Week 3

 

Good morning

What a week it has been!  At 4:00 pm on Monday, my teacher assistant from 2 years ago came into my room and asked if I would like to "follow her" on a mussel picking trip.  This translates into, would you like to come??  Of course I said. She picked me up from my home at 4:30, and away we went.  First stop was her house.  She and her husband hooked up their "canoe", a long boat with a screen, and off to the boat ramp we went.  We motored about 15 minutes up river.  This was going west on the Payne River.

Johnny stopped the boat, and we carefully slithered out into knee high water to get to the rocks where we began picking mussels.  I have never done that before--you look under the seaweed, and into the rocks--there you find them hiding.  Ha--after 2 hours we had several buckets full!!  Yahoo.  Vanessa brought water, a coleman stove, instant coffee and a pecan pie .  Brought memories back of my dad fixing instant coffee on our fishboat, and Uncle Johnny making lemon meringue pie for us to eat.  We had our little picnic before we headed in!

That is the life here.  At 4:00 school is over, and everyone heads for the land.  This is the call of the north for these people.  Everyone goes out to do something--maybe fishing, musseling or hunting.  Right now there are a lot of black bears around, so it is dangerous to go anywhere without the rifle.  The polar bears are also starting to show their faces. Herds of  muskox and caribou are also close to the village. 

When there is a kill, which is every time someone goes out,  the meat goes to the  family, and then the rest goes to the community freezer, where anyone can access it through the winter.  

We had a busy week.  Surprises everyday.  I didn't know I would be teaching grade 1 and 2 English until one day, 13 little kids showed up at my door--oh well--roll with the punches!  Then the timetable and who is registered in my class fluctuates from day to day--oh well--just be prepared--like the girl guide!!!

On Day 5, we get to go to the kitchen to make something!  I invited another class to join us--on went the beautiful aprons that my dear friend made , and onwards to the kitchen.  What fun making chocolate chip cookies.  While the cookies were baking we had fun telling jokes, and doing some mental math.

I am getting plenty of exercise.  No busses, and I do not own an atv or a vehicle, so it is walking!  I get between 15,000-20,000 steps a day.  I also have the added benefit of doing hills and stairs--think about that!!  My goal is to lose 20 pounds before Christmas, and I am 5 pounds down already!!

Love those aprons!

3 weeks growth.

Yup, one of the hills on the way to my castle!

Washed and ready for the freezer.

Too bad I didn't have any wine to cook them in--but they were amazing!!

Remembering time with my dad and uncle.

Fresh as fresh can be.

Vanessa with her baby.

Little kids fishing off the breakwater.

This is a wonderful lady.

Riding in the canoe on the way to the launch.