Well, THAT was interesting!

Whenever I share a chat with a friend or an acquaintance about how things are going in retirement and the conversation steers toward my choice of being an active supply teacher, I get some raised eyebrows, sheepish grins, and curious head-tilts. The reality is that, while a high percentage of people are moderately curious with my choice to return to the classroom, I truly enjoy the interaction with young people through my facilitation of knowledge/skill seeking. Since my retirement in January of 2020 proceeded the pandemic-imposed conditions of the education system, my entire supply teaching experience until this school year was skewed by Barrie North, and despite thoroughly enjoying my time spent there, I recently shared the teenage-infused chaos of the House System at Elmvale DHS. To say that I had the veil lifted might be too profound, but I absolutely learned a thing or three about school-life in a smaller community school.

Think Harry Potter's Hogwarts through a rural Ontario, small town lens.

In the event that you've never experienced a House System like EDHS and its full-on, school wide, volume infused spirit-fest version, you likely wouldn't believe that today's teen would embrace conscription into radicalized expression of spirit like the scenes my old eyes witnessed recently on this day's supply duty. I can tell you that while I might have been a naysayer too, prior to the day, but I come away with a whole new understanding of EDHS's infamous school spirit. Since my supply duties included Gr 9 classes, I was asked to supervise the opening indoctrination, the chilly walk to Elmvale's Heritage Park, the wide assortment of GLO competitions, and the wrap up assembly. What my pictures and videos won't do is give you a true sense of both the bedlam and intensity of the event. 

To say that the Gr 12 leaders "drink the Koolaid" is the understatement of the year! 

The entire school ... students and teachers ... are divided into four houses represented by both colour and title, complete with a wide variety of house-specific creative cheers. The goal, from the uninitiated view, was to overpower the other houses with both enthusiasm and volume, all in a quest for the much sought after house points that would accumulate throughout the year, and eventually crown the winning house. 

It was certainly an eye-opener! 

The ear-splitting volume of the house cheers was enough to send sensitive folk scrambling for ear plugs, the strained vocal cords of the leaders crackling under the days exertion, but there was absolutely no lack of enthusiasm! 

I would estimate that over half of the staff were actively supporting their house, as well. 

The day's weather half-heartedly cooperated with patches of welcomed sunshine to scare away the chill from the wet and mucky games, but it was difficult to detect the rosiness of cheeks or the blue-tinted lips beneath the caked on layers of paint, pancake mix, and soap bubbles that so many participants chose to inflict upon themselves. Although pre-warned about the dishevelled possibilities, participation in the activities was 100% voluntary. The carnage was significant enough to prompt my concern for the mental health of both custodians and bus drivers and the mess that they would have to deal with after the fact.

The best news of the day was shared by a friend on staff! "If you think this is pretty nifty," she warned, "then make sure you accept a job on the Friday before the Elmvale Fall Fair!" Apparently, the day's action was merely a warm up for the parade that would feature the four house-created floats, appreciated and cheered for by the townsfolk as they supported their house from EDHS day's gone by.

Even if I'm not working that day, I think I'll drop by. 

WOW!

The year that flew by

September 25th, 2022, is only around the corner, and I can't believe that almost 365 days have passed so quickly. It seems like just a few days ago that our beautiful daughter hitched her life's cart to her Boo, Chris Cove, on the shores of Eagle Lake in a stunner of a day complete with storybook cloud cover that produced sun beams that reflected on the gentle waves. As our oldest, she broke the seal for our experience as parents of the bride/groom, and I can vividly recall the overwhelming sense of pride enveloping my soul as she gazed deeply into her soon-to-be-hubby's eyes as she promised him her everything for the rest of their lives.

I didn't understand other parents when they described their heightened emotions in response to their child's weddings, thinking it was the stuff of hyperbole or exaggeration, but I must confess I'm a card-carrying member of that club now as their pending anniversary conjures up the plethora of memories from that weekend in 2021.

I gotta admit, I still get a little teary.

So much has happened in the last 12 months since the wedding that it's hard to know where to start. We've experienced most of what our adopted city of Guelph had to offer, we've bought our first condo, we've squeezed as much Wasaga exploration as possible into a single summer, we've seen Maddi + Chris navigate the honeymoon phase of their wedding, we've celebrated our son Keaton's blossoming relationship with Jessica as they took the plunge to share their lives together under the same roof, and we've dealt with a host of issues and events in our extended family. 

Even thought the official date is September 25th, our now conjoined families decided to mark the occasion this past weekend, returning to the "scene of the crime" on the shores of Eagle Lake thanks to the continuing incredible generosity of the Cove family. If you recall, the Cove-Porter nuptials were on the sands of the Cove cottage beach. Despite the Doom 'n Gloom of a mid-September forecast, the weekend's weather trumped the naysayers, offering glorious conditions that permitted a very cottage-like array of activities, "miles of smiles" erupting on our group's faces. One of the many highlights of the weekend was the latest Cove family purchase, their intention to add to the amazing ambience of their abode with a weekend long bonfire lit in the brand spanking new smokeless and deck-friendly fire pit. What is it about the dancing flames of an open flame that is so mesmerizing? Enhanced by an endless supply of snacks and treats, a host of frosty adult beverages, and boat-loads (pun intended) of catch-me-up banter, the weekend was memorable, to say the least.

After arriving fashionably late in the mid-morning, Saturday afternoon featured a host of recreational activities! The ladies took to the kayaks for a paddle through the wind-protected channel into the next lake. The 3 generations of Cove gentlemen took to the waters of Eagle Lake, taking advantage of the stiff northwesterly winds for a lovely sail, and this old fart hopped on to his Dark Matter for a 55 km spin around the Haliburton Highlands. I'd wager that all came away with a deep sense of satisfaction. 

We had agreed that the feature dinner would be a cooperative affair and when all of the pieces were placed on the dinner table, the salivation began in earnest. BBQ steak, fresh corn on the cob, twice-baked potatoes, and Greek salad, all in quantities so aplenty that all were reminded to save room for Maddi's dessert creation. I'm not at all confident that everyone listened, judging by the remarks of satiation afterward.

The icing on the dinner's cake, LITERALLY, was the stupendous anniversary cake created by the talented hands of my daughter, featuring a pecan + pretzel praline base supporting a sublimely moist cake and smothered in Italian butter creme icing. A whopping 3 tiers high, slices of her creation peaked over the edges of the plate and sent tastebuds into a dizzying whirl of delight. Like so many times before, all in attendance raved about her abilities and urged her yet again to consider turning PRO. While not atop the list of why he loves her so, Chris is definitely appreciative of Maddi's loving creations. 

Didn't he choose well?

If you're going to dive headlong into a weekend of gluttonous celebrations, you can't neglect the brunch, and I'm thrilled to reveal that it was a glorious mix of Canadian staples with eggs made to order, strip bacon, back bacon, fried tomatoes, and fresh fruit, but the over-the-top decadence was with bacon-fried cheese bread, an English delicacy so I was told. If you've never been treated to this heavenly treat, you really must do yourself a proper.

Our most sincere thanks to Tony & Cheryl Cove for sharing so willingly!

Of course, no trip to Haliburton Highlands would be complete without a visit with my MIL Pearl, and as such, featured her desire to feed us. Despite our feeble attempts to recount the wide assortment of treats the weekend already offered, we shared her famous lasagna and fresh tea biscuits. The ride home Sunday night saw us lean the seats back a little to release some of the pressure created by sitting. HaHa!

A quick reflection of the previous 48 hours events gave us the "warm fuzzies" for Maddi + Chris. What a wonderful way to celebrate a first anniversary! 

Eternal love and hugs to Maddi & Chris!

E=MC2

"Energy," stated Einstein in 1907, "cannot be created or destroyed; It can only be changed from one form to another."My recent experiences reinforced that this is absolutely true, in multiple instances.

The last days of summer faded quietly into the past, and with it went the frenetic energy of tourism at Wasaga Beach, the world's longest freshwater beach. The end of traditional vacation time signals the reformation of that frenetic energy in the form of another school year start. I was asked by my former colleagues at BNC to come in on the opening week to assist with the bedlam that ensued from cramming another 300 students inside its walls, as the roll increased from just under 1200 to over 1500. Just walking through the front door you could feel the impact of those billions of atoms zooming chaotically, the cacophony of frenzied voices crashed like waves against my eardrums as hundreds of excited teens reacquainted and reconnected. If you haven't experienced the vivacity and zest of a school year start, you would be incredulous of it's electrical pulse.

Sticking with my energy theme, I truly and wholly believe that this swelling population at BNC is a direct consequence of the outstanding quality of teachers who toil each day trying to, "stamp out the seeds of ignorance" with their tremendous caring, empathic energy wrapped up inside a competency burrito. I am continually in awe of the creativity and dedication of my former colleagues as their smiles and twinkling eyes betray their love of their vocation. There is a saying that, paraphrased, says, "You become the people you surround yourself with" and from the top down, BNC is a shining example of that.

My metamorphosis into pure bred Border Collie came to fruition as my first-week duties included herding stragglers into class, corralling AWOL'ers back into class, and lending an empathetic ear to hoards of lost niners as they frantically searched for their new classrooms. In between the laps of the halls, I assisted in the Student Success room eradicating frustrations and unveiling understanding! The energy of the room was abundant in a plethora of forms!

I've said it many, many times in my conversations over the 2.5 years of my retirement, I LOVE TEACHING, it's education that I escaped from, and that's why I still supply teach.

My love affair with cycling is certainly not a secret, and although I dearly love expending energy in a solo effort amidst the astute beauty of Simcoe's wondrous offerings, I hold social rides near and dear for the sheer glory of a group of like-minded crazies zooming around her gnarly trails and gravelly concessions. Training alone certainly challenges my energy stores, like when I recently solo'd the 175 km's of the Simcoe County Rail Trail, but when you share a hilly hump like the route I conquered with some cycling buddies that included climbing the escarpment 3 different times, let's agree that the humongous energy cost is mitigated by the collective buzz of brotherhood. Likely exposing my lunacy, I chose to add a ride from Wasaga to our meeting place in Stayner that day, both before and after that 95 km roller coaster ride my biking idol and good friend Kevin Simms had concocted. In a cloaked effort to challenge our energy systems, he had us ascend almost 1300 m of total elevation as the route took us south past Creemore, west around Singhampton, and back to Stayner. The icing on the day's cake was dipping my dusty, salt-encrusted, weary corpse into Georgian Bay's waters after cycling back to Wasaga, proud of the day's stats: 

139.36 km,
1591 m,
6:06.16 of riding time,
1 Frosty pint of Creemore lager,

1 gargantuan tomato/bell pepper soup at Mylar+Loretta's in Singhampton,
1/2 can of recovery of salt+vinegar Pringles,

15 minutes soak in the cooling expanse of G Bay.

In support of Einstein, the copious energy ingested was equal to the sweaty energy expended as I slogged up those 3 gravelly ascents. The energy required for the banter, chirps, belly laughs, and congratulatory fist-bumps came from the stores of jiggly energy I brought with me from home, hidden under my skin.

Way, way back in the 'Stone Ages', a younger version of the infamous BCC science teacher Bio Bob taught me about the relationship between light wavelengths and colour, a lesson that has recently percolated to the retrievable surface of my grey matter as Joyce and I regularly drink in the incredible spectacle that Wasaga offers each night that we venture to the shores to sneak a peak. I now see the energy relationships that exist all around us between the natural world and our senses, flowing this way and that. We have been gifted some nigh kaleidoscopic vistas, a wide swath of colour continuums illuminating the western sky as Mother Earth signals the end of another glorious day in paradise. Some have claimed, "If you've seen one sunset, you seen them all." but I say unto you that just like snowflakes, not all sunsets are the same, and I feel confident in my assertion after witnessing dozens since we established roots here in Wasaga.

Yep, Einstein was bang on. 

Energy is changing faster than a chameleon in a Holi celebration (CLICK), but the amount is as constant as death and taxes. Even with my science background and many years on this planet, I am continually astounded by the gloriousness around me on a daily basis.

#lifeisgood