Finally confirmed that I will be heading north for work from the beginning of February to mid-April! it is with mixed emotions of excitement of heading back to Nunavut, trepidation of new community and work responsibilities; nostalgia in missing balance of winter in Edmonton, (shown here with a x-c ski and funny snow man due to melting temps of late), including my dogs and a good dose of panic as to whether I will be packed up and ready in just over a week!

Had this been two weeks ago I was working on Plan B of some casual social work coverage at one of the local hospitals.....but as in a past email from a friend this uncertainty always seems to be a part of the process "I guess it is good that you are getting your Christmas plans finalized but it sounds like your plan has changed substantially since the last time we talked.  I admire you, I could not live with the uncertainty of not knowing when my job would start or how long I'd be away.  Your trips take so much work to plan and organize.  You seem to have the ability of just taking these things in stride, I would be a nervous wreck.  I know things will work out, I seem to recall last year you were in a similar situation and then you received a number of offers.  I'll keep my eye open for a dog and house sitter but..." and then goes on to add the " have a panic attack " should be added to the " to do" list!

So one of the positives is that I do have a house sitter who will not only be here for the full time but is also willing to care for the dogs! This is with the help of doggie daycare of course, where they will be boarded for a few days in the interim after my departure and his arrival...checked it out the other day to reassure the owners that a strange person is not picking up Dysis and Nanuq...almost like children. To be truthful I will miss them terribly and probably worry abit. Practically however, this is the best solution for this trip as can not imagine having them in a kennel for that period and the transient units do not allow pets due to allergies.  Nanuq is curled up on the futon in my office and investigating some new arrivals in the livingroom! Originally there was much barking at these new intruders but now just sniffs. Two lovely hand crafted dolls, the one on the right is an " incurable romantic who wears her heart on her sleeve!"

Some of my recent tasks have been sorting files, my desk, rearranging photos, frames in office and then there is OMG all those books STILL in the basement!

A more pleasurable few days have been some shared cooking. I did stuffed arctic char with rice, ginger and mandarin orange stuffing and he prepared brussel sprouts fried with olive oil and garlic and a unique salad of cooked beets, walnuts, goat's cheese, arugula greens...each with a distinctive flavour to be savored in that first bite. Of course all enjoyed with a good glass of white wine! California cookin' well....this comment comes from his last residence where fresh ingredients of fruits and vegetables are much more available than Alberta in the middle of winter!

So must get moving on that" to do" list!