male and female of each breed, inevitably, there were puppies. Fortunately the parents knew what they were doing and kept the two breeds' females away from the "wrong" males when they needed to.

EDITED TO ADD: The male Komondor was named Tangle and the female was named Snarl. The male Caucasian Ovcharka was named Bear and the female was named Fuzzy.

Life is never boring on the farm. One day, the little girl climbed on a sleeping bison. Startled, the bison woke up and stood up. The little girl was now over six feet in the air! The rest of the bison herd was now looking at the funny hump that was laughing and giggling.

What happened next?

. . . and which breed of dogs had puppies first? How many? Which child raised and trained which breed of puppy for 4H?

(this was a hard "act" aka chapter to follow, hopefully my brain is now AWAKE enough for a follow up)

Lillie, the little girl, was born an Amazon, fearless. She didn't realize this could be a not-good-place to be: atop a bison!

Fortunately for Lillie this bison herd is docile and the babies have been handled by the family from birth.

Her brother Billy is out in a nearby field helping the farm hands get the hay in and sees his sister. He and one of the hands are able to get Lillie safely down.

The Komondors are the first to have a litter and there are 8 healthy pups. Billy is 10 years old now and will be raising a male puppy he keeps, Bangle, to show in 4H.

Lillie feels left out and has been begging for a pony of her own.

What happened next?

. . . will the parents get Lillie her pony? What breed?

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Eight Caucasian Ovcharka puppies were born two days after the Komondors, The fourteen puppies not being kept had sale contracts with other nearby farms and ranches, and deposits within a week, with payment and pick-up scheduled for when the puppies were 8-9 weeks old. The Veterinarian, Dr. Doolittle, was very pleased with the health, growth, and temperaments of all the puppies, and the conditions of the mothers, Fuzzy and Snarl. Dr. Doolittle did caution that the two retained puppies would need adult supervision because the breeds were large, strong, sometimes stubborn, and could be dangerous as adults if not properly trained, but also stated both puppies would get along with each other and be very protective, like their parents, if they were trained and supervised properly, starting immediately.

Lillie, Billy's twin sister, is raising the retained female Caucasian Ovcharka puppy that she named Tribble, and is also in the 4H program, Little does she know that this "tribble" will get as nearly as large as the pony she wanted. The parents, Xian and Zach, decided adding a pony was far too much responsibility and work for Lillie since she already had school, chores, 4H, and the responsibility for Tribble, and Tribble was going to need a lot of attention and training, including some from the adults. Although Lillie was initially disappointed, she agreed it was only fair to give each animal the time he or she needed. This was reinforced later that day when it took Lillie three tries to get Tribble washed, and another hour after the bath to get the bathroom cleaned up, the towels put into the washing machine, and all of the implements cleaned and put away. Billy saw the problems Lillie was having and after talking with her, the two of them agreed in the future to work together to wash the dogs and clean up afterwards.

The night the last of the puppies all went to their new homes, and the dinner table was cleared, Xian and Zach talked to Billy and Lillie about finances and stewardship. The parents showed the children how much money was brought in from the sale of the puppies, the costs incurred (including purchase and care of Tangle, Snarl, Bear, and Fuzzy, and the two litters), and what was left. Although not a lot, there was enough for the ten percent tithe on the gross receipts with some left over. When asked, Billy and Lillie both agreed that a savings account for each of the puppies to cover 4H-related costs was appropriate. They also wanted to give a small donation to the local animal rescue.

One Sunday, during live streaming of the service, which was necessary due to wuhan virus, the Pastor announced there would be an outdoor service every Sunday at 10, and congregants could bring their dogs, as long as they were leashed and cleaned up after. This seemed like a good opportunity to worship and fellowship, so the Johnson family made plans to take Bangle and Tribble with them to church the next week.

The next Sunday, when they got to church, everyone in the congregation turned around and stared at Bangle with Billy and Tribble with Lillie because . . .

Why was the congregation staring?

What happened next?

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

The dogs, although still puppies, were almost as large as the two children, and they were unusual breeds. Additionally, due to the dogs' sizes, much of the congregation was a little apprehensive and scooted away from the aisle. allowing and encouraging the family and the dogs to sit right up front. Billy exclaimed, "Cool!" We actually get to see what's going on for a change!"

After the service a few curious members of the congregation came over to the Johnsons and asked questions about the two breeds. Pastor Nelson came over as well. He said since the dogs were so unusual and attracted attention, and were well-behaved, they would be a good way to approach people about Christ. The Pastor gave Xian and Zach one of his cards and told them there was an evangelism program that used dogs that the family might be interested in, and to call him for more information.

What happened next?

Did they parents call the Pastor? Did they join the evangelism group?

What was the construction company building? What was going on on the farm?

 

[Annie]

The parents did call Pastor Nelson and left a message ... but he didn't call them back (yet).

The construction company was busy building farm buildings and barns. 50% of their business came from constructing animal shelters and "tiny houses" which could be used for people OR animals. These were very popular and the company had to contract out to keep up with the demands......

Back on the farm, the parents are expecting their third child!

What happened next?

Is the 3rd child a boy, a girl, twins, triplets???

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Since not knowing the genders of their twins had worked so well, Zach and Xian decided they don't want to know the gender(s) before birth, but they were excited to find out they're going to have twins again. Lillie and Billy got into a huge fight over whether the babies would be boys or girls, and who they would like better, so they were restricted to the inside of the house except for chores and taking their dogs out to pee and poo. Naturally, both dogs had to pee and poo a lot more than usual.

After a lot of hard work and overtime, Zach finally landed the contract for the new University Extension building. In appreciation, the owner of the construction company gave Zach a nice bonus, with a promise of three times that amount once construction was completed and the company paid.

Zach and Xian called Pastor Nelson, but he was out visiting and serving Holy Communion to the home-bound church members, so they left a message.

How much was the bonus? What did Zach and Xian decide to do with it? What's going to be in the new University Extension building?

How long will Billy and Lillie be on restriction?