Massachusetts rebels against British tyranny. Mississippi goes hunting with the president. Michigan refuses to leave Toledo. Minnesota celebrates Christmas with friends. And Montana listens to a war story. These are the stories of the 50 States of A...
Nebraska. The 37th state is mainly known for being one the states to grow corn. After all, it's in her nickname, the Cornhusker State. She doesn't complain as much as Iowa for the corn jokes, however, she prefers to be known for something else.
She was originally nicknamed the Tree Planter's State. Until 1945, she was known for planting trees and the first American Arbor Day that took place in her home. For her, it's a part of her identity, and she continues the tradition with pride and sweat.
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April 29, 2016 ~ Arbor Lodge State Historical Park, Nebraska
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"Hurry up, Gavin (Iowa). We have two hundred more trees to plant by the end of the day," Nixie (Nebraska) nagged the poor lad.
Gavin stumbled to carry the four-foot Northern Red Oak sapling. "Easy for you to say," he huffed as he carefully placed the sapling down into the dirt hole.
Nixie crouched down to the tree's roots where they were enclosed in a wire basket. She used a pair of bolt cutters to snap a few wire here and there, letting some of the dirty fall into the hole and freeing the tangled roots from their imprisonment. After she was done, she grabbed a shovel from off the ground.
"Okay, Annie (Kansas). We can fill the hole now," she referred to the redhead who stood close by with a shovel of her own.
Annie chirped, "Let's get digging!"
Three minutes later, they were finished planting their hundredth tree. While Annie and Nixie patted the soil, making sure the roots were completely buried, Gavin took a look around the giant property, an empty grassland that was designated to them. By the end of the day, there should be five hundred newly planted trees equally spaced out across this plot of land. The sky was still bright blue in the midday heat. Gavin wiped his brow. He looked behind and saw two hundred more trees waiting to be planted.
He sighed. "Three hundred they said?" he grumbled.
Nixie patted her garden gloves on the legs of her navy blue overalls. "Got a problem with that?" she grumbled.
"N-Not at all." He shook his head. "It's just I don't think we can plant three hundred by the end of the day."
"We won't if you keep complaining like that." Nixie slung the shovel over her shoulders. "Now hurry up and carry the next sapling to the next hole." She pointed to the adjacent hole created earlier by Annie.
"Can we switch jobs at least? I want to dig the next holes instead."
She narrowed her eyes. "Why?"
Gavin looked to the red wagon and the rest of the saplings that were waiting in the background, half a mile away from where they are now. "Can we at least take turns?"
She scowled. "I dig. You haul." She walked away.
The Hawkeye State turned his attention to Annie who stood next to him without saying a word. "Did I do something wrong?"
