Po Moyemu--In My Opinion

Saturday, November 07, 2009

November's ARGH Trip Photos

We went to Roan Mtn., TN, again this year for the Autodidactic Radical Gathering of Homeschoolers. :) Cool name, eh? Here are most of the pictures I took while there. Some video may be forthcoming as well.

ARGH

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Open Hands Fund for the Benefit of the Russell Family

I'm forwarding this information that I just heard about.

The Open Hands organization has created the Katherine Russell fund for the benefit of the Russell Family.

What this means is that people may write a check to Open Hands (a not-for-profit organization), writing the "Katherine Russell fund" in the memo line of the check. The organization collects the funds and remits them to the Russell family - they can issue checks directly to the family, or for individual bills.

There are two advantages to donating funds in this way: the first is that it may be anonymously done, and the second is that, because the donation is made to a not-for-profit organization, it is tax-deductible as a charitable deduction (if deductions are itemized on the tax return).

Checks to Open Hands, 523 Lexington Avenue, Charlottesville 22902, with a notation that it is for the Katherine Russell fund.

Julie Curry is our contact - her number is 823-1537 and email is curryjuliea@gmail.com, if there are any questions.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

The Russells' Farm Situation

I wanted to pass on more information about what's going to be going on at the Russells' farm now:

Howdy folks,

I have an update on the Russell's current situation. Brian
Walden has taken on the job of organizing the needs at the farm . We
took inventory this morning and there are a lot of animals to feed.
Current tally is 60 sheep, 14 goats, 80 cows (4 milking now 15 due to
drop calves soon), and the girl's 2 horses. The current plan is to
sell all the goats and most of the sheep and overwinter most of the
cows at another location that has more grazing. Brian hopes to move
most of the cows out in the next week or so.

Anne Buteau got a load of round bales delivered yesterday and that
will hold the animals at the farm for about 10-14 days. (Thanks
Anne!)

There is no storage for square bales so they are less useful but
could be kept under a tarp...round bales of good quality are what's
most needed. Please call Brian at 566-2277 to discuss donations of
hay. Some will need to come to the farm and some to the other field
and he can let you know what needs to go where. Brian can also he;p
you if you are interested in buying goats or sheep. Many of the cows
will be sold over time, but they haven't decided which yet. If you
have a specific interest in one cow or bull let Brian know and he can
discuss it with the Russells.

If you have a milk share or know someone (not on this list) who does
please come get your milk. There is a bit extra today that is left
from the weekend, but soon will have to go with half shares. They
have not yet decided how many cows to try to keep milking over the
winter. Don't forget to leave your share /contact info on the sheet
on the door. The list (or changes) was something Kathryn kept mostly
in her head and needs to be updated.

One regular and easy chore is laundry. There are 2 mesh bags in the
milk shed...they are labeled one for clean and one for dirty rags.
They go through quite a few rags for each milking and always need some
washed. If you can toss them in with a load and return with the next
milk pick up that would be a big help. Feel free to add in any old
but sturdy rags/wash cloths/ old towels. 12"x12" is about the right
size.

Last but not least...Anne paid for the hay yesterday and it would be
nice to reimburse her. The load was $450 and was really nice hay. If
you would like to make a donation you can send her a check at 6556
James River Rd. Shipman, VA 22971. Any money collected over the
amount for that load will be given to the Russells for other
feed/supplements or future hay needs.

Thanks to everyone for all the help and care and warm thoughts for
this family. Every bit is appreciated and needed just now.

Karen Oxford

More about Kathryn at the VICFA Website

VICFA (Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers Association) has a letter to members and visitors on its homepage about Kathryn. I'm copying it below:

Dear VICFA Member,

We have lost a vital member of our food community. Kathryn Russell was tragically killed yesterday, October 22, 2009, in a traffic accident. Kathryn was one of the founding members of VICFA and has worked tirelessly for the whole food community, first as a wife and mother, then as a farmer, political activist, writer, event organizer and spokesperson. Her loss leaves us all with heavy hearts.

The family will hold private graveside services. A Memorial Service to honor Kathryn will be held on Tuesday, October 27th at 2:00 pm at the home of Carroll Ann Friedmann, 2429 Jefferson Park Avenue, Charlottesville. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share.

Messages of condolence may be emailed to carrollannwish@earthlink.net or mailed to The Russells, 3539 Red Hill School Road, North Garden, VA 22959.

Sincerely,
Wayne Bolton, President
Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers Association

If you don't feel comfortable bringing food for the family, or making a donation in a soon-to-be-announced website for them, I think it would have made Kathryn feel good to see new VICFA members. Here's the Join VICFA page. Annual dues are just $25. There is a listing on the website of similar organizations in many other states as well.

Also, if you are so inclined, there is a VICFA book signing and reception scheduled for November 7th, at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Pre-registration is required. Details below:

Please Come to VICFA Meetings
New Meeting Format: The general meeting is from 2:00 – 4:00. From 1:00 – 2:00 is a Board business meeting. Anyone may attend, only Board members may vote.

VICFA meetings are open to the public. Please bring a dish and your enthusiasm to share.

Coming meetings:
November: Robin Raver, Richmond
December: Anne, Dan and Elizabeth Buteau's, Shipman

The Raw Milk Revolution
Behind America's Emerging Battle Over Food Rights
by David Gumpert, Forward by Joel Salatin
BOOK SIGNING and RECEPTION with author David Gumpert and Joel Salatin
November 7, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Piedmont Virginia Community College
(near Charlottesville)

COME CELEBRATE David Gumpert's newly published book, The Raw Milk Revolution. Gumpert takes readers behind the scenes of the government's tough, sometimes brutal, intimidation tactics in their persecution of raw milk producers and consumers, seen through the eyes of milk producers, government regulators, scientists, prosecutors, and consumers.

FROM THE FORWARD by Joel Salatin: “What does a society do when the charlatans are in charge? If health depends on opting out of what the charlatans think is safe, we are forced into civil disobedience….That is exactly what is driving the local heritage food movement.”

BOOK SIGNING of Joel’s and David’s books and reception follow presentations by David and Joel. Admission: $10 per household. Pre-registration requested: www.VICFA.org, or call 804-366-6051.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

How to Help Kathryn Russell's Family

I am posting this to my blog in hopes of reaching people who have not heard of this tragedy in our community already. The memorial service was yesterday, and the eulogy will be posted by CarrollAnn soon.

*****************
Dear Friends,

For those who have not heard the sad news, Kathryn Russell was killed
in a car accident on Thursday evening [Oct 22]. I know she will be sorely
missed by many and for those who would like to join with her friends
and family to say goodbye, a memorial service has been planned.

The service will be held at the home of CarrollAnn Friedmann at 2429
Jefferson Park Ave. in Charlottesville on Tuesday October 27th at 2
p.m.

Please bring a dish and a fond memory to share.

C&O resturant will be contributing roast meats for the day and drinks
will be provided by the hosts. All other contributions are much appreciated.

The family will also need the continuing help of their friends to
weather this terrible event. Those who wish to help in the coming
weeks by sharing a home cooked dinner or a turn at the farm chores can
log on to the website http://www.takethemameal.com/. The family's
needs are being coordinated through this site for the forseeable
future. The site will require a name, "russell", and a password,
"2009". You can also contact Alice Riccabona at 434-960-4150. Please
share this information with those who may not have computer access or
with those who may not have been on either the VICFA or Albemarle
Homeschooler's lists.

Thank you for supporting this wonderful family in their hour of need.
Karen Oxford
*************************

Here is the link to Kathryn's obituary in the Daily Progress.

I know that I will miss Kathryn's "voice," and that our community--homeschoolers, small farmers, homebirth advocates and all those who knew her--will feel a void for a very long time.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

The Mower and the Man

The following is a really funny story from Eddie's childhood. He's taking classes at PVCC, and this was an assignment for his English class--the assigned essay was to be a narration of a childhood event or memory. He has so many to choose from . . . but he did finally pick this one. I enjoyed it, the kids enjoyed it, the professor enjoyed it. I hope you will too. I have his permission to reprint it here, and it is copyrighted to him, 2009.

The Mower and the Man

Lawnmowers don’t cut water. I can tell you this with absolute certainty because I have first-hand knowledge. For those who may not know this, back in the early 1970’s, safety features were few and far between on your average homeowner’s riding mower. Had there been a kill-switch back then, I wouldn’t be telling this story today. One of the most memorable events of my early childhood occurred on an otherwise normal summer day in Florida, when the struggle between man and machine was fought out before my eyes. It was the day my father drove the riding mower into our swimming pool.

Before you start wondering, let me assure you that this was neither a normal nor a planned event. Up until this day, it had been an uneventful summer. When I was a child, we lived at the end of a cul-de-sac in the small town of North Palm Beach, Florida. Because we were at the end of this cul-de-sac, our backyard was the largest on the street. My brothers and I lived in our backyard, quite literally, primarily because of the plethora of fruit trees growing there. We had orange, grapefruit (both pink and white), tangerine, lime, lemon, coconut, and avocado trees to choose from, though the avocados actually belonged to the neighbor and hung over the fence into our yard. We therefore had an unending supply of snacks anytime we wanted them. The yard was a sandy grassy one. It was in the shape of an equilateral triangle, with the base running parallel with the back of the house. It was fenced in, and was just the perfect place to play as a young child. The backyard called to us, and not having to run inside for food made it a paradise. This paradise also included an in-ground pool. On this particular day, my older brother, Tom, and I had been playing as usual. We heard the riding mower coming from the side yard, our father at the wheel. My mother and two other brothers were blissfully going about their business inside, unaware of what was about to occur.

Riding the lawn mower, which he had only recently purchased, and having finished mowing in the front, my father now entered the backyard. I don’t remember the day when the mower was purchased, but I do remember its being new. It had been purchased at Sears & Roebuck (yes, I said Sears & Roebuck—this was the 1970’s after all). You could read the Craftsman brand name on the sides of the fenders. It wasn’t much of a mower compared to today’s standards; it had a rectangular frame, four wheels, a rear engine surrounded on three sides by red sheet metal fenders, a seat, and a steering wheel. My father’s not having enough experience behind the wheel of this newly purchased lawn mower would not have been such a bad thing had our backyard not contained that in–ground pool. As you can imagine, my brothers and I spent a lot of time in that pool. However, on this day, Tom and I decided to relocate our activities to the screened-in porch so that our father could continue his mowing. As he cut the grass in a pattern, he drew closer and closer to the pool. With the rest of the backyard cut, it was now time for the delicate task of mowing the grass around the edge of the pool. My brother and I watched as Dad drove the mower perpendicular to the edge of the pool, to avoid throwing clippings into it, stopped, and then backed up, moved over, and repeated the process. In theory, this seemed to be a sound technique. After doing this a few times, he pulled up to the edge one more time. He placed the mower in reverse, cocked his head to look behind him, let off the clutch, and, much to everyone’s surprise, the mower lurched forward toward the pool. The moment he released the clutch, the struggle began.

My brother and I watched our father’s normally relaxed, sun-tanned face change to one of perplexity and surprise, as he realized the severity of the situation. His immediate thought must have been to prevent the mower from driving into the pool. However, his immediate reaction, though poorly chosen, was to throw his feet down to the ground; and with a death grip on the steering wheel, he would hold the mower back. What my father did not realize was that the mower would not be held back. (What my brother and I did not realize was that this would not be the only event in our lives in which we would watch our father struggle with machines.) With the rear wheels still engaged, and with the strength of ten horses, for that was the power rating of the engine, the front end reared up toward the sky. He fought to pull it back down, and it reared up again. After the third struggle to pull the mower back, his face changed to show the realization that he could not win this battle; it was a face of defeat. Acknowledging to himself that the mower was going in the pool with or without him, he simply let go. Looking like a scene that Wile E. Coyote concocted, the mower shot out over the pool, hung in mid-air for that brief second, and splashed down as only an Apollo capsule could.

Being a child, I had no understanding of the seriousness of this event. I never considered that my father could have been seriously injured. Seeing a lawn mower launch itself into such an incongruous location as the bottom of a pool was pure entertainment. Had there been a safety switch in the seat as mowers have today, this event never would have been entered into the chronicles of my history, and one of the most entertaining days of my childhood never would have occurred. How my father got the mower out of the pool is a story for another day.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

And Yet Another Reason to Homeschool

It's a Fork, It's a Spoon, It's a . . . Weapon? from the NYT. So a 6 year-old was suspended for 45 days for bringing to school a combo camping knife/fork/spoon he got in Cub Scouts. He wanted to use it a lunch. Hmmm.

For Zachary, it is not school violence that has left him reluctant to return to classes.
“I just think the other kids may tease me for being in trouble,” he said, pausing before adding, “but I think the rules are what is wrong, not me.”

He's still thinking for himself!

I really love this excerpt, which is not about the case that's just happened:

The law was introduced after a third-grade girl was expelled for a year because her grandmother had sent a birthday cake to school, along with a knife to cut it. The teacher called the principal — but not before using the knife to cut and serve the cake.

OMG! Did the teacher even think about what she was doing???? Hope she liked the cake.

Question--do any of these school districts with no tolerance policies give kids knives at lunch? Maybe not, I don't know, but if they do, what's the difference in a kid bringing his own similar butter knife to school?

And I wrote about this subject back in 2007, also, over a similar incident. Nothing's changed.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

QOTH--Faith

Faith is a cop-out. If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can’t be taken on its own merits. - Dan Barker

Friday, October 02, 2009

Introduction to Homeschooling - Northern Virginia

The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers
www.VaHomeschoolers.org
Your Resource. Your Voice. Your Association.

Introduction to Homeschooling - Northern Virginia
Tuesday, October 6, 6:30-8:30pm
"Introduction to Homeschooling"

VaHomeschoolers Board member Stephanie Elms will be the guest speaker at the October meeting for the Holistic Moms Network of Northern Virginia in Fairfax, Virginia on October 6, 2009. Visitors are welcome.

Are you interested in homeschooling, but are not sure how to begin the journey? Are you looking for more information and resources? Join us to learn some of the basics of homeschooling and how you can get started.

Meeting location:

Fairfax Church of Christ
3901 Rugby Road
Fairfax, Virginia 22033
(703) 631-2100

Directions: http://www.fxcc.org/index.php/Parking/where-we-are.html
**PARKING: Please follow the signs into the church and around the back of the building to the "member parking." (NOT in the front labeled "visitor parking.") You can only enter at the door that has a sign that says Office/Stepping Stones. Meet upstairs in the large meeting room. Access the room via stairs or an elevator near the sanctuary. Follow HMN directional signs.

Enjoy light refreshments
Feel free to bring your children
Win great door prizes (members only)
Share your knowledge, experiences, and questions

The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers
www.VaHomeschoolers.org
Your Resource. Your Voice. Your Association.

~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~
Please feel free to forward this message to other homeschoolers and homeschool groups or email lists who might find this information useful. If this message was forwarded to you, be sure to join the VaHomeschoolers Announce List to receive future updates directly.

Join online: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VaHomeschoolersAnnouncements
Or via email: VaHomeschoolersAnnouncements-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

VaHomeschoolers is now on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/VaHomeschoolers

The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers
www.vahomeschoolers.org
info@vahomeschoolers.org
PO Box 5131
Charlottesville, VA 22905
866-513-6173

Monday, September 14, 2009

Buddhist QOTD

As long as there is a lack of the inner discipline that brings calmness of mind, no matter what external facilities or conditions you have, they will never give you the feeling of joy and happiness that you are seeking. On the other hand, if you possess this inner quality of calmness of mind, a degree of stability within, then even if you lack various external facilities that you would normally consider necessary for happiness, it is still possible to live a happy and joyful life.
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama

So true, so true.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Another Horrible Books Order--Yeah!

I have not been blogging very much lately--though I have posted some things over at the CasaInCostruzione blog, because we're remodeling a full bathroom. But I got this email from Ray at Horrible Books and wanted to let my one reader know about it, whoever you are. :)
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