Blog Archive 2010

0 days! Summer holidays (and retirement!) are off to a good start. We came home at noon today, after getting Deb moved into her newest classroom for next year. We brought home sushi, and opened a bottle of champagne on the back deck. It was a perfect Sudbury summer-type day, with low humidity and temps in the low 70s! I am looking forward to a vist to Sudbury in late September for some autumn astronomy from Lake Penage! Today's blue sky reminded me of what is in store for me if the weather cooperates! Of course we are also going up for a visit in late July. Tomorrow, Deb has a gig playing harp at the Canada Day "new citizen ceremony" at Fort Malden in Amherstburg. Ironically, we will likely run into quite a few kids and parents from school.

Thursday is also the day I begin my new piano practice regime, in the hopes of having a concert ready in the fall, as well as preparing for the Manzano Mtns in New Mexico in six weeks. This will be our second visit to this incredible wilderness range, in our on-going attempt to complete the incomparable summit trail. We began a few years ago, and if successful this time, we will have walked more than half of the distance across the top of this range. Trip #29 to NM will be an exciting one, taking us to new trails and hopefully giving us our first taste of back-country camping, leaving the vehicle far behind. Of course, hiking the summit trail means that we have to climb up there each time we wish to complete a segment! We hope to do three segments this year. Thus the training program, which begins in earnest tomorrow morning.

1/2 day remains, though no children will be present tomorrow. I've spent exactly half of my life (28 years) in the music room at Amherstburg Public School. Many of the children I teach are children of parents that I also taught. Today was a difficult day to get through, not made any easier by the fact that I set a new personal record for the amount of hugs received. My final class was a Gr. 4 group, and after class they spontaneously lined up to hug me (though a few of the boys opted for a high five instead). No words were spoken. I admit to becoming a bit emotional at that point. The music room is now quiet until September, when most of the same children will enter it, but not the same teacher. I can't help but feel that I am abandoning some of them, whose only real love is music. It's different for most teachers, who say farewell to a group of kids each year that they have come to know well. They often know very little about the new, upcoming class. However, my job involves working with kids from Gr. 3 through 8, so I have become very used to seeing them grow up until they graduate. Suddenly, I leave most of them in mid-stream, never to see them grow any older. Instead, I will always remember them (unrealistically) as they are today. The students in Gr. 5 will forever be in that grade in my mind, and so on. A very strange and unique series of emotions within me results. At any rate, it is done. I will miss so many of them so very much. So long, kids. It's been a slice!

1. Un. Uno. One day left with kids! I am now officially excited and smiling broadly. 99% of the music room clean-up is now complete, and I feel good about that. I could have been a shmuck and just left the instruments uncleaned and the room a mess, but I'm just too nice a guy for that. Damn! Three more classes with children tomorrow and there is no more (except a final morning of meetings on Wed., which hardly counts, as I can just sleep through the meetings!).

Deb has a gig at Fort Malden on Thursday afternoon, our first official day off. It's part of the Canada Day celebrations there. And of course, tomorrow after classes we have dental appointments. Still, I've been awaiting this particular June 29th dental cleaning with great excitement! Last year I remember thinking that this day would never come. One more sleep!!

The staff party has come and gone, and it was great to see so many friends, old and new, in one place. It was quite crowded at Escape Cafe, however, and mingling was not easy. Deb and I sat at a table with Roger and Mary, Joe and Debbie, Randy and Anita, and Philip and Anne, so we had a good time. Elaine didn't cry, and I only danced once (with special guest Uma Thurman!), so the evening wasn't bogged down by either of us. We weren't expecting so many people, but the gift money contributed meant that more could be given to the Children's Wish Foundation, so I was pleased. Today, Deb and I just chilled. I practiced, we went for a little walk, and I was able to organize my memory box ( a lovely gift from the ETFO dinner a few weeks earlier) with retirement memorabilia. It was nice to just spend a quiet day. Monday will be long, with a full school teaching schedule as well as my final evening of private lessons.

2!!!!!! Hard to believe, folks, but the time has actually arrived! They say it's never over until it's over, but right now, I'd say it's over. 90% of the cleaning in the music room is now done, thanks to my small army of student cleaners. My fingers are raw from dissembling and reasembling the instruments. It will cost me big-time next week in ice-cream wages, but hey, it's worth any expense! Today, Deb's class put on a "Retirement Tea" for Elaine and me. There was iced tea, sweet treats, blueberries (which the kids know is my favourite snack), live entertainment (Callie on flute), and two dvd biographies (one for Elaine and one for me) made by students in Deb's class. It was a really fun event. I was given a tee-shirt by the class with a class photo on it that says "From Teacher to Geezer: Happy Retirement."

3!!!!! That's how many days I have left with kids before retirement hits me right between the eyes. Most of it now is just putting on a video for the class to watch (music related, of course), while a handful of students and I clean instruments and the room. Lots left to do do, though we are making good progress. With Graduation out of the way, the Gr. 8s are disappearing from the scene, giving me a few extra badly needed preps. It wasn't so much the school stuff that wore me out today, but rather the five hours of home teaching that followed! Do I really want that much teaching next year? I'm thinking now that three afternoon/evenings per week are too much, and it would be lovely to just have two. Not sure that can happen, especially with Linsey coming on board. A gifted Gr. 9 piano student, she will be a high maintenance person, with exams, concerts and competitions galore in her future. Then again, maybe next year I will have the energy to deal with three nights of teaching. Anyway, I am now officially getting excited for school to end. It has been a long month, and there is still a lot to do before Wednesday. I've been averaging twenty to thirty hugs per day from students, and need to find a safe, hug-free zone pretty soon!

4!!!!! A big one down, as graduation has come and gone. It was a pretty classy affair, mainly thanks to Joni, our temporary Gr. 8 teacher. Well done, everyone involved! My final grad ceremony can be remembered as one of the best. A very unusually great group of students, too. Music awards went to Melanie R. and Alexandra (Alex) Turner. It was so hot and humid in the gym, however, that it really was a chore getting through everything. However, it's done. Tomorrow, Deb has her class field trip to Science City in Windsor. June is such a big month.

We are currently sitting up awaiting another round of severe weather. Tornadoes are on the ground in Michigan and heading our way in the next forty-five minutes. That's life in Essex County, folks. At the very least, we will get high winds and a ton of rain. No bedtime just yet, despite both of us being tired beyond words.

5!!!! One more week, and that's all folks! I now have a tree planted in my memory, and I'm not even dead yet! Yesterday, after the marathon-length assembly, we all went outside for the tree and plaque unveiling. Elaine got some flowery tree in the middle of the walkway, in full sun. Mine tree is odd and twisted, nestled nicely in the shade! A good deal of cleaning got done today, and that makes me feel somewhat better. More will happen tomorrow, too. Gr. 8 Graduation is also tomorrow night, another tear-jerking event to look forward to. Two hours in a sweltering gym on top of everthing else. I will MC for the final time, as well as give out the Music Awards.

6!!! Happy Summer Solstice! What a beautiful morning it was, too. We never plan much of a celebration around this major Pagan event, usually because it is a very hectic time of year. Still, it's nice to know that despite our busy lives, Nature carries on with its magnificient plan for us and our planet. We have been sitting outside the past few nights in our screened-in area awaiting darkness, which never seems to come. Still, there are a lot of fireflies to watch as dusk deepens, and it adds to the magic of the seasonal change. It's all downhill from here, though, as the days grow progressively shorter and we inch our way towards Winter. Oddly enough, I usually have a deep winter dream around this time of year.

School today consisted of our final assembly, where Elaine and I were feted and said our final goodbyes to over 500 students, parents and teachers. There were many teary eyes, and it was sweet to see all my little friends in one place one final time. I really won't miss them all until September, when things will finally sink in that it truly is the end of that particular road for me. There are a lot of students I will miss considerably, especially my best musicians that spend so much time in my room at recesses practicing, as well as my little lunch group that eats with me there every day. It was a bitter-sweet day.

By a strange coincidence, we will both be going back to Kansas City in October. Ivan Morovec, my favourite pianist, is giving a farewell tour, and will be appearing in KC. I already bought my ticket. That same weekend, Deb was expecting to redo the Detroit Marathon (half of it, anyway). So she had to decide whether she was staying here or coming west. Just on a lark, we searched for the KC marathon, and found out that it is on the Saturday of our visit. So Deb has signed up for their marathon instead! It should be a fun weekend, with a return visit to Lawrence, KS being replaced by Deb's morning marathon. Saturday night is the piano recital. It will be a very fun weekend!

7!!! It's always a nice feeling to reach a Friday and still be sane. Yesterday was my music award assembly at school, with awards going to students involved with two musicals I helped put on, as well as for the band and the recorder band, and the music awards themselves that were given to high achieving students (there were ten of them this year). In addition, there were two musicals put on by other staff members this year. There was live music and a culminating slide show as well. It went very smoothly, and the kids appeared to have a good time. Friday night we took Amanda W. to the Art Institute in Detroit. She has been helping me in the music room since late January as part of the high school co-op course, so we took her out for dinner and a concert. Performing at the museum Friday night was Burkina Electric, a very funky dance/electronic group consisting of three African members and two non-African members (one from Europe and one from the USA). Their show was very good, and I bought their CD and Deb bought their t-shirt!

So those are a few more things checked off on my June to-do list. Here's what's left: school assembly on Monday, where Elaine and I will be featured--am expecting tears from Elaine and from many of the kids; Gr. 8 Graduation, where I will be MC one last time (and I admit to loving this group of Gr. 8s!); cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. Some progress has been made in the music room, but there is so much to do.

8!!! I'm beginning to think I might be able to get my music room cleaned out AND some of the instruments too! So far my desk is done, as well as the shelves behind it. Tomorrow is a very big day, with the Music and Drama Awards Assembly that I organize each year. The Band will perform, as well as a few student soloists, and students will be recognized for their contributions to the performing arts at APS. There will also be a slide show, as well as the awarding of bronze, silver and gold medals to deserving students (there are ten of them this year). There is very little time to think about retirement while at school, despite being reminded (by staff and students) several times each day. One thing about classroom teaching, especially in a busy music room, is that you are always so busy that time flies past very quickly. No time to think about anuything except the tasks at hand. I hope it slows down a lot when I am done with school teaching!

9!!! Nine days with kids left to go. I am definitely beginning to lose it, as excitement creeps into my bloodstream! Today was the final music room "open practice" at recess, which typically attracts anywhere from four to forty kids who come on their own time to sit down and practice. I need plenty of time to clean house, so the music room is now officially closed to regular students. My Band is appearing one final time this Friday, as I hand out music and drama awards for the year at an assembly, assisted by other teachers who have been involved. When that is done, we have our private student concert Saturday afternoon at the library in Windsor, then the school assembly on Monday (in which Elaine and I will be saying goodbye to the student body), and Graduation on Wednesday night. Never a dull moment, anyway. The time will go quickly. What's the plan for retirement next year? Stay tuned for more, as the countdown to retirement continues!

Meanwhile, Kansas City continues to resonate with both of us, and we often wish we could be back there. There are so few cities that function really well that when you find one, it's difficult not to obsess over it. It's still a long drive west to the mountains from there, but so much closer than we are now! On my drive home this year from New Mexico, I am going to try and revisit KC for one night at least. Culturally, KC is a powerhouse, though admittedly not in a league with Detroit. However, there is more than enough to do there for people who love art, music, theatre, walking (big hills, too!), cafes, brew pubs and urban markets. If London, UK continues to be too expensive to visit, I can see KC attracting us a lot more in the future.

10!!! The official countdown has commenced! I have ten more days to stand in front of classes of school children and wave a conductor's baton around. As usual at this time of year, it's getting hard to keep things together. The kids are getting wiggly, to say the least. Many of them are providing me with daily hugs. I know some of them will miss me, and for some of them the feelings are mutual. I have a horrendous cleaning job ahead of me in that music room, which will begin in earnest first thing next week. Usually all of my time near the end is spent cleaning the instruments. This year, they will have to wait until I've got my desk and cabinets and shelves attended to. It's a nearly overwhelming task. With Deb's help I have completed my very last set of report cards. Tomorrow I will do a quick spell check and read-over, then submit them to the office.

The whole point that Paul Theroux tries to make in his fascinating book Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town is that Africans have come to depend on foreign aid to such a degree that they are now incapable of helping themselves. This is a rather humbling message for countries like Canada that continue to pour millions of dollars of aid into underpriveledged countries. Before coming to his conclusion, Mr. Theroux, who is revisiting Africa after some thirty-five years, enlists the opinions of many Africans from several different countries. This throws a whole new light on aid and aid workers, who despite their best efforts and literally billions of dollars, have made no real progress now in over forty years. What a fascinating travel book this is, as we travel by bus, train, truck and van across the world's most inhospitable terrain, often on nothing more than pot-holed cart tracks! But it is also a keen history of both hideous colonialism and of corrupt and inept black leadership. If you are ever going to read one book about Africa, this is the one.

The book also helps put other travels into perspective. Theroux is often pointing out the difference between the Africa that tourists see, flying in to shoot or photograph game, see the pyramids or Victoria Falls, and the real Africa where the people actually live. The first is a mere facade; the second a brutal and incomprehensible (for Westerners) reality. Poverty, dirt, crime, death, neglect and uncaring and corrupt bureaucrats are everywhere. Until Africans learn to take care of themselves without foreign aid, there can be no "progress" in much of the continent. A sobering thought, though well-illustrated in Theroux's book.

Our internet went down on Wed. afternoon, so I was unable to post yesterday's update until just now. What an exhausting week it's been, not helped by my cold, which now seems to be passing on. I like to think of it as a parting gift from the children I teach! Tomorrow night is the first of four retirement parties (I feel somewhat like a Hobbit). It is a formal dinner put on by our union. Deb and I dine for free! Peasants have to pay thirty bucks each! More on Kansas City later in the week.

With three weeks now remaining in my school teaching career, it's difficult not to get excited. However, I am managing nicely! Fourteen kid-days left to go. Still no word on my replacement, though. Sadly, Andrew Shaw, the well-liked music teacher from the local high school, has been bumped out of his position by a seniority issue. So Amherstburg will have two completely unknown music teachers next year. I am optimistic that things will transfer smoothly.

On Saturday morning, after leaving the City Market, we headed west, arriving in Lawrence, Kansas before noon hour. I had stopped here briefly on one of my westward drives, and had wished to bring Deb here. It is a town very much in the spirit of Ann Arbor, with a wonderfull downtown shopping scene, cafes, bars and shaded sidewalks. I brought Deb to Free State Brewing Company, my second visit and her first. The beer here is top knotch. After a pint, we wandered up the street towards our chosen lunch destination, a veggie restaurant on 10th St. The heat was building, as was the humidity. During the hottest part of the day we retreated to the cool and inviting confines of the Spencer Museum of Art, on the campus of the University of Kansas. We spent a quiet but worthwhile hour admiring the collections, then poked around the vast campus for a bit.

The city boasts a second fine brew pub. We went for an aftersoon session to 23rd Street Brewpub, enjoying a lovely pint as well as some bread and hummous. Then it was back to 75th St. Brewpub in Kansas City for dinner, followed by a visit to the restored Union Train Station. This city has done a remarkable recovery of what was once a lost and derelect masterpiece of historical architecture. Amtrak trains still stop in here six times each day, and the restored building also houses restaurants and the science center.

We followed up with a night time stroll through the downtown area known as "The Power and Light District". We came across an upscale, full service grocery store right in the middle of downtown, and it was open late on a Saturday night! Most impressive. With one day left to go in our short visit, we were already having a truly fun time.....

What a great weekend! Kansas City provided us with a perfect getaway--a very civilized big city that is easy to get to know. It is also very lively and active,with streets busy with people shopping, dining, or just strolling. In fact, the only major drawback is that the eight or nine fun areas to visit are so busy that it is virtually impossible to find a parking spot.

The fun began Friday afternoon. We departed Detroit around 4:15 for our non-stop flight to KC, which lasted about two hours. Since we put our watches back an hour, we were on the road with our rental car before 6 pm! We headed straight to 75th Street Brewpub, enjoying excellent in-house beer and veggie food (there were choices!). After a long and relaxing stop at the pub, we headed towards the "Crosstown District". All of the neighbourhood art galleries were having new shows open tonight (1st Friday). We drove around and around looking for parking, but with no luck! We eventually gave up and returned to our hotel, finding a little dive bar to have a nightcap before retiring.

Next morning we explored the City Market, a very large city block in size. While perhaps a sanitized version of a real city market, it tuned out to be a very fun stop. There are little stores, bigger stores, bakeries, cafes, restaurants, and of course fruit and veggie stands. It all has a wonderful indoor/outdoor setting, and is open seven days a week! We liked it so much that we went back on Sunday morning for a second visit.

We had quite a storm at school today, with heavy rain, gusting wind and some ferocious lightning. By afternoon, I was able to (thankfully!) cut our lawn. We will be away for the weekend, and it was two days overdue for cutting (but looking four). Kansas City, MO is on the program for this weekend. Friday night we will attend numerous art gallery openings in the city. On Saturday, we will visit Lawrence, KS, a funky university town not unlike Ann Arbor. Saturday evening we may attend a performance of the KC Orchestra, and on Sunday we will visit the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum, one of the finest in America. We'll be home on Sunday night, though quite late. I should have some photos to post next week.

June is always the worst month for teaching. The heat in the classrooms becomes unbearable, the kids work even less than normal, and there are so many interruptions for field trips etc. that it becomes difficult to maintain a steady flow or rhythm. I had a test planned for today for the Gr. 7s, but due to the track meet it didn't happen. Next week it will be too late to count the test towards their final term mark (though they might do the test anyway). Of course, this is the time when the Ministry decrees that the Gr. 3 and Gr. 6 standardized testing shall commence. Never mind that some schools are fully air conditioned whilst others aren't. How could that possibly affect results? Deb and her Gr. 6s begin six days of testing tomorrow in a very warm and stuffy classroom. Good luck!

Deb and I had lunch yesterday with Anne and Philip Adamson (Taloola's). I am truly hoping I can resume regular lessons next fall with Philip, providing I can get back to at least two hours piano per day without injuring myself further. Philip will be giving a solo piano recital next year. His theme will be composers from Ontario. I, too, hope to give a recital next year. My theme will be a little less focussed: Scarlatti, Rameau, Beethoven and perhaps Debussy or Bartok.

Now only 4 "normal" weekends left in my career. What will life be like without weekends? Will I survive in such a world? I will continue to teach at home on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, thus enjoying a weekend that will last from Friday morning until Tuesday at 3 or 4 pm. Not too shabby! I will certainly report here on any hardships I may encounter under such a regime!

The market is at its best on a Saturday morning, though many of the stores are open all week. Besides literally hundreds of stalls spread over 4 or 5 sheds, the streets are lined with fabulous stores selling everything under the sun. There was quite a nice clothing market this weekend, in addition to all the fruit, veggies, and other things sold at stalls.

Afterwards, we went to a new (for us) brew pub. Dragonmead Brewery is in Warren, off Exit 26 along Interstate 696 (south side). What an outstanding selection of beer (and I don't mean bottles!). Their cask IPA was to die for, and their British bitter was none too shabby either. They don't do very much food, so we brought in a Buddys Pizza for our lunch to go with the beer. We'll be back here soon, to play a game of Carcassonne and Middle Earth: The Wizards.

Tonight we watched one of my favourite old movies, "Five Weeks in a Balloon." What a great cast! What a silly movie! It was a lot of fun. I can remember being a young boy and playing this adventure by the hour on a Saturday afternoon (not the movie, but actually playing at being in the balloon). Of course, I've seen the movie about fifty times, too. Same with "The Long Ships", coming up later next month on Turner Classic Movies. Another movie that shaped my childhood!

Another "final" concert has come and gone, with both the afternoon one and the evening one going rather well. My Concert Band performed 4 pieces, plus I accompanied a Gr. 8 flute student for a solo. The Recorder Band also played their four songs. I couldn't be happier. Seldom has a concert gone so well, especially with only four weeks of prep to get all new songs ready. Also on the program was the stage musical "A History of Rock", with lots of lip synching and dancing (not my production but a colleague's), though there was a very talented dancer imitating Michael Jackson!

It's been a glorious weekend, not unlike what I can look forward to in retirement! Practicing, lots of reading, yard work, etc. Can't wait till next year! I have now practiced four days in a row, the first time since early January. Elbows are not great, but they are functional. I really want to start work on the first movement of the Beethoven Sonata, but will try to wait until summer.

I finished reading "Grounded" today. An excellent book, despite a bit of mean-spiritedness towards some groups of people (backpackers and retirees among them). The author does a fantastic job of reducing an epic voyage to only one book. I would need an entire book just to talk about the preparations made to undergo such a trip, and then 15 volumes to describe everything in detail! Favourite sections include a ferry ride to Helsinki, the trip across Russia by train, and the bicycle segment across Vietnam. A MUST-read for armchair travelers. Though I would not wish to undertake the same identical journey, I woud willingly do segments of it, such as the drive across the Australian Outback (bleaker than the bleakest corner of New Mexico), and the container ship crossing of the Altantic (that is a REAL possibility for us). Although I totally agree with the author's disdain of air travel--thus my long cross-country drives each year--sometimes it is a necessary evil. For those of us who work for a living, for example, there is no other way to get to exotic places quickly. Our upcoming trip to Kansas City is a good example, as was our trip a few years ago to Colorado Springs in October. As much as I would prefer to drive there, it just doesn't work well for a weekend trip. Limiting oneself to only ground travel might be a worthwhile goal, but it just doesn't work for most people. Still, each time I board an airplane the experience becomes less and less attractive. I can see our retirment years filled with as much ground travel as we can manage. Hello Touareg! Hello Amtrak! Hopefully, not Greyhound....

It's been a fun weekend so far, despite cancelling the astronomy night yesterday for my Camera Club. It was pouring rain (and I mean pouring!) at 6:30 pm, and cloudy at 8 pm, so I cancelled the night. Of course, it cleared up immediately afterwards, and the rain never reached the observatory! I tried to revive it tonight, but the families who would have come last night were busy tonight. Ah well!

Our fitness program is also getting back on track, and we managed a few warm, humid miles at Malden Hill Park this morning. Yesterday, we explored Eastern Market, and despite the drizzle and gloomy skies, had a really fun time. We came home with incredible fatoosh salad dressing, and some whole grain walnut/raisin bread to die for. Detroit has nearly as many good things about it as bad. Eastern Market is one of the best! Without that city (and its numerous, prosperous suburbs) our lives would be much poorer.

I've also been researching Amtrack service throughout the USA for a possible autumn train ride. We stopped at the Dearborn station yesterday and stocked up on brochures and magazines. An attractive route for me would be Detroit to St. Louis, where I could spend one day; go from there to Kansas City and catch the Southwest Chief to Albuquerque, where I could stay as long or short as I liked, and then return 'directly" from there to Detroit. It would cost $462, and that includes a bedroom on the way down and two meals. Once in Albuquerque I would need accomodation, and possibly wheels, though I could get around on public transport, including a commuter train to Santa Fe. The more I fly, the less I want to fly. I enjoy my drives west each summer, and would no doubt enjoy a train ride down and back also.

I'm reading a fabulous "around the world book" right now called "Grounded", about a guy in his thirties and his girlfriend who drop everything to take a tour around the world, not using air transport at all. There are lots of trains, ferries, container ships etc., and the guy is an excellent writer. Many parts are laugh aloud funny, whilst others are rather deep and serious. Highly recommended, and I have not been able to put it down! I should be done it by the end of the weekend (bought it yesterday at Borders in Dearborn).

What a bright, fine day! What a glorious night sky, and I wish I could be out locating spring galaxies with my telescope. I continue to squirrel away $100 each month towards the purchase of a larger, updated telescope for my retirement years of viewing. So much sky to see, and so little time! Looking forward to visiting the Comber Observatory this weekend, and I'm hoping a few Camera Club families come along as well.

I've loaded up my Kodak Instamatic SLR camera with 126 cartridge film, and have been introducing interchangeable lenses to the kids in my school camera club. I have three lenses for it, none of them new enought to be zoom. Since the lenses and camera were contracted out to Germany by Kodak for this camera (as well as my other high-end Instamatic), they produce images of outstanding quality. I need to use up the last of my 126 film, too, before it spoils.

There are now officially 6 weeks left of school! Even in a normal year I would be getting a bit excited by now, especially with the long weekend approaching. 85% of the year is over. My last big school concert is coming up fast (next Wed.), and I can't wait for that to be done. The band sounded quite awful today at rehearsal. Oh well. C'est la vie! We have learned four new (harder) pieces since our last concert barely a month ago! Quite impressive, really.

Thanks to another good soaking of rain this week, our new 100 litre rain barrel is now full to capacity! It doesn't take much to fill it. The ducks keep coming for birdseed every day, and we are keeping the drinking bowl filled with fresh rainwater. If we ever get a dry spell, we'll use the water for the plants. Deb has a decent veggie garden started now, too. We had to bite the bullet and purchase a new weed wacker this week. We chose a very inexpensive electric one. While it doesn't reach the limits of our property, it does a fine job as far as our two extension cords reach. No more pull cord, no more mixing gas and oil, no more stalling in the midst of a job.

Yuja's concert was rather overwhelming. It is almost unimaginable that someone could play with such vitality, energy, and musicianship. This is not just some technically perfect bravura artist, though she is technically perfect and has an exceeding amount of bravura. Her emotional bond with the music runs deep, and her understanding of it leaves one speechless. She is virtually flawless, a very frightening scenerio. All pianists aspire to these heights, but seldom if ever reach them. That is a good thing, and keeps most of us working towards that goal all of our lives. At the tender age of 22 or 23, she is already there. I almost pity her! Will she be able to maintain interest throughout a lifelong career? Will she injure herself, with those skinny little arms and hands making as much sound on the keyboard as someone three times her size? In the meantime, I will strive to hear her play whenever I can. She is totally amazing, and not to be missed.

After a rather hectic period of time over the last few weeks, things are slowly falling into place once more. I've had some time for reading (currently Banks' "Canal Dreams", about a ficticious hostage taking incident on the Panama Canal), writing, piano practicing (still only one hour per day at most), gaming (an old Sierra adventure game called "Lighthouse") and walking. I have vowed to restart the walking program. In a mere 13 weeks we will be scrambling to the tops of sizeable mountains in New Mexico once again. As far as piano goes, I can hardly wait to get back to two or more hours per day. Realistically there just isn't time right now. I'm happy for the hour, which is enough to review some technique, work on two Scarlatti Sonatas, two pieces by Rameau, and the 2nd and 3rd movements to Beethoven's Sonata Op. 10 #1. When time permits, I shall add the first movement, and possibly one other piece (an old one I will pick up again).

Tomorrow night Roger, Dave and I go to Detroit to hear Yuja Wang perform a solo piano recital. This should be the highlight of the year's formal concerts! We heard her now-legendary Ann Arbor recital over a year ago, and still remember it vividly. Her website lists her concert schedule for the year. Check it out and be amazed! What a ball of energy!

The week was made palatable by anticipating Wednesday's outing to Slows BBQ in Detroit (they also have incredible veggie offerings). The five main members of our monthly group all attended, and we had a very good time. We met at 4:30 at University Mall parking lot, and all went together in the Touareg over to Slows. Although it was chilly and damp, we didn't mind waiting for our table whilst sipping beer on the outdoor patio. The food got rave reviews from the group members, who immediately all wanted to return here next month. However, I have another place in mind! After dinner we went to Borders Books for an hour before returning home.

Brad, our staff car accident victim, was at school on Monday to visit. He had the awaited surgery to return the piece of his skull back onto his head, and is making good progress towards recovery. He will not return to teaching this year, though perhaps in September. Also, he will likely transfer to a school closer to his home, avoiding the long and tiresome drive to A'burg every day from Windsor.

Another staff member, who is spending a year in Vancouver, e-mailed us to ask if we could use her apartment out there this summer for a few weeks. Damn! Our summer plans are already locked in, otherwise I would have taken her up on that. Heather will be returning to APS in the fall, and we won't get another chance like that one.

A night of pure magic, brought to you by Kati Gleiser's phenomenal piano playing and the equally phenomenal hospitality of Philip and Anne Adamson! I've never seen their home look more welcoming. Kati performed several of my favourite pieces, including the immense and amazing Bach Chaconne, transcribed by Busoni. Although she struggled a bit at first with the mechanics of the piano, the music easily transcended any minor glitches that occurred. Kati has a way of entering a piece of music wholly and spiritually, and she doesn't come out until the work is done. She gets inside every phrase and note, filling the air with luscious and meaningful sound. And she has a big sound, too; full, round and incredibly satisfying to the listener.

After the Bach came Chopin's 3rd Sonata. To me, this was the highlight of the evening, every moment making me feel as if Chopin himself was playing for us. Kati's overall sense of "what to do" is incredible. I'd like to think she has inner communication with the composer, and that he is constantly whispering in her ear how to play each phrase. However, I realize that it is Kati's hard work, complete familiarity with the score, and her well-thought out understanding of how to play Chopin that is her real 'secret'. Of course, studying at Indiana for three years with Menahem Pressler, and before that in Toronto with Andre Laplante, hasn't hurt her performance style, either! After a lively intermission (there were only ten of us there listening--it was heaven!!), Kati returned to play three shorter works by Rachmaninoff, and L'Isle Joyeuse by Debussy. All of these pieces sparkled and shone as if just cut and set by a master jeweller. The depth of feelings that Rachmaninoff probed in his compositions were easily handled by Kati's emotion-filled playing, and now, with even better control over Philip's wonderful piano, the music continued to soar to new heights. The Debussy was performed with such velocity and virtuosity that one might think the notes were played but not the music. Not so! The rhythmic tightness, the singing phrases, and Kati's enviable ability to enter fully into the spirit of the music she plays (in this case, an almost intoxicating joy) made for my second favourite piece of the night.

Okay folks, exactly eight weeks left in my final school year (but who's counting). That would be thirty-eight more times I have to enter that building as an employee (but who's counting). I had a concert band rehearsal this morning, realizing how many great kids I have occasional contact with. There isn't a single student in that 40+ person ensemble that I wouldn't be happy to see again tomorrow, or every work day. Sometime near the end of May will be my final appearance as a conductor of the APS Band. That will be a moment to savour, unless, like last year, my percussion section decides not to show up! The joys of teaching children!

It has been an incredible Spring so far, with things far more green than usual at this time of year. Lots of rain, some very warm weather, and plenty of sunshine have all contributed to the most advanced spring I have ever seen. I've already cut the grass 4x, and am feeling the pain of having a non-working weed-wacker. I have to bring the old one in to get repaired (yet again) before the wilderness overtakes our home! April was the warmest one ever for Ontario, and if that continues through May and June, it will be a nasty finish to the school year.

Our large debt of years past is now virtually paid off, and we will soon be in the clear! There is still money owing on the Jetta, which I hope to take care of next year, but the Treggie is paid off, as well as all of the work we did on the house. Getting back $3200 in government rebates helped out a lot with that! We are going to celebrate by spending a weekend in Kansas City in June, booked through Priceline.com once again. We have our flights, hotel and car already paid for. It will be a really fun trip. I always zoom past this fabulous city every year on my drive to and from New Mexico. It's only a two-hour flight! We visited briefly once in 1990, and have wanted to return ever since. Looks like it will finally happen. I need something like that to make all of my night teaching seem worthwhile! Tomorrow I teach from 3 pm till 8:15 pm, making a very long day indeed.

The private students just keep on coming. I have a new one hour student commencing this week, and another new one (half hour) on Monday. It's all a bit much, and I'll have so many students by next year at this rate that it won't even seem like I've retired! I must say that when all facts are carefully weighed, I would much rather be a private instructor than a public one. On the other hand, if I got to choose the kids I taught in school, I'd probably still do it until I was sixty-five! For example, my concert band tomorrow is jam-packed with wonderful students, but I only see them once each week as a group. Sigh.

Despite a thundering beginning to the day, we went ahead with our school camera club field trip to Maidstone Woods Conservation Area. By the time we arrived the rain had ceased, and the cloudy skies gave us ideal light for flower photography. The area was teaming with wildflowers, including the incredible and elusive wild ginger plant! Wild geraniums were in abundance, as were many other colourful varieties. We seemed to come upon new colours and flowers at every turn in the path. We even found a small patch of trilliums, which we have never found here before. Jack-in-the-Pulpits were everywhere!

Deb has a young violin student from Harrow, and her family always celebrates the Solstices with big parties! Pretty cool stuff, as hardly anyone takes notice of such things around us, even though it's the very basis of our lives (passing of the seasons) and most of our major holidays. So many Christian holidays are built overtop of Pagan ones that it is quite remarkable! Anyway, we are invited to the Summer Solstice party! A nice family, too. Dad is a crown prosecutor in Windsor!

Over the past year we put about $5500 into making the house more energy efficient. Attic insulation, basement headers getting sealed, and four new basement windows helped keep our energy bills down a bit this winter (25%). We received rebates totaling $3200 from the Province and the Feds, so we are pretty happy about the whole program we signed up for. Too bad it ended, because we still have things to do...

Randy read here yesterday where Deb and I had hiked the Ojibway Prairie the other day, startled by the scale of the burn they had undertaken there, and how well the shoots were coming back up. He sent me a link to a blog by Paul Pratt, director of the Nature Center at Ojibway with some very cool pics of the burn, and some other great shots as well. Check it out here!

Today was just what I needed! We took a two mile walk this morning to our local forest, checking on the progress of the wildflowers. Then, we stayed home all day and restored some balance to our lives! We have been on the go all week, non-stop. Today I got to practice piano, finish reading my latest Adult Fantasy novel (and post a new review!), work on my New Mexico trip summary project, and do some gaming on the pc. I feel so much better tonight than I did last night. That should be the last of the big weeks ahead, though a few coming up might rival it. The only thing on tap for next week is a trip with the school Camera Club to Maidstone Woods on Saturday morning. I should be able to handle that.

It's been a very tiring week, and as a result I am now very tired! We met up with my cousin Cathy for dinner tonight in Windsor (Taloola's), and even got to talk with Melanie for a few minutes!! Previous to that we went to Detroit to pick up another batch of Deb's new CDs, as she has completely sold out of the first batch. It was busy crossing the border both ways, though much worse coming back into Canada. They move the trucks through very quickly and efficiently, though the same cannot be said for cars.

I have been unsuccessful so far at trying to resume piano, managing a mere one hour of practice so far this week. Hopefully this won't continue. I have kept two Scarlatti Sonatas, two works by Rameau, and have begun studying a new Beethoven Sonata, one that I worked on many years ago but never brought to fruition. Maybe this time, though it's a tough one, and my technique is not what it used to be.

We are at the beginning of a very long week! Tomorrow is the final rehearsal for our Spring show on Wednesday at school. I will also be teaching an extra hour tomorrow night. On Wednesday (our biggest day in a long while), we begin with the two school performances at 9:30 and 11:30. I conduct the beginning band for three numbers, and the choir for the musical (six numbers). Deb has been coaching the stage actors. It is a short show, about 45 minutes. Then, at 4 pm, Deb has a harp gig at the Caboto Club until 6 pm. I will drive her down and wait for her at the cafe/bar. Following this, we are both attending the school board meeting at 6:30, where Elaine, myself and eight other teachers are receiving a commendation for outstanding service. After that , we are going out with some teacher friends for awhile. Thursday appears to be normal, though it is my heaviest day of private teaching, nearly 4 1/2 hours straight through. Friday is a PA Day for parent interviews. Then, Friday night my cousin Cathy is arriving from Sudbury. We are going to meet for dinner later that night. So, a busy week, and filled with all of the normal stuff, too (such as teaching classes).

I can't make up my mind if the week went really slowly or really quickly. It was that kind of week. Bogged down in details, along with far too many kids at school who don't seem to care about anything, let alone learning music. It's a very familiar tone among teachers. Still, I am one week closer to being out of it all for good. My only regret is that Deb has one year to go.

I've been searching for any kind of deal to London next autumn, without any luck. Fares have jumped so much for overseas flights that it is back to what it was for all those years we couldn't be bothered to go over! With the deal we got for our March trip to Albuquerque, it is doubtful there will be any rush to get back to London.

Today, I completed the first grass cut of the season, always an unwelcome chore. Deb has been preparing our south-facing garden for veggie planting. This will become a much larger production once I am retired. We plan on trying to grow a lot of food during the long season we get here in Essex County. We are also goint to try and pull up some of the rotten boards on our back deck. The back deck is a top priority for this year, and we have some lovely plans. We also want to replace our two front doors with ones that are sturdier and insulated. We received money back from the government for insulating our house last year, and we will use some of it for the new doors and deck upgrading. improvements.

It is amazing how slow a 4-day week can go by! I am not looking forward to 5-day weeks again! I am in the thick of a spring musical wtih 5th and 6th Graders at the school. All will be over by April 21st. We are putting on an Earth Day musical with several catchy songs and some skits in-between. One of my bands will also perform.

On Saturday we went over to Detroit for the day. Ruth (retired APS teacher and good friend) came with us. We started with a walk on the River Rouge Trail in Dearborn, followed by an always fun visit to Westborn Market. What a store!! Next, we went to Buddys Pizza for lunch, before heading out to Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti. We went to the annual "Hops for Hope", a fundraiser for abandoned domestic rabbits that we usually attend. Food, chocolate and beer for $20, all in copious amounts. I really wish I had a designated driver for this event, so I could drink more than a few ounces of beer. No one kept me from the free-trade chocolate, though!

We watched another episode of Jamie Oliver tonight, as he continues his crusade to bring fresh, healthy food to the schools of Huntington, W. Va. A pasta with 7 vegetables and fresh fruit for dessert is not nutrionally valid enough for the school inspector, even though kids leaving the cafeteria with a burger and fries apparently meet the nutrional requirements! An eye-opening series, this was the third episode. It seems to be on every Friday at 9 pm. We caught it last week by accident, seeing two unbelievable episodes.

Today was probably the finest day we've had here since last September! It is currently 78 F as I write this!! Ludwig the tortoise went into his outdoor enclosure for the first time since last autumn, and seemed to greatly enjoy his run. Beorn, the mighty VW Touareg, can now come out to play as well, though due to heavy teaching duties today that happy moment will wait until Friday.

I now have 4 pages complete on the website, describing our most recent trip. It should be up for viewing by tomorrow night. I know how excited you all are. Me too! New Mexico is such a photogenic place. Even though we were only there for 6 days, I took as many photos as I did on last summer's two week journey. Many of the recent photos are of rock art, and I will only be posting a few of those here. I have many, many others if you are interested in that sort of thing.

We watched a lovely moonrise tonight, our monthly party being hampered by teaching duties until 7:30 pm. Still, we managed to bake a mooncake earlier, and sitting out with some dark rum and watching the moonrise was special. I just can't believe how hectic a pace things can reach at school, and it's nice to sit and relax together, even ever so briefly.

I took Iain M. Banks' sci fi novel "The Algebraist" with me for the flights to Albuquerque and back last week. I managed to read about one hundred pages or so each way, getting completely engrossed in the novel by page 200. Tonight I will finally finish the epic (well over 500 pages). It is completely brilliant and very entertaining, with most of it taking place within the atmosphere of a distant gas giant! I don't know how the guy does it, quite frankly. Highly recommend reading for science fiction fans. Banks is at the top of his game once again!

I've been working diligently on the journal to the Albuquerque hiking trip. We managed seven hikes in six days, though a few were short and not really classifiable as "hikes" (for instance, the two rock art outings). I came home with about 350 photos, which I have been gradually weeding out. I am currently down to 239, so I still have a bit of work to do (I might be happy in the end with 125). I've printed about 80 and am using them for the journal. The website will not get done this weekend, but perhaps next. I am moving the photos from Trip #27 over to Webshots.com first, and that is a time-consuming activity. Be patient--it will get done. I don't like posting photos until I am totally happy with them.

We went to Ann Arbor today. We had 40% off coupons for Borders!! I purchased volumes 7 & 8 of the Andras Schiff recordings of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas. I am now only missing volume 4! These are far and away the most superior recordings one could ever hope to hear in this life. Hearing him do them live in Ann Arbor last year wasn't too bad, either!

Our new backpacks were at the mailbox today. This summer we are preparing to camp in the backcountry, away from the vehicle. We needed proper, updated packs to carry our tent, bags, etc. These ones from Sierra look great, and the on-line sale prices were ridiculously cheap! We've already booked the middle of August for our next big New Mexico mountain adventure, hoping to assail Santa Fe Baldy and at least two other peaks over 12,000'.

It's hard to believe we've only been back 3 days! Seems like ages ago when we left Albuquerque. I've been editing photos at a fever pitch, though still have a batch to go. I took over 350 images, and after saving all the originals on a dvd, I have been ruthlessly eliminating many of them from the computer and trying to crop and edit the remainder. Some are perfect right out of the camera, but that is just luck! Having Photoshop CS2 is liking having one's own darkroom (which we used to have!). It's fun to play around with the photos, but I have been strictly down to business for now. I have a batch of 80 to print tomorrow. One of the main reasons for this trip was to visit two important rock art sites, and I have many images of those. We saw more rock art this trip since our visit years ago to Alamo and Cornudas Mountains down near Texas.

The glamour of travel is soon erased by the day after. Unpacking and laundry go a long way to erasing said glamour, along with the cat hair that once again becomes part of one's daily existence. We also spent time today reinstalling Photoshop CS2, and the editing of photos taken on the recent voyage is well underway. Here is another photo to whet your appetite for what is still to come.

We're back, and more New Mexico-ish than ever! Trip #28 was a blast, with six days of great hiking and several afternoons spent at wonderful cafes and brewpubs! Albuquerque made a perfect central hub for our numerous nearby short day hikes, with a very comfortable motel room near the center of things to return to each night. A lot more details will follow in the coming weeks, including the usual write-up with photos. I will move NM #27 to my site on photoshots.com, and then post my write-up over here on the right side. For now, I am posting one of my favourite photos from the trip, taken from our motel balcony right outside our room. Even back at the motel, our views were outstanding!

We were spared a $4000 bill for replacing part of our sewer line. The part that was broken happened to be on town property, and the boys from Amherstburg just finished the job. They began at 8:30 am and completed the work at 2 pm. We were very fortunate thistime. A few inches more to the east and we would have been in debt once again. I am hoping to pay off most of our loans before retiring, and now that is almost a possibility!

During the event last night, it became apparent that the cafe's CD player was not working!!?! Randy and I went back to his place to borrow one of his to play Deb's CD in the background of the gathering. While visiting, he showed me his latest telescope aquisition: a 12 1/2" reflector mounted on a 'portaball', similar to my little Astroscan! It is a brilliant design, and I am instantly aching for the very same type of scope. He got the deal of a lifetime on a used one--new ones are around $6000. Can't say I'll be getting one soon, though I am still socking away $100 per month for a new scope of some type or other.

Kati Gleiser will be performing once again in Windsor, likely on Friday, May 7th. No details yet, though her playing is now so advanced that it is virtually top of the line! Stay tuned for details. There may only be a very limited audience, as it might be held in a local home. This will be a very memorable concert, indeed (Bach, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy).

It's been a busy week! First off, my 2nd term report cards are proof read and have been sent off. That means that there is only one more set to do IN MY WHOLE LIFE!!! Speaking of which, the school year is now just over 60% complete. Of course that last 10% happens to hit in June, and this year we are stuck until the 30th, so there is still a long way to go.

Deb and I have also been keeping up our hiking preparation program for New Mexico, which is coming up fast. We have a major desert mountain hike planned every day but one while there, and some of them are very major, indeed. We've been using the hills at Malden Hill Park in Windsor, but the park has slowly turned into a quagmire. We are not looking forward to tomorrow's attempted hill walk.

Deb is all ready for her CD release party this weekend at Cordoba Cafe in Lasalle. So far about 35 people have said they are coming, including people from Detroit and London, ON. That would be fantastic! It's just a casual drop-in thing. Come by for coffee, listen to some of the CD, watch a few films that use Deb's music, and perhaps BUY A CD! I told her that if she sells even 100,000 she can retire early, with me!

We tried out a new brew pub today for lunch, in beautiful downtown Clawson (14 Mile Rd. and Livernois). Black Lotus Brewing Company had a few veggie items of interest on the menu, and we have wanted to visit for a long time. If ever up this way again, we will likely return. Good food and good beer in a non-smoking atmosphere. Well done! On the way there, we passed this burning car on I-75. Yikes! No fire truck was on scene yet.

Today was a good snow melting day. It better keep on melting, as we have no place left to put any further pileups. It was also a Full Moon, and we celebrated with our traditional wood fire (so glad we kept the fireplace), a home-made espresso moon cake, and dark rum. No sighting of the moon up until now (10:30 pm). Four more Full Moon parties until retirment!

The snow just keeps piling up. We received another three to four inches today, which means yet another major snow removal from our driveway sometime this weekend. We did get to Malden Hill Park today for some snowshoeing (not as much new snow there). It was windy, cold, and snowy, but a number of people (and dogs) were out enjoying the winter weather.

There is a unique look to the average schoolyard after a large snowstorm when the snow can be packed and rolled. Dozens of giant snowballs lie across the landscape like some undiscovered archeologicl alien environment. The kids start rolling them and seem only intent on getting them as large and as far as they can. Once the snowball is too large to push any further (even after enlisting the help of kids in older grades), it is left abandoned, like some forgotten giant's toy.

Ever since (somewhat optimistically) predicting the final end of winter on February 14th, it hasn't stopped snowing! There is so much snow on the ground right now that we are going to go snowshoeing tomorrow for the first time of the season! Tomorrow is a PA Day for us, so no kids. Term 2 report cards are due next week, so guess what we are doing tomorrow (and Saturday, and Sunday).

It's been a whirlwind couple of days for us, but we are both still here and somewhat sane. On Thursday I completed my fourth week of physio on my elbow, and it seems to be getting better every session now. Still pain, still slow to unbend, and still not straightening all the way, but better each time. Home exercises are helping, too. I've had to practice piano a bit each day lately to play for Angela's flute exam.

After school Friday we ate a quick lunch at home, then headed to Assumption Chapel for the flute exam. It is such a treat to play in that incredible space! I am glad it is finally over, as now I can return to learning my own pieces for a few minutes each day. No regular heavy practice for a while yet. Afterwards, we headed straight over the bridge to Kalamazoo, checking into our motel just after 5:30 pm and arriving at Bells Eccentric Cafe at 6 pm. The place was packed, but we found a table to stand at with our beer, and our food arrived very quickly. We went across the road to the cafe after dinner, awaiting the main event of the trip. One of Deb's favourite professional harpists was performing with the Kalamazoo Symphony. Yolanda Kondanasis played two major works for harp and orchestra, the Hovhaness Concerto and the Debussy Sacred and Profane Dances. She has a totally amazing sound and technique, and it was a very good concert.

We spent about two hours in Marshall, visiting a large antique store and inquiring at the historic downtown B & B where we wish to spend two nights to celebrate my retirement in early July, along with Elaine and anyone else who wishes to come along. The National House Inn is a real treasure, and we can't wait to spend a few nights there.

What a depressing end to winter! While temps are just about average for this time of year (cooler days but less cold nights), the greyness and overall dampness is not something that overly impresses me. It's like we are back into December, and that is a very depressing thought! However, it gets lighter each morning and evening, so we are making progress. Keep the faith!

A favourite former student walked back into my life (and classroom) today. I remember Amanda W. as a terrific music student, especially in Gr. 6 & 7. She was tiny, had long hair and played a mean trombone! She is now in Gr. 11 , prettier than ever, and doing a semester of co-op activities at our school. She will assist me in the music room, hopefully for the remainder of the year, as well as do other things around the school. All is not well currently in her family life, though she is very interested in trombone lessons again. We did two national music exams together way back when, and she aced them both.

I have finished reading the latest volume of fantasy stories in the Ballantine series from the 1970s, and have posted a review opposite. I seem to get a fair number of hits on that page, though a few searchers are looking for a different type of adult fantasy story, and must arrive at my site bewildered and disappointed!

"Lupercalia, of which many write that it was anciently celebrated by shepherds, and has also some connection with the Arcadian Lycaea. At this time many of the noble youths and of the magistrates run up and down through the city naked, for sport and laughter striking those they meet with shaggy thongs. And many women of rank also purposely get in their way, and like children at school present their hands to be struck, believing that the pregnant will thus be helped in delivery, and the barren to pregnancy."

Sounds like a weird, sort of fun kinky early Spring festival, brought down to earth by Hallmark and your local restaurant, hoping to score big in a generally slack period of business (not to mention the Christian Faith, who brainlessly came up with St. Valentine, yet another cover story for the older, more meaningful rites of the seasons). Around here it is a typical pagan festival. Good beer and wine, a cozy real wood fire, superb food from the incomparable kitchen of Deb, and great music from the vast library. Hoping your celebration of old pagan rites was as much fun as ours!

Yesterday I had an opportunity to visit Dr. Greg Butler's new home in Lakeshore, in Russell Woods. He has completely shaped the bottom floor into a giant music studio, equipped with two pianos, one a full concert grand and the other a mere baby grand! He accomodated about thirty people in the room with no trouble at all, so that may give some idea of how large it is! It is completely breathtaking!

Later on, Deb and I went to the Winter Blast in downtown Detroit. Not quite up to the standard of the Quebec Winter Carnival or Rio's Lenten extravaganza, it is nonetheless a diverting event for kids and parents. We had a quick look at the ice sculptures, helped along well by the chilly weather. Despite winter being over tomorrow (in my calendar), it appears to be hanging on for much longer. Oh well, there isn't a lot one can do about it.

Well, if that was the big snowstorm for this season, I will still say that it's been a pretty easy winter, despite a chilly forecast. We may try the snowshoes this weekend, but the 6" of snow we received is barely enough. The school buses ended up being cancelled today, meaning that I taught small classes this morning: 6 Gr. 8 Band members, 9 third graders and then 16 Gr 8 General Music kids, a combination of both Gr. 8 classes (only one-quarter of the full Gr. 8s). So, a light duty day. I attended my sixth physio session today, and I must say the improvement in my elbow is remarkable. I have been practicing piano now about ten to fifteen minutes each day, in preparation for Angela's Gr. 4 flute exam next week. Once I get through that I'll go from there. Flexibility is much improved, though I still cannot lift anything or move the elbow quickly. Shovelling was a task that had to be done, but using the snow float proved not too difficult or strenuous for me. The main driveway is cleared--we now have our two parking lots to work on.

Looks like all of my wishful thinking for a nice, easy end to winter has been in vain! As I write this on a bright, sunny Monday afternoon near sunset (with temps above freezing, too) I think to myself "Why couldn't Winter just curl up and go away?" I won't repeat the answer I received from Winter himself, but suffice it to say he is not going away anytime soon, as hoped! At least the Detroit Winter Carnival this coming weekend will be the genuine article! We hope to attend it on Friday.

It has been an odd winter for us here in Essex County. It has been colder than the norm, but not by all that much, with daily temps getting close to freezing but usually not achieving it. And then there is the snow, or rather lack of it. Once again a giant storm has socked our neighbours to the south, missing us completely. It is certainly not a winter to complain bitterly about, unless one loves snow. Deb and I have not had one opportunity to use our snowshoes this year. The 10-day forecast calls for much of the same--somewhat cold and relatively dry. Even if we were to get a big storm now, it would not last long enough anyway. No complaints here!

My elbow continues to cause me pain, and my piano playing is restricted to the bare minimum, currently preparing the accompaniments for Angela's upcoming flute exam. I've been to physio four times with no appreciable end to the pain. Mobility improves at the physio, but not so much afterwards. It's only been two weeks, so we'll see what happens after two more.

Last night Roger and I attended a recital in Detroit by Emmanuel Ax, one of today's most sought-after pianists. A quick glance at his schedule from his website shows a performer I feel fortunate to have heard. The program consisted of works by Chopin and Schumann (both composers born in 1810, and thus a bi-centennial year celebration). The highlights for me were the two major works by Schumann, the seldom heard Fantasy in C, Op. 17, and the delightful series of shorter works Op. 12 Fantasy Pieces. Amazing performances of incredibly fine music! By Chopin, Ax performed three Mazurkas, the Polonaise-Fantasie Op. 61, the Andante Spinanato and Grande Polonaise Brillante Op. 22, and the lone encore, a Nocturne (Op.27 #1).

Today marks the beginning of the end of winter. Celebrated by Pagans, Candelmas sees the return of the daylight to northern areas of the globe. The sun is now streaking higher each day towards Equinox, and Candelmas falls roughly halfway between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. Now horribly distorted by one of the most idiotic of media events (ground hog day), a major celebration still occurs in many parts of the world. For us in Essex County this time of year marks the end of the severest part of winter. This year winter has been anything but severe. With barely any snow and only a few truly dangerously cold days, it has been a non-winter compared to the last one. Over the next two weeks the daylight will increase significantly, so that by the middle of February we are nearly out of the woods. Any snow that falls after that date does not stick around for long; nor do colder temps. No sign of our snowdrops in the garden yet, but we expect them soon enough. As we taught tonight there was no home celebration, so we have put it off until tomorrow. New Tarot cards from our Samhain reading, our annual imbibing of Benedictine Liqueur (the real stuff made by the monastery monks, not the imitation), another real wood fire in our fireplace, and the displaying of our Brigid doll, the Celtic goddess responsible for returning the earth to fruitful life following winter are all part of the festivities! It's great fun marking the subtle changes in seasons as they occur each year!

Deb's class held a bake sale earlier in the year to raise money for some sports equipment for the class. They purchased free trade soccer, football and basketballs, and even had enough left over to donate $100 to the School Board's Haiti fund. Our school raised over $1000 for Haiti, and the Board total was over $97,000.00!! That amount was matched by the government, too.

Last night's full moon rise was a beauty, and we celebrated by visiting the back deck a few times to observe it. By coincidence Mars was at opposition last night, thus appearing near the moon all night long. As usual for lunar holdiays we had a roaring wood fire, baked a mooncake (round, of course), had a roasted veggie pizza with whole grain organic crust, and sipped some fine dark rum. For the second full moon in a row we have listened to music from our large cassette collection. I began with some Navajo songs to set the mood, then we listened to the Alexander Nevsky suite by Prokoviev, a winter favourite that we haven't heard in years! We warmed up afterwards with NIghts in the Gardens of Spain by Manuel de Falla, and concluded with some Argentinian guitar music and song by the legendary Eduardo Falu.

Speaking of much better, Brad is now on the 8th floor of the hospital, and may be discharged on Monday to be cared for by his parents at their home. A part of his skull has been removed due to brain swelling, and will not be reattached at this time. He will have to wear a helmet and be very careful not to bump his head in any way.

We have been hearing more and more good news. Brad has been able to get out of bed, and seems to be making a miracle recovery. A week ago doctors were not certain he would still be alive. He has difficulty putting a sentence together, but is otherwise alert, curious, impatient to move around, and asking about his class, basketball team etc. Many get-well cards are on the way to him today, at least one from each class in our school plus one from the staff. They may be moving him out of ICU soon.

In other news, Andrea will soon be in Harbin, China, one of the coldest cities on earth in January. Her husband is attending a conference and she will spend a week there and 4 days in Beijing afterwards, presumably to thaw out. She sent me a link to the Ice Festival that is held in Harbin each year, and that she will be visiting. Check out at least the first two pages! This is amazing stuff that almost no one has heard of! Probably anyone who has actually seen it has froze to death, not living long enough to tell the tale. Let's hope Andrea bundles up!

Brad Update: Slight improvements, though things are happening slowly. Brad is reportedly getting restless, and wants to get up and move around. Of course he is still in ICU and hooked up to too many things for that. He ate a popsicle today, his first meal since the accident. He is recalling a few details about the crash as well. So good news, at least.

Tuesday marks my halfway point through the workweek, with four half days completed and four to go. There have been no private students absent yet this month, an unusual thing in itself. Today our energy assessor returned. We will receive a second report soon to see how much money we qualify for. We expect some from installing four new windows, having the basement headers insulated as well as the attic. The only other things we could do would be to insulate the walls, install a final two windows, and put in two new doors. Not going to happen anytime soon.

Yesterday I attended my first physio session for my right elbow and assorted attached tendons and muscles. Haven't played piano now in 10 days. After just one session of proper exercises my arm is better than it was after a week of pills and ice. So there is hope this thing can be fixed (a classic case of "tennis elbow"). Brought on by thirty-five years of piano playing, but made acute by wood chopping and some heavy lifting over the holidays. I return tomorrow for part 2.

Last night we watched a tv show on the 10 most significant and unexplained UFO sightings of all time. It was rather good, and certainly leaves room for much discussion of the topic. Many retired air force personnel are now talking. All of them were debriefed at the time of their reports and forced to remain silent about events throughout their careers. Many of them refused to report any further sightings afterwards, and told others who did see strange things not to report them either. Too much hassle from the brass, which then swept everything under the table. No one is saying that the cause of all these sightings are aliens from other worlds. However, no one is seriously investigating just what the hell they are. Natural phenomena? Hallucinations? Other dimensions? By coincidence there was an article in the Telegraph of London today about earthly attempts to contact alien cultures. There is a conference in London currently taking place that is discussing first contact and its ramifications for science and humanity. Some scientists think we should not hasten contact, as it might be hostile. All one has to do is think of the places on earth we have explored and exploited throughout history. Would we be friendly if we landed on other planets and found life there? More likely we would see if they tasted good (especially if they had four legs), or had any minerals we could pull from the ground....A little taste of our own medicine, perhaps? One is reminded of the classic episode of Twilight Zone, "To Serve Man."

The Windsor Star has finally acknowledged that someone was seriously hurt in Wednesday's crash, even though everyone has known it since Thursday morning (reported this evening around 5 pm on-line). Sheesh. For some odd reason they are not giving out his name. Anyway, the latest update we have received is that Brad is still critical, but breathing on his own. He is in and out of consciousness, but did recognize his wife, and managed to tell her that he loves her. So some good news there. Go Brad!

Our walking program continues, though it is not due for its much-needed upgrade until early February, when things will shift into higher gear. I am using the new guidebooks which I received yesterday from Amazon to plan some superb hiking this March. New Mexico, like much of the west, just received a severe blast of snow and ice. On several March trips we have encountered snow. It can go either way. At least I now have enough hiking choices to deal with almost any weather-related issues (except flooding).

Not much news on Brad's condition. He is in an induced coma at Hotel Dieu, has had at least one operation, and this weekend will be a critical period. Very tragic, very sad. He did nothing wrong except be in the wrong place at the wrong time. One second can change one's life. Most of the kids at school are still unaware of how serious his condition is, though the community is finding out and word is spreading. Brad has driven out west a couple of times in his vehicle, enjoying Colorado a lot. Let's hope he gets to go again someday.

We both had our birthdays on a Tuesday this past year, a work day when it is virtually impossible to celebrate. So for Deb's event this year we waited until Wednesday, heading over to Detroit with Mary, Ruth and Barb for some wine at Enoteca in Detroit, followed by the main event at Detroit Beer Company. Mary drove, so I was able to consume beer at an alarming rate for once. It was a good party, and the food and beverages were outstanding, as was the company and converstaion. We got home late, finding a message on our machine.

One of our school staff members had been involved in a serious car accident on the EC Row Expressway in Windsor. It had happened at 5:45 pm, about 15 minutes before we passed by. Brad is a Gr. 4 teacher and basketball coach at our school, and was travelling with his wife (expecting a child) when a car came flying across the medium from the other side and struck them on the driver side. Even though the local paper has been reporting "no one seriously hurt", Brad has been in the ICU since it happened, and has had at least one bout with surgery on his head. Sounds pretty serious to me. No update at all today so far. His wife is reported to be just fine. So a very strange day at school, with another one likely coming up tomorrow. Hopefully there will be some good news.

I went to see my family doctor today about some serious problems I'm having with my right elbow and lower arm tendons. No piano for awhile. The pain was likely brought on by some holiday wood chopping, and has been growing progressively worse when I practice. Hopefully some rest, ice, anti-inflammatories, and maybe some physio-therapy will take care of things quickly. I'm on it!

Five months after the fact, I have finally managed to upload my little movie to Youtube from the summit of Little Costilla Peak. You can watch it here. It's unoffical name is "Attack of the Summit Flies." Amanda makes a brief appearance near the end, and Deb and I both sputter from the bugs. No bugs anywhere else on that hike--just the very summit.

We heard from Steaming Cliff today, a man we met in England last year. He was wondering if we were returning this year, and was about to tell us about all the upcoming beer festivals. Drat! Still, we are very excited to be going to New Mexico for some desert hiking. We haven't done that in ages, having stuck to much higher elevations during our annual summer visits. We are bumping up the walking program, and will soon have it in high gear again.

Our next mountain adventure is only 8 weeks away! We have booked a flight to Albuquerque for March Break, along with a hotel for one week and a car, all for around $1000 Canadian (Priceline.com). What a deal! Gas and food will be our only expenses. Couldn't get anything to London for much less than $2000 US, flight and hotel only. This will be our first March visit to NM in many years. Hiking will be at much lower altitudes than in summer, but the desert mountains are so spectacular. I've ordered three new hiking guide books to help us prepare. Now we have to get the legs and lungs and heart ready once again. We did a brisk 40 minute walk today, and will again tomorrow.

Preliminary plans for our summer mountain trip continue apace. I am now thinking of tackling three 12,000' summits in one overnight backpacking trip. These would include Santa Fe Baldy, the highest for us so far, as well as Lake Peak and Penitente Peak. The distance and elevation gain would not be significantly different from just ascending Baldy, so we might as well try for all three. The catch is water. For the single peak climb we would not need to carry much water, as we would pass several reliable streams. However, the triple peak endeavour does not have any water at all until the second day, meaning we'd have to carry a lot with us. However, this could be alleviated significantly if the Santa Fe chairlift is running at the ski basin. It often runs in the summer for tourists. This would save us much elevation gain, and we could carry our water.

We both went to a retirement workshop today, sponsored by our Union. I am qualified to retire on March 1st, but will continue until June 30th as planned. The event was packed with good info, though we left early (home teaching duties, and the fact that the latter portion was about health insurance, which I won't need next year as I will be covered under Deb's). We got a free dinner, too. Veggie pasta, stuffed green peppers and salad and potatoes. Yum! There are lots of things I need to do before my retirement, in the way of forms to fill out and people and places to notify. The fact that I am having a decent year at school is helping a lot. Had it be a stressful year like many of the past ones, I likely would have gone at Christmas, or March 1st at the very latest.

Today traditionally begins the "Dead of Winter", the coldest part of the year. In Essex County, Canada's southern-most area, this only lasts about three weeks. Once we make it to the beginning of February, the amount of daylight available begins to affect the climate, however slowly at first. By Feb. 15th, Spring is well on its way. In other parts of Canada, winter is still going strong on Feb. 15th, and the Dead of Winter lasts at least six weeks. Looking today at the ten day forecast, we are going to get above freezing this week, our first chance since New Years' Eve. Any "warm weather" luck we can grab onto this time of year goes a long way to helping with the heating bills and general gloominess. My walk today was a chilly one, especially with a stiff breeze out of the southwest. However, with the sun shining on snow that is still white, and kids skating and playing hockey on the ponds, it was like a peek at a traditional Canadian winter. Let's hope the Olympics have such luck.

I found out today that one of the greatest poets of all time was also a very important Astronomer! How important? He gave us our solar calendar. Up until his intense calculations, the calendar had been based on lunar months, giving a year of only 354 days. This caused a number of obvious problems. He measured how long it took the sun to pass through each sign of the Zodiac, figuring out the year to within 12 decimal points (accurate today to the first five). His calendar was more accurate than the one developed and used in Europe over 500 years later! Impressive. He died in 1141. Even more impressive.

Quite a chilly day, but oddly enough one does get used to them. We walked today in Essex, as they had plowed the trails at Sadlers Pond. There was a minimal wind, which helped. We have been below freezing since Dec. 31st! And this is the most southern part of Canada! The wood pellet stove continues to make our life very comfortable. I am sitting at the computer in a tee shirt right now. It also dropped our gas bill dramatically this month. Woo hoo!

Winter has finally officially arrived in Essex County, though in a less than serious manner. Our driveway received about 4" (10cm) of new snow, the first real snowfall of the season. All of my private students managed to get to their lesson here last night, despite some messy roads. There is not enough snow to snowshoe, yet the sidewalks are too messy to walk. Looks like treadmill time. With Santa Fe Baldy looming on our horizon, we cannot afford to stop walking.

I had yard duty at school on Wednesday, and it was quite sad and heart-rending to see young kids trying to make snow forts and the like with about 1/16th of an inch of snow on the ground. There were many happy little faces today, however. Just enough snow to make it interesting for the kids, and not enough to make it totally miserable for the adults. It's called Nature in balance!

Kati Gleiser sent us 4 cds of herself playing piano in concert!! It will take me awhile to get through it all. Tonight I listened blissfully to her grad recital recording (live) of the Bach English Suite in g-. Quite sublime, and I will listen again to it very soon. Also had time for the Op 17 Mazurkas by Chopin. Overall not my favourite set, but it is capped off by #4, the magical a- Mazurka, one of my very favouites. I still have the Chopin Sonata in b-, Op 58 to listen to on that first cd. There are also two recordings of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2 in c- to look forward to, one with piano accompaniment and one with orchesta! Lots of other goodies, too. Thanks, Kati! Can't wait to hear you live again (and again!).

It's comforting to know that it won't be climate change that destroys our planet, or even a roving asteroid. If those petty means of destruction are keeping you awake at night, fear not. The real reason that the earth will die (and rather rapidly) has been revealed by an article I read today in the Guardian of London. A relatively nearby star is about to go supernova on us, and will obliterate everything on earth. You can read the article here if you currently having nothing in particular to worry about and you feel that something significant is required. Makes me want to get on with some of the reading I've been postponing, quick time. Happy dreams! Another article in the same on-line edition brought up a good point. The writer asks if British children should be learning to speak and read Chinese. Good point indeed, since China is fast becoming the global leader in so many things, not the least being manufacturing, engineering, running the economy and keeping its people employed and under control. Kinda makes learning French as a second language not exactly the great idea it might once have been (somewhere). Can you imagine our poor, overworked stressed out children trying to learn Chinese? Ha!

As an infamous sci fi tv doctor used to say, "Oh the pain, the pain..." Working for a living can sure put a crimp in one's lifestyle! I did manage to practice for an hour and do some reading, but the rest of the day was not much to write home about. At least I have a few shining private students right now (and a few where the light bulbs need changing). Deb and I managed to get her "Tango Barocco" piece recorded yesterday. It's fun to play it (harpsichord and harp duet), and should be fun to hear. Her CD is nearly ready to be sent off for mastering. It's all original compositions, and much of it is quite good. A package arrived in Dearborn today from Katie, our doctoral piano performer student friend in Indiana. We'll pick that up Wednesday and give a listen!

It's official--we have selected our major goal for next summer's mountain climb! We are going to tackle Santa Fe Baldy! Slightly higher than last year's Little Costillo Peak, the climb is also nearly twice as long. This means that we will have to hike in and up with gear, and then camp beneath the peak for one night, so that we can ascend early the next morning to avoid afternoon lightning. Last year we got very lucky with our all-day assault on Little Costillo, as the weather was sunny. This is very rare in August. This is a mountain I have wanted to tackle for over 20 years now, having seen it on our first visits that long ago. Hopefully we will be ready for the challenge, and hopefully we will dodge the nasty weather that can strike up there on just about any day.

It has been another epic holiday, my last winter vacation until the biggest one of all. As things draw to a close and we prepare to reenter civilization, it might be good to take a quick look back. Firstly, my piano and harpsichord pieces are sounding better and better. That is to be expected when one practices intently nearly every day of the week! Secondly, Deb has recorded nearly her entire CD of original material. We have a big session planned for tomorrow to try and nail "Tango Barocco", a piece for harp, harpsichord and percussion. When the CD is eventually ready, you'll hear about it.

We saw at least two very good movies over the break, both rare and courtesy of Netflix. The first was "Accatone", Pasolini's first big film. It tells the tale of a pimp who survives (barely) in the slums of Rome. Shot in b & w in some very raw parts of Rome, the film is a don't miss for those interested in post-war Italy and what was going on there (not much). I also really enjoyed the short documentary about Pasolini included on the DVD.

The second worthwhile film we saw at home over the break was a Japanese one from about the same time as Accatone. From 1963 came Kon Ichikawa's "Revenge of a Kabuki Actor." Filmed in unbelievably gorgeous colour, many scenes are set up to look like Japanese prints. Even if you didn't have the subtitles on, this would be a film worth watching. I would love to see this on a big screen, and will watch for it at various Detroit art houses. Strange and disturbing, it certainly takes the viewer into a part of another culture that is alien to westerners. Highly recommended.

We had a fun time on New Years Eve, though admittedly we didn't last until midnight. Which is fine, because we always celebrate with London and Greenwich 5 hours early. So we opened our champagne bottle at 7 pm, and lit our wood fire, keeping it fed until we went to bed around 11 pm. Not only was it the Big Night, but also a full moon. That meant a mooncake was called for, and this time we outdid ourselves! I just finished the last piece tonight. Based on a recipe made with espresso and rum and lots of nuts, it is the best vegan cake we know how to make. And this one was the best of them all!

In addition to seeing Amanda and meeting Martin, we also had a visit from Julia R., her sister Jessica and their dad (who stayed for coffee but not for Carcassonne). Amanda left us a book and some fabulous tea, Julia left behind some wonderful baking, and after Randy and Anita's too-short but always welcome visit, they left behind a bottle of Scotch! Yes Virginia, there most certainly is a Santa Claus!! Randy also has the latest Star Trek movie on blue ray, so I may try and invite myself over soon to watch it on his 9 million inch hd tv!