Yeah, this IS it

I was relieved to find the notes left by the only son and the dog walkers about the critters AFTER I returned as they go like this. For clarification - Stanley is the black, skittish kitty who has been left in our care by a delinquent teenaged (at the time) mother. The notes in sequence read thusly:

Dog walker # 1

Keely and I had a short walk and I fed her and the cats. Can't find Stan - have you seen him?

Dog walker #2

Walked and fed Keely in the a.m., left her out on rope, fed Gary, no sign of Stan!

Son

No fear, Stan is here. Found bugger under the bed. 

An update on the electrical storm of the other night - the TV got fried! Now, for those of you who are familiar with me, you'll realize that this is absolutely of no concern whatsoever to me however......the life partner is another matter. as he is a serious TV addict. He has no opportunity to blame me as I instructed him to unplug the technology - he did not - I unplugged the computers (and other things which mattered to me) and he went to bed and not only didn't unplug but didn't (as is his fairly regular practice) turn off the television. So......what do you expect? Apparently he expects if he repeatedly pushes the power switch that it will arise from the ashes like a phoenix. Not gonna happen. 

Got out to run errands this week which included an appointment at the bank - nice to be able to discuss plans for putting away some funds, not asking to have some. Ran into a coworker and got caught up on the news, registered mailed my travel claim, bought Hallowe'en treats and had enough time left over for a dog walk with a friend and a cup of Lady Hannah tea. Ahh, good to be back. 

I made my way to the garbage bin at the end of the driveway today with a bag of trash and one of recycling and on the return trip the only son (who was working with his hired man in the barn on lobster gear) came out to chat and leans over the back of his truck. He says "so is this it?" I asked for clarification and he says "this is it, you're not doing anything else? you're not working now until you go back?" To which I replied "I am 56 years old, I have worked hard for the past month and I'm going to do it again in January so yeah this is it!". He quickly clarified that he hadn't meant there was anything wrong with that and I said "well, today I am going to have lunch with my friend" and strutted off down to the house. And lunch we did (you can check out the venue) while we discussed spring vacation plans:

shelburnenovascotia.com/bistro138

Mixed berry and turtle cheesecake

The soup of the day was cream of potato and leek and I had a chicken and cashew wrap while my buddy had a Mediterranean panini while we shared a pot of tea. And of course we had dessert - no point of going out to eat unless you indulge yourself. But no we didn't have the Hallowe'en treats as we both had some of those left over with just a few kids coming to the door these days. My phone (which was trying to die as I made my way home across the country) finally succumbed and I couldn't even get it to turn on so I made my way to the Bell store and selected a new 'smart phone' which does take a nice picture of cheesecake wouldn't you say? The only problem is that the thing is much smarter than it's owner as I couldn't figure out how to answer it when my friend called to say she would take the offer of a ride to the visitation tonight. I have since conquered this task - and a good thing too as it is a phone after all. I did end up with a three year contract but I have taken the land line out of the house so will be having a cell for contact with the outside world here and away. And no, it is not correct as the shore captain has been telling folks (including his mother) that we had the phone taken out for not paying the bill - I got tired of paying a $90 bill for telemarketers to harass me. There was no cost for the cell phone and I selected a smallish one for packing buying a bright pink shield for added protection so hopefully will be able to find it without my glasses on. It will be a lengthy learning curve I do believe for all the features. 

We packed a few things this evening - yes we are going on vacation AGAIN as we are heading to DR for a week before the push to gear up for lobstering gets out of control. There are eight (count em 8) boats heading out beginning today who will need to be unloaded and fish shipped in his majesty's absence so the whining has begun - I have my iPod charged up should it get any louder. This trip was my prearranged reward for putting in a month in the cold. Hopefully the weather forecast for next week in Puerta Plata will not be accurate or the precipitation predicted could all fall at night. I do however, have the Kindle charged up in case there should be lots of downtime. Will be in touch upon our return. 

Off to polish up the eulogy notes for the afternoon funeral, then looking forward to supper with good friends tomorrow evening. I should pack one of these days. Hasta

Safely Home Ahead of Sandy

A quick post to acknowledge that I am safely home again ahead of Hurricane Sandy. There were a few times that it seemed as if I might be stuck along the way but....

Good bye Cambridge Bay

See the door to the cargo section?

Kugluktuk from the air

The plane is bigger than the terminal

Smooth travels in the north as we left Cambridge Bay on time with the airport seen here on the left and headed over for a 'service stop' to Kugluktuk (formerly Coppermine) about an hour flying time. It's more hilly over that way and a cute little airport. A bunch playing poker on the floor up front near the cargo section, the chance to buy a cute zipper pull which was a pair of beaded kamiks made by an elder who was selling them on the flight down to Yellowknife where there are actually trees. Just time to go through security (yes they actually do security in Yellowknife but I'm told because folks are flying out to places where that's expected)  throughout the north the security consists of "have a good flight" as you walk out the door to the runway, no scanner, no searches, no request for ID (likely as everyone knows who you are) just smiles. My buddy in Iqaluit told me when I questioned this on my trip there that to have a weapon on the plane was considered a positive, if the flight went down it would come in handy for security and obtaining food. Hmm. In to Edmonton where it was snowing as well and over on the shuttle to the hotel. 

A good but short visit from the western daughter and her main squeeze - a very nice lad who gamely tried everything on the menu at Yiannis - you can check out the gallery to see the place and no there was no belly dancing on Monday, just great food with huge servings meaning the kids had supper for Tuesday. 

eatmorelamb.com/

Always good to see the girl and how well she's doing in her western life. Not that many mothers get to talk about their 2nd year apprentice electrician daughter. 

A late bedtime and a short night as I kept waking up every hour to look at the clock and was finally up before the alarm at 5 am. Down to retrieve my tote box of frozen food (we deal with the hunters coming from up north the front desk clerk told me when I checked in and asked about keeping stuff cool) from the walk in freezer. Over in the shuttle to the airport and then the games began. 

I had been unable to print my boarding pass at the hotel and when I approached the check in, the agent tells me that's because I have a reservation but no e-ticket attached to it. Her solution is that I contact the travel agent (not too friggin likely lady as Top of the World Travel in Yellowknife isn't open at 5:45 am) or buy a ticket. I make eye contact and say slowly and firmly "I - am - going - home - today so if that's what it takes, I'll buy a ticket". She walks me down the line of desks to an agent who I recognize as he solved my problems with the ticket on the way out and he eventually finds part of the ticket (says the portion from Toronto to Halifax wasn't attached) and checks me in, tags my luggage and directs me to oversize bags for my tote pan. Wish I'd gotten his name as he deserves to be recognized for his skills. With only my knapsack I'm off to the lounge where they are already boarding the flight. Onboard I settle in and wait.....and wait. First, the wings have to be deiced, then the hydraulics have to be reset, then it's been long enough to refreeze so the plane has to be deiced again and finally 35 minutes later we take off. I settle in for a broken nap - thank goodness for iPods. I awake to the flight attendant saying she has news for passengers making a Halifax connection. When she approaches my seat she says brightly "you don't have too long a wait in Pearson as the next flight will leave at 2:30 pm as you've missed your 12:30 connection". Thanks a lot! But before we're off the plane we're told again to stop at the desk as we're going to be making a connection and to pick up new boarding passes and hustle to gate 26. I do just that and have time to grab a mint tea at David's Teas as well as some loose tea and do it yourself tea bags. I eat my Canadian North yesterday chocolate chip cookie with my tea for lunch and breathe a sigh of relief as we are airborne. Apparently there was a mechanical problem with another plane and they moved passengers over to this one, meaning with that delay we got to go too. I have a very enjoyable chat with a guy heading in to Happy Valley/Goose Bay to audit The Northern Store and share my decades old Labrador info as we both trade tales of the north we've seen this far. Pretty rugged landing in the winds and drizzle but I'll take it. The son-in-law is waiting for me in the arrivals area, helps me retrieve my luggage (can't believe it made it with me as it was transferred at Pearson, then taken off and put back on the flight) and we're off. I have to borrow a dollar from him to make it across the bridge and on my way. A quick stop at Tim Hortons and a rainy, windy drive home. 

Had trouble getting to sleep, over tired, different time zone and all keyed up. Slept in as the alarm clock was set for pm and then the sorting out begins. I was pleasantly surprised to find the fridge cleaned out - what a romantic the husband is eh? A visit from (one of) the dogwalkers, a chat with the son, a load of laundry, review of mail, putting away the duffel bags, getting out the Hallowe'en decorations, walking the dog and it was time to make supper. A visit from a neighbour as her mother had passed away yesterday so we got the obituary together and emailed to the funeral home, now I'll need to start work on the eulogy. Great lady who we've known since moving to the community so easy to honour her life. 

Thunder and lightening storm as part of this major storm and it seems that in her advanced age the dog has become scared of thunder. Never used to be, you could put her out in a storm and she'd just go in her doghouse but this evening she hid behind the la-z-boy and had to be coaxed out. Bad nerves. Time to get these bones to bed as I have a full calendar tomorrow. 

That's it.....I'm otta here

I am writing a quick update with my bags stacked around me as I wait to pack my modem and head out to the airport. The weather (here at least) looks clear (if not frigid) and I've called Canadian North to be told that 'as of now the flight is on time' so it sounds like all systems are go. Once the day arrives for departure you simply have to make up your mind, pack and go. 

I have mixed feelings about leaving Cambridge Bay as this has been a great experience but I am looking forward to seeing all my fur children and buddies at home and.....as Ahnold would say....."I'll be back" so it's not goodbye, but see you later. I am hoping to stay ahead of the predicted Frankenstorm (media term) heading towards the east coast which is a combo of hurricane Sandy and a midwest winter storm at the same time as high tides so lots of hype. The prediction is for the winds to kick up by Monday night at home and I'm 'supposed' to be in by 4 pm in Halifax so well ahead of it. We shall see. I shall be shedding my winter gear as I go along. 

I had a busy day on my last office day and the feeling that as I was starting to feel like I was making my way, it was time to wind things up. The final night on call was quite a production with many learning opportunities for me and it wrapped with me suturing. Yep, you read that correctly - I got to suture an eyebrow, 1% lidocaine, 5-0 prolene and voila. The NOC with me was patient and gave me the chance to learn (even though it was late and she could've done it in half the time) and although I'll get faster I was quite proud of myself to have learned how to tie the knots and the eyebrow sure looked a lot better when it left. 

Slept in yesterday and then got up to start throwing some things into the duffel bags. Off to have lunch with the lab tech, her husband and some other invited guests. Greek salad, arctic char, red wine and a lovely dessert in their cozy rented place. Decadent. Great conversation for the afternoon and home to get myself together. 

Spent the evening yakking it up with the roommate who although of the younger generation is wise beyond her years. She shared some northern stories as she's been several times to the next place it sounds like I'll be in January. Just waiting for a confirmation email as the phone discussion with the recruiter gave me my choice of the communities in this area. It'll be eight weeks next time so I'll feel as if I'm not so rushed. My roomie also tells me that there is one store for sure in Halifax (several it sounded like) which sell Canada Goose jackets. These are standard outdoor requirements for a Nunavut winter and cost about $800, but last a lifetime so....since Friday was the largest pay deposit I've ever received (minus the half which Stephen Harper took :( in one lump sum, I shall invest. 

So with that it's time to close down the laptop, pack the backpack and put the frozen char and musk ox burgers in the tote. Catch you on the flip side. 

Eating My Way Out of Town

Tomorrow is my last day of work in the office so I am in the 'eat your way out of here' mode and my diet has thusly not been very balanced this week. It's not as if you're going on vacation and just eating up the perishables then throwing the rest in the freezer. It's either going to be eaten, given or thrown away by the time my flight on Sunday comes. What a quick four weeks this has been - just whizzed by - can't believe I'm already talking about packing.

Amautis are a Nunavut way to travel

In Nunavut when you're talking about packing, you're not necessarily referring to a suitcase - you are likely talking about carrying a child. This might mean in a parka with an amauti, or a packing shirt or vest under a large parka with a cord tied around the waist. I've included a picture taken in Clyde River, Nunavut to show you how they're worn. The method is to lift the baby up under the arms and slide them down with their front facing your back, over your shoulders feet first, then you reach around and pull their feet so their legs wrap around above your waist and they pop their head out or nestle next to your back while you tie the belt underneath them around you or tie a knot in the bottom of the packing shirt or vest and put your parka on. And they are carried this way until they are quite large - a three year old that's half the size of his mother at times emerges from a parka.  Babies usually only wear a diaper next to Mom and a hat for popping out to the weather. They don't usually have snowsuits until they're walking. Little ones aren't carried in the hood even though it sort of looks that way, the hood is for Mom to pull up over her own and the baby's head. I've seen smaller babies carried on the front in snuglis but apparently they can be carried on the back by wrapping them snugly and facing outwards to support their neck and back next to the Moms. 

Gotta love those hats

Pang hat

Sealskin mitts with moosehide palms

And to profile another means of transportation here on the right is a family photo taken through my office window as they were setting off.  I do so wish I had one of these hats. I have a Pang (short for Pangnirtung - in the Baffin region of Nunavut) crocheted hat which is too warm to wear in the Maritimes and really only needed these past few days here so was left at home this initial trip. My Pang hat is black white and brown and looks something like the one on the left. It will accompany me on my next trip up in January for sure and will look great with my new mitts as well as being warm. Mitts you say? What mitts? Well...... these ones on the right. I bought them from a local lady, Monica who sews - they're sealskin with moosehide palms. Very warm as well as pretty and they will come in handy for 'real winter'.

Don't stick your tongue here

How cold has it been this week? Well, it's been -20 c for the past few mornings and it's only going to get colder. Can't you just see the frost coming out of that railing on the left? This is one place you wouldn't try that 'put your tongue on the metal' stunt. Folks here leave their caribou meat or char in a wooden box on the outside of their house starting in October - a big outdoor freezer. It will be like going to the tropics to head home to fall weather. And speaking of the tropics...in this small health centre there are three different staff members who are going to Haiti to do mission work within the next month. One is an ultrasound/xray tech going to set up some new xray equipment for a clinic working for an orphanage that rescues street kids freethekids.org , one is a midwife heading down to manage a  birthing centre for an organization called mamababyhaiti.org and the third is a nurse who has done several trips to Hait for Medical Teams International medicalteams.org so you can check out the groups through the hyperlinks.

I haven't learned much of the local language except koana - pronounced quana (meaning thank you) but I have a list I'm studying. What I have learned is that no is signified by wrinkling up the nose (as if something smelled really bad) which I'm relieved to find out because I thought lots of patients were making faces at me while I was questioning them. And yes is signified by raising the eyebrows (as if something had really surprised you). So you can see it's important to look at the person when you ask them a question. It finally dawned on me last week what was happening when a mother said to me pointedly - after I'd asked her preschooler a couple of times if his ear hurt (without receiving an answer or so I thought) "look - he's telling you no".

5:15 pm

5 p.m.

 It's getting dark quite early now as you can see from the photos taken after work today. The sun hangs low in the sky for quite a while before actually disappearing. I almost got taken out by a skidoo heading down the edge of the street as I snapped the first one.

Well, since I'm second on call and I've already been over once to the Health Centre for a laceration call, I should get this old body to bed. Am I tired or managing? Managing quite well. Even after a long night on call and working the next day I don't feel any worse than at the end of a 12 hour shift so it's all doable for this old nurse. I leave you with the quote of the day:

"Maybe you are here on earth to learn that life is what you make of it, and it's to be enjoyed."

— Dick Sutphen

Weekend Walks

I was trying to figure out why the last posting came up as Saturday and have decided it's because the time on my computer is still set to 'home time' and as it's three hours ahead of here, I am posting after midnight (according to my MacBook Air) or so it appears. So rest assured, I am posting this on Sunday night, not 1 a.m. Monday morning. 

I had a great night on call where I only had a couple of phone calls. This didn't mean I slept well however as I've decided that I might as well be up and working if I'm on call as I keep jumping up to look at the phone to see if it's working, check for missed messages, think I hear the phone ringing and dream about answering it. If I do get up to give phone advice or go over to the health centre on a call I have trouble getting back to sleep. I had a phone call from a young fellow at 5:45 am complaining of dental pain which sounded like wisdom teeth erupting (it does help to have had children with the same issues) and he didn't have anything to take for pain. I told him to come in at 8 am and I would see him - why I waited I don't know as I really didn't fall back to sleep. After notifying the 2nd NOC (so she'd know where I was if I didn't come back) just before 8 am I headed over to the health centre and......he was a no show. That'll teach me. The 2nd NOC told me that he'd likely been going to bed when he called me and would come in when he felt like it. I did however see a guy who called shortly after I got there who had been poked in the eye by his wife about 3:30 am when they were drinking together. He had a nasty corneal abrasion which I discovered after flushing, freezing, staining and checking the eye with a blue light. Antibiotic eye ointment, patching and instruction to return to be checked in 24 hrs - which likely won't be heeded as he wasn't particularly alert. 

Some baking and laundry then I went out for a walk in the afternoon as it was a clear day and I'm still trying to get my bearings as to the lay of the land here. I discovered a coworker's two young fellows out with their sled and stopped to take their pictures. There was a small bush and the older guy says "guess where we're going to land? right in that bush!" I just smiled as I saw that one coming. 

Made my way around the edge of town looking out towards the weather station. Lots of dogs on the roam but none to bother me. Good to get outside and clear my head a bit as I'm not used to being without my dog walk. 

Today I had a rather lazy day after my early start and so I had a nice Skype chat (yes the video call was good quality) with the oldest daughter who has rescued a very cute kitty which looks to be about 8 months old from the shelter. She is pretty, affectionate, frisky and has personality so is really welcome. Well, not as she tried to sniff hair, look in eyes, purr in faces all night - I guess no one noticed if she was nocturnal at the shelter in her cage. She won't be long adjusting to the routine of sleeping during the day when her people are at work and getting attention in the evening.  I had some text messages from the second daughter saying she'd run her personal best for the Legs for Literacy race this morning in Moncton and her youngest sister and boyfriend had shown up in T-shirts naming themselves as her team. Had a chat with the roommate (yes she's the age of my oldest child) who is wise in the ways of all things Nunavut and she educated me to lots of the community information. 

This afternoon I headed out on a walk just as it began to snow again.  As I wandered past the church there were last minute preparations going on for a baptism which I know because one of the parishioners called out to someone next door at the adjacent building to "bring warm water for the baptism". A bit further along I encountered a lady out training her husky and it made me think of walking my own dog and how pleased I am that others have taken on this role in my absence.

church parking lot

sled dog training

As I ambled down by the bay I noticed the light in behind the snow which was headed our way and the ice freezing in to the shore. The light here is different than anywhere else in the world I think. And yes now is the time to be out walking and doing photographs because in the long dark days of January that won't be happening. 

Very difficult to believe that next week this time I'll be making my way home. The time has just flown by which means that a double length for the next contract shouldn't be a problem. Already have the Alberta daughter doing some research on good places to eat in Edmonton as we'll have the evening to spend together before I head east.  Speaking of travels the shore captain is making his way home tomorrow with luggage full of his trophies so hopefully his trip is more efficient and less eventful than the way out. Apparently he and his buddy have had a good visit and no further misadventures. Off to get ready for my final week of work.

Shorter Days

When I left work tonight at 5:30 pm tonight I thought to myself 'it seems like it's getting dark kind of early this week' and so it was. Because of being further away from the equator the days shorten up more quickly here by quite a few minutes per day in October than in Nova Scotia. When I arrived the days were the same length but the difference today was sunrise 45 minutes later here than home and sunset an hour and a half earlier.  So the lights were twinkling before I even got out of the building. 

Twilight at 5:40 pm

This has led to me putting a flashlight in my pocket as required equipment. Because of the early dusk I'm going for a walk (on days I'm not on call) at noon hour because I'm having trouble adjusting to an hour for lunch - actually I'm having trouble just realizing I can get lunch, so it's quite a switch. Returning before January 11th will mean I get to witness the 24 hours of darkness phenomenon and then the light returning day by day. And I will surely welcome wearing the parka that I am having made for me which will be available when I return. I spoke to a lady who sews today and we were discussing material so I told her I don't care what kind of material for the shell as long as it's a print because it won't show the dirt as much and it doesn't matter about the fur for the edge of the hood, cuffs and bottom of the parka (she was very surprised as apparently this is an important point for most) as I'm not picky.

Had a message from the life partner and after a bit of a rocky start what with the previously mentioned flight delays, seeing a large part of Saskatchewan as he attempted to get his hunting license and then having to be rescued when he got the rental car stuck (I assume driving it like it was the 4x4 truck he's used to). His buddy had to leave work to get him unstuck as the friend had only taken Thursday and Friday off to entertain his guest.  Apparently the past two days have gone more smoothly and he has been seeing lots of ducks and geese and actually bringing some home. He will be heading home after the weekend so hope his luck continues.

Should get myself settled down as I'm on call tonight and sometimes the early evening sleep turns into the only nap that's taken. At least with weekend call there's the catch up sleep at some point of the weekend, not like dragging your carcass in to work the next day. Have only had two phone calls - one for advice and one was a wrong number. Wrong numbers are extremely frequent up here, not sure if everyone tries to dial from memory or what - it's not as if there is more than one exchange. The phone books are numerous so that's not really an excuse and there are actually lots of folks without phones so not many numbers. In fact the phone book covers all of Nunavut and Northwest Territories.

Thinking of the teacher daughter as she's running a race this weekend. Am sure she'll do well even though she's recovering from a cold. Up here I'm thinking I need my traks for my boots as the skidoos on the road make it really slick. Enough ramblings. 

Elephants in Nunavut?

I was notified today that I'd passed my immunization test so this afternoon did my witnessed injections. It was one of those 'just do it all at once' kind of things as I helped with twins. With the number of shots provided here in Nunavut (it's a very comprehensive list) there's no problem getting immunization practice.  

As you see the english translation is much shorter than the Inuinnaqtun version of where I spent my time last night. As second on call last night I went to bed about 11 pm, then got a call from the NOC at quarter to one to come over to the HC. We were there until 3 am and I could NOT fall back to sleep, finally drifted off after 4 am and up again at 7:30 to head over to work. It was a fairly steady start to the day but there was a very strong sewer gas odour in certain part as of the centre. By 10:30 am the decision had been made to close the building down and for staff to check back by 1 pm. This allowed me to run some errands that were unlikely to get taken care of otherwise as my working hours correlate with much of Cambridge Bay. 

Coolest little shop in Nunavut

I did a little shopping at The Arctic Closet which is a nice little gift shop sporting some work from across the territory. It bills itself as the coolest little shop in Nunavut. I stopped at Polarnet to see about my modem as the ethernet cable doesn't fit in tightly and was told to just bend the cable to fit. Um okay. Then I made my way to Kitikmeot Foods to pick up the arctic char I plan to take home. Got two big fillets and two packages of char jerky and will return next week for musk ox burgers. Apparently they can only cut red meat when the CFIA inspectors are on site. It was nippy but a great walk and a good way to clear my head and lungs from the fumes. 

Elephants in Nunavut?

Returned after lunch and did the immunizations then we were sent home again. Well, actually the HC was closed but the nurses on call kept working as where else were they going to see patients? The other problem was that all the front desk staff quickly disappeared when allowed to leave so there was no one to register patients and people kept calling as if it were a regular clinic day and there was no one to answer the phones. I offered to stay and help, or relieve the staff who had been working in the fumes even for a few hours but they declined so after asking twice, I made my way along as well. I was intrigued to see that the brisk temperatures didn't slow down the kids on the playground equipment at the school. Perhaps it's the very basic television service which is mostly reruns. I took a short walk - was stalked by one of the dogs which roam the streets - and wondered if my pepper spray would work in these temperatures. I am not reassured when my roommate (who has only been here intermittently for two years) tells me she's been bitten twice. This leads to talk of the polar bear tracks seen in town, where the grizzlies are etc. 

I am on call this weekend and at report this morning it was discussed as being the really busy weekend for ETOH related issues. It's the week after payday so you would think that the payday weekend would be the one to watch out for. Apparently it takes a while to get liquor shipped in and you have to have money to order it so…..Good to look forward to that as I'm on call tomorrow and Saturday. So after a quick supper of frozen pizza, I think it will be an early night after the rather short one last night.