Jul. 25, 2008 - Knotted Stomach, Pounding Boots
I am back from holidays, and hopefully will have time to write about that soon. But for now I will write about today. Today we played in a Change of Command Parade.
I almost didn’t make it. Last night I awoke around 3 due to dreaming about having awful stomach cramps. I awoke to discover it was not a dream. I spent about an hour up, trying to encourage these cramps to subside, finally going out to the trailer to get some Tums. I estimate that I lost about 2 hours’ sleep in total. When the alarm woke me up this morning the cramps had not completely disappeared. I lay in bed wondering if I’d be able to make it to the parade. I did not feel sick. I had no fever. I was sure that it was all due to lack of sleep over the past holiday week, a number of things building on my stress plate this summer, and some ill-timed greasy appetizers my trumpet player and I indulged in after band last night. A good sleep and I’d be fine. But at the moment I could not sleep if I were to be ready in time for the parade.
Just when I’d think I was fine and could go, my stomach would tie itself into another knot. I could not figure out if I’d be ok in time or not. By 8:50 I felt good enough to get dressed and see if I could be ready in time to leave at 9. I did and I was, so at 9 am we headed out for the parade. During the parade I felt fine most of the time, but the knot did return a time or two. The sun was warm, but when it went behind the clouds the otherwise-welcome breeze worked against me, the cold air making me feel worse, as it is prone to do even at the best of times. I was thankful every time the sun’s healing warmth reappeared. I was also thankful for my trumpet player standing next to me, who occasionally, when decorum allowed (in other words, when we were not at attention), looked my way and asked in a whisper how I was doing. A few times I wished I had stayed in bed. A couple of times I considered bending down on one knee as those on parade are supposed to do when they feel they might faint. I wasn’t going to faint, though, and I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, fearing that one of the ambulance attendees might see and come to my unnecessary rescue. So I stood, and for the most part was fine, though I was glad when it was over.
But what struck me this morning happened before the parade began. We were formed up off the parade square, ready to march in after the others on parade. The command for the flights was given and I heard the distinct “thrump, thrump, thrump” of the collection of army boots all hitting the pavement at the same time. It occurred to me that if they were not all in step the sound would not have been as loud. I remember as a newlywed hearing this same pounding of the pavement, at that time echoing over the water from the parade square to our apartment. How the sound carried! It is no wonder that in days past this pounding was used as an intimidation tactic.
I saw images in my mind from movies I’ve seen about war in other times. Particularly, I recalled a movie about the Napoleonic wars. The French army was a master at intimidation. One would hear the boots resound as one as the many men marched as one. The drum line pounded with feet and sticks, intensifying the sound of the oncoming soldiers. One could hear the approach as the crescendo continued. The tactic was effective, but it would only succeed if every soldier marched in time, the many working as one.
Today we don’t use pounding boots to intimidate our enemy, but the unity of the march is not outdated. Our military continues to practice the discipline of marching in unison for many reasons, but what struck me today was that these men (and now women) who were marching together as one, also work together as one. It was as if their cadence was representative of their unity of purpose, without which they could not succeed. It is common in today’s world to hear the military criticized for its uniformitarianism, its insistence that each individual conform to the whole, but it is only this willingness to work as one that allows them success. It may seem extreme to those of us outside the military, but due to the nature of what they do, it is necessary. And for those who do not require such regimented uniformity, there is a lesson to be learned about the effectiveness of working together for a common goal…even when you’d rather be in bed!
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Jul. 7, 2008 - The Humiliation of the Order of Canada
In the midst of a month when I do not have time to blog, I had to eke out a few moments to write about this important topic: The recently awarded “Order of Canada.”
In writing about the award, Rex Murphy said this, “That Dr. Morgentaler is a significant actor in
Mr. Murphy's point is not whether he agrees with Morgentaller’s award or not, however by the standard he sets in the above paragraph this highest honour in
The truth is, Morgentaller’s impact is not unlike Olsen’s, for he too ended the lives of many young Canadians. In fact, he has facilitated the murder of far more innocent children than Olsen ever could have. This is an undeniable fact. The controversy surrounding abortion is no longer the question of whether it ends life – this we know to be scientific truth. Rather, the controversy is the question of whether we have the right to do so, and the fact that this is even a question is unthinkable to many Canadians.
The decision to award the highest honour of
If the Governor General disagrees with my position on this issue, it is her right to disagree. However to award the highest honour in our country to a man who stands so firmly on one side of an issue that is still highly controversial in this country is just plain foolish. She had to know that this issue would divide
I am deeply moved and pleased with the actions of several past recipients of the Order of
I urge you to make your voice heard on this subject. If you wish to sign a petition you can find one at the blog “Stand Your Ground.” His blog is worth reading even if you do not wish to sign the petition.
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Jun. 26, 2008 - Death of The Job Hunt
It has been many years since I have had applied for a job, but I remember well the days of pounding the pavement, taking my resume to anyone who would accept it. I remember the frustration of being told I didn’t have enough experience, as I searched for the job that would give me the experience required. I was a certified legal secretary, but I applied everywhere – law firms, realty offices, fast food joints…
I was finally hired by a firm who was willing to forego the experience in favour of being able to pay me a pittance of a salary - $600/month. If they used me for cheap labour, I used them to gain the experience I would need to get a better job! And in the end, when the company needed to downsize and let me go as one of the most recent employees, they gave me a good recommendation which got me a better job in another firm. All was well.
But over the years before I had children I went through the experience of job hunting many times. Lay-offs, moves, and term employment coming to an end all contributed to my frequent search for work, as well as the diverse situations I found myself in. Besides law firms I also worked in various government offices including municipal, provincial and federal, a daycare, a Canex grocery store, Civilian Personnel Office, and the orderly room of a Fighter Squadron. Each job enriched my life in its own unique way. My favourite job of all was working in the counseling office of the high school. It was my favourite because when the band teacher was away, I got to teach his classes. I enjoyed most of my jobs, or certain aspects of them anyway, but what I really love to do is teach music. I taught piano for several years between my last outside job and having children.
What brought all of this back to mind recently was my oldest daughter applying for jobs. In our town jobs are pretty easy to come by so she didn’t have to “pound the pavement” like I did years ago. In fact, she decided where she wanted to work, applied there (and only there – being willing to apply elsewhere later if she wasn’t hired at her first choice), and was hired almost on the spot, even though she said she would not work Sundays and she would need 5 weeks off this summer for prior commitments (our holidays and her 3-week cadet camp). This was amazing to me, knowing what real job hunting is like, but also explained to me why the service is so poor in many of our retail locations!
Her father, however, has no idea having never applied for a job in his life. He worked for his father as a teen, then joined the military right out of high school and has been there ever since. It’s true that he did have to apply to be accepted into the military college. But that is all.
Last night, all of these memories were swirling around in my brain as I read the employment opportunities in our local paper. Some of the jobs sounded interesting. Some sounded mundane. Some were specific to a field that I have neither training nor interest in. Many jobs are available for those willing to work. It was fun to think back to my working days.
But my perusal of the employment section of the paper was purely out of interest because I already have a job. It doesn’t pay much, monetarily speaking, but the benefits are great, and it is definitely full time! As I read the job offerings I thought about what an ad for my own job would look like. Let’s see… I could not come up with an adequate job title, and I’m sure I left out some of the duties!
Employment Opportunity
Duties Include (but are not limited to): Janitorial duties including but not limited to cleaning toilets, floors, walls, windows, etc, laundry, emptying waste, picking up after others; telephone reception; making appointments; driving people to their appointments; care of children from infancy to adulthood, including but not limited to their physical care, emotional care, discipline and moral training; administering 1st line medical attention in both emergencies and non-emergency situations; supervising triage for all medical situations; preparation of all meals (may have periodic sous chef help); supervising all activities by sous chefs and kitchen staff; organizing the purchase of supplies needed for the kitchen (including but not limited to food), clothing for those who live in the household, and all household supplies, both consumable and non-consumable, all within the budget set for you; supervising varying numbers of children; educating the children that belong to this household, including both academics and electives; other duties as needed. There will also be duties outside of this direct employment that will be required, such as volunteer work in a church and/or community organizations. Some travel may be required.
Hours: 0000 hours to 2359 hours
There are no vacation days for this position. No sick days will be allowed!
Salary/Benefits: The successful applicant will receive free room and board, and will be provided with the budget necessary for maintaining the duties as outlined above, as well as to provide for personal needs. Also included in the benefit package are unlimited supplies of hugs and kisses, an occasional dinner out, and breakfast served in bed once per year on the second Sunday in May.
Our Guarantee: In spite of the lengthy duty roster, unending hours, poor pay, and complete lack of time off, previous employees holding this position have found it so rewarding that they have chosen to stay with the company for the duration of their lives. We guarantee that the successful applicant will feel the same. If you don’t, you have to stay anyway.
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Jun. 21, 2008 - Lilacs and Butterflies
I am no gardener. I am the passerby who looks longingly at the beautiful gardens of others, but who can not grow anything herself, at least not outside. The flower bed in front of my house now sports three small juniper bushes. I put them in last year in desperation to make that front bed look good, after several years of failing to grow anything else in the west facing bed. Two of the junipers are still green.
It doesn’t help that we live in zone 1 – the coldest, most inhospitable climate this side of the treeline. The season is short and temperatures rarely rise above 25 degrees. Frost can occur in June and in August. I have been told that it can come in July too, but I have fortunately never witnessed that. Now, it is true that I am not very good with gardens in any climate, but I have done much better in places where the plants don’t have to be quite so hardy.
But one plant that has done reasonably well in my care, mainly because it requires minimal care, is the lilac bush outside my kitchen window. The lilac blossoms arrive early each June – about 6 weeks later than they bloomed in the land where I grew up.
Some years it doesn’t bloom as well as others. I discovered after the first year of bringing the blossom clusters in to enjoy inside, that if you cut the blossoms off new ones will not grow on that branch the following year. So for the next couple of years I did not cut any off and this year I once again have a lovely crop of lilacs! And foolish as this may be, I could not resist cutting some off to bring their wonderful scent into my home.
The other day as I sat on my deck, a large yellow butterfly, which a little research revealed to be a Tiger Swallowtail, alit on a cluster of lilac blossoms. Intent on drinking the sweet nectar, it was oblivious to our observation and photography. With a 10x zoom lens I was able to get some fantastic pictures of the beautiful insect, which I've shared below.
It is nice to know that the un-gardeners among us can enjoy the scents and sights of nature once in awhile!
If you look closely you can see the tongue reaching into the lilac blossom.
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Jun. 11, 2008 - The Joy of Music
Monday afternoon my oldest daughter played in her second ever band concert. In some ways it is unfortunate that this school has so many grades – and therefore so many bands. This year there were a high school band (grades 10-12), grade 9 band, grade 8 band and four grade 7 bands, plus a choir. To put all of these groups into a concert means that each one plays only one or two pieces. It is too bad for the kids because preparing for a concert is a Big Deal and it would be nice if they could play a bit more. But the teacher has little choice because of the varying levels of the different groups. In spite of this difficulty, they have a great concert each year.
This year they held their concert outdoors. The weather was iffy, but the rain held off until the concert was over. In addition to the weather, holding anything outdoors brings quite a few challenges. As you may have read in my report on our band’s recent outdoor performance, wind can present a huge challenge. The big W showed up in full force on this evening as well. The students held their music to the stands with clothes pins, but the teacher had some that was loose – and she had to retrieve it several times throughout the concert. Sound is another challenge when outdoors. Wind can affect where the sound travels, and how well, and it also makes noise in any microphones that are used.
But perhaps the biggest challenge is how informal an outdoor concert feels. This atmosphere seems to suppress in people any inclination toward concert protocol and even common courtesy. People were not disruptive, but there was always chatter. Small children (though not mine!) were allowed to run and play behind the crowd. And worst of all, many of the parents whose children had played before intermission, felt it was fine for them to leave at the intermission point. What a disappointment for those playing after intermission to have only half the already small crowd to play for! This, in my opinion, is simply rude, and adults ought to know better.
The students handled the challenges well. My daughter said her band didn’t play well, but what she felt was more the difficulty in playing and the frustration of making music sound good outdoors. To those listening, they sounded very good. Many of these kids are beginning musicians and they did great. The older band gave a good quality performance. My daughter’s band, which is somewhere in the middle, also played some very nice music. I wish the adults had done as well as the kids.
Those who left early missed the best treat of the afternoon. In the last few months the band teacher had put together a marching band. They practiced twice a week, after school, learning the marching routine and memorizing their music since there were no lyres to hold the music to their instruments. This is the reason the concert was held outside.
When all the other groups had finished we were asked to turn and face the other direction to enjoy the marching band’s routine. They formed up and on command they began. Their bass drummer had broken his wrist the day of their first practice, so he could not hold the instrument to march while playing, but he was positioned in the middle of the routine and stood to play for the others. The kids were great! They marched in step, did a very nice show, and their music was great. The sound carried – I could even hear the flutes!
As one would imagine, these are my proudest moments. When I hear the musical accomplishments of my children, my heart swells. It is, well, music to my ears. Music is in my blood, and it is thrilling to see it in my children. In spite of the logistical difficulties in driving two of them to a band class next year, it will be worth it. I am already looking forward to their Christmas concert when I will be there to listen to two of my children in their respective bands.
This summer we will be honouring my parents on their 50th wedding anniversary. One of the things they have passed on to us is their musical gifts. Mum said she wants to hear her grandchildren play at the anniversary gathering. I am so proud of my own children, I can only imagine how thrilling it is for them to see their love of music and their musical gifts passed on to the third generation. My children are blessed to have this musical heritage from both sides of the family. Where music and parenting meet – that is a wonderful place to be. And sitting here between the parents who fostered it in us and the children who are still reaping the benefits, well it just doesn’t get any better than this!
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Jun. 9, 2008 - A Concert of Provision
Spring. The season of year-end concerts and activities. It is one of the busiest times of the year, but also one of the most enjoyable.
The season began with a band concert, but not my daughter’s concert. Every year the military band that my trumpet player and I are part of joins the local high school in their year-end concert. Since the high school has only 1 band, it would be hard for them to put together a full concert on their own. So we play for half an hour, then they play for half an hour, then we do a couple of pieces together as a mass band. It is a fun evening. This year we brought our children along to enjoy the concert. When my 8 year-old saw the program she noticed that the high school band would be playing the theme from the Pink Panther. She was very excited about this, and when we joined our kids for the high school portion of the concert the first thing she did was to point that fact out to me. She excitedly waited for the piece, and relished every note when they played it. As one who loves Henry Mancini’s orchestrations, I relished that my daughter has an appreciation for good music.
As I listened I remembered the days of my own high school band concerts. I realized suddenly that I felt no pang of regret to be listening instead of playing. Before I joined the band almost 2 years ago whenever I attended a concert and heard a band play my enjoyment of the music was always tinged with regret and longing – a strong desire to be part of the band instead of merely listening to it. I was torn between wanting to go hear the music I love and not wanting to experience the pain of not being part of it. On this night I realized that feeling in the pit of my stomach was gone, erased by almost two years of making music in a band again!
I continued to listen and wondered how the music made my children feel. Did my oldest listen with an excitement because she is part of a band? Did the others listen with anticipation of when they, too, could be part of this wonderful experience? My son will be joining my oldest at the other high school in the fall, he in the grade 7 band and she in the grade 9 band. But my girls…we may not be living here by the time they are old enough for a band class. Will they have the same opportunity the older two have had?
While my nature would lead me to worry a little about this, my faith reminds me that it is not necessary. Time and time again over this past winter I have been filled with gratitude for the opportunity my daughter – and soon my son as well – has to learn an instrument and enjoy the band experience.
Eight or nine years ago, when we had first decided to home educate our children, I remember hearing some of the oppositions to homeschooling. Some of the more silly things were, “They won’t get to ride a school bus,” and “They won’t have a prom.” There are quite a few things that children educated at home miss, some more important than a bus ride. Things like science labs and sports teams. But as I thought about those things I realized that the only thing on that list that I could not get them outside of a traditional school was a band. I could enroll them on sports teams. I could do science experiments in my kitchen (many homeschoolers mummify chickens and dissect frogs!), but while I could give them private instrument lessons, I would be hard pressed to give them the band experience.
It was the only thing about home educating our children that made me sad. Music is in my blood, it runs deep in my husband’s family, and I knew that my children have it in their blood as well. But we believe home education is best for our children, so we made the sacrifice. In fact, I was so sure my children would miss out on the band experience, that I didn’t even look for an opportunity for them.
Until one day last spring, on a band trip, when I was talking with another home schooling parent in our band. Her son plays the flute and my daughter had been learning the flute. As we talked the band teacher from one of the high schools happened to overhear our conversation. She asked why don’t these two students join her band. There are some legalities involved between the school boards, but it was only her hearing our conversation and inviting the students to join her class that prompted me to investigate the possibility. It had never occurred to me before that this might be possible, and without that connection with the band teacher, it might not have been possible.
A few phone calls with my school board and the school principal and it was all set:
What I realized last spring was this. All those years ago when I had said that the only thing I was sorry my children would miss because we chose to home educate them was being in a band, God must have smiled. He knew even then that He would bring it about that my children would not miss out on even one thing of importance. Band was the one insurmountable thing that I sacrificed to keep my children at home. Yet God took my sacrifice and returned it to me in this wonderful opportunity for my children.
Over the years I have heard many reasons why parents think they could not home educate their children. Of all these reasons, not one has been an obstacle that can not be overcome with God’s help. What I have learned is that when we truly listen to God’s direction we may find ourselves going in a direction we had never considered before. We may even have thought it was impossible. But when we follow the direction God leads we don’t need to worry about the details. He has them all worked out before we even start. All we have to do is follow in obedience.
When I wonder where we’ll be when the girls reach the high school age, and if they’ll have an opportunity to join a band, I need only think of how God provided this for my oldest two, and I know He has it all in His hands.
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Jun. 2, 2008 - Build Your House on the Rock
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
and the rains came tumbling down…
We used to sing this in the primary department of Sunday School, along with the verse about the foolish man building his house upon the sand. The third verse makes the moral clear: So build your life on the Lord.
This Sunday our pastor based his sermon on the parable this song comes from. (Matthew 7:24-29) In preaching on this familiar passage the pastor made one connection that I had not thought of in relation to this teaching specifically.
We know that if we build on sand, the sand will shift and the building will collapse. We know that if we build on rock (firm ground) the building will withstand enormous pressure and stand firm through storm and disaster. But what if we build a house on rock…that is set on sand? Well, from a building standpoint it is obvious: The sand will shift causing the rock to move, and the house will eventually collapse.
Obvious…yet so many try to do this with their lives and the lives of their children. How can we build their lives on the foundation of Christ through Sunday School, and then send that foundation off to public school every day where it is promptly placed on the shifting sand of the current cultural philosophy? Yet parents do this every day and never think that it might cause a threat to the Biblical foundation they want for their child’s life.
Perhaps this is why, according to several large studies, approximately 70-80% of youth raised in the Church leave their faith when they enter post-secondary school. Perhaps the foundation of Christ was set flimsily on the sand of culture, and when the storms of liberal academia meet them, they are unable to withstand it, and are crushed in their faith.
Did you notice another parallel? The cultural philosophy that children are taught in public school (and that our youth are bombarded with in post-secondary schools) shifts like the sand. It is not the same today as it was when we were children. It will shift again by the time our children are grown. Yet it is this unstable foundation that the public school system teaches the children to build their lives upon. How sad! No wonder so many crumble.
Many parents give up homeschooling because they feel they can not give their children an adequate education. They are so afraid that their children will not be academically prepared for the world that they are willing to allow them to be spiritually unprepared. We do not have to sacrifice solid academics in favour of solid Biblical teaching, but a poor education based on the Word of God is still better than an excellent secular education based on the shifting sands of cultural philosophy. What is our highest priority?
Get back to the solid, unchanging foundation of the Word of God. Keep your children grounded in it, not only on Sunday morning, but each day of the week, in each subject they study. “Teach them [God’s words] to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deut. 11:19) Do not be fooled into thinking that academics can be taught devoid of religion – they can not. In the public system all subjects are taught from the perspective of the religion of humanism and naturalism. This is the sand the system would pour under the rock of God’s Word. By teaching your children at home you can very effectively teach all the academics through the glasses of a Biblical world view. No wonder the studies show that approximately 80% of children educated at home make it through their post-secondary education with their faith intact.
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Jun. 1, 2008 - Ten Commandments
Apparently when asked to recite the 10 Commandments, most Christians can only name 4-6 of them. In an effort to help us remember the commandments and the order in which they were given, someone came up with a cute little ditty. I wish I knew who had come up with it so I could give credit, but I think the author would be happy to know that his or her trick is being shared. You can look up the full commandments in Exodus 20, but here they are in synopsis:
1 One
2 Taboo
3 Vanity
4 Church door
5 Alive
6 Feet under
7 Year itch
8 Go straight
9 Malign
10 Perfect ten
Now, in case you are not familiar enough to know how these sayings relate to the real commandments, I’ll set them out in parallel (the commandments are still paraphrased):
1 One = Have no other God before Me.
2 Taboo = Do not make for yourself any graven image.
3 Vanity = Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4 Church door = Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
5 Alive = Honour thy father and mother that you days be long.
6 Feet under = Do not murder.
7 Year itch = Do not commit adultery.
8 Go straight = Do not steal.
9 Malign = Do not bear false witness.
10 Perfect ten = Do not covet.
Have fun learning God’s ten commandments! And to get you going, here is a fun video of the “Ten Commandment Boogie” by the a capella group Go Fish.
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May. 29, 2008 - Ready for College?
Dr. Laura recently wrote about the success of home-schooled students as they adjust to college life. You can read her comments on her blog.
She accurately states, “Research examining home-schooled students’ academic achievements have consistently found that they score higher than the national norms on standard achievement tests. So the only grenade left to throw at home-schooling parents is that they are hurting their children socially and emotionally.”
People are always asking how home-schooled students can handle the “real world” when they have been “sheltered” up until they leave home. The implications are that:
1. The student’s family are very different from the “real world;” and
2. College life is an accurate reflection of the “real world.”
Since every family is unique, I won’t argue against the first point. It is true that if one stays at home all the time, one is not likely to meet very many people of diverse backgrounds and ideas. IF one stays at home all the time, which homeschoolers are notorious for NOT doing.
As for the second assumption, I have never, since leaving college, ever been in or seen a situation in my life or the life of anyone around me that even closely resembles the college experience. College is as far from “real life” as one can get. Once one graduates from college, one is unlikely to ever be in a similar situation unless one becomes a college professor – and even then life will not be the same as it was as a student.
So the real concern is not that students won’t be able to adapt to the real world. It can’t be, because the real world concerns itself with interacting with people of a variety of ages in a variety of settings, something that homeschooling mirrors far more closely than any school I know. It also teaches kind acceptance of others, no matter their differences, far more effectively than a classroom filled with the influence of young peers.
However, these home-schooled students may, at some point, need to get along in a college classroom. Are they ill-prepared? This is the real concern that is launched at homeschoolers: Home-schooled students won’t be prepared for college life. Is this true? The studies say it isn’t, and Dr. Laura refuted the point effectively on her blog. But I think this begs the question: How is being thrust into a college classroom at age 18 any different from being thrust into a grade 1 classroom at the age of 6? The difference is only the age of the student – and the age of the peers waiting to influence said student.
What I don’t understand is how the same people who criticize us for sheltering our children only to throw them to the wolves at 18 years of age are the same people who do not shelter their young children, but throw them to the wolves at 6 years of age – and often younger. It does not make sense to me.
Perhaps rather than asking if these children who have not yet experienced a classroom are ready to enter when they are college age, we should ask the same question when they are still young, impressionable, and less capable of handling new situations. Once a child reaches 18 hopefully he or she has gained the necessary skills to relate to people and adjust to new situations successfully. If we train our children, this will be the case almost without exception. According to Dr. Laura, “That is probably because, having had the consistent teaching and support of a family and a community, they have developed strengths and convictions that provide a bridge over the troubled waters of a multitude of challenges and temptations.”
But how can a child of 6 be as capable, having had only a few short years of training in new situations? I can guarantee that an 18 year old student who has been homeschooled all his life has met more situations, and those of a greater variety, than a 6 year old going into a school classroom for the first time.
Is that 6 year old ill-prepared? Maybe, maybe not. But the facts are so obvious that most miss them: An 18 year-old home-schooled student is ready for whatever direction they take in life. Common sense dictates this, and the research supports it. The world would be well advised to accept this fact and to start putting as much thought into where their children are educated and by whom – from preschool on - as they put into undermining those of us who have already done so.
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May. 28, 2008 - Magnificent Trees
Those who know me well - although one might have to know me quite well to know this - know that I love trees. Trees are among God's most beautiful creation. They vary in size, shape and even colour. From delicate bushes to majestic redwoods, even within each variety they are distinct in size and shape.
You don't have to know me very well to know that I prefer being out among God's creation to being in a town or city. Most people who know me also know how much I love the mountains. Many don't realize that I also love the ocean and that I love to be surrounded by trees. I love to sit outdoors and listen to the breeze in the trees. I love to watch birds hopping along tree branches. And I love to see trees all around when I look outside. Whenever we move, one of the things I look for in a house is the space outdoors - and hope that it is filled with trees. We didn't do very well in this house and it's the one thing that bothers me every time I look outdoors and see the big, blindingly white siding on the house behind us. We need more trees. The last house we lived in had 4 mature maple trees in the back yard and between front and back we had four very large spruce. It is my favourite of all the places we have lived so far.
I share all this with you so that you might understand my excitement when I came across a particular blog the other day. We were reading in The Mystery of History (a history book I HIGHLY recommend) about the exploits of Emperor Asoka of
I have not read more of her blog than this one post, so I can not endorse anything in her blog. But it is well worth taking a few minutes to link over and have a look at the magnificent photos she has included and to read the write-ups she has included.
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May. 26, 2008 - It Was A Winderful Day
It was a winderfully musical day. The band played last Saturday afternoon at an open house on the base. Every year there is a big military exercise in which several countries participate. On one of the Saturdays during this exercise they hold an open house which is similar to an air show without the air display. This year our band was asked to play outdoors for an hour or so during the open house.
The weather was uncertain. We had “dueling forecasters” this week, with the daytime forecaster predicting 19 degrees and partly cloudy for Saturday and the evening forecaster predicting 15 degrees and rain. Since we would be wearing our uniforms without the tunic (ie, we’d be in short sleeves) and I have learned from past experience that it is almost impossible to play with teeth chattering from the cold, I was strongly rooting for the daytime forecaster. I wonder if the two forecasters have bets on which will be right when they disagree like this.
Fortunately the daytime forecaster won this time. It was cloudy in the morning, but the clouds lessened throughout the day and by afternoon when we arrived at the base it was sunny and warm…and windy. Being on the flight line we had the full effect of the wind. This caused more than a little consternation as we set up and discovered that the stands would blow over if we didn’t flatten the tops out. To play we had to keep a foot (or two) on the stand base, and keeping music from blowing out from under the clips we use in outdoor situations was a challenge.
Once the chairs arrived and we were set up we sat down and began to get out our instruments. As I put the pieces of my clarinet together I realized quickly that I had forgotten one major item at home.
I have two clarinets: One is my own which was purchased by my parents as a “rent to own” instrument when I was in grade 6; the other is owned by the band, a clarinet that I signed out when I joined the band. The reason for signing out a wing instrument is mainly for use in outdoor situations where there is a risk of it being rained on or just being used in a less than desirable climate, or in case one should fall while on parade and the instrument be inadvertently smacked on the tarmac, or in parade situations where a tenor sax rounding a counter-march corner could run into your instrument, rendering a permanent dent in the bell. But that could just be a horn problem. I normally use my own clarinet for band practices and to play at concerts and mess dinners. But for parades and outdoor performances, and also for trips such as the one we just took where my luggage is at the mercy of the airlines, I use the wing clarinet. But I always use my own personal mouthpiece.
When I prepared my clarinet this morning I changed a number of things from my case to the wing clarinet case. I made sure that I had the reeds I would want (a selection to choose from, in fact) and the cleaning cloth and my clarinet stand (also on loan from the base). But when I arrived and put my clarinet together I realized that I had forgotten to move my mouthpiece over.
I looked up and said, “I have no mouthpiece.” The bandmaster, who was standing nearby, heard my problem. Fortunately there are spare clarinets in the band room. “Feel like taking a drive?” he asked me. Truthfully I didn’t, but I was grateful that I didn’t have to drive the 15 minutes each way home and miss half the performance. Most of all I was annoyed with my own lack of preparedness which had caused this interruption in my day. As I stood up I realized aloud, “I don’t have my license.”
Unless my trumpet player isn’t going to a gig and therefore I have to drive myself, I don’t take my purse. There are rules about purses and uniforms, and I don’t know all the rules. I think a purse carried while in uniform is supposed to be small and black. My purse is large and brown. Since I’m uncertain of the rules it’s much easier to simply not carry a purse while in uniform. In fact, when I do have to drive I will often carry my license in my pocket and leave my purse at home. On this day, however, I did not bring my license. Since the exercise is going on we have to show ID whenever entering the base. My trumpet player shows military ID and I show my military dependent ID. Since I had to bring that, my driver’s license would have been redundant.
So I had to take my trumpet player with me to retrieve a spare mouthpiece from the band room, causing us both to miss the first 15 minutes of the performance. I quickly found a clarinet and opened the case to take the mouthpiece. My trumpet player suggested that it would be easier to take the whole clarinet, rather than having a mouthpiece to return on its own. I was in a hurry and that made some sense, so I grabbed the case and off we went.
When I returned I put the recently acquired mouthpiece on my clarinet, which was already together and waiting on my clarinet stand. Choosing a plastic reed rather than fighting with the wind to keep a wood reed wet, I began to play.
Me and my trumpet player
It only took a few notes to hear that I was drastically out of tune. I checked my clarinet and saw that in my haste I hadn’t put the barrel in all the way, making the sound terribly flat. I quickly fixed the problem. But I wasn’t very far into the piece when I found that some of the notes were not playing properly. I checked the reed. It was fine. I fixed it anyway. I continued to play. Still some notes would not sound. What could be wrong? I muddled through the piece, playing the notes I could, and when it was finished I mentioned the problem to the clarinet player beside me. She is a band teacher at the local high school and with a degree in music and the clarinet being her primary instrument she is a good resource for me when I don’t know what’s going on with my own instrument.
I played some notes for her – or tried to – and she heard the problem. She said something must have bent when the clarinet had fallen over.
Yes, this was a banner day for me and my poor clarinet. It seems that while I was off fetching a mouthpiece, the wind had blown my clarinet over onto the pavement. The clarinet player beside me looked at the instrument and could see nothing wrong. But it wasn’t playing, so I quickly put the spare one I had just picked up from the band room together and put the malfunctioning one away. It was a good thing my trumpet player had suggested I bring the whole clarinet! I knew trumpet players had to be good for something. ;-)
My trumpet player behind the flutes
The rest of the concert was uneventful. Unless you count as events my trumpet player’s music blowing off the stand during the playing of said music (to be kindly retrieved by the bandmaster also during the playing of said music), a sheet of music from my folder blowing back to be caught by a saxophone player behind me, and other general wind-blown mishaps.
It was a challenge to play in such windy conditions, but it was a fun gig nonetheless. A few people stopped to listen, while most enjoyed the music while looking at the nearby aircraft. A friend kindly took some pictures, which have now been uploaded as promised.
Later, at home, I put the damaged clarinet together to see if I could find anything bent or broken. All of my purely amateur diagnostic tests failed. I think the register key is involved, but beyond that I am just as mystified as I was when I first discovered the problem. Thankfully I can use the other spare and the broken or bent clarinet will be sent for repairs. Hopefully they’ll be able to fix it.
Meanwhile, I have the other wing clarinet together and have been switching mouthpieces and reeds to see how I can make it work best. It doesn’t do well in the higher range. At first I thought it was the mouthpiece that was the problem, but with my mouthpiece it is still not working well. Hopefully I’ll have something figured out before the honour guard later this week…or I will have to take my own clarinet and hope it doesn’t fall on the pavement!
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May. 25, 2008 - Irony
Yesterday I noticed my very first blossom. Tonight there is a frost warning.
Yup, that’s the irony of where I live. Fortunately (?) the bloom that’s blossomed is just one of many little pink flowers that will come out on the bush out front in a week or so. I don’t think the frost will hurt them since they are normally out the first week of June and I’ve never seen them die from frost. The bush is a pain, but it’s very pretty. That also means that my lilacs should start blooming in a couple of weeks. The leaves are coming out and are almost full size and I can see the buds starting now too.
Frost warning or not, with a forecast this week of sunny days with highs of +17, I think it’s safe to say that spring is here at last. J
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May. 21, 2008 - Twelve Years to Retirement
I didn’t sleep well last night. In fact, I was awake for so long during the night that when my engineer turned on the light this morning I mumbled something like “not yet” and hid my face in the pillow. Often when I am this tired I will think something like, “I need a holiday.” But this morning I thought, “I need to retire.” At 7:22 I knew I could stall no longer. I sat up on the edge of the bed and said, “I have 12 more years of this.”
I dragged myself out of bed and let the cool water on my face wake me up. Wait, back up. The cool air between bed and bath began the wake-up process. It was 8 degrees (that’s 8 degrees above freezing, so roughly 40 for Americans) and rainy. Brrr. Remind me again why I live here? Oh yes, because I love my engineer.
Ok, back to the topic at hand. Perhaps the cold, damp air added to my feeling of drudgery this morning. It did, after all, feel very much like a fall morning. An October morning. In fact, it still feels like an October day as I write this. But again, I digress…
The truth of the matter is, and it didn’t take my sleepy mind long to switch to this gear even this morning, that I love what I do. Yes, every day I must rise with the birds (ok, not with the birds, but soon after the engineer) to begin another day of laundry, cooking, driving, disciplining, and most of all teaching. But when I finally retire, I will miss it. In fact, I will probably face some sort of crisis as I transition into my “next life.”
I know this because a realization hit me last week: If my children went to school, this coming fall I would be alone. Yes, my baby will turn 6 in October. Every day, it seems, over the past year I have looked at her and marveled at how she is growing. No longer a toddler, or even a preschooler really, it’s as if I can physically see her growing taller and older. Yesterday I informed her that come August when we buy school supplies for the fall, she will be going with me to choose her very own binder for holding school work. Each one has been able to choose his or her own fancy, zip-up binder as a special rite of passage into the age of schooling. She knows it’s coming, and in some ways she’s excited about growing up and learning all the great things her siblings are learning. In other ways she’s leery of no longer being a baby, although when she climbed up on my lap last week and told me she wishes she was still a baby, I assured her that she will always be my baby.
I feel much as she does. I, too, am excited that my littlest girl will be more officially a part of our learning come fall. She has been listening to the history stories and Bible stories already. She is given the “fun” worksheets my 8 year old does. She really has been part of our learning already. But in the fall it will be different. It will be official. Why that makes it different I don’t know, but somehow it does. I am, as is she, both excited and leery of this transition into having all four children of school age.
But the most startling part of this realization was that IF they went to school, this would be my last spring with anyone at home, and I am quite sure I would be facing some sort of personal crisis because of it. Come fall all four would be going out the door and into the big yellow bus. I’m not sure what I would do with my days when that happened. I suppose I would become more involved in my church, scrapbook more, maybe clean my house more often and more diligently. But I would miss having little people around all day. It is hard to imagine because I’ve always had them at home. I’ve always been their teacher, and I love that job so much and it takes up so much of my life, especially if you count in the hours I spend reading, researching and learning myself, that I can’t imagine not doing it.
Yes, some day the job will end and I will retire. In twelve years, in fact. Twelve years from next month this part of my life – the part I had looked forward to the most and have enjoyed so intensely – will be over.
But for now I will be glad that I can continue to get up every morning to the same old routine. I will be glad that I “need a holiday” and hope that when retirement does come I can handle it with grace knowing that I have done my best to prepare these precious children for whatever God has in store for them. And I imagine that when that day does come, God will have something else for me too. Maybe I can help some of them educate my grandchildren. J
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May. 14, 2008 - Anniversary Trip: Installment 3 - Tuesday, Going Home
Tuesday morning came too early for both of these tired musicians! Even with our relaxing Monday evening, 4:00 is still too early to rise in the morning! At least we were able to get to sleep earlier the night before our early departure than the band had been able to do before theirs!
As we packed up I couldn't resist taking a few last shots of the night-time view from our balcony. Ahhh…I would miss this gorgeous retreat!
We were ready and waiting when the airport shuttle arrived, right on time, at 5:05. I had made a cup of tea in the hotel room, and enjoyed it on the forty-minute shuttle ride to the airport. We were there in plenty of time for our flight, and I bought another cup of tea before boarding. We had a long day ahead.
I think he's tired of me taking so many pictures of him...or he's just tired!
To finish our chicken story for the band members already at home, we took pictures of the chicken watching the plane from the airport, as well as enjoying the view from the window of the plane. There had been some scuttlebutt about our chicken not arriving safely home, so we sent pictures to prove the chicken’s safe trip.
The flight was pleasantly uneventful. I always enjoy the scenery from so high above the earth, but with my trumpet player beside me I didn’t contemplate the trip as I had on the way down. We arrived at our destination airport in good time, but not early enough to put our luggage on the bus that would take us home as it arrived.
To explain, there is a bus that travels each day from our local air base to this airport. It arrives at approximately 9:50 am, early enough for people flying out, and leaves at about 1:30, late enough for those flying in. We had hoped to put our luggage on the bus when it first arrived to avoid having to lug it around the airport until we left at 1:30, but we were too late to do this. So with luggage in tow, we went upstairs to the lounge to wait.
My trumpet player and chicken slept. I worked on some school planning for the fall. We had taken some time during one of our dips in the hot tub to discuss some possibilities for fitting everything into our fall schedule. Some things that had been bothering me – things I want to include but just couldn’t see how we could do it – needed the input of our principal. He was just the sounding board I needed, and while our bodies refreshed in the hot, churning water, we were able to formulate some ideas of how we could make the fall schedule work, without dropping some of the things that, although not essential academics, are important to us. Namely band. It had been tearing me apart because I just didn’t see how I could manage running two kids to two different band classes in the fall. The one class had nearly driven me crazy this year! But the logical thinking of my engineer (aka trumpet player, aka principal of our home school) was just what we needed. So while he slept, chicken on shoulder, I got out my laptop and began putting those ideas into my fall schedule form (aka the excel file).
By noon we were hungry and so we, again with luggage in tow, went down to the
This was no ordinary bus. This was the brand new bus very recently purchased by our base. We had ridden on it on the way out on Thursday, but had taken a seat about half way back. On this trip we were told that we would be the only passengers on the bus, so we wandered to the back to see if there would be more leg room for my tall trumpet player there.
We were thrilled to discover that not only was there more leg room – there was a row with a table! One row of seats had been turned backwards, and a table placed between it and the row behind, similar to the seating on a train. What luxury!
We sat there and while he read the paper that had been delivered to our hotel that morning, I did word puzzles, while looking out the window frequently to avoid car-sickness. I haven’t been able to read in a moving vehicle in years, but while doing puzzles one can look about enough that I’m able to do that in a bus, though not so much in a car.
The last leg of our journey was as pleasant as the first, although the day was long. We arrived at our home base at 5:30, as scheduled. We had a 15 minute drive home, and then I had to drive back to the base with our oldest to take her to cadets and myself to a cadet parent meeting. Fortunately it was a quick meeting, and I was finally on my way home for good. The kids were all glad to see us, and talked constantly while we unpacked. They though our chickens were neat, and enjoyed hearing the stories of his adventures.
And now life is back to normal. At least, as normal as life ever is in May.
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May. 14, 2008 - Anniversary Trip: Installment 2 - Seaside Monday
Once again I was up first, and drew the curtains so I could enjoy our lovely view until my trumpet player arose. We had wanted to go back to Fisherman’s Wharf when the weather was better, so after a glass of juice from our little fridge, we set out on our path.
Along the way we saw what must have been a seagull’s breakfast.
We had been told about a coffee shop past Fisherman’s Wharf, so after we left the Wharf we continued on along the water front. At one point I smelled newly mown grass. My trumpet player wondered what I was doing, taking a picture of “nothing” but I was actually photographing the grass so I would remember that I had smelled summer. By this time he had stopped wondering about all my pictures.
We found a spot where we could walk right down by the ocean. It brought back memories for me of the many summers growing up when we camped at the ocean and explored the tide pools in the early morning.
The tide was now coming in, but there were still tide pools in the rocks, and we enjoyed watching the inhabitants.
My trumpet player even scared a crab from one side to the other by moving the rock he had been hiding under! This seaside morning is one of my favourite parts of the trip.
As we went back to the street and turned toward town, it began to sprinkle again. We knew we weren’t far from a tea room where we had dined during our dating years. The weekend’s theme for us was nostalgia, so we *had* to have lunch there as well.
And of course, we needed a picture of the chicken enjoying the view out the window…
The homemade megatron mushroom tarragon soup was amazing, as was the cheese onion scone!
With all the walking we had done over the weekend, we didn’t want to stay out all day. But before heading back to our hotel, we did go by the legislature again to take day-time pictures, and to photograph the chicken’s visit to the historic building as well.
From there we took a very leisurely walk down our harbour path, realizing that this would likely be our last trip along the beautiful walk way.
The beginning of our path
We sat for awhile, enjoying the breathtaking view.
We took far more pictures than I can include here! My trumpet player also took some video of float planes landing in the harbour.
Interesting, I thought, to see the float plane and kayak in the same waters. A large ferry came along soon after this photo, blaring its horn for all to make way!
This post is relatively short because Monday was such a relaxing day. Once back at the hotel we went back to the hot tub to have a soak when we could enjoy the view in the daylight. We continued our relaxing theme by ordering pizza in to the hotel room that evening. It was the perfect end to our busy weekend.
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May. 14, 2008 - Anniversary Trip: Installment 1 - Crazy Sunday
Sunday dawned. Again I awoke before my trumpet player. We had stayed at the party until the wee hours, so we were in no hurry to arise. But we had also made breakfast plans, so we couldn’t be as leisurely as we might have liked. My brother-in-law had called the evening before. He and his family were in town and could we get together? So we planned a breakfast meeting at the Smitty’s downtown.
We were to meet at 9:30, but when my trumpet player called them at 9:15 they were not ready to go, so we didn’t leave right away. I couldn't resist taking a few more pictures from our balcony, and then walked the beautiful harbour path at our leisure.
As we passed through town I heard the carillon bells and realized it was 10:00. I stopped to video the bells so the kids could hear them when we got home.
We arrived at the restaurant shortly after 10, and yet still well before my brother-in-law’s family. When they arrived we had a good visit. What a strange coincidence for us both to be in the same city at the same time, yet it worked out well for us to catch up. And for my trumpet player to show his nieces how to build a ‘real’ creamer tower. I thought I had left all my children at home…
After breakfast we once again walked through town. I said I wanted to buy gifts for the children that morning so that we didn’t need to do any shopping on Monday. As we walked down a side street I did a double take and exclaimed, “Did you see that chicken?” A local restaurant had a man-sized statue of a chicken holding a serving tray at their front gate. We could not resist. My trumpet player posed, once with his own little chicken on the big chicken’s shoulder. We knew we would have to send that picture to the band.
Along one street we happened across a Mountain Equipment Co-op. For my tired feet, this was not a welcome site. I knew we would spend some time here. But since my trumpet player had been so good in going to tea stores with me, I could hardly deny him some fun shopping.
So in we went. He picked up some bike shorts that he was in need of and was thrilled to find the socks he had been looking for for about three years when he had bought one pair to try them out, loved them, and then never saw again. You haven’t seen anything until you see a grown man get excited about a pair of socks. He bought two pair.
When he went to the change room to try on the shorts and some foul-weather biking pants, I said I’m coming too. I need to sit down. I was disappointed that these rooms didn’t have a stool or a chair, but my feet were sore enough for me to sit on the floor. At one point he needed different sized pants, so I went to retrieve them for him. It is a LONG store. When he needed different sized shorts, I said you go this time, and I stayed on the floor in the change room. He laughed and said I could talk to my chicken to amuse myself. So I took the chicken out of my pocket and, not being out of my mind enough to talk to a rubber chicken, I made it talk to itself in the mirror. He laughed and said if anyone walks in here by mistake… I locked the door until his return.
We eventually left MEC, my very happy trumpet player and me, and continued our quest for gifts, which we eventually found. When we became a bit hungry we stopped for tea at a renowned tea shop. Since we’d had a big breakfast and were anticipating our anniversary dinner that evening, we didn’t want to eat too much in mid-day. The atmosphere was lovely and the tea was delicious, as were the tasty treats we indulged in with our tea.
Once finished with our shopping we headed towards the hotel. But before we left town we spotted a busker on the water front. I couldn’t resist taping his act for the kids to enjoy.
From there we walked around the harbour and on to the path we had come to love…
Along the way I stopped to take pictures of the flowers I had been admiring all weekend. The sun was shining, so in this good weather I was able to get some lovely pictures.
The chicken also enjoyed the stops along the way to smell the flowers.
Sunday evening we had made reservations at a restaurant we had eaten at when we were dating – over 20 years ago! We also went there for our 1 month anniversary the summer we were married. It is a beautiful Victorian house transformed into a restaurant and bed & breakfast. Some year we’ll have to go back and stay in one of the rooms.
The dinner was fabulous! We both ate too much, but enjoyed every bite to the fullest. Having started a crazy series of letters to our band with pictures of the chicken enjoying the sights, my trumpet player decided that they needed pictures of the chicken at dinner as well. We had such silly fun coming up with different ways to photograph that crazy chicken! My trumpet player was the nutty one, coming up with the ideas and telling me what he would do. I had my little camera in my lap, hiding in my napkin, and when the waitress went out of sight he would position the chicken and I’d snap the picture. What a silly night!
After dinner we walked over to the legislature to take some pictures of it all lit up at night. My feet hurt – I had not tried on the shoes before I packed them, and apparently they no longer fit well. Or they were just so swollen from all the walking that weekend that they did not fit on that particular night. Either way, walking was not something I could do much of. I had really wanted to walk back to the hotel, but since it was too cold to go in stocking feet, we called the concierge for a ride home after I had taken plenty of pictures.
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May. 12, 2008 - Band Trip: Installment 6 - Saturday Evening
Finally it was our turn to practice, but first we had a run-through of the mass band portion of the evening. Other than the location of where our band would stand, there wasn’t much purpose to this practice since the marching on and off changed between our practice and the performance. However, it gave us an idea of what was going to happen.&n