Dear Diary, Today I kissed a boy.

No, not really. I'm trying to convince a friend of mine to keep her blog going. She isn't sure what to write and feels that her audience is lacking. I started my blog as a way to keep in touch with the folks back home...saves me a few dozen emails, but it also allows me to keep my memories of Pang forever. I never saw myself as a diary person and this doesn't feel like a diary when I write it, but I guess it is. I always figured a diary had to be filled with thoughts like, "I will become a better person by __" or "I feel happy about the decision I made today..." so not me. Instead I think the blog really reflects me and my sense of humor.

I am keeping track of my experiences in the North and years from now I will be able to look back and remember the time I spent here....from where ever I happen to be living. And maybe some day in about 10 years or so, my nephew and niece will want to know all about the place that Auntie J lived/lives.

I'm off to Iqaluit on Sunday, so don't expect any updates until my return the following Sunday. To hold you over here is a picture of where I work. Apparently most of the GN Buildings have the same design, must have gotten a good deal on the plans.


Picture taken from down on the ice about two weeks ago.

Northern Lights in Pangnirtung in late February

Sitting on the Ice

My mother warned me that you shouldn't sit on ice cause it will make you sick. I don't think she was right, actually, I don't think my mother ever warned me not to sit on the ice...maybe she should have. Anyway, last night when leaving the office I glanced up and saw the magic lights. They filled the sky from downtown Pang right up to the mouth of the fiord. The show was fantastic. Having learned my lessons from Jason I quickly headed for the shore where there are no lights...best way to take pictures of the night sky.

I pulled off my gloves to work the camera properly and after scrambling down the hill towards the ice chunks I settled onto a spot of ground and began to take pictures. I simply can not describe how beautiful the sky looked. It was only the green colour that I am accustomed to up here, but it was incredible. It danced and moved with a quality that left me awestruck. I could only lay there and watch at times.

After a time I simply couldn't contain myself, this I thought is why people should come here, and I ran up the street to pound on my neighbours door to get her to come out and look. I had missed the block party earlier she said when half the street was out taking a look. I stayed out until the battery in my camera died and then dragged myself in the door only to sit and watch from my kitchen window. Such a terrific show. The lights are on again tonight, not as spectacular as last night, but still great.


More Northern Lights from Nunavut

Both of the pictures in this post were stolen (without permission) from Jason's website. He is still the master photographer. His images of the people of Nunavut are absolutely incredible. Check them out: http://www.jasonsteelephotography.com

I hope he accepts my apologies for my take first ask permission later abuse of his pictures....but if you visit his site maybe he will forgive me.

Local Art Shopping


Water colours in background, with print on top. Inukshuk with wind blowing over it.

Local artist. This guy does amazing drawings and prints. He can draw with both hands at the same time. Very talented and can work with a number of mediums, water colours, acrylic, oils, prints, charcoal, etc...He goes to Toronto and Ottawa a lot to sell his work to collectors and galleries. Apparently Bill Gates owns a number of his drawings.




As I mentioned before, the scenery here is breath-taking and truly inspiring to artists and non-artists alike. This is a print of the fiord, looking in towards the park. I have several pictures of the same basic angle in other posts.





I purchased these three prints Friday afternoon at the office. I had a private showing in my office. Before I leave I definitely want to buy one of the acrylics or oils of the mountains that this particular artist does. Pictures don't do the prints justice...stop by the house and have a look for yourself.

Spring has arrived North of 60!





Maybe Spring doesn't offically arrive until Tuesday, and spring will definitely not show her face around here for a couple more months, but it did arrive in my house this morning when I saw that two of my tulips had come out in bloom.




I brought the tulip bulbs back from Amsterdam, they are called Gabriella. I had my doubts that I could force them. I skipped the keeping them in fridge/freezer step and just went straight to planting. My milk carton planters, while not fancy, certainly do the trick. I am hopeful that the rest of the tulips in the cartons will bloom over the next week of so.

BTW, the sun rise this morning was at 5:32am and sun set was at 5:30pm. In PEI the sun rise was 6:20am and sun set was 6:21pm. So, we are both getting about 12 hours of day light. Let's check back in a month and compare the times.

Door to Door Shopping.

As my Dad pointed out, I have food mail, drape mail, mom mail, money mail,racket mail, sea mail, and of course email! I never have to leave the house to buy anything and this carving is proof of that. This arrived at my house one Friday night and I had to have it. I was talking to Chantal on the phone when there was a knock at the door and there was one of the local carvers with this in his jacket. I managed to keep the conversation going while negotiating the purchase of the carving.






The carving is all out of one piece of caribou antler. Inukshuk at the bottom, falcon at the top holding an Arctic char. I wish you could see the details that are on the carving. The falcon has eyes, the fish has eyes, the outline of feathers are there, it is a beautiful piece. I mentioned the next day to one of my neighbours the nice carving I bought, they had all seen it and wanted it, but no one had the cash on hand to purchase it....lucky me.

My first sober St. Patrick's Day

Mom, Dad you may want to stop reading. It isn't a terrible tale, but I do believe that this is the first St. Patrick's day since I was in first year university that I will be cold stone sober. I remember in university having an interview for the Editor position of the student paper on St. Patty's day...and I went drunk. I got the job! Just proves how good an afternoon of green beverages and pizza at The Barn is for you.

I suppose if I am really feeling the call of the Irish I could go to the bootlegger in town and get a nip, but I don't think it is going to come to that. And the reason is partially that I am headed to Iqaluit for a few days of training at the end of the month. It wil be exactly two months since I arrived in Pang by the time I have my first trip out....not bad. I also heard today that I may be attending a retreat in Iqaluit in May. That would break up my time before my vacation quite nicely.

Sociable!

Damage to one of the units beside me after the last wind storm.

Vacation Destination...You decide...

My friend Al has left on vacation...a few day back home and then a week down in Cuba. I'm jealous. Completely totally jealous. Her travel has made me want to start planning my own vacation. I will follow her lead and spend part of my time at home and part elsewhere...here's where you come in.

My thoughts at the moment are: Boston, New York or Las Vegas.

Boston. Yes, I'm been tons of times, but I love Boston and know where all the good shopping spots are. Plus just a short car ride away are amazing beaches, mountains and other wild spots to enjoy.

New York. Another spot I've been before, but not recently. New York is fun and has lots to see and do, but doesn't have the wilderness/scenery that I can get outside the other two cities...but lots of wildlife in the city.

Las Vegas. Never been, so automatically you are thinking this is the obvious choice. But is it? There is terrific scenery outside of Vegas and believe it or not there is more to do than gamble. I could go down, get married, get divorced and see the Grand Canyon...what a trip.

So you decide. Where should I go for my vacation this July/August?

Another weekend comes to a close.

Nothing really new and exciting to report from this weekend. Friday night I went to the elementary school gym and played badminton. It was great fun. I was so inspired that I went online and ordered myself a raquet. Gotta love online shopping. Bingo was Saturday night. I didn't win any money, but I did enjoy myself and will go and play again.

Pang is out of money. There is no money to be had in town. I first heard about the issue on Friday at work. People figured they wouldn't be able to play Bingo on the weekend cause they didn't have any cash. The bank machines were empty and the stores didn't have enough cash on hand to give cash back. Saturday morning the Northern received $10,000 in cash and ran out within a couple of hours so we are waiting for more to come in. I had enough money on hand to play bingo and to pay for any taxis I might need this week...other than that VISA is my friend.

It is little things like this that make me realize I am living in an isolated community, no money. If I was at home I can't imagine the stores and bank machines all running out of cash. There would always be money around. Most of the time I don't feel isolated like many people do who live up North. I can see how years ago people would feel isolated, but with cable tv and the internet I am able to stay connected with the world down south and I don't feel very far away. Except for when I look at booking plane tickets or traveling anywhere.

Hope everyone is having a good week...remember...send money!

Food Mail. A political issue.

It was actually an issue in the past election. But I'm talking local politics, the kind of debate you and your neighbours get into over the fence. Food mail. You either do or you don't. You are either a food mail person or you aren't. More on this later.

I heard about it before I moved up and thought it sounded like a brilliant way to buy groceries. My father would like to get food mail and he lives 'down south.' To order food mail you need to set up an account with the company that does it and then fax or email your order in every Monday. For those of us in Pang you place order on Monday and food is delivered on Friday. In other parts of the territory delivery dates vary. The actual ordering part is easy, but you need to be very specific in what you put on the list.

One of the girls at work put down potato. Well, she meant a bag of potatoes and all she got was one potato. And yep, they charged her for it. So, be careful what you wish for.

Food mail boxes. They all come with the strapping on and a label with name, address and cooler or freezer marked on them.


Your food comes in boxes marked cooler or freezer. Everything is bundled up inside, wrapped in newspapers/flyers and card board. I had a cracked egg the other week and my milk always seems to have a leak, but other than that everything I have ordered has been fine....even the week the orders were late. Orders arrive at the airport and it is my responsibility to pick it up, or have it picked up. I have been super lucky and someone has gone for me each time to pick up my orders. (Thanks!) So, food mail doesn't actually go to the post office for those of you who have been trying to figure out how I get my order out of the little silver box at the post office.


Faxed Flyer


On Friday mornings the flyer is faxed to our office and you can either order off the flyer or whatever you happen to need. They can ship almost anything, I say almost cause they wouldn't ship me jalapeno peppers the other week for some reason. Oh well. The prices are the same as you would pay in Montreal at the store, but we also pay shipping. Shipping is heavily subsidized by the Federal government and we only pay 80 cents a kilogram. It is very reasonable, but the Fed's do not cover shipping for certain foods. There is a list of what they do and don't cover. They will cover my favourite asparagus and milk, but won't cover my dill pickle dip and chip addiction. Basically if it is healthy it is covered. Not healthy, not covered. You get the idea.

I have had great success so far with food mail and will continue to use it to supplement my grocery shopping at the local stores. And this is where food mail becomes political. Some people feel that using food mail is taking money out of the community. By not shopping at the local Northern, Co-op or High Arctic you are not supporting the people in town and are taking money out of their pockets. Many people go their whole lives up North without ordering food mail. Some people swear by it and do most of their grocery shopping by mail. It all depends. I guess it is like at home, some people shop at the little store in my home community and some people only buy groceries in the city. In Pang I think I will do a bit of both. Food mail is great for produce and speciality cheeses, meats, dairy products, etc. The selection at the stores is a little limited in these areas. I buy the bulk of my food in town and supplement with food mail. Seems like a good way to do it.

The stores in town are great to order in things for you as well. I found my favourite pear juice in Iqaluit and they are trying to order it into Pang for me. You just bring them in a label or all the information off a label and they try to order it. If no one buys it they won't re-order, but it is a great way to get your favourite food items in stock.

I am presently checking into the summer shopping experience of a lifetime...sea lift! A big boat comes in and unloads palates of stuff. I will fill you in on the details when I get them. But let's just say if you were going to order a truck, it would come in during sea lift.

The next few photos would look better viewed at night in a dark room.


If you scroll fast you can see the progression of light....trust me, it's coming...



I really need a tripod to get better angles. The nieghbours stoop is just not cutting it.



Northern Lights taken Monday night in Pang.

Now that is why people like being here....the night shows. I was out standing on the step for my nightly breath of fresh air (it's minus 21), I spotted the gorgeous lights off to the side and ran to my neighbours house. She has wanted to see the NL's since moving up North. So we stood and watched for a few minutes. Then I ran back into the house to pull on my coat, gloves and clunky boots...over my pyjamas of course to get some pictures. There were a number of people out standing on their steps to watch we could have had a community block party.

I need a tripod and more practice to get some really good shots, but you get the idea. I stayed until the lights drifted away, by that time the battery in the camera was dead and I had lost all feeling in my fingers, but I didn't care. Nature is an amazing thing. Had to share them with you right away...enjoy.

Sunday afternoon in Pang


This photo was taken from the waterfront (icefront) just at the end of my road. I thought I was going for another long stroll around town, but was unpleasantly surprised to find my hands frozen in my mittens by the time I got to the end of the road. The temperatures have turned again and Sunday was -18. Not terribly cold by Nunavut standards, but no match for the PEI coat and mitts I had on.

I dug out my Canada Goose again this morning and my clunky boots. For those of you concerned about my shoe addiction you will be happy to hear that I am planning on buying a new pair of hiking boots from the Northern store here in town. Yep, made it just over a month since I've bought a new pair of shoes. Actually, I haven't bought shoes or boots since I before I went to Europe....no wonder I was drooling over the selection at the store today. It reminds me of the trip to Burgeo I took and ended up buying a pair of $5 sneakers there. Nonetheless I am going back later this week to buy these boots. They will be great for walking to work in and not as clunky as my snowmobile boots which I will save for a snowmobile trip.

Still awaiting news on the shoes that I believe are in Grammie's garage...I hope they are ok.

Exercise isn't good for the environment.


Ok, so the last couple of posts have nothing to do with living North of Nain...and neither does this one. But the thought did occur to me today (North of Nain) that exercise is not good for the environment.

Let's start with the gym. The air conditioning in most gyms takes a lot of energy and drains our resources. The machines also use up a lot of energy (electricity) to run them. And people generally drive to the gym which causes all kinds of pollution.

Now, what about all the towels and dirty clothes that working out produce. This was my original thought. I just got off the treadmill a few minutes ago, hot and sweaty. I had to change out of my special running bra, running underwear, running socks, running shorts and take a shower. All my sweaty running clothes went into the wash--talk about a waste of water. Not to mention the towels used for the post-work out shower that will need to be washed. And let's not forget the water in the shower.

I only do full loads of laundry and believe me when your water is delivered by truck you make every second in the shower count, but still that's two showers a day and a whole pile of extra laundry...and all this just for me. How many people work out everyday? Millions!

For the sake of the environment, please, do not exercise.

I'm an Aunt....again....

My sister had her baby this morning. A girl. Wish I could stop by for a quick visit, but at least got to speak with her on the phone...and I was the first to find out her name, but I can't tell you yet what it will be.

This is her second child, so I now have a neice and a nephew, both born on the same day, three years apart. How's that for timing?

Congratulations to their family! Auntie J's gift is in the mail.

I miss my couch.


Yeah sure, I miss my family, friends and former co-workers...but not as much as I miss my couch. It was the perfect length, width and height for me. I could lay on it and completely stretch out. I feel asleep in front of the tv on many occasions and woke up refreshed and not stiff.

This morning I woke up early and seeing how it is Saturday and I don't need to go to work I decided to curl up on the couch and watch tv till I fell asleep again. I fell asleep but awoke feeling cramped and crowded. The couch is simply not long enough to lay down on. I'm folded up and width wise...well, forget it. If I ever find someone to cuddle with on the couch I will need to go next door and borrow another couch.

Of all the things people find to complain about I guess having a so-so couch is minor.