Wednesday, November 22, 2006

And The Clouds Parted, And There Was Sunlight


The sun made an appearance today, and I was delighted. I was starting to worry about my vitamin D (you can only get so much from milk). I was so happy to see it, I looked it square in the face (normally this would be a bad idea, however I felt this would be a great way to intensify the Vit. D manufacturing in my body). I know I am starting to sound like a weather girl, however I beg you to believe this is not all I obsess about! It was just nice to leave the house with my camera and actually take some nice peaceful pictures. The blood is flowing again, I feel so alive when I can press one little shutter button on a camera (a few million times!). There are only so many things you can take pictures of inside your house (I truly had Camera Cabin Fever)!
And here I am at 2 am, unable to sleep because I am feeling so motivated and excited about the images I took earlier today. I hope you like them.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Puppy Alarm

Last night Nathan and I had a very restless sleep. It was so because Tallinn would whimper a sigh every minute. We just thought that he was too hot sleeping in our room, but finally at 2 am I got up thinking he might just need out. From there it was the oddest thing; he ran to the front door, but then turned around and ran right back into his crate in the bedroom. I called him back and we went through the same thing at least 4 times. He would run into the kitchen and then back into his crate in our room. Now he could have just wanted to stretch his legs, but because he ran into the kitchen, I thought he was thirsty, so I poured some water in his dish. And what did I notice but the oven was on, and had been on since dinner. After I turned it off, he ran straight back into his crate for the rest of the night without so much as a peep! He didn't drink or want out at all, it was the most bazaar thing ever!
Heres to our own personal Lassie ("is there something wrong boy?")

This is a picture of him the first day we got him.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Welcome to the arctic


Last night the house shook and the wind howled. When we woke up this morning, our house, including all the windows had been sprayed with snow. It's been a glorious snow storm all day and I have been waiting for this moment. Inside with fluffy slippers on is the way to be, however the dog still prefers to be outside. We let him in every so often to let him defrost, but not long after he wants out again. Does he forget how bad it is outside everytime he comes inside? Who knows.
This snow has been a long time coming. Now the snow mobile population can come to life. I have been looking forward to going out on a snow mobile for a while, the only thing is that I hear the traffic is very noisy.
Nathan and I have spent the day inside in our pajamas, putting a puzzle together (one that he says is impossible, but continues to work on it anyways). The puzzle is of some caribou strolling the arctic tundra.
I finally feel like I live in the arctic

Remembrance Day


Nathan participated along with the other RCMP members in the Remembrance day ceremonies. It was nicely put together, however it took place outside and it felt like minus 10. Poor Nathan had to take off his coat for pictures, he must have been freezing, but the camera loved him. I don't think Nathan ever thought when he joined the RCMP that he would be so popular. When he puts on his red serge, not only does he have to deal with his photographer wife, but everyone else who has a camera. I think it's extremely hilarious, and he is a pretty good sport about it.

The job for me at these events is to hold the police radio. If anyone speaks through that tiny little box, I am to flag down one of the guys like a mad woman. I have been lucky so far, I have not had a call on it yet, however I look like I know whats going on, walking around with the radio in my hand.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

It's like somthin' I've never seen!


It snowed last night, or should I say it powdered last night. I woke up to let the dog out and looked down and was a little put off. What is this? I have seen snow before (a lot of it actually), and this is like powder, it's not sticky or wet, not like what I am used to. I guess because it's soo cold and dry it's just like Jesus was baking and showered us with flour. I tell you though, it was a heck of a lot easier to shovel this fluffy dust then the ten ton pack snow that my dad used to make me shovel off of the driveway in the south!

Meanwhile lets meet my "part time" dog Tallinn. We call him part time because he is so hairy, that he prefers to be outside where it's cold vs. inside where the humans prefer to be because it's warm. And because he is so absolutely gorgeous and incredibly intelligent, he has made his humans build him a palace of his own outside so he can go out when he chooses. He just has to ring his own personal bell first to instruct us monkeys that he would like to be put out. Tallinn is an amazing creature, he much prefers to curl himself into a ball and sleep in the middle of the yard then sleep in the luxury dog house we built him. If any think that it's cruel to leave him in the cold, trust me we have to bribe him to stay inside. He really loves being outside and I am happy we can provide him with a huge yard and cold temperatures that his breed so desires.

Jen of Nunavut

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

5 months in...

The whole point of this blog is to share and document the strangeness of a southern city girl who marries a Mountie and moves to the smallest place in the world (at least that's what I have determined so far). Not Just the Smallest, but also the coldest (as far as I am concerned this is also a true fact, as I have never been anywhere colder!).

So, just 5 months ago I moved from a rather large city, just south of Toronto to the frozen depths of the North, to a little place Called Nunavut ("Where is that?" asks the Canadian Tire Customer Service Rep). Well Nunavut is, believe it or not part of your Country called Canada. It is a place without shopping, a place without McDonalds, and most importantly a place lacking everything I am familiar with. And so starts this experiment. It's like moving to an entirely different country, even though it's still in Canada, and everyone speaks a different language. In fact they don't even use the alphabet, but something called syllabics. I can best describe this as bunch of curly jig jags and triangles and dots and frillies....Maybe you should just look it up on Wikpedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuktitut_syllabics). My husband Nathan wears a name tag that says; Curly thing, triangle, Big C, very tiny curly thing....That translates to NITAN! Here ends our lesson on Syllabics.

Meanwhile, I have about 5 Months to catch up on with you and I really don't know where to start. Did I tell you there are polar bears here? Yep, there is an array of different, interesting wild life, but I tend to only get to see the dead bits. I have never encountered so many bones, teeth and other bio mater jewels just scattered about before. Up here where the dogs run wild and an afternoon stroll on the beach might entail tripping over walrus blubber. When I dash to the water to catch a glimpse of a beluga whale, I will seconds later be hit with the reality that up here it's just lunch! Nunavut has a stark beauty, but there is no messing around up here, if its got 4 legs and walks around, or swims, or hey, whatever isn't a person, you can eat it. So get used to it, cause there ain't no Tofu up here baby!

Well as the days are getting shorter, and more importantly colder, I find myself indoors more and hopefully I will have more time to update my incredible story of this poor southern shopaholic who finds herself isolated in the north. I am Jen, Jen of Nunavut.