What a difference a week makes

By Rebecca Petersen | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, April 19, 2008

What a difference a week makes. Last week when I wrote this column I was wondering if we’d get snow and if school would be cancelled and what would happen with “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.”

Well, the snow came and school was cancelled and, just as I predicted, the show went in full-steam-ahead fashion on Saturday.

Sadly, the 700 students who were scheduled to see it on Friday missed that opportunity but many of them brought their parents on Saturday.

We want to plan more family events like this. It was so much fun. I think most of the adults would agree they liked the production as much as the kids did. Plus — we all got the added bonus of seeing and hearing the kids screech with joy and laughter.

So, today, one week later, it all comes down to what a difference the week makes in the shoes you can wear.

I looked at the line up in my closet and last week’s snow boots were replaced with this week’s sandals (with socks, of course) plus a brisk and invigorating walk to work. I hope this is the start of a new walking regimen for me. The morning started with a fabulous breakfast at Union Café. Give it a try. (One more great place to have breakfast.)

Then a walk to work and the best part about it — sidewalk chalk.

There was hopscotch, there were pictures, there were messages and it brought spring into my step. I love sidewalk chalk. What a great way to explore your early childhood experiences of playing and drawing and singing jump rope songs outside.

There it starts — lifelong learning through the arts.

Some of the first things we learn, happen through the arts — dancing, painting, singing.

We continue with more formal training through our school years. Then after school?

Well, we’re addressing more than the arts in lifelong learning this weekend with the inaugural Spring Humanities Forum. We plan on quarterly humanities forums at the very least. We hope many of you will participate.

Just a reminder, the spring Humanities Symposium continues through Tuesday.

Again, upon the reading of this column, it will be well underway (starting Thursday night with The Bigwood Lecture Series), but continues through Tuesday.

Today at 2:30 p.m., join us for tea and a fascinating program with cellist Yali You titled “Music Through Ages and Culture From A Cellist’s Point of View.”

Sunday, she will repeat the program at 1 p.m. at The Unitarian Church of Underwood.

Monday and Tuesday, Daniel Ford, the author of the book, “Flying Tigers,” will be in town — at noon Monday at the Otter Tail County Historical Museum and from 4 to 6 p.m. for a Meet and Greet at the Fergus Falls Municipal Airport.

Tuesday he’ll be doing educational programs at the Fergus Falls Public Library — at 5 p.m. for a discussion about the book and a screening of the John Wayne movie, “Flying Tigers.”

All Humanities Forum sessions are free and open to the public. It’s one more way to “turn off your TV,” and join in some of the culminating activities for this year’s Big Read Project “The Joy Luck Club.”

All of the spring humanities sessions have a connection to this year’s reading project.