My Classes Begin

SEPTEMBER RAINS

I realize that it rained and stormed plenty, in New Hampshire during July and August, but on Saturday I rode my bike through a downpour caused by the tail end of Hurricane Hannah! (not that big of a deal, admittedly--no high winds, just wet, wet rain). I failed to learn my lesson, however, and ventured forth on my bike yesterday in a light rain that turned quite nasty on my way to the supermarket. I coped with the increasingly startling thunderclaps by swearing under my breath (not very granny-like, and not very Waldorfy, at all, I know). When it rains in New Hampshire, everything seems very dark--darker than when it rains in Edmonton. I really think those wide-open prairie skies let a lot of light shine upon us northern Canadians. Maybe it seems dark here because of the big old, beautiful trees, with their dense foliage. I thought the weather might continue as hot as blazes all month, but I found yesterday and today to be quite chilly, and hooray!--this afternoon the postman delivered my box of winter jackets, boots, and warm woollies that I had mailed to myself from Edmonton.

So, it's not really MY bike at all--Jan, my landlady, has given me the use of one of the bikes sitting in her yard. I had it tuned up and fitted with some safety and comfort gadgets, and wow, cycling is way easier and way more fun than walking! I have more Keene photos to show you, and if you're like me, you'll find looking at them a lot more interesting than reading this dry, black-and-white blog post. Just click here! Could I possibly wish for anything more, here in Keene? Well . . . perhaps a DESK, or someone to HANG OUT WITH, like my KEN, or one/some/all of my KIDS, or some of my BUDDIES, or my GRANDDAUGHTER.

I was very excited to get into classes last Thursday, re-connect with my twelve classmates, and orient myself to the layout of the university. It's a single building, quite small really, but friendly, inviting, and comfortable. Last week was just a two-day week, and we received lots of meaty assignments to carry us through until our next class day, tomorrow. We 'had to' compose a song on the recorder, draw a main lesson book picture, transcribe our notes on Goethe's Colour Trinity into a keepsake painting journal, find and identify symbols in some folk tales, read, read, read and prepare to present excerpts from our reading. I've done just about everything (of course). Our schedule is unusual--we attend classes Thursdays from 4:00 to 8:30, Fridays from 8:30 to 6:30, and almost every Saturday from 9:00 to 5:00. From September to December we will use some of our weekdays for visits to Waldorf schools in the area, and from January to May we will have a full schedule, carrying out internships (i.e. student teaching) in Waldorf classrooms.

I love the 'bits' that are stimulating because they are new or challenging for me--Goethe's Colour Theory and anthroposophy, the 'head' bits. (For example, Steiner provides information about the origins of human life that includes, but goes far beyond, what we know from science, religion and mythology. This week we read about the first of Earth's four evolutionary phases. All we were as people were subtle warmth bodies, without consciousness. Non-physical spiritual beings worked with us and through us, generating the next stage of development for us, for themselves, and for the planet. The first hints of the five senses became apparent. The first sounds were born. The first glimmers of light were perceptible. Time began. Earth was like a mirror, reflecting the beginnings of Life into the cosmos. How did Steiner come up with this stuff? He 'walked around backstage,' checking out the soul-spirit nature of everything that we can see and hear and touch. Every one of us can learn to 'go backstage,' as well, but it takes a lot of time, self-discipline and persistence to travel the path. Why learn about all this stuff? To stretch our capacity for imaginative thinking; to begin to learn what humans are all about, so that we can begin to learn what children are all about, so that we can identify what they need and bring it to them in our classrooms.)

I love the 'bits' that are fun and easy for me--singing, drawing, painting, playing recorder, reciting and memorizing, the 'heart & hands' bits. Not everyone in my program is pursuing a Master's degree, and I believe (although I'm not entirely certain of this) that I'm the only one among us who has experienced the responsibility of planning for and teaching a class of students entirely on my own.

Three of my four house mates have been away for part of this week. When I have the house to myself, the main-floor area is quiet enough that I can read and make notes at the kitchen table. When others are around, I have been working in the Antioch library or using my bed in lieu of a desk. In between going to classes, working on assignments, and taking pictures, I have been practicing my cycling skills and cooking meals for one. So there you have it--my first two (almost) weeks in a nutshell.

From Steiner:

There dims in damp autumnal air
The senses' luring magic;
The light's revealing radiance
Is dulled by hazy veils of mist.
In distances around me I can see
The autumn's winter sleep;
The summer's life has yielded
Itself into my keeping.

Walking Around Keene

CRICKET CONCERTO
and TURNING of the LEAVES

My route from the airport to Keene on Friday (August 29) took me across one of the famed covered bridges of the region. It was dark when the taxi pulled up to my house on Fowler Street, and the crickets were kicking up a ruckus (just as they are this evening, outside my bedroom window). From the airplane window, the forests still resemble dark green broccoli, however the tippy-tops of the maples in Keene are crossing over to orange and red, and the first maple leaves are swirling on the lawns and sidewalks.

Today was the fourth of five free days for me, before my classes begin on Thursday. My goal for these days is to teach myself to feel at home in this tidy furnished bedroom, in this sprawling, older home with my new house mates Jan, Gary, Caitlin, Hannah, four dogs and a ball python that eats live rats, and in this charming New England city, with its colonial architecture and its hot, humid weather. I've been walking, walking, walking every day, returning to the house with groceries in my backpack (much heavier than the kind of groceries I carry in the trunk of my car in Edmonton!), and changing my shirt each day in the middle of the afternoon. I visited my new university today and yesterday, to familiarize myself with the route. Unfortunately, Main Street happens to be an unavoidable part of my daily path, and I was distracted both days by the enticements of the intriguing shops along my way.

If you click on 'tidy furnished bedroom,' you will see photos of my room, as well as the house, and shots taken at an Art in the Park show that I visited on Sunday. I fell in love with the art of Don Reed, at the show--it would be wonderful if he would teach his technique in a class, and if I could attend that class! The painting I've included in this post is his work, and you can view more, and read about his technique, on Don's web site.

Jan, my landlady, is a collector, and she has a couple/few bikes in her yard. She offered me the use of one of them, and I walked it down to Andy's Bike Shop today for a tune-up and some extras--bell, basket, fenders and light. I've been reading about derailleurs and how to shift gears, and I'm excited about learning to ride a multi-speed bike, and having one to use during my year in Keene.

It was more difficult than I anticipated, to wrench myself away from The Good Life in Edmonton. I am reluctant to admit to how much fun I'm having here, because I know I am greatly missed by people that I love in Edmonton. On the other hand, they (you!) support my adventure, and hope that I will enjoy it thoroughly. I understand that this is Something Big that I am doing just for me, and my being away demands a real sacrifice from those who love me and who are close to me. I am grateful indeed.

Steiner, from The Calendar of the Soul:

The light from world-wide spaces
Works on within with living power;
Transformed to light of soul
It shines into the spirit depths
To bring to birth the fruits
Whereby out of the self of worlds
The human self in course of time shall ripen.

What fruits from this time in our lives will ripen in due course?