The journey continues

For those following along with my journey from the 'other side of the healthcare system' let me reassure you that I am managing well. A few bumps in the road as I navigate the trail but….moving forward. And although as I fondly watch the photos of my alternate (northern) life posted online, I realize that my fight is here at the moment. 

I travelled to the city last week for what was to be my first chemo treatment and…it wasn't. We made our way down the afternoon before so the shore captain could assist with some renos of the teacher daughter's garage and broke up the travelling. A childhood friend and her hubby who live in the neighbourhood strolled over in the heat and humidity to visit as the construction was underway below, and we visited on the deck under the shade of the grape arbour. Nice to have a few minutes to catch up. As they departed, I phoned a former travel mate who was hosting an American classmate from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine course visiting before heading back to Bangladesh, as we had arranged to go to supper. The plans changed to the hostess' hubby having made supper so they arrived to take me across the city and then we stopped on the return trip for cheesecake at The Sweet Hereafter. Highly recommend it if in Halifax - the key lime cheesecake and a cup of tea was a wonderful ending to the visit. Fell into bed late, stuffed and relaxed. An early leave for a Dr. appointment and the usual prodding and poking, discussing of plans and news that my chemo drugs had been changed to a regime with the same response rate and less side effects. Unfortunately the requirement is for 24 hours of steroids pre-treatment, which I obviously hadn't had so….a return the following Friday. 

No, not Tuesday, when I was booked for the routine CT scan to check my post op complications healing as I couldn't be fitted into the schedule, so two trips to the city this past week. An early morning start on Tuesday, quick test and over to meet the teacher daughter and her sister (she had been retrieved from her flight home from Cuba on Sunday). A stop at Canadian Tire to pick up an above ground pool, some yarn at Walmart and on the road. Returned home to find an excavator and truck in the yard preparing a spot for the pool we'd brought. 

Wednesday was a trip for wig fitting and it wasn't as painful as it sounds. Ignoring the suggestion of my life partner who suggested I could become a redhead and my job share partner who insisted Fredericks of Hollywood (some of you may remember their ads from the backs of childhood comic books) and a big ass Dolly Parton wig….I chose instead the same shade and style as my own. Who knew there was so much to know about wigs? You can't cook while wearing them - they frizzle - I am planning to wear the hair replacement only for outside the home, so no biggie. The intent is to not stand out so as to reduce questions, suggestions and pity from strangers - much like pregnant mothers endure. So, put it on front to back to front (are you listening Donald Trump?) and centre it with the side tabs and finger comb the style in to place. My benefits pay for a basic model (machine made) and so I opted to pay the difference on a mid price range (hand tied) model which is coming from Germany. Supposed to be lighter, cooler and more comfortable. Instructions on how to shampoo, condition and care for the wig followed. I found a cozy (bamboo) cap as well for non hair days and will return next week when the wig arrives for final approval. Since I wasn't sure how emotional the fitting would be, I had contacted some nursing classmates as a pleasant outing to look forward to, and we enjoyed a lovely lunch on the warm, sunny deck of Rudders Brew Pub overlooking the busy harbour. We planned some dates for our 40th anniversary weekend get together in October and the research has begun. Something positive to look forward to in the fall. 

Thursday I had convinced a cleaning lady to come and so escaped to allow her space and walked the beautiful local beach with a former coworker and good friend of many years - very therapeutic. When I returned, the cleaning lady (who had done a lovely job) admitted defeat and claimed she would not be able to do the job weekly. Gotta be a record for the shortest job! The search continues. The shore captain arrived to assemble the pool and was sourcing water. It's very dry this summer so using the well wasn't an option. Mind you, that had been his plan until the local fire department declined their pump and asked if we had 7000 gallons of water in our well. So, mister THEN goes to check and oops we have 'a couple of well rings'. Back to the saltwater plan. 

Friday morning was a quick run to the city for the chemo treatment. A slight delay as we awaited the drug (pharmacy had only known for a week I was booked the experienced nurse said with a knot in her face) and another patient having a serious allergic reaction which caused some hustle so a bit behind but…still only three hours in total. The schedule is Dr. visit (variable wait times of course) and two drugs the first day of the cycle (about 2 hrs) then only one drug the second week (about 45 min if all goes smoothly) thankfully it's the shorter one that stings a bit. Mister had gone to source a pump and had to be summoned as I was finished. A former coworker who knows her way around the chemo unit as her daughter attends came to visit and brought a care package - I am so spoiled. A stop at the drive through and a quick run home to make BBQ for supper. To bed early and awake a couple of hours in the night (? steroid reaction) but able to get eight hours of snoozing in. Sure hope things continue in this pattern as the list of side effects I'm hoping to avoid is lengthy. 

Up this morning to hit the local yard sales and scored some craft supplies, jelly, household finds and a dress while socializing. Ahhh Returned to find the shore captain and one of his minions pondering the pump the saltwater plan at high tide.

salt water fill underway

Kind of a drizzly, windy, cooler than lately kind of day. They managed to fill the pool in two hours but discovered that the sides needed to be rebraced as the gravel pad wasn't completely level so…tomorrow they will drain, brace and refill the unit. But first father and daughter took a celebratory swim…while I watched from dry land. The prenatal daughter is coming this week from the city (she has a list of craft projects for the impending grand baby which she is seeking assistance with) and has been tasked with obtaining pool toys - a ride on shark for the grandson, an air mattress for me and pool noodles for all. Can't wait. Even without a cabana boy in a thong to serve us girly drinks, it will be fun. 

So, a day to catch up on tasks such as clearing out the junk emails, puttering, reading my book and updating the blog. Ahhh. Not sleepy yet but as I woke up the snoring life partner from the 'in front of the ballgame recliner' to go to bed, he said "past my bedtime, not yours" which is of course accurate of this night owl. 

R & R completed

Home from a great vacation and time for an update…

It was a good decision to sneak away on a trip in between convalescing and the next round of 'healthcare social life' and all that this will entail. Great to feel well, be completely pampered and removed from all reminders of my day to day situation.  It'll be a while before I'm able to travel again. We picked up the grandson and was he ever excited! The questions, the questions on the way to the airport. A quick check in and he got to break in that brand new passport - the US border agent even let him stamp his own page. We were separated for the flight and so his grandfather was in the rear (apparently surrounded with badly behaved children) and I was the entertainment manager for the five year old "Wow, the houses look like dollhouses, we're in the air, when are the snacks coming?" etc. Just a short flight but….passing through clouds is "pretty awesome" I was told. Seeing the world through the eyes of a child is a good plan. 

A rush hour cab ride from JFK airport to Manhattan gave us lots of time to see the sights. Settled in to the hotel and out to source supper - the concierge recommended an Italian restaurant a few blocks away and we enjoyed a wonderful meal of homemade pasta with great service. We spent the next morning and early afternoon on a tour bus in Manhattan, grid locked at times, high heat and humidity and frequent stalling of the bus until…it wouldn't restart and we wandered a few blocks to be picked up by another tour bus. Sourced food at a deli and decompressed for a while in the air conditioned room before taking the subway to Yankee Stadium to watch the Boston Red Sox whoop the Yankees. Back just before midnight and were all instantly asleep. Breakfast at Applebees in the morning, a walk to Central Park and bicycle cart tour with a very nice Turkish student and a cab to the cruise pier. 

Atlantis, Kennedy Space Centre

A chaotic noisy embarkation and finally we were onboard the Norwegian Gem. We explored the ship, the buffet, met our cabin steward Eugene, attended the muster drill and most importantly registered the lad for Splash Academy (saved our sanity). Splash Academy had wonderful daycare workers of many nationalities and I was very pleased to be advised that our grandson was "the best behaved boy here" which I am thinking was accurate as I heard the same staff member telling another couple that their son was allowed to return as he had improved his behaviour - so the praise wasn't casually given. The sea day activities included the water slide and pool games vs just lounging in the sun, but it was a fun difference. We docked in Cape Canaveral and enjoyed the Kennedy Space Centre - highly recommend it if you are in the area - which you could easily spend two days visiting. Great Stirrup Cay (private island) in the Bahamas was lots of fun and we tried out the snorkel which was a $30 Walmart purchase with no expectations. The grandson took

Great Stirrup Cay

On the reef off Nassau

off like he'd been snorkelling all his life (it took me a long time to get the hang of breathing through that tube when I first started) and was amazed at all the little fishies - even thought he found Dory. Great beach day! For the next day we booked a snorkel excursion in Nassau and were a bit skeptical as to how it would go…30 minute boat trip out to the reef, 15 ft. depth and significant waves and….that didn't deter the little man one bit. Off the end of the boat with his grandfather and had to be convinced to climb aboard when it was time to leave. It was a great collection of fish mind you. The following day on the ship when we went to the pool deck, I couldn't get down the ladder fast enough and he was swimming (no life jacket) across the pool. We have a swimmer! A successful cruise on many levels, including that I gained some weight, enjoyed myself, got a lot stronger and generally feel like myself again. 

Back into NYC and disembarkation was another chaotic and very slow moving event. Grabbed a cab, stored the luggage and over to the American Museum of Natural History which was an amazing way to beat the heat and humidity. Cab, luggage, airport check in and a bite to eat. As we were preparing for boarding…Delta made an announcement of flight delay (a passenger heard there was no pilot available) and then the story was 'weather' in Halifax and cancellation with flight in the am. So….after waiting in a long disgruntled line of passengers the Delta staff finally gave us a new flight (I vetoed the NY to Montreal to Toronto to Halifax first offer) from La Guardia (not JFK) later the following afternoon, voucher for shuttles and a night at Parc Hotel in Flushing, NY near La Guardia (which turned out to be a nice suites lodging for Asian visitors with a fusion breakfast (dim sum meat buns, strange fried crullers which were dipped in soy sauce, croissants, cereal etc. There was a bit of confusion at check in when the Asian night clerk kept asking for a credit card for the name on the vouchers. We had to convince him that five year olds don't have visas and he'd have to accept the shore captain's. Before departing we spent a few hours shopping in the discount mall next to the hotel and I managed to score new jeans and sneakers at a reasonable price, even after the currency exchange. With all the pounds dropped I now fit into a size 10 which is something I haven't done in years. 

Over to La Guardia, attempt to check in…oh we're flying WestJet from another area of the terminal. Where are the bags? The promise was that they'd been shipped directly to Halifax in the morning and would be awaiting us. Oh, so there was no room for us on that flight but…you shipped unaccompanied luggage? I've been on a Delta flight where we all had to deplane and claim our luggage before being cleared for take off as there was an extra bag for goodness sake. Through security and time for supper before the delayed flight departed. The grandson was tickled as "we got to ride on the big plane" ahh to have that magical thinking of that age. Off to Toronto and cleared customs (easier without bags and no one asked) and then a short wait for our flight home. A desperate search for our luggage at 1 am with the West Jet agent telling us that it was nothing to do with them (oh really? you just flew us here as a code share with Delta but are dropping us) so a group of us were finally rescued by an Air Canada agent who went into the luggage area and found them for us. It really had nothing to do with him actually, but he was very kind. An uneventful drive home and arrival at 4 am. Returned the grandson in the afternoon after doing our laundry and it was an early night for all of us on Monday. 

Tuesday I got my bloodwork done as a baseline for chemotherapy and had a short visit with my former co-workers. Found the son of one of our GPs doing a locum in the ER - very strange to find a classmate of the oldest daughter in charge of a busy emergency department. Off to Frenchy's to supplement my wardrobe as I'm tired of grabbing my clothes at the waist to keep them up. Scored big time with capris, shorts, t-shirts and tops…even found a cute pair of baby socks for my grand baby to be. Checked the mail to find some lovely cards from various friends and a gorgeous quilt made with love for my chemo journey. Good thing we live in the country so there was no one to see me sniffing at the super mailbox. Overwhelming the support and how much it means. Not always easy to accept all the help if you've been an independent sort. 

Today I got the safety inspection for the car done and discovered the brakes need to be redone (warranty at least) visited with former coworkers and ran errands in town. Got a haircut as I won't want my scalp touched I'm sure after treatments and had some strawberry shortcake delivered by a buddy before rushing off for an appointment for chemo teaching. Lots of information and reading materials which ensure you are well educated. Different side of the healthcare system for me and having to ask the questions and look into how the next five months will go is a new experience. Tomorrow we head down to the city to overnight with the daughter and son-in-law before the early Friday am appointment and chemotherapy scheduled following so will head home after treatment. 

Expect to post a positive report after my treatment so stay tuned. I'm pasting this link for some positive thinking here:

http://letwhylead.com/2016/06/52-ways-to-simplify-your-life.html

Mission Making Memories

Lest I have alarmed you with my medical history the previous posting, let me reassure you that I am doing well, really well. In fact so well that I've booked a last minute cruise for the shore captain, myself and our grandson, which leaves this weekend out of New York. The itinerary on the Norwegian Gem is kid focused so should be a fun, yet busy trip. We plan a visit to the space centre in Cape Canaveral, snorkelling on Great Stirrup Cay and in Nassau we're still researching as the grandson isn't 48 inches tall which is the minimum height for all but the baby rides. Grandfather was very disappointed as he had volunteered to be the partner on the rides. We fly to New York tomorrow and the cruise begins Saturday. The grandson wasn't aware of the vacation until this evening and is reported to be 'super excited' I have no doubt of that. Good to only have the one night with that knowledge as time moves slowly for five year olds. The travel partner has sourced tickets for the Yankees vs Red Sox game on Friday evening and I just closed my eyes when the price came up on the screen….it's only money right? Picked up sunscreen and children's tylenol and gravol "just in case". A friend brought some toys/games to occupy the lad on the flight, bought a mask, snorkel and flipper set for him etc. 

Registered the grandson for swimming lessons at the end of August which will hopefully work with all the appointments which I'll have. I had to confess to my specialist that I was going on a trip as he was trying to arrange a visit with the nurse for chemotherapy teaching and he was delighted, telling me to "enjoy myself". I've been walking to the mailbox and amfeeling stronger each time. Eating lots of good food and although I've gained some of the weight back it was quite a struggle to find clothes which fit for the trip. Usually the problem is not that they're too big but that they've shrunk! Good thing I found a belt.

A friend who has recently sold her home has offered to house sit for us which means attending the greenhouse and kitty sitting. Nice to have the house occupied while we are absent and the kitties always enjoy human attention. A bit of putting the house in order was required today and I had to show the shore captain how to turn on the vacuum as that is on my list of restrictions. A few repair jobs that have been waiting for some time such as the shower door in the bathroom and screen in the back door were taken care of - always nice to have a reason so that such lists get taken care of. 

Must get myself to bed as we'll have an exciting time ahead (and hot as the forecast is 32c in NY on Friday) however I think I'm as excited as the grandson….one more sleep and it's Mission Making Memories time. 

I'm baaaccckkkkkkkkk

After a hiatus of over two months (likely my longest blogging absence) I am bacckkkkk. Thanks for your patience and lack of scolding. There's been a lot going on in my life and I finally have some answers so will update you. Although this blog is usually focused on others as patients, I have been on the other side of the curtain for a bit. It's been an interesting experience and the 'research' I've done will allow me to share with patients in the future. The highlights:

I began experiencing symptoms while working north and they increased when I arrived home in mid April. I began a round of Dr. appointments, tests and good news/bad news (much like Curious George who if you remember was a curious little monkey where for example…unfortunately he fell out of a plane, fortunately had a parachute, unfortunately it didn't open, fortunately there was a haystack, unfortunately it had a pitch fork, fortunately he missed it, unfortunately he also missed the haystack) if you get my drift. The first gynaecologist appointment resulted in a uterine biopsy and ultrasound and on April 29th I received a life changing call from the surgeon which is never anticipated "the pathology on the biopsy shows it's malignant". This resulted in more tests with an MRI (almost lost my mind with claustrophobia) and CT (gastrographin - the contrast media - tastes nasty and gives you the runs) to ascertain spread (appears localized) and then referral to the NS Cancer Centre. Depressing spot with great staff (mix up and no appointment but I was fitted in) and saw a surgeon who booked me for a hysterectomy within 10 days. Grandson gave me a cold and I panicked and got some meds pre op so as not to get cancelled. Surgeon advised that chemotherapy would be started in three to four weeks and I'll be doing six cycles with treatments every three weeks as an outpatient in the city. Had a great post op stay in hospital with lots of visits and really swift recovery - only took tylenol for pain, no narcotics. Discharged on day three (they wanted to send me day two) and remembered well we used to keep patients for over a week post op hyst. I ran into problems within a day of being home with abdominal pain and vomiting, feeling the worst I've ever felt in my life. Back and forth over the next week multiple times to ER and finally at two weeks post op a CT was done showing I had two large intrabdominal abscesses and an enlarged right kidney. This resulted in more consults and finally transfer to the city hospital for ten days of IV antibiotics and tests such as oral/rectal CT (which is as much fun as it sounds) and a cystoscopy with insertion of stent in my ureter. Will have a CT in a few weeks and start treatments. So, enough gory details as I'm now home, eating a low fibre/ high protein diet to get myself built back up as I am down to 135 lb. I have wrapped my head around the positive outlook required and am a fighter so this is a just a bump in the road. Tough way to get the summer off work though I am enjoying the sun on the deck as I look at the ducks in the harbour in front of the house. 

I have another few weeks before I can drive myself and that is a pain, now that I'm feeling better. We have never been a couple where mister has to drive me to the grocery store. His version of 'shopping' is running in and picking up several things and rushing out. Yesterday I found myself saying "you have left the cart in the middle of the aisle would you do that with a vehicle?" multiple times as he did not follow any of the direction of flow, park near the shelves rules while organizing meals in my mind sending him sourcing ingredients and lifting heavy (have a 10 lb lifting restriction) bags etc. This was accomplished with audible sighs and eye rolling. It was likely my one 'shop' in a while so I made it count and for my troubles he commented  "if this had gone on any longer I was thinking I needed to bring a change of clothes".  It was a bit more complex with the label reading to switch to low fibre for me (a temporary requirement from all my complications) but really not as painful as the life partner interpreted. I borrowed the juicer machine from a daughter and am experimenting/learning with it as it's the only way I get my fruits and veggies for a bit. 

Have been overwhelmed with the support of family and friends on this journey as I have been spoiled rotten. Visits, offers of help, gifts (adult colouring book is awesome), calls, house calls to mind the kitties and the green house while away, flowers, messages have made me feel so special and a bit overwhelmed. Came home from shopping to find delicious chocolate chip cookies and a good book on the counter. Anyway, enough of the illness talk…I am already scheming as to how I can fit in a cross border trip before treatments (travel insurance wouldn't cover a pre-existing condition once I begin chemo) and perhaps an interprovincial one on good weeks…..gotta have plans. 

I have managed to shirk my baby shower hostessing responsibilities through this journey and the grand baby's other grandmother has stepped up to the plate so next weekend will be spent celebrating a new addition to the family expected in September. Nice chance to see everyone in a positive celebration. 

As my poor job share partner covers my rotation and speaks of all sorts of work related projects it is just background noise at this point as my sick leave has started. Enough chatting, out to source some vitamin D. 

Home stretch

To quote my job share partner….I am on my way home to replenish my emotional and physical stock. As I type this in the refurbished Terminal 3 of Pearson airport, I am awaiting my final flight of the three day odyssey home making the total of 14 take offs and landings. The cab for airport pickup has been booked, my trusty vehicle is in my nursing classmate's yard awaiting me and the weather forecast has changed from periods of rain to nice day. What more could you ask for? Good thing I checked my tickets last night as I had an early morning flight at 7 am and will be arriving in earlier than expected. Bonus

I have met interesting people along the way including a sea ice depth researcher who has a PhD. Made me smile as I have collected up some local knowledge which he was unaware of. He and I exchanged northern info from Inuvik to Yellowknife and it made the flight pass quickly. I fondly recalled a nurse I worked with (who cares deeply for northern folks) stating…well, you're not going to make them PhDs but they are good people.

I had another smile when I noticed the FB post last week of a daughter's classmate who is a physician now…..Mom: Do you have any questions for the doctor before we go? Kid: Mmm... Do you have any pets? I replied that I hoped he'd disclosed he has a cat, as disclosures of conflict of interest are always noted when Drs publish or speak at conferences.

The shore captain has already related the story of his big orange crew cab 4wheel drive truck mishap…Apparently while on his way home to head to the city and taking the oldest for an interview with the Navy (where she was told she was qualified - which we already knew, but is nice to hear from those who want you, to view the house the baby daughter had recently bought and moved in to, and celebrate the 30th birthday of the teacher daughter….he was in the wrong place. A few km from home he happened upon the traffic cones making one lane and a small bucket truck checking lines and stopped, then noticed the traffic control half ton truck stopped in the road. He heard a beep….beep….beep and after a few seconds it registered….oh no, he's backing up. He jammed the gearshift back down towards reverse but only made it as far as neutral before the crunch, sorrowfully telling me that a few years ago with quicker reflexes he might've made it to reverse. I assured him that even neutral would have allowed the truck to move when impacted and likely prevented whiplash, deployment of airbags and even more damage. The entire front of his truck was pushed backwards, but thankfully the radiator was spared so it was drivable and didn't seem to be 'out of line'. The security dudes were quickly out of the truck and apologetic as the driver had just dropped the truck into reverse and hit the gas without even checking his mirror. Needless to say he was late (a not uncommon state for the shore captain) for his city trip.

Have had a good chat with the daughter vacationing in Cuba and a Cuban friend as well as a paramedic buddy who is following behind me as he leaves Alberta on his trek home. The layover has slipped by and our fully sold out flight is boarding after some threats to check some bags…..

Turkey in the porch so I cooked it

The final week of gainful employment for a while and there is a long to-do list but…I am ignoring it. That is until the weekend when I will furiously clean up the apartment and bake some scones for my job share partner's arrival next Monday. It continues to amaze me that eight weeks can pass so quickly. I've done a bit of reading, a couple of courses, watched some movies, did some crocheting and a bit (very little bit) of writing…nothing much to show for my two months. Have ordered a set of tunisian crochet hooks as that's on my to learn list and a bug jacket because the next return will be 'bug season'.

Last week we had problems with flights, which in turn affects just about everything in a fly in community. We usually have three flights per week but Monday all planes were grounded due to a volcanic eruption in Alaska which sent a stream of ash 37,000 ft into the air which was carried by the winds across the arctic. Tuesday there was a make up flight sent in for people and freight but since we'd had no warning were unable to send anything out when the drugstore order appeared mid morning. Thursday came, I collected up the specimens, called folks in to have blood drawn and filled two lab boxes. We called the COOP before lunch for pick up and when 4 pm rolled around realized the plane was likely on the ground and no pickup. Call to the COOP, they were up at the airport and no one was answering the phone. Calls made all around the community and finally the clerk convinced her brother in law to drop by and provide courier service to the airport for us. That was too close for me because if the specimens had missed the flight I would've had to redraw them as the next flight on Monday would've made them too old. When the freight was delivered I called the COOP employee on missing the pick up - he looked alarmed but was speechless. Finally recovering his tongue he told me the COOP manager was out in the truck. Aha, sacrificed you did they? Out to the steps and the manager and his buddy are chatting away in the waiting truck until…I point at them and they put the window down. I ask why the lab box wasn't picked up and….they make the poor decision of accusing me of not calling for pickup. I firmly state the clerk did and I witnessed it, they look at it each other nervously. They deny again and ask who took the call. I name the young clerk and take a step towards them across the deck which causes them to look worried and start putting the window up. At this point the manager says that only the two of them (Dumb and Dumber I think to myself) are to be the one notified of lab boxes. I point and say….you have used up your one chance with me, it best not happen again. Need I add that the lab box was picked up on time and delivered to the plane today?

Speaking of the COOP I suited up in my winter gear braving the -45c temperature on Saturday as I sought milk and eggs. Of course after I shuffled my way across the snow, there was none. There was however key lime greek yogurt , huge sweet oranges and asian salad mix…go figure. I think I know what those who have a retinal detachment go through as my sunglasses (must wear with the glare off the white stuff) frosted up to the point I could only see out of the upper left corner of my left eye by the time I reached the steps. When you can feel the cold through the sleeve of your Expedition weight Canada Goose parka and the strip of your forehead exposed beneath the pang hat and hood fur is burning/freezing….it's cold! The hours of sunlight however are increasing and it's quite light at 11 pm still. 

This particular rotation has been very busy. As I was compiling the end of month report today for the manager and inserting the stats I realized that the visit numbers were double a slower month in say May or June. A lot of those visits were in the off hours as well which makes for less down time. This was due in large part to the influenza outbreak across the north (and North America) this past month. Those who were immunized (myself included) although indignant at first to have caught the flu, realized we had a milder form when watching those who didn't have the flu shot. And of course I've been solo here for the past four weeks which meant no one to share  the workload with, deal with the non copers or back me up when unrealistic requests or inaccurate statements were made…I don't have my magic wand with me, sorry.  As is the case anywhere, the sicker ones were more polite and appreciative than those who demanded immediate attention and weren't as ill as the nurse. Will be nice to go to bed without the work cell phone. 

Ah, but not to worry as the weather is warming slightly and so ice fishing will be more enjoyable. The geese are beginning their migratory return and soon the hunt will be on. There was a fishing derby on over Easter weekend and many from the community headed out to their cabins (large white tents with wooden walls) near the lakes. The clerk had forgotten it was derby weekend, caught a nice char and they had it for supper. She was annoyed with herself until she found out her two sister in laws had entered their fish in the derby, filleted them for supper and left them outside the cabin, only to find that arctic foxes had made off with them. I had a mental image of the white foxes waiting outside the cabins until they heard snoring and then snatching the sushi. 

One morning as the janitor came to work she said "you need to put your turkey in the fridge" which left me with a puzzled look. I followed her out to the cool front entryway which is left open (only inside door locked in case someone needs shelter) and found….a thawed turkey sitting on the shelf. Good thing, she noticed it. I mused as to how and when a frozen turkey was placed there and she said "they were delivering them last night at 5:30pm". Apparently the Community Corp was using up their end of fiscal year money and delivered turkeys to all residents. I'm used to land claim beneficiaries receiving a full hamper of turkey, ham and fixins for Christmas but this doesn't usually extend to non locals. Roasted the turkey on the weekend and have been enjoying it in multiple ways since. Will likely have to freeze some of it as one person + large turkey means LOTS of leftovers. 

The weather in NS has been rather wintry with lots of snow, freezing rain, windy and ice the past few days. I am hoping that is all out of the way by the time I retrieve my little blue car without its snow tires and drive home. The shore captain has been chasing generators in power outages to keep his lobsters happy so has been kept busy with the storms. Now with his 4 wheel drive truck he is off to the city tomorrow to spend time with the three daughters..one having an interview, one celebrating a 30th birthday and the other having bought a house. 

I have just finished up a free online course I've been doing through Future Learn called The Impact of Nursing which was excellent. Have done a few through this program and this is the best yet. The subject matter of course appealed - from the history to the future of nursing and I learned lots but most especially it was well designed, the right length and just made you want to keep on going. I have more time and better bandwidth for such pursuits 'up here' so it might be a while before I do another. 

My greatest annoyance of the day was a difference of opinion with Amazon over whether two day shipping is actually two day shipping. I was told by the customer service rep it was only "for like people in Ontario, not rural folks" when I complained that the Tuesday delivery date morphed quickly into Friday as soon as I paid. She offered to refund the extra shipping I paid. "The 7.98 isn't even worth my time which I've spent on hold". I explained that at my age I make lots of mistakes but attempt to avoid repeating them, and ordering from Amazon now fell into that category. Don't tick off a Nanak trying to order something for her grandson!

Time to crawl into bed with my ebook Crazy Rich Asians which is a pretty good read. I finished the autobiography of Martin Short which was enjoyable and of course funny. Last night was a 'monkey mind' night (as my job share partner calls them) where my mind raced with the change over to 'down south' living anticipated. If it's been a while since you've seen more than 75 people in one place…the larger plane out of Yellowknife can be quite an experience. Just sayin….

Fly out of here flu

Looking at only three weeks remaining….after the mid point the time slips by quickly.  The past two weeks were busy what with bidding adieu to my coworker who headed back to her long suffering husband, 12 year old (thinks she's 22) daughter and 10 year old son. She was not looking forward to the housework which awaited her. They were very much looking forward to her arrival. A number of calls, texts, video chats her final week over various issues that arrive with the developmental age of her youngsters. One afternoon a message said her husband was taking the son for stitches, texted photos and a video chat established that it could be steri stripped back together. Her husband was sourcing paper for a book report (due the next day of course) when she reached him, he sounded exasperated and said "how do you know it needs stitches anyway?" Apparently her son had fallen on his computer but the daughter added that it wasn't just a fall…a buddy of his had tripped him and finished dramatically with "he's too young to have stitches". I gently suggested that leaving (even for a month and with a great husband who works days) gets tougher as their puberty gets closer.  I told her I felt the need to wait until the nest was empty before I did the northern gig, the life partner can fend for himself and now that the dog is no longer with us I feel no guilt - cats certainly don't care as long as someone puts food in the dish. I fed her lobster chowder, biscuits and brownies as her farewell supper and she was ecstatic. I gave the leftover chowder to the clerk for her families lunch as I have pretty ready access to lobster and it's not such a luxury for me. 

There was a community meeting here to discuss the polar bear population, quotas and management plan and although I toyed with the idea of going, in the end opted out. The clerk gave me the overview the following morning, especially as it related to the hybrids (polargrizz) in the area. Some female polar bears have (for over a decade) mated with grizzlies (not racist as they like brown males a community member in Uluhaktuk said at the last presentation) which moved into the area with climate change. Actually, both populations of bears are pretty mobile as a mother and cubs were found walking down the highway in Deline this week and that's quite south in NWT. The hybrid offspring are studied / reported on by hunters and scientists and the polargrizz and grizzlies seem to live in the NE Banks Island and NW Victoria Island areas. The Inuit are respectful of polar bears but after centuries know what to expect from them, grizzly bears at least in this area are new to them and they are (with good reason) afraid of them. Samples are taken from every bear harvested - fur, meat, fat etc. to be tested for mercury, DNA typing, diseases etc. There are 77 tags in the region for polar bear harvesting and 26 of them issued to Sachs Harbour, so we are clearly polar bear central here. The clerk raised a good point when she asked why the hybrids are issued a polar bear tag as they are only 50% polar bear? Still lots of details to be worked out. 

Bureaucracy won the past week as I argued with HR, struggled with the MFU, fought with the computer and attempted to comply with various bureaucratic directives…as we hurtle towards the fiscal year end. 

Watching all the photos posted of March Break fun reminds me of past vacations with the kids from the most basic to more elaborate tropical trips. The teacher daughter and son in law have returned from Arizona so I guess the tradition continues. Some great deals on travel this year, whether it's the uncertainty of the North American economy, reduced fuel prices or just overcapacity in the market….consumers are benefiting. The nurse daughter and husband having just bought a house are shopping for a lawnmower…as I gaze out on lots of winter still remaining here and think of not having a lawn at all to mow at home the concept is foreign. Better them than me. 

I tried to have a FaceTime chat with the shore captain last Sunday who had returned from the Seafood Show with his annual viral illness and that was a performance I don't wish to repeat. He couldn't get the iPad to work, at one point it was sideways, his head hurt and he actually said 'I don't know how long I'm gonna last' his hearing was worse than ever, lots of sighing and moaning. I got the daughter to dial up with Skype and it was perfectly fine so clearly the operator, but even with a good connection….Clearly not a good call on his part to omit the flu shot this year. The chat today went much smoother except for a few reconnections. I noted that he had shaved for the 'other woman' in his life as the CFIA inspection due this week would require wearing a beard net if not. Ha! Always surprises me to see green and trees out the window when we chat. Texted with the boy captain on his way in from lobstering the other night and he said they'd been getting out about once a week due to weather…been a good year he said which speaks volumes. He'd been avoiding his father's bugs, but felt the plant employees had passed it on to a crew member so the bug was on the boat. sigh. 

The entire north has been ill as influenza makes its way across and this community didn't escape it, nor did I although perhaps a milder version due to being immunized. Of course being the solo nurse in community meant I couldn't even use sick time and go to bed (as did the clerk) but had to keep seeing people who weren't as sick as I was and watch them put a cigarette in their face on the way out the door….that dynamic never increases the empathy. Have had the weekend to rest up and feeling much better. Watched a couple of movies, crocheted, read - finished The Arctic Grail by Pierre Berton which was one of those well researched / written books he was famous for. Chased the carpenters working on the other apartments here as they need access to the garage occasionally. 

The time change makes for a lighter evening but messes with the head of course. The days are getting longer exponentially up here so we have more than 12 hours of daylight no matter what time it occurs this week. Locals are already discussing spring fishing and looking ahead to goose hunting. It was warm (relatively) here today at -23c and I had to put on my sunglasses to look out the window across the sea ice. 

Must get back to watching the media coverage of the Obamas in Cuba - pretty interesting developments as it's been 88 years since a USA president visited that country. And just think….we could be watching a Rolling Stones free concert in Havana next weekend if we'd played our cards right! The times they are a changing. 

I leave you with a link to a travel blog by a mature female traveller who is at present in Europe - Travels with the Red Suitcase:

https://sherrillmadden.wordpress.com

Proving that travel at any age is how you make it!