What concert?

The commute home, which has become routine over the past six years went fairly smoothly. The

beauty of a commute

eldest community elder (who visits most flights as they connect with his childhood home of Uluhuktuk) was there to see us all off, and that was nice as my return if at all, will not be soon. Although the weather was iffy the flight arrived and we enjoyed a beautiful run east to Uluhuktuk and then back to Inuvik - first time I’ve had a pilot say “welcome to Aklak Air ladies” as there were 12 females only on that leg. Still lots of sea ice below and the usual ‘arriving in Inuvik’ upwinds. Chatted with a summer student doing sports programs in various communities as we waited for the cab I'd called - the mosquitoes were terrible, in your eyes and mouth, as I remembered from Labrador years ago.

We shared my cab to Capital Suites where I discovered there was no reservation for me - the travel clerk strikes again - so paid for the only available option - a full suite and emailed the manager I would be expecting to be reimbursed in full. She replied apologizing and suggested that she could attempt to have the charges reversed. I accepted the offer as I noted the lengthy reimbursement wait at present. I am out of pocket $1500 for my travel in and out plus my RN reimbursement (which will pay for 2019 by the time I receive it) so that doesn't make me (or any of my coworkers - some of whom are owed $5K) very happy.  She did thank me for all my hard work on the contract and again said I was welcome in the region anytime - she is trying but.... I reinforced that I like 'this community' and she acknowledged that this wouldn't be open until January. I ended our discussion stating 'send me the

bug truck

email needs and I'll be in touch' as a reference is always required when moving on, so bridges should not be burned. Lots of visitors in town with lots of bug splattered trucks and a large coach of German tourists "that must've been a fun ride on the Dempster Highway" was the general consensus. I enjoyed a late supper of sweet potato fries and a wrap with two cocktails at Shivers and slept soundly. The only wrinkle in my Inuvik plans was that the Great Northern Arts Festival didn't open until the evening. Oh well. Off to pick up some breakfast foods from North Mart and ran into community members and so a chance to say goodbye. Managed a few 'tourist' photos and time to ready for the airport. 

A seamless check in as the health centre clerk's daughter is there, the bags are checked through to NS and we're soon headed south. No station stop in Norman Wells (woohoo) and off to Yellowknife to deplane in the rain for security screening. Back onboard to await thunderstorms and off to Edmonton with lots of turbulence. The three hour lounge wait is eased by some G&Ts and a meal and we're boarding for the red eye. I discover a couple with a five month old baby as my seatmates and the little guy was the best behaved on the flight. I slept from takeoff to landing and was retrieved at at the airport by my daughter. A quick stop and the three generations were off to pick up my car and head 'down the shore' for a couple of days. What a lovely welcome home to discover that my granddaughter can now clearly say "Nanak" ahhh.

Home for over a week now and as usual into the round of getting reacquainted with my life. Certainly easier to head north of 60 and settle in to the cozy apartment, then return to the ‘real life’ after eight weeks of northern living. Having to consult with a housemate for meals and schedules is new to me after the ‘single life’ which I enjoyed temporarily. I was pleased to find a propane fire pit in the veranda room, while not exactly what I'd envisioned after providing photos of examples over the past year, but of course the stylist/designer has final approval and I really just want the warmth for the shoulder seasons so no worries. The in-house restoration expert also refurbished the antique head and footboard set for the spare room (museum) which I'd picked up at an auction about 10 years ago. It really completes the bedroom. 

One of the major perks of the southern trek is that the gentleman farmer has approached his grow op with the usual over the top enthusiasm for projects and we are presently being overrun by veggies particularly cucumbers, all sorts of greens and zucchini. You know the rule…if you plant zucchini you need to have a lot of friends help you eat it! I processed 24 cups of grated zucchini for the freezer - the chocolate cake recipe I have calls for three cups so I see some desserts in our future. We’ve been eating a mostly plant based diet fresh from the garden and that’s a real boost to the spirits after the arctic deprivation and obviously a good problem to have. The large amounts of garden produce have led the shore captain to suggest that he should put a sign out by the road directing passers by to help themselves. Clearly there will be some preserving of various items - beets, cucumbers, basil and drying of others as in onions and herbs. We (especially with the arrival of the two grandkids) are able to keep up with the tomatoes as they ripen - can’t vouch for when those plants full of green fruit turn red - perhaps some salsa is in order. The current issue is the immediate consumption of armfuls of lettuce. The future also includes broccoli, brussels sprouts, squash and pumpkins

Our German chef friend gifted us a couple of red currant bushes (deer don’t eat those as they do high bush blueberries apparently) and although the fruit was small I managed to pick one cup (no hope of jelly with that small amount) and found an online recipe from Genius Kitchen (how could it not be good?) for muffins using that amount which turned out well with a few modifications and despite the ‘not having any milk’ factor which made me slightly uneasy:

Red Currant Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

I cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 salt

1 cup fresh red currants

Cream butter and sugar

Blend in eggs and extract

Lightly mix in dry ingredients

Fold in red currants

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full, sprinkle tops with sugar/cinnamon. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin. Freeze well.

So that took care of the red currant harvest for 2018. I suspect that this recipe would work well with cranberries as they are a tart fruit too. 

A visit to the spa first thing Monday morning so I'd dare show myself outdoors. We enjoyed several swims in the pool, deciding that the seniors and babies setting is appropriate - oooh that heat pump is lovely! A trip to the garage for servicing/vehicle inspection resulted in the need for new tires as they 'wouldn't pass' but as the original tires of five years ago, they owe me nothing. I negotiated a reasonable price for basic tires with the dealership because with the low mileage I accumulate, wear isn't the issue. The bonus of a service appointment is a Frenchy's excursion where I scored big - lots of granddaughter outfits, a pair of jeans which fit me perfectly (a rare find at any price) new expensive capris and Victoria Secret underwear with the tags on. Life is good.  One of the highlights of my return was a lunch date with nursing school classmates. It's wonderful to still enjoy getting together after meeting 44 years ago - we're no longer student teenagers - the majority are retired grandmothers with lots of ups and downs in their life stories but....we still connect in a unique way.

Daniels Head Beach

shorebirds on the beach

Difficult to describe those bonds to people who didn't live/learn together so intently...back in the day. I remember as a teenager my mother embarking with great anticipation for a nursing class
reunion in Quebec and I was gobsmacked by the anniversary of 35 years. Ha! A stop at the library to upload pictures for a photobook followed by a beach walk with a buddy balanced the soul. We are so fortunate to have such lovely beaches in our area, very sparsely visited and the water wasn't even as feet numbing as usual.

We have concert tickets for ZZTop in Montreal on August 17th so I finally cornered the shore captain to plan transportation. The getaway includes taking the grandson to visit his Auntie and she'll hang out with him while we rock out in Montreal Friday night. Previously all mentions of seat sales were met with the 'driving up, camping along the way' plan. When the dust finally cleared we are booked for flights to Ottawa Friday to Monday. Thus a two day each way drive and at least a couple of days visit was distilled to 72 hrs. How was driving ever an option with this schedule? Not complaining, it's better than spending 1400 km in a vehicle! Although the plan had been run by the grandson's mother, the dates hadn't been confirmed and (remembering there is a 24 hr window to cancel the tickets) I quickly messaged the "have plans to see a concert and visit Auntie. Is he available to come with us Aug 17 - 20?" and received the reply....'he is - he asked what concert'. Ha ha ha he likely thought it was Paw Patrol or some such star. I quickly corrected his misperception and assured him that he and Auntie would do something fun while we were teenagers again yelling Gimme All Your Lovin:

youtube.com/watch?v=Ae829mFAGGE

And speaking of seat sales....while I was at it, I booked my airfare to study Spanish in Cuba this fall. Down October 29, return November 26 with WestJet into Holguin (a layover in Toronto each way but no overnight) was only $527 total and I was able to use my $314 WJ dollars. I booked a seat on the Viazul bus from Holguin to Santiago de Cuba for less than $20 and my son in law is in the process of arranging accommodation - this negotiation is best done by a 'national' we agree.  Getting excited for my adventure.

cutting the cake

This weekend has been busy while the shore captain/gentleman farmer and his chef friend fed over 100 wedding guests for a buddy of the captain - they roasted a pig on our spit and barbecued 250 chicken breasts to add to the wedding buffet. Good thing the chef was invited along as the groom had apparently miscounted the chicken, thinking it was 125 pieces. That's not chicken to supplement the pork, it's pork to supplement the chicken with those numbers, they'll be eating chicken for a lonnngg time. Their work was well received by all, including myself as I arrived in time for the ceremony in the rain (good thing they had an event tent) and supper. It was a casual event...think hippie ceremony, with friends and family from near and far. I stopped for provisions on the way home at the end of a full day.

Had an online chat with my former jobshare partner to find out that she has resigned from the Nurse in Charge position effective August 6th and is moving over to do Homecare in Nunavut. Said "the straw was the fight about the expense claims" proving that if you push old folks far enough they will walk (or in this case fly) away. I may consider a short contract in the community she's heading to if the Baffin project is taking too long. Lots of options, no need to put up with crap.

Today marks the opening of the wild blueberry u-pick so I must finish off the remainder of last year's berries by baking a blueberry buckle. We're heading to the city for routine appointments and will pick up the granddaughter to stay with us while her parents enjoy tend days in Iceland. Have arranged to pick up the grandson from his softball game on Thursday as he has swimming lessons next week at the lake. Really looking forward to a fun and busy Nanak time. The fog has lifted a bit, off to check the pool temperature. Ahhh

It's Fly Day

Spent the morning doing the laundry, baking two batches of scones - one blueberry for the returning CHN I'll meet at the airport and one cranberry for the NIC who is being left behind. We've had a nice two day visit where we've caught up on all the news, did a calm handover, and eaten ourselves into a food coma several times. Last night we invited the clerk down for supper and had ribs, squash, roasted potatoes, carrots and cheesecake with fruit sauce for dessert. Ahhhh

All packed (except for the frozen snow goose and ice packs which is a gift for the shore captain from our clerk) and ready for the 3 pm check-in at the airport. Managed to cram all my stuff into two bags and will use my knapsack as carry on and call the bag of crocheted crafts a purse. It's 1c and cloudy so still wearing my gloves but have packed my winter jacket finally as the mainland is warmer. An overnight in Inuvik to acclimatize to larger numbers of people where I see a wrap and sweet potato fries at Shivers in my future.

I have plans to attend the Great Northern Arts Festival there which begins tomorrow and then head to the airport for to catch a Canadian North flight to Edmonton - via Norman Wells and Yellowknife - with a few hr wait lounge wait for the West Jet red eye to Halifax. The summering teacher daughter has offered airport pickup and after a short visit we'll head over to pick up my awaiting car which has had the insurance coverage reapplied and a trip down the shore to share the weekend with her and the granddaughter. Should be a good (busy) time so the reason for updating the blog just now...no time later. Catch you all on the flip side.

In to the countdown now...

As I take a short break from my 'baking spree' where I've made a batch of chocolate chip cookies, a deep dish apple pie and frozen them as well as set up a cheesecake and two batches of scones to be finished off later. Let me chronicle the events of my final full work week in the foreseeable future. My flight out of here is Thursday afternoon and the abbreviated week will also see my former job partner, now Nurse in Charge aka Boss Woman arriving on Tuesday from Tuktoyuktuk where is she is presently filling in. This will give us a chance to catch up in depth on work and other things and I have saved some of my goodies - cheese, smoked oysters and triscuits followed by smoked meat sandwiches the clerk's husband gifted us. He was most impressed with the brunch of last weekend and was generous from his smokehouse. For Wednesday I have saved the ribs I was offered from the BBQ and we shall have squash - I had to check to see if my buddy ate squash, never know with her as she has definite food tastes, well she enjoys ALL baked goods and snacks but only certain veggies. She sent a photo of a bag of bounty bars which she'd found in the Tuk apartment and was having for breakfast today.

To follow up on the saga from the Baffin region I (as expected) didn't hear anything as promised from HR so I emailed yesterday to ask for next steps and received this reply:

Please send me your resume and we will screen it.
If you are selected for an interview, we will let you know.
Thanks,

Which I'm going to take as a positive sign because HR never commit to anything in writing. I didn't question the request for another copy of my resume attaching it and hitting reply promptly as directed, even though this copy is number six. Clearly left and right hands have no idea of the others tasks. I was heartened to discover that my good buddy from ICP/OHN days, who I visited in Iqaluit when he worked there named the prospective manager as someone he missed, a good friend and "smart and clear thinking and a great person." He is not one to bestow compliments lightly and tells things as they are so I was pleased with his assessment. Certainly not how I would describe things going with my present situation. And although if I were asked to testify at this point, I might be labelled a hostile witness I am still managing on the clinical front to hold things together and defend myself with this link:

https://work.qz.com/1309735/adam-grant-the-best-employees-are-not-the-agreeable-ones

At the end of one of the workdays this week I received a call from my present manager. I have had limited contact, it usually is negative or neutral in nature involving asking something of me (the request of a couple of wks ago - you could move to this great community, it's a lovely place, you can drive out from there - yeah? well there was a murder there this week and our mental health counsellor has gone down for crisis counselling - that would've been me there as a nurse in that health centre if I'd taken her up on that offer...nuff said).

There have been attendance problems for the cleaner which I had mentioned weeks ago in a previous chat and the manager went down the road of progressive discipline, fireside chats, documenting with a certain form, a template of a script from HR etc etc. I said "this person is a casual, none of that is required" and she told me to contact HR. And I certainly tried but as of this writing, I have not heard from them. Multiple calls and emails went unanswered. In frustration I contacted a senior NIC in another community who (although she would meet the description in the link above) is very knowledgeable and no nonsense. She was most helpful and laid out the process...in a nutshell a casual employee after three non satisfactory excuses can be 'let go' and as the contract is expiring anyway, we just don't rehire so if you have a suitable replacement you can ask the manager for a CSA and they start work - warn them that it will likely be six weeks before they get paid with the dysfunctional system here. At some point we get a resume, criminal records check and have them sign an oath of confidentiality and send it along for their file. So, I did just that about ten days previously. As the contract expiry deadline approached I followed up with the documents to the manager and....the phone rang. The first point the manager makes is that I should've contacted her about the non-attending employee. I calmly stated that I did and referenced our initial conversation which she agrees she remembers now. She again goes down the progressive discipline road and I again respectfully disagree and this time she adds that I've likely left my employer open for a grievance. I again disagree and state that I followed up more diligently than required, have documented and feel comfortable with my decisions. Then she tells me that an employee can't start work without a CSA (in contradiction of my source). When I mention that I've spoken to a senior nurse she states hesitantly (likely mindful of my interaction where I advised that old nurses don't like to be treated rudely and told who's boss - we know that, but I was referring to her predecessor) that she is the manager and I should approach her first. I say "I did, you didn't respond, neither did HR, if there is a vacuum and action required that space will be filled by people who need to deal with things" She apologizes if she's upset me and I reassure her that I am not the least concerned about this. I further added that clearly if this is the path indicated by other NICs then a bigger problem exists. If she wishes the process to be conducted differently she will have to go back to the beginning and deal with the NICs. She agrees. The next day I received a copy of the CSA which was being forwarded to HR so the replacement has at least been placed into the system and will be paid...at some point.

After the labour issues were put to rest the manager went on to tell me that I'm welcome to work anytime in the region, that I'm a good nurse although she knows I have a lot 'going on' (oh if only you knew I thought) I just need to call her and she'll see what's available. She admits that it won't be in this community for this year but maybe Uluhaktuk or....somewhere. I decide to educate her again and explained that "since last September when I left my jobshare and was promised I'd be on the email distribution list for casual contracts I have not received any emails. The only reason I'm sitting here having this conversation with you is because the NIC here (my former jobshare partner) mentioned it when we were chatting. AND let me make myself clear that this wasn't information which she divulged incorrectly BUT something I should've been receiving anyway. I received one email in the first week you arrived, when you were replaced by your predecessor for a week I never received another email." How much clearer can I make this I thought? She haltingly explained that she wasn't sending a lot of casual listings as there were postings out and I firmly stated "my casual coworker received one yesterday, I did not - however I was privy to it on the NIC email". I heard the computer keys clicking as she emailed the request. I thought....don't hold your breath on hearing from me in the new future.

My manager indicated she had to go but I stated "I am looking for my 2018 RN registration reimbursement of $930. I have already paid $30 for a replacement as the initial one I sent has gone missing and apparently only a paper copy of the receipt, not my actual license will get me my money back". She murmured that she hadn't seen it and I said "you are not included in the list of suspects as the first one was last fall long before you arrived. I have paid the RNANT/NU reissue fee and they state they've mailed it to you, I gave them your name and address". I can hear the furious sounds of a search ongoing while she mumbles "I haven't seen it in the office, perhaps someone sent it for processing, are you sure?" To which I replied "I am sure that I am not going to pay another $30 if it is lost again in the office and I WILL be getting my $930 reimbursed as that is something there will be a grievance about because in two months I have to pay for 2019 ". As soon as I'd hung up there was an email saying the receipt had been sent for processing.

The above dysfunction is in addition to discussion on the NIC phone call of Tuesday where a group of us (I suspect most of us older than the manager's mother) discussed completing CHMIS forms. They aren't used anywhere else in the region, no one looks at them, the information is captured on the EMR system and we were told the reason was ....the CEO wanted us to, after some heated discussion we were left with the same message. As well, we were informed that overdue (no objective measurement of that definition even though I asked for clarification) travel reimbursement claims are now being examined and we are NOT to call the clerks and ask about them as that slows them down. I suspect that the claims reach back at least a year as a message from the clerk this spring asked for the shore captain's address as his claim from May 2017 was being sorted out. Note - he has yet to receive an update. My coworkers who travel more regularly than me are owed $5K each, so not chump change. The manager was to send a template for us to complete of who is waiting for claims - haven't seen that yet, or the minutes from the meeting. Again not holding my breath. The young, inexperienced manager who wants us all to just get along and play nice is I suspect going to be swallowed up quickly.

As you can imagine from all of the above...my determination to move employers is fueled by the shenanigans. Although the obvious suggestion is to not work, a route than most of my nursing school classmates and many younger coworkers have chosen....I'm simply not there in my head yet. I really missed the north when I was unable to work and have (even with the turmoil) looked forward to working since being off in September and I really like this community. I just don't want the politics and angst of the present employer.

The actual community work is for the most part fine. Yesterday I did a three year old's immunization and was not impressed to find the 'boss of the house' which is unfortunately a widespread problem, not necessarily confined to the north. A cooperative and cheerful patient until the shot, cried a bit at the time and settled to play with the toys and then remembered the indignity suffered and began to rage. Sobbing huge crocodile tears, yelled and screamed, slapped the mother, refused to be comforted (only briefly when auntie brought a chocolate bar) and refused to leave the health centre "until I feel better" with noise induced hearing loss level wails. I provided tylenol, no not the chewable tabs 'doesn't like those' so liquid it was which of course was refused and spit on the auntie and mother. So they stayed looonnnggg past the requisite 15 min. to assess for allergic reaction while the mother pleaded "what do you want?" and seemed completely at a loss as to what to do with the tyrant. Clearly the only limits this child has are self decided. Finally the group exited to the COOP for a treat when an arriving community member suggested we were closing the health centre (why hadn't I thought of that earlier?) and silence ensued. Ahhh. The following link speaks volumes:

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/06/21/621752789/a-lost-secret-how-to-get-kids-to-pay-attention 
 

And speaking of treats as the A/NIC I became inadvertently involved in an intergenerational family struggle I have entitled the 'slushie war'. I was approached by a grandparent who was concerned that the children are being fed too many treats and slushies from the COOP. I agreed as I've stood in the checkout line witnessing large amounts of money being handed over for chocolates and the ditch is littered with slushie cups and straws. As our discussion continued I was pointedly reminded that in my position as community health nurse I was to promote a healthy lifestyle and that a message from the nurses at the health centre would perhaps make an impression. I protested that people make their own decisions even though they know slushies aren't a healthy choice. The trump card was played when the grandmother referenced a community newsletter that used to be distributed. It was not read by the community and we have quietly discontinued the practice but the last thing I wanted was anyone mentioning this to regional administration. So, I compromised and printed 40 colour copies of a bright graphic flyer stating "Schools out for the Summer - have fun and stay safe! Limit those slushies and treats, it's ok to drink water." Signed it as Nurses at the Health Centre and had the clerk drop them off for distribution. Clearly the message was not heeded as per above.

I've been working my way through the last of the eLearning course and was impressed to learn that there is such a discipline as Rural Sociology. Who knew? It is defined as the social structure and conflict in rural areas, as in....what makes us country folks tick. Not sure I want to go there and find out what the experts have researched...

I have finished up my play food project by using the last of my yarn and tucking away my colleagues 'stash' and it was all I could do to zipper the carry on bag I've filled with my craft work. Clearly not going to trust the airlines with such precious cargo. I'm at the part of trying to decide if my stuff will fit into the duffle and suitcase and jettison the action packer here - I haven't the patience to wrestle with it across Canada and it's starting to show some wear. The clerk will surely be able to find a use for it. I've packed up some other things that I won't be using before heading out and of course have eaten most of the food.

My Cuban son-in-law is expediting my fall plans for a November visit to study Spanish in Santiago de Cuba. He, with the help of his professor sister, has located a tutor (a professor of languages who will do private lessons) and is investigating the possibility of a university based option for international students if enough register. Trying to decide if a combo vs either/or choice would be best. I've decided my aging brain can only effectively cope with four hours/day of classes. His next task on my list is to find housing near the university as this is the area of the tutor, lots of shops and restaurants. The airfare is looking like about $600 to Holguin as there are no flights directly into Santiago that early and of course Cuba is cheap on the ground. Looking forward to however it rolls out. And speaking of languages - pun intended:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-44569277 

So, off to stuff things into bags. I've been watching the delayed fireworks from home and amazed at the dark. There will be adjustments to the temperature as well....snow predicted here tomorrow afternoon. sigh 

Woohee!!! Life is Good

As an update to the previous post about all the politics, bull and sheer ridiculousness in the bureaucratic nonsense that is a health authority and my reduced tolerance for same...there has been an epiphany! After my job share partner was treated badly and finally sent to the one community she'd requested not to work in, been disallowed from having her daughter accompany her although the collective agreement provides for this and the reason given was 'we must follow the collective agreement' and more...let me explain recent activities on my part. You might have caught reference a few posts back of my plan to work in the TB program in the Baffin (Qikiqtaaluk) region of Nunavut. This would serve a number of purposes...firstly the Baffin gateway is Ottawa where my oldest daughter is located and that would enable visiting to and fro (as previously Edmonton was with her and her sister) the eastern Arctic is a much shorter commute as it's an hour and a half flight Halifax to Ottawa and then another three hours to Iqaluit which is the hub to 13 fly in communities. There's (unfortunately) more work there as the majority of the arctic TB outbreaks are centered in the region so more flexibility to work around my dates and it's an area of the arctic which I've previously not experienced so it matters not where I wander. Also, it would remove on call from my work life. Certainly in this quiet hamlet it's not onerous but since the management manipulation there is no availability here and other communities are not as well behaved during the nights/weekends. The pre contract posturing had me considering the TB program with Government of Nunavut as an option but I chose to see how things went on the ground here....nuff said.

For the past six weeks I have been persistently (bordering on harassment) attempting to get someone in the TB program with GN to take a look at my qualifications. And yes, there is a severe nursing shortage in the north, however there is also a serious dysfunctionality of the staffing system. The first week I applied through the website, second I applied through email, third week I applied through the recruiter, fourth week I sent a former coworker to the recruiter and 'my resume was sent to the TB people', fifth I contacted another coworker who discovered who the TB manager was, found her office, but she wasn't there and the sixth week my coworker asked for my CV to send along to the TB manager, saying she was young, keen and respectful with a suggestion that I follow up in a few days if no response. On Friday morning, the three days I'd allowed myself had passed and I wrote an email to the manager apologizing for one more email with her workload, asking if she'd gotten my resume, and offering to resend. She promptly replied (first response I'd had to anything in six weeks) and asked questions such as public health and TB experience, availability etc etc which led me to believe that she either hadn't received or reviewed my resume, so I sold myself (I'm positive I can do casual contracts as well as the under 30s presently are) and highlighted my northern, infection control, tropical nursing and public health education/experience, mentioned a vague 'fall' as availability and attached a resume. A few moments later I received a response stating that she was sending my info on to HR for next steps, there was a three day in-service in Iqaluit monthly before deployment to communities and she hoped to meet me in the fall, a cc of the message to HR spoke of me being qualified and to put me in the system. HR replied that a package would be sent shortly. Just like that....poof....problem solved. As my buddy said "that kind of stress isn't good for you with your history" and that's hard to argue with. I put all my energies into feeling well and moving forward every day, don't want to use it for fighting a non winning war. You should've seen my happy dance!! As my jobshare partner responded to my great news 'well there ya go' to which I replied "yep, just watch me run".  I must shortly tackle that huge TB program manual and a colleague mentioned available courses at CDC:

 cdc.gov/tb/webcourses/TB101

and the WHO - with a link on the right side to the course

who.int/healthacademy/courses/en

An interesting and challenging switch it will be, good to stretch my brain in another direction for a few weeks per year. Am sure I'll have to continue to be vigilant with HR as the momentum is so fragile but getting the foot in the door is key and it's a nice setup to moving on with my departure coming up in ten days.

As I enjoy a Monday holiday on call (due to July 1st falling on a Sunday this year) I have only had a couple of calls. One was a mother calling about a child's hives (I actually saw them yesterday at the BBQ) and she's wondering about allergy testing....bring her in and I'll give some benadryl. She arrives...alone. I open the door and say "oh it's you who is having the allergic reaction?" No, it's the little one, Mom's just coming for the antihistamine. Good thing I actually did cast a glance at the rash yesterday. I give the benadryl with instructions and we discuss bug bites, possible allergy triggers and when to follow up. It's very common in the north, especially in the spring when it's cold but not as cold as winter so the kids 'play out' longer and they develop huge wheels of urticaria. Quite impressive really. No accompanying respiratory wheezing, itchiness or any other system histamine reaction. The first spring I saw it I was really taken aback but an experienced nurse said "oh yeah, spring in the north, large numbers of kids develop this, most don't bother to bring them in, we just give benadryl as it makes the parents feel better" and that what my allergen inservice. She was right on all counts. The other call for advice was about antibiotic reaction vs immodium. "And you take immodium for what?" The answer was "travelers diarrhea" apparently meaning the person is nervous when they fly or else the change in water but certainly not my understanding from infection control/tropical nursing education as to travelers diarrhea. Working in fly in communities I am amazed at the large numbers of people who have flight anxiety (ativan given) or air sickness (gravol) as well. Tough stuff when that is your only option for exit and re-entrance.

The snow is mostly melted now (note the date of July) and the ice is rotting quite quickly. The polar bears are getting a bit hungry and there was one in last week at the dump (the suggestion was they were chasing sandhill cranes but lots of foodstuffs at the landfill) and again on the beach where I was walking the week before, likely the same one. They swim over from over spits of land, or off the big ice floes.The kids are smart enough to keep close to home while they're around. There have been a few bugs around and they signal what is shortly to come, making it difficult to enjoy the outdoors. A young fellow came through the door last week all out of breath, holding his baby and was chatting with someone else in the waiting room and I happened to overhear "I almost had a heart attack" so I considered various scenarios such as overturned 4wheeler etc and said "what happened?" The reply was "I saw a bee" to which I explained that I didn't think they hurt you as I have never seen one single sting in my years working north and it's a very common down south ER visit. His infant was regarding him with wide eyes and I said "you'll scare the baby acting like that" to which he replied "well, if you're allergic to them". I could see no evidence of any allergy in his records and am not sure where that self diagnosis came from....Dr Google? To be fair those 'bees' are huge and do look scary. My job share partner said one of the homecare workers in another community was in the vehicle with her and jumped out while it was moving when a bee was thought to be inside and another coworker had a housefly in between the screen and window in her office and every single patient for two weeks asked if "she was the nurse with the bee in her office?" when they came into the room. Northern folks have a healthy respect for polar bears but bees will send them screaming.

Yesterday was the July 1st celebration on the beach and it was a great BBQ of burgers, sausages and hotdogs with all the fixins, salads, watermelon and a great Canada day cake which the eldest community member cut. Games were played and the 3 legged and sack (garbage bag) races were hysterical to watch with only minor injuries. Great time to socialize with all the generations. I was having a chat with an energetic and very competitive  preschooler and asked how old she was and she replied "I'm over three" and I said "yes, I have been here three years - when I first came you were a little baby only six months old and you got really sick with pneumonia and had to go in the airplane ....you scared me" and she said matter of factly "that was because I didn't have a bum" and I replied "oh and here I thought it was your breathing, silly me" and she nodded, grabbed her kite which was a prize from her previous race and headed off to the next game. It was so cold and windy that I couldn't stay for the harpoon tossing contest or tug of war. The positive of course was that there were no bugs. Those large, hungry northern mosquitoes are just starting to arrive now and will soon be here in clouds. There were great prizes to be had and although I chose the role of photographer vs elder participant my name was entered in the draw and a teenager delivered a huge bag of romaine lettuce with cesar kit to the door. Now that's a great prize! I'll be eating it for breakfast, lunch and supper and I started with having the local clerk and her husband over today for brunch - lobsters and eggs, cornbread muffins, tomatoes and of course cesar salad. Enjoyed great conversation of 'back in the day' local stories of only two telephones in the hamlet with the button and crank (oh yes, I'm familiar with same) hauling water in barrels on a wagon with a tractor, before there were 4wheelers, when electricity and TV came,  stories of New Yrs parties at the DOT base and the dog teams finding their way home, going up the the river to visit someone and just turning the sled over and the dogs would lie down and wait for you to come out. Have met really great people in all the places I've been fortunate to work in, will miss them.

While at the beach the young fellow who manages the maintenance at the health centre got a call on his cell, said to the guy who manages the power plant "there's no power" who in turn yelled over to  the fuel truck driver at the next picnic table  "must be out of fuel" and he grumbled, found someone to watch his kids and left briefly as the festivities continued. Let me interpret....the maintenance guy gets a call from Arctic Alarms when the power goes off as the alarm sounds in the health centre and the school, tells the fellow who runs the diesel generated power station who 'oopsie' must've not arranged for fuel delivery and sends the COOP fuel truck driver up to fill the tank. No one was in the least alarmed by any of this. The only fallout was resetting my clock and remembering to re-record the voice mail message on the answering machine reminding folks today is a holiday.

The play food creations continue and I'm pleased with most of them. The kiwi is a fail as no one can identify as same....mint chocolate chip cupcake was one guess, a cake maybe, no idea another. It and the corn maybe banana goes in the give away pile to a local kid with better imagination and I'll keep the one on the left which was more successful, the cinnamon roll does look good enough to eat. I loved one of the online pattern sites where someone had commented "these look great but my dogs would eat them" and I am considering designating these as an 'at Nanak's house' collection.

Have arranged for the new custodian at the health centre to come and clean the apartment for cash upon my exit so that is a positive leave. Getting excited to be heading home soon, well except for all the 32c+ temperatures folks are mentioning. I'll melt when reintroduced to that climate. I'm pleased that my overnight in Inuvik coincides with the opening of the Great Northern Arts Festival being held July 13th onwards, even if I don't buy, I will enjoy seeing arts and crafts from around the region.

An exciting event this week was the paying of the final installment for the Rocky Mountaineer for end of September. Some final tweaking of plans with talk of including a jaunt from Vancouver to Victoria and a Buchart Garden visit as well as tea at the Empress Hotel. Only additional details such as transfer Jasper to Calgary and an airport hotel remain. Getting pumped for the adventure. Time to close and eat some cesar salad. Likely one more update before I head 'down south'. Later