有风。风吹得那顶白帽子在旗杆顶上微微旋转摆动，好像是一个人在感觉自己的帽子是否已经戴正。It was windy. The wind blew the white hat, which slightly turned, as if someone were adjusting it to see whether it was properly on.

太阳才一露脸，天地间便弥漫开无形的热气，而当太阳如金色的轮子，轰隆隆滚动过来，直滚到人的头顶上时，天地间就仿佛变得火光闪闪了。As fast as the sun emerged, it filled the air with invisible heat. And when the sun was like a golden wheel rumbling over the sky, to the time it was straight up the whole universe was radiant with fire.

他推开人群，走到旗杆下，想爬上去将帽子摘下，可是连着试了几次，都只是爬了两三米，就滑跌在地上，倒引得许多人大笑。He pushed the crowd apart and came under the flagpole. He wanted to climb up to take his hat. He tried several times. Each time, he slipped down to the ground after a cople of meters. Many people laughed.

Skipped yesterday - got very busy with holiday visitors. 小妹妹柳柳坐在椅子上，一边有滋有味地嚼着虾，一边高兴得不住地摆动着双脚，一边朝桑桑看着：“哥哥用网打的鱼。” His little sister Liu Liu sat on the chair, eating the tasty shrimp, while shaking her legs excitedly. Liu Liu looking at Sang Sang, “Brother caught the fish with a fishing net.” 而这时，桑桑将自己的书包倒空，揉成一团，塞到了背心里，从教室里跑出去，见了秃鹤，拍拍鼓鼓的胸前：“帽子在这儿！” 转身往田里跑去。Sang Sang emptied his bag, rolled it into some sort of a ball, and put it under his vest. He ran outside, saw Bald Crane, and patted his bulging chest, “The hat is here!” He then ran to the fields.

秃鹤在校园里东一头西一头地找着阿恕：“我的帽子，我的帽子------” 脚步越来越慢，越来越小，眼睛里已有了眼泪。Bald Crane looked for Ah Shu, clueless, all over the campus, “My hat, my hat…” He was too slow, and there were tears in his eyes.

桑桑一手托着饭碗，一手抓着筷子，想离开桌子，但母亲用不可违抗的口气说：“你先别离开。你说，你用什么打的鱼虾？” Sang Sang held his bowl in one hand and chopsticks on another and tried to leave the table. However, his mother said in a tone which Sang Sang couldn’t disobey, “Don’t go away now. Tell me, how did you get the fish and shrimp?”

同桌等秃鹤快要追上时，将帽子一甩，就见那帽子像只展翅的白鸽飞在空中，未等秃鹤抢住，早有一个同学爬上课桌先抓住了。When Bald Crane had almost caught up with him, the boy threw the hat. It was flying in the air like a white pigeon stretching its wings. Before Bald Crane could catch it, another classmate climbed to the desk and snatched it before him.

他三下两下就将蚊帐扯了下来，然后找来一把剪子，三下五除二地将蚊帐改制成了一张网. He tore the net off quickly, found a pair of scissors, and neatly and quickly made the mosquito net into a fishing net. 三下两下 in no time. 三下五除二 quickly and efficiently.

秃鹤连忙一边用一只手挡住脑袋，一边伸手向同桌叫着：“给我帽子！” Bald Crane hurried to cover his head with one hand, and stretched the other to the boy sharing a desk with him, “Give me the hat!”

他在屋里屋外转来转去，一眼看到了支在父母大床上的蚊帐。He walked inside and outside his home and suddenly saw the mosquito net over his parents’ big bed.

他只好拖着竹竿，尴尬的站到了场外，而现在走进场里来的是潇洒的秃鹤。Dragging his bamboo pole, he walked off the stage in embarrassment. Now, the graceful Bald Crane walked to center stage.

桑桑想到了自己有个好住外，她的鸽子却没有。Sang Sang thought he had a nice home, while his pigeons didn't.

Did more reading than usual today on a train from DC to NY.

阳光一照，闪闪发亮如铜丝 Under the sunshine they were as glittering as copper wire.

在这些草房子的前后或在这些房子之间。。。In the front and at the back, and between houses.

汗水流进了她的眼睛 - sweat flowed into his eyes

I'm doing intensive reading of the novel The Straw House by Wenxuan Cao. I've used this book for previous reading challenges. The method I use is to change the Hanzi into pin yin, and then read the English translation. Next, I reread the Hanzi, matching up their meanings with the English. Finally, from the pin yin, I handwrite the hanzi without referring to the original. This is slow going, but I think it makes me appreciate the writing of the author, and I get more out of the imagery he uses.