What Would You Pack?

No smoke in the air today, but there has been and I'm told there will be more.  There is a major fire burning near Chip and there are usually dozens of fires around here every year. The Slave Lake Disaster really hit home -- our town is literally carved out of the forest, and from what I understand, there is some really old timber around here. 

Last year was apparently 'wet' (not compared to Ottawa) and this year is dry and hot.  Although I know Ontario has had a really wet spring, we've had only 3mm of rain since March 24.  And this is on top of less snow than usual.  And what snow there was melted and ran off before the ground thawed, so little was able to infiltrate.  And we've had some wicked winds... the Chip fire was able to travel 40 km in one day!   


Another thing I have learned about forest fires, is that unlike the lessons from Smokey the Bear to be careful with your campfires, almost all of the fires here are caused by lightening.  So, while we're hoping for rain, we hope it doesn't come in with a bang.  And its really luck of the draw on where that lightening strikes!

Last week we got a disaster/evacuation preparation brochure in the mail.  If we need to be flown out, its one carry-on per person.  And no animals.  We have a dog and its really hard to even think about that.  But most likely we'd be driving out of town.... [apparently we should keep our tank full as gas will sell out in a matter of minutes as soon as there is smoke in the air].  Still, strange to think about grabbing all that is important to you.  I guess I have some thinking (and packing) to do.   What would you bring?   

Spring is sprung, FINALLY

i've been absent for awhile... mostly as the LONG winter was getting me down.  but we've turned the corner here... its been warm here all week, and does that ever do wonders for the spirit!  and other signs of spring are all around -- pelicans are circling town, the whoopers are reportedly back (they nest in very remote locations), swallows are here, crocuses are popping up and, unfortunately, the first mosquitos have found their way to our backyard (are they EVER big here!).  the last bits of snow should be gone by the end of this week and pretty soon we should be seeing the bears coming out of hibernation (and more mosquitos)! 

we've had a glorious week of unseasonably warm weather after months of unseasonably cold... so i'm making the most of it and am full aware that i could be wearing a toque and mitts again next week.
like it was last week as you can see in this video that shows the Slave River breaking up... it was pretty cool (and cold)...

a few people have asked for pics of town -- will do as soon as it greens up a bit!   i don't know why i didn't do it sooner...  i'm also contemplating sneaking my camera into the grocery stores...  if you are interested in any other topics, please let me know!

the minus is a given

Its so funny (and scary) to hear that "it's going up to 20" and know that that means MINUS 20.   Its been a long winter for us.   I arrived about this time last year, and it was similar weather, but it was a novelty at the time -- not knowing how long it would last.  Now I know we're in for at least 2 more months and we've already had 4 (and I was in Ontario for 1 of those!).  Last weekend we had a reprieve from the below 20 weather (with windchills hitting the 40s) -- it went up to 8 for 24 hours!  It was so great to get out for some longer walks (with good friends and a total of 6 dogs!).   I've been a little reluctant to do too much with Bowan, even completely wrapped up.  It was so nice to let him experience the fresh air without being cocooned in layer upon layer.  But now we're back to the cold... still, funny when the wind dies down and the sun is shining bright -- and you are dressed properly -- it really is beautiful, even though its still 24 (minus).   And I have to admit the days are getting longer fast -- a really pick me up!    It still seems too cold for my babe... but on the other hand, cabin fever is starting to hit, so I'm vowing suck it up and get out more before me and my baby go crazy! 

Northern Birthing

With a little bit of experience under my belt, I decided to do a little piece on giving birth in the North... maybe fits well on my one year anniversary in Smith? How things can change in a year! 

It wasn't many months after moving to Fort Smith we became pregnant. I was ecstatic, but at the same time terrified – my first baby, so far from family and friends, no doctors, hours from civilization, and I was pushing 40.   That's right -- no doctors.  Well, no regular doctors -- we have what are called locums -- they are here for monthly shifts, but no one that is here on any consistent basis.  And definitely no hospital, obstetricians or specialists.  Instead, and quite possibly better, we do have two permanent midwives who run an amazing birthing centre.  Most women choose to use this service.   

For the actual birth, there are two options -- at the birthing centre here in town or at the hospital in Yellowknife.  If I was still in Ottawa, I'm sure I would have planned to give birth in a hospital like most people.  However, with the amazing birthing centre we have here, and after preparing with my midwife, I couldn't imagine giving birth anywhere but Smith.  Of course this choice is not without risks -- if anything goes wrong you will be medevaced to Yellowknife, which can take 3 hours from the decision point, and usually without the father. Still, for a low risk pregnancy, which I had, we felt that the benefits of staying in town were much greater.  Unfortunately, I was late and was required to go to Yellowknife anyways (this is a requirement as if a baby is beyond 10 days, as there is no induction or much room for interventions in Smith).  As many of you know, I was a wreck -- I really didn't want to go, but there was no choice. 

We were surprised to learn that a partner is not covered under medical travel.  Luckily, Rob was able to come with me, but many other families are not as lucky.  All women from isolated communities must go to Yellowknife to birth (having a birthing centre like we do is not the norm, in fact I don't think there are any others) -- usually two weeks before the due date.  For many of these, it means over 2 weeks on their own in a strange city.  And some of these women are very young and may have never even been to a city before.  Even for me, the culture shock of going from a small community with care providers that you know and trust to a hospital setting with rotating doctors and nurses was difficult. 

We were back in Fort Smith almost 24 hours after Bowan was born (unfortunately no pictures of us getting on the plane -- it was too cold, and we were too wired).  And it was at that point that I realized that a midwife is so much more than prenatal care and delivery.  Gisela, our midwife, was indispensable -- at our door any time of day we needed, always available to provide a reassuring word on the phone (she even returned a call from the grocery store phone one time!), got us over a critical nursing hump, helped stave off jaundice, and looked after me as well.  I’m not sure we would have gotten through the first week without her (especially with no family here).

As I have learned, it was a long road for our midwives to become recognized and to get funded (for a number of years they worked for whatever people could afford -- usually this meant barter).  There is excellent coverage about their story in the local paper, Slave River Journal.  You need to enter the guest username and password -- both srj -- to read the article.  It's a good article, really. 

Someone also put together a great video about the Fort Smith birthing centre - its called Northern Birthing on YouTube.  Added bonus in the video -- some footage of our town. 

Finally, some pics of Gisela with Bowan.  

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Greetings from the Great White North!

Festivities are in full gear here in Smith... never have I seen anywhere so Christmassy...

We've missed a number of the events as I needed to be up in Yellowknife for a few days last week... but here's what has been going on in our little town (besides all of the individual parties and events) -- a Christmas tree lighting with Santa (I wrote about this already), skate with Santa, breakfast with Santa, story time with Santa, watch Santa get off the plane, swim with Santa, a Santa hockey tournament, 3 Christmas concerts, a community party hosted by the Mayor and our MLA, and a community feast ... Then there is a regular Santa Claus parade (only 3 blocks as its so cold!) AND a nightly Santa Claus float that travels down every street in town... again because its so cold, everyone just waves from their window (although we've seen a few kids running after it). A few pics below, but hopefully we'll get some more photos of the festivities next year.

So, we were hoping to be home for Christmas, but it didn't work out that way. As soon as we realized this, Rob drove across the 'highway' to get us a tree. There is no shortage of Christmas trees around here! As for the actual day, it will probably be pretty quiet, but hopefully we'll get out for a walk in the woods, and maybe a few mimosas... and we've actually been invited to a Christmas Eve get-together -- looking forward to that. Then a few days later Ottawa-bound! We look forward to seeing as many of you as we can!

Santa in Smith

So, December 1 marked the lighting of the town XMAS tree... about 100 people showed up to watch Santa flip the hydro. We were a little surprised that about 1/4 of the bulbs were burnt out, and that they were old school incandescents... maybe a little "buy a string of LEDs for the Christmas tree" community project is in order?

It was pretty amazing to see a line of kids waiting to see Santa, considering it was probably close to -20C (with the wind) and poor Santa just sitting there! And of course, the night was complete with brisk walk home in the faint glow of the aurora (we didn't stick around outside to watch it get brighter).

The next big excitement is the perpetual Santa Claus parade... apparently it goes down a different street every night throughout December... and because its so cold, people just stay inside and watch from their window! Again poor Santa! But apparently he makes many appearances -- like getting off the plane, skate with Santa and even a swim with Santa??! I will keep you posted!

(Sorry about the pics -- my little camera doesn't do so well at night)

Idling -- ARRRGH!

I noticed this last year -- people idle their cars in the winter. For hours. The parking lot at the grocery store was a disgusting cloud of fumes today. I could understand it (maybe) if it was -50C out, but it was only -8C! I mean, you barely even need to warm up your car at all in that weather! And it certainly isn't going to konk out after a trip in to get groceries. Especially a grocery store that less than 10 (short) aisles! On the plus side, it was only -8C today!

Don't even get me going on recycling -- but I'll save that for another day.

A bit of culture...

Beading is a traditional Dene craft, and there are beautiful examples of handiwork all over the NWT.  Below is a picture of the moccasins that my cousin's mother-in-law made for my aunt in commemoration of my cousin's wedding.

I have been wanting to try it since I got here and tonight I had the opportunity to participate in a small workshop.  Our instructor was a woman from the DehCho (Providence)...  its quite a lot of work, so no,  I didn't come away with a pair of mocassins, or even a card holder... but I did make a little Santa that I will turn into a brooch.   It probably took about an hour per Santa for each of us starting out... so maybe a card holder next.  

Some pics from our evening:



If you would like to see some other examples, here is a link to an on-line store operated by the Tlicho (near Yellowknife) where you can will find lots of great beading handiwork.

http://www.tlicho.ca/tlicho_onlinestore/catalog

Frost and short days

It is still warm here --- but the forecast is calling for more seasonable temperatures (-16C) by the end of the week.  Yikes, that's what I wanted, right?   Still not much snow, but its fairly warm and damp, resulting in the most beautiful frost covered trees for the last two days...

We've also seen some lovely sunrises and sunsets over the past few weeks -- the days are markedly shorter.   You really need to make an effort to get out early enough in the day to take in your vitamin D!  And still another 6 weeks of days getting shorter.