His family has a great deal of land in the middle of the egg farms which they refuse to sell...we were thinking about putting a modular home on some of thier land (his mom's idea actually and I kindof like it too...) He says the biggest change is that there is egg farm everywhere instead of real crops and he doesn't like the smell...but he says it is better than the "city smell" around here (ok :? ) It really seems that all small towns are being taken over in one way or another and that is really sad. I guess his thing is that it is still better than in the city though and if you have enough family around it can be great. We are of the belief that it does take a real community to raise a child because you can not be with them every second of the day and you need people "watching your back." Then you combine that and the lack of morels in this area and it is easy to see why he would want to get back to the start of the bible belt. I know that when he was growing up he was forced to go to one of 2 churches in town although I don't remember which one...I will ask him if he knows you though. I know that he knows a number of "older folks" though because he was not into the same things as his classmates. While they were out having fun he was working and volunteering on the fire department and such. (that and I don't know how old everyone is here...but he will be 34 in Dec.)
I seriously doubt he would know ME, but perhaps some of my friends. Has he been back much since the egg farms arrived? The people have been fighting them for YEARS now. The EPA keeps fining them and threatening to shut them down, but are always willing to accept empty promises instead. The smell is a problem, but the REAL problem are flies in the summer. I guess they just practically swarm constantly. But his parents would know more about that than I would! I'd be very hesitant to move anywhere near it. Ohio is relatively an easy state for homeschooling. You only have to send in notification each year, along with a list of what you want to teach and a list of your curriculum. Then in the fall you either have to have a certified teacher sign a paper saying that she has reviewed a portfolio and their work is acceptable for their level, or they can take a standardized test. There are many homeschoolers in the Johnstown area...I know of three families right off hand that use to attend my church, and I know there are many more. There's a skating rink there, and back when I started they would have a homeschool skate once a month that my kids enjoyed. One of my friends take part in a homeschool co-op of some kind in Johnstown, too.
Dale says that the biggest issue with the egg farm is actually what it does to all of the other soil and ground water in the area. It is something about the chicken poop...IDK, I am by no means an expert on this subject hehe. It is awsome that there are quite a few homeschoolers right there...this homeschooling started out as just an "experiment" for us until we get out of Allentown but has quickly grown into so much more!
