beautiful sunset

Today was a bit of a long day as it was the first one in ages where I spent a whole day “in the office”.   And then I wound up staying late?  Needless to say, I really missed the extra 100 minutes that I usually get at home.  There was no washing dishes before work today and so I was further delayed with cleaning the soup pot to make dinner.

I was thinking today was serving as a wake up call to tighten the reigns on things at the house but the sunset changed my mind.  While we sat at the table for a late meal of tomato lentil soup I witnessed this amazing view of the sky.  It reminded me of a Waldorf painting.  (Which I was thinking about plenty this weekend while trying to finalize an order of books, paint supplies etc.)

I went outside to get a real photo and was surprised to find that what we could see through our window pretty much lined up with with the full extent of the redness.  I’m fairly certain that there was a special meaning in the deep red sky that then turned a deep, bright blue (like what you see at the top of the photo).  I’m not exactly sure what that meaning is but I’ll take it as a hint to get painting!

ending the torture

In January I signed up for a distance ed course that would give me the one remaining prerequisite for the Education programs at UVic and TRU in BC.  I already had what I needed to get into the institutions I really wanted to go to; this class and those extra applications were to give Kevin more options for where to find work.

The content of the course isn’t so bad but there is a tonne of it and the prof has been brutal to communicate with.  That combined with not really wanting to do this class have made getting anything done absolute torture!  And now of course, with me wanting to do the Waldorf teacher training instead this course seems like a royal waste of time.

Rather than torture myself with this course hanging over my head I think I’ll do something I’ve never done before – withdraw from the course.   That way I don’t have to keep fighting the urge to sew, spend time with friends, do more tri training or learn more about Waldorf and anthroposophy.  Sounds like a good deal to me!

the journey

Life really is a journey and lately I love how it’s getting to be more and more enjoyable again.  I’m so glad I’ve signed up for the Waldorf intensive this summer and started looking into anthroposophy some more.

My interest in Waldorf education initially pulled me towards the curriculum and gaining an understanding in how the subjects are taught.  I wasn’t so sure about anthroposophy so my first step was to look at the curriculum and see if I could see the differences.  Math was my favourite subject through most of school and is one of the reasons I want to teach so naturally my initial draw was to that very subject.

The first math book I happened upon was Teaching Mathematics for First and Second Grades in Waldorf Schools.  For such a small  book there sure is a lot of detail and for someone not yet exposed to a Waldorf grades classroom it sure was a lot to digest.  I loved the notion of going from the whole into parts and the example stories for explaining things were so warm and rich.  Relating the topics to Kevin (who’s even more of a math geek) was fun too.

In my recent book order I also acquired two curriculum books.  One is of Eric Fairman’s notes from when he taught grade one; the other more of an overview or “checklist” in a way, for what needs to be included on each subject at each grade level from grades 1-12. The math portions aren’t as big in these books but that’s why I needed to pick up Math Lessons for Elementary Grades too!  It has a number of activities and lesson ideas but not so much of the background.  That’s where the books about the teaching experience have been really helpful.

Last week I borrowed a copy of Understanding Waldorf Education: Teaching from the Inside Out.  As the owner indicated it was an easy read and surprisingly quick.  Her notes in the book gave me some additional insights into what it is like to be a teacher in a regular classroom so I was really happy for those additional words of wisdom.  It was an interesting book and it did answer some questions for me but my current read has been even more helpful.

School as a Journey was a book that I looked into ordering way back in the fall.  I’m actually glad that it took until now for me to start reading it.  I’ve had an introductory to Steiner’s views on temperament thanks to a local study group and last week I started learning about anthroposophy through a program in Toronto.  The result of all this is that I’m finding that I’m gaining more insight into what some of the main lessons are like and seeing how anthroposophy fits with the curriculum.

Anthroposophy was the main thing that I questioned with Waldorf and while I can’t claim to be wholly open to it I am finding the personal explorations I’m working on to be immensely helpful.

The journey continues…

smile

It’s not very often that Kevin heads out of town overnight for work but tonight is one of those nights.  I could have pulled another portion of chili or soup out of the freezer but instead I decided to use up some tofu that was in the fridge.   Kevin has been having trouble with soy so I made myself the lazy girl’s version of oven fried tofu and marinated peppers.  The presentation in one of my handmade bowls made me smile so I thought I would share.

I’m usually a stickler for balancing my dairy free meals but with brownies in the oven I figured I’d be getting enough starch.  I can’t remember the last time I enjoying making dinner for me, myself and I but I’m looking forward to our meal together tomorrow.  Yet another smile.

seedy sunday

It’s hard to believe with how beautiful it is out today that we had a snow storm yesterday.  That didn’t stop us from stopping in at the Edmonton Seedy Sunday event yesterday.

I tend to prefer to stay home when it’s cold and snowy and yesterday was no different.  If the seed event had been one month earlier I probably would have been gung ho to go right at the start but reality has set in more recently.  I’m planning to go away for a Waldorf summer intensive for the month of July so of course I won’t be here to tend a garden in peak growing season.   Then there’s the relocation we’re planning for September, right about when most of our vegetables are ready to harvest.   None the less, I wanted to see what the event was all about so we went.

I was surprised to find familiar faces right away and then at my last stop, Prairie Heritage Seeds from Saskatchewan I had some great conversations.  I was surprised to see spelt, quinoa and millet in the catalogue so we talked about how some grains are suitable to grow at home because they’re easy to thresh – like the “newer” wheats.  Spelt of course is much more suitable for larger grain growing operations.  Darn!

Just then a “regular” showed up to pick up her order and the conversation got even better.   We discussed dried beans, different grains and the best varieties of tomatoes, beans and cucumbers.  She sounded like a master baker with in depth knowledge of different types of breads and what different nutrients they provide.  I wish I could remember everything for future seasons but the experience of this enegetic conversation was rewarding in and of itself.  Suffice it to say, I’m very happy we went out and I enjoyed the connections with friends and these seasoned gardeners.

responsible shopping

Some discussion over on Annie’s blog got me thinking… why don’t I share some of my shopping philosophy in addition to the tid bit I shared yesterday.  I know many others who don’t see the rationale in my beliefs and actions, but can you imagine how boring the world would be if we all thought the same way about things?  No thank you!  Anyway, here’s my story.

Years ago I had  the pleasure of working in financial aid (student loans, grants etc.) at my local community college.  My main job was to verify that applications were complete and that students were indeed registered for the fall.   There were countless changes to the system in over the three summers that I held this job but none was more pronounced than when welfare recipients were forced into the regular loan system.

That summer I met with a number of these aspiring students and it was awful to hear again and again how people were trying to make ends meet but simply could not get enough hours at Superstore and thus required welfare to help them along.  Friends of mine have worked there and while they’ve been happy to have a job they’ve been faced with the same thing.  I know of only one exception but that was after years of hanging on.  (He’s since quit.)

When Superstore moved into town it was amid much controversy – mostly because of the environmentally sensitive lands they chose to build on.  Socially there were issues with their policy of not supporting community events.  Today though, I wonder if the costs they pass onto society are really all that different from the financial bailouts we keep hearing about?

Superstore is not alone in this, there are numerous examples of  corporations that cause environmental and economic costs to be borne out by the rest of society.  It disgusts me and I simply cannot, in good consciousness, support them.  They entice people with low face values but in the long run I think they cause us to give up a lot more.  That’s my 2 cents!

indecisive

Sometimes I can have such a difficult time making decisions.  I’m still  figuring out which teaching program to go with next year but I’m hoping that some reading will help me decide.

It took me MONTHS to decide which books to order – in part because they’re so expensive but also because I like being able to see books and interact with local business owners.   I tried to chose books that would help with my decision making about school but also cross over into good teaching resources.  Some of the titles are hard to find and I was happy that it worked out better for me to support a SAHM’s business.

Here are the goods…

The coil bound one is Path of Discovery for Grade 1 and it looks like a great outline for some of the essential lessons for that grade.  Now all I need to do is make the time to read them and all the books I’m borrowing!

time with friends

The past two days were so good!

Rather than feel guilty about the homework I wasn’t doing this weekend, I decided to live in the moment and let homework happen when I was ready for it.  It’s certainly not the way to get a course finished in a short amount of time but it was far less painful and I wound up enjoying myself.

Saturday was satisfying but I can’t really tell you what we did for most of the day.  I know there was some music music playing (Kevin recently started playing the violin and I just acquired a recorder) and a walk through our neighbourhood.  We were going merrily along with our day when we came to the surprising realization that it was already 6 pm!  It was so sunny outside and we weren’t even thinking about dinner.  We quickly set into action and made plans for a brunch the next morning and prepared to go out for groceries.  Dinner was l-a-a-a-te but it was good.

Sunday morning was fairly lazy although I’m always surprised with my urge to clean when we have company coming.  Kevin made up lunch and we had a great visit with friends for the afternoon.  We don’t do these semi-impromptu get togethers very often so it was especially nice.

Our friends had just been to Maui and had some great suggestions for what to plan in our trip.  I hadn’t done much research on where to go or where to stay but this visit was just the motivation I needed.   (Kevin on the other hand has done a lot so could at least dialogue knowledgably.)  When Kevin gets home tonight we’ll make the calls to reserve what we need.  We’re aiming for a half-way between his desire for a home base and my desire to figure things out as we go.  Most rentals don’t work this way but we’ve found a few so we’ll stay under different roofs at the start and end of our trip and plan our camping once we’re there.

Sunday evening was also a good one.  I met with some other Waldorf folks for a brief discussion on temperaments.  While I really like what I’m learning and the connections we make in these sessions I find the “special” language used by Steiner and his followers a little odd.

In all a great weekend… and now I actually want to do homework.

bowls

The other night I brought home my first batch of glazed pottery.  I thought it was rather cool that all the bowls fit concentrically but I have a lot to learn about glazing.  I tried experiementing a bit more this time and while the results were ok I have to say that my marbled one is a surprising favourite.

The clear glaze had a much better effect than I expected and the False Creek Shino on the outside rim and the inside looks much better than I had anticipated.

window stars

It’s a bright, sunny and warm day today.  I haven’t been outside much but I did enjoy basking in the sun from my spot in the library this afternoon.  I was having trouble focusing and thought a change in scenery would help.  I didn’t get as much work done as I wanted but it was a big improvement on yesterday afternoon.

I’ve been working on a post for a few days now but it’s just not going the way I want it to so instead I’m sharing my “artwork” from the weekend.  I had been wanting to try my hand at a kite paper star for a while and finally got to it on Sunday.  I had heard that star making is addictive.  It’s also somewhat medatative.

I made the 8 pointed one first and thought it was rather dull so I experimented with an extra fold on each side of each sheet to get the 16 pointed one.  I’ve seen some other cool variations and when I get a bit of free time again I’ll try.  I’d like to make some smaller ones two.  There’s barely room for the two of these on our sliding door.

Here’s a closeup of the 8 pointed one.  I finished it at night so I thought it was rather big and boring.  With the sun shining it looks far better and more like a colour wheel.

Oh happy sunny day!