In Sickness and in Health

We are officially the no-fun house this week. :(

Jeff's been sick since the weekend and it's finally caught up to me as well. Married people share a lot of things - I just didn't think 102 degree fevers really needed to be on that list. I guess we're taking our marriage vows of "in sickness and in health" pretty literally.

We were going to book a health center appointment, but the nurse said that there's a bug going around and they've just been telling everyone to take Tylenol and gargle with salt water. So, we decided to save ourselves the walk into town and fight it out here if that's all they can do to help.

It's funny when you're sick and no matter how old you are, you just wish your mommy was here. We are both missing our mommys as we sniffle and cough our ways through this, that's for sure. I even made a pot of chicken and ginger congee (rice porridge) since that's what my mom always fed me when I was sick - and although it seems to be doing the trick on helping us be on our way to feeling better, it just doesn't taste exactly like mom's. Maybe I didn't sprinkle enough love in it?

Our poor dog was excited we both were home from work today, but realized pretty quickly that we were bumps on a log - he ended up snuggling up with me on the couch for most of the day. Like I said, we're no fun to be around. Sorry, Pepper.

Hopefully we've turned a corner and will be better by tomorrow.

-L

Retail Therapy

I find that I've been particularly homesick the past few weeks; I think it's because everyone is planning their summer vacations home and we're still months away from going south so it's tough. It happened around Christmas too, since we weren't planning on going home for the holidays, and it was hard to see everyone around us leaving. I know we were home not too long ago, but it didn't feel like very long - especially when you've got people going home for 4-8 weeks!!

I don't deal with homesickness well, I'm afraid. I find myself calling home less often because I miss everyone too much when we hang up. It's like the more I miss home, the more I withdraw. I won't lie and say that moving away is easy, because it's not. Especially if you've got a close circle of loved ones at home - I will say that having a strong support circle at home, and the circle we've made here, has helped immensely. It doesn't make the homesickness go away, but it's nice to know that the ones at home are waiting for you, and the ones here know exactly what you're going through. Comfort in empathy!

I've also been doing a lot of shopping recently and that seems to be helping a lot, much to my husband's chagrin, ha! There are a lot of things that I'm waiting for through the post office, but the newest fun past time we've acquainted ourselves with are house sales! A lot of people, teachers in particular, move at the end of the school year, so they sell a bunch of things so they don't have to ship them home. Moving sales are a great way to 1) get rid of things before you leave and 2) get some amazing deals on things you didn't even know you needed/wanted! Plus, it's a different place to shop other than the Northern - so something new is always exciting/welcome here! I've been able to pick up a few goodies for dirt cheap, but I've also learned that you have to be quick before someone else scoops it up before you!

All this to say - it's not always easy, and it's not always sunshine and rainbows...but as long as you have people who love you (and a credit card, ha!), you're going to be a-ok.

-L

IQ Day - Ice Fishing

One of the benefits of my job is experiencing IQ Days - a couple of days a year where we get to go out on the land and learn about the Inuit culture/traditions. Short for Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, translated as "that which are long known by Inuit", it allows us an opportunity to step away from the office and enjoy the land.

Puppy Smarts & Blending iPads

We recently bought some new toys for Pepper. They are toys designed to make your dog smarter, and we are happy to report that, based on Pepper's performance, he is smarter than he was a week ago.

Chillin' in the Kitchen: Baked Oatmeal with Lentils & Berries

I've had readers ask if I would start posting some recipes of what we eat while we're here in the north and I thought that would be a fun idea! Contrary to what some people may think, it is very possible to eat healthy, from-scratch food without sacrificing taste! Our produce selection at the stores really vary depending on season/weather, so I find it helpful to have frozen and/or canned fruits and vegetables on hand to tide us over in a pinch. Our menu planning is generally centralized around the goal of 5-10 produce servings a day, so I try to make things that use different fruits and vegetables often. I also try to make recipes that keep well in the fridge for a few days, or freeze really well for quick meals later!

Today I'll share with you one of our breakfast favourites, Baked Oatmeal with Lentils and Berries. I'm on a kick where I'm trying to incorporate whole grains into our daily diet - and regular oatmeal every day gets tiring. This recipe is so versatile because you can add whatever you like in it (chocolate chips, different fruits, nuts, fresh fruit or frozen fruit, etc. - everything comes out so good!). The lentils add healthy protein and fiber and you don't even know they're in there. We serve ours warm with a splash of milk and more fresh fruit on top (bananas or fresh berries, sometimes both!). Leftovers reheat perfectly, and you can also freeze and thaw as needed.

Shipping Woes

A while back, I wrote a post about online shopping and what sites we were using - specifically sites that offered good prices with reasonable, if not free, shipping to Nunavut. Unfortunately, in the months since that post, a few companies have now changed their shipping policies and it's left us scrambling to find alternatives. It seems counter-intuitive, but as more people started taking advantage of the shipping/buying from the sites, the more they "caught on" that they had customers here and needed to start charging more.

 Let's review what companies have changed their policies since our last post:

News!

I mentioned in my last post that I had some exciting news. Here it is:

Thank Goodness for Technology!

Several years ago, when I was immersed in the world of IT, one of the points I listed on my resume was that I "enjoy helping people realize the promise of new technology". Looking back, I realize I also appreciate the technological advances I've witnessed in my 38 years.

Hamlet Week in Baker Lake

This past week was Hamlet Week - 5 full days of fun and frivolity to celebrate the hamlet. Schools and the daycare were shut down and my work gave us a half day off to enjoy the festivities if we wanted on Hamlet Day (Monday, May 7).

There have been games, contests, and a square dance every day and the community has been enjoying the nice weather that we've been lucky to have. For instance, right now it's a beautiful -7 degrees, no wind, and big, fluffy flakes of snow gently falling. I feel like we're in a snow globe - and am reminded of how blessed we are to be on this northern adventure!

I wasn't able to slip out of work on Monday afternoon, but a co-worker did and she took some pictures of the festivities for us to share here...

Striiving to beat Sir Bacon

I've heard that walking is one of the best exercises you can do, and while I do walk around a lot at work, that's because I have to. The idea of walking as exercise or just for fun has never really appealed to me. Until now, of course.

Contact Us

Since we started the blog, we've been contacted by a few people with questions, etc. but we never had an "official" way of contacting us before...

So, we created an email address where you, our dear readers, can email us directly with any questions or guest posts (hint hint - we're still searching for guest bloggers!) or anything like that. Please, no spam!

If you would like to contact us, please email us at: nunavutchillers at gmail dot com
You can of course still leave comments on posts and we'll respond as well, but we thought an email address might make it easier too! :)

It's a bright and beautiful Monday morning here in Baker Lake, and we're getting ready to tackle the day/week. Hope you're off to a great start too!

-L

After the Storm

As enjoyable as it is to have an unexpected 4-day weekend at the end of April (albeit you're stuck in your house because there's a blizzard outside), it leaves quite the aftermath of effects in its wake when all is said and done.

Since this was easily the worst blizzard we have seen this winter, the town's been scrambling to clear up all the snow that's been left behind - there are still areas in town that have not been plowed, and there are houses that still have huge snow drifts blocking them in (save a small "canal" that people can climb over/out, etc.) The most unfortunate part of this situation, would be that the water/sewer/fuel trucks can't get to these areas and fill people up!

Actually, we've all been in serious water lock-down mode since the storm because not only was there a back-up from the hamlet being at a standstill for a few days, but when the storm ended, the water and sewer trucks were stuck inside the garage (due to a huge snowdrift blocking the door) and weren't able to get out. Then, to top it all off, the pump at the water treatment plant broke! Oh dear, it has been nearly a week since the worst of the storm, and some people only started getting water last night after being out for days. Hopefully all will be restored to normal after this week and the hamlet workers get caught up on their schedules...until then, our laundry pile grows and grows, but at least we have running water!

Aside from that, it's been a quiet couple of days on our end. It's snowing lightly today and is supposed to snow tomorrow as well, but at least it's not windy and it feels warm. It's a very different May than we're used to, that's for sure! It's finally warm enough again that we can take Pepper for a walk without him suffering in the cold, so that will be nice to give him some fresh air. Other than that, this weekend will be a good time to go through and do a spring clean of the house. Exciting, I know.

How about you? What are you up to this weekend?
Tell me how you're going to golf, or enjoy the park, etc. so I can live vicariously through you!
Ahh springtime in the city...a girl can dream. :)

Happy Friday, everyone!
-L

April - Out Like a Polar Bear

Our blizzard on Monday was quite a doozy! Hands down, the most fierce that we've seen since we arrived in Nunavut with 100 km/h winds and zero visibility for the majority of it. It snowed most of Sunday and after midnight, the winds started to pick up - so by the morning, it was pure white outside. Amazingly, it didn't let up until long after we were in bed, and Tuesday morning was still pretty windy/white outside. The storm didn't blow over until late Tuesday afternoon, and the weather's been beautiful ever since. I've caved and changed back into my Canada Goose parka for now, but it was nice to wear my lighter jacket for a while and pretend it was spring!

Our side of town isn't usually that bad in terms of drifts and whatnot, and the plows came yesterday to clear our road. However, we have friends living on the other side, closer to the snow fence, and I am amazed that they seem to get far worst drifts even though it's literally a 2 minute drive.

Our friend Bill took some pictures of what the day after looked like on their side...crazy!!

The door leading into their building...eek!!

The drift's higher than the truck!

The truck bed is completely covered in snow

Drift leading out to the road...some serious plowing is needed

It was disconcerting to say that we couldn't see the power line that is a few feet from the house, but it still wasn't bad enough that we couldn't see the truck parked in the driveway...we're still waiting for that intensity!

We were lamenting that it was a nasty blizzard at the end of April, and were reminded that the last blizzard of 2012 was in June...so we've got a few months left of winter ahead of us.

So, for all you southerners talking about +20 weather and how you went golfing over the weekend...have some sympathy for us. :p

-L