Third rock from the sun

"I made a diorama of the planets in our solar system for my science project. I was able to use every day objects like an empty box, string, glue, tin foil, plastic bottles, flour, food coloring, salt and soot from the wood stove. I used the stones my little brother Johnny and I collected during summer vacation for the planets."

"Oh, did you go away this summer, Sam?" Mrs. Miller asked, smiling.

I looked down at my second hand sneakers and the jeans Mama had mended so many times I almost had more patches than denim. Mama always said there was nothing shameful about being poor. We were hardworking, god-fearing people and that's what mattered.

"No, ma'am. We had what Mama called a staycation. She and Papa took off a week from work and we watched movies together, and built forts in the living room, baked cookies and pies and we even went camping in the woods down the road a bit. It was great fun.

"Anyway, Johnny found the prettiest, smoothest rock down by the creek. He let me use it for the Earth in my solar system. Third rock from the Sun." Everyone laughed, knowing the show even if it first came out years before we were born.

"When we lay the stones together, we put them in size order and Johnny's rock was the fourth smallest which made it the best one for Earth."

"But Earth is the fifth largest planet," Annie Mae said. Annie Mae was the smartest girl in the class from the richest family in town. Her project was a rocket. Came from a box her Daddy bought online somewhere. It was really cool. Thinking about it, I started to feel less confident in my own project, but I had worked hard on it, so I went on.

"That's true Annie Mae, but it's also the fourth smallest. Just depends on how you look at it I guess."

"That is correct, Sam," Mrs. Miller said. "Children, please hold comments and questions until the end of the presentation."

"Yes, ma'am," Annie Mae said, apple red because no one ever reprimanded her.

"Well, I painted each of the stones based on the pictures in our textbook. I made the paint with flour, cornstarch, salt, water, soot and food coloring. I made the rings around Saturn out of homemade clay."

"Uranus also has rings,"Annie Mae said then covered her mouth with her hand and looked at Mrs. Miller. "Sorry, Mrs. Miller," she mumbled.

"That's true, Annie Mae," I continued, "but they are quite faint according to our textbook, so I cut a plastic bottle and used a very thin ring of plastic to represent the rings of Uranus. I used string and glue to hang them all in order in the box." I held up the box so everyone could see. "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune."

"Very nice, Sam. Tell Johnny that the Earth's stone was particularly perfect."

I smiled big at Mrs. Miller. "I will. Thank you, ma'am."