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Saturday, October 31st, 2009
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8:47 pm - Day of the Dead
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I'm remembering the nobility of my Uncle George's life, and appreciating how his father's virtues have gained prominence for me nearly four decades after death. My Grandpa Jack's children have redeemed him so well that he can now be a role model for my daughter. It is a blessed joke played on his sins.
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| Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
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2:33 pm - Why?
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At the dinner table last night, over a bowl of sticky rice with furikake on top, Paula started asking me and Joel some of the big questions of her life.
"Will I know how to use regular chop sticks when I grow up?"
She's gotten quite good with the training chop sticks that are held together at one end with a rubber band and held open with a rolled-up bit of napkin. But give her two independent chop sticks and she quails, eventually grasping one in each hand and stabbing them ineffectively into her food.
"Definitely. Mommy and Daddy both learned. You will, too."
"Will I be hearing then?"
I answered no, "You'll still be hard of hearing, like our (grown-up, hard-of-hearing) friend Erika."
And then, the big one:
"Why am I hard of hearing?"
Joel and I took simultaneous deep breaths. Then we were both mysteriously busy eating bites of the artichokes (with butter and lemon juice) and meatloaf that Paula had disdained.
"That's a good question," I said, defaulting to my favorite stalling technique when faced with difficult (or annoying) questions. "There are a number of ways to answer it."
In the moment that bought me, I began to scan those answers.
Here's one: You have a gene in your body, part of the instructions for building your body, that doesn't work right, so you can't hear like other people.
But I'll be damned if I'm going to tell my beautiful daughter that the instructions for making her wonderful, energetic body are wrong. To me, from the first time I held her, those fingers, those ears, those little feet; they're perfect. I won't tell her otherwise.
Here's another one: In life everyone has some kind of trouble with their body, and that's one of the troubles you have. Grammy Dee has arthritis, Mommy sometimes gets bad stomach aches, Daddy's ears ring; it's just part of life.
But I believe that Paula's hearing loss is not a problem as long as she can communicate. It doesn't hurt her; it isn't life-threatening. It's not a sickness, or even much of an inconvenience - as long as she can express herself in sign or voice, and has working hearing aids or access to other signers. It's not a problem, just how she is.
Here's what I finally said:
"God put lots of different and wonderful things inside you when He made you. And He decided that being hard of hearing would help you find those things, like persistence and joy and friendliness, and help bring them out where everyone can see them. The more you can find those things, the more your spirit will grow and develop."
"Hm." She nodded, brow knitted over a chunk of rice on her chop sticks.
Joel added, "And God gave you to us to be your family because He knew we would learn to sign and help you communicate, and that we would love to have you for our daughter."
I realize that putting the whole thing on God's shoulders has risks: Paula can become angry at God, or adopt an attitude that everything has been predetermined and there's nothing she can do to change it. And more risks, I'm sure, that I haven't ever thought of. Those are almost definitely the ones that will eventually materialize.
And yet I really do believe that she - all of us - were made by/from a great Love. Each of us "a mine, rich in gems." And we were each delivered into a family and a life that would sooner or later provide us with the tools to mine those gems within ourselves. I believe it about myself and the abuse and violation I experienced as a child, the times I strayed from the best guidance available to me, and the inner nightmares I lived when Paula was a baby. I believe these things all happened so I could grow to live a joyful, useful life. That belief is what I'd like to pass on to my daughter.
Of course one conversation won't transmit all my core values. I'm sure Paula's questions will only multiply with time, and my answers will range from temporarily adequate to awful on any given day. I can only hope that beyond the conversations, she'll see my beliefs through my actions, and whether my life is actually joyful and useful in her eyes.
Paula picked up her bowl to scrape the last grains of rice into her mouth - good manners when eating with chop sticks - and moved on to matters not requiring so much stalling on my part.
"So," she said,"what's for dessert?"
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2:26 pm - I wrote this!
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| Thursday, August 27th, 2009
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10:03 am - Vote for AGC!
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Sarah Elizabeth Ippel, the founder of Paula's new school, has been nominated to receive a $10,000 grant for the school through Nau, a "green" apparel company. Your vote can really help this exciting little school pursue some of its big dreams!
First go to Sarah Elizabeth Ippel's nomination page. If you have trouble accessing her page directly, go here, select "View all" nominees, and then search (ctrl+F) for Ippel.
You have until August 31st to vote and rate the nominees, then Nau will pick the public's Top Five and add them to their own Top Five to get the Top Ten Finalists.
Instructions for how to rate:
1. Log in to Nau (It takes two seconds to set up an account.)
2. Check out the who/why/images/video/links.
3. Click on the number of stars you'd like to give. (Five, of course!)
4. You can update your ratings at any time.
5. You can rate as many nominees as you'd like.
6. Every time you log in, you'll know you've rated a nominee if, above their stars, it says, "Your Rating." If the stars are blank, you haven't rated it yet.
Thank you!
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9:14 am - The school chronicles, part (?)
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Paula started at her new school last week, the awesome new school we all visited and agreed would be a great place for her.
The school is now located just six short blocks from our home, and we can easily walk there for pickup and drop-off. Monday of last week she was excited to go, but once we got there she became nervous. At the end of the day she said she didn't like how long the day was (eight hours instead of the seven she's used to).
After that it was a fight every morning to get her out the door. And with this pregnancy I'm up for a fight most of the time, so we had plenty of yelling and butting of heads (figuratively speaking, anyway). But once Paula was in her uniform and we got out the door, she got excited about walking to school. We joined the "walking school bus," a timed route with a parent volunteer who picks up kids on the way to school. Paula loves this concept, more this week because she gets to wear a safety-yellow vest for it. I accompanied her and the walking bus to school (I need the exercise), and she said good-bye with a quick kiss, a big improvement over her separation-anxiety meltdowns at drop-off for the last three years.
By the time we were picking her up in the afternoons, she was begging to play on the playground after school and generally giving Joel and I a hard time about leaving - after having objected so much to going in the first place. But in general she is adjusting, little by little.
Yesterday afternoon on the way to my ultrasound appointment, Paula listed off her friends to me: Anthony, Cora, Citlali and Citlali's sister. Oh, and Leila. (The ultrasound was fine, by the way)
Two weeks before school started, Paula and I went in to volunteer with setup since the school had just moved to its new location. Paula immediately asked her teacher when they would set up the reading loft she recalled from her visit last year. With Paula's encouragement, her teacher moved it to the top of the list and Paula helped assemble the loft in her new classroom. That reading loft has been a major attraction of school for her, except that it hasn't been available. The teacher has been introducing the different stations in the classroom gradually, and Paula has had to wait - and wait, and wait - for the loft to be unveiled.
But today is the day. She woke up telling me about a dream in which she was a mermaid and fairy, and then remembered: Thursday! Reading loft day!
Today I had no trouble getting her out the door. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
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| Thursday, August 20th, 2009
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7:54 am - Schoolyard hens?
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| Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
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5:56 pm - Schoolyard hens?
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My daughter (seen above) just started kindergarten at a really cool school in our neighborhood. It's seriously almost too good to be true: fresh, organic breakfast and lunch for all children, PE/gardening and recess every day, organic garden in the playlot, Spanish instruction every day, International Baccalaureate early years program, an extended day and year, the list goes on.
Some of the 1st grade teachers were talking about hatching eggs for a "farm to plate" unit. I consulted with my local chicken people group and presented them with a mess of reasons not to hatch eggs (challenges of placing the chicks, 50% cockerels, vaccinations the teachers can't do, etc.).
But I think there are a lot of reasons they could raise chicks to hens for eggs. I found some links where schoolyard hens are described, but I wanted to know if any of you have experience with this sort of thing and can warn or enlighten me as to the logistic, details, etc.
Here are those links, in case you're interested:
1. Several pages at the Eglu site relate to schoolyard egg production, starting at: http://www.omlet.co.uk/products_services/products_services.php?view=Schools.
2. An article discussing how school hens figure into a discussion on the quality of life for school pets**, including how the students benefit from raising them. This article also touches on some logistical points, such as how the hens are cared for during school breaks. http://tinyurl.com/lk2wj5
3. This is a very cool link for children as well as chicken-loving adults. Raising hens at school could link well with an effort such as One Hen (http://onehen.org/), helping children to reach out and help others while learning about life in other countries.
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| Thursday, July 16th, 2009
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10:10 am - Wanting to take away our kids' pain
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I just read people's answers to a FB poll asking: If you could magically give your kids one thing, what would it be? An overwhelming number of people said, "perfect health."
This aggravates me. My mother has had rheumatoid arthritis since her teens, but it hasn't stopped her from traveling the world, raising a family, and dedicating herself to serving humanity in ways both large and small. My daughter, too, has chronic health problems, including permanent congenital hearing loss (though this is not really a health problem, more of a communication issue; still most people see it as a disability), persistent insomnia, respiratory allergies and recurring infections, and sensory integration problems. And as a family we have struggled together with these problems.
Motherhood has been a hard road at times, leading me through the depths of depression and making Joel, Paula and I face extreme frustration and despair. But would I really trade those dark days for the growth that each of us has experienced as a result? Would I magically take away all those problems if I had to also give back the serenity I've gained from learning how much in life I *can't* control? And what about the thrill of each step forward: Watching Paula listen to, understand and participate in a phone conversation with Grammy Dee? Seeing her drink that awful-tasting Chinese medicine without prompting as she consciously takes responsibility for her health? Enjoying her outgoing personality as she freely converses with everyone she meets? I would never give those moments back, nor all the ones to come, just to make her hear normally or enjoy "perfect health." She won those victories and they are not mine to take.
Physical differences and illness are part of life, period. And perfect health, for all that we desire it, is nothing compared to a life of service, the ability to persevere, a positive attitude and authentic relationships with those around us. My question to moms is this: Is it possible to grow personally and spiritually without experiencing hardship? If you agree with me that struggle is necessary for growth, why do we so often want to take away our kids' challenges?
I ask this not impart my "wisdom," but so I can continue to understand why I still wish I could make Paula happy all the time, make goodbyes easier for her instead of just expressing my faith that she'll get through it and be okay, why I still sometimes interfere when she and her dad lock horns instead of stepping back and letting them work out their relationship, why I still cry sometimes when I see my child struggle. Do you? |
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| Saturday, July 11th, 2009
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7:12 am - An Open Letter to President Barack Obama
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Dear Mr. Obama,
Right now, in Branch 28 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, seven Baha'i leaders in Iran are on trial for capital crimes such as espionage and "corruption on earth." However, they are not spies, nor are they corrupt. Their crime is nothing more than to be a Baha'i.
What is a Baha'i, that to identify themselves this way places their very lives in danger?
They believe, in essence, what you believe, Mr. Obama.
In your landmark speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, you talked about God. Not, as some say, "the God of the Jews," or "the God of the Muslims," but as you said, "an awesome God." One God, Whose love is great enough for all who turn to Him, no matter by what name.
When Cathleen Falsani interviewed you in 2004, you professed your belief in Christianity, and acknowledged the influences of Islam and Judaism on your life. "I believe that there are many paths to the same place," you said.
And when you addressed the graduates and faculty of Notre Dame University, you said, "we must find a way to live together as one human family."
These beliefs: One God, sought by different religious paths, and one human race. These are the beliefs for which the seven Baha'is on trial today in Iran may well give their lives.
The Baha'i Faith originated in Iran in the mid-19th Century. Its Founder, Baha'u'llah, whose name means The Glory of God, said that in age after age, God has prepared humanity through sending His Messengers - Buddha, Krishna, Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Jesus, Mohammed - and that humanity was now at the point of maturity, ready for teachings that would unite the disparate nations and peoples of the Earth as one human family.
Baha'u'llah, like Jesus, had a forerunner whose purpose was to prepare people to recognize the great Divine Messenger when He came. The Bab, whose name means The Gate, spent a six-year ministry inspiring Persians to let go of superstitions, to see with their own inner sight, to free themselves from a tyrannical clergy and prepare their hearts for the new day of God. The Bab's followers were slain by the tens of thousands in the streets and prisons of Persia. The Bab Himself was executed by a firing squad of 750 rifles on July 9th, 1850, in the city of Tabriz.
Sadly, 209 years later, the Iranian authorities are still trying to extinguish a flame that has spread all over the world. In every country Baha'is live out our belief by building interfaith bridges of prayer and service, actively eliminating racism in ourselves and our communities, promoting the advancement of women as equal partners with men, leading junior youth groups and teaching virtues classes to children, and creating a culture of learning in which the quest for spiritual truth is both an individual and a communal endeavor.
But you know as well as I do that this flame cannot be put out; the oneness of humanity is the spirit of our age. The question then, is this: will the world stand by as these seven Baha'is, who have obeyed their government and spent their lives in service to its people, lose their freedom and possibly their lives? Will you stand by, Mr. Obama?
Mr. Obama, I ask you to speak out on behalf of these seven, who are at risk of dying for your beliefs: one God, reached by many paths, and one human family.
Thank you,
Juliet Martinez
Chicago, IL
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| Friday, July 10th, 2009
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9:49 pm - July 11 is Baha'i Rights Day
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In a few hours seven dear Iranian Baha'is, whose crime is nothing more than to be a Baha'i and serve humanity, will go on trial for espionage and other invented charges that carry the penalty of death. In response to a letter from Roxana Saberi, The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has called for the release of the seven.
As they face a truly fateful day, please inform your friends, family and colleagues that tomorrow, July 11, they should tweet, blog, Facebook or create any material in support of Baha’i human rights everywhere, specifically in Iran where Baha’is have been severely persecuted against for the past 30 years. This initiative comes from the Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights.
Please use your influence to try and get as many journalists as possible to formally recognize this day and write about Baha’is in Iran or the remaining struggles of Baha’is in Egypt and other countries.
Please contact other bloggers and request that they dedicate at least that single day (July 11) to write about Baha’is and their rights.
Please tweet about it consistently on July 11 and use the #BahaiRights hashtag in order for people to locate. The idea is to make #BahaiRights a top trend on July 11.
If you are an artist, a website designer, a musician, or anyone with creative skills please create material in honor of this day and in the name of all the Baha’i victims around the world who suffered persecution and violent discrimination for decades.
Finally, you do not have to be a Baha’i to participate! Please make others aware of that. It does mean something that this day was created primarily by non-Baha’is who would like other non-Baha’is (especially Muslims) to recognize and act upon the abuse taking place in our name.
We rely on people like you to help make this day successful, despite the short notice. Please start spreading the word as much as possible through all your networks and mailing lists and let’s achieve this worldwide Baha’i Rights Day where we all unite regardless of our race or religion to support Baha’is everywhere!
Helpful links include:
Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights
Amnesty International Urgent Action
Iran Press Watch
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| Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
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10:15 pm - I enjoyed this much, I thought I'd post it
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Borrowed from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) zebulen. Thanks!
If I had a _____________ I would ___________________.
If I wrote a grocery list, ______________ would be at the top.
If I met ____________________ I would ______________________.
If no one could see me, I would ______________________________.
If no one would judge me, I would _____________________________.
If I knew I could not fail, I would ___________________________.
If life gives you lemons, __________________________________.
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7:01 am - July 11 is Baha'i Rights Day
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This Saturday, July 11, the seven Baha'i leaders formerly known as the Yaran (Friends in Iran) will go to trial on charges that could result in execution, essentially for the crime of being a Baha'i. More on the impending trial at Iran Press Watch.
From The Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights
For many months, we have been thinking about creating a day in which everyone can become aware of Baha’i human rights abuses. We approached our friends at Iran Press Watch with the idea and we agreed upon July 11 in order to mark Baha’i Rights Day, a day dedicated to support the human rights for members of the Baha’i faith.
We are working on developing content and more ideas to make this day as influential and effective as possible, however this is impossible without your help and participation.
How you can help:
1. Please inform your friends, family and colleagues that on July 11 they should tweet, blog, Facebook or create any material in support of Baha’i human rights everywhere, specifically in Iran where Baha’is have been severely persecuted against for the past 30 years.
2. Please use your influence to try and get as many journalists as possible to formally recognize this day and write about Baha’is in Iran or the remaining struggles of Baha’is in Egypt and other countries.
3. Please contact other bloggers and request that they dedicate at least that single day (July 11) to write about Baha’is and their rights.
4. Please tweet about it consistently on July 11 and use the #BahaiRights hashtag in order for people to locate. The idea is to make #BahaiRights a top trend on July 11.
5. If you are an artist, a website designer, a musician, or anyone with creative skills please create material in honor of this day and in the name of all the Baha’i victims around the world who suffered persecution and violent discrimination for decades.
6. Finally, you do not have to be a Baha’i to participate! Please make others aware of that. It does mean something that this day was created primarily by non-Baha’is who would like other non-Baha’is (especially Muslims) to recognize and act upon the abuse taking place in our name.
We rely on people like you to help make this day possible, despite the short notice. Please start spreading the word as much as possible through all your networks and mailing lists and let’s achieve this worldwide Baha’i Rights Day where we all unite regardless of our race or religion to support Baha’is everywhere!
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| Saturday, July 4th, 2009
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6:26 am - We go out walking after night-night, out in the moonlight ...
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Here in Chicago we don't just have one fireworks display for the fourth of July. We have a month of illegal amateur fireworks displays starting in late June and extending till late July. Naturally last night was a busy one.
Joel had a gig and I was trying to get Paula to sleep so I could veg for a little bit before getting to bed early myself. As we read our bed-time story - Clifford's Puppy Days - Paula kept getting up to peek through her curtains, trying to see the fireworks we could hear so clearly and even smell. At one point she went to the front window, hoping to catch the show. I firmly steered her back to bed.
But this child was nowhere near sleepy, convinced that right outside was a fabulous fireworks display that we could just watch from the back yard. I gave in, grabbed the bug dope, and we headed to the lawn chairs in the back yard. However, due to the decentralized nature of our informal neighborhood fireworks program, we really couldn't see anything from the back yard. I put on a long-sleeved shirt, Paula her bathrobe (it was sweater weather!), and we took a walk.
We found a lot of other people out on their stoops and sidewalks, enjoying the totally unpredictable show. Most of the time we only heard ladyfingers and bottle rockets going off, but then, without warning, a series of great, colorful sparkles and flashes would light up the sky, followed by the BOOM of the exploding gunpowder.
"I can feel it in my back," Paula said. I hoped it wasn't too loud for her with her aids on.
I thought if we went to the park we might see ... something. Paula decided that we would spend the night at the playground. She pointed out a bench I could sleep on while she played all night. "I will wake you up in the morning and we'll go spend some time with Daddy." She climbed, slid and frolicked alone on the playground while I rested on my designated bench. She asked me to push her on the swings and for once I said yes.
"I want you to push me, but I don't want you to let me bump against your tummy because I don't want to hurt the baby," she said. She later praised me for my safety-minded technique of standing perpendicular to her trajectory. My words, not hers.
After a while I got tired and sat down in the swing next to hers. She dragged the toes of her flip-flops on the ground, got off her swing and came to sit on my lap. We held onto the chains and leaned back, swinging gently and looking through the trees at the dark sky and its stripes of faint clouds. I'm not yet so big in the belly that I couldn't handle that familiar and beloved weight just relaxing into me. One of my mind's voices whispered to me that I was tired and needed to cut this out and go home to bed. I hushed it.
But when we got off the swing and Paula moved to another bench where she said we could sleep, I introduced the idea that it's not really allowed to sleep in the park all night. She said we could build a little hiding place where no one would find us. "What about beds, blankets and pillows?" I asked her. Of course she didn't bat an eyelash: "We'll sleep on the grass and we'll (magically) get some blankets and pillows." Still, I moved in the direction of home.
We got there by playing a funny game of low-speed chase, in which we each insisted on being first. When Paula started lagging or asking to be carried, I jumped ahead saying, "I'm going to be first!" She grinned her most devilish grin and sped up, glancing back frequently to make sure I didn't overtake her. But as we got to our block, she took my hand and said, "We can both be first."
I told her how in Guatemala, people set off ladyfingers under the window early in the morning to celebrate birthdays. Of course families tend to be pretty big there, and people live close together, so in any neighborhood it's always someone's birthday. Ladyfingers set off under a corrugated tin roof is for me the sound of waking up early in Xela. Paula was fascinated and asked me if I was planning on doing this for her birthday. I changed the subject.
We came in the house, and she was ready to sleep. We said a healing prayer, since she has a sinus thing that makes her cough at night, and she gave me her hearing aids. I lay down next to her and she moved her head onto my shoulder, her arm thrown over my chest and her hand on my throat. She fell asleep quickly; I moved her onto her pile of cough-preventing propping-up pillows. And I went straight to bed.
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| Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
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12:08 pm - Trial date for Baha’i leaders has been set
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From Iran Press Watch
June 24th, 2009
According to information conveyed by the authorities in Evin prison to the family members of the seven Baha’is who have been imprisoned in Tehran, Iran, for over a year, their trial date has been set for 11 July 2009. This information has been provided to the family members only orally and, as information conveyed by officials concerning the judicial process has often proved unreliable, it is possible that the Iranian authorities may find some reason to change the trial date.
The seven were arrested in the spring of 2008 and have been held more than a year without formal charges or access to their attorneys. Official Iranian news reports have said the Baha’is will be accused of “espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic Republic.”
The trial is apparently scheduled to be held at Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court. This is where American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi was recently convicted of espionage and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment. She was eventually released, but only after an international outcry at the clear politicization of the case and manifestly unjust legal procedures.
“These seven individuals are facing completely false charges,” said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations. “They – along with the some 30 other Baha’is currently in prison in Iran – are innocent of any wrongdoing and are being held solely because of their religious beliefs.”
To read the article on the BWNS Web site, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/story/719
For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/
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| Monday, June 22nd, 2009
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9:36 pm - It's safer than you think
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What, Mom worry?
On a quiet morning a few weeks ago, as I hustled out to preschool with my almost-5-year-old, I realized that I'd left a lunchbox inside and had to run back into the kitchen. Ava was waiting patiently on the front porch. I ordered her into the house.
"Why?" she protested. She wanted to watch the birds skip across the front lawn.
"Because you have to be next to Mommy at all times." That was the easy answer. The real one was more complex: Because the world is a dangerous place? Because I don't know every person who walks down our suburban street? Because if I let you out of my sight for 15 seconds, something terrible could happen, and it would be all my fault?
Finally a reality check on the real dangers "out there." I did a similar story in grad school (remember the summer of Elizabeth Smart?), and calculated the odds of a given child in the U.S. being abducted by a stranger. In a country with 20 million children, any given child has a less than one in 33,000 chance of being abducted.
Although I admit I'm affected by the fearful chorus around me, I do let my 5-y.o. run far ahead of me and play in the back yard alone for short stints. I openly encourage her to be friendly to strangers, just not to get into their cars. I dream of the day a few years from now when I will say, "Have fun on your bike, honey! Just be home by dark."
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| Sunday, June 21st, 2009
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10:54 am - Pictures of my chickens
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Here's Bullwinkle, 24 weeks, close-up so you can see her comb and wattles.
Here she is in context. This is our new run that occupies the otherwise dead space between our garage and the neighbors' fence. They come out of the coop, down a wire-enclosed ramp, and into their run. Then back up to the coop to lay or brood or look guilty when caught, then back to the run to scratch around, get a drink and some feed.
And here's Rocky, also 24 weeks. Note the big difference in comb size.
 I'm happy to report that this morning when I went to check on her she already had more color in her comb. Yesterday it was still very yellow; I think the vitamins in her water are probably making a difference right away.
And here, for comparison, is Bullwinkle fighting for a cob of corn with Silver, one of my 1-yr-old Barred Rock hens. Rocky is about the same size, though I think her hips may not have spread as much.
 Looking at this picture I see Bullwinkle's comb is not as red as Silver's. This may be right developmentally, but I'm glad I've put them all on vitamins and vinegar in their water, just in case they need a boost.
x-posted to petchickens.
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| Saturday, June 20th, 2009
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9:40 pm - Sick chick?
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My two Rhode Island Reds, Rocky and Bullwinkle, are almost 24 weeks old. That means they are very close to maturity. Yay! Right? But while Bullwinkle has a nice big red comb and bright red wattles, and competes enthusiastically with the grown-up hens for corn on the cob and other treats I give them in the suet feeder, Rocky is ... well ... a little slow.
Rocky's comb is small and pale, her wattles equally so. And she is not sharp, even compared to the other chickens, who give new meaning to the phrase "bird brain." When there are treats out, she wanders over, then seems to just space out. She pecks the ground a little, maybe gets a taste of the cauliflower leaves or whatnot, then just seems to forget about it or anything else while her flockmates devour it.
I asked the LJ pet chickens list about the obvious delay in her development relative to her sister, and got this link for pale chick (or bird) syndrome.
Apparently this syndrome is associated with "stunting, abnormal feathering, pale comb, wattles and legs are seen. Higher early mortality, weak legs, CNS signs (tremors, incoordination) and passage of undigested food in faeces can also occur. Delayed and poor egg production peaks may occur in layers and breeders."
It may be contagious, may be viral. The treatment is antibiotics, vitamins, and vinegar in the water. I'm not much for antibiotics, not right off the bat anyway, so I'll be going the probiotic route, plus the vitamins and vinegar.
I've pulled Rocky out of the coop and isolated her in the tractor in the yard. In her demented state, she had to be forced into the shelter I provided for her, but she'll be safe and dry there at night as she convalesces on a diet of grass, yogurt, bananas and leftover pasta. And the others will be less likely to catch anything they haven't caught already.
Another possibility is that she could have a really bad mite infestation. None of the other chickens have signs of mites, but oh boy oh boy oh boy. If it's lice, mites or some other ectoparasite, I am not looking forward to the treating and the cleaning. I'm actually hoping she has this syndrome treated with vinegar rather than mites that I would then have to treat with pesticides (dude, not while I'm pregnant!), and repeat the great chicken de-lousing of 2008. I had been counting on the liberal application of diatomaceous earth in the coop and run to prevent ever needing to do that again.
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4:11 pm - Can I go there now?
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Really, really want to go to the Lotus Temple of India.
I looked around youtube and found this happy-making slideshow set to an old Hindi Baha'i song. I have no idea what it says, beyond recognizing the name Baha'u'llah. It just makes me smile to see pictures of the Indian Baha'is and hear one of their cultural expressions of faith.
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| Tuesday, June 16th, 2009
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7:02 am - Messy house, funny blog!
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| Thursday, June 11th, 2009
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12:40 pm - Heartbreaking and beautiful
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A Gift from Evin Prison
June 5th, 2009
Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, six other former Baha’i leaders known as the Yaran, and some other Baha’is continue to languish in the notorious Evin prison of Tehran. While their bodies suffer incarceration and psychological torture, yet their indomitable spirits shine ever so brightly, thinking of their families, friends and millions of well-wishers around the globe.
Mrs. Kamalabadi’s younger daughter, Taraneh, had a birthday come up in March. Her mother thought about her birthday, but alas there was so little she could do for Taraneh from behind bars! Nevertheless, she was resourceful enough that she grew for her a small plant, – a reminder that life and love sprout for these souls even under the harsh conditions of prison – and gave that as a gift to Taraneh.
The attached pictures show the plant and the happy young lady. Next year, we pray, the family will be able to celebrate Taraneh’s birthday in their happy home, where the entire family will come together – far from dark memories of Evin.
Iran Press Watch is grateful to Mr. Iraj Kamalabadi (Fariba’s brother) for these photographs.
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