Happy New Year

ANOTHER STORM
I don't understand New England weather, and I don't understand ice storms. Yesterday evening I checked the weather forecast for Keene, and read:
A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 6 am EST Thursday.
This warning is in effect for southwest New Hampshire.
Snow mixed with freezing rain and sleet may change to all freezing
rain Wednesday afternoon. Significant ice accretions of one third to one
half inch are expected during the daylight hours tomorrow. Wednesday night will
continue to be slippery... as mixed precipitation changes back to snow
or snow showers.
The expected storm total 3 to 6 inches of snow and sleet accumulation... in
addition to the glaze... will result in slippery travel on untreated
surfaces.
On my way to Monadnock School this morning, for my first day interning in the Grade Four class, I imagined outdoor recess supervision might be a little challenging. It was a delightful walk--the temperature was very mild with no wind at all, there was a soft, fresh snowfall, and a fine mist in the air. But the school windows were dark, the door was locked, and there were no cars in the parking lot nor footprints in the snow. Sure enough, back at home on Fowler Street, there was a message on my cell phone that school had been canceled due to a 'snow day.' The on-line edition of Keene's newspaper reports:

Another winter storm hits the region
Snow and ice are hitting the Monadnock Region today. Schools in the area are closed.

They call this a STORM? Oh, come ON!!

SHEPHERDS' PLAY
The photo above is the church at a town called Westminster West, where my Antioch University class performed the traditional Shepherds' Play before the holiday break. Some of my classmates and instructors were without power, after the December 12 ice storm, and our performance was in peril due to a heavy dump of snow happening the day of the presentation. But everyone pulled through, and the event was magical. We all seemed to do our best, the story came together beautifully, the audience was appreciative, and we had a wonderful, joyful time together. Lesley, Eileen and I were angels, and my heart melted when Eileen's daughters, Anna and Caitlyn, bestowed upon me their sweet, little-girl hugs after the play.

HOME!
Try to imagine how delightful it was for me, just to be at home, for two weeks at the end of the year! Ken spoiled me with a dozen red roses, I had time to spend with my kids, and I met my grandson, Kai, and my daughter's new boyfriend, Gregg, for the first time. The photo is of me with the dearest little boy and girl in the world--Kai and Kaliana. There were other reunions too--my cousin Darrell and his wife Karen brought together my aunts, uncles and cousins at their home on Boxing Day, and the Luscious Women of my singing group, In Her Voices, cooked up one of our fabulous pot-luck celebrations at the home of Dorothy and Meg, on the morning of New Year's Day. I had lunch with my Argyll friends Maureen and Starla, at Maureen's retreat in Leduc. I ate rich food, got together with loved ones every day, and collected memories and hugs to last my next four months in New Hampshire!

TRYING TO BE PATIENT
I am SO looking forward to my internship--i.e. student teaching--and my classes this term. I've been peeking at my new required course books, doing some preliminary reading, and anticipating the assignments that one of my instructors sent out by email. For his Waldorf Curriculum Preparation class, I will be presenting on Mesopotamia and the Gulf Stream (not that they're necessarily related!), and modeling a Greek temple, a spiral, and two Platonic solids in clay. But these classes don't start until January 16--that's AGES from now! And it looks as though the first day of my internship, originally booked for January 5, may not happen until the 12th, due to interruptions at the school caused by a record five 'snow days' already this winter. I'm raring to go, but I'm facing another 'nothing-to-do-and-nobody-do-do-it-with' weekend to pull myself through, with whatever positive attitude I can muster.

Hey! I rode my bike Sunday and yesterday--my goal is to ride it every month through the winter (though not every day in every month).

According to the French Republican Calendar, today is Octidi, 18 Nivôse CCXVII--the eighth day of the week, the 18th day of the Snowy month, associated with the mineral limestone. Take a moment today to appreciate the roles of limestone in your life, in geological formations, building blocks, cement, white pigment, toothpaste, and as a source of calcium in bread and cereals!

Here is Steiner's Calendar of the Soul verse for this week:

And when I live in spirit depths
And dwell within my soul's foundations,
There streams from love-worlds of the heart,
To fill the vain delusion of the self,
The fiery power of the cosmic Word.

I Survived the Ice Storm of '08!

Here's the email message I sent to my loved ones yesterday morning (Friday, December 12) from Antioch University:

I wanna go home! I checked the weather report on my computer yesterday morning before heading to the university on my bike--it was raining; raining, and there were patches of ice here and there on sidewalks and roads, but it didn't seem that bad! By late afternoon, slush was falling from the sky and freezing on the roads. Antioch University was shut down, and we were sent home early. I left my bike at the school, and a classmate drove me home. Early this morning the power went out in my house. I had cold bread and milk for breakfast, but as I headed out walking into the melting slush, I was cheered to see that a lot of places in Keene still have power. I bought a decaf latte for my thermos on my way to the university. My 8:30 class had been rescheduled for 11:00 this morning, but I turned on my cell phone when I arrived, and there was a message telling me that all my classes today are cancelled. I phoned Ken and pouted!

I'm told Keene is situated in a protected little valley, and that the surrounding areas are in very bad shape. My instructors and several of my classmates live in the surrounding areas. Last night a tree came through the roof of the living room of two of my instructors, and this morning trees continued to split and fall, tearing down power lines as they went. Driveways and roadways are blocked with fallen trees, and major highways are closed.

So, here's what I'm visualizing for myself: I'll ride my bike home this afternoon, and be greeted by a delightfully warm house, with lights shining through the windows!

I'll be able to use my computer, and phone whomever I like using Skype, and my little blue bed will be cosy and warm!

_____________________________________

Not being a spontaneous kind of gal, my initial concern was, "What am I going to do all day, now that my classes are cancelled?" The faculty advisor for my class recently emailed us some reading assignments to complete by mid-January, so I bought one of my 'Spring' term textbooks, and went ahead with the prescribed readings. I chatted with a couple of my classmates (Edith and Astrea) who are out-of-towners, hanging out at the university for the day, because they were staying in Keene for our Shepherd's Play dress rehearsal, scheduled for today (Saturday). I began to worry about the night, (long; dark; chilly) when I called my landlady at 3:00 and learned that there was still no power in our house. She has a broken barbecue and a misplaced camp stove, so we had no hope of so much as a hot cup of tea while the power was off. My plan was to stay at the bright, warm university until suppertime; then eat at a bright, warm restaurant, and then . . . walk around the block or try some bedroom Tai Chi by candlelight to warm up, bundle up and make the best of it in a chilly bedroom.

At suppertime Edith received a call from our drama instructor--no play rehearsal Saturday. She and her husband (another of my instructors) had no power in their house, a broken window, and a blocked driveway--they were essentially prisoners in their cold, dark house. They hadn't been able to sleep during the night because of the snap, crackle, and pop of tree limbs succumbing to the weight of the ice in the forest surrounding their house. This is the couple whose living room was invaded by a crashing tree at 1:00 a.m. While Edith emailed our classmates, Astrea and I went through the class list, calling people on their cell phones to tell them not to travel to Saturday's rehearsal venue. A call came through on my phone from Gary, my housemate, to tell me that the electrical power was restored in our house!

Oh, Joy! Oh, Bliss! Goddess is in Heaven; all's right with the world!

Edith and Astrea drove home to their families, and I realized my visualization: I rode my bike home to a warm house, lit up like a Christmas tree. I cooked myself a hot meal, and celebrated with a Seagram's Ice. (Tee-hee--ice storm Ice!) Oh, the miracle of light switches; furnaces; cooking applicances; hot water! (It's jolly COLD outside this morning--I don't think I would have lasted the night in an unheated house.) Prayers to those who are still without power in their homes.

Seven more sleeps--count 'em! I have three fine, fat novels from the library to tide me over until our dress rehearsal and performance on Wednesday, and biking or walking outdoors every day will help to keep me occupied, as well. Our last full day of classes is Friday, December 19, the day before my flight to Edmonton.

Here is the Solstice verse from Steiner's Calendar of the Soul:

To carry spirit light into world-winter-night
My heart is ardently impelled,
That shining seeds of soul
Take root in grounds of worlds
And Word Divine through senses' darkness
Resounds, transfiguring all life.