“Time Oh Time, where did you go? Time oh sweet sweet time where did you go? Sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down, at midnight I’m in-between and wondering why? “

     You must forgive my preoccupation with the newest member of the household but I am really enjoying her. Finally settling in she as of yesterday is eating! prior to this it was just the odd biscuit and whether it is that she is feeling more secure or the competition with the magpies or crows for the pellets . A new thing to add to the small creatures to be chased are RABBITS! especially at night seen a block away or in the church parking lot. One of the frist days this season warm enought to sit on the south facing back deck she definitely enjoys the sun!

that was the theme of this mornings walk in the ravine.

Most frustrating for Dysis were the pigeons who roost just beneath the deck of the bridge, fly up and come again, when she cannot get through the bars.

 I'm sure she wished also she could climb to reach those squirrels.
    

always requires adjustments and so I am finding not only with the new dog but also with my grown daughter who has returned for a few months.  This morning it was the 5 am wakeup and cleaning bee of downstairs floors and dishwasher going. Now house cleaning  and organizing activities are not my top love or priority. This one daughter is very structured and organzed when I am not. So if timing can be changed and energy directed it will probably work for both of us!

An on line guide dog owners states "The Siberian makes a fine family pet as long as the buyer is patient,
has the time to devote to training and exercise, and can deal with a
dog that has a mind of its own. Although they don't bark much,
Siberians are vocal_they'll sing along with sirens and scream as if
being killed if forced to do something they don't want to do. All-breed
obedience classes can be a treat if a Siberian is present: a simple
"down" command can bring howls of protest even under the most gentle
guidance, and a mild correction for nipping can elicit torturous
shrieks. This is not the breed for a first-time dog owner who is shy or
easily embarrassed in public."

Now howling and whining northern dogs,.... in fact standing on the hill at night in the dark in Arctic bay listening to the dog teams is eeirie and beautiful..... are not unfamilar territory both from my exposure to my work north and previous malamute/lab cross Mike.

At one point at the SPCA Dysis was quite involved with whining and howling although not leading, it was another hound dog type. Well last night I gave the daughter a back rub and she promptly went sound asleep while I  dog walked around midnight. Have set a sleeping place in the basement with pillow and blankets and light at the top of the stairs for the dog. Settling at first but then up and down stairs with several firm commands to go back brought protests of little yaps and louder whines until about 2 am but finally settled.

The daughter slept soundly until her 630 am cigarette break!

Adjustments for all!

We head to the country today so another adventure. Dysis seems to travel well in the car as will be a total of 5 hr round trip.

LATER NOTE; Dysis travelled well  including the return trip in which she shared the back of the car with a bicycle and boxes. Only one point of separation anxiety as when loading up had to put ther in a caged run and she thought she was to be abandoned and let us know. thankfully no one else was in camp at the time.

and patchy snow and turbulant sky. Got caught in a 10 minute hail sleet mini storm. Dysis loves to roll on her back and scratch in any snowy patch!
    

Spring has definitely hit the Strathcona farmer's market, so loaded up on fresh mini bagels, cherry tomatos, peppers and cucumbers, eggs and smoked gouda.   The snow is melting and many puddles which makes walking interesting. remember e.e. cummings poem " when all the world is MUDLUCIOUS! "

Last night I spent a long time on the the net researching various dog rescue and humane societies, just wanting to gather information, as you are probably aware I am looking for new dogs and very strongly wanting one from a rescue situation or a northern dog. Well I think I got both! and not the puppy as planned.....so meet DYSIS, the newest member of out household from the the SPCA.

I was just going " looking " today. She is a 7.5 year old golden, white and red siberian husky that has been surrendered by former owners and in the shelter for a week. They insisted on interviewing the whole family, so had to bring back my daughter seen here in the car. The only few things of note were had not been given any shots since 2001, some digestive upsets and " chases deer and rabbits " but she has a beautiful calm personality  for a husky, knows basic commands and certainly enjoyed our first walk in the ravine, smelling very wet dog afterwards!

Just an odd series of vignettes or thoughts over the last 10 days of transition back to Alberta from Nunavut…

•  I know it is spring in Alberta when encountering the lady at church who heads the garden committee excited about two blooming blue bulbs and that we need to complete the fall cleanup. The ground is still very frozen but thawing near the edges of the church.
•  A friend’s blog said the sign of spring in the north is when you ditch the snow pants walking to work. I am still wearing long johns both in the house and outside.
• Am still operating on  overdraft protection at the bank, thankfully, as there has been confusion about automatic deposits of my paychecks from the north.
• Discovered a neat photo blog of Arctic bay which makes me think longingly about summer in the high Arctic
• Odd chores: Still not totally unpacked and making odd trips to deliver mail to former tenants; and package others up to daughters who use my home address as well; return household items to the store such as curtains and radio that I brought but did not use or died in this last trip; and unpack and return the dog kennel.
• Catching up with old and new clients and hopefully relieving some of the distress of a few when I was away. One commented as to when going north again and replied possibly mid-June and she thought that was much too soon.
• Over jet lag and the cold???? Only to some degree as now waking up not at 4 AM but 530 AM and listening to local CBC Radio-One news not all the overnight international stations. Still stalking up on Cold FX and my naps.

Visiting a friend today took these of the wakeup process for her 5 week old. All the yawns and struggles as finally getting my eyes to stay open! So what are your mornings like....I can identify!
    

but still nippy and a slight dusting of snow, as one can see in my front yard. Walking to the mail and credit union to get both some exercise and do some chores,
I brought the camera.
Liked the statue of Mary among the trees of a local church, but as I got closer discovered another friend who was surprised as I. Many of these jack rabbits come up from the nearby ravine and noted is his just beginning to change from the white, as is the surrounding areas as spring approaches.      

These are stats borrowed from Darcy's blog, WayWayUp but found interesting.

According to the 2006 census numbers as a territory, Nunavut now has 29, 474 people. With the possible
exception of Iqaluit, most of the territory's growth has been through
natural increase

Nunavut is one of only two political jurisdictions in Canada where the majority does not speak English as a first language. Quebec, or course, would be the other. Nunavut also has a very young population with the median age is around 19 years of age.