Breaking news! This week, Comet NEOWISE came to Seattle, or at least has been visible in Seattle! It will be visible for a few weeks only. After this, it won't come back to earth for more than 6,000 years! A comet is a big rock, sometimes called a "dirty snowball", that travels around the universe. We went onto our deck to look at it. I mostly only saw it with binoculars and the telescope, but even though it was tricky at first, I got a glimpse of it. It looked like someone had taken a white pen, drew a dot in the sky, and made a smudge. Seeing it made me feel kind of small. The universe is so big and we're only a tiny part of it. My stuffed animals Penny, Mew-sue, Shy Guy, Fluff, and Cinnamon thought it sounded amazing. Penny even got to see it! Grandpa Tom got a nice shot from their deck as well.

Photo credit: Grandpa Tom #

aka Comet Fun Facts #

What's it made of? Ice, dust, and gas.

How many tails does it have? Usually two, but sometimes THREE though we can't see the third one with the naked eye

Why can we see it? Because it is going towards the sun.

Where is it going?
I have no idea!

This 4th of July, we were able to do what we usually do on this holiday. Except there was actually MORE stuff rather than less stuff (which is unlike how most things are these days). We always do stomp rockets and pop-its. Just last year we added sparklers but then this year for my birthday, I got rocket copters from my great-aunt and uncle. When it got dark we did gold and neon sparklers. However, the sparks of the neon sparklers weren't a different color from the gold ones, they were just painted on the outside. Grandpa Tom got creative and he lit them at each end rather than just at the top so the sparks raced to the middle. Then he lit them at each end AND the middle. They don't last as long that way but it was really cool. We like to do slo-mo videos of the stomp rockets and we got some good ones again this year:

We really like voices in slo-mo because they're hilarious. Speaking of slo-mo, if you're looking for a lot of funny slo-mo videos, check out the Slo-Mo Guys on YouTube (we are not getting paid for this plug--we just love them). We finished up our night with some more of that chocolate chip mint ice cream that we made for my birthday. It was a fun celebration.

On Friday, July 3rd, at 11:00 am, me and my family went to the Zoo. It felt WEIRD to leave West Seattle, ESPECIALY in a pandemic!When we actually got to the Zoo, it was incredible! We got to see a baby giraffe, and small- clawed otters nuzzling each other! We EVEN got to see a red panda bottom, ANDTHERE WERE TORTOISE BABIES AND THEY WERE SMALLER THAN THE FLOWERS THEY WERE EATING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I felt pretty safe, because we were wearing masks.I think we should DEFINITLY go again, because it was really fun.

Dear Badger #

Dear Badger,

I recently started to bake my own oatmeal raisin cookies. I follow the recipe carefully but my cookies seem to always be a bit too crumbly. What should I do keep my cookies sticking together better?

--Crummy Baker

PS--I have no room to bury my cookies in the back yard.

Dear Crummy Baker (or is that CRUMB-y Baker???)

Gluten-free cookies often suffer from crumbliness. Here are a few ideas from the Creative Consultant. Check to see if your 1 to 1 flour has xanthan gum or another binder in it. If it doesn't, consider adding some xanthan gum or psyllium husk to your recipe. Another possibility would be to add some ground flaxseed, which makes an excellent binder and is full of Omega-3s. Also consider using a recipe that was written to be gluten-free--often another baker will have solved the dilemma for you without you needing to fuss too much over it. The Badger herself has her own advice for you, below.

Maybe you should add glue to your recipe, then you can be sure to have them sticking together! Oh, and it's not our fault if it affects the taste. If you want edible glue, trying sticking them together with honey or frosting after they're baked. If all else fails, make a sundae and crumble the cookies on the top

Love, Badger

Some of the characters in this book( and all the other books too) : Uncle Vernon: a big , not- so- brave- when- faced- with- a- giant man. Aunt Petunia: Uncle Vernon' s wife. Likes gardening and spying on her neighbors. Dudley Dursley: Aunt Petunia & Uncle Vernon's spoiled and jerk of a son. Likes pestering Harry , and punching Harry. Also likes pestering Harry, pestering Harry, and punching Harry. Hagrid: awesome giant. Likes Harry, Dumbledore, Harry, and Harry. HATES the Dursleys. Also loves dangerous beasts of all kinds. Dumbledore: Headmaster of Hogwarts. A little bit crazy. Harry Potter: Main character. Likes Hermione, Ron, Hagrid, and Dumbledore. Like Hagrid, he hates the Dursleys. Hermione : one of Harry's friends. AWESOME.
Malfoy: Harry's arch enemy. Likes teasing Harry, and teasing Harry.

To meet all these characters and more, check out: Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, to enter a world of magic and mystery that awaits you!

Chocolate Pudding with Raspberries #

I really love the combination of chocolate and raspberries. And ever since raspberry season started, I have wanted to make this particular recipe originally from Cooks Illustrated . In my personal opinion, it is the best dessert ever, and it comes together very quickly. For me, it took about half an hour to make, and then you just put it in the fridge until you serve it. It is very rich, so I recommend serving it with something like raspberries to offset that. It is also great with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Overall, this recipe is amazing, and I recommend it completely.

—The head reporter

from our co-reporters #

Jokes to laugh by! #

Q. What do you call a canine that lives at the beach?
A. A hotdog.

A. What did the dog say to the bone?
Q. I'm pleased to eat you.

Q. What do you call a Crocodile that likes to bowl?
A. An Alley-Gator.

Q. What did the doughnut say to the loaf of bread?
A. I wish I had as much dough as you.

Q. What do you call an alligator in a vest?
A. An investigator!

Q. How do turtles talk to each other?
A. By using shell phones!

Q. Why are teddy bears never hungry?
A. They are always stuffed!

Q. Why did the spider go to the computer?
A. To check his web site.

--from Grandpa Fred and Grandma Geri

The Daily Birder aka The Daily Ex-Sight-Ment #

What is the official bird of Vancouver, British Columbia? Surprisingly it's the Anna's Hummingbird!

Anna's hummingbirds are eye-catching with their flashing magenta heads and glowing green bodies. In recent decades, they have become year round residents in the Seattle area. In the 1920s Anna's were only seen in Baja California and Southern California. Now their range runs all along the West Coast as far north as British Columbia. Why did these birds expand their range so dramatically? It might be more food from non-native plants in our gardens, more hummingbird feeders or climate change.

Anna's Hummingbirds are regular visitors to our gardens and feeders. Male Anna's have dramatic display moves to show off for the ladies. They rise to 130 feet in the air and then come jetting down in a J-shaped dive with a loud "cherk" sound at the bottom. The sharp sound is made by the tail feathers. The females build nests in late winter, then brood the eggs and raise the young by themselves. The young fledge about three weeks after hatching. Although hummingbirds are seen poking their bills into flowers for nectar, they eat small insects, as well. Bugs are an important part of the diet of nestlings.

We may think of hummingbirds as glamorous "flying jewels", but Anna's are tough, adaptable birds, able to catch our eye any time of the birding year.