Margali's Griffin Wood Ranch

[Margali]

Applied for registeration of Mocha's twin rams lambs for Cassandra. She will get to name ewe lamb from @Baymule. I have tentative plans to buy 2 ewes with proceeds from selling the 4 registered ram lambs. If so, one will be registered as hers so she can show it.

 

[Ridgetop]

If she is going to be showing the sheep, I suggest you register all sheep in her name. That way, she can show in the "get", "produce", "young flock", and "flock" classes in Fairs. If she places in those classes she can win "premium" money. Premiums are cash prizes paid out for placings from 1 through 3 or 1 large shows 1 through 5. She needs to be a junior member of the Katahdin registry association, and as her "agent" you sign all forms, etc.

 

[Margali]

@Ridgetop Cassandra is struggling with dyslexia and the amount of effort it is taking her in school. The only interest she has is being a vet and the sheep. So growing HER flock past Mocha's babies / replacement bought w baby sale is being used as a reward.

To be clear, I'm asking for C+/ B- grades not demanding honor roll. Also, marked reduction of "Cassandra refused to participate" notes from her dyslexia teacher.

 

[Margali]

I got out to sheep shed around 10am. Everyone okay and very happy to see brunch.

I caught Hattie and gave her the third dose of Corrid. No diarrhea but I ended up shaving some stubborn clumps out of ends of tail hair. Then I sprayed it with anti-fly just to be safe.

 

[Ridgetop]

To be clear, I'm asking for C+/ B- grades not demanding honor roll. Also, marked reduction of "Cassandra refused to participate" notes from her dyslexia teacher.

Learning disabilities are very disheartening to children (and their parents). You can take heart though by understanding that the majority of LD children are above average in intelligence. The hardest thing for LD children is believing that they are as smart as their peers. They see their friends (and other kids that are not as smart as they are) able to earn while they can't manage. Being in livestock or sports is the best way to let them feel as good or better than their peers in some things. Letting Cassandra breed and show her sheep is a great way for her to excel in another field where her dyslexia will not be apparent to other children. She will feel normal and able to be recognized for her achievements in another field than reading or writing. That will mean a lot to her self-esteem.

If you need to talk to someone and vent about your problems with her learning problems, you can call me. PM me and I will give you my phone number or get it from Baymule. Even when you know all the different ramifications of LDs and know that your child has above average intelligence, their struggles can get you down. (I used to go into my room and cry about DS2 after helping DS2 with homework.) Asking that she just try and emphasizing that she has to try harder because she learns in a different way than her friends can also help her accept that idea. Asking for C grades is good. It may be all she can produce at the moment as she struggles not only with her LD, but with the idea that she is different. It will certainly help her when she understands that you are not demanding work above her current ability. Eventually as she learns to cope with the dyslexia, she will improve the grades on her own.

4 of our 5 children have learning disabilities. The eldest boy had aphasia but was not identified in time for him to be sent to special ed classes. He is gifted but could barely hang on to a C average. By the time he was in high school he had stopped trying, having decided he was "dumb" and fearing failure. In college he came into his own and got all A's. He has several AA degrees. The second boy had aphasia very badly. He went to a school with all special ed classes. When he reached 3rd grade he was mainstreamed into regular school and received special tutoring. I did not want him to be removed from the special ed school, because I was afraid he wouldn't be able to cope. I was in tears throughout the entire IEP meeting. In Jr High he was tutoring other kids in math. In high school he made the honor roll. In college he graduated with a BA in criminal justice. The 3rd boy had an LD where he couldn't spell or draw because he couldn't remember the shapes that went to the sounds. He could read well. He also was ADD. We took him out of jr. high and homeschooled him until the sophomore year of high school when he had improved enough to be able to attend with extra tutoring. He did not want to go to college but went to Jr. College trade school for his indoor electrician's license. Our 4th child is adopted. Her birth mother was an alcoholic. She was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and had absence seizures. She came to us at 14 years old. We were able to get her medical help to identify the seizures and get medication. She struggled all through school but was able to complete an AA degree in Jr. college. Because of the 3 older boys' LDs I was able to gt through the system and obtain an IEP and help for her.

Our 4 eldest children were very active in 4-H. They did both livestock breeding projects, Jr. Auction market animals, and also public speaking, presentations, etc. They won awards through 4-H, became Junior Leaders, camp counselors, All Stars and DS2 earned the Diamond Star rank. They medaled on their record books each year which was not easy for the boys because aphasia is a language related disability. Our youngest daughter was not able to do 4-H (which had folded in our area) although she rode horses and worked with the sheep. She was on the swimming team in high school, assisted as medical aide at football games, etc. Our eldest daughter was a cheerleader and in several clubs in high school. DS1 was on the football team. DS2 and 3 were on the track team and did pole vaulting. These extra-curricular activities helped them feel good about themselves in spite of their struggles in school.

Both my brothers had dyslexia. Luckily all children were tested for LDs in kindergarten in Seattle, WA, in the late 60's. Both were identified and sent to special ed classes. The elder one just retired from Boeing, the younger one owns his own business. In some ways, I was lucky to be exposed to that since it meant that I knew how to be active in demanding and obtaining help for my children.

Call me if you want to talk.

 

[Margali]

Alexander our oldest is on the autism spectrum and we are handling that well. Frankly, both hubby and I have what used to be called Asperger's which is very high functioning autism. Neither of us are diagnosed and we've gotten our own coping mechanisms developed.

Cassandra's semi-late diagnosis with dyslexia is a little tougher to understand and help with. We had her doing after school tutoring with a WONDERFUL tutor last year and over summer break. That has helped a lot. Currently Cassandra is A/B honor roll because she is attempting the assignments and homework.

 

[Margali]

Adding t-posts to fence line a few at a time. How tight do you space t-posts on 4"x4"x48" tall wire?

Hubby Alijah was not able to bring his bio-dad Andy's backhoe up to farm. They got to halfway loaded and it cracked the deck boards on trailer he borrowed from his Grandma. He did bring me awesome loot! Andy didn't need this creep feeder anymore so he gave it to me.

 

[Baymule]

I space T-posts 8’ apart.

 

[farmerjan]

Traditional fence builders space posts 8 ft apart. Regardless of the type of post. If it is high tensile wire or any kind of electric fencing that is different. Then it can be as much as 12-20 ft because the wire does not need to be the "barrier" so much as they learn to respect the "zap"... and it is stretched differently for electric because it is different type of wire. Around here many that build fence do either wood posts for corners and braces and then have something like every other wood and T-posts... or several T-posts then a wood post for extra support. But @Baymule is right... 8 ft is standard spacing.
It has to do with the old measurements of a "rod" ... which is 16 1/2 ft.... and that is still part of what a furlong is in horse racing... and measuring a sq acre and such...

 

[Margali]

Okay, I was going off RedBrand's blog on spacing that said 8 -12.

Post Spacing - Make Sure Your Fence is Secure | The Red Brand Post

Selecting the right material and post spacing is essential for a secure fence. So, how far apart should line posts be set?

blog.redbrand.com

Using 12ft because I'm broke and runs are only about 150ft each. I'll see how sturdy this first section is once I have actual end bracing and it stretched.