With Family

STORYLAND VALLEY ZOO
Nice shot, isn't it? I took it during a raptor demonstration at the zoo, on a magical day with daughters Rose & Laura, Rose's sweetie Ze'ev, and grandbabies Kaliana & Kai. Here's another one:

So proud to be riding on a pony!

A whole family life greeted me in Edmonton, in August, including days at the lake with Rose, Laura, and the two little 'Ks.' I got my nails done, got my hair done, and SCHOOL began to happen big time! (Is it obvious that I'm trying to catch up on my blog posts?) Meetings, home visits, watching with admiration as the WESE worker-women scrape and paint, saw and hammer, scrape and sew and transform three ordinary old classrooms into Waldorf places of wonder. Lesson planning, you may wonder? Mmm . . . I'm well behind in that department. And then, last weekend, a glorious mother/daughter retreat with my beloved singing sisters at Labyrinth Lake Lodge. (Oh! I didn't go as a grandmother, or even as a mother--I went as a DAUGHTER, with Kay as my other mother!) I was honoured with a ceremony (surprise!) recognizing my year away and my role in launching this new Waldorf program into the world.

My new students came to school yesterday afternoon to check out our new classroom, in preparation for their Big Day on Wednesday--so wonderful to see the classroom come alive with children!

Hey, today is watermelon day, in the French Republican Calendar--reminds me to be sure and enjoy summer's last juicy treats during these last few days of August!

This week Rudolf Steiner tells us:

I feel strange power, bearing fruit
And gaining strength to give myself to me.
I sense the seed maturing
And expectation, light-filled, weaving
Within me on my selfhood's power.

The Mist and All

The Mist and All

by Dixie Willson

I like the fall
The mist and all
I like the night owl’s lonely call
And wailing sound
Of wind around

I like the gray
November day
And dead, bare boughs that coldly sway
Against my pane
I like the rain

I like to sit
And laugh at it
And tend my cozy fire a bit
I like the fall
The mist and all

I have always enjoyed this poem, and have used it with my Heart & Hands classes, although in Edmonton November days are more likely to be crisp, clear and frosty, rather than misty. But the poem has sprung to mind this week, riding my bicycle to and from the university in Keene. I've arrived at Antioch and home again wet every day. In Edmonton, if the puddles in the road are still, it isn't raining. In Keene, the rain can be sneaky. The puddles can be still, but when I begin pedaling my bike the 'mist' seems to begin moving vertically, and my ride becomes decidedly drippy. It's been wet, but warm this week--18 degrees Celsius, this afternoon! It seems rainy here because it is rainy; I looked it up and Keene receives 41 inches of precipitation per year, on average, as compared with Edmonton's 18.

FISHING IS SUCH HARD WORK
Last week, as I rounded the reservoir at the end of my customary Sunday-afternoon stroll, there was a car parked by the side of the road where it runs along the edge of the water. Two men stood by the car; one wielded a fishing rod, and the other was there for moral support, I suppose. I watched the valiant fisherman cast his line, and follow the hook and sinker with his gaze as they struck the water's surface. Then he laid his rod upon the pavement behind the back wheels of the car, and the two energetic sportsmen entered the vehicle and closed the doors, waiting, I imagine, to see whether anything would bite! Such exertion!

COMFORT ROUTINES
I am such a phlegmatic creature of habit . . . I take comfort and satisfaction from establishing little daily and weekly rhythms for myself. Perhaps they help to make me feel at home, and give me the sense of having some degree of control over my life away from home and loved ones. Thursdays, Fridays, and sometimes Saturdays are class days, and I look forward to spending time with my classmates and instructors. I tend to linger at the university after my last class each week, feeling just a tiny bit reluctant to go back to the solitary portion of my week. Every Friday marks the passage of one more New Hampshire week, bringing me ever-closer to Edmonton. Sundays and Thursdays are bath days; on Mondays and Wednesdays, I do bedroom Tai-Chi. ('Bedroom' Tai-Chi involves a lot of repositioning and shuffling around, as I would need about ten feet by twenty-four feet of clear floor space to do a proper set. I don't know of any Tai Chi club within biking distance, and I'm too shy to perform a set in public!) I usually cook a recipe on Mondays, and freeze it in individual portions for future meals. I do laundry on Tuesdays, and wash my sheets once a month.

To set the weekend days apart from my regular Monday-to-Wednesday homework days, I celebrate by serving myself a Guinness or a Mike's Hard with Saturday's supper, and taking myself out on a breakfast date each Sunday. This involves a decaf latte, fresh orange juice and a pastry at one of the coffee shops on Main Street, where I linger over one of my class reading assignments. (I have to do the coffee-shop thing--I used to notice students with their books or lap tops in the Second Cup in Edmonton, and picture myself as one of those, so I now make a point of studying in the coffee shop, although I must say I am more comfortable and less distracted, working at my own little desk in my bedroom on Fowler Street.) I pick up groceries, and head home for more school work and then lunch; then I cycle and walk uphill to Robin Hood Park for my outdoor beauty-walk treat at the reservoir. My assignments are worthwhile and interesting, making schoolwork an effective way to mitigate that whisper of loneliness that hovers close by, here in graduate-school land.

But the best comfort routine of all is my daily evening phone call to Ken--thank you, dear Skype Angel! Ken reads me my mail, and we exchange all the inconsequential news of our respective days. We communicate anything that needs to be communicated to each other, but mostly we just simply hang out together, sharing the same ear space, so to speak. I grouse at him if he has the TV on, or rustles papers near the microphone, or tries to walk around while we're connected, but we often look things up on the net (since we're on line with Skype, anyway) or email things (like photos) to each other while we're 'together' on Skype. I love talking to my kids as well, and to Kaliana! It is incredibly reassuring to be able to access home so cheaply and easily!

The soul's connection this week:

I feel my own force, bearing fruit
And gaining strength to give me to the world.
My inmost being I feel charged with power
To turn with clearer insight
Toward the weaving of life's destiny.

Holiday Weekend

OAK FOLLOWS MAPLE
Two and three weeks ago the maples here were exploding with flaming colour; now those leaves have mostly fallen, and the oaks are a most delicious shade of honey-bronze. We breathed it in as we walked around the reservoir at Robin Hood Park this past weekend--my daughter, Rose, her partner, Ze'ev and yours truly. Rose and Ze'ev drove down from Ottawa on Hallowe'en for a visit, and treated me to a delightful weekend of exploring a bit of New Hampshire by car. We 'touched down' in nearby Roxbury, Monadnock State Park, Peterborough, Portsmouth on the Piscataqua River, and Newcastle, where we glimpsed some of New Hampshire's sixteen miles of seacoast. See all about it by visiting my web album! The three of us were blessed with a brilliantly sunny Sunday for driving about, although it was much chillier than you would guess by viewing the photos. And no wonder, for WINTER begins in two days, according to Liza Dalby in East Wind Melts the Ice. The season of frost peaks around the December solstice, cold strengthens as days begin to lengthen, and early spring follows close upon the heels of Brigid's Day, which is February first.

My Rose and her Ze'ev are the cute couple in the photo on this page. My generous landlady, Jan, welcomed them into her home, and put them up in one of her rooms which is conveniently, temporarily vacant. Jan introduced Rose and Ze'ev to her gentle pups Precious, Safi, Hero and Winnie, and they all seemed to enjoy meeting one another. Jan also treated us to a visit with her ball python, Diablo. You can see by the photo of me that Diablo is a charming fellow. The oak leaves were photographed at Strawbery Banke, an outdoor historical museum of vintage houses and gardens in Portsmouth. The Piscataqua River is nice, but we were hoping to see the Atlantic Ocean in Portsmouth. We drove a little further on to Newcastle, and the scenic view above was shot by Rose, as we admired the late afternoon sunlight at the real, true seacoast. On our way back toward Keene we ogled the multi-million-dollar homes along the sandy beaches of Hampton.

Rose and Ze'ev were intrigued by some of the presidential election preparations here. Saturday morning, there was a rally at Keene's Central Square. Saturday afternoon, we saw crews setting up in Peterborough for John McCain's Sunday visit there. Sunday evening, driving west from the coast back to Keene, there were police cars with flashing lights at regular intervals all along the highway. Some access ramps were blocked off, and we were barred from making a necessary turn toward Keene. Ze'ev drove a little further along the highway; then turned around in time for us to see the black McCain campaign bus make the turn toward Peterborough, followed by a couple of campaign support buses. McCain Blend and Obama Blend coffee beans are offered for sale in Keene, and we were invited to join 'the action' at Obama's campaign headquarters this morning as we drove in search of a downtown parking spot. Tomorrow is voting day for American citizens, and the rest will be history.

I felt just a little sad and lonely to see Rose and Ze'ev head back to Ottawa this afternoon, but oh, what lovely memories! I would NEVER keep track of my time away from home, but I've done nine weeks in Keene since the end of August, and I have seven left to go until my trip to Edmonton for Christmas. I booked my flight home for May 2009 as well, so I can go ahead and write countdown numbers in my daytimer--a number every Friday, to track the weeks until returning to Edmonton. Oh ya, I said I wouldn't track my time away, didn't I?

KEENE PUMPKIN FESTIVAL
Between 1992 and 2003 Keene chalked up eight world records for the most pumpkins appearing at their annual pumpkin festival. I do believe this is the biggest public event that Keene celebrates each year. Riding my bicycle to and from the university the weekend of October 25, I 'participated' in this year's festival by admiring the tall scaffolds loaded with rows of jack-o'-lanterns, and crossing paths with crowds of festival-goers. The Saturday-night fireworks were splendid, viewed from my second-storey bedroom window!

COURSE WORK AND CLASS VISITS
To fulfill our drama requirement, my class of thirteen is learning The Shepherd's Play, a musical play telling the Mary, Joseph and Jesus story, that is traditionally performed in Waldorf schools. We will be presenting it in a nearby community hall in mid-December. I have been cast as the hallowed Angel Gabriel, and I have a glorious solo to sing. I continue to keep up with assigned readings, reports, drawings, and my research paper on Tolstoy. It was my turn to introduce 'my philosopher' in class last Friday. Rather than impersonating the novelist himself, I chose to present myself as Countess Sophie Andreevna Tolstoy introducing my husband. Don't you know, my Lyovochka and I had thirteen children together, ten of whom survived infancy and early childhood. I ran the household, nursed my babies and tutored them myself, transcribed War and Peace and Anna Karenina from Leo's illegible scribbles into my own clear handwriting, felt that I was participating intimately in the lives of his wonderful story characters, organized the publication of the novels, and translated my husband's work into French and German!
. . . just an ordinary housewife . . .
A favourite assignment of my Waldorf instructors is to have students create a 'notebook' or 'journal,' including notes taken during class, personal reflections on the material studied, and in some cases, illustrations or some form of artistic rendering of the course content. For my painting class, my watercolour notebook includes miniatures of our class painting assignments, illustrating the steps along the way to completing each painting. Re-copying my notes makes my arm ache from time to time, but it's an excellent review, and keeps the learning fresh in my mind.

Thanks to classmates willing to drive me to schools in different towns, I have completed my required visits to various Waldorf elementary classrooms, and have come to the conclusion that there are have and have-not teachers. Some teachers have their classes--the children are focused and engaged, and teaching and learning carry on in a lively, interesting fashion. Other teachers have not 'got' their classes. Children fidget and squirm frightfully, rock or jump with or even fall out of their chairs, and receive 'strikes' so that they have to serve penalties by standing motionless beside their desks. The have-not teachers struggle continually to earn the attention of their charges, and this is all quite uncomfortable for the visitor (me) to observe. I would like to offer a single tip to the have-not teachers out there: After making a request of the children, such as, for example, 'Leave the chairs alone,' wait for all hands to come off of the chairs before proceeding with your activity. The waiting is the indication that the behavior is required, in order for the lesson to continue. It is simple and effective.

Here we are, part-way between Michaelmas and Winter Solstice, in the thirty-first week of the soul year that began at Easter. Consider Steiner's seasonal verse for us:

The light from spirit depths

Strives to ray outwards, sun-imbued;

Transformed to forceful will of life

It shines into the senses' dullness

To bring to birth the powers

Whereby creative forces, soul-impelled,

Shall ripen into human deeds.

Unwired

SQUIRRELS AND CHIPMUNKS HUSTLE

It may well be that these critters were busy all summer, but I have certainly been noticing them this past month, especially while cycling to the university for morning classes. The squirrels in Edmonton tend to be smallish and red, with somewhat scrawny tails. The ones here are of the grey variety, with splendiferous bushy tails. They are so big that I mistook one for a hare, and another for a cat. They run across the bike path with their tails streaming gracefully behind them in a horizontal S-shape. And the chipmunks run so quickly, they are downright comical! Those stripes along their sides must be the original racing stripes.

I am truly receiving the total immersion experience in Waldorf/Anthroposophy that I wanted, when I decided to come to Keene. Isolating myself from family, friends, and my usual life activities is a sacrifice that creates space in my life and in my consciousness for that which I came here to learn. Most mornings there is no need to rise early (pure luxury, I know!) and I am able to allow my thoughts free rein, to ponder questions from my reading, revelations from my lectures, or creative ways to fulfill various homework assignments. Wonderful ideas have arisen this way!

A lot of 'thinking noise' has been eliminated through simplifying my daily habits, and through cutting way back on my exposure to media. I don't read the newspaper, watch television, or listen to the radio, and I don't even listen to music. Gary (one of my house mates) keeps me up-to-date on economic trials and tribulations, and Ken makes sure I'm informed about stabbings on Greyhound buses and Canadian football scores (no, I'm not a football fan). Current events seem to be capable of marching along, without my presence in the audience. My extracurricular/social life is virtually non-existent. I cook for myself using fresh, basic ingredients, I walk or ride my bike to get to where I need to go, and I've been in a car only twice since my arrival in Keene five weeks ago! It's a simpler life than my usual one, an almost unwired life. I do spend a lot of time on my computer--I rely upon it, in fact, to communicate with the university, to do research and some of my homework, to check the weather forecast so that I can dress appropriately, and to connect with Home through emails and cheap Skype phone calls.

My friend Audrey asked about what I am studying.

PAINTING
On Thursday we learned that no two people can observe the same rainbow at the same time. Picture an observer standing on the ground, and imagine a line passing through a point at the height of the observer's eye, at a 42-degree angle to the horizontal line of the ground. A rainbow is observed at this angle of 42 degrees, determined by the ground and the position of the observer's eye. Your rainbow cannot be the same one as my rainbow. In general, we are learning about Goethe's Colour Theory, his colour circle, and his fifteen colour combinations, used as the basis of the Waldorf painting curriculum. According to Goethe, colour is objective, with each hue having specific inherent soul qualities, rather than subjective. Blue and yellow are the two mother colours. They reach down together to form green, the Doorway to Earth. As yellow rises, it becomes more concentrated, tending toward gold and then orange, whereas blue tends to dissipate and 'frees up' into purple. They reach upward toward each other and give birth to red, the Doorway to Heaven.

EVOLVING CONSCIOUSNESS
In our study of the spiritual (not religious) origins of the Cosmos and humankind, we learned about Atlantis and its oracles and mystery centres, each associated with a different planetary consciousness. The highest spiritual consciousness was that of the Sun Being, the Christ principle (although this was long before the Christ being was incarnated on Earth). Misuse of human powers (which we no longer have) to affect plant and animal forces of growth and reproduction led to depravity. In anthroposophy everything affects everything else: messing up plant life messed up the water element; thus, the continent was destroyed by the Great Flood. (According to Tanis Helliwell, pigs are the result of egregious genetic experiments on Atlantis, involving human and animal. This is why I don't eat pork.) There is a link between some parts of Ireland, and remnants of Atlantean consciousness, through the hybernian mysteries (which I know nothing about, yet!)

PHILOSOPHER/EDUCATOR
We (in my class) each have a philosopher/educator as the topic of a major research paper. Mine is Leo Tolstoy (yup, the Russian author), who ran and taught at a free school on his estate for the children of his serfs. When I say 'free,' I mean that those children were free to attend or not, to participate or not, and quite free in terms of Behavior and Decorum. It was all very 'easy come, easy go,' right down to the fact that the headmaster up and abandoned the school 'experiment' after four years, ending this opportunity for the children so that Tolstoy could head off on a new and different life adventure. He was an extreme non-conformist; a flamboyant, eccentric rogue!

I intended to review all of my courses here, but I'm realizing that I lost most of my readers (picture throngs of avid fans here!) back when I typed the words, 'what I am studying.'

September 29 was Michaelmas, the autumn festival that is celebrated in Waldorf schools as one of the four major annual seasonal festivals. In Steiner's Calendar of the Soul this marks the midpoint of the soul/seasonal year, week 26. This week's verse and the verse for the first week after Christmas are the only two that include the significant phrase, sense of self.
Voila:

Nature, your maternal life
I bear within the essence of my will.
And my will's fiery energy
Shall steel my spirit striving,
That sense of self springs forth from it
To hold me in myself.

Oh, Baba!

My daughter Laura birthed a baby boy, Kai Parker, at 1:05 a.m. on Thursday, October 2. He arrived within ten minutes of her arrival at the hospital, and weighed in at seven pounds, four ounces. I am holding my breath until Christmastime, when I will get to hold my grandson for the first time!

I heard of this blessed event in an email from Laura's sister, which I received while in the computer lab at Antioch University. I was all pumped up, with no one to hug! I attended my classes vibrating inside, and finding it difficult to rub two thoughts together in my Proud Baba brain.

I thank Laura for bringing this wonderful new life into the world, Rose for bringing this wonderful news to me, Laura's father for providing a reassuring update on mother's and baby's well-being, and Christina for caring for Big Sister Kaliana and for sending out the photos that made it all seem real.

Hallelujah, and joy to the world!

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?

Season of Red Rose Hips

According to Liza Dalby, author of East Wind Melts the Ice, summer softened into autumn around August 5th, and the new season will reach its zenith at the time of the equinox, on September 22. Walking at Glendalough last week, I noticed that the rose hips had ripened, and was reminded of the autumn seven years ago when I gathered a potful of them to make jam. It was just before my hip replacement revision surgery (get it--hips?).

It's been so long since my magical weekend in Ottawa, visiting my lovely eldest daughter, Rose, and her terrific partner, Ze'ev! They were wonderful hosts, and highlights of the visit for me include going on a Haunted Walking Tour and visiting the old Ottawa jail, exploring the town of Wakefield, nearby in Quebec, and our picnic by the Rideau Canal. Yes, I took photos, and yes, you can go and see them now--don't be shy, there are only five little photos to view!

I spent my August recuperating after my car crash, catching up on appointments to my doctor, dentist, fingernail tech, hairdresser, and so on. I spent a day at the Edmonton Folkfest, and re-connected with several friends there. Ken and I enjoyed a lovely dinner with our wonderful friends, Starla and Pat, just last night. We attended his brother's wedding in Regina, as well as a Saskatchewan Roughriders football game! I re-connected with my past by finishing the Great Slide Scanning Project, converting my father's collection of twenty-three hundred slides to digital files, so that I can send them to my sister in North Carolina. After for sitting for two or three hours at the scanner, when I stood up I found I needed to give myself a little shake to come back to the present--I am no longer a young mother with cute kids in tow, but that time of my life remains very real and present for me.

I re-connected with three of my grown children when they treated me to a pot-luck supper at my place, at a baby shower for my Laura, and through some very special visits with my Kaliana. Kaliana loves to play with water, wade at Paul Kane park, smell flowers, hug trees, twirl with her Baba, be tickled by Ken, help cook at the kitchen counter, open doors and slam them shut, and smell the bars of scented soap in her Baba's underwear drawer. Laura is potty-training Kaliana at the moment, so I forgave her when she suggested that my clay masterpieces (shown in my July 27 post) might be representations of poop! Please click to view my clay buddha and sphinx sculptures.

I enjoyed two special visits--one, with my original mother-in-law, at her house, admiring photos of her lifetime, put together in honor of her eightieth birthday, and the other, with my original father-in-law and his wife, at the hospital, where he was recovering from surgery.

It has been a bittersweet August for me, gathering special moments to remember through the coming weeks (okay, months) on my own in New Hampshire, and not wanting to say good-bye. At first I was quite worried about my hearing, which was damaged in my mishap of August 1st--a concussion to the auditory nerves, which will take some time to heal. I feel much better about my hearing now, after talking to my dentist and audiologist. Now I just wear my hearing aids when my brain needs a rest from straining to hear, and I take them out when my ears need a rest from hearing so much.

I have never packed for a sixteen-week trip before, and yes, it is a challenge--of course, I want to take more than I have room for. I fly away early on Friday, August 29. I'm home for two short weeks at Christmastime, December 20 to January 3. Then comes the longest stretch of all, away from home from January to mid-May.

Words to contemplate:

I feel strange power, bearing fruit
And gaining strength to give myself to me.
I sense the seed maturing
And expectation, light-filled, weaving
Wthin me on my selfhood's power.

Autumn blessings of strength to you.