Her three goats are stationed as needed for organic weed control, there are goldfish in her pond for pest abatement (mosquitoes and algae) and there are a few chickens that roam around to help take care of pests like grubs and insects.  Also, in preparation for winter they have a Chickenloo- a doggloo that they can move around as needed that is insulated in which her hens can roost easily and be moved around the property for pest management and to help fertilize the soil.  This way the chicken dung does not build up in one location and make the soil too hot.  The “Willow Garden” was the last place where the chickens were going to roost for a “spell” as the trees will provide the chickens some protection from the elements.

They now have a full bail feeder which will reduce the amount of hay needed for the winter months as the feeder will help keep hay off the ground and catch the leaves and chaff and allow the goats to eat more of the hay and waste less.  This will reduce the waste and cost.  The feeder was leftover from the Double D ranch so is being “recycled.”

Coming home they put bags of peppers in my truck as they had an abundance and to thank us for our work and as a token of friendship.  It was fun to go out and visit and see what was being done and the changes as things evolve and to see what resources could be procured for little or no cost to help them in their endeavors.

Instead, let’s talk about the impacts that are looming on the horizon.  Regardless of who sits in the Oval Office, budget cuts are coming.  These cuts can come from government programs like Social Security and Medicare or departments like Defense and Education.

The facts are simple, our country can not continue to overspend in the same egregious ways it has done in the past.  Our elected officials appear to be gaining awareness on this issue.  And the cuts will come.

The important question here is, are you and/or your business are prepared for an economy where either the consumers have less expendable income and/or your taxes increase?  In such an economy, the price of energy is sure to increase.  What is your plan for a 10% increase in energy costs?  And, since the cost of energy affects the costs of EVERYTHING else, a 10% or more increase in the cost of supplies and overhead?  What if the increase were 40% or more?

In such an economy, a homeowner or business would be very well protected if it were producing its own energy from renewable sources.  The question then becomes, will you get ahead of the problem by increasing your renewable sourcing now while the costs are low or will you be forced to do it later when costs are high?  Or worse, will you be left behind because you can’t afford it?

This year Jenny (from Jenny’s farm) made a HUGE contribution to our efforts and donated a leather-bound 15^th Edition set of Encyclopedias.  As the encyclopedia is no longer in print they are becoming more rare and difficult to come by.  The set was in excellent condition and I only saw a few pages that were stuck together and were easily pulled apart without damage. As soon as Canyon Springs was open for registration we started taking loads of supplies down to the school as this is only their third year of being open in that building and they are still under renovation, and the school budget is ridiculously tight.

We left a few cards welcoming the staff back to the new year, wishing them luck and thanking them for their hard work and dedication to the profession and their students. It has been an interesting long term on-going project to work with schools such as Canyon Springs and see the differences as time goes on and things progress.   Our group hauled in all sorts of items that to some are not a big deal.  I would agree they are not a “big deal” until you need them, then all of the sudden it is those little things that make a difference in your whole day.  Books, paper, pens, highlighters, decorative boarders, pencils, rulers, crayons, safety glasses, colored pencils, composition books, erasers, boxes of Band-Aids, Kleenex, push pins, post-it- notes, paper clips…all of these are necessities and are often overlooked.  We were able to see a few staff members and some gave us big hugs.  One teacher sent a small thank you note via e-mail.  We understand that our group’s contribution is a very small drop in the bucket to meet the gap of needs.

As one of the goals of Infinite Future is to promote re-use, it was wonderful to see Jenny and her family give a set of encyclopedias to a school that needed them.  This kept the set together, out of a landfill, and put in a place where they will be used rather than simply collect dust on a shelf, or be stored away in box somewhere.  We were also able to see that some projectors have been mounted in the rooms.  The use of technology will aid the students as they will be able to watch visual presentations via PowerPoint and movies.  This will also save time for the instructors – as they plan lessons they can spend time planning the presentations once and then edit as needed.  Also, presentations can be saved and e-mailed to students who were absent for the day due to illness or appointments so the student can study at home if they have an internet connection.  The implementation of technology also reduces the need for supplies such as EXPO dry erase markers.

As there were over 500 photos proving Jenny’s side of the case and the Police could not provide any all charges were dismissed and Jenny won the case.  This is a victory for “green living” as well as courts frowning on the heavy handedness of Police officers who have a personal issue with a person or business and decide to make life as difficult as possible. Jenny came over the other day and collected Kennel panels, a heated water tank, and a few other things left over from my farm and is putting them to good use.  Plans for a celebration are in the works.

She is also partnering with local colleges to do further research on her products, her berries are coming on strong and are now being harvested and dried.  The leaves of the plants can be used in fresh salads or dried to make tea’s and are high in anti-oxidant properties which are said to help fight and prevent cancer.  It will be interesting to work further with Jenny in the future to see how things progress and develop.  It was exciting to earn the “VICTORY” in court and we were glad to help out with research, pictures, and laughs.

‘Jenny has a small farm and grows a variety of plants including gogi berries and wolf berries.  Jenny also tries to work with schools, and other local people and businesses to provide them with plants.

Studies, some of which I posted to Facebook so that people could link to them and read what they want have shown that goats have been proven to be excellent organic weed controllers and brush clearers in compared to their herbicide and bulldozer alternatives.  Jenny now has three goats to help her keep her 1.5 acre property under control.  I have built a small shelter out of recycled pallets that she can move to where ever the goats are placed so that they are protected from the weather and they have something to climb on for enrichment activities as it is important for goats to have things to climb on for their mental and physical well-being.  The shelter is painted with non-toxic paint so that it will weather nicely and last longer and if the goats chew on it which they do; there will be no harm to the goats.  The shelter is large enough for all three of her goats as in the winter it gets cold in Idaho and to keep warm a smaller shelter is more desirable than a larger one.

The shelter is also the perfect size to separate mommas out when they have babies so that the momma can take care of her babies and the babies will not be picked on by the other goats until they are larger enough to join the heard.

I built the goat sanction so that Jenny can easily take care of her goats for medical care or if she chooses to milk them it is all set up.  The Sanction is painted to that it can be easily cleaned and “sterilized” so that proper care can be taken care.  It also makes a great place to sit with a favorite baby and enjoy a cup of coffee while you make sure they are getting their proper nutrients.    The goat stand is custom built for the larger breed of Boar Goats that are becoming more popular and fitted it I-Hooks so that regardless of the size of the goat, from kid to buck the animal can be attended to with minimal trauma to the animal or the care taker.  They REALLY love their brush downs.

Jenny is looking into building a paddle wheel in her irrigation canal, solar panels and other “things” so this is REALLY COOL… the little “back woods… po-duck town of Parma” has this person who is trying to go as Green as possible by using recycled materials, more “homeopathic” or at least a “mixed method” and the “good Ol’ Boy” town of Parma that houses a chemical plant is responding by having the police write her tickets for being a public nuisance.

OH BY the way after my little stroll through PARMA and my posts on Face book the SHERRIFF was NOT re-elected.

I was asked if I was the one who Strolled through the town taking pictures and then posted them on Facebook “taunting the towns officials”  I told the GUY HELL YEAH I WAS and what the hell are they going to do about it?  Really?  Re-paint that FUGLY house?

Oh the guy from the fire department was on a ROLL.  A gal from the police department rolled by and I raised my glass of water and waved.  She parked down the street and we had a nice litter “town meeting going on out in the driveway with people who have not been “breaking the law” yet who have been given bogus citations by the Parma Police Department that have been forwarded to the Canyon County Prosecutors office who then “offer you a deal”.

One guy has FIVE misdemeanor charges against him.  They dropped them once and now they REFILED them which is double jeopardy.  So, Jenny’s Lawyer wants to get the media involved because there is already a big scandal about how the Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney’s office has been blowing money and one is now even on trial for embezzling it.  There are all sorts of bribery and corruption and people just keep looking the other way.  Then I come in and I am like BRING IT ON MOTHER FUCKERS… if you want to come into MY TOWN, and MY HOUSE and tell me what the law is and is not well you better fucking know what the fuck you’re talking about because I research this shit all day every day. So please, just give me a reason to dig into your business.

http://www.jkaf.org/2011-go-on-challenge-winners/

Eight Schools will receive $100,000 for increasing students’ probabilities to succeed in postsecondary education and training

December 9, 2011 (Boise, Idaho) — The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation announced the winners of the ‘Go On’ Challenge that 55 Idaho high schools participated in this past school year (2010-2011).

The intent of the contest was to encourage high schools to measurably increase the number of Idaho students who go on to postsecondary training or education.

Schools competed in at least one of the following categories:

• Increased the number of students taking the ACT, PLAN, PSAT or SAT
• Increased the number of students who completed advanced opportunities coursework in AP, Dual Credit and/or Tech Prep
• Increased the number of students who completed coursework in upper-level math and science

The above three areas were selected for their proven effectiveness in helping to prepare, motivate and challenge students to Go On, and in helping students who have already entered college be less apt to drop out or need remediation.

Winners demonstrated the most significant improvement over the 2009-2010 school years in one of the three categories and were awarded $100,000 to spend as they wish. Schools competed against schools with similar enrollment sizes, and all schools competed for the “most-improved overall” award.

“We want to thank the 55 schools who participated in this challenge,” said Jamie MacMillan, the Foundation’s executive director. “They all worked hard, and we appreciate their efforts and hope that this will make a significant difference in future students going on. We are proud to be the sponsor of this initiative.”

Canyon Springs High School and Caldwell Freshman Academy Awarded $40,000 Grant

http://www.caldwellschools.org/News/FullStory.php?NewsID=1559

posted 05/15/2012 

By traney,

Canyon Springs High School and Caldwell Freshman Academy Awarded $40,000 Grant

“They Aimed High, Made a Plan, Got Ready and now they are a Go On School!  Congratulations to the 27 Idaho schools across the state who will receive grants ranging from $11,000 to $40,000 from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation’s Go On Schools initiative, which aimed to resource and support Idaho schools who are committed to helping students Go On to education beyond high school.”

A big thanks to the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation for continuing to support the educational revolution! A special thanks to Elysa Skousen who worked through the grant process and wrote the grant to include CFA and CSHS. The schools will use the money to support senior projects, professional development, travel and printing materials to support the GO ON initiative.

OK… Now take into consideration… Now as a member of Infinite Future Books, Math items such as rules, dice, games, paper, and pencils. arts supplies, science supplies, English and History supplies have been donated to a school that when I walked into it, did not even have its name on the front of the building.  I changed over flickering light bulbs to new fluorescent light bulbs that were kinder to the eyes…that were up to date and made sure they were energy efficient.  I encouraged the Janitor to change over the cleaning supplies to nontoxic ones and rather than uses an electric vacuum that was not cleaning the tile floors uses a dust mop in the hallways and donated one so that the hallways would be cleaned faster, better, and without electricity.  Save the vacuum for the carpets or the pile at the end of the hallways and stairs.

Oh by the way 80% fall below the poverty line and qualify for free or reduced lunch so the two meals a day they receive at school are often what they eat the entire day, so before anyone says “ask the parents to dig in their pockets to help keep the lights on, the parents have plenty to worry about at home.  They want and trust the school to take care of their children while they are in those walls as if those children are the most sacred gifts ever to bestow this earth.

Imagine walking into a building where tile is still being laid down, paint is still being put on the walls, and come hell or high water those kids need to receive an education.  A few people shook hands and made deals with one another that things were going to get taken care of.

Canyon Springs sadly opened its doors to its students with nothing and when I say nothing I really mean nothing.  Canyon Springs still has a LONG way to go.  With fund raising, community support, recycled materials, creative shopping, and determined students and members of the POND program.  Canyon Springs has been one of the major benefactors of the POND members labors of love to help the Caldwell Community.

My Students: What is life like for a student in Idaho? How does that compare with young people of China, Namibia, Lebanon or Guatemala? My students have very limited exposure to any culture that is not in their own neighborhood or on TV.

Our students attend an alternative high school in a renovated Depression Era elementary school. Well over half are Hispanic, and virtually all are considered “at-risk.” For too many, that “at-risk” means that they have seldom, if ever, had the opportunity to experience the wonderful “otherness” of different cultures except as it is portrayed in popular entertainment. A few of our students have never left the immediate area where they live, while others have experienced a trip to Texas or Mexico, but never to a state park or historical site.

My Project: This request is for a projector to be used in a social studies classroom, specifically, for a World Cultures class, but also for Economics and U.S. Government. We have limited resources, especially when it comes to technology for classroom instruction and interaction. This projector offers a window on the incredible array of resources to help our students recognize the many similarities with “other people” as well as understand some of the reasons for the differences that seem to be emphasized and exploited. While this is not a trip to another locale, it can offer a glimpse of what life is like in other places. Many of our students have families who have immigrated, yet have almost no concept of life as it is lived where their families came from. With the power of the Internet and technology, we are working on a reciprocal arrangement with schools in other nations for video conferencing, a chance to visit with new friends.

This request is for a magic window for our students. A projector to share the beauty, squalor, majesty and variety of life as people of all kinds live it. Many students assume the world is just like us. This is the chance to, if only in a small way, experience life that is not lived just like us. Maybe, if they have this kind of opportunity, it will enhance our students’ ability to define, or refine, their own priorities and life goals, especially as it relates to all those “others” in the world. Thank you for your support!

Craig also remembers when my son popped off all the keys to my lap top because they “were not in the right order”  That was interesting trying to put them back in the “correct place” as I did not have another keyboard to look at the current moment and I still had to write my college papers.  Craig has been “with us” in the “Adventures of Autism.” and was one of the first people I called when my son was diagnosed deaf October 25, 2003.  I was devastated.  That was two days before my son’s fifth birthday.

Two days later I sat with my son at Chuck E. Cheese and sang him happy birthday.  I was reminded that he may not be-able to hear the words, he can feel the love and not to give up.  Six month later the diagnosis of AUTISM came over the phone.    The diagnosis was a relief in a way because it was the first step in knowing what to do.

April is Autism Awareness month so for the month of April we set forth on a project to raise awareness about ASD.  My children Michael (My little MAN) and ISIS, the Princess, made a goal to light it up blue and join the Autism Awareness Campaign.  The project kicked off with a few simple light bulbs, companies such as Home Depot partnered up with Autism Speaks and sold 25 watt blue light bulbs to raise money and awareness.  My husband chose to purchase blue Fluorescent bulbs for the outside of our home.  The bulbs we purchased were Blue Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs.  These bulbs produce the equivalent amount of light as a 60-watt incandescent bulb, and have a reported life of 8,000 hours.

Many people on the Spectrum have described As though they were “alone in their own little world surrounded by others.”  Some signs of Autism are: inappropriate laughter, no real fear of dangers, apparent insensitivity to pain, may not want cuddling, sustained unusual repetitive play, uneven physical or speech,  may avoid eye contact, may prefer to be alone. may have difficulty expressing needs and use gestures,  inappropriate attachment to objects, insistence on sameness, echoes words or phrases, inappropriate responses or no response to sound, spins objects or self, difficulty interacting with others.  As I read this list this describes me in many ways.  I am sure people who know me would laugh.  My question is “what is really inappropriate and who are these people to say what inappropriate is?”  .

Autism is represented by symbols; one is the puzzle piece, the meanings for the autism awareness puzzle piece are interpreted differently by different people. To some, the symbol is simply a reflection of the idea that autism spectrum disorders are puzzles that have not yet been solved. To others, the autism puzzle piece, since it is not part of a larger puzzle, reflects that children who have autism are themselves pieces of the puzzle that do not fit in. To others still it represents the mechanical nature of an ASD individual’s thought process. The autism puzzle piece design, in many versions, features bright colors that symbolize both hope and the period of childhood.

At one pint my son was deaf and non-verbal.  If you have watch “Mr. Holland Opus you will understand when I say I have had the “Mr. Holland’s Opus Moment of just wanting to be able to communicate with my son.  I have had the moments of him RIPPING everything out of the fridge and me SCREAMING at that poor child “WHAT DO YOU WANT!”  It is a good thing he was deaf because I was screaming like a raving lunatic.  In reality I was a tired, frustrated mother who simply wanted to be able to communicate with my child.  We began to learn sigh language, and pictures.  Michael had surgery, and started therapy, LOTS of therapy.

We found that he reacted to corn and anything with corn syrup and for three years we had to be very careful as to what he ate and he could not have any corn or corn products.  Label reading was very important and we found that even though it was written in his school plan NO CORN or CORN products the school ignored this directive and Michael had far more mal-adaptive behaviors after lunch and especially if he had meals that were high in corn or corn products.

Michael can now speak and hear, both are still not “normal” and we work with him with his communication skills and he becomes over stimulated by many things.  This is makes life interesting when shopping for clothes, laundry soap, shampoo … anything really.  So finding people and places that are willing to work with us is very important otherwise we lead very isolated lives.

The project started with a few simple light bulbs.  My children wanted to spread awareness with the neighborhood, the town, and the world.   That sounds simple enough right?  Throughout the month we worked to find people  and businesses willing to listen, accept, and “Light it up Blue” to show that they were willing to show they were aware of Autism and willing to accept people with ASD, and work with them and INVITE them into their spaces.

Throughout the month we had numerous Adventures in Autism.  We had a “Light it up Blue Party at the Garage Cafe.”  Michael was able to break out of his shell and attend his first track meet where there were lots of people, noises, sounds, sights, and smells.  He spoke in front of numerous classes about Autism.  He spoke to teachers and administers at various schools.

She brings many years of personal and professional experience and is currently working on a degree in Criminal Justice. Watch out!

In keeping with the four system conditions of the Natural Step, Tammie worked on an Autism Sprectrum Disorder project for us. Our next few posts will be from her describing her experiences and how the project went.

We’ll also be hearing from her about her work with local Idahoans with their personal gardening and husbandry experiences.

Welcome again and please enjoy!

One day I was driving to work on a spare “donut” tire.  I had planned to get it replaced with a full-sized tire, but hadn’t made time for that yet.  Unfortunately, I didn’t know that it too had a leak.  Well, that was the day the leak decided to expand and the tire gave out on me.  I was able to pull over, but the only available area was covered in mud.  C’est la vie.  I managed to find a rock to use as a platform for my jack and started to get the tire off.  Or so I thought.  The jack began to sink into the mud and I had no way to stop my now bare back brake drum from getting covered in mud.  I had planned to get the tire off and then walk up to Walmart and get a new tire.  My plan was now sinking before me.  Luckily, I had my cellphone.  I called work to tell them I was going to be late and then called a friend to help.  Were this to have happened when I was a teenager, I would have had to walk to a payphone to reach someone and then have my car pulled out of the mud.

The moral of the story?  I didn’t have the right tools with me.  I didn’t plan ahead, I didn’t check my resources and I didn’t try to save myself from myself.  Recycling is important.  It is, however, much more effective when used as one of the tools in your toolbox.  Continue your recycling efforts; amplify them if you can; but don’t pull out a hammer to turn a screw.  Expand your toolbox to expand your efforts, your efficiencies and your cost savings.