Green Thumbs
I complained the ____ day.
____ parents were making me work on the neighborhood project, but I had far better things to do.
I ____ understand why we were working on this place.
It was just the ____ old, empty lot across from Johnny's Shop.
It was full of wild plants, fast food wraps, old newspapers, broken glass, and every other kind ____ dirty trash you can imagine.
As I looked at it that first morning, I ____ "I bet there are snakes in there, too."
There were twenty of us—all ages and sizes—ready to ____ that day.
I didn't think that we could clean up this awful mess and turn it ____ a garden.
We ____ all wondering where to begin.
____ Mr. Hernandez said, "The only way to do it is just to start."
Then, he ____ the lot into four parts with string and assigned five people to each part.
By lunchtime
By lunchtime, I was hot, sweaty, ____ glad my dad had made me wear gloves.
We filled fifty trash bags ____ waste and were ready to pull wild plants.
As we pulled and pulled, dust filled the air ____ made us sneeze.
At the end of the day, I had to admit the lot ____ much better.
That first day was ____ toughest.
On the weekends that followed, ____ made rows, planted flower and vegetable seeds, and watered them.
____ about two weeks, I stopped complaining when I found the plants had started popping up!
____ the lettuce and then the beans and the tomatoes.
They grew ____ fast. I couldn't believe it!
The ____ plants grew an inch, and the tomatoes doubled in size in just a few days.
Now, two months later
Now, two months later, ____ like to go there every day to see what new flowers are ready to pop up.
Lots of people in the neighborhood meet there to enjoy the sights ____ to talk together.
Tonight, it ____ hit me—what a good thing we did!
I'm proud I have ____ a part of it.
I'm in charge of picking flowers for the nursing home on ____ Street.
The vegetables will go to every kitchen in our ____
But even better, an ugly and dirty lot that ____ didn't like has become a pretty garden for everyone.