So sometimes I astound myself by how dumb I am. It’s really amazing, since I’m a reasonably intelligent, nearly 40 year old guy who graduated from university and has spent the last 15 years educating young people. And it’s not as if I’m one of those book smart, common sense dumb people either…I’m pretty astute (or I’d like to think so). So why do I do the things I do? Why do I go and jinx things? I guess in this case it was the exuberant optimism born of months of pent-up frustration. Huh, say again? Please, read on.

Last week I made the mistake of raving about how spring had arrived and how I didn’t care if we got any more snow since winter was now over. Bad mistake! Yes, a week ago I was in shorts and the weather was gorgeous. Unfortunately it didn’t last and we got a lovely dump of 15cm of snow on Thursday. So, again, we had to start all over again with the whole melting thing. The last few days have been very warm (nearly 20C) and we’ve recovered and then some. Now, I don’t want to go and jinx things again; we are supposed to get some precipitation later in the week, but I imagine that it will be rain. The only downside to this warm weather is that it reminds me that I have a lot to do outside, and everyone knows how much I love yardwork!

Snowfall at work, May 2013.

Thursday the 2nd, May 2013.

Monday the 6th, May 2013.

So now that we’ve entered the month of May, school is beginning to wind down for another year. Only six weeks left! Surprisingly I do not feel the same burnout that I was experiencing in previous weeks…a weather boost? Could be; I’d venture to say that the sunny, warm weather has made everyone a tad bit happier.

Last Thursday I held the first meeting in quite a while for our Europe 2014 travel group. It was nice to get together with the kids again, and to see their excitement for a trip that is now exactly 10 months away. Working in conjunction with my colleagues at our sister school St. Ignatius, the students will be responsible for a little light research before we leave. We are planning to visit several cemeteries on the trip (Bergen-op-Zoom, Beny-sur-Mer and Bretteville-sur-Laize among others) and they will be honouring a particular soldier interred at that location. Just a little way we can pay our respects to those who fought and died for our country.

As has been the norm for the past little while, things have been very busy with the Silver Mountain (and Area) Historical Society. We have a board meeting coming up on the 16^th, and there is so much to do in preparation. I spent a lot of my time trying to make contact with and arrange some partnerships with some other like-minded groups and societies. Through my friend John Schloot I think we’ve secured an in with the Gunflint Trail Historical Society (GTHS), who are our neighbouring organization to the south and with whom we share some mutual history. A similar group is the Cook County Historical Society (CCHS) in Grand Marais, but I have yet to hear back from them.

Last week while surfing posts on Facebook, I came across a link that intrigued me. On the Friends of the Boundary Waters page (whom I have followed for some time), there was a post about a conference here in Thunder Bay. The meeting was held by an organization known as the Heart of the Continent (HOCP), which is a bi-national forum that brings together people/groups interested in preserving the natural and cultural heritage of the area. Obviously I missed the conference, but it spurred me to contact both HOCP and the Friends of the Boundary Water. I just received replies from both groups today and I hope this is the start of some important partnerships.

So as I sit here on my deck and write on this beautiful evening (I actually had to retreat inside as I could not see the screen), my attention turns to the warming weather and the prospect of going hiking once again. Next weekend is the Victoria Day long weekend here in Canada, and if the weather holds, I plan to spend at least a day of it travelling to Minnesota to hike the railway. What a way to show my patriotism to the monarchy on the former queen’s birthday…travel to what once was a British territory that rebelled against colonial rule! *Shrugs shoulders* I’m praying the ground will have dried up sufficiently to make my trip worthwhile. Fingers are crossed!

Anyway, I think it’s time to wrap up. Hopefully I will not have to come back next week and eat my words again…I’m growing rather full. Until then…