This is our friend, Ali Khajavi, singing a Persian love song. Unfortunately, technical glitches keep me from getting sound and lips in synch. Anyway, it's lovely.
My husband Bernie and I have returned to Saskatchewan after almost two decades of absence. We consider this home. I am a teacher, currently in a small town called Maymont, which is at almost the half-way point between North Battleford and Saskatoon, on the Yellowhead Highway. I am also a writer, with three books published and another one forthcoming next year (check out some of the titles at Amazon and other online booksellers).
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Tonight's devotional: Laurel & David, Bernie and I, nephew Rowan and friends Ali & Tracy gather for prayers in our living room. Ali chants in a voice so rich it sends shivers...Arabic, French, and leading into English: God is sufficient unto me, He verily is the All-Sufficing, in Him let the trusting trust. A chant used by Babis, back in 19th Century Persia, when the persecution of Babis and then Baha'is began...where Baha'u'llah and His fellow prisoners in the Siyah-Chal prison chanted their way heavenwards. Heavenwords.
There is something satisfying about getting up early enough in the morning to get most of your tasks done before you really start the day...I haven't yet had a morning decaf and my pies are in the oven, my mince tarts, and two cheesecakes ready to bake for tomorrow. This year I am experimenting and I'll let you know how it goes: before pouring in the cheese mixture, I put mincemeat on a shortbread crust and cranberry on a graham crust. Once I made Eddy Lee a lychee cheesecake so why not experiment with the ingredients of the season?
I have just tried to upload a movie for you. If it worked, you will find a clip of Bruno and Allison singing at the recent Festival of the Covenant. If not, I'll go back and try again...but not until after breakfast. I am following Ailsa's instructions, since I noticed she had a few clips embedded in her blog. The learning curve continues...
As I was chopping food for dinner this evening, washing romaine, dicing fresh cilantro, squeezing lemon over the avocadoes, grilling the chicken breasts in fajita sauce....I could not get it out of my head: "It's not easy being green." Laughed at myself....tried to think of other, more esoteric things...tried to compose a poem. Thought about the wonderful talk I read today which was given by Peter Khan in San Francisco this summer, all kinds of uplifting thoughts about education, but persistently, my mind would drift away to..."It's not easy being green." Oi oi.
Today I went to Ottawa University and got my new identity card. My new identity is "Professor". I am liking this phase of my life: we'll see how it goes when the actual teaching begins on January 4, but I think this should be fun.
Here are two pictures from last night's dinner. It was our time to say farewell to my parents, who as I type, have headed west to my sister Andrea's for a few days in Saskatoon before going home to northern Alberta. My brother-in-law, Steve, is always telling me to get pictures of Mom without her oxygen hookup, so I am pleased with this particular photograph.
Labels: Remembering