My Final Reflection!

 By Linda Patton ~ July 19, 2015

I have mixed emotions of joy and sadness as I write this final Blog. Joy, because I have almost made it through my first semester of college. Sadness, because this reflection blog will be the last required blog.

In the beginning of this class, I established the goal of learning to blog. After 7 weeks of continual blogging, I have reached that goal. I fully plan on continuing a blog of some sort. My friends are patiently waiting. Speaking of friends, let me start out with the challenges that I have faced during this blogging experience. When we moved to the country, I began telling a select group of friends all about my new life. There were plenty of fun things to learn, and hard things to deal with. My friends enjoyed hearing about them all. I wrote to someone nearly every day. I thought only a few very close friends read my emails. That thought turned to mortification when I found out they printed them off and passed them around the school where they teach. Gulp! I am a rather private person, and my self-confidence in writing mostly stayed at the non-existent level.

My mortification turned out to be a positive change in me. My audience grew and went so far as to call me if they did not get the latest story, or if I fell behind in writing them. Everywhere I go, people refer to me as the chicken lady. I tried to get my car into the shop yesterday, and they couldn’t find the warranty on our car until I told them I was the chicken lady. Being assigned to write every day, along with the two other classes I carried, meant I didn’t have enough time to keep up with my stories. My friends are all very encouraging and support my decision to return to school. They assure me they will wait, and express hopes of an upcoming blog.

Another challenge I face still had to do with the time factor. Some days, I barely had time to sit down and get it written. I missed a couple of days all together and had to catch up the next day. I did not spend as much time as on some blogs as I needed to. At times, I noticed errors when I reread them the next day, and simply did not have time to go back and correct these errors that had already been posted for the world to see. And honestly once or twice I did not think another sentence could cross my mind, much less my fingers.

Enough of the challenges, now onto the good stuff. I loved the Fluency Blog Assignment! It accomplished more in me than I ever dreamed possible in such a short period of time. While I usually succumb to severe perfectionism, I learned for the sake of the next task, that I must let it go when I found already published mistakes. The ability to do this came from practicing the things I have learned. I am practicing how to make better paragraphs, better descriptions, less “wimpy” verbs, and by all means, to be more decisive and write with some confidence. Practice! Practice! Practice! Not only have I noticed a difference in my writing, but my speech has improved tremendously.

I appreciate the extra credit opportunity of the blog logs. It served to teach me far more than earning a few points. Reading classmates’ blogs gave me a chance to get to know my peers, which prepared me to start seated classes this fall. It also exposed that I enjoy being surprised by comments other students posted in response to a blog. When I see the comment alert, my heart leaps with excitement, alongside of a healthy dose of fear, humility and satisfaction. Reading classmates’ blogs provided a powerful source of encouragement, as well as critique. I attempted to read and reply to at least one of each classmates’ posts.   All of this practice helps the decision making come faster. I know longer sit at the computer for hours trying to find the right word. I allow only a few moments to think, then I pick one and move on. Later I will go back and review. Nine times out of ten, a more suitable word, phrase, sentence, or even total change will be waiting in my mind before I can get it highlighted. Also, I have learned to write amidst more distractions. I don’t have time to let anything interfere.

And for the grand finally – the greatest thing I noticed during the fluency blog practice. Whenever the workload or complexity of other classes overwhelmed me with worry or frustrated my every thought, I would fall into English. The opportunity to do something I love waited to save me from the jaws of defeat. As I opened my mind and turned on my fingers to let my thoughts come gushing out, the world around me faded into the background, taking away the power it possessed to haunt me with fear of failure. The ability to put my thoughts into words, and examine my life left me with a glimmer of hope and a sliver of fulfillment, imparting the fight and determination I needed to press on, to finish what I started. To achieve the one thing I long for – success! The same success that Lucas asked us to define in the very beginning of this class.

The next semester already waits, not so patiently, around the corner. I will face this semester more knowledgeable thanks to this experience. I also look forward to the rewards that await as I continue to blog my journey. 

Mission Complete

by Linda Patton ~July 18, 2015

     I awoke this morning and ran to the bathroom window. I didn’t even take time to turn on the light. I brushed the curtain aside to confirm my suspicions. For the last two weeks, we investigated the chicken house every morning to find signs of a visitor seeking a free meal during the night. The extra precautions we added to the chicken house did their job and the visitor’s plot to eat my chickens failed. Two weeks ago, we lost a guinea to such a visitor. The varmint waited until sleep invaded and then took the mother to be from her nest of eggs. We employ dogs for such a time as this, however, the predator managed to evade them while they were off chasing something else in a different part of the yard. We quickly invested in another dog along with a live trap.

     The first night came and went with no signs of progress. The second night sleep detoured us from remembering to set the trap, and last night was night three. There sat, a sweet, beautiful raccoon, snuggled up like the most adorable kitten in the world.  That was only a ploy. Its teeth sharp as razors and its goal to slaughter my chickens. No amount of “cuteness” made up for the fact that raccoons will kill chickens just to murder them. They will eat chickens, but mostly they assassinate every bird in the house and just leave them for farmers to find the next morning. Occasionally, someone will tell us that one hen barely survived, but only after horrific terror incurred.

     Chickens must be locked up every night. Their chance of survival is extremely low if not tucked in, securely away from predators such as this. We cautiously relocated this snuggly looking creature to a nearby Conservation area, where he will no longer endanger the lives of any local chickens. 

A Morsel of Understanding

By Linda Patton ~ July 18, 2015

     Blog, Blog, Blog! I am a day behind. This week, my world revolves around finals. One down, two more to go. One of which is an essay involving a thesis based on Eric Greitens’ book, “The Heart and the Fist.” It has become my favorite book of all time, and if you need something to read, I highly recommend this one.

     However, today, I’m discussing the process of learning. I don’t know how many times this week I have heard someone say, “Enjoy the journey.” I think this message is for me.  This being my first semester in college, finals week has proven to be every bit as difficult as its reputation. Nevertheless, I’m holding my own. Because summer school is shorter, I don’t have time to do any differently. No time to worry about slacking in my everyday duties and being a terrible wife, mother, daughter, or friend. No time to help my family with vacation projects, or go to the pool or lake. My only goal -- survive!

     In English, we were assigned a research project over various things. The assignment was meant to teach us more about research. That seemed simple enough. Ha! Only until I got to the half way point. By the time I hit the three quarter mark, I sat at the computer, my eyes squinted, my head aching, trying not to scream, pulling my hair out, and ready to give in to mediocrity and laziness.  I didn’t have time for this, I had a research paper to write. Frustrated and overwhelmed, I took a deep breath. I will not allow myself to be lazy. My work may be mediocre, or even not very good, but as long as I have breath in my body, it will be my very best. So I pressed on. Fifteen minutes later, my fingers were speeding across the computer, research articles lined several pages of my internet browser, and I didn’t want to stop.  It was at that point I learned the purpose of the assignment. After finally understanding and finishing this assignment, the research on that final essay is going much faster. I am able to better focus my searches on the necessary topic, and I have learned to take better notes throughout the process. Ultimately, the end of the assignment, taught me how to do the middle. I will not soon forget this lesson, and I will try to do a better job of settling in and enjoying the journey.

I am left trusting that each morsel of understanding I gain from assignments will combine into one large piece of knowledge, leaving me further educated, and accomplishing the overall goal of going to college. Now, onward and upward. An essay awaits! 

Exploring My Mind-Proceed with Caution

By Linda Patton~July 16, 2015

                   For today’s blog, I am going to take advantage of the true meaning of “Freewriting.” My brain hurts from worrying. How am I ever going to find a thesis topic? But wait! I remember our first assigned essay giving me the same trouble, so I’m not giving up yet. For this exercise, I am going to shut off my worry, close down my “thinking” and begin to sort thoughts. So many things have trampled through my mind that I can no longer find what lurks in the corners, waiting to be thrown out or written down. Here goes nothing, and boy do I hope it turns up something.

                  What things did I want to know more about? I want to know more about how the people of Bosnia, Croatia, and Rwanda had survived such horrible times. How are they living today? It’s been so many years, are they still in refugee camps? What could possibly turn someone to torture or murder another human being? What would it be like to compare a life of an average American child with that of one from any one of those countries? Maybe I should explore the life of a child from a few different countries. What could have been done to prevent the terror of the genocides in so many countries? What is being done now in countries such as Rwanda and Bosnia where the genocides ruined lives as well as societies many years ago? Have they recovered? What hopes of recovering do they have. I realize that these ideas are vague, but there are so many that I can’t possible explore each one to the fullest. What organizations are present in Rwanda, Boliva, Bosnia, and Croatia at this point in time? How are they making a difference? How can that translate back to an everyday Missouri resident who wants to help and does not know how?

                    I also would like to explore what affect the discipline of Martial Arts training, as well as Boxing has on how one handles fear and courage. Does it affect each participant the same as it affected Greitens? How does education affect one’s ability to make a difference in others’ lives? Or to bring about change? How does financial stability help? Would Greitens’ story have been different if he were an OTC student who struggled to make ends meet? How much of our lives turn out the way they do because of a “calling”?

                     And my final thoughts: Can the genocides that occurred in Rwanda, Bolivia, Croatia, and even Germany be compared to the threat of ISIS that faces Christian people today? What are the differences? What are the similarities?

                      Now that I have swept out my brain, I am going to do an assignment from another class, then I am going to watch some mindless tv show, that I will pay no attention to, and doze off to sleep. I have every hope that throughout the night, my mind will roll all of this around, spitting out the bad, polishing the good, and I will awake with a sense of where to focus my research. Other posts from the week would be more suitable to turn in for evaluation, but since this is an English Class journal and I value Ms. A’s opinion, I think I will turn this blog in as week 7’s blog of the week. It may only show my weakness, but how much strength do we actually start out with?  

My Miracle

By Linda Patton – July 15, 2015

Choices, Choices, Choices! Today, I really want to write about chickens, but I know I should write about the thesis I am supposed to come up with. After weighing the options, I have decided to do further research and write about the thesis tomorrow. The chicken yard is changing, and I love this time more than any other.

Falina’s first brood hatched on February 6^th of this year. Unbeknownst to us, we gave her eggs that had not been fertilized, and we had not yet learned the importance of candling eggs. By candling eggs on certain days, we can tell if the egg is viable and the chick is growing.  We throw out any “duds” and replace them with eggs started in the incubator the same day as the hen started setting. Miracle got her name for being the only chick that hatched on Falina’s first try. The standard rule of thumb states that every brood is half roosters, and half pullets (young hens). We have to wait for at least 6 weeks, and sometimes longer before we know the males from the females. For eight weeks, I told my family that it would be a miracle if Falina’s only chick, turned out to be a pullet.

Falina gave that baby her very best. She didn’t complain about only having one, or that she looked nothing like her. She taught her everything a chick would need to know. Miracle mirrored her every move. Eventually we knew that she was a pullet, and her given name would be Miracle from then on out. As she got older, she tagged along with her cousins, whom Falina’s twin sister had hatched the week prior to Miracle. Two of them looked exactly like her. They eventually came to be known as Waffles and Shadow.

Falina loves to be held, but she could not pass that on to Miracle. Miracle has always been afraid. Until yesterday. Something changed. Miracle has talked nonstop to me for days now, and yesterday, she walked up to me and asked politely for me to pick her up. It took every ounce of courage that she could muster. But she did it. She sang and sang, and let me know she didn’t appreciate it when I put her down. One after another, all of the hens gathered around me, asking for me to hold them. Hannah and Falina learned that behavior at birth when I held their little eggs in my hand, gently opened the shell, and they pushed their way into the palm of my hand for their very first breath. The rest of my pullets did not have that experience. Some hatched under hens, and others hatched in an incubator without complications that required assistance. Only one, Snowbell, would even consider letting you touch her. Until yesterday that is.

As I sat by their house, one after another asked to be held. One after another sang to me, and then one after another let me put their feet on the ground. They didn’t fly away as the scared chickens they were before. Oh how soft they were, and how sweet it felt when one would lay her head on my shoulder. I love their beautiful voices, each one different, as though she had something special to say. Their feet clutch my fingers, as their trust in me builds moment by moment.  I have held Miracle no less than 6 times today. She just cannot get enough snuggles, and I just cannot get enough of her singing.

What made such a difference? For the last three days, there have been tiny little pullet eggs in the nests. Hens are loving creatures. When the first egg appears, every hen goes through a change. She proves herself as an adult and the other hens accept her as one of them. The adult hens go from pecking her, and squawking, to encouraging her, cackling for her, and teaching her how to lay. She becomes one of the flock. Finally her struggle to become an adult suddenly snaps to an end. I love these amazing creatures so much. How did I get so blessed? 

A Few Crazy Things to Learn.

By Linda Patton -- July 15, 2015

What a crazy week! This week I am learning what it really means to be a college student. This week I am learning that it doesn’t matter if everyone else is on vacation, Mom must finish her assignments and not go help with the numerous projects going on around the farm, no matter how much I want to.

Some other things I have learned this week:

•  There is not enough data in the country to keep up with online classes, but OTC provides a great place where a student can go and download all of her power point notes, videos for discussion, and numerous other online projects in order for her cell phone provider not to charge her phenomenal prices for exceeding the data limit in her contract.
•  My family can find things to do on their own, as well as do dishes (who knew) and laundry.
•   It feels wonderful to take a class final and finish the course for the semester, leaving me more time to focus on English research.
• Life goes on if you miss a few questions on the final and did not meet the final goal that you set for yourself.
• I must put a GIANT TESTING SIGN on the door in order to remind my nieces and nephews that they can’t come in every time the wind blows.
•  A broken toe is a magnet, everyone will run into it at least once a day, and all dogs everywhere will want to lick it. Ouch!
• f I don’t feed my family – they don’t eat. Even though they are 15, 23, and 53, they still wait for mom to fix supper, even when she warned them that she had a final due.
•   I see a difference in my writings. I went back through some stories from years ago and I am beginning to see small differences of techniques we have learned in class.

       Finally, I am learning that it’s not pleasant to be up at 12:40 catching up on blogs. I must correct this issue. And now I think I will go to bed and start fresh again in the morning learning new and exciting things and knowing I now only have 2 classes! Woohoo!