Beth the Librarian

My first year as a teacher librarian is coming to an end. It has been a year of hard work, learning lots, and figuring out all over again what on earth I'm doing.

At the beginning of the year, the library was in boxes in half of a portable. I unpacked all the books, got rid of lots (even though there were many complaints, particularly when I got rid of the complete works of Danielle Steele, I was ruthless), and roughly organized everything back on the shelves.

In February, the new library space was finally finished. So, all the books got packed up, the shelves were moved to the new library, and then all the books. I got all the books back on the shelves, and it took a couple more months to reorganize all the books properly.

I've had to learn how to use the L4U web-based library management system (which I still haven't learned completely). I've just started being able to check out books using the kids' library cards, which they love!

I've figured out the best place to order books: United Library Service. This handy company not only has all the books I would ever need, but they also print and attach bar code labels, spine labels, and that nice cellophane wrapping which some books require. Then they send me the computer records for all the books so that I don't have to enter all that data manually. I LOVE ULS!!

I've joined the provincial specialists association for librarians, and will attend the conference in October.

I still taught music this year: choir, and two xylophone groups. I just organized a big community concert which took place last night. Despite the fact that there was a Canucks game, lots of people came. The concert featured the Acwsalcta Choir, the Seventh Day Adventist School choir and band, and the high school junior and senior bands, as well as the Bella Coola Valley Community Choir. This year, we got a standing ovation at the end. The kids had a great time, sang well, and were hyper until the end!

On a sad note, my father has "primary lymphoma of the brain". In other words, a malignant brain tumor. I was in Halifax in May, and will be visiting again in July. A sad time in the Jay family.

Happy New Year!

It's been a long time since I posted anything.

Summer: garden, music camp, a visit from sister Mary and mother Ruth. Fall: new job as teacher/librarian and the Bella Coola Flood nightmare. December: many concerts and a well deserved break.

Last year, 2010, I decided to keep a book journal. I read a lot of fiction, and some non-fiction, and I thought it would be interesting to see how many books I can actually read in a year. Well, this year I read 80 fiction books, and I didn't keep track of the non-fiction. So here it is, for all you avid readers: my top ten list. Warning: there will be some chick lit on this list.

Beth's Top Ten Reads from 2010 (Not in any particular order)

(1) After River by Donna Milner
The author lives in Williams Lake, B.C., the nearest town to Bella Coola. Set in small town B.C. near the U.S. border. About a family living on a dairy farm who take in a Vietnam draft dodger one summer, and the family's realationship with that young man. A shocking ending.

(2) The Undomestic Godess by Sophie Kinsella
A good, fun, silly read. I laughed out loud several times. A British lawyer loses her job after she is set up to make a mistake. She ends up working as a maid, learns to cook, and falls for the sexy gardener. Eventually she must chose between her old life and her new life. Chick lit.

(3) One Native Life by Richard Wagamese
Written by an Cree from Ontario. This is a memoir about his life growing up in various foster homes. A gentle introduction to the suffering of native people in Canada. It's not too in your face, but more about surviving, healing, renewal and acceptance. Written in short chapters so it's easy to read.

(4) In the Presence of Horses by Barbara Dimmick
A woman arrives at a horse farm and is hired as the manager. Lots of interesting facts about horses, and particularly interesting is her relaationship with the horses. An interesting narrative structure, with flashbacks from the past to illuminate her present life.

(5) Waiting for Rain by Donna Milner
About a girl growing up in Vancouver shortly after WWII. Her mother dies, and her father has never recovered from his experiences as a prisoner of war in Hong Kong. A young Chinese girl arrives one day, looking for her father. The shocking truth is finally revealed.

(6) Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
This one was great. Loved it. Twin boys are born in Ethiopia, sons of a white surgeon and an Indian nun. The babies are abandoned at birth, and they are brought up by an Indian doctor couple. The boys grow up, and eventually find their father and solve the mystery of their birth.

(7) Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
By the author of "Girl With a Pearl Earring" and others. Set in 19th century England. The story of two women who hut fossils on the coast around Lyme Regis. Based on the life story of Mary Anning, the first woman to become famous for her knowledge of fossils. Includes interesting facts about fossils and the emerging theory of extinction, as well as looks at women's place in society at the time, and the fashionable hobby of "collecting.

(8) I Am the Clay by Chain Potok
Takes place in Korea during the Korean war. An elderly couple are evacuated because of fighting in their village. They find a wounded 10-year old boy abandoned in a ditch and rescue him. They travel through Korea, live in a refugee camp, and are finally able to go back to their village. Their lives are now centered around the boyg.

(9) The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
A young girl is abandoned on ship going to Australia. The girl is adopted by a local couple and raised as their daughter. Years later, her granddaughter tries to solve the mystery of her mother's real family. Goes back and forth between generations, and between Australia and England. Chick lit.

(10) Dream Wheels by Richard Wagamese
OK, so I just started this one yesterday, but already I love it. It's about a young rodeo cowboy who is badly injured on a championship bull ride. A parallel story tells of a young half-black boy who ends up in jail for being part of a robbery. The two lives eventually collide, and they heal each other. Beautiful writing and I can't wait to finish it!

So, I hope at least some of you will get some of these books and enjoy some good reads. The only "old" book is the Chaim Potok book; all the others are relatively recent. If anyone out there has some recommendations, please drop me a line! Happy reading in 2011!

Summer Holidays!!



Yes, I made it through another year as a Grade 1 teacher at Acwsalcta School. It was a very difficult year, and I'm glad that it's over. I just signed a contract for my NEW job at Acwsalcta: teacher librarian.



Being a classroom teacher was not a profession I ever thought I'd end up in, but after teaching music for a year and realizing that it was not what I wanted to do either, I tried out classroom teacher. Well, the money is good, and I kept at it for six years, though realizing more and more that it's not what I wanted either. Fortunately, the new principal realized that the school library needed a qualified teacher librarian to bring our library up to optimal standards, and I got the job. I am enrolled in the teacher librarian diploma program at UBC and will start courses in the fall. I will still teach music, as well as "library" classes to each grade, once a week. No report cards, no dealing with parents. Wow, this will be like a paid holiday after what I've been through over the last six years!

I haven't posted anything since I wrote about my upright bass. Things are progressing with learning this challenging instrument - lots of practicing scales and arpeggios, developing strength in both my hands, working on intonation, figuring out where the notes are, playing songs by ear, listening to bass lines and learning them, and playing music with my fiddle group, as well as playing along with the greats - I play along with CDs I like, so I can really play along with anyone I want. The big event for me this summer is going to a "Swing Music Camp" where I'll be playing my bass. Swing camp includes morning workshops on your instrument, then lots of other workshops, such as swing dance, jazz choir, big band, small ensembles, etc. The camp is in Sorrento, and it will be my second big road trip in my still relatively new car.

In May, I was lucky that I was able to take a week off and go to a blues music workshop on Hornby Island. Gary Kendall, of Downchild Blues Band, was the bass teacher. A great guy, and fun to hang out with someone who's been in the music business his whole life.



Met lots of interesting people, lots of great food, played a little music (not nearly enough), and hung out on some great beaches on Hornby Island. There were some fantastic musicians teaching at the camp, including David Gogo, Mark Atkinson, Suzie Vinnick, Little Miss Higgins, Billie Hicks, and Paul Pigat. I put 2395 km on my car getting there and back.

The week I got back, I was part of a concert that I organized called "Making Music Together: The All Valley Schools Concert." I got the three schools together and we put on a big concert in the community hall. The first half featured each school performing their own acts, including choir and band. The second half featured a mass choir, with kids from all three schools, singing three songs together, followed by a mass band, featuring the bands from two schools. It was a very successful event, and everyone in the community thought it was great. I was asked if it was the first annual, and I think it is. It was a great way to promote lots of good energy between all three schools.

Summer. Every teacher's reward. I've got a big garden again this year, so that will keep me busy: weeding, feeding, watering, eating and harvesting. The cherries are almost ripe, and this year I want to have at least 20 gallons in my freezer. I'm working on some original kids' songs which I'm going to notate, record a demo, and work on getting published. I'll be volunteering and attending the Discovery Coast Music Festival in late July, and billeting one of the bands. August is Swing Camp, and at the end of August, Ruthie and Mary are coming out to visit. I'll also just be relaxing, reading, kayaking, hiking, writing, hanging out with friends, and generally having a great time in beautiful Bella Coola. Come on up for a visit!!

Beth's Big Bass

My latest, and hopefully last musical instrument acquisition is an upright bass. And my latest musical goal is to go to an adult music camp this summer called "Swing Camp" in Sorrento, B.C.



It was quite the adventure buying the thing. I flew down to Vancouver and went around to three different music stores and played the instruments they had in stock, which really wasn't that many. The next day, my bass teacher Russ Botten kindly volunteered to come around with me a try out all the instruments. He narrowed it down to two instruments whose sound he liked the best, and then narrowed it down to the winner of the Buth Buys a Bass contest.

The bass then went to visit a luthier - the person who fixes stringed instruments, adjusts them, etc. He adjusted the sound post, carved some wood off the neck to make it easier to play, adjusted the bridge, and put on new strings.



To get it home, I took it from the luthier's to the airport in a taxi van, and was lucky to be able to take it on the plane as luggage. The luggage loader happened to be a bass player and I carefully explained how to carry it and load it. Even the pilot came out and chatted about loading it. Once I got home, I loaded it into the front seat of my car, on its side, neck pointing forward.




It's a challenging instrument to play, but having short and medium-term goals is helping. I've been taking bass lessons when I'm in Vancouver, so hopefully will be ready for swing camp in August.



Unfortunately, I fell off my bike yesterday and landed on my left wrist. Today my wrist is wrapped in a tensor bandage. It's not broken, but is quite sore and still a bit swollen. So, an unexpected holiday from practicing.

I'm not abandoning my electric, because as far as playing bass goes, I really think I'm a rock 'n roller at heart.

Another Christmas Concert Is Over

You might not think that putting on a school Christmas concert is much work. But let me tell you, it is a LOT of WORK! Particularly since it is me who does most of it.

Here is what I did this year: kindergarten - accompanied them on the piano for one song and did another song with them which included instruments.


Grade 1 - two songs, both of which required props, including reindeer antlers, lights, bells, sticks, and presents.


Grade 1-4 choir - two songs, both with props. One was accompanied by the grade 5 xylohphone ensemble and had all the choir kids playing instruments as well. The other song was Jolly Santa, and required props, including various props to dress up the feminist version of Santa, who was a girl.


My class also sang a song about a funny snowman with the grade 4 xylophone ensemble, which required more props - the kids dressed up the snowman on the stage complete with carrot nose, scarf, top hat, buttons, and mittens.


Then there was the grade 6 six song, The 12 days of Christmas in the Grade 6 room, for which I played piano. For the grade 7 play I accompanied one student for Silent Night.


Then there was the staff piece which was "Rock Around the Christmas Tree", a take-off of Rock Around the Clock. This included a female vocalist, me on piano, drums and guitar in a 12/8 blues version of the piece with one couple doing some crazy jiving around a puny little Christmas tree.


After that, all the staff got up and I accompanied them for We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

The concert was a big success, and I actually got a standing ovation and a bouquet of flowers at the end! WOW! That sure felt good, considering all the work that I put into it. I also received my first piece of "Native" art as a further thank-you for all my work - a silver "Raven" pendant made by local artist Alvin Mack.

Realize that rehearsals start immediately after Remembrance Day (for which I put on an assembly with some original tunes, choir, xylophones, etc) and go on until the day of the concert. The last two days, all the groups practice on the stage. Many times during concerts, the kids freeze, and stand up there looking like deer caught in the headlights, with me the only one singing. This year, however, all the groups sang the best they've ever sung!

Other news: I finished my second course for my Special Education Certificate from the University of Saskatchewan, and sent of the copies of my DVD "Dhamma Sisters of the Himalayas: The Nuns of Yangchen Choling" to Vietnam to be played at the Sakydhita World Buddhist Women's Conference.

The fiddle band I play in had a gig at the hospital Christmas party last week, and another one this week at the Norwegian "Yuletree Fest". Tomorrow night is my "Dickens and Delicacies" party, Monday night is a Christmas jam at a friend's house, and Tuesday is Christmas caroling. I'm spending a few days in Vancouver to do a little shopping and take a few more bass guitar lessons. A busy Christmas season!

Merry Christmas to you all!

The Empty Nest

Thinking of empty nests is what most people think of when their children finally leave home, after twenty years or so of residing with their family.



But this is the story of a different kind of empty nest. It's the story of my empty nest, empty because a fox ate my chickens. Well, I don't actually know if it was a fox or not, but yes, my girls are gone. Gone to the great nest in the sky, leaving their little earthly nest empty.



I miss my girls, Ginger, Cinnamon and Nutmeg. We always chattered away in chicken language when we got up in the morning and I fed them, and again whenever I came home from wherever I was. I called and they came running. Even though I knew they were just looking for food, they were always a great welcoming committee.



It was about a week ago. There had been snow, and they really didn't like the snow at all. They had stopped laying, and all they would do was hang out in their coop. I would go out and cluck cluck to them, and they would cluck cluck back, so I knew they were in there. One afternoon, I came home from work.....to silence. Oh, I thought, they must have gotten brave and be out wandering around somewhere. They'll be back at dusk. Dusk came, but no girls. The next morning, no girls. The next afternoon, still no sign of them. I wandered all around the property, looking for signs, a feather, blood, a foot........nothing.

Now, I am preparing for some new girls. I am building a new chicken coop in woodworking class. A deluxe model, insulated, with a window, and doors that latch to keep those nasty predators out.

I really wish that my girls had been spirited magically away to that big nest in the sky, but alas, I know its not true. I hate to think that might have suffered. I hope that foxy loxy enjoyed his fine feathered dinner, and that he killed them quickly.

Goodbye, chickapops. May you roost in peace.

The Story in a Jar of Soup


When you think of soup, do you think of Campbell's? Or some sort of powdered soup mix? Instant ramen noodle soup complete with bowl? A microwave quickie? Something you pick up from the shelf of your favorite grocery store? Or do you make homemade soup? With hearty, healthy ingredients? Is soup something you make for a quick lunch? Is it a quick way to get your veggies for the day?



This is the story of some very special soup. These beautiful jars of homemade soup contain within them many memories, many stories, and as you can see, lots of veggies. Of course, they are veggie soup, but not just any veggie soup.

First, this soup is the story of last summer, and my garden. Then, this soup is the story of the flood. Then, it tells the story of everyone who helped me after the flood. And last, this is the most delicious soup I have ever eaten, made infinitely more delicious because of the many stories it tells, and the memories it invokes.

Last summer, I grew a garden. I ordered the seeds, dug and fertilized the soil, then planted on the May 24th weekend, when all the old timers say to plant your garden. I watered the garden, weeded, and tended, all through the hot, hot summer. The veggies grew: chard, beets, kale, carrots, onions, potatoes, beans, pumpkin, squash. What a wonderful harvest in the fall. TIme to pick, and bring the harvest into the kitchen, then wash, chop, blanch and freeze in the chest freezer in the basement. My in-house winter veggie supply. I was set.

Then came the flood. When I came home on the day of the flood, to water pouring into the basement, and rivers and streams all around rising to who knew what heights, my neighbours had been to my house and raised the freezer with its precious edibles inside up about two feet off the basement floor. But the water kept rising. I took out some of the food and took it to another neighbour's freezer, and put what I could into my fridge freezer. But I had to leave some behind in the basement freezer. I came home the next day, and my poor freezer was floating, back up, lid flopped open. The remaining stuff, including my veggies and some cherries, as well as some fish and apple juice that belonged to some other neighbours, was starting to thaw. My poor veggies, the frozen remains of my long summer of gardening, were starting to thaw. What could I do with it all? I brought a big basket of semi-thawed veggies and cherries up to the fridge, hoping to eat some, and to give the rest away.

My friend, Mary Mack, came over to have a look at the wreckage in my basement on the Monday after the flood. Hey, she said, I'll take all your thawed veggies home and make you some soup! WOW! I never thought of that, as I couldn't use my water at that point, plus I had no canning jars or a canner. So she took all the veggies home, made a big batch of veggie soup, with all my thawed beans, kale, chard, plus added some carrots, tomatoes, and onion soup mix, She put it into 8 one quart canning jars, and pressure canned the lot for 90 minutes. I told her to keep half of it, but she said no. Another day, she arrived over to deliver the 8 quarts of lovely soup.

So now when I eat my soup, months after the harvest, weeks after the flood, I remember all those stories, the story of the glorious summer, my wonderful garden, the bountiful harvest, the flood waters, and all the friends who helped.

That is the story of the TASTIEST soup ever.