A Christmas Movie...

As a pre-Christmas treat yesterday (and because we did not go to the local Festival of Trees this weekend) we all  went to see The Star. 

As we have watched the commercials over the last few weeks one daughter told me, repeatedly, that she really wanted to see it. In part because she loves the Christmas story (every year she buys a Nativity scene tree ornament) but also (and related) in part because she wanted to see what they got wrong so she could tell them.

SHe has a bit of attitude that one, and is definitely a PK.

Anyway we took a wintry afternoon and went to the theater.  Lived here for 7.5 years and this  was the second time I had set foot in the movie complex -- we don't do movies very much.

It was good. Even the daughter who wanted to see what they got wrong only had one complaint -- that they told the story well enough that she had nothing to complain about (did I mention she has a bit of attitude?)

There are a lot of additions to the tale as told by Matthew and Luke, but you have to do that because there is not enough detail in the Biblical text to make a whole movie. And I really wish we would stop telling Christmas stories that try to pretend that  Matthew and Luke are telling the same story or try to merge them into one narrative. On the other hand I was impressed that they included Herod's murderous intentions --many people would try to ignore that part (though it did give a sense of conflict into the tale). But on the whole they stayed consistent with the Biblical text of the "greatest story ever told".

It would be interesting to watch the movie with children less schooled in the story.  Because of the chracterizations and the genre I am sure any child would like it but for our girls knowing the story made a lot of difference.

Might have to suggest that it become part of the church library if/when it comes out on DVD.

Of Rights, and Parents, and Children and GSA's and Confidentiality.

In the middle of October we had Municipal elections here in Alberta. That means the city/town/county councils were elected and so too were local school boards (both public and separate). And a significant subset of those running for school trustee were running on a concept of "protecting (or preserving or restoring) parental rights". Which might have made sense if those rights were somehow under attack, or if those rights automatically trumped the rights of their children.

Maybe a little bit of history first...

A few years ago there was a great uproar in Alberta about the presence or absence of Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA) in schools.  Because in the minds of some having a GSA "promotes the Gay agenda". Out of those discussions it was made law that any school where a GSA was requested, presumably by the students, was required to facilitate and support the creation and operation of said group.

Then there came the issue of transgender students. Another uproar (started by the face that one of the largest Separate Boards n the province had a very public dispute over how to best serve the needs of a transgender student when it came to bathroom and change room issues. And so all school boards were required to submit a plan for how said needs would be met.

[SIDEBAR: Lost in this whole fight, which was really our equivalent of the "bathroom bill" argument that has happened in many places was the fact that school washrooms have been unsafe places for decades. How many people have been bullied in school washrooms over the years? A simple solution for new construction is to do away with multi stall washrooms altogether. Instead have a series of self-contained (full wall, full door) single user water closets with a set of sinks in the adjoining hallway. Then many issues around washrooms get resolved at once]

THe next salvo in the battle was teh supposed parental rights piece. SOmeone got it in their head that parents have a right to know everything their children do at school. And so the parents ave a right to know if their child joins a GSA, or expresses that they are questioning their sexuality or gender identity, or comes out as non-heterosexual or non gender conforming. Further this right somehow exists regardless of whether said child is comfortable with their parents being told.

Understandably there are some of us who find this understanding troubling, and potentially dangerous.

I  think parents do have a right (and duty and responsibility) to be involved in the lives of their children and teens. I also believe that those children and teens have rights about who knows what about their lives. And sometimes those rights will come into conflict. What do we do when rights conflict? Do we claim (as I see the parental rights lobby doing) that one set trumps the other? Or do we recognize that  rights are rarely absolute and that there is a need to negotiate how competing/conflicting rights will coexist? In the case of children and youth I think we will find that the balance point is going to vary based on the age/maturity/development of the child/youth. There are times when parents will need to be told something a child would rather they not hear but only when it is to protect the safety (physical, emotional or mental) of the child/youth. Not just because the parent thinks they need or want to know.

Besides, I am confused. In the recent leadership election for our official opposition one of the candidate stated that parent should be told if a child joins a GSA. To which others said he wanted to out LGBTQ children/youth (note that I am sure said candidate has few qualms about outing LGBTQ folk and he has a history of supporting heterosexist political positions). But simply joining a GSA says absolutely nothing about one's sexuality. It says that you believe all your classmates should be supported. If only LBGTQ folks joined a GSA it would 't exactly be a Gay Straight Alliance would it?

I am a parent, of 4. I have seen no sign that my rights as a parent are being threatened by the school system. If anything I think that we are over-accomodating in one instance. PArents have the authority (backed up by court rulings under parental rights clauses) to have their children exempted from sexuality education (which if done well not only includes the "facts of life" and contraception but also information around sexual orientation and consent and gender identity. No reason must be given just upon a request the child can be exempted (so the objection could be religious, or it cold be that the parent finds it "icky" or that the parent does not want to admit their child is ready.needs to learn the concept...). I am not sure that this is in the best interests of the child or of society as a whole.

I just don't get it. What I do maintain is that when these decisions are made the primary consideration is not what parents like/do not like. The primary consideration of educational decisions is what is best for the student. Sometimes that means keeping confidentiality (which is not the same as keeping a secret, it is recognizing that we each have our own story and need to have the right to share it as we are comfortable). SOmetimes it will mean helping a student get to teh point of being able to share that story for themself. And in very rare occasions it might mean breaking confidence to ensure the safety of the student. But the primary piece is the well-being and safety of the student. Parents are actually second in this discussion of rights.

Book 14 of 2016 -- 10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting

10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting: Nurturing Your Child's Soul

Mimi Doe with Marsha Walch (United States: HarperCollins) 375 Pages

“In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, how do we, as parents, honor the spirituality of our children? As we shuttle between school, soccer practice, piano lessons, ballet lessons, birthday parties, and doctors' appointments, how do we find the time to encourage our children, through the ups and downs of growing up, to turn to God for guidance?” (from the back cover)

In this book Doe and Walch outline 10 ways to answer those questions. At times the way they explicate their principles seems very grounded. At others they sound a little “New Ageish” or “airy fairy”. But each to their own. You take what works and leave the rest. And of course this book is aimed at Spiritual parenting in a more generic sense (though one clearly gets the sense that the authors write from a Judeo-Christian mindset) and not specifically aimed at any one faith tradition. Which means that there will need to be a variety of images used.

The 10 principles themselves are:

1. Know God Cares for You
2. Trust and Teach That All Life Is Connected and Has a Purpose
3. Listen to Your Child
4. Words Are Important, Use Them with Care
5. Allow and Encourage Dreams, Wishes, Hopes
6. Add Magic to the Ordinary
7. Create a Flexible Structure
8. Be a Positive Mirror for Your Child
9. Release the Struggle
10. Make Each Day a New Beginning

This is a well written and helpful book. There were times that would encourage most parents. There are times that would convict most parents. And both of those are needed. There are suggestions that make a lot of sense and seem (in theory at least) easy to put into practise. And, as noted above, the reader is free to pick and choose what works for them and what does not.

Each principle gets its own chapter. At the end of each chapter are 5 things that make the book very worthwhile. There is a section called “Parents' Insight Building Exercise” which invites the parent to reflect (in the form of a guided meditation) on the principle that has just been discussed. There is a set of “Parents' Check-In Questions” which also push for reflection both on their own life and in their relationship with their child(ren) and partner. There is a “Children's Guided Journey”, a guided meditation to use with your child(ren). There is a set of “Children's Check-In Questions” to help encourage discussion with the child about the principle. And finally there are “Affirmations” both for Adults and Children.

I am glad I read this book. Truly there were passages that were difficult to read because I knew that what I do in practice is far less helpful than what was being described (Principles 3, 4, 8, and 9 come to mind). But we need to read those things too. At the same time, there were plenty of good suggestions.

One of the reading goals for this Sabbatical was to do some reading and reflecting on Pastoral Care. I chose to read the book because while Pastoral Care is about dealing with all generations. Much of our talk about Pastoral Care is about elderly individuals and/or people struggling with illness/change/mourning. But Pastoral Care is really about helping people grow in their Spiritual life. These principles are ones that the whole church could take on, not only as parents and grandparents but as part of the village that it takes to raise children. When we baptize a child in the United Church of Canada the gathered congregation makes a promise. Paying attention to books such as this would help us live out that promise.

The Christmas Snail

Each year the girls buy Christmas Tree ornaments at the Ten Thousand Villages sale here in town.  This year Eldest bought a snail, and dad was given the challenge of writing the story of the Christmas Snail.  Here is what developed:

 

They didn't even see me. But then I am used to that. Nobody ever sees us snails. Or when they do the make rude noises and squish us or run away as if we were some disgusting monster. I think only spiders get treated worse than us.

At any rate I saw it all. From beginning to end I was there. Unlike those uppity other animals you might hear about I don't think I had anything to do with what happened. I just watched it. And I will never forget it. I don't really understand, because I am only a snail. But I will never forget it.

It almost made me run and jump. But, well, you know, snails aren't really great at that.

Do you want to hear my version of the story?

It was a strange day. There I was in Nazareth, creeping along, trying to stay moist, when this foot just missed me. It was a man leading a donkey. Then the donkey hoof just missed me on the other side. Around then I decided maybe I would stay still. You know, to recover from the fright. But fate, it seems, had other plans.

As the donkey's back hoof came by it kicked me forward. At the same time a bundle of cloth fell off the donkey's back. The bundle and I landed together in a heap. Grumbling about how far they had to go and the delay and the time, the man stopped and bent over to get the bundle of cloth, and of course I got scooped up along with it. Before I knew it I was stuck on the back of the donkey, heading who knew where.

That was a horrible journey. Day after day in the hot sun! I was sure I would get fried. Luckily there were lots of nooks and crannies in the baggage so I could find a place to hide. And between the morning dew and the donkey sweat and the occasional splash of water while the man and woman were drinking I got just enough moisture to keep from totally drying out.

I had no idea where we were going. It appeared they did not want to go but they said that they had no choice. The woman was very pregnant. The man was very worried. The donkey was smelly and tired. The woman was tired. The man was getting anxious. The donkey just wanted to stop, the man had to keep urging it forward.

Finally we came to another city. Bethlehem I think the man said its name was. It was late in the day. Thankfully the sun was almost down and it was getting cooler. I was starting to shrivel up. The man sounded much more relaxed when he said:
“Tonight we will have a real bed in a real building. No more sleeping on the hard cold ground. And maybe a real meal for a change. I still have family here, I am sure one of them can take us in.”

In her gentle voice the woman said:
“That will be nice.” Then suddenly she groaned with pain. “Joseph, I think the baby is coming, my water just broke.”

By that point I had started to slide down the donkey. And suddenly I was almost washed off by this rush of fluid that came at me. I was able to hold on, and to be honest I was very happy for all that refreshing moisture.

The man made the donkey go even faster then. He led us from one house to another, asking if he and the woman could stay there. They all said no. Finally he turned to the woman and said:

“Its no use Mary, none of my cousins remember me or my father. I guess we will have to try that inn over there”

And so he led the donkey across a square to an old inn. It sounded very busy. There was lots of light pouring out the windows and doors. The man left us on the walk and went up to the door. I could just barely hear him pleading with the innkeeper, saying that his wife was having a baby and they needed a place. He was gone a long time. All the while the woman kept groaning. It seemed she was about to fall off the donkey.

Finally he came back. He didn't sound happy.

“Well they say they are full, and I don't have enough money to change their minds. But they told me we can go out back and stay with the animals.”

The woman said:

“That will be better than the middle of the street. Hurry Joseph, I need to get off the donkey. It is almost time.”

So the man Joseph led us around behind the building. There was a little shelter back there with a few animals tied up inside. Joseph helped the woman off the donkey and settled her on a pile of straw.

“Is that ok Mary? Are you going to be alright?”

All the woman could do was grunt.

Then there were voices approaching. Women were coming. When they got to where we were one of them said:
“Thee innkeeper sent for me. I am the local midwife. I am here to help. Let me see how things are going.”

I sort of lost track for a while then. Joseph started to unload and brush off the donkey and in that process I got flung off into a corner. But at least there I was safe. Nobody would step on me over there. While I couldn't see anything, I could hear everything.

It appears the woman was having her baby. It seems much easier to just lay eggs like us snails do. But apparently that is not how it happens with humans. There was a lot of screaming. The woman who called herself midwife kept trying to calm Mary down. Meanwhile I found a nice little puddle in my corner and settled in.

Still I listened. I heard Mary say that this was a special baby. She talked about a visit from an angel who told her that the baby was God's baby. It didn't sound like the midwife believed her. Joseph talked about a visit he had from an angel who told him the same thing. They talked about how this baby was going to change the world. I have to admit I didn't really know quite what they mean. After all, I am only a snail and really don't know much about the world.

Then it was done. The baby was born. Did I mention that laying eggs seems much easier? Anyway everybody was very happy. The baby let out a loud scream and then quietened down. But there was something odd.

From my corner I saw this bright light shining. And I was sure I could hear music. And for some reason I felt just so happy. Everybody's voices had gone quiet, and all the animals too. At that point I knew I had to see the baby. So I started to move over toward the light.

As I crept over toward the manger two things happened. The light got brighter and the music got louder. At first I thought it was just music but as it got louder and clearer I could hear voices. Sweet soft voices singing the baby to sleep. The pigeons in the rafters joined in the song. I can see why. You just couldn't help but sing when you heard that song. It drew you in somehow.

And the light. How can I describe it. Normally when you spend your life so close to the ground you see a lot of shadows. All the lights are up high and blocked by people or objects. But this was different. The light seemed to just be there, no shadows. I think it was coming from the baby but even then there was no shadow from the manger. The light just shone through everything and everybody.

Just as I started to get closer to the manger, almost close enough to start thinking about climbing up one of the legs, there was a new noise. A bunch of shepherds came rushing up yelling and shouting. They were very excited. And they had big clumsy feet. I had to slide under a piece of wood to avoid getting squashed.

The shepherds rushed in, but as soon as they saw the baby they stopped dead. They just stood there in silence for a while. Then they told a story. They talked about angels appearing to them. They said they had been told that this baby was the Messiah. They said that they had been told to find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped up in bits of cloth – just like this baby here.

The shepherds started to sing “Glory to God in the Highest! Peace on earth, good will to men”. They said this is what the angels had sung to them. They stayed and watched the baby sleep for a while. Eventually the sheep came wandering in and laid down beside the manger. Then the shepherds gathered the sheep and headed back out of town. I could hear them singing and shouting as they went, telling everyone what had happened that night.

Still there was the music and the light. Making things seem so calm, so special.

Just as dawn was breaking I finally got to the top of the manger. And I could see the baby. Even with all that light shining, light that should have blinded me, I could see him. And looking at him I was sure that somehow things would be alright. Even for us snails.

I slid down into the hay he was lying on. And just sat there looking at him, listening to the song, and feeling very content. But it was exciting too. I knew why the shepherds had been singing and shouting. I wanted to dance and sing! Sadly I can't do such things. So instead I sat there and watched and listened.

After a few days the family left. I stayed behind. I had had enough traveling for the lifetimes of many many snails. But every time a new animal comes in, as we rest in the night, I tell the story of the Baby. And sometimes, as I tell it, I hear the song again and the manger seems to glow a little bit...

NaBLoPoMo -- Travel Wishes

A prompt form BlogHer again today:

What is one place you need to see to feel like your life is complete?

 Oh so many choices....

The list we have of places we want to take the girls would require a lottery win to fulfill.

We want to take them on a train across Canada/  Or to Disney. But for this prompt I would have to look farther afield.

Does Europe count as one place?  Or is it a whole category in and of itself? 

I dearly want to go to the Continent (I also want to go back to Britain and Ireland).  And to do what I want to do there I am thinking that a visit of several months wold be needed.  A Mediterranean cruise would be a nice part.

NExt in line would be CHina and Japan and Thailand.

Or maybe Australia and New Zealand.

Then maybe Peru.

Preferably all with the whole family

SO who wants to fund me?

Devil in the Details

For the last monthe we in Canada have been inundated with ads announcing the Federal Government's proposed changes to the Income Tax system that will, in their opinion, be of great benefit to young families.

Now this is nothing new.  Political parties do this all the time.  There is a slight ethical issue in that the ads are funded by the government, not the political party and the changes 1) have not yet passed through Parliament and 2) are expected to form a large piece of the CPC election platform in next year's campaign (especially since the changes have a large bunch of cash arriving in people's bnk accounts just a few weeks before the election). 

But as always the devil is in the details.

To be fair, there is good stuff in here.  The increase in the Tax Credit for child Care expenses is needed.  The increase in the Universal Child Care Benefit is not a bad idea either.  Of course neither those things will do a whole lot to actually make Child Care affordable for lower-to-middle income families but they are a start.

ANd unlike many commentators I am not totally against teh "Family Tax Cut" (aka income splitting). I mean there are a whole lot of families (like ours) who will not benefit one cent from the plan.  But once in power governmensts have the right to support programs that flow with the ideals of their supporters.  Many CPC supporters (and MPs and Cabinet members and PArty staffers) support the idea of one-income families and income splitting is a good way to support that.  And I am sure there are a number of families in Grande Prairie who WILL benefit from this plan.  The inclusion of an upper limit that a family can save made it much more palatable to me.

The problematic point was a little line at the end of the description of enhanced UCCB payments.  And interestingly it got no airplay in the hype around the announcement or even in commentators talking about it (because they were sucked into the debate around income splitting).  Ir reads:
These enhancements to the UCCB would replace the Child Tax Credit, starting in the 2015 tax year

Now here is the thing.  The UCCB is taxable income, the Child Tax Credit is not.  Also the Child Tax Credit is MORE than the enhancements to the UCCB--in our case the difference as far as I can tell would be a negative $240/month.  And that is the money we have been using to build the education savings plan for post-secondary purposes.  Other families are using that money to buy food.  [AS a side note the UCCB was this governments idea of a National Child Care program--of course it comes nowhere near paying enough to make child care affordable.]  So for us, and I assume for MANY other families, these enhancements will cost money--and the enhancements move money from non-taxable to taxable income.

IT does strike me that this is an odd way to support lower-to-middle income families.  But then to be honest I do not think this government has every really been about doing things that will support lower-to-middle income Canadians as a primary goal of their tax program choices.

The devil is indeed in the details.

Book 13 of 2014 -- Peter Pan

During the summer the oldest girls and I have established a pattern.  Each night before bed I read them a chapter of a book.  This summer we started with The Hobbit which conveniently we finished just before going away on holidays (and the girls enjoyed it far more than they thought they would).  At that point they started asking what I would read when we got home.

I knew it needed to be something I could get finished by the end of August because we have learned that once school starts there is too much happening to have these reading sessions.  So I started checking what I had available.  As it happens I had picked up a free e-book copy of Peter Pan a couple of years ago to have something the girls could read on the Kobo should they want to.  I counted chapters and days and realized this would fit into the available time.  Accordingly in the middle of August we began to read it and finished it on Sunday night.

Strange as it may seem I had never read the full book of Peter Pan before.  I had seen the Disney movie of course.  I had listened to a record telling of the story based on the Disney movie (complete with songs of course) when I was young.  I had read an abridged version for early readers.  And I have seen 2 different stage versions.  But I had never read the full novel.  Until last month.

The story of course is known.  The story is pretty much the same in all versions.  Even Disney stayed pretty close to this one.

But I was not ready for the implicit violence and the acceptance of same than Barrie includes in his text.  Bloodletting happens with little or no concern or anguish.

Nor was I ready for the explicit racial stereotyping.  Maybe that is a sign of how long it has been since I read/watched the story (because now that I think of it the Disney movie included some pretty racist stereotypes in it too -- like the song "What Makes the Red Man Red") but the treatment of the "redskins" in the novel is terrible.  I know it is a product of an era that is long past but still it did come to the point where I had to talk about stereotypes to the girls as we were reading.

Peter Pan is an interesting story.  Pure escapism on the surface.  And yet I wonder if there is something more there that could be explored.  What does it mean to grow up?  What does it meant to live in "Neverland"?   ANd why do we forget?

Old Friends

I went to a funeral today.  For a person I have known for 42 years today (well not to the date but our families met each other on Labour Day Monday 1972). Our families are so close that we have long referred to each other as family.  And so Ron was Dad #2.  I know that family better than I know some of my own cousins.

As I sat in the back of the church this afternoon and watched people I was struck by the nature of Old Friends.  There were people there I haven't seen in decades.  And yet, given time I suspect we could start playing catch-up.

In our case the connection point was the church.  For many of us it was the Senior Choir where our parents sang.  In that crowd today were some of my former babysitters and Sunday School teachers (as they made sure to tell my girls).  Or there was my former Junior Choir leader.  Old friends, old connections, deep meaning.  Lots of remembered stories.

Sadly, because I did not feel I could lose another day of my week and the funeral was a 5 hour drive away, I did not have/take the time to truly reconnect.  Some other day perhaps.

But it also reminded me of the importance.  I have gone through much of life without making strong connections.  I have no friends from my undergraduate days.  I have limited contact (only through FB) with high school classmates, before that I had pretty much none.

And yet I think we need old friends.  We need those people with whom we share stories--even if part of us fears those stories being told. 

Old friends.  A great gift.

Rest in peace Ron.

Happy Anniversary!

August 31, 2002 was also a Saturday, as it happens that is the last time August 31 was a Saturday, what with the vagaries of leap years and all.

ANd that day happened to be our wedding day.  Well wedding evening technically since the ceremony was at 7 in the evening.  We did pictures first  (because who wants to do wedding pictures at 8 in the evening) at a park in Thunder Bay.  It was somewhat windy (blowing a gale as I remember) up on the hill. which make pictures a challenge when one of you is wearing a veil.  It needs to be held down somehow...

personal veil weight at your service

And then when you start pictures at 5 and aren't having anything except sandwiches and squares after the wedding you need a bit of a snack in between...

yes that IS an apron being worn as a bib

This actually wasn't the picture we were looking for last night.  Our memory was one of Patty leaning over to avoid dripping on herself (which would be a very common event) and in mid-bite, this seems to have been taken right after that.  SO we think our memories are a little bit hazy as to when pictures were taken.

And one more picture...from the cutting of the cake...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY my love!!!!!!

11 years and still putting up with me?

Vacation Week...

When I was called to ministry with this congregation one of the terms of call was "A week of vacation between Christmas and Easter".  The first year Easter was late and so I took off the week of Spring Break, because it seems most fitting to take vacation time when the girls are not in school.  However, most years the Spring Break in our area is still actually an Easter Break, in that it begins with Easter weekend.  So that is not the normal week I can take.

As it happens however, the regional Teacher's Convention always falls the second weekend of March.  Which means it IS always between Christmas and Easter.  And has the girls off-school for 2 days of that week.  So naturally it is the week I take off (which also happens to allow me to not have to lead worship the Sunday that DST begins and the Sunday closest to my birthday).  And that means it is this week that I am off...

 So how am I spending my vacation week?  Well I started it by working.  Last Sunday we had communion and it is my practice to do communion at one of the care homes the Monday after that.  I did not want to take this from them so we did that.  And then we are in the midst of a 6-week faith study during Lent.  To miss this week would put us out of Lent and to miss a week in the middle of a study always throws off the rhythm of the study.  So we did that as well. True that meant about a total of 4 hours of work over teh two days but that was not an issue to me.

Then we left town (always the best way to avoid working while on vacation).  And today was the planned highlight of the week.  This year the Brier (Canadian Men's Curling) is in Edmonton.  So we decided to take in one draw.  And as an added benefit for the girls they got to take the train to get there!!!!!  It was a highly enjoyable afternoon.  The first time I had watched that level of curling in person. So glad we took advantage of the opportunity.

Now to relax for a couple days (well I might do up the bulletin for next week since I have registered for an all-day event on Monday)....

Wholistic Fitness

2 weeks ago we took the 3 older girls to see a local production of CATS (an ambitious choice for a community theater group to say the least).  And they loved it.  But a review of that event is not the purpose of this post.

When talking about the show with my mother she spoke about a radio interview she had heard recently.  In it the interviewee was talking about the need to develop cultural fitness.

That comment taps into a pet peeve of mine. We have pushed the education system in many ways, based on the hot button topics of the day.  Sometimes we have pushed to ensure a baseline amount of physical activity per day or week.  OR we have pushed for more time spent on maths or numeracy.  Or maybe it is science that needs more time.  Or maybe the concern of the era is literacy.  Or maybe technology?  BUt I have yet to hear people complaining that the school system is not doing enough to develop cultural literacy (or fitness as the above interview suggested).  And this is a problem (in my opinion).

Maybe I should name my bias.  25 years ago I was in my first year of university.  I was an Education student with a Drama major.  And I knew that the high school curriculum in this province was changing.  This change was to highlight science.  But the reality was that this round of change would make it very difficult for a student to take all 3 sciences and also carry a Fine Art through all 3 grades of high school.  And those of us who wanted to teach Fine Arts courses were a little disconcerted.

But you see I think we are a poorer society if we do not develop cultural literacy in people.  And to do that you need to do it throughout life.  You can't just expect it to happen as adults.  This is not to say that extra time set aside for physical health, or numeracy or science, or technology or literacy are not important, obviously they are.  But cultural studies and fine arts are equally important in the long term.  In fact it is my belief that one of the requirements for a high school diploma should be at least one fine arts course (music, drama, visual arts whatever).  And in earlier grades a more general introduction not only to performance and technique but also to history and styles of these arts.

Developing a society that is culturally literate will (at the least) help us all do better at trivia games.  Btu I think we will benefit in ways far beyond that. 

By the way the above named changes in emphasis to the education system have had another casualty.  My minor in my BEd degree was social studies (history, geography, civics etc) .  And a lack of emphasis on those subjects also has a detrimental effect on our effective functioning as a society.

So what do we do?  How do we develop an education system that provides a fully wholistic idea of fitness and still have it cost-effective or time-effective?  I don't know.  Given that I also think all students should be heavily encouraged to learn at least one language fluently in addition to their mother tongue and that all Canadian students should have to travel across the country by land as part of their high school education and that all students should have a basic introduction to World Religions (arguably this should be part of the Social Studies curriculum) as a part of basic education I may not be the best person to ask. 

Still we can dream right????

Halloween Pictures

Our Jack O'Lantern

THe Neighbours made use of the plentiful October Snow!!!

The Scooby Doo gang -- Scooby, Scrappy, Velma, Daphne, and Fred (I was Shaggy)

10 Years...and 20 Years too!

This picture was taken 10 years ago today -- before the actual wedding!  If they weren't in a box downstairs I would dig out the better ones--like the side view of me couched behind Patty holding the veil so it wouldn't blow in her face (slightly windy day up in Hillcrest Park) or the one taken at the church between pictures and service of Patty wearing an apron as a bib as she had a hamburger.

10 years, 4 daughters, a neurotic dog and a move across the country later she still puts up with me!  Happy Anniversary beautiful!


ANd now the 20 years...

As we enter into Labour Day weekend I realized that on Labour Day weekend 1992 I was getting to know my way around a new neighbourhood.

I had just moved to Saskatoon a week earlier, and was getting ready to embark on the next adventure.   Time to start studies at this school.  And it only took me 9 years to finish that!  (admittedly there were a few other adventures and a side trip or two along the path).

mmmm, What adventure shall we start this decade???   A new degree maybe???

I Don't Understand...

Ok, admittedly there are lots of ways I could finish that sentence.  But I have one particular ending in mind today.

Yesterday we took advantage of the bright sunny weather (and the beginning of holiday time) to head down to the Street Performers Festival.  It was an enjoyable activity (although the bright sun in a crowded street is VERY hot).  Lots of poeple out for the day.  And here's the thing, dogs.

Dogs of all sizes (including a St. Bernard).  Dogs in the crowd, dogs in the food court.  But in my opinion it wasn't a dog-type activity.  Is it unusual to suggest that maybe there are places where taking your dog just does not make sense?  Same thing with the Canada Day Parade and festivities in the park.  Large crowds, people everywhere, and lots of dogs [including one I saw during the Canada Day parade last year that was muzzled, which suggest the owner has reason to think this may not have been the best environment for that particular animal].

I know pets are a part of the family.  And I know that most dogs are very friendly.  But why do people feel the need to take dogs everywhere they go?  I read on a FB page today a thank you to a local food establishment for having water dishes on their patio for customer dogs.  Really?  no one sees a problem with this?

Maybe there are times to walk the dog in another place?  

Sometimes I don't understand people's choices.

Someday, Maybe, When we have MOney....

Ever since we moved here we have wanted to change the back yard.  SOme of it is already done as we created a nice big vegetable garden and then late last summer we removed the sidewalk block pads at the back of the yeard and spread grass seed this spring.  But the big possible project is...

We want to change the yard right by the house.  Currently it looks like this:

But the deck just doesn't work for us.  In part it is too small for that size of a table (an effect magnified by the railing on the one side -- a railing that is not needed for safety because the deck is essentially at ground level).  Bu also the current layout leave these tiny little strips of grass/weeds by the fence, then by the deck, then over by the shed.  Since the back door is at grade level we are limited in terms of height. 

When we redo the fence we plan to move the gate from right beside the house to approximately a spot even with the BBQ in this picture.  And so we have a plan.  Take the deck right out and put a patio with paving stones (not sidewalk blocks) from the fence all the way to the shed.  The patio would come out as far as the blocks are now to give more space.  Possibly some plant boxes along the edge?

Another issue is this space between the two sheds.  Nothing really grows there anyway.  So maybe some more pavers here?  Or River Rock?  Probably pavers because it would be nice to be able to hang laundry in bare feet which might be uncomfortable with River Rock.

ANd finally there is the back corner of the yard.  With the large full canopy of the Mayday (which is very mature, I wonder how many years it has left?) nothing really grows well there either--except Mayday suckers.  SO Patty has a dream of some river rock and a few stepping stones.  Maybe a piece of yard art (I think the real dream is a small fountain)

Someday, maybe, when we have money....  But the first priority back there is redoing the fence.

Family Day

Today was Family Day.  Alberta was the first province to have this February holiday, although many have followed the lead (Manitoba actually calls the day Louis Riel Day to honour their Father of Confederation but it still follows the logic of "we need a holiday weekend in February").  In Alberta the third Monday of February has been a "sort-of stat" [in that workplaces had the choice of taking this holiday or the civic holiday at the beginning of August so it was not automatically adding in another day off to the year--largely to appease the business lobby] since 1990.  For example, we had mail delivery today.

Mind you in Alberta all stores are allowed to remain open on a stat holiday, and most choose to do so.  Is that a Family Day activity?  OTOH, I hear about more organized Family Day activities now then I remember when I last lived in the province 13 years ago.  So maybe the idea of a holiday to get families together (unless one or more of them is required to work of course) is catching on.

LAst week I read this article.  It speaks to the mixed message of family day in an economy that so often pushes people into workaholism.  It also questions how family friendly Alberta really is--without even getting into the question of why the richest province in Canada has such an abominably high rate of child poverty.

So is Family Day all hype about the importance of family with little to back that up in the rest of the year?  After 22 years I am still not sure.  ALthough I do remember a degree of suspicion that Don Getty was using the holiday as something of a distraction from other issues when he first announced it.

But I did avoid working today.  And even when I went to the church to do a bit of stuff the girls went with me to "help".

Are We Odd?

Often I hear people complaining that they have mountains of laundry each and every week.  Sometimes I hear (or read) people saying that they have enough laundry to do a load every day.

There are 6 of us.  In a regular week we do 6 loads of laundry [3 of clothes and 3 of bedding/towels] plus a pail of diapers every 3rd night.   Now granted that is partly because it is a good-sized washer and sometimes it is quite well filled.  But still, that is half a load of clothes per person [although lets be fair the adult clothes take up a whole lot more space than the toddler clothes].  so are we just odd????

10 years ago...

As we were driving home from Presbytery tonight it struck me that 10 years ago this afternoon I was heading home from my first Presbytery meeting after ordination and settlement.

It had been a good meeting.  In that Presbytery the fall meeting is always the last weekend of September, starting with registration on Thursday night and concluding with worship with the host congregation on Sunday morning (actually the 2001 meeting concluded then but we were encouraged to reassemble 2 hours later for a covenanting service in the next Pastoral Charge).  For theme time that weekend we were talking about First NAtion's issues. 

But the REAL reason to remember that meeting had little to do with business or theme.

Thursday evening as I was wainting to follow my billet home and after the time for registration had ended a lay member of Presbytery came running in yelling "DOn't Leave! I'm here!".  While she waited for her ride to her billet we introduced oursleves and chatted a bit.  Apparently she then spent the next two days arranging to be close to me (and finding out what she could about me).  But I was a little oblivious.  Then at the feast Saturday night we connected.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

Still, how many people can say that the first words they ever heard their partner say were "Don't leave! I'm here!"?  (Yes I know she wasn't talking to me, but to the registration people whe were getting ready to leave)

Making an Impact

Apparently we like to shape the yards of the places we live.

The first spring and summer I was in my Settlement charge I planted a hedge along the manse sidewalk (which was just getting going nicely by the time we left),  I expanded the vegetable patch from 8x8 to 16x24, and I dug out a bunch of overgrown/rangy/half-dead stuff in the front flowerbeds.  Over the next few years we planted several shrubs and trees (some we bought, some trees one of the trustees brought in from the lake).  We also tried to get the front beds going with perenniels but they never seemed to take hold -- poor soil.  In the time we were there we also had a double pull clothesline put in (60 feet long for a total 120 feet of hanging space, we could hang lots of stuff at once).  The yard was not the same when we left as it was when I arrived.

Fast forward to last year.  When we arrived there were a number of things that we knew needed to be done.  SOme were inside (like replace the crimped water line leading to the dishwasher, install a shower curtain rod, hang a mirror in the bathroom).  SOme were external.  Immediately after we arrived we did some desperately needed fence repairs (the whole fence needs to be redone, a project that will be done in stages starting next spring),  Later in the summer I started turning over sod to make a vegetable garden.  This spring I finished that project and put 10 yards of new dirt in the garden before planting it.  We also added dirt to the side flowerbed.  Then we built our new sidewalk and big front flowerbeds.  This meant getting some shrubs to serve as anchors for those beds and starting to put in perreniels (the front beds will largely be in perreniels), a job that finished for this year last week with some perenniels purchased on sale and some fall bulbs.  Over the summer we have also planted 4 trees.  And we have created a whole bunch of ideas for what else could be done in the yard.

Of course we will never see these efforts come to maturity.  Just like in the manse, we plant things for those who come after to enjoy.  There is a message about faith and life in there I think.

But apparently we like to shape (or re-shape) the yards of the places we live.

How I spent Last week

LAst week I took two extra days off.  To get a project done while my "work crew"  (aka parents) were in town. 

When we bought the house last year we had noted that the front yard needed to be regraded as it sloped in towards the house (and there was a gap of a couple inches between the bottom of the front step and the ground).  So we replaced the front sidewalk with a bigger one made of paving bricks and put nice big flower beds in to replace the 2 foot wide ones under the eaves.

After day 1 of work

The raised section right at the step, also to show the brick pattern

After completion (almost).  The sides have now been filled with sod clumps, soil and grass seed.  Now we just have to decide what all we want to plane in the beds (perennials and shrubs)