How do you spell your last name?

Pitsi or dried arctic char

Catholic church

It is the weekend and so it seems time to catch up on the blog. Today was a day off, as in a weekend day and not on call. Tomorrow I am first on call and not sure what the pace will be. School is always dismissed by the first week of May as families are out on the land, so Taloyoak is rather depopulated at present. Odd to have 'summer vacation' be mid May to mid August but it appears that this has been the case for some time here.

Out for a weekend stroll

Qamatik across the channel

Went for a stroll about the hamlet today - it was a beautiful, sunny 7 c day here and spring has truly arrived. I offer a photo gallery here from where I ambled in to the Northern Store to pick up a few things and thought it was odd that the automatic doors didn't open so I strolled in through the open manual door to the left, noticed the 5 p.m. closing time, picked up my eggs, discounted yogurt and raisin bread ($20 total) while thinking there weren't many shopping and headed to the cash. The local cashier who was closing her cash looked up and said "we're closed, it's 5:15 pm" but the manager called me over and rang in my purchases saying "well the door was open" in apology. I stuttered that I was capable of working as a nurse at the health centre (always important to promote your position of importance - and nurse here is a respected position - when seeking favours), I just didn't have my watch on. She was gracious and I was grateful. 

I meandered back down the dusty street and met an elder coming with his walker. I reintroduced myself as having been here in the winter and he asked when I had returned? Felt yet again as if I had come home. This past two weeks has been a series of exclamations over the babies who were small and ill this winter now having grown large and healthy, the prenatals who have delivered babies and the new list of same. I've been busy answering the question "when did you get back?" I am often surprised to see my notes on the chart as the last visit to the health centre. I was making a list for the nurse in charge of women ages 17 - 35 years for well women clinics and was surprised that there were large numbers of people we never see at the health centre (and of course the regulars as anywhere) and also by the names and spelling of them. Quite an anthropologic exercise.  It was a week of ear aches and allergies, twisted ankles from bikes and walking on the tundra, a run in with a rude ER Doc -  I was trying to send a patient out for consult with an infected finger and she lectured me on MRSA and refused to take him, told me to trial some IV antibiotics and call the next day - what a bad attitude! After firmly stating I was concerned the patient would lose the function of his index finger joint (she assured me VERY confidently that one day would make no difference - citing those two little letters after her name) I asked how to spell her name for the chart citing those two initials after mine. When I called our referring physician the next day he was still ticked as she was rude to him. Apparently it is NOT okay to be rude to another Dr., now a nurse.....

At any rate, today I had an all in all great day off. Began with checking up on the baby daughter who began her cross country move early this morning. They were making their way through Quebec according to the FB update. Enjoyed a skype date with the electrician daughter who had just returned from the farmers market (and her fur children). The cycles of construction, vagaries of being a female in a mostly male industry and the opportunities she has at her finger tips were amongst the conversation topics. She is planning to head over in her little black pickup to Saskatchewan and help her sister move in next week when they arrive. 

My coworker (who I refer to as my adopted daughter - custom adoption up here it is called - due to age and first initial matching) and I watched a hour or so of videos from a comedian/video blogger, DJ, musician called Flula Borg. If you are in need of some endorphin release you just have to search for his YouTube videos on line. He is a German who is adjusting to life in the USA and it began as  a joke since the coworker became involved with a German while she was hiking on a pilgrimage (El Camino) and is receiving correspondence in German now. She tried a recipe he'd sent for supper and since she'd translated there was a bit of uncertainty as to whether it was correct - it's delicious at any rate, especially with a glass of wine from the large box of rose she brought. Our favourites of his various videos were Jennifer is a Party Pooper, Bees Knees and Butter Your Butt? But there were moments of hilarity with every one of them. - we gave it two thumbs up. 

Ended the day with online chats with several former coworkers as it was my old shift rotation working tonight back home. Don't miss the work, but it will be good to reconnect over the summer when I'm home in......three weeks. I can hardly believe that I've been here two weeks - time DOES fly here.

As I post this, the clock has turned past midnight so I am thinking of the baby daughter who has her birthday today. Hard to believe that 24 years ago I was going to the hospital to be induced for a
beautiful baby girl to complete our family. And today she is on her way to beginning her new career.