Blizzard Central

Kitchen window as it wanes

Noontime in the blizzard

As I sit cozily inside, an arctic blizzard is raging in the darkness here. It began about 24 hours ago and is forecast to go for a few more hours yet. The walls are being being buffeted with snow blown by 80km winds and the windows are opaque with the white stuff. It's a good day for sleeping and I suspect that for the most part the community is hunkered down…..aside from evidence of a preteen boy's restlessness in a FaceBook photo of him bundled in parka, fur mitts and kamiks playing hockey in almost zero visibility. It is customary to sleep away the day in the 'dark time' of the north even without a storm though. This past week I was reminded of this with two situations…the first at 1:30 pm as a mother with a question on the phone said in an aside to her three year old "no, you can't have that, you're going to eat breakfast" and as I glanced at the clock I thought 'that ship has sailed, it's even getting a bit late to call what you're eating lunch' . And the second when I questioned timing of the appearance of a rash and was told "when we got up at 3pm" and that was not in reference to a nap but arising for the day. I've worked with night shift workers who don't sleep that long. But who am I as a certified nite owl to judge eh?

All generations were present at the school Christmas concert one evening this week. The pageant included A Christmas Carol with the Principal assuming the role of Mr. Scrooge - this because having only 11 students can be a challenge for casting. The play was wonderful and when a three year old from the audience joined the Crachetts (her sisters) for

Inualthuyak School 

the play food in the dishes the crowd chuckled. The highlight for me was the singing of Christmas carols in local dialect - Siglit. Reminded me of a Christmas past when the kids were small and a neighbour initiated the huge project of putting on a pageant in the small local United church which hadn't been open for some time - it came from the era of a church in every community close enough to walk to. Tin ceilings, no electricity, plaques on the walls in memory of local young men sacrificed to war, oil stove hissing, smell of fir boughs, painted pews stuffed with family and community members of all denominations together to celebrate the season and listen to young voices. Magical simplicity. A northern small school with a wonderful local teacher evokes the same feelings. 

There are at least two more flights, maybe three if Aklak Air pilots are up for being Santa on the 24th….And that's a good thing as there are lots of folks still waiting on parcels from the chatter. You'd think this close to the north pole that it wouldn't be a problem! I was pleased to find the area rug that the roommate and I ordered from Bed Bath & Beyond (who likely didn't think they'd have to ship it to this far beyond) had arrived. It really makes the living room cozy and less transient like. Getting the schedules sorted out for the coming year, decorating the nest and comparing routines is a definite benefit of us being here at the same time - happening only this year due to the absence of the nurse in charge. 

In my Acting Nurse in Charge (makes me think of the saying to fake it until you make it) I've been learning the ropes for all the bureaucracy. My job share partner has a leg up on me as she spent a year with this employer in another community. Overall I did a better job this week of keeping under management radar. The past week was (incidentally the last five day week I work until February due to the upcoming holidays) a steady one.It's a nice variety of visits here with albeit reduced numbers - well baby immunization, walk in clinic types of calls, management of various chronic illnesses and phone calls which require some health teaching.  Steady in part because I was holding down the fort alone, lots on the go as we head towards a holiday slow down and folks who will be off are frantic to get things settled and also due to a physician clinic held over two afternoons via tele health. You know the type of physician that has made the north his home? Youngish fellow, beard, plaid shirt, kind of sleep deprived which was the reason for not travelling over as his physician wife had just delivered a third child. I wasn't sure how the 'at a distance' appointments would work out but as I helped an elder with a cane (remember this was someone who was born 'out on the land') down the hall the assessment was positive as in "first time I am meeting a Dr. on the TV, he was kinda nice". What changes in their lifetimes eh?

One lunch hour as I sat at the table gazing out through the window over the Amundsen Gulf, I saw in the twilight a small bright light moving across the white surface just near the horizon, and for a brief moment thought 'at home that would be a lobster boat on the way in' and then with a shake of my head realized 'it's a hunter coming in off the sea ice' . Very similar phenomenon in some ways. Sort of like the storage and inventory of food in the cupboard as I finish up a rotation  relates to the caching of supplies by hunters in various trail cabins vs the eating my way out of the community as a casual nurse who may not be returning to the same spot. At this point I am doing my best to consume perishables. 

Speaking of food I heard a wonderful quote last week describing the realization that some things were not as you had always thought they were "sometimes it's best not to see how hamburger is made". Hard to argue with that one. 

You know you're in a good place when your biggest problem this week is that the humidifier died. The deposits from the water killed it I think. I chipped them away but fear it was too late as it likely overheated and died during the night.  Have been keeping busy by crocheting a bit of Christmas decor for the apartment, watching some movies I brought, Lunch Box was a neat Bollywood film with subtitles and a cute story - Unbroken was excellent if difficult war story to watch and Alive Inside is highly recommended for anyone, especially healthcare workers as it deals with music and dementia. And a buddy suggested YouTubes of Teepa Snow who is an expert on elder care - really good! Especially the one on early signs of dementia, mind you a bit frightening when I applied them to the life partner but I shall mark that down to much cortisol (negative stress hormone) circulating in his bloodstream. 

I was shocked to see that someone had shared a warrant notice by the RCMP in Alberta and the wanted person had a name familiar to me from home. When I read through the description he was tall and thin and spoke with a thick NS accent. That would only identify him in the west, not a home. No worries, everyone would know who he was in NS! Oh dear!

Will welcome the job share partner back and we'll see if she's managed to fit a tree into the luggage as planned. We have plans to distribute Christmas hampers to the elders this week and will be enjoying our own hamper with the clerk and her husband on Christmas Day. A week from now and I'll be throwing stuff into a duffle bag and heading out. Hard to believe how quickly this rotation has gone, even though ti's been extended.