2015 was a sad year for many with job losses in the tens of thousands and money and financial crisis looming everywhere. To top that off, there was a drought. which drove the prices of hay and grain sky high and farmers were chewing their nails wondering what to do and how to make the winter with their stock. Some sold animals, just enough so they felt they could make it, while others chose to feed straw and grain and old hay to get through the winter. Letting stock go when prices are low is like throwing money away. The situation was no different for the Fat Ewe Farm, when loss of people to this area forced the closure of the bed and breakfast and extreme feed and hay prices nearly broke the bank. So far, the winter has been very mild with hardly any snow and although the mild temperatures are great, the lack of precipitation is not. Without a decent snow cover, the ground will start out too dry to germinate crops and another disastrous year could occur, unless the rains came in the spring as they did the first year, 2012 , when I arrived here. It was almost torrential then, with rivers swollen and flooding their banks and lakes full that had not seen high water levels for tens of years. 

But, 2016 is full of promise too. Those of us who elected to keep their stock are in a good position for breeding and selling animals at market time. There are about 20 geese, 50 chickens, 30 ducks, 30 rabbits, 15 goats and 70 sheep on the farm, plus the 8 dogs, 4 cats and 3 cows. Hopefully the cows are bred and will give some cute little offspring. The Riggit Galloways will have an almost purebred Galloway calf, not registered (the bull is 1/8 Highland) and the Galloway/Highland calf will be so cute, I will hate to part with them. Oh, I forgot Dolly, the donkey. She was born in May and is a delight. I got a harness for her and have been halter training her every few days. There is enough feed for the winter, except for the bird's and bunny's grain. The pigs devour that before their own so I have to be careful where to feed the birds. 

The sheep and goats were bred starting in November for spring babies. There is a woman interested in constantly purchasing the sheep fleece for fair market value to resell. I have a part time, albeit temporary, job beginning on January 4th for the afternoons so financially, I can weather a few storms now and hopefully save something in the meantime. There are things that need replacing, such as the very old furnace and hot water tank from the early 1970's in the little house and the heat keeps breaking down in the big house, too. Hopefully I can get the upstairs of that house rented to a single person to cover the costs of keeping it warm and the lights on. 

The bills are paid, and there is a little left in the bank and all is well. My heart is filled with peace and joy, and content am I to just be. I have everything I need and everything I want. Life is a dream for me and I am living it just as I envisioned. 

For 2016 I wish for you to find that peace in your heart, to want what you have and be satisfied with what you need. I wish you to find the joy that I have found. It is wonderful to fall asleep with not a single worry on my mind and to wake when I am ready to get out of bed, grateful to have made it another day. My beautiful adult children are finally on their own and making their way in life as I once did. I am so proud of each of them for the people they have become. There is great fulfillment in being a parent of such wonderful young people. I am grateful too, for that opportunity to have experienced being influential in the lives of my children and helping them find that which they knew they had inside and  to learn to work with the gifts they have been given. 

And I wish for you too, to have the love of friends and family. There is nothing as comforting as love. I have love from the critters every day, tails wagging and sheep baaing and cows mooing and chickens clucking and, and and. And it is wonderful. I am sure I am in Heaven here in my little paradise. I wish you to find paradise in your place too, for we all are exactly where we are supposed to be, living the lives we have chosen for ourselves and that - that is our personal Heaven. Have a blessed New Year, with peace, love, prosperity and good health! Happy 2016.  

Kefir is a delightful fermented dairy product. Kefir grains, which are gelatinous lumps. Kefir grains are clusters of microorganisms held together by a matrix of polysaccharides. The grains include primarily lactic acid bacteria (lactobacilli, lactococci, leuconostocs) and yeasts, and include acetic acid bacteria and possibly other microorganisms. People who have trouble digesting lactic acid in milk, technically should not have a problem with kefir. 

But, I decided to make something beautiful from the kefir grains I was gifted with this Christmas from my dear friend Tessa. I had given her several kombucha (fermented tea and sugar) "mothers" and in turn, she offered the kefir grains. I do not like milk much though. Kefir is a mild tasting ferment at first, but left longer, it can become almost fizzy and explode in a sour flavour in your mouth. It would not be for the faint hearted. My kefir is kefir cream.

I used a quart of whipping cream and several large kefir grains. The cream has thickened and grown more grains and as they continue to reproduce, the cream will become more and more fermented and pop with flavour. It is 2 days old today, perfect to spoon out some and add a little honey for a dessert. At this point, it could be frozen into a similar concoction as frozen yogurt, though freezing may destroy some of the beneficial yeasts and bacteria. So I ate it warm and as is and I must say, I love it. 

I am allowing it to ferment a day or two longer to compare the taste and determine which day of fermentation to refrigerate it, which slows down the fermentation considerably, but does not stop it. Before refrigeration, the new grains should be removed and placed in a little mason jar with fresh milk or cream to keep them viable. If they are going to be used soon, no refrigeration is necessary, but if not, putting them in the cooler environment will keep them less active. I plan to make this dessert all the time. Yes, it is high calorie, but it is the kind of fat that is good for humans and less than a teaspoon of honey is also good for humans. 

Oh, one thing. Kefir should not have a tight fitting lid. Gases are being released as it is fermenting, so it is best to use a cloth or wax paper so the living culture can breathe and give off gas. Hmmm. Humans should not have tight fitting pants and be allowed to give off gas? Ha! Do you need some kefir grains? 

​One thing that is constant, is that a farmer’s chores are never done. Everyday of the year, the farmer must go and tend to the animals, ensuring they have adequate feed and water and the shelters are in in good, clean order. For those who milk an animal, the time at which the milking is done must remain within an hour either way each day, or the animal may begin to leak and lose the milk, or the body will send a signal that the little one no longer requires milk and hormones will be released which will slow down milk production. That is not always the case, but certainly something to keep in mind.
 
My winter chores are easier this year because of the nay nets. I have put a large round bale or two in each pen and no longer have to fork the hay over daily into the feeders. That has saved both hay and time, but has not contributed to keeping the vegetative matter out of the wool, which I had hoped so much for.  I also wonder if the animals are getting enough to eat. Occasionally, I do fork over some hay and they grab a large mouthful, something they cannot do with the hay nets. When it is very cold, such as this week, they animals cannot eat quickly and go into the shelter to keep warm, either. Perhaps I should offer them free choice hay when it is frigid outside.
 
The only problem for me is that the outside water tap freezes. I am going to buy heat tape and install it tomorrow, which will solve my problem. Currently I go into the house and turn the dryer on, which vents next to the tap and I put a bucket over the two so the heat will thaw the faucet. But, when it is bitterly cold and windy, by the time I am back with the toboggan to refill the buckets, it has frozen again and I have to repeat the process. I had not thought of heat tape because there is no electrical outlet nearby, but I will run an extension cord along the house from the garage and that will allow the heat tape to work.
 
Last year I crocheted a hood hat out of some very soft wool spun by my friend Kara at SpinHeatSpin in Goodsoil, about 2 hours from here. I traded some fleece for the wool and am so pleased with the softness of it against my face. Wool is the best solution for cold windy winter days. Although it ices up, it still stays warm. That is why the sheepies sleep outside in the snow!
 
This winter has been quite mild until now and we have had very little snow, but there is enough to use the toboggan to deliver the water, yay. Everyday there is something else to add to the daily regimen too, like the bumblefoot operation I performed on a hen a few days ago, the treating of ear mites in a rabbit, giving an injection to a goat for a boost  and so on. There is straw to put in the shelters and to repeat that every so often, which builds a bedding pack that helps insulate the place the animals lay or sleep. There is always something! But, I love to be outside in the clean air and love to talk to and pet the animals and am so grateful I chose this farm life. It is truly a beautiful way to exist, winter and all. 

Year after year, some folks make the same resolutions and then just into the year, break their good thoughts and give up. I have done it, too. Some resolutions are hard to stick to. Losing weight is one of those. I found that I could never keep that one, but what worked for me was to give up one thing that contributed to weight gain. So for one year, I gave up eating French fries or potato chips. That worked. I ate not a morsel of such things that year, and was absolutely fine. For one, it was not something that I consumed daily, therefore; it was easy to not have it. 

So, what have been some of your not so successful resolutions? I would still like to lose weight, but am not fixated on it anymore. I am relatively fit for my age, could be much better, but given that I have some health concerns, I think I have come a long way. Once I master the self treatment of arthritis, I believe I will be able to do more physical activity like yoga. A few years back, just getting up off the floor was not possible, not without help. I can do that now. But that is not what my resolution will be this year. 

I have been concerned about something we all use and have in our day to day lives, that is killing our world. Plastic bags. Here, you are not supposed to put garbage in the dump if it is not in a plastic bag. I plan to challenge that rule. And I plan to challenge myself to not use plastic bags this year. I cannot stop the use of all plastic, but would like to. Everything we get, from dental floss to crackers, is packaged in plastic. A few plastics are reusable and/or recyclable, but here there is no recycling anyhow. I have been pondering how to manage without plastic bags. Once before I gave it a good stab, but coming here, it is much more difficult. 

First, the garbage inside the home, which I have extremely little of, will not be put in a plastic bag. I bought a special metal garbage can to use for household garbage. In one month, I hardly have a grocery bag of actual garbage. I burn paper and compost vegetative matter, the pigs and dogs get left overs and the only real garbage then is the plastic packaging around food and other purchased items. When I go to the grocery store, I elect not to take the small plastic bags to put individual vegetables in. I just put them in the cart as is. But half the time I forget my reusable bags in the car, so half the time, accept plastic grocery bags. This year, that is not an option. I will have to pack the groceries back into the cart and go to the car and pack them in the bags in the car. After a few times like that in 30 below, I will likely remember to bring in my shopping bags. 
So, household garbage will be just put directly in the can. Grocery bags will no longer be in the house. What do I do with the garbage then, once I need to empty my household can? 

I have other garbage cans outside. Since the garbage does not contain moist things, it will not freeze in the winter and can be put directly in the bins. The bins then will be loaded in the truck and taken to the dump and emptied there whether the dump man likes it or not. I will write a letter to the city of ST. Paul explaining why I am not using garbage bags if necessary. 

Let me recap:  1. no grocery bags or garbage can liner bags
                         2. reusable grocery bags only
                         3. empty  household can into large can and large can to the dump
                         5. compost vegetative matter that the pigs do not eat, or chickens or dogs. 
                         6. left overs to the dogs and pigs
                         7. burn paper

I still will have some things to deal with, like the bones that the dogs have not eaten. They actually eat a good portion of bone with their meat, but some is too hard to chew and is left. Those will have to be picked up and buried on the farm. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, is the old saying. Other farm debris, like twine and wire can be taken to the dump directly too. 

For my new year's resolution, I want to stop using plastic bags. I want to stop plastic, but that is not realistic. Baby steps are what will make this successful. Now the plan is made and laid out, I am ready. I got the bags out today and the trash will go to the dump tomorrow if it is open. My resolution is not just for me. It is for the Earth. If we all did the same, wouldn't that make a huge difference?

What are you going to do for your New Year's Resolution? 

I am a heathen, perhaps a Pagan for sure. God is revered in my home, but I have finally reached the place where I wanted to be after living on the wet coast for so long. Cities are governed by shopping, buying, dining, spending, spending, spending. Yet, people are depressed, sad, feel worthless and inadequate, unsure and afraid. They are disconnected. 

When I set out on this sojourn to the frozen north of eastern Alberta, I had some goals in mind. Paramount was to divorce myself from consumerism and fashion dictates. Who is to say what is "in" and why should I care? There are people in this world just trying to survive. Survival is in. Eating is in, but dining does not have to be. Just eating to see the next day would be so wonderful for many people on this planet. People call themselves Christians, yet are so stuck on buying a credit card or two worth of things they do not need and no one wants for Christmas. They give their children endless presents, and the child does not remember what s/he got the day after, except for one or two. A year later, the child may not recall a single present, only that s/he did not get what s/he wanted. The spirit of giving is small, stifled, rotting in some pile of papers in an office. People on the streets are being ousted from the only homes they have all over North America, while the fake Christmas trees are lit in warm homes. What is wrong with society? 

What Christmas means to me is none of the trappings and wrappings. I am a Who from Whoville. I do not need anything from the store or really, anything at all. My goal of not keeping fashionable has been reached. I can confidently go out in public in clean clothes of no particular style and I am comfortable not wearing any makeup. Finally, I have arrived. Nature is more important to me than stores. Being on my farm and in communication with the Earth and its creatures is my Christmas. Tending an ill chicken, a bunny with bad ears, a dog with a thorn in his paw, a tree that needs a little shoring up -these are my gifts. 

My heart breaks for our world. So much of the world has not enough food or clean water and we have everything and more and are never satisfied. Christmas is not something that comes from the store, not something that is glittery and cheap or glittery and expensive. For many it is survival, just that. Most do not know or care about Christmas. They would just like a drink of clean water and some food, perhaps a warm soft place to lay for the night and no more. 

I am thinking of something wonderful. Imagine, by John Lennon. He knew. He opted out too. Imagine John's world of nothing to kill or die for, living in peace. That is my wish for Christmas. That is what I want Christmas to mean for me. Peace. Not just the word, but the actions. Soldiers laying down their guns, countries sharing with each other with no boundaries or ownership, and yes, God, too. Not the judgemental God of the Christians who will send us to Purgatory for sinning, but the Creator, who made all that there is, this is the God of Christmas, and of the animals and of the trees and of you and of me. 

Merry Christmas to you! May your soul be troubled by the turmoil and hatred in this world and may you too, find your way to peace by making some real changes in your life. Give peace a chance. 

It was a brillig afternoon on the Fat Ewe Farm. Downtown Elk Point was not bustling as usual and since the doom in the economy, the highway that passes the farm was bare, except for the occasional lone pick up truck being reclaimed by the wife after the divorce, though driven by the husband. The neighbour was complaining about the barking dogs in the middle of the afternoon on a farm and all was well in Kansas. The Fat Ewe Farmer was wearing her ruby slippers. 

But, then, a letter came in the post and immediately, it was a case for The Fat Ewe Farmer! 

It read like this:

Two dogs missing! Last seen this morning at the Fat Ewe Farm. The small little shit was whining and stealing Robbie's sticks as usual, then howling when she lost her stick and his. The big white dog, Harley, was chilling on the hay he pulled down from the large bale, basking in the sunshine and -9 degree balmy weather, balmy if you are a thick coated livestock guardian dog. Sofi, whining because she got cold when the temperature started to drop, was put in the house, her expensive new garments hung over her house in the porch. Harley, well, where he was, was anyone's guess. He was definitely nowhere in sight. Please, The Fat Ewe Farmer! We have to find the missing dogs. Our joy depends on it! And it is only a few days before Christmas! 

So, I donned my cap and pipe, no wait, I had a toque on and don't smoke. Let's try that again. 
So, I scratched my head through the three layers of toque, hoodie and insulated coverall hood and pondered the situation. Sofi had to be in the house somewhere, but where. I looked in the bedroom and down the trap door to the dungeon. No Sofi. This was a case for sure. And Harley, here today, gone this afternoon! Cannot be. 

So, I gave up, got the firewood and went inside. But lo! What is this I see in Robbie's dog house? A grizzled white muzzle?? Could it be? Could it be? Why yes, his highness, Harley, somehow had crawled in that igloo house and was snoozing away. He accepted the invitation to come inside the porch and rest his old bones on Robbie's bed, which he finds quite to his approval. Now, on to finding Sofi! Could she has snuk out when I was bringing in the firewood? Highly unlikely. 

Sofi, I heard my voice call. No answer. While I was thinking, I needed to add some logs to the wood stove. And there, hiding amongst the heat, there she was! Sofi! 

And another case was solved by none other than The Fat Ewe Farmer! Stay tuned for more adventures on the funny farm! Come along Watson, er, I mean Robbie!

We have been fortunate this year with an extremely mild winter so far and no snow. The lack of snow was problematic for me. The wagon has a flat tire and the lawn mower tractor needs a new battery, so my mode of transporting water was to carry two 5 gallon buckets at a time, or put 3 in the wheelbarrow. The three did not really fit in the wheel barrow and I had to be so careful not to spill the water by the time I delivered it, I mostly carried the buckets. That is 14 buckets per day! I did reduce the number of pens since the sheep were already together for over two cycles for the ewes. There are 3 rams in with the ewes all together now. The rams are very docile and gentle, two being very young (this year's lambs at 7 months) and one being a quiet breed. I was hoping that the Romney would do a better job this year, but Romney sheep are a bit slow to mature, similar to the Cotswolds, and he was not interested. The Jacob ram lamb did his job, I am pretty sure, but just in case, Quinn, the Blue Faced Leicester is doing back up. He may end up breeding some of his daughters, call it line breeding, but I really did not have another mature ram capable of the job this year. 

Anyhow, when the snow came, it came in a blizzard! Sofi, Robbie and I were at the vet's in Bonnyville and when we came out, wow, it was a blizzard out there. I could not see very well and when a vehicle passed on the other side of the highway, a blanket of snow flew up blinding me more. Yet, the crazy Alberta drivers were passing me and traveling at high speeds, crazy guys. I traveled between 60 and 80 kilometers per hour all the way home and was grateful when we got to the gate unscathed. The dogs slept. Lucky to be a dog. They felt safe and warm and Sofi was likely relieved to be out of the reach of those who poked and prodded her and put her on a big table. 

Today, I made sure everyone had enough feed and watered them. I hung a tarp between two large round bales and two feeders to give three Babydoll sheep some shelter, but they are very hardy. Yesterday they slept outside in the blizzard, even though they could have gone into their little house. They just got up this morning and shook off like living snow men, um, snow sheep. Then I plowed the driveway with the skid steer, brought in the wood and the temperature was rapidly dropping by then, so I was glad to come in and start the wood fire. It is supposed to be minus 20 tonight. I am not hearing any barking from the dogs outside, so they are hunkered down in their houses staying warm too. 

The snow came just in time for Christmas. Now dreaming of a white Christmas is a reality here. All  is well at the Fat Ewe Farm. 

Anyone who has a beloved pet will eventually have to face the inevitable. They simply do not live very long in comparison with their human guardians, and when they die, a little bit of the human dies too. Today, at the veterinarian's office, I witnessed a sad event. An older woman was looking miserable with a cat that was obviously uncomfortable and wanting out of the kennel. The woman spoke softly to the cat, but the cat continued its high pitched pleas. Finally, the woman and the cat were called in to the little white room. The woman came out, but the cat was carried out in the arms of the assistant, quiet and limp. The woman was in hysterical tears, though she had brought a friend and the friend came immediately to her side and put her arms around her to comfort her. Obviously, the cat was put down and the woman was grieving.I understand this. 

Two years ago, I put down my best friend too, my 14 year old border collie, who was my constant companion and friend. I sobbed miserably as did this woman and was depressed for weeks, looking to see my friend where she should have been and was no longer. I was terribly sad and did not want a new pet, only to have to go through the loss again in a dozen or so years. The grief seems unbearable at the time. We do heal and if we can give thanks for the moments we shared with the pet and remember the love we once had, then it finally seems doable again. 

Little Sofi, my daughter's dog, is ill. She has a cancerous growth on her throat, which is now interfering with her swallowing and eating. She has lost over ten pounds and she is a tiny dog to begin with. The vet has no real hope for her, since the growth cannot be safely removed and treatment may not be effective at all. There are medications for pain and to make her more comfortable, but she did not and has not appeared to be in pain or uncomfortable, except recently while eating. She is still robust, loves to fetch a stick and barks at the snow falling from the sky as she catches the flakes. The vet and I had a long, long, over two hours long, discussion about her symptoms and treatment and the course for the next stages. Basically, as she is in my care, I need to ensure she eats frequently, and that the food is soft and palatable, so she can at least maintain her weight if not gain back a few pounds. The esophagus is being pushed into a convoluted arch which suspends her food and makes it difficult for the peristalsis to move it down to the stomach. 

She also has some cancer beginning on her lungs, now. Of course, no one knows how long she has to still have a quality life. So far, she is happy, wags her tail, barks at stupid things and is generally as annoying as she has always been, so she seems just fine. But a day will come, perhaps soon, perhaps in a year or two, when she is no longer enjoying that quality of life and it will be time to say goodbye to her. I know my daughter's heart will be broken and the tears will come. She is her first dog of her own, bought with hard earned money when she was just young and she has been her only child for the past 9 years. I hope when the time comes, Brianna has a friend who can put his or her arms around her and just hold her and allow the grief to flow. It won't be easy. It never is. 

But, for now, Sofi and I and the other 7 dogs of the Fat Ewe Farm will just go on going on as usual. That is the best we can do, isn't it?

It is getting so frustrating! Scentsy and scented candles are everywhere here, burning away in public places, subjecting people to the lovely fragrances of Christmas! NOT! 

I do not want to be victim to artificial scents. It should be illegal to burn wax tarts and candles in public places, especially stores, schools, hospitals and medical facilities, to name a few. Time and time again, highly scented products have been researched and have proven harmful to health, yet, here in particular, the folks just do not seem to care. "It doesn't bother me!" is their attitude and "Sorry if you are bothered!" as if it is someone's fault they are having an asthma attack in the store due to artificial scent bombardment. 

I love the smells of Christmas. Who doesn't? Enticing aromas of deep, dark vanilla with crispy evergreens, shouldered with fresh citrus and inviting spices - oh yeah! Delightful. You do not have to buy these in a wax tart, either, which costs an arm and two legs, plus in the case of Scentsy, the warmers are made in China and have been fraught with problems, from exploding to simply not working. I think an exploding wax tart warmer that leaks and sprays highly scented product on your carpet and furniture is not very desireable. 

Look in your spice cupboard and if you do not use spices, then look in the grocery department where baking spices are kept. You can purchase cinnamon sticks, nutmeg nuts, rosemary leaves, thyme, basil and savoury, and go outside for a walk to pick up some pine, fir or cedar needles. Toss those in a small saucepan with slices of lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit and simmer away. If you like, add a little dark Tahitian or Moroccan vanilla extract to the mix and sit back and enjoy. 

The scents of Christmas do not have to be expensive or toxic, and are really at your fingertips. When you are done with your natural potpourri, put the vegetative matter into the compost bucket and start fresh. Then nothing will be wasted, your house will be humidified at the same time as the gifts of natural fragrance will greet you and bring Christmas home!

I have worked with children of all ages for most of my adult life. That is a long time. 

Every generation has said the same thing. They don't know what is to become of the world because of the new generation and the lack of respect for others and for themselves. I have said it too and I will say it again. 

I am dumbfounded at the behaviour of children today. They are very disconnected and pay no attention to adults around them. They are tuned in to other kids, but even then, they are always on their devices, that is their phones and ipads or other devices. Schools have given up the fight and turn a blind eye to the use of cell phones in class. It is defended by saying the phones are used for researching lessons. I have seen that to be true, where a worksheet was handed out and answers were found on the phones. I suppose in some instances, it is not much different than research on a larger computer. But, how, then, does the teacher draw the fine line between research and video games, or the fine art of texting one's friends? 

There is also the issue of attendance. It appears that students in the lower streams, here in Alberta where streaming still takes place, often disregard their attendance entirely, or go to school and not to classes. The administrators do care, but cannot keep up. Again, many of the teachers have given up. 

I told one student I would remove her phone to my desk if I caught her texting one more time. She told me I would not and that I had no right to touch her phone, which was her private property and she would call her mother if I so much as laid a finger on it. I was a little dumbfounded. I won't say what crossed my mind then, but you can imagine. She kept her phone. It was not worth the fight for me as a substitute teacher, however; if I was the regular teacher, this would not have taken place at all. Most schools leave the discretion of cell phone useage to the teachers. In my class it would be simply, no phones! I see it and it goes into a pocket like a shoe holder pocket and does not come out until the student leaves the class. 

I was in a different class today. The boys were spraying water all over the place and there was a copious amount on the floor, which then had become a slipping hazard. I asked them to mop it up and they refused and grabbed a ton of paper towels that were totally wasted. They threw out half of the food they made in that class, just threw it in the garbage and they also had another dish they prepared the day before, which was smashed in one case and then disposed of. I commented on the waste of food and they said it was theirs and they could do what they wanted with it. Oh. I asked one of the students if he would like his parents to see a video of how he was acting and he said his father would just laugh. Go figure. 

What is to happen with each generation then? Have you ever read a novel from the 18th century? The people were so very polite, bowing and curtseying and saying kind things to one another, never something spiteful or hurtful. Children were not allowed to interfere with adult conversation and were to be polite and courteous at all times. Today's parents think teaching their kids to be polite will stifle their creativity, yet some of the finest minds came from the 18th century, with incredible developments in art, sciences and mathematics. Children do not have to be rude to think! 

Did my parents think our generation was also a disaster? I would not have spoken harshly to my parents. If I was asked to do something, I might have grumbled, but never refused. We did not dare! And in school, it was quiet and kids raised their hands to be chosen to speak. One teacher insisted we stand when we spoke out loud. I learned later in life in Toastmasters that indeed, this was acceptable in polite company, even today. 

So, where am I going with this and how does it apply to the farm? Some people think farm kids are more polite than city kids. I have seen both and I beg to differ. The redneck farm kids do not hesitate to speak their minds. Even the young ladies are not polite and considerate. In some ways, I think the farm kids are worse than the inner city kids who have lived a whole lot of life by the time they get to high school. It is that sense of entitlement that kids today have in general that bothers me the most. The fact in a student's mind that it is wrong for me to take her cell phone if she does not comply with the rules is simply incongruent with my version of how it should be. What do you think?