Beware

Good morning! I see have been very delinquent in writing as of late. Such is life. For most of the past week, I’ve been out in the garden during the time I would have been sitting here writing. Today I am not.

During the last week, I’ve learned that when you go to Price Chopper, your Staples Rewards card will not work. You really have to use your Price Chopper AdvantEdge card. Odd, that.

I’ve also relearned that allergies change. And that grass is not my friend. I can’t stand the smell of fresh cut grass as an adult; as a child I didn’t mind. I think that’s because I was introduced to wheat grass juice as an adult and freshly cut grass (or alfalfa) remind me of the taste. I don’t like grass seed; it makes me itch. We have an entire yard full of grass seed: in front of the house, around the fruit trees, in the back field, everywhere. I do not like it. It does not like me. I want to get rid of it. Oddly enough, I don’t mind cutting grass; I’m the only one who did it regularly in Bonners Ferry. Barefoot, to boot. And pregnant. I don’t actually remember cutting it when Joseph was a baby but I do the summer before he was born. Anyway, allergies are not nice and I would love to never experience them again but think that is probably highly unlikely.

Yesterday I read an article (actually, I think it was a blog post but honestly, blog posts are often as factual, if not more so, than news articles) about birth. I know, I know, that’s really out of character for me. The title was something like, “I Would Have Died if I Hadn’t Given Birth in the Hospital.” The author does a very nice job of validating women and their experiences and stories. Every woman has her own story to tell, her own voice, her own experience. However. . . .

The United States ranks 41^st in maternal mortality (I would give you sources here and could provide some if any of you are interested but I’d have to go looking because while I remember reading this, and some of the following information, in a few places, I don’t remember exactly where) and it is estimated that death rates related to childbirth are underreported by approximately one third. “Why?” you ask. Well, that is a really good question. To begin with, our methods of reporting leave a lot to be desired. For example, death during or immediately after childbirth is often reported but if a woman dies in the weeks following birth from a childbirth related matter, it is not reported as such. But what gets me is that we are ranked 41^st. That means there are forty nations with better birth outcomes than ours. With all of our touted interventions, interventions that are forced on women even when they are not medically necessary and are not wanted, you would think that we’d have better outcomes.

After reading this article, I wondered, and not for the first time, how my birth experiences might have been different had I given birth in a hospital. Now, having witnessed a few hospital births and even more labors, I think I am beginning to have an idea and would like to share them.

Alisha was born in the hospital so nothing would have changed. I am and will continue to be grateful that she was in a hurry and popped out less than two hours after we arrived at the hospital. Had she taken her time, there might have been time to do a cesarean and that would have had implications on the births of every one of her siblings.

Laura was a born a week ‘late’. That is, of course, very relative. She was indeed born a week after her ‘due’ date but I’m pretty convinced by now that babies tend to come when they are ready and that it is infrequent that a baby is truly late after a mere week past the due date. Anyway, she was a week late. I have seen many women in labor who were a week past due; they were there because their doctor wanted them to be induced. So, let’s say I’d gone to the hospital. I would have been put on the monitor (I was with Alisha). Even though contractions had begun, chances are I would have been put on Pitocin to make them ‘regular’ and chances are I might have also had an epidural. No, thank you. With all of that, Laura and I would probably have reacted very differently to the whole experience and who knows what long term effects would have been.

Joanna was just a few days ‘late’. Going to the hospital I would have been put on the monitors and likely would have been given Pitocin at some point because it seems that almost never do women not get it.

Labor with Daniel began on his due date and going to the hospital with him would likely have been very similar to Joanna.

Amena decided to start and then stop. That alone would have been automatic Pitocin after being hooked up to monitors. And unless they kept us for three days after the birth, it still would have meant a trip to the ER when she was three days old and surgery when four days old. It might have meant something else, as well, because with the pit and possible epidural, she might have experienced stress and delivery would likely have been augmented with forceps, vacuum, or even cesarean.  

Honestly, Laura, Joanna or Daniel could have gone the same way depending upon what was ‘discovered’ by the continual monitoring. And had I been hooked up to an IV, etc., how likely is it I would have felt comfortable getting up and moving around? Would Daniel have been born with me on all fours? Would visualizing with Amena have worked as well as it did? Would doctors have even suggested it? So many unknowns.

Cedric was in a hurry but had I been going to a doctor, I would not have been taking the uterine toner herbs and things might not have progressed so quickly. That being an unknown, however, he might have been and he might have been born on the side of the road on the way to the hospital. That would have been a blessing in disguise had I been going to the hospital to deliver.

Seth was also in a hurry and I didn’t take anything with him to get ready. At 2:00 in the afternoon, as I’ve mentioned before, I knew he was going to be born, but would not have guessed that day and certainly not less than six hours later. By the time I would have wanted to leave for the hospital, it is quite likely that he would have been born on the side of the road. Since he was born with a nuchal cord (the subject of another blog post I read yesterday), I think birth on the side of the road in a vehicle that might not have been warm enough would not have been good for him.

Joseph followed in Laura’s footsteps and was born a week ‘late.’ Being my largest baby, would I have been encouraged to have a cesarean? I don’t know. Obviously I was capable of giving birth vaginally. Still, I would have been hooked up to everything and wouldn’t have been able to relax in the water, and things would have happened differently.

It is important to remember that had I given birth in the hospital, I would likely have been going to doctors rather than midwives (although we did have a doctor with Daniel—he just happened to do home deliveries). The ob/gyn I would have had with Laura had the highest cesarean rate in the county. Joanna likely would have been born with her as well. Daniel even, maybe. Had I had doctors for prenatal care, I probably would never have learned to trust my body when it came time for the actual births. In spite of losing my faith in the omniscience of doctors with Alisha, I probably still would have felt that they knew more than I did and the pervading mode of thought in the medical world isn’t ‘trust your body’, it’s ‘trust the system’.

And that’s what you get when I read something.

Have a wonderful day!

Contextual Allowance

Good morning! I didn’t write anything Tuesday because I didn’t feel like Monday was all that interesting and I didn’t write yesterday because I left at about 8:05 to go out and about. And today is another day.

Tuesday I sprayed part of the garden again and I should take a picture of it because it’s more dead than it was. Yesterday would have been another good day to do it because it was sunny all day but because I left relatively early and didn’t get back until noon, I didn’t do it.

And right now there really is too much going on to pay attention to what I’m doing so I’ll be back and there will be yet another time lapse that you would otherwise be unaware of.

See what I mean? I started at 6:53 and now it’s 8:34. Not only are all children gone to school, I’ve managed to eat breakfast and do a little research for today’s topic, or at least one of them. Before I get to that, though, how about some news.

There isn’t any. J Ha ha. Just kidding. It’s just not terribly noteworthy. In fact, I’m not going to tell you about much. And I’m going to see how many really short paragraphs I can make.

Tuesday Seth had a field trip so I had to go to the school to pick him up at 4:00. I actually left early because I know that sometimes they get back early. I’m glad I did. I got there at 3:45 and there weren’t all that many students left. I wish I’d have known they were going to be so early because I could have gotten there at 3:30 to pick him up and could have made it to the hospital in time to be there for Elizabeth’s ultrasound at 4:00.

Tuesday evening we had sister missionaries coming over for dinner and Cedric had his first Court of Honor in Boy Scouts. He got his patrol patch and another patch although I don’t remember exactly what it is for other than a rank of some kind. I should have paid more attention when Daniel was doing this stuff.

Pretty exciting, yes?

Tuesday night (I think it was actually Wednesday morning), we had a heck of a storm. I woke up at one point and the wind was howling around the house. Another time I woke up to the wind and thunder followed by rain pouring down. Such excitement. I had a hard time sleeping but it wasn’t because of the storm—Tuesday was a hot day compared to the temperatures we’d been having and our room gets got and doesn’t cool off. I have a hard time sleeping when I’m hot so I had hard time sleeping Tuesday night. the storm was actually kind of cool. Just not literally.

Yesterday morning I went to take Elizabeth to an appointment she had in Leominster at 9:00. We were a few minutes late because the directions were meant for either for a people who are more familiar with Leominster than I am or b) a city where the streets actually have signs so drivers know what street they are on. When we got there, the man she had the appointment wasn’t there. It appears that his days were recently changed and he couldn’t be bothered to call Elizabeth and let her know. He was called twice and a voice message left both times. Finally, after waiting for about 45 minutes, we left.

Then we stopped at Ocean State and the Hallmark store in the same shopping center. I was looking for things that we could use for our activity last night at church and beads sold individually. I found pool noodles and a shower curtain at Ocean State and struck out at the Hallmark store. After that I dropped Elizabeth off at her house and continued on the Gardner where I did most of the rest of the shopping I needed to.  I forgot pudding and didn’t get enough marshmallows and decided to also get popsicles.

Tuesday evening Elizabeth send me a text: “I know what I’m having!”

“Really? How exciting!” was my response.

“A baby!” Elizabeth said.

“Ha ha! At least it isn’t a puppy!”

Elizabeth told me about the ultrasound. My experience with ultrasounds is fairly limited; I have eight children and had a combined total of three and I’ve accompanied two women when they each had one. Other than that, I know what other have told me and what I have read. Based on this, it seems that the technician performing the ultrasound is perfectly capable of allowing the woman to see the screen throughout the entire process. It is my understanding that they don’t all like to do this, but they are capable of it. The technician Elizabeth got didn’t like to let Elizabeth see at first. She said that she had to do such and such and such and then Elizabeth would be able to see.

While the ultrasound was being performed, the baby kept moving away from the transducer. She said that the baby didn’t like it and I think she’s right. After the ultrasound they had a doctor’s appointment and they usually use a Doppler to listen to the baby’s heartbeat. Because they’d just had an ultrasound, she declined and asked if they could use a fetoscope. Get this: there wasn’t a fetoscope to use. Are you kidding me? Wow.

And that is one topic I’d like to discuss but I have to finish telling you about yesterday.

The afternoon was fairly low key. When I got home and had lunch, I got things ready for church.

We had five games to play and we did not end up doing all of them. I really needed to be more organized. Still, Frisbee tic tack toe was good to keep people occupied for a bit as were noodle wars. The water balloon piñata was cool, literally and figuratively. Capture the flag was a big hit even though the marshmallow guns didn’t work as planned. And pass the pudding was good. And of course the popsicles and fudgesicles were a big hit at the end.  

About birth. I read a blog post this morning about pregnancy and birth and things that women are either allowed or not allowed to do (Pascucci). I’m not going to go into a lot of detail here right now because I feel like I’ve been sitting here for about ever at this point, but still, I have to say something. When a woman is pregnant, she generally goes to a doctor or midwife. She hires someone to help her. She does not become an inmate or ward of the state. Because she is hiring someone, she should be the one dictating what and who is allowed to do and be done. If she doesn’t like or agree, she can fire her medical professional(s).

Be on the lookout for more on this later because it’s still simmering in my mind.

About other stuff. Within the last month or so, I’ve read two blog posts involving a child under the age of 14 being left unattended in a motor vehicle. One (Skenazy) talks about a mother who left her 10-week-old infant in the car alone while she went into a store. A passerby noticed that there was an unattended infant and went in the store to find the parent(s). When the mother acknowledged that she had indeed left her baby in the car but remained in the checkout line, the passerby called the police.

The other (Brooks) tells of a mother who made the decision to leave her occupied 4-year-old in the car while she ran in the store quickly. A passerby took a picture and forwarded it to the police.

What is wrong with us, people? I would never leave an infant alone in a car no matter the time of year but that is beside the point. I would never call the police without attempting to find the parent(s) of a child left in a car unless it was obvious the child was in distress. My business is mine, and mine alone; your business is yours and yours alone. Yes, I am aware this is not always strictly the case (such as you have the right to smoke but not the right to pollute the air I breathe). Generally speaking, I believe this to be true or I wouldn’t have said it.

However, no matter whose business what is, let’s take a look at some statistics. I wish they were all up-to-date but I have to work with what I can find and I was not able to find completely up-to-date information. But, let’s look.

Each year, from 1998 to now, an average of 38 children die from heatstroke from being left in a motor vehicle (Fact Sheet). So far this year, 13 have died. Last year, 44 did. If we take the average and spread it out over a year, it comes to one child every 9.61 days.

In 2008, 1,347 children 14-years-of-age and younger were killed in motor vehicle accidents (Children). That comes to 3.69 each day.

Drowning is the second leading cause of death for children aged 14 and younger (Drowning). From 2005 to 2009, there was an annual average of 3,533 deaths by drowning and approximately one fifth of those were children aged 14 and younger (Unintentional). That comes to about 707 each year or 1.9 a day.

Please note that I do not mean to trivialize death. Even one death caused by any of these is too many. I know this. I know this more now than I ever hoped I would. I know the grief that comes after the death of a child. I do not mean to trivialize death. What I would like to do is point out that in every one of these deaths, the circumstances were different. While I would never leave a 10-week-old infant in the car unsupervised in a store parking lot, I might leave a 4-year-old in the same circumstances. It is obvious that fewer children die each year because they are left in a parked car than because they were in a car in the first place or because they were around water. It is also obvious that leaving a child in a parked car is a much more visible ‘crime’ and therefore we hear/see more about it. If we must interfere, let’s do it in a positive way. Better yet, why don’t we all grow up and mind our own business?

"Children." Traffic Safety Facts – 2008 Data. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2009. Web. 19 June 2014. <http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811157.pdf>.

"Drowning." WHO. World Health Organization, Apr. 2014. Web. 16 June 2014. <http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs347/en/>.

"Fact Sheet - Heatstroke Deaths of Children in Vehicles." Fact Sheet - Heatstroke Deaths of Children in Vehicles. Department of Geosciences San Francisco State University, 18 June 2014. Web. 19 June 2014. <http://www.ggweather.com/heat/>.

Brooks, Kim. "The Day I Left My Son in the Car." Web log post. Salon. N.p., 3 June 2014. Web. 19 June 2014. <http://www.salon.com/2014/06/03/the_day_i_left_my_son_in_the_car/>.

Pascucci, Cristen. "You’re Not Allowed to Not Allow Me." Web log post. Birth Monopoly. N.p., 18 June 2014. Web. 19 June 2014. <http://birthmonopoly.com/allowed/>.

Skenazy, Lenore. "Infant Left in Car for 4 MINUTES and the PARAMEDICS Must Examine Her?" Weblog post. Free-Range Kids. N.p., 12 June 2014. Web. 19 June 2014. <http://www.freerangekids.com/toddler-left-in-car-for-4-minutes-and-the-paramedics-must-examine-her/>.

"Unintentional Drowning: Get the Facts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 May 2014. Web. 16 June 2014. <http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/water-safety/waterinjuries-factsheet.html>.

Pictures

Yesterday wasn't the most exciting day in the world, it involved vinegar in the garden, some laundry, some dishes, some making of ice-cream, and some regular use of my inhaler. Therefore, I thought I would give you some pictures today.
Have a fantastic day!

Beginning work on the dress.

Pattern pieces done.

Wouldn't anyone want a wedding dress of this lovely sheet?

Crazy hat day!

The garden yesterday morning before applying vinegar, soap, and salt.

The garden this morning. Definitely a difference. With the sun finally coming out now, I think I will go out and apply more. The grass took the biggest hit. I read that you should cut weeds back for it to be more effective and if I had something to cut them back with, I would.

Minion climbing the tree this morning.

Bridge

From Friday:

Good morning! It is quite likely that I will not get this posted this morning but I thought I’d get something written while I’m eating breakfast.

Twenty-eight years ago, I graduated from McCloud High School. Just like today, it was a Friday, the 13^th. What an interesting assortment of events have transpired since that day. Today, my cousin David’s son Skylar will graduate from high school. That’s pretty cool. I’m sure there are many others graduating from high school today as well but I don’t know them so they don’t count quite like family.

Yesterday I was finally bit by the sewing bug. This is a very good thing since I’m making a wedding dress. I have plenty of time but each day that passes with nothing accomplished is one less day to work on it. Yesterday I cut out pattern pieces and began combining and altering. It is a process I enjoy—taking patterns, changing and adding and taking away from them and making something completely new. Today, depending on how the morning goes, I’ll hopefully get the bodice cut out and maybe even begin construction of the mock up.

 And today:

Good morning! It is a beautiful day out! And I do mean that. In spite of the fact that there is still pollen in the air and that it is going to get up to 80° which is the limit for me to think it is tolerable out. Still, after several days of mostly rain and clouds, the sun is nice. I would like to send some of the rain to points west that are in need of it. There is more than enough to share.

I did not get the mock up begun Friday but I did get the pattern pieces finished and ready to go. Saturday I did get the mock up done. That was pretty cool. However, I completely forgot about calling in to the hospital before 3:00 and sometime after 5:00 I got a call so I wasn’t home when Kim and Adam stopped by for her to try it out.

Joseph went to a birthday party Friday afternoon and had a lot of fun. He was going to be grumpy about having to leave and kept throwing ultimatums at me but I really don’t go for that and he stopped before we left.

Cedric and Paul went to church for all the activities that were going on there. Paul cut lots of trees and brush in front of the church along the highway and road. I’m not sure what Cedric did but the Young Men were having a pancake breakfast and yard sale to raise money for camp. I never did hear how they did with that.

Church was good yesterday. Brock Miller spoke and I enjoyed his talk very much. He had a trying childhood and is obviously very happy to be a father. Their baby means the world to him. Megan Bell also spoke and also did a good job. She’ll be leaving soon for basic training and won’t be back for a few months so she wants to do the Family History fireside when she gets back. I think that is a good idea.

It being Father’s Day, I had made ginger ice-cream for Paul Saturday. I hope it turned out gingery enough.

This morning the boys all wanted to wear some of Paul’s hats because it’s crazy hat day at school. I think Joseph ended up wearing the helmet that Laura was working on a million years ago. Cedric has a hat that can be worn with a crown on the outside or a frog. Seth had on a dinosaur head. I think they all have crazy enough hats to qualify. I did get some pictures by the battery in the camera died so I can’t transfer them to the computer yet.

Also this morning I finally got to use the sprayer and vinegar in the garden. I took one before picture and attempted more but that’s when the battery decided it had had enough and wasn’t going to let me take any more. I added the dish soap and I did add the Epsom salt. I don’t think I used enough to forever change the pH in the garden soil but I guess we’ll find out when I get something planted out there, won’t we? I’m pretty sure that I’ll have to do another spray or two, especially in some areas, because the weeds are so tall and/or thick. Still, something will happen. I used plain vinegar a couple of years ago on one little section of grass by the garden wall and it worked. It didn’t work very well because I was using a watering can but it worked well enough that I know it will work. And I think using a sprayer will be better because you get better all-over coverage.  Anyway, I’ll get some pictures later today and hopefully the weather will cooperate tomorrow that I can do another pass in the morning. I used up five and a half gallons of vinegar which filled the sprayer up three times and covered at least most of the garden at least once. Compare that to using about six gallons and covering an area about four feet by eighteen inches.

The amazing thing about going out is that I went out and did the first sprayer full and came back in. Filled up, went back out. Filled up, went back out. I only had to blow my nose once and my eyes had just started bothering me when I was done with the last one. I came in and took a shower and I’m feeling pretty good. No itchy eyes, a slightly plugged nose but not annoyingly irritated nose and sinuses.

Now I am going to be off for now. Have a fantastic day!

What a Day

Good morning! Today would be a much lovelier day if it were going to be sunny. Paul got me a two gallon pump sprayer and eight gallons of vinegar. I want to go kill weeds in the garden but a sunny day really is better than a day where there is a 70% chance of rain. I’ve got the Dawn dish soap as well which I will definitely use along with the vinegar. I have salt, too, but need to do more research to find out for how long its effects last in the garden. According to one blogger, if you use salt, don’t expect anything to grow there again ever. I think that’s a bit extreme and it seems very unlikely that using salt in the garden would mean nothing will ever grow there again. I’ve got enough semi-composted hay, etc., from the goats to cover the entire garden with a thin layer. I think if I used salt and then used my semi-compost, we might be good. Anyway, I intend to do a bit more research before I make a final decision about the salt.

I took this while I was waiting for the girls May 22 at the middle school. It was raining and I thought the lights were cool.

Yesterday was quite the day. It began fairly early, as usual, with making sure Amena was getting up and then getting lunches ready and all the fun stuff that normally happens on a fairly typical school day. One difference was that yesterday was field day and that means being outside for an extended period of time which means extra liquid and sunscreen. We have some of the spray on sunscreen which is great other than you still have to rub it on and there are small particles flying around in the air that make their way to my  nose and cause it to, as I mentioned yesterday, sneeze, produce copious amounts of mucous and make my eyes water.

This bunny was in the yard Sunday afternoon.

Once the boys were off to school, I ate and needed to get ready to go visiting teaching. Julia and I were planning on visiting Amy which is always fun. I needed for us to leave by 10:00 so I could be home in time for my visiting teachers, Joyce Horne and Cheri Brimhall, to come. I got home at 10:30 on the button and no one was here yet so I managed to go through some soap stuff before they finally arrived at 11:00. Cheri brought her youngest, Quinn, with her and I got the blocks from the boys room for him to play with. He also played with the magnetic things that Grandma sent us. They are so much fun.

A swallows nest above the back door. They've really been taking care of the spiders on the back porch this year.

When they were getting ready to leave, I asked Quinn if he’d like to see the baby goats. He did so we went to see them and I let one out of the pen so he could pet it. Joyce and Cheri did as well and were amazed at how soft he is. Then Quinn caught sight of the big goats and he wanted to go see them also. So we went to the field and he got to pet Goldilocks and Snowflake. He had a little bag of Goldfish and Goldilocks did her very best to get them but was not successful.

Turkey in the front Monday. Yesterday she brought all of her babies (1- to 15 of them) with her. They are so stinking cute when they are little.

I had just enough time to eat a bit for lunch and get a few bars of soap ready to take with me to a little store in Athol called the Scrub Shack. A woman Julia was working with quit nursing and opened up a little store selling scrubs and she wants to have things there that women can pamper themselves with. I appreciate the fact that she is not open on Sunday and, in fact, goes to church on Sunday. It matters not that it is a different church than I go to, the important thing is that it is important to her. She said she tried selling at Rietta Flea Market once. It is a rather large flea market that is just around the corner from us (in a manner of speaking—it’s on 68 just north of where Pitcherville takes off). She said she just didn’t like the feel of it and was not comfortable there.

Kitty's Minion.

After that, I came home and did some laundry and dishes before it was time to go pick Seth and Joseph up from school so we could stop at the library. I had a book in and Seth needed to get a book or two to read. I’m not sure he likes the idea of having to read in order to play the computer game they like to play but he did read fourteen pages yesterday. I quizzed him to make sure he’d actually read it and understood what he read. I am satisfied that he did. Joseph didn’t want to get a book unless we stopped at the park on the way home. I wasn’t about to do that as it had begun raining.

Cedric got home not long after we did and shortly after that, it was time to go pick Amena and Sam up from the late bus. That was fine other than the fact that I got to the school a few minutes before the bus did and when it arrived, I never saw the girls get off. It seems I was looking at the wrong end of the bus, the front. They took off the other way and walked to Mr. Mike’s unbeknownst to me. It appears that they’d decided to tell Sam’s mom to tell me not to pick them up until 5:00. Not knowing of their grand schemes, I arrived at the school before the bus. And waited. And waited. And finally went in the school and walked around and didn’t see them. I went out and waited some more. I called the office to see if anyone was there. Mrs. McComb was and she paged the girls. Twice. To no avail. Mrs. McComb asked if they might have walked to Mr. Mike’s. I decided to drive that way and see what I saw. I hadn’t even left the parking lot when I saw them walking down the street toward the school.

I was not pleased. I was especially not pleased when I saw Amena wearing some too short shorts. When we got home, she had the skirt she’d worn to school earlier on and I let her know I do not approve of the shorts. They will go if I see them on her again.

After a brief Facebook messaging conversation with Sam’s mom, I learned that she never got the message she was supposed to pass on to me about not picking them up until 5:00 and she wouldn’t have approved anyway. I kind of figured she would feel that way and I hope Sam isn’t in too much trouble but I honestly don’t know whose idea it was. I do know that I would not have approved picking them up at 5:00 either. I made the girls call Mrs. McComb at the school to let her know that I had them.

That escapade took up more than thirty minutes more than I’d allotted it which I was not happy about. Partly due to not having much time to get anything together for dinner and partly due to the fact that I just didn’t feel like it, we had cereal for dinner. Not a good habit but we don’t do it very often. Actually, we do it so infrequently that I could honestly say we do is almost never.

We had church last night, as usual and of course, it being Wednesday. I needed to talk to the bishop so since Jessica was teaching basic washer and drier care, I visited with Marlain Beaudette while I was waiting. We had a good visit and I had a good talk with Bishop Carmack. We actually got out and were in the car ready to leave at 8:32. That was wonderful! One of the things I really dislike about Wednesday evenings is getting out so late that we don’t get home until 9:00 or later. Seth had already brought in the goats so he didn’t have to worry about that which was nice.

Boys got to bed. Paul got home before 9:00 which is something of a miracle, especially considering that I’d given him a pretty decent sized list AND the fact that he went to the Price Chopper in Shrewsbury and then back to work to leave some of the yogurt because he wasn’t sure how much room we had. Everything that needed to be refrigerated or frozen was put away but not everything else. I need to take care of them. When I’m done here.

This morning has already been an interesting one. Last night I unplugged all the cords of the computer in the library because a boy, rather than turning it off as instructed, covered it with a towel. Not only that, but it was a pigsty around the computer with dirty dishes and discarded yogurt containers and books strewn on the floor. That did not make for a happy mother. This morning when I came down, I discovered a child figuring out which cords to plug in where. The mess hadn’t been cleaned up. I told him on no uncertain terms that if the mess didn’t get cleaned up, the computer would be put away and would not be able to be used. He picked up a few things, Seth picked up more, Joseph picked up a few. It’s better now but not perfect. When Julia, Chantal and Margaret were here, they offered to come help move things. I think I will see when next week they can and get the rest of the stuff out of the library so that the boys aren’t hiding behind anything when they are playing on the computer. I’m glad it’s not connected to the internet.

Because it is supposed to rain today, I told Seth to just take hay out for the goats. I filled up their bucket with grain and their water bucket. Sometime before he went out to do hay, I’d looked out the window and saw that the gate to the pen was open. He went out and closed it but when we were out taking care of the goats, I noticed that the kids were not in the pen. Seth looked in the shed and they weren’t there either. I told him to go take a look on the other side of the garden. They turned out to be down in what’s left of the basement of the big part of the barn that isn’t there anymore. He and Cedric brought them up and put them in the pen so all is well.

While I was over by the goat shed and the boys were going to get the kids, Kitty caught a chipmunk. She took it and ran to the driveway in front of the house where she let it go to play with it. Misty saw and she took off with it, throwing it in the air, catching it by the tail and shaking it around, and just generally having fun. Kitty was just looking at her wondering what she was doing. I made Misty leave it alone so she and Minion could do whatever they were going to do with it and go in the house.

And that’s about it. Have a splendiferous day!

Bad Advice and a Meeting

Good morning! In the document that I type these things into before I post them, I am on page 90; only ten to go. Considering that the first day was January 30, I think I’ll finish in less than six months.

Last night I went to pick Cedric up from scouts and thought I’d get a head start on today’s blog post but couldn’t remember what it was I wanted to write about. I thought I’d start anyway and see if the memory muscle didn’t begin some connections. It did.

Joanna registered for two summer classes: biology and a children’s literature class. The literature class isn’t bad; classes aren’t exhorbitantly long and there is homework but not so much that it’s impossible to get it done on time. The biology class was 15 hours of in-class time and the instructor fully expected students to spend twice that much on homework and studying. Using her rule of 2 for 1 (hours of homework for hours in class), the literature class should take 21 hours each week (14 to 7).

Add to that 40 hours of working each week and eight hours of sleeping each day, and you have something that looks like this:

                sleeping              56 hours

                working              40 hours

                biology               45 hours

                literature             21 hours

                total                 162 hours

total hours in a week                  168

hours broken down above        - 162

                                                   6

Six hours left for the entire week for eating, showering, travel, etc. A bit unrealistic, I think.

Joanna didn’t think she’d be able to complete the class and get a good grade so she decided to drop it. However, the last day to drop a class for a full refund was the second  day of classes which was last Tuesday (the 3^rd). The last day to drop for a partial refund was something like the 4^th or 5^th day of classes. Due to this unfortunate state of affairs, she thought she’d give it a go anyway. Until Sunday night/Monday morning anyway.

After asking me to do a lab report for her, well, helping a LOT, anyway, and doing some homework far too late, she decided to drop the class and asked my opinion. I said a good grade later and sanity now were worth the price she would have to pay.

Soooooo, she went to the Mount to drop it and whomever she spoke to gave her some terrible advice: stay in the class until the teacher drops her. Sure, she’d get an F and sure, she’d be on academic probation, but she wouldn’t have to pay anything right then and when she retakes the class, the better grade would replace the F. Are you kidding me? That is absolutely the worst academic advice I have ever heard. I have a hard time believing this woman is getting paid to give students such awful advice and surely she must be working, as opposed to volunteering, for the college.

I am curious to see how much space this takes typed up. I filled three pages (about five by eight inches. Right now it’s getting late and dark and I’m going to go collect Cedric because it’s also incredibly buggy.

Yesterday I had an IEP meeting for Seth at Hubbardston Center School. I got there two minutes early and was told to wait and they’d come down to get me. So I sat and I waited. And waited. And waited. My phone vibrated but I didn’t recognize the number so I didn’t answer. I did listen to the voicemail that was left. It was Kim Wyszynski telling me that Seth’s IEP meeting was scheduled for 10:15 and it was now whatever time it was when they called. I didn’t even listen to the whole thing but did say, “Is it okay if I just go up? They just called to find out where I am.” And I went up. I’d been waiting for 12 minutes at that point and was, quite honestly, beginning to be somewhat annoyed because we’ve had to wait to start the meetings before, but not because I was late. I do have some thoughts about what was discussed in the meeting and from the papers I brought home with me but I do not have time to expound right now as I need to leave at 8:30.

Therefore, have a wonderful day and I may get back to you today but might not until tomorrow because my whole day is rather full and busy.

By the way, I hate sunscreen and bugspray. They make me sneeze, produce copious amounts of mucous and make my eyes water.

That was Yesterday

From yesterday:

Good morning! It is quite lovely outside, overcast and cool. However, the bugs are already awful. I’ve decided that it matters not where you live, there are dangers everywhere. In California there was pollen and, once everything dried out, dust. In New Mexico, there was pollen, dust, and nasty bugs. In Idaho there was pollen and dust. In Massachusetts, there is pollen and bugs. And speaking of bugs, I can see the reason for some of them, such as flies, butterflies, honey bees, etc. What is the purpose of a mosquito? Or a May fly? Or a knat? If we must have mosquitoes, I would like more mosquito eaters because they serve a purpose and are kind of cool-looking. More dragon flies would be nice, as well. They are beautiful and eat the bugs that I see no purpose for. More swallows would be nice, too, since they help control the bug population. It seems to me that while we have bugs and birds to eat the nasty bugs I don’t like, we have an overabundance of the nasty bugs still so we need more of the bugs and birds that eat them. Maybe some bats, too.

Yesterday was a Sunday. We did normal Sunday things like going to church and having Family Home Evening. Paul and I went to visit the Fullers and then went to pick Cedric up; he’d gone to Ludlow to practice for the youth choir that will be singing at Stake Conference this coming Sunday. Amena didn’t go because she said she had too much reading to do and besides she’d already practiced at the whatever activity it was that they sang the arrangement they’ll be singing. Poor excuse. She should have taken her book with her.

Saturday was Saturday. It was too long ago to remember much.

From today:

“That was yesterday

But today life goes on

No more hiding in yesterday

'Cause yesterday's gone”

(“That was Yesterday” by Foreigner)

And today is today.

Yesterday  morning I did some dishes and some laundry folding. Julia invited me and Jessica over to do crafty stuff because the sister missionaries were going over to do that and their laundry and she thought we could all have fun together. I cut out a couple of little boys in a soccer uniform with soccer balls and nets. The sisters were cutting out all kinds of things. Jessica made a game and some other things. Julia made soap pallets. She makes them out of craft (popsicle) sticks and hot glue and uses them for the soap she’s made while curing.

I called a woman from the high school who had called last week and we chatted for a bit. She said that while she understands why I would want to talk to students who knew and were friends with Daniel, due to confidentiality it would be inappropriate. I can understand that, to a point, but honestly, I think we’ve taken confidentiality to a bit of an extreme. Confidentiality at the doctor is good because the whole world does not need to know what is wrong with me. It’s kind of ridiculous that the world has gotten to the point where information can’t even be given to a spouse without written approval. And a parent with a different last name from a child has to jump through about five billion hoops to cash a $15 birthday check. School isn’t like classified information and I don’t see why I can’t talk about a woman in labor; it isn’t like I’d go around telling everyone that I saw such-and-such a student doing this-or-that or heaven-forbid-what-happened-in-the-hospital-when-this-woman-was-in-labor! Still, a lot of people would, I guess, or we wouldn’t have these laws and regulations. Just because we have them doesn’t mean I have to like them, though, does it?

Anyway, the jist of the conversation was that it wouldn’t be appropriate for the school to make a blanket announcement about talking to me about Daniel but I could certainly get a year book from Hubbardston Center School and make cold calls to the parents of his friends. Big problem with that is that although he was friends with some students from Hubbardston, he was becoming better friends with students from other towns and their names won’t be in a Hubbardston year book. I don’t even remember any names. Although I do have the banner that a bunch of students and teachers signed at the beginning of what would have been his 8^th grade year. So, there is that. And I just thought that I could have something put in a couple of papers—Gardner and Barre. And yesterday I was thinking that Facebook is an option because a lot of students liked the page that someone did for R.I.P. Dan Davis. A resourceful person does not limit herself to one source, does she?

Paul called when he was leaving work to get a shopping list. I was going to email him one earlier in the day but the internet wasn’t working at the time so I wasn’t able to. I told him what I remembered from it but know there was more to it than that. He told me that we need to get everything from the accident taken care of. I guess there are loose ends that need to be tied up and apparently we can get some money from somebody as a result. For some reason, Paul decided that I don’t like to drive to Worcester and points beyond. I don’t like parking in downtown Worcester because you have to pay to park and I don’t like paying for anything if I don’t have to. Driving there doesn’t bother me. It’s Boston I don’t like to park OR drive in. I don’t mind driving to Auburn to see Christine or to go to That $1.99 Fabric Store (although the one time I went, Julia drove). So, that annoyed me. Then he said that the lawyer can meet me somewhere to sign papers but would probably charge $300 or $400 an hour for travel time so, because of that and the fact I don’t like driving to Worcester and points beyond, Paul can be the designated signee or whatever term is used. That annoyed me as well because I don’t mind driving as long as I have a seat that doesn’t kill my back. I don’t like driving the van because the seats are uncomfortable and the fact that it’s taller than the red one makes me uncomfortable as well; I don’t like driving the green car because the seat is not comfortable. Give me the white Jetta or the bug and I’m totally fine with driving long distances. Good grief!

 Then came the really big annoyance and I knew it was going to be because Paul prefaced it with, “This is going to infuriate you.” Dan is entitled to half of whatever monetary gain there is to be had. I’m not sure if that’s just Daniel’s part or if it’s all of it. That isn’t what I found annoying, either. The fact that people DIE and we expect to be compensated for . . . something. For what? Daniel is dead. No amount of money can bring him back. Nothing can bring him back. All I would like is for all the bills to be paid. That’s all. And then I’d like to carry on because just carrying on is hard enough sometimes.

What I wouldn’t mind is suing the pants off the guy who ran into us in December. And it isn’t him so much as his bloody wife. Due to traffic, I think that he was more at fault than I was and even if he isn’t more at fault, I think he was at least 50%. Actually, I think he was more than that. Because of that incident, we had to trade the blue Jetta that was supposed to be mine for the white van. The white van is taller than the red one, less comfortable, and carried fewer people. I liked the blue Jetta. I don’t like the white van. I like the red van. We got the white van because we thought it would be good to have something that we could all fit in. Well, we don’t even drive it now because it isn’t currently running and we have to take to vehicles to church most Sunday’s because I have early morning meetings.

This morning I have an IEP meeting at school about Seth. I need to do more dishes and more laundry and cut a brick of soap. I need to go to Staples and get some boxes for soap. And there’s always this and that and the other.

Have terrific day!

Strange Day

Good morning!

Will anyone be in labor this afternoon? That is the question of the day. It isn’t likely there will be an induction, it being the weekend so we shall see if anyone is in labor. The way things went in May, there will be. The reason being that in May I was so ready it was unreal and no one ever was being induced or in labor. Now, it is June, it is another day of the week, and I am not ready mentally to go. Why? Read on.

Yesterday was mostly nothing like I was expecting. I thought I was going to make soap and that Margaret and Julia and Chantal were coming over and I did and they did. I thought I was going to go to Gardner and watch a movie with a bunch of girls as the designated mother and I did. I also took a shower which is a fairly normal occurrence, especially if I’m going to do something like go see a movie. Paul and I did go out to eat. I took Amena to a friend’s house for an overnight birthday party. Those were the expected things.

Last family photo.

In order to make soap, I needed to wash dishes, cut soap, wash molds, clear off the counter, and just generally get ready to make soap. I did all that and of course because I didn’t get started as early as I had planned and it took longer than I thought it would, I didn’t actually start making soap until quite late. Relatively speaking, of course; it was still morning. Margaret arrived and was excited to hear that Julia would be coming. When Julia got here, she was excited that Margaret was here. That was really cool; I’m really glad to have met and gotten to know both of them.

We got the lye done for two batches because I figured there would be time for two before I had to leave for the theater and we got the oils measured and melted and then while we were waiting, Jessica went out with Julia and Chantal to see the kids. Jessica came back in and said, “The mama goat is laying down and isn’t moving.” I went out to take a look and sure enough, she was on the ground, the kids were trying to nurse off her and she was very obviously dead. The thoughts that ran through my head were many but ultimately, things were the way they were and there was nothing to be done about it other than take the kids and put them in the goat pen to keep them away from the body. Julia took one of them and I took the other and then we all came in.

Minnie.

What happened? I honestly do not know. She wasn’t tangled up so strangulation wasn’t the cause of death. She’d given less milk than the day before but I just attributed that to being in due to the rain for the second day in a row. Was she too close to the rhubarb? I didn’t think so but these goats are really good at stretching and getting things you don’t think they can. I hadn’t had her in that spot before but some of the others had been there and hadn’t had any problems. Was it something else? I just don’t know.

We finished up the first batch of soap which was Neapolitan with Julia holding the dividers and Chantal, Margaret and I pouring. That turned out well; I’m really glad that I had so many hands for the job. Then I looked at the clock and it said 11:29. Really? No time for the second batch, I apologized for having to run, and did just that up to the shower. Julia washed up soap dishes and headed out with Chantal (who left résumés for Paul) and Margaret visited with Jessica.

Rhodes. (Not his name but I don't know what it is yet.)

I got to the theater early enough that the doors weren’t open yet so I waited and then went to the dollar store and then waited some more. The movie that the girls wanted to watch was The Fault in Our Stars. I didn’t know anything about it but they’d had to read the book for English I guess. It is about a girl (16 or 17 I’m guessing) who has cancer. She goes to a support group to please her parents and meets this boy who had lost his right leg from the knee down to cancer. They become friends and fall in love and his cancer comes back with a vengeance and he dies. It is a good story but the movie is ruined because there are just too many ‘swears’, as the boys would say, and I really see no point to their being in bed together naked. Anyway, it is very sad and I think almost everyone in the theater (at least half seemed to be from Hubbardston and/or Quabbin 7^th grade.

I brought Amena and one friend home and the triplet’s mom brought the rest to the house. They played outside for a bit. I moved Libby’s body over by the burn pile.

Seth's new glove.

Joseph and Seth were really bothered by Libby’s death. After watching the movie and being able to relate to the parents so well, and seeing my boys hurting, I just couldn’t deal with it for a bit. I went upstairs to collect myself for a few minutes and said a prayer and went back downstairs.

The girls had Sundaes and when they were done, the boys had some as well. When they were dished up, Jess and I had some.  While I was eating mine, I heard Joseph crying in the living room so I went and we cuddled for a bit and talked about things. When he was feeling better I finished my ice cream.

The girls left and Amena got ready for the birthday party. I cooked some spaghetti and then took Amena to the party and then finished the spaghetti and made sure everyone was fed. I called Paul to see where he was because he often calls on Friday to let me know where he is, about when he’ll be home, etc., but there had been no call and it was nearing 7:00. He actually didn’t answer so Cedric and I went ahead and left for the West’s. Paul called while we were en route and he was still in Shrewsbury so I figured I had an hour.

We got to the West’s and I visited a bit with Emily and Jeremy. Paul called and said he was home; I hadn’t realized I’d been there for so long so I left and when I got home we left to go eat. I kind of forgot that I hadn’t had lunch and I ate all my food which is unusual.

When we got home, the boys were in bed but the light was still on. I went up and listened to Joseph’s prayer and said good night and turned out the light. Then I went downstairs did night-time things before going to bed.

So, I should always figure that getting ready to make soap is going to take longer than I think it will. Making soap with three people helping is going to take longer than I think it will. Having a goat die is going to put a kink in the day. Watching a sad movie is going cause a reaction.

This morning has been interesting as well. I wanted to move the stakes for the goats to the field again so I did. Seth helped take the goats out, sort of. I washed my arms after moving stakes because I could feel my arms beginning to itch already and then we took the goats out. I washed my arms again after that while warming milk for the kids. The kids did not want to drink. They aren’t really old enough to be weaned but I can’t exactly force them to eat. We’ll try again this afternoon and see how it goes. And I guess that’s why I saved all the milk even though it isn’t fit for human consumption—if the kids get used to drinking from a bottle, there is two-week supply for them and that would get them to an okay weaning age; not ideal, but okay.

Other than real life interesting, I was plagued with very odd dreams including Libby coming back to life, the kids being almost dead and then reviving when their mother did. And then of us were on vacation and there was some really strange stuff going on and some really strange people that I seemed to know but I have no idea who they were.

And that has been the way it has been around here. Right now it is lovely outside but the pollen is voracious and the bugs are not cool.

Have a wonderful day!

Penmanship and Breakfast

Good morning! All day yesterday it seemed like Friday. I am happy to report that it was actually Thursday and today is actually Friday.

Several thoughts running through my mind today. One is about handwriting. It is amazing how many people have poor penmanship. I picked a paper up from the doctor’s office for Amena and whoever wrote Amena’s name on the envelope has penmanship that I would expect from someone who is left handed. Perhaps the person who wrote it is left handed. Perhaps not. The problem as I see it is that a lot of people write that way (at least it is legible). A lot of people have really messy penmanship. I value individuality. I really do. But if we don’t start having some conformity in penmanship, we are going to get to the point where no one can read anything that anyone else writes because we are each doing our own thing. So, how about let’s teach and stress proper penmanship in school. And while we’re at it, let’s teach and stress cursive so that it doesn’t become a lost art.

Another is about food. We have lovely cereals such as Cap’n Chrunch, Cocoa Pepples, Lucky Charms, etc., etc., etc. These cereals have lovely ingredients such as corn flour (that you know is over processed), sugar, oat flour (also over processed), brown sugar, coconut oil, salt (a ¾ cup serving has, get this, 200mg of sodium which is 8% of your ADA), niacinamide, yellow 5, reduced iron, zinc oxide, yellow 6, thiamin mononitrate, BHT, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid (these happen to be for Cap’n Crunch because it’s right here in front of me). How on earth is that better than a brownie which has flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, cocoa powder, butter, baking powder? Especially if I used whole wheat flour that I just ground myself, the eggs are fresh from my own chickens, the sugar is minimally processed, the cocoa powder is quality, and the baking powder is Rumford or another brand without aluminum. I refuse to feel bad if I let my children have brownies (or cake) for breakfast. Or pancakes. Some people eat donuts for goodness sake.

Yesterday morning Paul and I drove to his work and then I drove to Westborough for the two workshops I was planning on attending. They were both good but other than providing information about different resources available to small businesses were just a recap of several classes I’ve taken. It was kind of nice to see how these things I’ve learned can be of use, but I didn’t really learn a lot that I didn’t already know. Therefore, I’m not sure sitting there for six hours for a free lunch was really an optimal way to spend the day.

Yesterday I found this receipt in the living room from Friendly’s. The customer wrote on the back: “Mucho Besos Chicka!! [they need to work on their Spanish but I’ll forgive them] Tell that terrible old lady and mean families [grammer, too] to take the sticks out of their a***s and play pool. People suck. You were a wonderful server!! #itgetsbetter #itstheclimb #whatwouldmileydo #yolo #thecustomerisalwayswrong #HUMPDAY Have a great night!! Two satisfied customers. J” My poor Joanna. She is so good and the customers at Friendly’s sound like real jerks sometimes. It’s nice to know that some of them are good and have eyes. I hope they gave her a good tip.

Yesterday while I was gone, the Trivett’s came and stole Minnie away (that’s what Sarah named the kitten she was getting). I’m glad she has a good home where she will be loved. I do have to admit that I was a bit worried when I got home and couldn’t find her before I went in the house. And then it was probably half an hour before Amena told me what had transpired.

Now our lone kitten is very sad without her siblings. She was crying last night and she was just at the door. I think Kitty likes having someone to play with and I think it would be nice to keep her but I also would like her to have the chance for an indoor, or at least partially indoor, life. We have two dogs, after all, why not two cats?

I was going to take the time to download some pictures this morning but I don’t think I am. I need to do some soapy stuff and then go to the theater at noon to meet Amena and some friends. So, no time for pictures again today. Sometime soon.

Have a wonderful day!

Short

Good morning! It’s a lovely rainy day here. I checked the weather before I told Cedric to take the goats out or give them hay and because there was a 90% chance of rain, they got lots of hay. By the time I was done milking and watering the goats, it had begun to sprinkle and now it is raining. I’m afraid to see what the humidity is because I suspect in the 90’s but the temperature is nice. I was right. 96% humidity. 59°. And Joseph can’t find his backpack.

Yesterday was a pretty good day for the most part. I deposited a check, dropped a book off at the library, visited Julia (who supplied me with a cup of hot chocolate), and picked up a paper for Amena at the doctor’s office in the afternoon. Then I came home and made brownies and chocolate sauce for ice cream. It was a half day so there were a bunch of boys running around but they were really rather well behaved which was really rather nice.

In the morning I don’t remember what I did other than finishing the book which I already told you about and a bit of laundry. And freezing some ice cream. Pretty darn exciting.

Today I’m off to Westborough for a couple of Basic Entrepreneurial Workshops. I need to get there between 9:30 and 9:45 and the second workshop is over at 4:00 so I won’t be home until at least 5:00. Should be interesting, I think.

Have a wonderful day!

Goats and Rain and Books (all in just 314 words)

Good morning! Cedric sad to me this morning, “Should I take the goats out or give them hay?” I looked outside and saw that it had rained during the night and saw the clouds covering the sky and thought of the weather report I’d seen yesterday.

“I’d say you can take them hay. They need three good armsful or two really big ones.” And he did. He did that while I was milking and then I watered while he took out the last armful and it was done.

There is a half day of school today which is interesting because I just got a letter from the middle school principal saying that there would be no more half days this year. I think maybe she was talking about the fact that the middle school will not have any early releases corresponding with high school finals this year like there have been in the past.

This is going to be short just because I took the time to finish the Tales of a Midwife before getting to this. Good book. I know I mentioned that I had a hard time getting into it but once I was beyond that, it was quite good. During the last half I really didn’t want to put it down. If I’m reading it right, Maria Anderson is less than a year older than I. She didn’t have her first child until she was 37 and her second at 39. I had Joseph when I was 39. The difference is that she went to school and began her midwifery career before marrying and having children; I married and had children before beginning a midwifery career. At the end she talks about how it was to be pregnant and give birth after having assisted so many births and given so much advice on what to do.

And that is all for today.

Have a splendiferous day!

Branches

Good morning. I had to make my list of things to do because if I don’t, I can talk myself out of doing anything. It is nice outside but it is quite obvious that it is going to be another warm day. Yesterday afternoon was too warm for me.

Yesterday morning the first kitten went bye-bye. He is going to live with Bill and Rebecca Kemp and his name is Velcro. It is very appropriate for him as he likes to cling (if you can call holding on with your claws clinging) to whatever he is near. He successfully used the litter box yesterday and took a nap by Bill. They love animals and I have no doubt that he’ll have a good life. It is momentarily sad for Kitty and we miss him as well but at least we know that he has a good home. I do rather wonder how mother cats feel about the abrupt loss of kittens.

Yesterday afternoon I made rhubarb popsicles, rhubarb muffins, rhubarb scones, rhubarb coffee cake, and Jessica made rhubarb lemonade. Today I want to make rhubarb pie and rhubarb juice (and a part of me will always wonder what rhubarb wine is like). And freeze ice-cream but not with rhubarb in it. I thought the muffins would be for lunches but they disappeared as snacks after school rather quickly. There were seven or eight left but that’s a far cry from the two dozen that were made.

For dinner we had grilled sausages, grilled broccoli, and salad. That was pretty good. Jessica was glad to have real food. I was glad to use up the last of the lettuce and some broccoli.

Just as we were sitting down to eat, the Rhodes’ arrived to pick up their kitten. I can’t tell you his name because they were deciding between two and right now I don’t remember what either of them was. Also a sad moment but Ben and Michelle are good people and it seems clear that Anthony, their grandson, loves cats as well. So, in spite of Kitty missing another baby and it being another slightly sad moment for us, he is in a good home now and will be loved and well taken care of.

And, we got a chocolate cake out of the deal!

When Cedric brought in the goats, I was going to water them. However, the bugs were so bad that I could not stand to be outside. The bugs have been terrible this year and they normally swarm around the goats but I think this year has been far worse for the poor animals. I’m not sure if it’s just because the bugs are so bad or if it’s because we have these bucks. I do know that when they come in at night the last two days Snowflake can’t wait to rub against the fence to get rid of bugs and scratch her many itches. Mornings are better which is good because if it was as bad in the morning as it is in the evening, I wouldn’t be able to milk.

Today I have a decent list of things to do. For dinner tonight we are having grilled chicken. Paul found some on sale last night. The sisters are on splits with sisters from another ward and the one we get has a gluten intolerance so no flour tonight. At least not for her.

When Paul got home and was cooking his dinner last night he suggested pasta salad. At the time I’d forgotten about the gluten thing but I’m tired of macaroni salad and said so. He said that we could have pasta with salad dressing (that must be the lazy way or the way of people who don’t know how to cook I’m thinking). I said that I added salad dressing to the last macaroni salad I made. He said that I should make less next time. I said that I made the same amount I always do; I used one box of pasta (which is usually one pound). He was slightly cantankerous because it had been too long since he last ate but I wasn’t going to be told I was doing things wrong just because he hadn’t eaten. I’m not sure he remembers that he gets cranky when it’s been too long between meals but I’ve told him. I know I get that way and if I see it happening, I do my best to control it. I’m not sure he sees it happening; he didn’t appear to know that it happens when I told him my observations.

I’ve already written more than I thought I was in the mood for and I haven’t even gotten to the topic that was really bugging me last night which is boards of education. Consider the following:

The Role of School Boards

The local school board is a critical public link to public schools. Whether elected or appointed, school board members serve their communities in several important ways.

·         First and foremost school boards look out for students. Education is not a line item on the school board’s agenda—it is the only item.

·         When making decisions about school programs, school boards incorporate their community’s view of what students should know and be able to do.

·         School boards are accessible to the public and accountable for the performannce of their schools.

·         School boards are the education watchdog for their communities, ensuring that students get the best education for the tax dollars spent.

("The Role of School Boards." The Role of School Boards. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2014.)

“School boards look out for students.”

“Education...is the only item” on “the school board’s agenda.”

“School boards incorporate their community’s view of what students should know and be able to do.”

“School boards are accessible to the public.”

“School boards...are accountable for the performance of their schools.”

“School boards are the education watchdog for their communities, ensuring that students get the best education for the tax dollars spent.”

I could be wrong, but I think that school boards should consist mainly of educators and parents because they know the students and they know how to teach and they know what students need to learn. Just for fun, I looked up the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. This is what I found:

Maura O. Banta is the chair. She is IBM’s East Coast Regional Manager for Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs. She is a member of United Ways of New England, Mass Taxpayers Foundation, and a few other things. She has been a member of boards and councils that have to do with education but nowhere do I see that she has any background in education.

Daniel Brogan a student. He seems to feel that having student representation is important and I think I agree with him. As a student, I think he has more business being on this board than Ms. Banta.

Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, Ph.D., is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción. I don’t see any educational background but she is married and has two sons and is, according to the Massachusets Board of Education website, active in the schools. As she has children, I think her spot on the board may be well filled. Again, I think she has more business on the board than does Ms. Banta.

Harneen Chernow is the director of the Massachusetts Division of the 1199SEIU Training and Upgrading Fund. It appears that most of her experience is in designing and implementing labor/management workforce partnerships. No education background but she does have two children and therefore has a vested interest in education.

Karen Daniels is a consultant with MassInsight. They apparently work with students to make sure more urban students are college ready. She has and educational background and was at one time a principal. Not only that, but she has a daughter. This woman belongs on the board.

Ruth Kaplan works for the Combined Jewish Philanthropies as the Director of the Boston-Haifa Connection. She has served on various educational boards and it appears from her different degrees that she most likely values education. She also has two daughters. I think her place on the board is probably well filled.

Matthew Malone is a Ph.D. I think (it doesn’t actually say) and is the MA Secretary of Education. He does have a background in education but it does not mention children. With his educational background his placement might be good but I really have to question the fact that he was appointed as the Secretary of Education by Deval Patrick. (Just me, you understand.)

James O’S. Morton is the president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Hartford. He was born in England so he has that going for him (just kidding). His background seems to be in law but after practicing that became a teacher and coach. It does not mention children but his background seems to be one that would indicate a good fit on the board.

I was going to stop here but there are only three more.

Penny Noyce is the mother of five and seems to have worked to improve education, especially math and science although does not have a specific background in education (still, five children). She is also an author and founding trustee of the Noyce Foundation and founder of Tumblehome Learning.

This guy I like already. David Roach is a teacher. He started out as an English teacher and then moved on to Assistant Principal, Principal, and Superintendent. Doesn’t mention children but his background certainly qualifies him.

Mitchell D. Chester also has an education background having begun as an elementary school teacher. He has also been a middle school assistant principal and has held various positions in various programs. He does have  Ph.D. and he has a son. Definitely qualified.

("Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education." Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Members -. N.p., 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 03 June 2014.)

I’m sorry if that was somewhat boring. It is interesting to me that the chair has no background in education, there is no mention of her having children, and yet she is the chair. Why? Why is she even on the board? And why do so many of them come from around Boston? The last few didn’t say where they live but of the rest, other than Mr. Morton who lives in Springfield, appear to live in or at least near Boston. That’s surely fair and equal representation.

I can give you names of members of the school committee for Quabbin Regional Schools and which town they are from but that’s all unless I go digging and that would take too long.

In looking at this list of people, I can see that many of them do have children. Assuming that all parents want what is best for their children, you would think that these people want what is best for all children when it comes to education. There are a couple of problems here. First, all children are different. Therefore, what is best for one child may not be the best for another. Second, those who do have backgrounds in education have often been through the education mill. Education is great but it seems to me that a lot of what we call ‘education’ actually qualifies as ‘brainwashing.’ There is an agenda here, folks.

The more I think about it, the more I think education and medicine are but two branches of the same tree and quite frankly, that thought is a scary one. However, I’ve already taken up much time here and I think it is time to move on.

Have a fantabulous day!