In Edmonton...

Watched the new Jane Eyre movie at the Princess Theatre last evening.  I hadn't been there in a long time, so I coaxed my daughter to come and watch with me. The theatre is as as enchanting as ever,  Many of the people there were older couples, which I found interesting. It was a Saturday date night for the older set.  However, there were also mothers and daughters and singletons. Nice and somehow more civilized than Scotiabank theatres.
The movie was very well done.  Jane was truly the Jane of the original story, Judi Dench did not overpower her role, and little Adele was  adorable. The movie captured the atmosphere of the story and time period perfectly. I will definitely be purchasing this movie when it's released as a DVD.
I don't think I will be able to incorporate into a unit plan though, at least not where I am now.  This is high school material.  Too bad.
We were out on Whyte earlier yesterday, just wandering about.  I did pick up a couple of books at Chapters, one of which was Irma Voth. I look forward to reading it soon, even though I was hoping for a more "mature" character this time around.  Oh well, I'm sure there will be one of those soon.  What I'm wondering is how the novel will compare to Silent Light, which Toews acted in. 
Now Silent Light, if you don't know it, is a foreign film about Mennonites, in a certain time and place.  It is certainly not the only Mennonite culture, but what is fascinating is how well this movie does capture that particular church's mindset and beliefs. If you can get past the slow pace of the story (which is crucial to understanding the culture) and have the time to watch it carefully, I certainly recommend it.
Tomorrow we are heading home.  Classes begin again on Tuesday. It was good to be here, and I will miss it!

Traveling to Edmonton

Today we drove up to Edmonton.  We left at 7:20 and arrived at 5:30PM.  The highways were quiet until we reached Valleyview.  And, the world has not started greening yet.  Snow-laden fields, water-filled ditches, but, the road was dry.  The sun shone, and it could have been either a day in April, or one in November.
I am glad it is April.  The city seems as dusty/muddy as the country, but you know that it will soon change. Because it is Good Friday, the malls are actually closed early and the roads are quieter than usual. Edmonton definitely feels like a northern city today.
Away from the city, you can scoff at Tim Horton's coffee-drinkers, and feel virtuous for avoiding fast-food places.  But, after four months, I can tell you, that first cup of coffee was gooood, and so was the fresh honey-dipped doughnut.  One thing I have learned to make is a good home-made pizza, but I'm thinking there will be a Pizza-Hut stop once this trip. 
Do I only miss this city as a love-sick consumer of goods?   NO. Shopping is no longer a lure. This city is a retreat from the cares of being a teacher in a northern community. It's just good to be out in the world!

Countless spider webs create a white glow high above.

Spider, spider, spinning bright...

Spiders make themselves known in the spring. Hiding all winter, they seem to appear out of nowhere, traveling about on the ceiling, walls, and yes, windows.  A spider appears in a corner of the bedroom window. She is setting up her new residence, creating her new abode.
You are no jeweled sun-catcher designed to delight the eye, but you will create a delicate pattern on that window, perhaps appreciated only by the sharp-eyed observer, who understands your creation must also be subtle enough to provide you with your livelihood. You wait as patiently as anyone, for spring.

Are there any spring poems dedicated to spiders?  Most spider poems do not seem at all sympathetic to the spider, do they? I found this poem on-line, though. And he did give us a wonderful spider role model.

Natural History
  by E.B. White

The spider, dropping down from twig,
Unfolds a plan of her devising,
A thin premeditated rig
To use in rising.

And all that journey down through space,
In cool descent and loyal hearted,
She spins a ladder to the place
From where she started.

Thus I, gone forth as spiders do
In spider's web a truth discerning,
Attach one silken thread to you
For my returning.
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Challenging the goddess of "wisdom, war, and weaving"...

 
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