I can't wait to get out of this bed. I can't wait to never have to lay down on that stinky couch. I don't want anyone to know, but a sping sprung on me yesterday, and got me in the bum. It still hurts a lot. I really hope that don't get infected too.

I been making good on my reading up about what made me sick. I found the old ensyclopedias and it has a lota medical stuff in it. I really, really like it. It's not baby stuff, like what our books are for school. And I had Raph bring me a lot of them and pretty much all the books we have in the house. Father even let me look through his herb book, even though he said there would be a lot of it that don't make sense to me. He is right. There are words here in another language. I want to learn it! What is it? Why are the words so funnily lettered? are there more languages than english and Japanise? How many? Can I ever find out? What will I learn next? There is so much out there, and we live in such a tenny tinny part of it. Will I ever get a chance to learn about even a little of it?

Anyway, at least I get to read about germs now. And I sketched callamille. Lost my place in the book and can't find the word again. It's a pretty plant. anyway, I'll write more about it when I finish reading the ensyclopedia article. Because right now, that's all I can do! Read, write, hobble to the bathroom, hang out with Mikey, Leo and Raphie when they remember me. Hobble to the couch and read and write in my public notebook, because I ain't risking this one again to others reading it, and now and then I can walk to the kitchen to eat. Fuuuunnnnnnn.

Donnie

I read up on the plant. It is really spelt chamomile. Wierd spelling. It is part french and part english, which in turn comes from greek. In greek it means earth apple. Wow, two other langoages right there! I think.

It is the common name of the plant, and there are several kinds. It is used for hay fever, inflammation, muscle spasms, I know what that is, it's cramps. Like what I get when I have to stand on those bamboo polls a long time for balance. Chamomile is also good for, by the way, I'm copying this from the encyclopedia, Menstrual disorders….what is menstrual disorders? Is it a man thing, it has men in it. Insomnia, ulcers….I should get Father to drink some, he keeps saying we are giving him ulcers...Gasroiintestinal disorder...I bet that has to do with farts...and Hemorrhoids….Have no idea what that is either. They use a lot of big, funny words in here. I love big words! More big words, please!

I asked what a herb infusion is, and Father said it means brew the herb or herbs in hot water into either a tea or tenture. I think that is how it's spelt. I asked what is the difference, and he just smiled and said. "Time." Huh?

It has lots of long-worded stuff that make it up. I don't mean long words, I mean Loooooong words. Like Scrabble winning long words. I can't even try to say them. But I will one day. I'll know all of them.

The real shame is I think a lot of the really, really long words hid how to make the medicine. I mean, sure, you stick the herbs in water and let it steep for a while and drink it. I get that. But why does that make medicine. How does the herb change the water into something that fixes us? I know it makes tea, but what is in the tea? I need to know.

Anyway, on to germs.

This one's pretty simple. I looked it up in my new dictonary. I love you, dictonary! Your so full of boredom-killing words! With so many new ideas to look up!

A germ is not cooties, like Raphie told me. It is a tiny living thing called an organism, a microorganism to be precise. I looked up the word precise, and think it's a good word. It means to be exacting or detailed. When you are precise, you have the full truth. I think I like being precise. And I looked up micro. It means too small to be seen by eyes alone. Actually, it says by the naked eye, which makes no sense to me. How can an eye be naked? Do they remove the eyelid?

A funny thing, a germ is also like a seed. It makes more of itself. Like a stalk of wheat has a germ, and that helps grow more wheat, I think. and it is a stage of developement, whatever that means.

But the germs I'm curious about is the first one. This kind can make you sick. Some only a little sick. Some can kill you dead. But I don't understand what dead is. Let me look it up.

Oh, means void of life. Clear as mud. Nevermind. Anyway germs are things that make us sick. Oh, wait, missed a definition. It makes no sense. I'll ask Father. I'm sure he can tell me what a sperm is.

Donnie

Dear Franklin.

Been a while, since I used your name.

I made Father spit out his tea. Never seen that before. He demanded to know where I heard such a thing. I told him where I read it. He said he has to moniter my reading from now on. Does that mean I can't read encylcopedias any more?

Donnie

Franklin

Did I mentiont hat I am really sick of being in bed? Or on the couch. Bed, couch, bed couch. Wow. I hate this vicious cycle of Sick stinkiness.

Donnie

Franklin,

Guess what? I am able to leave my bed today! I am able to again go to school and walk around and do things and be able to play with the others and...and rough house! I never much liked rough house, but right now it's the best thing ever! I wrestled with Raphie, and he beat me. I ran a race with Mikey and he beat me, even though I tried to climb the pipes instead of , Mikey and me raced climbing the pipes. They beat me. Isn't it great?

I went for a walk with Leo. He made me feel safe. We gathered some stuff while we were out. Then Father made me sit down, as he cleaned my mostly healed foot with witchhazel. He said he made it. I wonder how.

Butt hen I had to sit down and rest for an hour, because Father said I might re-open my wound. And then I'll have to go back to the bed/couch routine of sick stinkiness. I rather not. So I went to my room, so I can talk to you, my good friend. Anyway, I'm tired now.

Donnie

Franklin,

I wrote about this in my public journal, and read about it in class. Father is making us have a word mininum. I think that's how it's spelled. Do you think he'll put in a word maximum? Do you think my writing here would count. Probably not, since he don't know you. I don't know if I can really do that, and talk to you but I'll try. I can't say I'm tired of writing when I can easily write a hundred words a day, and have done so often now.

I found out I can read the encyclopedia, but only in class and only approved topics. Sewer apples. But then he, Father, promised me that he will start showing me how to mix herbs to make medicines, since I showed so much interest. I told him that I was origionally trying to read up on germs, and he gave me a list of things I can look up. Let's see. Bacteria. Viruses, Fever, cough, stuffy noses, Mint, willow bark, and bright eye.

I wonder what I will find when I look them up. I wonder if anything besides sperm will be banned. I wonder why that was banned. I wonder if Splinter will let me help him garden his tree? I wonder what will we have for lunch, I'm hungry as anything! I really hope it's not worms.

Franklin.

Mikey wrote a story today. It was cute.

I did some math on my chalkboard, and really feel I'm getting ready for division. I think I can do it. Why won't Father stop teaching us addition? It's not fair I have to be bored while Mikey still struggles to add two stinking columns of numbers together! Or Raph has to keep going over subtraction. really? It's so easy. You take the numbers from the big number for a smaller number. HOw hard is that? Leo can add and subtract okee, but he get's confused when there is more than three columns. Really? But I guess he's better than the other two. I love math, but I hate math class.

I am still the worst in spelling. I know every word, but then something about standing there, with Father staring at me, and the others staring too, make me forget everything. The others don't have problems like that, and now Raph spells better than in too in the spelling bees. I guess it evens out in the end.

Franklin,

Im going to list our books, so you will now what we have.

Green Eggs and Ham, Mikey and me put in a missing ending a long time ago.

Little women-complete book

Space Rangers-no pages missing. Leo's favorite book

Twice Told tales. Half of the stories are missing, that the pages left are kind of torn. But the camel story is very funny

Grimms Fairy Tales. The first story is missing but the rest are there. Mikey's favorite

Where the Wild Things are-dirty, and torn, and pretty much unreadable.

Tales to tell in the Dark- stains all over it, and the cover torn, and the last story missing. Raph's favorite.

Four encyclopedias, G-H, A-B, X-Z and F-G They are torn, but mended. And some pages missing. Spotty

The old Dictonary, and now each of us have a dictornary of our own.

The Bible. Old and stained, with missing cover, and half of the last chapters are gone.

Household Herbs-Father's book. Don't touch without permission

Kitchen Cookery-don't care

Old-fashioned Skills and Crafts-complete

two comics, one a silver sentry one, and one archies.

Poetry by Robert Frost

Depths of The heart-Father's book. He wont let me read it.

Run Spot Run, Mikey's practice reading book. Boring

Gardening, Contained-complete

Homeschooling Painfree-Fathers

Tom Sawyer-complete, save for the cover

1,002 Great lives-complete

Basic Mathamatics- mostly complete

Two reading primers, both missing parts, thankfully not the same parts. Mostly Mikey's

Reading Comprehention 2- The rest of us take turns with this. Boring.

And the one that Raphie gave me that smells like sewer? Hardy Boys 10, but I can't read the rest of the title.

There, all our books.

Franklin,

I was just asked a bunch of questions by Mikey. About my new car's test run. Like he was expecting to be read by other people, like in a newspaper. Only it will be just us and…...yeah. Who is he writing to? This is wierd. But the race was fun to watch when they came runnign around the corner where the finish line was.

Franklin

My new car is gone. It is gone and I'll never get it back! I'm glad to be alive and that Leo was there, of course. But my Car!

Franklin,

I feel a sneeze coming on. Again. I try to keep it in. IF they know I'm getting sick, it's back to the bed. I don't wanna! No nonononono.

Won't do it. Won't submit.

They made me go to bed cause I got a feverish cold! I coughed at dinner and my throat hurts like shell. I don't want to stay in bed! Why should I stay in bed for a cold! I already read all the books I'm allowed to! several times each! I don't want to go lie dow! O don't want to! But I got to. Father gave me the death eye glare, and I knew I would be forced in if I didn't stop throwing my fit and go. But I couldn't! It was like my body was moving without my permission! I couldn't stop screaming. I couldn't stop crying. Or kicking. Or anything. I finally got so tired out, that I was almost glad when Father picked me up and put me to bed. Sleepy.

Franklin

I counted everything I could count. I am so bored. Bored bored bored bored bored bored…..I wonder how many times I can write bored?

There. It is official, I hate my life. I hate it. Why do I get all the bad turtle luck?

I think Father left me in bed now, for time out. My public journal was taken away for an hour, till I calm down. Good thing I have you, Franklin. I feel calm now. and tired. My body keeps throwing fits, because I can't leave. I thing Father is mad at me because of the fits. I'm a really bad boy. And I stink too.

I will write what the room looks like. It is a square. The wall is conecret color. There are four mats on the ground one of them is mine. Leo is on another. I really am sorry for keeping him awake. I'm sorry he got sick because of me. He is sleeping now. I'll try to be good and quiet for his sake now, though I still feel mad inside.

The other two are Mikey's and Raph's. When I was sick last time, I was in Splinter's room. Now I'm in ours. Our toys are in wooden boxes, but I'm not allowed to get any right now. That is how I know I'm being punished. He says I need to sleep, but it's really punishment.

Leo snores like Father when his nose is stuffy. He woke me up.

I wonder what bacteria make colds?

Father just left. I think he's happy I'm not throwing fits no more. He gave us gross tea, and lunch. Broth. At least it's not worms and Algae.

Supper was worms and Algae. Barf!

Franklin.

Something is going on in the next room. Leo left in all the commotion. Later, Mikey came and told me Raph did something really bad, and ran away from home and might be dead! I hope not!

Oh, he was just hiding, good. Leo went to talk to him. Mikey always has to make everything so crazy sometimes.

Raph came in, sniffling. I guess he was tired out. And went to bed.

What a wierd day. They always happen when I'm sick and can't see anything. Leo told me he was glad I didn't see any of it. I will trust him on this one. Now I'm tired. Drama wears me out.