5 Chicks and 2 Web-Footed Friends

Cracker our first Sultan chicken died last summer.

I order 5 chicks, 4 Sultans and 1 Easter Egger (a green egg layer) from mypetchicken.com.

 I told my sisters and neighbor that I was thinking about going by Tractor Supply and adding a couple of ducklings to my new flock.  

I was considering not telling my dear husband about the ducks.  But Monday night, I dreamed that plan actually exploded in my face.  In the dream I received 3 ducklings in the mail along with 4 very strange looking eggs.  First the ducklings were about the size of a dime or more like giant flees.  They immediately met their demise.  As I picked up each bulging color-changing egg, it exploded in my face.  So Tuesday when I woke up, I decided it would be best to run the idea of getting a couple of ducklings pass Don.  I told him I thought about just getting a couple of ducks and seeing what he said, but I had an awful dream and decided to ask him about getting the ducks.  He didn't respond. So I went outside and started gardening.  When I came in a couple of hours later; he asked me what I would name the ducks.  So therefore, we are getting a couple of ducks!  First I said Daffy and Donald. But Daffy is too negative, so I changed to Daisy and Donald; but of course those names may have to be adjusted when their gender becomes apparent.  Then we had to discuss what kind of duck.  I wanted a Pekin (okay I actually like the Aflac duck) and of course Don wanted a Mallard.  So we settled on one of each.


Well, my husband's name is Donald.  We were newly married when we went to his 20th Class Reunion and all the guys kept coming up, slapping him on the back and asking, "How are you doing, Duck?"  I could not understand this and I could tell by his face that he hated it.  After half a dozen guys had greeted him like that, I had to ask him why.  Of course, it was because of Donald Duck.  I was never really a fan of that cartoon, so it had not occurred to me that that was why.

The chicks in the box they were mailed in.

Today, I picked up the chicks from the Post Office and the 2 ducklings from Tractor Supply. 




 I will wait until the grandsons return from the beach to discuss all the names with them.  
That usually doesn't go the way I would choose, because grandsons have a way of getting their choice.

The Easter Egg chick is the brown striped one.

Tentatively being called Donald and Daisy.  Awaiting Grandsons' approval.

A Visit to Briarwood

Sunday provide excellent weather for a visit to a beautiful place, Briarwood, Caroline Dorman Nature Preserve.

Caroline Dorman lived most of her 83 years in a log house in secluded woodlands in a  remote area of northeast Natachitoches Parish.  She was world renown as a conservationist, naturalist, botanist, artist, historian, author, student of Indian lore and collector of native plants.

Linda, Richard and Jessie in front of the Visitors' Center.

I was invited by my neighbor, Linda, to ride to Briarwood with her and a couple of her friends, Sara and Jean.  As we came to the Visitors' Center we were met by Richard and Jessie.  Richard and Jessie have devoted much of their lives carrying out Caroline Dormon's work to preserve southern flora.

Linda told me to pay attention to the wallpaper in the restroom.  How could I miss it?

Native Azalea

There where hundreds of butterflies.  This was the perfect week to see the native Azaleas in bloom.

Richard was our tour guide and drove us around the preserve . While we were in the cabin, I had to video some of his stories.  I didn't know when to record, but you can get a sense of the history that this man knows.  No one will ever be able to replace him, because he knew Caroline Dormon. 

Caroline's Indian care provider.

These books were by Caroline Dormon.  Richard said that one of these arrow heads is 12 hundred years old.

This is the picture above the fireplace of Caroline and her dog.

The fireplace in the cabin with the picture of Caroline above it.

The Louisiana Irises were just beginning to bloom.

I took more pictures than I can post.  But I do highly recommend this as an outing.  It's beautiful and very educational.  In fact, Linda gave me 2 tickets to the picnic there in April.  I can't wait to go back.

Accountability for Dentist

Governor Bobby Jindal

With all the crazy teacher accountability, voucher and charter school laws that are being passed this week in Baton Rouge, someone posted this story on Facebook and I had to use it tonight for my blog.  Governor Jindal has wrecked every government job for which he has ever drawn a paycheck provided by tax payers. He even seems to have some grandiose dreams of being President. But hopefully, for our state and country, he will have to look to the private sector for his next job. He will go down in Louisiana history as the worst governor our state has ever had; and we have had some duzies.

My dentist is great! He sends me reminders so I don't forget checkups. He uses the latest techniques based on research. He never hurts me, and I've got all my teeth, so when I ran into him the other day, I was eager to see if he'd heard about the new state program. I knew he'd think it was great.

"Did you hear about the new state program to measure the effectiveness of dentists with their young patients?" I said.

"No," he said. He didn't seem too thrilled. "How will they do that?"

"It's quite simple," I said. "They will just count the number of cavities each patient has at age 10, 14 and 18 and average that to determine a dentist's rating. Dentists will be rated as Excellent, Good, Average, Below Average and Unsatisfactory. That way parents will know which are the best dentists. It will also encourage the less effective dentists to get better," I said. "Poor dentists who don't improve could lose their licenses to practice in South Carolina."

"Cavities are the bottom line, and you can't argue with the bottom line. It's an absolute measure."

"That's terrible," he said.

"What? That's not a good attitude," I said. "Don't you think we should try to improve children's dental health in this state?"

"Sure I do," he said, "but that's not a fair way to determine who is practicing good dentistry."

"Why not?" I said. "It makes perfect sense to me."

"Well, it's so obvious," he said. "Don't you see that dentists don't all work with the same clientele; so much depends on things we can't control?

"For example," he said, "I work in a rural area with a high percentage of patients from deprived homes, while some of my colleagues work in upper-middle class neighborhoods. Many of the parents I work with don't bring their children to see me until there is some kind of problem and I don't get to do much preventive work.

"Also," he said, "many of the parents I serve let their kids eat way too much candy from a young age, unlike more educated parents who understand the relationship between sugar and decay.

"To top it all off," he added, "so many of my clients have well water which is untreated and has no fluoride in it. Do you have any idea how much difference early use of fluoride can make?"

"It sounds like you're making excuses," I said. I couldn't believe my dentist would be so defensive. He does a great job.

"I am not!" he said. "My best patients are as good as anyone's, my work is as good as anyone's, but my average cavity count is going to be higher than a lot of other dentists because I chose to work where I am needed most."

"Don't get touchy," I said.

toothbrushestoothbrushesspacer  "Touchy?" he said. His face had turned red, and from the way he was clenching and unclenching his jaws, I was afraid he was going to damage his teeth. "Try furious. In a system like this, I will end up being rated average, below average or worse.

"My more educated patients who see these ratings may believe this so-called rating actually is a measure of my ability and proficiency as a dentist. They may leave me, and I'll be left with only the most needy patients. And my cavity average score will get even worse.

"On top of that, how will I attract good dental hygienists and other excellent dentists to my practice if it is labeled below average?"

"I think you're over-reacting," I said. "'Complaining, excuse making and stonewalling won't improve dental health '... I am quoting that from a leading member of the DOC," I noted.

"What's the DOC?" he said.

"It's the Dental Oversight Committee," I said, "a group made up of mostly lay-persons to make sure dentistry in this state gets improved."

"Spare me," he said. "I can't believe this. Reasonable people won't buy it," he said hopefully.

The program sounded reasonable to me, so I asked, "How else would you measure good dentistry?"

"Come watch me work," he said. "Observe my processes."

"That's too complicated and time consuming," I said. "Cavities are the bottom line, and you can't argue with the bottom line. It's an absolute measure."

"No one would ever think of doing that to schools."

"That's what I'm afraid my patients and prospective patients will think. This can't be happening," he said despairingly.

"Now, now," I said, "don't despair. The state will help you some."

"How?" he said.

"If you're rated poorly, they'll send a dentist who is rated excellent to help straighten you out," I said brightly.



"There you go again," I said. "You aren't acting professionally at all."

"You don't get it," he said. "Doing this would be like grading schools and teachers on an average score on a test of children's progress without regard to influences outside the school — the home, the community served and stuff like that. Why would they do something so unfair to dentists? No one would ever think of doing that to schools."

I just shook my head sadly, but he had brightened. "I'm going to write my representatives and senator," he said. "I'll use the school analogy — surely they'll see my point."

He walked off with that look of hope mixed with fear and suppressed anger that I see in the mirror so often lately.

Go to FB page Recall Bobby Jindal as Governor of Louisiana and click like.  It looks like someone is getting a recall petition together.

How Did I Get That Confused?

Sunday, my husband decided we should go to an afternoon movie.  First we checked what was showing at the Robinson Theater and didn't find anything.  So I said, "I want to see the movie with Denzel Washington in it."  So I went to the Tinsel Town site and it said, Act of Valor at 1:35.  So off we went to see Denzel in Act of Valor.

 After sitting through 40 minutes of the movie, I whispered to Don, "I don't think we are going to see Denzel Washington in this movie."  So Don asked me if I wanted to go. He was not enjoying Act of Valor 
You have to know, that I will sit through some of the worse movies just because I have bought a ticket and I feel committed.  But I wanted to see the Denzel Washington movie.  So Don went to the restroom and I went to the front and found the manager.  I told him I must have confused movies and asked could I switch.  Don and I decided we would come back on Monday instead of waiting for the next show.  The manager was very nice to his confused customer and I got to see the Denzel movie,  Safe House, Monday afternoon.  It was very good.  Act of Valor is war and a lot of violence. Safe House is CIA spy action and also violent, but it had Denzel.

Don was pretty amazed that I would go ask to change our tickets.  But I'm better about it when it is my mistake rather than someone else's.