Bamboo Treat for the Goats

A neighbor down the street had the bamboo in her backyard cut and put on the curb.

So Don and I drove the truck down there and got a load for the goats.

This was after I had carried 2 loads to the goats. Gus, Don's cat was hoping he got something.

 

They love the leaves.  It's much better for my bucks than goat pellets.  In fact, the veterinarian told me not to feed the bucks pellets, when Billy Shakespeare developed Urinary Calculi. Here is a wonderful article on Urinary Calculi. http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/articles2/urinarycalculi06.html I almost lost BS.  I feed him hay and oats now; instead of the pellets many people feed their show goats.
 

Billy Shakespeare and son, Minimus

The pile of bamboo will likely still be there until Tuesday, so we may go back for some more free food for the goats.  It would be great to just let them go down there and eat, but I know that is not a good idea.  My neighbors are very good about my urban farm, mostly because they can't see it.

Honey Bunny, Dottie Belle and Anna, Dottie's new kid.

Honey Bunny's kid, April.

Dottie Belle Had 2 Doe Kids

It was about 5 pm today and I was in the middle of making yogurt and cooking dinner; when I made a trip to the garden for tomatoes and noticed Dottie Belle, a Nigerian Dwarf goat, standing in some tall weeds.  She had been yelling at me all day and when I felt her ligaments, But I noticed they were looser, but saw no other signs of labor this morning or early afternoon.  As I came back from the garden, it looked like something moved beside Dottie Belle.  So I went to check it out.  Sure enough she was cleaning up two small little girls. 

Dottie Belle with her 2 doelings.

 One looks just like the buck, Jazzman she delivered on July 17 last year, but about half his size.  The other one is black and white.  Both have Billy Shakespeare white cap on top of their heads. 
Grandson, Chase named the tri-colored, blue-eyed doe Neapolitan.  Connor wants to name the black and white, brown eyed girl, Anna; probably after one of his many "girlfriends."  Either way those may not end up being their names, because I am going to sell them.  Connor asked me why would I sell them.  I told him because I can't have too many goats.  He wanted to know was is against the law.  Anyway, children never want to part with baby animals.  

Connor's eyes are red from chlorine in the pool.

 I already have homes for 2, but Gypsy Ginger is going to deliver any minute, so I don't know if these 2 will go to the same home or not.  But I called Jo Marie and she came right over. We'll have to see Gypsy's baby, but it looks like she will have a tough decision about which 2 she wants.  These are adorable. She bought 6 baby chicks and a coop from me a few weeks ago.  I gave her the 2 baby ducks I had.  But for awhile the grands will have fun playing with the new kids.  I will soon be milking 3 goats.  That could make me very busy.

But not any busier than momma goat.

My Sister, Debbie

It's said that your siblings know you better than anyone, because they are with you from the beginning to the end.  That is certainly true of you,  my sister, Debbie.  I was two and a half when you were born.  There's no one that I have played with, cleaned the house with or fought with more fiercely.

Debbie and Me

We didn't live in a neighborhood, so most of the time we only had each other to play with or the younger siblings to pick on.

Seems we were always side by side.

Me and Debbie in a rare Louisiana snow.

You were by my side through my life's disappointments; sometimes rolling your eyes and smirking.

 

 As evident in this picture, when you got the pretty doll with the "real" curly hair and I got the ugly one with some kind of sculptured painted on hair.

Pictures also show we spent a lot of our time with our hair rolled up in bobby pins.  We know the pain of sitting at Mother's feet while she rolled our hair every night.  Then the next morning, making Mom angry and getting bopped in the head with the hairbrush.

It was always my job to wash the dishes and yours to dry them.  We would sing every song we knew and then start making up songs about our younger sister, Lenora, until she starting screaming and Mother or Dad would tell us we couldn't sing any more.  We loved the Gabor sisters.  I was Zsa Zsa. You were Eva. And we told Lenora she was Moo Moo Gabor.  That really made her scream.  Until I looked for this picture, I didn't realize there was a third Gabor sister; of course not named Moo Moo.

But of course, you often turned the teasing on me.  I lost a couple of potential boyfriends due to information you gained reading my diary.  You still love to tell the story of putting the water hose through the bathroom window and ruining my hair while I was primping for a date.  In those days we didn't have blow driers or curling irons, so curling one's hair for a date was an all day affair.

But as others come and go in my life; I know that you were born to ALWAYS be right there by my side and I by yours.

Happy Birthday beloved sister and may we share many more. 

Finalists For Superintendent From Search Firm

 Social media and the internet are so much better than they were even 5 years ago, when the school board was looking for the last superintendent.  So after 5 years, our local school board is in the middle of hiring a new superintendent. In a vote of 10 to 2 the board voted to hire a firm headquartered in Nebraska to conduct our search. Last time we received 21 names; many were totally unsuitable.   We've had the list of 7 finalists for the position of Superintendent for our system since July 3rd:
2 Caddo School natives for CPSB superintendent job- Dr. Mary Nash Robinson, current Chief of Staff, Mr. John Dilworth, former educator in Caddo, former Superintendent of Birmingham Public Schools and Superintendent of East Baton Rouge School System,  Romain Dallemand (Macon, GA), John Green (Suwanee, GA), Jerry Payne (Pine Bluff, AR), Angella Perera (Smithfield, VA) and Theodore Thompson (Alexandria, VA)
 Already we are hearing from people all over the country about their experience with these candidates.  

I try not to blog about a lot of the school board business; though much of it could be viewed as entertaining, if it didn't affect our children, teachers and community so much.  But I'm going to write about this experience because it is going just as badly as I thought it would when the decision was made to hire an outside firm.  I also want people who are looking for a superintendent to get the opinions and information I have received.

So this is my first post.  I will just post the emails that I have received and my replies to citizens who care about public education enough to get involved.  I also hope people in my district will be aware of the the communications that I am receiving.  Tomorrow and the rest of the week I will be calling the school board members in these districts and getting their feedback.

They put their names on the e-mails, but because I didn't get permission to print their names, I'm not going to use their whole name.

First e-mail

-----Original Message-----
From: Danny H
Sent: Saturday, July 06, 2013 4:50 PM
Subject: romain dallemand

I am just warning you folks that this guy will poison 

your system. Be diligent, check with the Rochester Mn.

as well. Lawsuits and chaos have followed him, just 
saying. Danny H.

Second e-mail 

July 9,
2013

Mr. Larry Ramsey

Caddo Parish School Board President

RE:  Superintendent Finalists

Dear Mr. Ramsey

The Shreveport Times July 4, 2013 article quoted you as saying,  “We have a nice mix of candidates from throughout the southern region, and I’m pleased with how much our consultant has already done to narrow the field.”

I am amazed that you are pleased with these candidates.  Two of them were FIRED from their positions; one left because he could not work with the school board; one has been in the system only two years but is looking elsewhere; one left the system because ‘of concerns over retirement benefits’;  and another has only been in a system since 2011.  Our own Acting Superintendent is the only one without such negative comments.  If this group of candidates offers possibilities, what were the others like?  It seems that this firm has wasted time and money for a system which did not need this.  Representatives of the citizens of this community asked the board to do their own search because the same problems are occurring with consultant firms around the country.

I think the citizens of Caddo in the best interest of students, teachers, and the future of the school system should seek new board members when terms are up.  It should be noted that only two members, Mrs. Crawley and Mr. Hooks, voted against pursuing a consultant firm.  You do not appear to have the best interest of the constituents who elected you and it is time you relinquished your seats to others who are concerned about educating a future generation.

Sincerely,

Bonita B

Third e-mail

Dear School District Board Members,

 

I am a parent of three children in the Bibb County School District in Macon, GA, and a professor at a local university.

 

Based on our experiences with Romain Dallemand in the last 2 years, and as a parent, I am strongly encouraging you to disregard his application for superintendent. Romain Dallemand did more damage to Bibb County schools in his short tenure that I could have ever imagined. Many teachers abandoned the system for other counties due to his lack of leadership and bizarre policies. Many parents pulled their kids out of school to avoid dealing with the mess he caused, putting them in private or home schooling them. He became a local joke and harmed our school system a great deal. Our county wasted tremendous money on this man and his grandiosity.

 

Please, do everything you can to select someone other than Romain Dallemand. You will harm your students if you put this man in the superintendent's office. You cannot believe what he says or trust him. He will deceive you, take your money, and ruin you financially. He is not reliable, trustworthy, or even a true educational professional. He has no personal integrity. Do not hire him. Please take this recommendation from a concerned parent. Mr. Dallemand should never be placed in a position of authority in a school, or especially a district, ever again.

 

Sincerely,

Susan C

Macon, GA 

  

My return e-mail to Susan 

Mrs. C,
I truly appreciate you taking the time to send this email. It shows how much you 
really care about public education for all children. We must be able to track 
and identify such opportunists to preserve our children's future. After studying 
the applicants sent to us by this search firm, I am even more convinced that 
these firms are about the business of facilitating the preying on taxpayers' 
dollars through school boards who want to turn a deaf ear and be blind to this 
practice. We must depend on noble citizens willing to tell us the truth.
Thank you,
Charlotte Crawley