Month: January 2009

  • Dogs, Skis & Mice

    We have had a dump of fresh fluffy snow and on the "to do" list was the dogs walk but  had also added " I really want to get out on my skis " so managed to combine both! Pleasantly zapped after 2.5 hrs late afternoon yesterday of x-c sking in Millcreek ravine with both dogs...took some organization but even did some skijoring. The latter was not planned as most of the time was at the bottom of the ravine with hills and large fluffy snow  which is designated "leash free "BUT on other paths the dogs must be on leash...so I had them clipped together with Dysis closest to me & about a 6 ft lead in my left hand and they were off! Dysis kept the puppy in line. it is almost as if she loved working! Think the time I had them leashed together last summer in Rankin helped.

    Oh yea also at one point in another area in deep snow and grasses they went chasing mice and leaping up and then digging...just like for sik siks!

  • Hypothermia is not just a cold weather phenomenon...Remember that  common sense admonition  about  how to dress when we go out in the cold DRESS IN LAYERS... if you get hot you can take off a few items and if cold add more. The Inuit have know it for eons  and most of the rest of us northerners do it as common practise but a reminder never hurts.

    Certainly when going or planning for a x-c ski, I will be conscious of layers be conscious of layers, what type of clothing and the need to warm up if chilled. But even if just a simple snow shovelling, as I have done alot lately, I find myself removing my parka and scarf, as I work up a sweat. The other morning I did this task after having a morning swim and once inside again, could not understand why I was so cold and feeling chilly internally and I think the following article on hypothermia is a good reminder....

    "Get stuck in a downpour on a cool day and you run the risk of developing hypothermia if you don't get inside and get out of those wet clothes.

    If you like exercising outdoors, you need to take precautions in cooler — but not cold — temperatures. Go for a long, hard bike ride — or run a marathon — when the temperature falls below 10 C, and you may be at risk. You'll feel warm as your body works hard, but once you stop, you will cool off quickly — especially if you are sweating and the wind is blowing.

    As your body cools, it will draw heat from your extremities in order to keep your core warm. Your hands or feet may begin to look very pale as your body cools.

    What to do

    If you're with someone who may have hypothermia, you should get them medical help as soon as possible — especially if that person is shivering, appears disoriented, shows a lack of co-ordination, has cold and pale skin, appears tired, and is slurring speech. Try to get the person indoors where you can keep them warm and dry until help arrives.

    Other things you can do include:

    • Remove wet clothing and replace it with a dry covering.
    • Insulate the person from the ground with a blanket.
    • Use your body heat to help warm up the person.
    • If the person is able, provide warm non-alcoholic beverages.

    You should not apply direct heat to the person through a heating pad, hot water or a heating lamp. You can apply warm compresses to the chest, neck and groin areas. Do not massage or rub the person. People with hypothermia are at increased risk of cardiac arrest and should be handled gently."

    READ THE FULL ARTICLE http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/01/13/f-hypothermia.html

  • The Nunies have returned....

    Awards come in all sorts of sizes and shapes, not just the Oscars or the Junos so....For interested bloggers on what life is like in the Canadian Arctic, serious and fun, check out this link and follow through...you can even VOTE! http://kiggavik.typepad.com

    "The annual online awards contest honours Nunavut blogs in three categories. Nunavut bloggers will vie for Best Blog, Best New Blog and Best Blog Post....." http://nnsl.com/northern-news-services/stories/papers/jan12_09nun-arts.html

    Darcy, a fellow blogger & a teacher in Arctic Bay is shown here eating????dried caribou?"""

    NNSL Photo/Graphic

  • Where were you a year ago today?

    No this is not one of the featured questions...I was in Rankin Inlet enjoying and afternoon ski with friends, Matt and Cindy and their dogs! Cindy for the second year has won the local Women's Dog Sled race. Check out her blog at http://furryfriends2008.blogspot.com

  • Just a few more Sunday afternoon shots...

    First warm day in many & even top of creek melting, note the ski tracks...wish I could get out on mine. Clouds were quite dramatic and wind gusts, crossing path on 76 Ave. Chickadees at feeder  and skaters on lake in Hawrelak Park

  • So how do you organize your books?
    Any ideas are welcome!!!!

    So what prompted this question...

    • maybe it is the New Years thing or
    • maybe it is that I want to read some of the books I inherited from a friend last November or
    • maybe it is that my new  house mate is moving in on the the weekend with all his boxes or
    • maybe it is that one daughter started the project a year but left half completed
    • maybe it is that I want to get the boxes off the floor before summer or
    • maybe it is that I am heading north at the end of the month ( finally ...happyhappyhappy! ) or
    • maybe it is that I got distracted when I went downstairs to iron hems on the cuffs of my parka that I am repairing the cuff

    BUT I found myself tonight listening to CKUA, sipping an aprikat, in the basement in the middle of 16 boxes of books and 23 bookshelves trying to sort & wondering about my sanity!

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/peterme/1497653/  In Peter's blog his girfriend Cathy did so by color which is rather unique.

    What I figure is before and after photos will be an encouragement as I really am a creative messy....you know the joke that says if a clutterred desk means a cluttered mind what does an empty desk mean?

  • Will believe it when I see it...

    Long Term Forecast: ( Warmer on the weekend )but until then keeping track of the garage door opener








      Friday
    Jan. 9
    Saturday
    Jan. 10
    Sunday
    Jan. 11
    Monday
    Jan. 12
    Tuesday
    Jan. 13
    Wednesday
    Jan. 14
      Sunny Cloudy A few flurries Isolated flurries Mainly sunny Isolated flurries
      Sunny Cloudy A few flurries Isolated flurries Mainly sunny Isolated flurries
    P.O.P. 0% 30% 40% 40% 10% 40%
    High -18°C 1°C 2°C -8°C -3°C -5°C
    Low -27°C -13°C -14°C -20°C -21°C -11°C
    Wind S 10 km/h S 10 km/h NW 20 km/h SE 15 km/h S 20 km/h SW 15 km/h
    24-Hr Snow - - close to 1 cm less than 1 cm - close to 1 cm

  • I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm a
    Spiritual Organized Self-Knower
  • Sunday Afternoon Romp & Monday Vet visit

    House bound too long, after church yesterday, I donned the long parka, mitts and coffee mug, very pleased to get out and get some sunshine despite the cold.
      The feeder near the ravine was a twitter with chickadees... can you spot them among the branches?
    Met up with another dog walker of three large also rescue dogs. Apparently we were not the only ones needing to get out as this Sunday afternoon meeting of walkers and dogs illustrates...Nanuq is curious on the contents of the bably stroller! The baby is 9 months & puppy 12 weeks and only conflict at home was over toys!Everyone ended sniffing and greeting.

    Off in the open field just above the ravine ....following the path above the ravine on return walk .How many dogs can hold onto one stick?
    Romps and rolls.. Last minute  before heading up the hill to the car.


    MONDAY VET VISIT

    Could this have all been done with a simple $8 bottle of benedryl and not the $170 trip to the vet? Nauuq was whining most of this   morning and not much unusual until I noticed the puffy eyes and remembers that she was slightly vomity earlier but not unusal as she chews most anything, but fearing the worst I called the vet. A possible allergy reaction..note the puffy muzzle and eyes..ate something off  or bitten by an insect. Where does one find insects in the middle of winter in Alberta! But off to the vet for both dogs. I'll get weighed too, both dogs are about the same just over 50 lbs but Nanuq is a kilo heavier.Resident cat on the vets counter..love the mukticolored toe nails... .very non-plussed by this barky adolescent puppy! Later at home happily chewing away.

    I took the bendryl and took a nap!

  • After a few days inside....

    ' WINTER ' a poem by Abigail Elizabeth McIntyreimage0011

    F**k!
    It's cold! IMG_3001 Photo from last January in Arviat NU

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About me...

An Albertan & Canadian, definitely a northern gal. Social worker by profession, this blog has included some of my work over 10 years in Nunavut from 2002 on. Passionate about slowing down & taking time to appreciate the beauty of the outdoors or kindness in relationships as gifts & blessings; injustices against children in situations beyond their control; my faith; Nature, experiencing the outdoors whether cycling, walking. x-c skiing or gardening, my dogs, capturing on film God's beauty, experiencing life intensely & with the senses, richness of late afternoon light, wind in my hair cycling with my dog on a beach road, couching inches from an arctic flower or alpine lichen to capture it with my camera, insight of a student's new learning, a good conversation over a coffee.

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