Michigan

[EeyoreD]

One of the things we had to do in school, was to read a book by a famous (not necessarily contemporary) writer, and then write a "précis" (I'm not sure what the American version of this word is), using the author's style. Of course, this was in the last century and a different country!

One of the things I find quite shocking in this country, is the number of people who home school, who are barely literate themselves. Worse still, my daughter told me of a "remedial reading" class in the college she attended. How on earth can one get into college if one cannot read properly?

It would be a shame if someone who excelled in math (I guess you would say maths?) or science was denied entrance into college for poor English skills. That said, I think writing, reading and communication in general are taking a hit in this modern world.

Course when you learned it, you learned that English required superfluous Us... you probably add extra Es to things too, like Ye Olde Chickene Shoppe.



(kidding!)

 

[Olive Hill]

Hi Mom2, I got him INTENDING for him to be a meat venture, as my husband and I will not be able to hunt for much longer due to physical conditions, but I've grown to love him so fast that now I know I would not be able to eat him. I know they can live 20 years and I'm good with that. He does come in the house for breakfast and gets to snuggle on the couch and/or bed for awhile, but eventually goes back outside. I don't have a prob with him being IN at 300# as I know the number of house dogs will eventually dwindle making it easier.
I'm checking around to find others in Michigan who raise the AGH as I'd love a breeding pair, I believe Daron or FARMERBOY, is raising them, so I'm trying to determine who's got what for pedigrees so I can get a sow and a boar from different lines. They are still on the critical list. I got mine from down around New Haven, near Anchor Bay Michigan.

All AGH go back to only a handful of pigs. At this point, there has been so much crossing of the original lines that one of the best things you can do for the breed (within pure breeding parameters) is to educate yourself on rare breed line creation and do some line breeding. Of course, if you're only looking in MI you're going to go that direction whether you mean to or not. Only a couple of us have actually gone to the trouble to get new pigs in this area and 99.9% of those with AGH in MI are just off shoots of those.

And I'm sure this will ruffle feathers, but that has never stopped me. If you intend to leave that hog intact it would be wise to refrain from treating him like a dog. 300 lbs doesn't sound like much, but perhaps Daron would be willing to post picture of Jasper and his tusks -- and then I'll tell you some stories about the things he's done with those tusks and his 300 lbs, both purposefully (on other animals) and by accident (on people). No matter the breed a boar is a boar and aggression is not common, but also not unheard of in AGH. Set him up for success now by establishing good boundaries, and you reduce the chance of injury and death later.

 

[Olive Hill]

Gifted students get frustrated when they are in a class that moves slower than they do, leaving them bored and frustrated. Just as frustrating is a class that moves much faster than you can keep up with, making many give up on getting any work done. Schools used to divide classes up so the gifted students could work at their pace and struggling students could get the help they need. With larger class sizes and screwy standardized tests it's much harder to separate the over and under achievers.

No need to sugar coat, they're no longer separated because it's politically incorrect to tell Johnny's parents that he's not smart enough for the fast moving class. Leave no child behind, just drag them all down until we haven't an icicle's chance in Satan's house of competing in the global market.

As for the reading/writing, I bet people would be surprised to find out how many people -- productive, hard working, successful people -- are not literate. It's not just young people either.

 

[Farmerboy16]

Thanks all! She is quite springy today, jumping, bouncing in the shed, and Bella keeps making a very low moo at her. I was up at 4 am for I had to be at work, I was so tired that I fell asleep in the nice and clean shed, using Bella as a nice big and warm pillow.

Farmerboy is right, he can milk Bella and feed the calf from what he milks.  Dairy-type cows give so much more milk than the calf can eat, that if he didn't milk her she would suffer discomfort from an overful udder, and possibly the pressure would reduce her milk production.  As long as the calf eats only colostrum for the first 48 hours.  Longer would be better.  In addition, allowing a calf to suckle increases the risk of bacterial contamination of the milk, so milking the cow and feeding the calf what it needs from that is more sanitary if you are going to consume the milk for yourself.

That is why I am doing this, for the comfort of Bella. I am letting Maybelle nurse first, then I milk what is left over. I will not be separating Maybelle from Bella until Sunday night, so Bella will have a full udder for our use, then when I am done milking, I will let Maybelle back, so she can nurse for the rest of the day, then repeat until Bella weans her at around 6 months old. Then I will be milking her twice a day.

Nice heifer, Daron! Bella is Holstein/Angus, right?  What kind of bull did they use on her?  As for the milking, keep doing what you're doing.  As you know from working on a dairy, Bella is producing more than Maybelline can eat.  Milk her off to keep her healthy and her production up.   

Thanks. Bella is Angus/Guernsey. Maybelle's father is an pure Angus.

 

[teeville5]

I skipped my BS ceremony and the MS graduation as well. I suppose it is important for some people but I just don't see the reason for it. But that's just me.

I understand that each person has their own views on these ceremonies. For me, though, this year has been a year in which I felt it necessary to encourage him to participate in everything and experience all he can since he won't get another chance at it. I am proud of the effort he has made this past year to experience it all and I know he is happy for having done the various things. Besides, this is his chance to proudly proclaim "Look at me. I did it!" ...which he is happily doing!

 

[NovaAman]

No need to sugar coat, they're no longer separated because it's politically incorrect to tell Johnny's parents that he's not smart enough for the fast moving class. Leave no child behind, just drag them all down until we haven't an icicle's chance in Satan's house of competing in the global market.

As for the reading/writing, I bet people would be surprised to find out how many people -- productive, hard working, successful people -- are not literate. It's not just young people either.

x2!

My friend and pain in my butt, has a son who is in 11th grade. He's going to be a senior next year, obviously, and really, he is not ready for it AT ALL. SO, I suggested that she enroll him in a some sort of homeschooling program that is to MI State standards and monitor him herself since they are no longer ALLOWED to have a child fail a grade. I think its a wicked shame that students who are not ready are going to college also, and failing miserably in classes that they should have passed in high school. Basic algebra for example. John has a young lady in one of his classes, and she is on her 5th round of math. She will take the class two times, fail both times, and then switch to a different math course so she doesn't get drummed out of the college. HUH? And college is so expensive...

 

[teeville5]

They have so many graduating requirements on the kids now that they tend to cram everything in 1/2 semester courses. It makes it harder for a lot of them to understand/retain what they learned. I think that's why in our school system getting a D+ is a passing grade. That way the kids don't have to re-take any courses when there isn't any room to do so and they can get all the requirements needed to graduate and move on whether they learned anything or not.

 

[Ferrret]

No Child Left Behind has long been criticized for that very problem Olive. It hurts to hear, for both parents and students, but sometimes you just need to be told that you aren't smart enough for certain fields. It's not an attack or intended to make you give up on everything, it's a reality everyone faces at one point or another. Not being smart at mathematics or reading doesn't make you stupid overall, it just means that your talents lie elsewhere.
Another problem (they've just recently 'discovered' was a problem

) is the 'Everyone is a Winner' attitude many parents and schools push. It's created narcissistic bullies who don't realize their lack in ability. I'm okay with rewarding actual accomplishment, but giving a gold star to everyone so no one's feelings get hurt is detrimental. Sometimes you need to see that you aren't doing your best, so that you can strive to do better.

For knowing productive, hard working people who struggle reading, I've always had an example to look at. My Dad is dyslexic and would sometimes ask us for help reading and writing, but for a good quarter of the year he's the boss of his department because he's hardworking and knows how to get things done. When his bosses need someone to fill in for them, he's the first choice, because they know they can trust him.
He spent a good portion of his life being put down and called stupid for being unable to read but he's always pushed on. Now he has a good job and no one would suspect he is dyslexic just talking to him, nor would they call him stupid. (Being 6'3" and built like a wall may also stop people from calling him anything other than 'sir'

)

 

[BobBry]

Another try.





Juise, jusie, Heck I can't remember how to spell that name but I am not going to leave the post to look it up. I've lost too many and I am lazy.
Awhile ago I composed a response to the lovely Arbor or trellis you designed and built of natural (more or less ) branches. Lost the thing before posting, but was reminded of a comment you made then regarding an extra hand or helper being needed or something like that. I was in the same predicament the other day when trying to finish the run roof alone. THE SOLUTION ?

CLAMPS. This one is a C clamp, There are several other types. Barn/yard sales sometimes have them cheap. Google them and good clamping. They are also much stronger than nearly any human helper.

 

[Opa]

Maybe because I'm old and cranky, but I don't understand all of this PC crap. You either can or you can't. If you can't do what you have to do so you can. Seems simple to me. A former employee has an 8 year old son that is quite a good ball player. Most of the ball clubs for kids that age don't bother with score keeping because it might make someone feel bad. What a load of hooeee. Ethan even was chastised by a coach last year for striking out to many batters.