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| boiling water for tea |
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| need a marshmallow? |
As I enjoy the perk of an unexpected statutory holiday...today is National Indigenous Peoples Day (formerly Aboriginal Day) and even though my coworker and I are 'settlers' which I've been advised is the new term for those of us coming across the pond to colonize North America...we'll take it. We enjoyed a BBQ compliments of Community Corp on the beach with burgers, smokies, ribs and lamb over the driftwood campfire and pasta, potato, caesar and fruit salad with cake for dessert. Today being the first day of summer (solstice) it is largely unnoticed here as we enjoy 24/7 daylight and the big chill continues. Winter jacket, boots, hat and gloves are required for outside wear and it has snowed daily for the past week. Today was a tad bit warmer and the kids were barefoot on the sand and playing in the water brr... with lots of folks attending...from the youngest to the oldest community members. Nice to see people just to socialize and catch up vs they 'need' the nurse and the unexpected four day work week was a real morale booster. Just think...tomorrow is Friday. Woohoo. We again had the glycol heat pump turned back on to winter heat as it was so cold earlier this week. In fact we were wearing our jackets and wrapped in blankets on Monday to participate in a webinar on survivors of sexual abuse...an unfortunately necessary topic in the north where statistics say that reported sexual abuse is 6.5 times more prevalent than the national statistics. Sigh.
The greenhouse was planted last weekend and the health centre clerk who is involved in the process was telling me that one of the local guides/hunter was helping his partner (originally from Montreal) plant their plot. All was going well until a lemming got inside the greenhouse and the hunter "freaked out and went outside, sitting on his 4wheeler to wait for the girlfriend to finish" She continued on with the transplanting and said "you protect me from polar bears and I'll keep you safe from the mouse". On Tuesday night there was a problem with the plug for the heater and the seedlings got 'frosted' because at -8c and no heat source the eggplant and bok choy for example, really struggle. Will have to see what the final damage is as some plants will slow down, then regroup and take off again...our clerk is discouraged.
We spent a full day Tuesday participating in a telehealth session on the new NWT Mental Health Act which becomes law September 1st. The one thing we learned was that instead of Form 5 (involuntary admission) we will Form 2 a patient and that Form 1 is a statement of their rights, so we'll complete those two forms - this section took about 15 minutes to work through. There are 29 forms...yes, you read that correctly. Many deal with extending involuntary admissions, discharging patients, releasing patients back to the community etc. NONE of which happens in small remote arctic communities. If a person is a danger to themselves or others, nurses can (and do) with the RCMPs help involuntarily certify them and they are escorted out for help/custody as quickly as weather, mechanical and security escort allows. None of the other info was relevant, and only slightly of interest to the two CHNs here (and many other small communities on the telehealth session from across the territory) yet we were all tortured by mandatory attendance. Makes an old nurse want to fill those forms out on herself. The main stage entertainment of the day was a physician in Hay River who sparred with one of the bureaucrats on the 'in the trenches' implementation of the legislation. And lets be clear...it will be the Dr/CHN not the civil servant who will deal with this at 3 am on a holiday weekend, be judged for their actions and subsequently not be supported by the bureaucrats if challenged through the courts by the patient/family. After calmly and repeatedly stating "I respectfully must disagree as this is not what will happen" there was small comfort for the physician being firmly told "your objections are duly noted and will be forwarded to the working group". Clear to those of us long in the tooth healthcare professionals watching the performance how this will roll out...
We had our busiest day of the contract yesterday with a total of seven patients seen which may not sound like much but if the previous high was four, the pace quickened. Most of the work week was spent dealing with medical travel, convincing patients to attend appointments, completing and receiving forms with medical travel, following up when patients do not in fact attend their appointments...why am I the one who is concerned about this? No one else is, even though all expenses are covered. When a patient who didn't wish to attend a post op recheck appointment complained that the hour flight to the regional centre, pick up by van and all inclusive stay at the transient centre was 'not comfortable' I said clearly "when I have an appointment at home in the city I drive three hours each way, find parking, meals and sometimes accommodation all at my own expense and no one makes the arrangements for me." I await the bureaucratic repercussions of my boldness, where I plan to quote Clint Eastwood and say "go ahead make my day". Today while I crafted, lounged and read, my coworker had three calls...one of which was by ringing the videophone into the apartment with an announced "broken leg" which walked in once I opened the door so...I called the nurse on call and went back to my crocheting.
Tis the season for final report cards to be issued and I noted a post on a neighbouring community bulletin board stating "the report cards can't be printed and it will be either hours or days until the technology can be accessed". I was pleased to see an update where they were presently being printed. The teacher daughter reported that she was in fact completing report cards for her grade primary class and had technical difficulties as well. Apparently my 18 month old granddaughter had 'typed' on her computer and she was unable to access the records at first, but discovered she had only reset the password. Whew. We discussed that she'd likely used 'PeteDog' as the new password as this is her canine companion who she bosses around, chats and reads to as a sibling.
I've continued on with the crafting in an attempt to use up my yarn before departure. The pieces of pie have proven a bit of a challenge but cute when completed. I made sure to do a chocolate with whipped cream (my favourite) pumpkin (the grandson's fav) and cherry (Grawmp's fav) and although lemon meringue is always popular...not sure how to master the meringue....Today I figured out how to make spaghetti and meatballs from a picture - Pinterest is bad for not having the patterns, only a photo or *gasp* a paid pattern (against my spiritual beliefs to pay for craft patterns).Had a chat with the life partner today who had pocket dialed me and then insisted I'd called him. We discussed his greenhouse which is flourishing with zucchini, cucumbers, lettuce etc. and he assured me there will be lots of produce still remaining when I make it home. I told him about the eider ducks on the sea ice, swimming in the crack - apparently they nest all around town and stay the summer as no one hunts them. Likely the same ones the shore captain and his gunning buddies shoot in front of the house in NS in the fall.
