Ohiofarmgirl'sAdventuresinTheGoodLand-where ya been? whatcha been doin

[ohiofarmgirl]

great thoughts/stories everyone! its great that everyone has had some kind of experience - not that its a GOOD thing.. but its great that we can all relate. having this kind of thing gives you compassion for the folks who are currently being tormented..and hopefully will give everyone courage to speak up.

...but i gotta scoot.. i'm off farm for a couple days!

have a great week!

 

[Javamama]

Enjoy your vacation! Does this mean Nibbles is going for her romantic encounter

 

[Farmfresh]

I think the school systems made a big mistake when they consolidated the small town schools and built those huge high schools. The one my daughter attended was "lucky" enough to get all the kids who were from one of the drug treatment facilities in our county. I'm so glad she didn't get bullied in school, but I guess it helped that two of her teachers (one was her guidance counselor) had been my best friends in school. She knew she could go to them for anything and they would help. Most kids aren't that lucky.

They are starting to see the error of their ways as well... at least around here.

Several years ago our district built a new 6th grade center and 7th grade center. (Yes we have SO many kids in our district that we actually needed a whole HUGE school building for just one grade!! There are over 4,300 kids that attend our three high schools!) When they built the new schools the children were divided up into several "pods" randomly. Each pod is like a small school within the big school, complete with teachers, computer class space, counselors, and principles. The pods operate in separate wings, but share the gym, cafeteria space, library and auditorium.

Once the pods are separated out the kids are staying within their pod while they move up throughout the grades. Last year the High Schools became divided into a pod system.

By dividing the kids up they stay more human. They are not just a number. Teachers are better able to develop relationship with each student AND notice when things go awry. Maybe this is why even with something like 60% free and reduced lunches we have earned Accreditation with Distinction again and again. I am proud to work there.

 

[bibliophile birds]

that sounds like a great plan. our intermediate school (grades 5 and 6) has pods but they don't stay in the same group both years and the middle school and high school don't have pods. wish they'd use that idea across the whole system.

 

[Javamama]

I like that pod idea. By the time our kids get to high school, they will have been in 5 different school buildings, with a different mix of students each in each one. Makes it hard for the kids to keep friends.

 

[savingdogs]

If not in the online public school, my son would have been heading for the huge local high school next year. I say local, but actually it is a half hour drive away and takes kids from literally half of our county. Because our county is rapidly developing, it means that half the kids are from the city and half from the country. Guess who doesn't get along?

I think they should have more smaller local high schools than we have here. We even have different WEATHER than the other areas and our weather closes the school for everyone (which of course is popular with the kids, but "snow routes" for us meant no bus service!).

The online public school has really been a big step forward for us.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

i just spent 3 days with a "normal" american family. ohmigosh. i think i got colon cancer and diabetes from being there. for the next week i'm eating nothing but barley and greens.

wow!

but on the way to "normal" i also stayed with Bourbon Red's family - we had a great time and his cows love me. mostly.

here is what i learned:
1. Bourbon Red and his Lovely Wife's farm is my kinda heaven... its like being at a resort
2. i'm glad that The Big Man and I are us...and we live like we do

but them other folks... the "normal" ones.. oh golly.. it was an ordeal. i got home as soon as i could but was still there an extra couple of days longer then i intended.

wow!

i had such a great time at BR's place.. his little boys.. i guess they are The Poults... are perfect and my favorite farm boys ever. i wish i could have taken them both home with me. i told them that we need a lot of help with the catfish, Granddaddy Whiskers, we saw in our pond and i'm sure they are asking BR and his wife every day if its time to come down here yet
;-)

we'll see them for hog butchering soon enough and i cant wait! while i was there we dressed some ducks and BR will tell you i am, in fact, The Worlds Worst Plucker. EVER. i got an F-

for dinner he made a pot roast with a mountain of mashed potatoes and gravy that was as smooth as silk. i very nearly wept.

and the next morning i loaded up all kinds of loot from BR and headed to the "normal" family. i say that loosely b/c i think this is how a lot of folks live - but if you're like us, you dont really see it every day. and we are so far from pop culture its always shocking to me to see what is acceptable.

so this family had hard times and they are moving. pretty much they are loosing their house which is very very sad for lots of reasons. but its pretty darn hard for me not to be judgmental when i walk in and everyone (including the teens) have new fancy phones, there is a tv in every bedroom (with cable - all channels), the fridge is stacked high with take out containers, and there are so many clothes that the truckload of stuff i took to goodwill didnt even make a dent in the pile.

the worst, for me, was coming in to see the teens carving pumpkins. they are leaving before halloween and all i could think was that the $10 or $15 they spent on that (and the carving kit) would have made at least two meals, done cheaply.

i guess its hard for me to hear that they have such 'hard times' but they arent being sensible. or maybe they just figure they are so far off in a ditch that they should just have fun? i dont know. i kept my mouth shut.

then... there was a fight as the local high school that was so bad they had to call in the police.. but that is considered 'normal' so no one even raised an eyebrow.

then.. its homecoming soon so the 15 year old showed me her 6 inch hot pink stilettos and her "dress" that i swear came right out of a Frederick's of Hollywood store. i stood there slack jawed and buggy eyed because there were not one, but TWO, babies without babydaddy's, running around the house from the 19 year old relations who drop the babies off with the family so they can go and party. with their drug dealer boy friends. one just got out of jail.

but apparently i'm just the old fuddyduddy b/c no one else was offended when we were watching that awful tv show about the doctors that crawl all over each other like a box of hamsters... you know the one. on that episode they were making fun of one of the characters b/c she was in her 20s and hadnt had sex and they acted like there was something wrong with her. this was with the 14 and 15 year old girls sitting there soaking it all up.

so i told the parents that in 9 1/2 months when they get grandbaby #3 they should not be surprised. ok i couldnt keep my mouth shut on that one.

the next day i tried to find some shorts in the house b/c i was out of work clothes....but i just couldnt bring myself to walk around in short-shorts. now i'm not a Plain Woman but i am modest and i'm not parading any of my bits in public... and especially not showin' my tail feathers all day in front of a man who wasnt my husband. so i did a load of laundry.

and then there was the food.

everyone had a can of soda in their hand at all times, i havent eaten as many potato chips in the last 6 months as i did in the last couple days, and there was never any kind of non-white flour option for anything.

i was trying not to be rude and i figured i could just tough it out.. but one nite out of my own defense i just made dinner with whatever i could scrape together. there were these wacky things called vegetables..they were all shocked.

no one ate breakfast but i could have a pizza-sized white bread bagel? and no milk. not a drop. but lots and lots of soda. i did finally just go out and get a few things but i hadnt planned on staying so long or spending any money. i probably have ecoli now from the fast food place that we had for lunch one day.

so i did what i could to help, loaded up and drove as fast as i could.. which was pretty slow and kinda like an old man in a hat because i had Big Red loaded down pretty good with all the stuff the family couldnt take with them. i imagine i'll have a barn sale or something.

so thats what happened.

i'm headed out to see what going on out in the barnyard. i gotta give Nibbles the squeeze and check on all my little ones. the meats got HUGE and we have got to move them outside. and they are getting stinkier by the second.

i'll catch up with everyone as the day goes along. but happy saturday!!! boy am i glad to be home!!!

 

[framing fowl]

Welcome back! Whew, just reading that made me want to go munch on a carrot stick!

With my new job, I'm working with 4 other women in a very small office. It's amazing to me the things I hear them say. "I can't go to McDonalds across the street for a $1 ice cream because I'm broke until payday... Our 3 car garage should be finished on Friday... My fridge is empty... See what my new phone does? And on and on..." I'm having a hard time keeping my mouth shut too. It's hard though.

 

[TanksHill]

Hey OFG welcome home!! I am glad to see you survived. I must say, the family you described sounds like a bunch of people I know. It's just sad.

Get settled, have some goat smooches it will make you feel better.

g

 

[TTs Chicks]

Welcome home! It is difficult to see people who are having a hard time act that way. I have a couple of friends who are talking to bankruptcy lawyers and they have all the toys, eat out all the time, spend way more money than we do and I think WTH I'm not talking about bankruptcy I'm makin do with what I have. DH reminded me when I commented that neither of those marriages are good. I'll take what I have over what they have any day