It has been an exceedingly full weekend, too many activities and seemingly not enough time. On this rainy Sunday night, not sure where to begin my writing, as am very tired and contemplating the “ to do “ list for next week and occasionally, deeper reflections like am I living consistently with my values.

Some walks with the dog show the beginnings of spring with these red buds and contrasts of the fungus and lichen on this old stump. Reminds me of the orange and white and black patterns of lichen on the granite rocks in the arctic.

This pair of Canada geese were not too flustered with Dysis’s approach merely moving onto the water. She on the other hand, was much more excited. Had one incident this weekend where spotting a mouse or something that moved in the grass, she broke loose from the leash and lost 2 of her tags in that explosion.

Certainly have done some beginning planting and fertilizing of the lawn to beat the deluge of rain this afternoon. Many patches are north facing shaded and sometimes mossy, so the fescue grass seed and slow release fertilizer recommended. Got a hand spreader by cranking the handle evenly spreads both. Pansies will survive even if it snows tonight and mixed them in with the tulips. Red tips of peonies pushing up in the church beds,

Managed to do abit of raking yesterday while waiting for the 10 yr old and friend filled the $10 bag full of bargains from the rummage sale in the basement. A few purchases myself on Friday night, one avacado soft green summer outfit that with the shoulder pads once removed is quite acceptable. Now the original aim this week was to do some “ de-cluttering” and donate to the sale not necessarily buy more!

Saturday morning saw another swim lesson with dry land exercises of exact leg movements for the breast stroke, 1-2-3, toes out but hanging upside down at the edge of the pool is much more fun.

Work well will be north for about 2 weeks at the end of May, and in the interim doing some weekend on call at the hospital.

Some people have well organized and tended yards, as is this one of a retired couple I encountered who said that they had just hauled over 20 bags of compost and leaves. No doubt all the plants are labeled and varieties recognized. Even in our church beds Ann will know what everything is called. In our back lane both fences and flower beds are attended, as located on a busy city avenue we cannot park in front.

Next door there are three generations of an Italian family headed by the grandmother or Nona and they have beautiful and very productive back yard gardens. I love these shots of Nona, almost 80, burning the dry twigs and other garden refuse.

So the guilt factor and warm weather got me out yesterday when I should have been doing other tasks. I am much more generic and not as precise about details. I also figure the more perennials that will do their own thing the better!

So these are some shots of the yard progress made to date and perhaps before and after shots are encouraging. Back lane space by the garage was deep in bent over dried matted yarrow and quack grass with the occasional beer can deposited from the winter. I 'm sure Dysis did not understand why she was tied here. Now done t  he top next to the garage will have yarrow white and pink blooms and just have to mow the bottom grass.

Front yard is north facing and finished pruning the front bushes ( red willow like branches and green and white leaves ) and gathering last of debis from the melted snow pile.

Well what did Dysis find but the sawed off bottom of the spruce stem of the Christmas tree that was under the porch and proudly toted!


                     

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Sometimes I wonder! In these days when I see drivers chatting on cell phones (dangerous) or on the bus (intrusive of others space) or in public washrooms (could be embarrassing) or joggers (ridiculous… so why are you running)

Such was the situation this morning! By the time the third one started ringing, I had checked the message on the first, was awake enough to grab a pen and answer the third.

Calling from Jerusalem, suppertime eating pizza, next to the Wailing Wall, she had run out of money or cash advances in her Visa. Great to talk to her (highlight of the week had been diving in the Red Sea and overwhelmed with the color of underwater life) and yes, I can put some cash in her bank account.

I think I will go dog walking but WITHOUT the cell!

This is the old Anglican Church from Nanisivik, the former mine site, 32 km north of Arctic Bay. According to Darcy in his blog www.waywayup.blogspot.com/it arrived after a 5-day haul from down the road, and will be used by the Ladies' Auxiliary in Arctic Bay. I’m glad this group will make good use of the church, as I met all of them when ended up in the Thursday night sewing circle and discovered it was also the Anglican Bible study group. Although mostly Inuktitut spoken I was made feel welcome by these ladies.

I'm glad to see the church make it to Arctic Bay, my father built the church. I don't remember what year it was though. There was no church in Nanisivik for a very long time. The school was also named after my father Allurut and from what I was told the hamlet will have the Allurut School sign up at the heritage building. He was in the school committee for I believe 10 years before he passed away in 1986. It is sad to see the place where I grew up disappearing slowly but very happy to see the church make it to Arctic Bay.
Good old memories.

Ida

For further photos of Arctic Bay and the mine site before the buildings were demolished please see  www.arcticcircle.ca/Baffin/Arctic/These photos are from Victor Chan in July 2005

One of the challenges I find with my working stints north and yet still with my home and life here in Edmonton is fitting regularly programmed ongoing weekly activities into the time block I am in one place. In Nunavut, although I may request it, my contracts are not always back in the same community. It can be frustrating just getting involved and getting to know others and then having to leave…. parallel it at times to being a “substitute teacher “ I am a “substitute “ social worker.

In Arctic Bay the volunteer x-c skiing with the cadets for 6 weeks worked. Here in the city, taking the youngest to Saturday morning swim lessons is probably going to work as found some just started and done by the end of June. On the other hand maintaining my own swim training above the Arctic Circle doesn’t! Been back with my fitness group that swims 2x/ week about a month now and just feeling I am catching up…. although on Friday I suddenly realized that a seemingly usual length at the NAIT pool was much longer…. the mid barriers had been removed so no longer practicing in 25 meters but 50!

The calendar may say it is spring but feels like old man Winter is still having a hard time letting go with the snowy blast we have had this week. Both the snow shovel and the garden rake have been used. Those bags of leaves sat in the corner of the yard with only brief chances for me to fill them. Fortunately I was able to get a lawn crew working on a neighbours yard to come over and do mine, leaves and mulch the lawn in one of the breaks before the major blast on Wednesday. The city boulevards are still full of sand and grit from winter street cleaning and don’t talk to Edmontonians about pot holes!

Have had one call already about summer coverage in the north and I know things will come together, but weather wise find it hard for me to consider with out some Alberta spring first!

 http://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/godspolitics/

In the Virginia Tech memorial convocation Tuesday evening, Professor and poet Nikki Giovanni said:
We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning. … We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.

Don't know the details yet but it looks as if the xanga team is tweaking it such that if you are not a xanga member you can leave comments. Think this would be great for my visiting friends and family ( hi Holli-Ann ) and those from the other northern blogs. On Blogger I started a site just so can comment on others there.

Any thoughts about this?

An inspriation on the morning walk that urge to run. of which I did abit, in addition to the obedience part with Dysis....why am I sitting here?

Not that I would be able to or even aspire to but it totally amazed me when I hear of those who do half marathons, let alone full ones….and there are a few family members that seem to have inherited the gene or desire and training stamina…namely a brother who is in the plus 50 category and a daughter in the mid-20s.

Below is her blog entry ( that_canadian_rower ) of the run she did in Jordon in 30 degree heat

Kudos Amelia and Zach!

just letting y'all know that ive made it here safely, and all is going
well.  i am currently sitting on the top of our sleeping local "the
valentine inn" just outside petra, jordan.  it is a totally kitschy,
bright pink building with the inside walls covered with carpets. but,
it is flippen awesome, with a view that is just too amazing.  and, if i
sit on the roof, i pick up a wireless signal from somewhere!


the 1/2 marathon went great!  i only walked 1/2 a km, and finished
under 2 hours!!!!  rah!  so, i am pretty stinkin proud of it.  today,
we are spending another day relaxing (zach's legs hurt or something...
i suppose 42 km mostly downhill can do that to you), so that z can rest
his legs and i can get a good bit done on my last paper. tomorrow we
will check out petra, and then soon, head towards the red sea!!! yay
diving in the most amazing place in the world!


oh yeah, and ps.  jordan is amazing, and the people are amazing, and
beautiful and super nice and polite.  i totally feel comfortable, and
totally wish i had more than 3 weeks.