The Adventures of Jack Sprout
Chapter 3 - JACK SPROUT MEETS SAWDUST MILLER

Hi I’m Jack Sprout, the sunflower seed who grew up to be a farmer.

In my last story, I met Fred Beaver who’s in charge of all the dams in The Beaver Creek Meadow. We worked together that day to fix one of his largest dams that had been torn apart by a runaway log. Fred told me that he knew where there were some beautiful tall sturdy Silver Oak trees and he’d be glad to cut them down for me. It was time for me to get those trees to Sawdust Miller’s Sawmill and turned into the lumber I needed to build my house.

I couldn’t move the trees myself, so I went to find help. I asked around and was told that the Longneck Shoremen did all of the moving and lifting around The Beaver Creek Meadow. The Longneck Shoremen are a union of Whooping Cranes, Sand Cranes, Blue Herons and other big powerful birds that live in the wetlands south of the meadow. They lift the heavy loads by using large strong nets and holding on to the straps with their big wide feet. Then with their huge powerful wings they lift the load and carry it away. Their landings aren’t always the smoothest, but they know what they’re doing and get the job done right and on time. They also help rescue us if we get stuck in a tree or trapped on a mountain cliff. I went to their loading dock on The Beaver Creek Creek, said hello to Mona, the small Blue Heron secretary, and told her what I needed done. She said she’d send two of their best workers to Fred Beaver’s pond and take the logs to Sawdust Miller’s Sawmill in good shape. They’d delivered logs to the mill lots of times. I thanked her and said good-bye.

The next day I walked up stream to Fred Beaver’s main pond. I thanked him for chopping down the Silver Oak trees and making them into logs for the sawmill. We sat on a stump of a birch tree and talked about the day we saved his dam from breaking apart. We said we hoped it’d never happen again, but we knew that it probably would. Water was always flowing and trees were always falling down. Fred would have to fix his dam over and over again, but he knew that he could always count on me to help.

I asked him to tell me about the dusty ol’ woodchuck, Sawdust Miller, and where I’d find his sawmill. Fred said that Sawdust lived deep in the forest in a majestic hollowed out Redwood Tree. The tree had been hit by lightning and the inside was burned out and hollow but the outside was strong and beautiful. His sawmill however, was in the East Woods.

I asked Fred why Sawdust lived so deep in the forest.

“Sawdust lives deep in what he calls the heart of the forest,” said Fred.

“That way he can watch it grow and see what it needs to stay alive. It’s his job to keep the forest healthy and clean. He knows all of the animals and birds that call the forest home. He knows the names of all of the plants, grasses and trees. He knows where all of the trails go and even where the water runs after hard rains,” replied Fred.

“It’s also his job to cut down trees for the builders of The Beaver Creek Meadow. There always seems to be a need for good lumber, but it’s very hard to keep everyone happy.”

Listening to Fred talk about Sawdust Miller made me very excited to get started! Just then we heard a noise coming from the sky. Whoop, Whoop, Whoopee; Whoop, Whoop, Whoopee. We looked up and it was the funniest sight I’d ever seen. Two large birds wearing hard hats and back braces, were flapping their huge wings and bobbing up and down while flying very fast. They were carrying a large net and it was getting caught on the tops of trees and around their legs. It was funny watching them and I was just hopping they wouldn’t crash into us.

Fred said, “Looks like the Whooping cranes Whoopee and Stretch. They’re the biggest and strongest birds of all the Longneck Shoremen.”

They were circling to land when the net got tangled up in the very last tree. Stretch made a soft landing, but Whoopee crashed and wound up hanging upside down in the tree. We hurried over and helped him untangle his foot from the net. Whoopee said thanks and we all said hello. These birds were huge, way taller than Fred or me! Large white feathers covered their bodies and their wings must’ve been six foot wide. Their necks were long and skinny and slightly crooked.

Stretch said, “We’re here to do a lifting job and we’d like to get started.”

Fred showed them where the logs were and they went right to work. Stretch put the large net beside a log and he and Whoopee pushed backwards with their big wide feet until it rolled onto the net. The net held three logs at a time. When the net was loaded, Whoopee grabbed the strap on one end of the net and Stretch grabbed the other. They started jumping up and down flapping their huge wings. The wind from their wings kicked up dust and leaves as they began lifting the logs. They grunted and strained until they got above the trees where they could spread out their huge wings and pick up speed. As they left with their first load of logs, they started singing their work song again. Whoop, Whoop, Whoopee; Whoop, Whoop, Whoopee.

I thanked Fred, said good-bye and headed into the East Woods to find Sawdust Miller’s Sawmill. Fred said to follow the main dirt trail east and I’d be sure to find him.

When I entered the East Woods, I noticed the fresh clean air and took a long deep breath. It seemed different from the air in the meadow, lighter and with a hint of moss and pine trees. I saw several trails going in all directions. Squirrels, bobcats, groundhogs, porcupines, chipmunks and deer were running around everywhere. Birds were chirping and the wind was whistling through the trees. One bird in particular was singing her own beautiful song. It was as if she was performing for anyone who would listen. I stopped and looked around, but I couldn’t see her. I didn’t have enough time to keep looking I had to keep going. Maybe some other day I’d come back and find her.

A little farther down the trail I heard a different type of singing. It was the faint singing of a saw blade. I followed the sound as it grew louder and louder. I came upon a clearing in the woods and sure enough, there was Sawdust Miller. The little dusty woodchuck was standing behind his huge saw blade covered from head to toe with sawdust. You sure didn’t have to wonder how he got his name.

I stopped for a few minutes and watched him work. He saw me standing there when he reached up to swat a fly away from his nose. He waved and turned off his saw. The huge blade began to slow down, singing softer and softer, until it finally stopped.

I walked over, said hello, and shook his hand. His hands were small but very strong and his small black eyes looked straight into mine.

“You must be Sawdust Miller,” I said. “My friend Fred Beaver told me about you and your sawmill.”

“That’s right, I’m Sawdust,” he said. “Fred’s a good friend of mine too. With those big green ears, you must be Jack Sprout our new farmer.”

“Yeah, that’s me,” I said. “I came to get my logs turned into lumber so I can build my house. Have the Longneck Shoremen been here yet?”

“Oh yeah, Whoopee and Stretch dropped off the first load of Silver Oak logs a little while ago. Fred asked me if he could chop a few of them down. You must be the guy who helped him save his dam.”

“Yeah, we saved The Beaver Creek Meadow from a big flood that day,” I said. “That’s the kind of things we do for each other around here. I’ll be glad to saw the logs into lumber for you. It should only take me a day or two,” said Sawdust.

We sat down on an old Douglas Fir log and started to talk. I told him about the house and greenhouse I was going to build.

“My farm will have all types of sprouts and vegetables,” I told him.

“That sounds like a great idea. We can always use another farmer around here, you can never have enough good food to eat. Be sure to grow lots of peas will ya? I love peas.”

I asked Sawdust about the woods and forests and about his job. He leaned back and started to unwind a long story.

“Well for starters, the woods and forests are alive and they keep us alive.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“I mean the trees, plants, and grasses breathe like we do,” he said. “They breathe in the carbon dioxide that we breathe out and we breathe in the oxygen that they breathe out. So you see, we need each other to stay alive.”

“The woods and forests are also home to most of my friends,” said Sawdust. “That’s where all the owls, eagles, bobcats, rabbits and chipmunks live. They make their homes in the trees, bushes, rocks and even underground. My other friends, the deer, elk and moose need the trees for food and shade. Even my big ol’ buddies the bears need trees to scratch on whenever they have a big itch.

There’s also a red-tailed hawk, named Redtail McAllister who lives in the forest. Redtail has strong wings and can soar high in the sky riding the wind currents all day if he wants to. He sees most of what’s going on in The Beaver Creek Meadow. He knows a lot about us, but we don’t know much about him. He stays to himself, soaring high above the woods, forest and meadow most of the time. He warns us of any trouble or bad weather by the way he dives through the sky,” said Sawdust.

“By the way he dives?” I asked.

“That’s right,” answered Sawdust. “He has the one wing dive, the flutter, folded wing drop, the buzz, the whirly bird, back slide all kinds of dives. Each one tells us something different. For example, the folded wing drop, tells us a big rain is coming. The flutter means snow and the whirly bird means strong winds. He’s a big help. When the land he watches over doesn’t get treated with respect though, look out! We all know the story of the time Redtail McAllister took the air out of the woods, forest and meadow and we all almost died! It taught us a very valuable lesson.”

“What was the lesson?” I asked.

“To keep our meadow home healthy and growing, if we want to stay alive and growing. I’ll tell you the story sometime. Redtail’s a very powerful and spirited bird,” said Sawdust.

“I do my job the best I can,” he said. “I know the builders of The Beaver Creek Meadow need trees for lumber. I cut down trees to make new trails. I cut down other trees where there are too many growing in one spot. I drag out the trees that are clogging the streams. I also take out the old, sick and fallen down trees. And of course, I let the beavers chop down all of the small trees they need to build their dams.

Sometimes the builders want more trees than I can give them. That’s when I take them for a walk through the woods and forest. I show them why others need the trees left standing. It usually works out okay.

Before I got here, some very old and special trees were being cut down. They were also cutting a lot of the trees in one spot, they called it clearcutting. A lot of my friends lost their homes because of the clear cutting. It was terrible! All of a sudden they had no trees to live in or to protect them. When the rains came, there were no roots to soak up the water or to hold back the soil. The rainwater ran down the bare mountainsides and sent huge amounts of water, mud and broken trees into The Beaver Creek Meadow. It caused a lot of damage and heartache. That’ll never happen again as long as I’m here!” he shouted. Sawdust was starting to get fired up and his small black eyes were getting bigger and bigger! “I’m going to keep the woods and forest alive and growing for those who live here and for all of The Beaver Creek Meadow! I’m also going to keep making lumber for the builders. I’m the one who knows which trees to cut and which ones not to cut. I know what’s best because I live here!” he shouted.

Well, I could’ve listened to his stories for days and days. I could tell that Sawdust Miller really loved the woods and forest and that we’re lucky that he’s the one in charge.

“I’ll let the Longneck Shoremen know when the lumber is ready to be picked up. Be sure to see the tall red fox Pierre LeTru before you build your farm. He’ll tell you how to power it up,” said Sawdust.

I wasn’t quite sure what ‘power up’ meant but it was getting dark so we said goodbye and I headed home.

A bright white moon lit up the trail on my way out of the East Woods. I’d learned a lot about life that day. I wanted to go back and learn even more. Sawdust Miller, the woods, forest and I would become good friends.

I also wanted to go back and find the songbird that was singing that beautiful song.

Well, that’s the story of how I met my good friend Sawdust Miller. He watches over our woods and forest and keeps them alive and growing.

When we go there we can always hear the birds chirping, the wind whistling or his saw blade singing.

My next story will be about the time I met the big red fox Pierre LeTru at his Power Paddle Wheel. I wonder what Sawdust meant by ‘power up’.

 

Keep Growing,

 

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