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SEPTEMBER 17,. 2013
I haven't written for a while.
Marilyn and I are enjoying our new class.  The students are very friendly and nice.
Yesterday we had a lockdown at the school.  It was a bit scary, frustrating and very warm in the class.  We had our morning break and part of our lunch break in the classroom because we couldn't leave the room.  I am very lucky because some of my students gave me some food for my lunch.
Our manager Ewa and all of the staff at Westmount, staf from downtown and staff from Edmonton Police Services did a great job making sure we were safe.
NorQuest staff will have training about emergencies next week and I am going for sure.

I always talk about the weather so  make sure you spend time outside whenever you can because the weather could be cold very soon.

I showed some pictures of an alpaca farm.  It is called Saumer Time Alpaca Ranch or STAR and I really enjoyed the visit.
Their tea house is open on Saturdays.  I don't know when you can visit the alpacas but you can go to the website and send an email or phone them.  The owners are very friendly.
For sure there is a day in November when they have an open house.

On Being a Gradnparent

People say that being a grandparent is more fun than being a parent and it's soooooo true.  I have been a Nana for 3 years and I love it.  It's hard work because my 2 grandaughters need a lot of attention and they love it when I play with them.  After 4-5 days staying with them I need a rest.
The other day I was thinking about my own grandparents.  I had 2 sets of grandparents that I saw regularly even though my dad's parents moved to the USA when I was about 6.  I remember them well and very fondly, but I don't think they played with me the way I play with my granddaughters.
I play 'go to sleep", 'monster', and chase them around.  I take them for walks and to the park.
I have recently started doing crafts with my 3 year old granddaughter.  She loves making bead bracelets and necklaces.  Both of my granddaughters like playing with playdough and building blocks.
I love it when they see me and give me a big smile and hug.  If I go into their bedroom in the morning or after a nap, they don't think it is unusual.  They are used to being around me.
Until you have your own grandchild, you will not believe how wonderful it is.  You have another generation of little people to love and who will love you.
I know my sons loved their grandmother very much even though she didn't speak much English.  We spent most long weekends at her place in Calgary and they remember that time very fondly.  Both of my sons spoke at their Avo's funeral and I realized what a great influence she had been on them.  I hope that I am an equal influence n my grandchildren.

The Status of Men vs Women

In Canada, children are the most important, then pets, then women and finally men.

I have heard this kind of comment many times over the years and of course, I don't believe it's true and in my opinion, it shouldn't be that way.

I think what people (usually men) mean when they say this is that women in Canada have more power than men because in many countries women have much less power than men. I think that men take time to get used to the fact that women have power in this country and don't have to do whatever their fathers, brothers and husbands tell them.

It's true that in Canada men and women are equal in the eyes of the law.  I think that that isn't true in every country but I'm not an expert in law around the world. In some countries it's OK for a man to hit his wife especially if she does something wrong. 

 In contrast that kind of behavior is not acceptable under Canadian law and most Canadians do not find that kind of behavior appropriate in Canada.  But physical abuse still happens in Canada.  The victims are women, children, seniors, disabled people and sometimes even men.  The victim usually has less power then the person responsible for the act.

There were many related issues brought up in my class when we discussed the above statement.  Most students were shocked to think that pets are more important than chilren or men.  The majority of my students feel that men and women should be treated equally and that children are very important because they need a lot of help from their parents to grow up.

Have women reached equality with men in Canada?  Unfortunately, I don't believe we have.
For example, look at the statistics for the new Cabinet in the Canadian Government.
Still, with 12 out of 39 members of the female persuasion, the female-male ratio on the new cabinet bests the Conservative party’s own standing in the House (29-167); and the ratio in Parliament as a whole (76-308), even if it’s well below the near 50-50 makeup of the Canadian population

The above paragraph says:

Canadian population	50% women and 50% men
Parliament	76 women out of 308 seats
Conservative party	29 women out of 167 seats
Conservative Cabinet	12 women out of 39 members of Cabinet

This is just one example.  I have a couple of others. I have noticed that my husband gets better service in banks and stores than I do  when he wears a jacket, tie and dress pants because he seems more powerful.
Feel free to comment on this.

Being a Respectful JOurnalist

I heard something on CBC Radio this morning that was very interesting.  Jian Ghomeshi, who has a radio show every morning was interviewing a journalist from Quebec.  They were talking about the Lac-Megantic train derailment.  The journalist was saying that most of the journalists there stayed in the background and were not aggressive about getting stories.  They waited until people came to them and wanted to tell their stories and many people did want to tell their stories about what happened to them, about loved ones they lost and about what they were doing when it happened. 
I think this is a very good approach and I'm sure they will get some very interesting stories.

Places to Shop in Edmonton

This is a repeat of a post from July 2012 but I thought you'd like to read it.

I thought some of you would like to know about good places to shop in Edmonton.  I like shopping so I'm quite knowledgeable about it.  Right now, the end of July is a really good time to buy summer clothes and other things.  Two places that keep marking things down are Dots and Winners, but every store in the city has sales because they need to make space for their winter stock.
The best places to shop in EdmontonI am going to share my favourite shopping places. Everybody likes to get a good deal and I do too.

 winners.ca

There are several Winners and Home Sense stores in Edmonton. Winners has clothing for the whole family and Home Sense has household items.
One thing I like about this store is that the prices get marked down and down and down. There is always a clearance section. There will be a big sale in January because the store wants to make room for Spring clothing. The clothing is of average quality and there are Petite sizes (for short women) and Plus sizes ( for women who take larger than size 14 or 44).
There is also clothing for men and children. You can often buy children’s toys and books for a very low price.
I regularly buy kids books, pants, tops and underwear at Winners. I have also bought purses, suitcases,shoes and boots. If you check carefully you can find very interesting socks and tights.

‍Dotsstores.ca

There are two Dots stores in Edmonton. 11825 - 105 Ave. and #300, 3414 Gateway Blvd. corner of 34th and Gateway Blvd. (Behind Second Cup)
Dots has mostly women’s clothing but also some men’s clothing and sometimes there is children’s clothing. Much of the clothing is of very good quality. Dots carries a lot of clothing from Europe and is probably from one year ago but still very nice. You have to be prepared to spend time looking through the racks which are very crowded. Their prices also go down and down. Every year I buy several tops and maybe some pants and skirts sometimes for $2 or $5.

‍Value Village

Everybody knows that this is a second hand store where people donate their used clothing and other items. There are several Valu Village stores in Edmonton. I go about once a week to look for yarn and now for toys. Sometimes you find a lot and sometimes you don’t find anything.
There is yarn regularly because people often buy yarn and then never use it. I have bought good quality balls of yarn for about $1 each. One time I bought 2 large balls for $4 each, but they would cost about $35 in the shop.
I look for toys for my granddaughters especially plastic toys you can wash easily.
They also have a lot of small appliances such as coffee makers, hair dryers etc. You can buy them and clean them up at home.
There are several similar stores in Edmonton – Salvation Army and Goodwill are two of them.

‍Reitman's

I also shop at Reitman’s because they have an excellent Petite section for short women. Their clothing is good for women who have had children and aren’t very thin like the models in many stores. The prices are fairly cheap and the quality is average. There is also Plus clothing for women larger than size 14.

‍H&M

This store is quite new in Canada and there are stores all over the world. I think Madonna designs some of the clothes. There are clothes for women, men and babies and children. The children’s clothes are very very cute. You have to be careful about the women’s clothing. Some is only for very young women but some is for anyone. The quality is quite cheap but if you want something new and fashionable, this is a good place.

XS Cargo(pronounced Excess Cargo)‍

This store has many things for your home including a lot of electronics. Men love this store. I have bought a grill for meat, cordless phones, cell phone covers there. There are also some toys. The prices are very good because the electroncs are refurbished. This means that someone returned them to the store or factory to be repaired and they are perfect when you buy them.

‍Shoe Warehouse http://www.shoewarehouse.ca/promotions/default.cfm

This store is located in the basement of Kingsway Garden Mall. It is very big and has a wide variety of shoes and boots for the whole family. There is a clearance section and sometimes the shoes in this section are marked down 50% again. For example I bought a pair of black leather boots last year and they cost only $25!! Many of the shoes are leather and the original price is over $150.

Our Beautiful River Valley

As you know, I go walking on Sundays and its usually in the river valley.  Here are a couple more pictures of Edmonton's beautiful river valley taken on June 16, 2013.
The second picture looks like you could be in the country instead of the middle of Edmonton.

Edmonton



Are we in the city or the county?



Here is a picture taken near my son's in-laws place in Norris Point NFLD.  It's right outside their door.  The scenery is beautiful and so is the baby.