Giving Thanks

This year Thanksgiving has taken on a literal meaning for the Wilson Family.

Have you ever seen a nature show on TV that shows how a giant explosion deep within the ocean shows up on the surface as a tiny little bubble?  In the Pixar movie, 'Finding Nemo' an old torpedo explodes which sets off a bunch of them and the next shot shows two seagulls floating on the surface of the ocean, and the only part of that major explosion miles and miles beneath those birds that rose to the surface was a bubble that made it look and sound like one of the birds had passed gas?  Well, I have been in a similar situation over these last sixteen months.  I have been experiencing incredible amount of emotional turmoil deep within, but the only thing you see on the surface is an occasional little blip on the radar.

Let me elaborate.

In 2014, we were living in London, Ontario.  We were living in a cramped, two-bedroom apartment and trying to figure out how we could afford to move to a bigger place.  I was finally certified to teach in Ontario and was looking for work in London and environs and Greg was working for a non-profit First Nations group.  The kids were happy and healthy attending a school with a loving and supportive environment.  The kids had extracurricular activities as did I.  Most importantly, we loved London and being close to our family and friends.  We were definitely in what we fondly look back on now and call a 'comfortable rut' - a routine and more or less happy situation.

Then came the month of May.  Greg's sudden job loss sent all of us into a tailspin and the result was the end of life as we had come to know it.  Our sense of loss was immense.  We really did mourn having to leave London and Ontario in order to go where was there was work, and we felt a great deal of anger toward 'the system', which was essentially punishing us.  We were baffled and I spent a great deal of time trying to accept God's will - acknowledging that His plan for us was taking an unexpected turn, but that as long as we trusted in Him, all would turn out in the end.

For those of you who have been reading the blog all along, you know how terrified Greg and I felt about leaving Ontario headed to parts unknown and dragging our family along with us, and you remember reading the entries that focused a lot about what we were seeing and doing, but not what we were feeling due to the immense homesickness we felt at the time.  You read along with us as I finally vocalized these feelings, and you provided an immense amount of support to us as I told you all about the bullying occurring most especially to Patrick and the kids, but also to both Greg and I.  I wrote about how particular people in Tuk were reading our blog and how all of a sudden a place where I could communicate to our nearest and dearest had become an arena for political correctness because Greg's job depended on it.  Again, through all of this, we clung to God, asking for guidance and help to get through each day, one at a time.

You knew that there were politics at the school that we could not discuss but there were hints of it here and there in the blog.  None of you were surprised when we decided it would be better for the kids and I to leave Tuk before the end of the school year, and you loved and supported me through Facebook during Greg's and my seven week separation while he was completing the school year in Tuk and the kids and I were homeschooling with Gramma Wilson in Parry Sound, Ontario.  We turned to God in prayer to help us through this time, too, and introduced the use of God boxes to the kids, which are special boxes in which we could put our written letters to God. Once a prayer or a letter went into your God Box, it was left for Him to handle in His own time - not yours.  In many ways, each box served as a holding tank for our personal prayers.  It made me feel much better leaving all my worries with God, and I know the kids used them faithfully, too.

There was a lot of uncertainty for us during the summer.  Where were we going to live?  Were we going to get jobs?  What if?  What if?  What if?  That was a game I played often....late at night while I felt like the loneliest person in the world.  It took its toll on all of us - and the kids were especially worried.  I felt like a horrible Mom putting our kids through all that worry and uncertainty.  They missed their Dad like crazy because we were so used to being together and they were scared.  We all were.  As we have throughout our whole journey, we turned to God, knowing that He would never put us in a situation we couldn't handle, and our God boxes were overflowing with letters and prayers!

Finally the break came.  I was offered my job in Yellowknife!  What a relief!  At least we knew where we were going and we knew that it would be easy for Greg to find work substitute teaching, which could perhaps lead to something more permanent.

I admit, I felt like I was emerging from a cave of darkness, and the sunlight from our suddenly bright future was a bit blinding, but how wonderful it was to think that I was going to begin my teaching career and that we were going to a place that was big enough to have all the amenities we wanted to have without the anonymity of city living.

Once we arrived in Yellowknife, we began to settle in, but then we experienced a new kind of stress in our lives, one that we had never experienced so intensely, but one that certainly permeates every aspect of life and becomes all-consuming.  We were broke.  We had used up the rest of Greg's summer pay cheques to move, as well as in paying first and last rent and security deposits on all our new utility accounts.  Not only that, we had to buy furniture.  We sold all of our furniture and belongings before Greg left Tuk because it was too expensive to move them.  It was going to cost $12,000 just to move our belongings on the plane from Tuk to Inuvik.  After that, there were all kinds of extra surcharges and fees for moving our belongings down the Dempster highway to south of the sixtieth parallel, and there was no possible way we had that kind of money.  There was really no other option but to unload our belongings.  Greg mailed twenty boxes of our most special and important personal belongings to Parry Sound, and the rest he sold at a gigantic garage sale.  It's just stuff, right?

Well, we had to replace that 'stuff'.  We had to replace an entire kitchen, all of our linens, furniture and basic items.  Fortunately, there are furniture stores in town, but we were most fortunate to find the YK Trader, which is a local version of Kijiji, and we began to replace particular items at a significantly lower cost than buying new, which was out of the question anyway.  While all this was happening, we were sleeping on the floor and living out of suitcases.  While we were trying to obtain furniture, we were also setting up our utilities and were shocked by the amounts we had to pay in deposits, and that ate into our furniture fund.  We had no money, the cupboards were bare, and James was still sleeping on a foam mat on the floor.

I felt stressed in all areas of my life.  My husband, my rock and partner in life, was just as stressed as me and in no condition to lean on.  The kids were stressed because they wanted beds and furniture and we had to tell them that it was either a bed or groceries.  Kids don't need that kind of stress in their lives, and after everything they went through over the spring and summer, this was the last thing we wanted to do to them.  We couldn't unpack anything because we didn't have places to put it, so my home was a messy and complicated place to be - not very restful at all and for the longest time we had no TV or internet because Northwest Tel books service installation calls two weeks in advance.  Then there was the stress of a new job and getting used to all kinds of new situations, plus that awful sinking feeling, which I was experiencing far too often, because it looked like everybody around me understood what they were doing and saying, but me.  It was incredibly overwhelming.  Again, I cried out to God.  "Why are you doing this to me?  You would never give us more than we can handle, but don't you think enough is enough God?  I mean, REALLY??".

Finally, I hit rock bottom.  I spent a weekend about a month ago so completely lost, both physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and even spiritually.  I was so mad at God!  It got so bad, that I even refused to go to church that Sunday. Why would I feel welcome in God's house when I was mad at him?  What would make me want to go hang out at His house when he was treating me so poorly? Greg was so worried about me, he saw me up late Saturday night typing furiously on the laptop (much as I am now) and he thought that I was typing a suicide note.  I'd like to say, I was feeling lower than I have ever felt in my life - but suicide had not entered my thoughts.  I wanted somebody to knock me unconscious so I didn't have to feel any emotions for a while (a coma perhaps?) but I wasn't willing to kill myself to reach that.  I certainly did feel like a spectacular failure because it seemed like no matter what I did or tried to do, I was failing in all aspects of my life.  I had been feeling overwhelmed and stressed out since May 2014 and whenever we seemed to catch a break, it backfired on us and left things worse than they had been before!

That night I spent typing furiously, I sent out a Rescue 911 to my support network - my intimate group of kindred spirits - asking for love and support - because it just wasn't happening from God or anybody.  I remember sitting in the bathroom with the door closed and the fan on so the kids couldn't hear me sobbing, and I cried out to God, "Enough!!  Everybody says that you would never give us more than we can handle - so why are you doing this to us?  You are supposed to be carrying me when I'm troubled but right now I am on an island all by myself and you are not here!".

What happened next was nothing short of a miracle and a true sign of God's grace in our lives.  Not only did my 'peeps' step up to pick me up off the ground and dust me off, some other incredible things happened, too.  Those in my network, who shall remain nameless but all of whom are faithful readers, worked to get the various parts of my life better organized.  I had a long talk about how to better plan my time so that I could concentrate on the other parts of teaching at school, which would give me a better life/work balance.  I talked with others about how to help the kids in their adjustment to Yellowknife.  Another person approached me with her kids' hardly worn coats and asked if we could use them.  We had a welcome to Yellowknife basket appear on our doorstep with a gift certificate for the local co-op grocery store in it.  We were gifted money from all kinds of people, including two anonymous sources from D'Youville College, where Greg and I went to teacher's college.  Money sure isn't everything - but knowing that we had money to feed our children, buy them shoes and boots and fall coats, pay our bills and get James off the floor sure eased our minds and made it easier to concentrate on the other parts of my life, which were overshadowed by the almighty dollar sign.  In the span of about a week, we had enough money to pay rent, pay some bills, keep food on the table and to buy James a bed.

In the meantime, Greg got a serving job at Boston pizza.  At first I felt embarrassed for Greg.  I forgot to mention that Greg did successfully defend his dissertation and is now officially Greg Wilson, Ed.D. or Dr. Greg Wilson.  If God led Greg to pursue and defend his doctoral dissertation, why was my husband waiting tables at Boston Pizza?  Regardless of where the money came from, Greg felt better because he was contributing to our finances, and his tips were and are keeping us afloat.  We are still budgeting more strictly than we have ever before, but we are getting by.  Greg is now substitute teaching and if this job at the middle school I was mentioning in my previous blog entry doesn't work out, he will get work substitute teaching everyday.  It is significantly less money than if he had a regular teaching job due to union salary grids, but we are not looking for anything more than being able to look after our basic needs for a while.

SO...why am I telling you all of this?

Well, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all you have to be thankful for.  Last year, I was thankful that we had all of our friends and family reaching out to love and support us across the miles, and for the fact that despite our distance from all of you, we also had the five of us, and that was most important.  This year, my Thanksgiving is literally a very sincere and humble, "Thanks for giving" to all of you out there who have helped us in any way this year - emotional support, a good laugh, time spent together, a financial contribution, use of your bed and/or your home, long phone conversations that went late into the night on a work night, continual check-ins and online hugs and encouragement.  The list goes on and on.....

Needless to say, God and I have had a little chat, and I apologized for refusing to visit, and I think He has forgiven me, which is a relief.  It just goes to show you that when you cry out to God, He is there and He does listen!  I am so grateful and humbled by everything that has transpired over the last few weeks.  It is incredible how being able to say "Thank you" and accept all the various gifts offered to me and my family made me feel so loved, cherished and protected by all of you and by God.  We were not in a position to allow pride or conceit or embarrassment cloud the fact that we were desperately in need of guidance and help in various ways - and God provided through you - our family and friends.

Some of you know nothing about this, and may feel embarrassed reading it and wondering why I would reveal such a personal issue to all of you, and here is why.  I believe in paying it forward and that people you know a lot or even a little can be in need in various ways all around you.  Sometimes a smile, holding a door open, allowing the car in the adjoining lane to bud ahead of you, a donation to a charity, a hug for a stranger, buying a coffee for the person behind you in the drive-thru, a long conversation with a friend in need into the night on a work night, donating to a food bank....any and all of those things are paying kindness forward.  It has been an eye opening lesson for me and as I said, I found humility - not humiliation - in accepting this kindness when it was offered to me and my family.

Maybe this was God's lesson for us after all.  Who knows?  I am just Happy and Thankful for those who Gave and continue to Give in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Greetings from Yellowknife!

Greetings From Yellowknife, Northwest Territories!

The Wilson children during our journey to Yellowknife.

I know - long time no blog.  I have been pretty overwhelmed lately, what with a new community, a new house, a new job/school, and helping the family settle in, too.  I have made the mistake of sitting down one too many times, because the next thing I know, Greg is waking me up asking me to come upstairs to bed and I've been asleep for 4 hours already! So much for blogging! I have fallen asleep at the computer working on lesson plans, on the toilet (that one's embarrassing), mid-folding of laundry, and in all kinds of unusual and bizarre places over the last few months.

The good ol' grain elevator,
a familiar sight to those
who watch(ed) the show
and for the prairie
provinces in general.

When last I left you, I had announced that we were leaving for Yellowknife.  Well, we made it!  We drove cross-country again, but this time we were allowed to drive through the USA, so we took full advantage of the cheaper gas and hotel rooms and we saw a lot of incredible sights along the way.  Once we crossed back into Canada we drove through the little town in Saskatchewan that is now known as Dog River, where Corner Gas was filmed.  That was pretty amazing!

We told the kids that Yellowknife is a town of 19,000 people and that there is pretty well anything you could need here.  The kids nodded their heads but as we approached our destination, the questions started flowing.....

"You said it has a McDonald's right?".  

"Yes."

"You said there are paved roads, right?".

Corner Gas - used to take the exterior
shots.  The interior of the store
was filmed elsewhere.

"Yes."

"I am going to be in a regular sized class at school, right?".

"Yes.  Probably around 20-25 students.".

"Is there a Walmart?".

"Yes.  We live close to it.  We told you that, remember?"

"Oh yeah.  Right.".

The kids really needed a lot of gentle reassurance that just because we were driving back to the Northwest Territories, it didn't mean that we were headed back to a remote area again.  I pointed out how beautiful the airport was when we went through there last Christmas, and all three kids nodded their heads tensely.  It was a heartbreaking watching the kids go through this during our last day's drive from Hay River to Yellowknife.  Hay River was rather, um..... lacking in amenities and that freaked both them, and I admit, myself out a bit.  What had we gotten ourselves into?  It would be okay, right?

"Yes.  Breathe.".

The inside of the Legislative
Building in Yellowknife, where
the Territorial Gov't sits. Greg
took the kids on a tour while
I was at a PD Day.

When we arrived in Yellowknife, we were pleasantly surprised. There are car dealerships, there is an enormous Home Hardware complete with lumber yard.  There are all kinds of big box stores like Canadian Tire, Staples, Marks' Work Wearhouse, and Walmart.  There are fast food restaurants like McDonalds and Subway.  There is one Tim Horton's (which always has a line-up going out the door for counter service, and across a parking lot in the drive-through).  If you want a coffee from Tim Horton's in Yellowknife you had best get there before 6am or you will be waiting in line forever!  Apparently, there are no plans to add another Timmy's to Yellowknife, although it would definitely be a successful business venture.  Downtown has several local shops, as well as a Shopper's Drug Mart, A&W, and banks, and, of course, the government buildings which house all the Territorial ministries.  There are a few hockey arenas and an indoor pool, where Charlotte's class went last week for the Red Cross Swim to Survive Program, and even though it is across town from the school, they walked there in about half an hour.

The thing about Yellowknife is that although it is a town of almost 20,000, you can get anywhere you need to go in about 5 minutes, 10 tops.  This is lovely.  There is a minor rush hour around 8am but we have learned the short cuts which help us avoid the traffic, and help us to arrive at school in about 7 minutes, even though we live across town.

We live in a townhouse we are renting from a couple who are finishing their final year in education in Inuvik before retiring.  They bought this place in the summer and wanted a family to keep the place warm while they were in the North, and that family would be us.  You heard me talk a lot about Inuvik last year as the hub for all the outpost communities, and the end of the road for those who brave the Dempster Highway.  We were known to the couple whose house we are renting and they are next door neighbours and colleagues to a dear friend of ours whom we met in Tuk and who is teaching in Inuvik this year.  It's a small world!!  

All our worldly belongings fit easily
in the living room.

The house itself is on the smallish side compared to what we rented last year but we are happy here. There are three bedrooms, and Charlotte is thrilled to bits with her new snug room, which she has blissfully made her own, posting all her artwork and posters as well as her Anna and Elsa wall stickers.  She was reunited with most of her Barbie collection, having only brought a small bag of dolls and furniture with her to Ontario for four months.  She has already spent many happy hours playing Barbies with friends in her room, which is something she sorely missed last year - neighbourhood friends who have the same interests. 

The boys did not fit into the remaining bedroom - but that was not a problem.  There is an open space upstairs which is large, and is supposed to be a sitting room/family room where all the upstairs bedrooms/bathroom empty out, and there was already a giant curtain rod and curtains installed across the room, sealing it off from the rest of the upstairs, creating a large bedroom and a hallway.  The boys love this, and have called their hideaway Private's Cove, and they are snug and happy, still preferring each others' company in sharing a bedroom rather than being on their own.  We are in the process of turning the rejected bedroom into an office.    

With Greg in charge of the kids on the first day of school,
this was the closest thing I got to a 'first day of school'
photo for anybody.  Sigh. Welcome to Weledeh!

Since we moved to Yellowknife because of my new job, I figure you want to hear about Weledeh (pronounced Well-a-day) Catholic School, WCS for short.  Weledeh is a school of about 200 students and it is modern and progressive.  It is a warm and inviting place where the students are treated with a great deal of respect, which is the main word used throughout the school.  Everybody is respectful to each other, and we are amazed at how blessed we are to be part of the Weledeh Family.   I believe I mentioned that the school was overcrowded, and since it is connected to the high school, the Grade 8s were moved over to the high school, which eased the overcrowding issue and actually allowed the staff and services offered in the school some wiggle room.  This means that instead of living off a cart and running from homeroom to homeroom to teach French, my teaching partner and I have our own classroom, which is wonderful! When other French teacher friends hear that I have my own classroom, they are jealous because the 'à la carte' method is becoming the norm for French teachers these days.  I am teaching Grades 4 through 7 Core French from 8:20am to 12:20 pm, and then she teaches Grades 1-3 in the afternoons.

With this shifting of the Grade 8s over to ESPHS (École St. Patrick's High School), this means James has entered high school!  He operates on a two-day rotational schedule.  He is taking French again, which he found is more or less like riding a bicycle. Once you are forced to get back on the seat again, with a bit of practice balancing and holding on, you can be a pro all over again.  He is also taking a Robotics class which he really likes, too, along with your typical subjects.  His interim report card from yesterday shows that he is moving along smoothly in his courses, and both James and Greg and I are pleased with this.  He is slow to make friends, but he has started playing cards at lunchtime with a small group and he is happy about it.  James and Patrick have always had each other, so when they arrive home, they hang out together.

Patrick has opted to join a unique program offered by Weledeh, and that is late entry French Immersion, which is an option for students in Grade 7.  All his subjects, except Religion class, are taught in French, and he is learning a lot.  He, too, is slowly making friends, but the spark is back in his eye.  No bullying or turtling - just our happy boy who loves school and life.  The heavy weight of being 'different' is gone.  Weledeh has kids from all walks of life and everybody is loving and accepting of everybody.  Patrick admits that it hasn't been easy settling back into a formal school environment after months and months of homeschooling, but he enjoys it.

As for Charlotte, she is happy to have friends both at school and in the neighbourhood.  There is always drama no matter where you go, and with girls her age, this is not surprising.  She has joined a community choir and they are gearing up for a Remembrance Day performance.  She has also joined the Fiddle Club at school, where she is learning to play and is super excited about it.

The casting call for the play
Greg is in.  The play is
called 'Wait Until Dark'.

Greg began the year with lots of time on his hands, so he started volunteering his time with a political party in Yellowknife to help support them through the upcoming federal election.  He also auditioned for and got a medium-sized role in a play a local theatre troupe is performing at the end of November.  There was a bit of a hiccup in getting Greg applied to and available for substitute teaching, and in the meantime he has leaned on skills/experience he gained in his university days, and is working at Boston Pizza as a server.  He is still working there even now that he has regular hours as a substitute teacher.  Since my job as a first year teacher is only 0.67, we can use the extra money.   There is a full-time contract position for which Greg has applied at a middle school in the public board, known as YK1 - Yellowknife District One.  The best part about this is that he is currently substitute teaching in this position, and both the staff and students are cheering for him to get the job because is well-liked on both sides.  We are keeping our fingers crossed!

As for me, well, let's just say that my learning curve is high.  Even though I am finished every day at 12:20am, I stay at school and plan for the next day, as well as work on all the never-ending reports and organizational tasks and assessments that seem to follow teachers everywhere they go. I have spent a good deal of time feeling overwhelmed and on survival mode, but, thanks to a lot of people, I am making my way through my first of year of teaching one day at a time.  It is incredibly rewarding and I love my job.  I am also really glad that it is not full time!  By the time lunchtime rolls around, most days I am exhausted.  I put a lot of energy into my teaching and it drains me, some days right down to nothing, and when I arrive at home I am running on fumes.  This was noticed by Administration - and I have been instructed to back off a bit and try to find my work/life balance - not exactly an easy thing considering how much more there is to teaching than simply preparing and delivering lesson plans, but it is something I am working on.  Besides, sleep is over rated.  Too bad it is essential to human survival.  Bummer.

I still have loads more to say, but this will do for now.  I will no doubt type again tomorrow or Monday because we have much to be thankful for, this year far more than ever, and I would like to share that with you, but my fingertips are worn down to nubbins and need to get to bed to rest with the remainder of me.

We are happy and healthy and hanging in there.

Good night from Yellowknife.

Is the suspense killing you?

 I thought I would begin this blog by adding some pics of the kids in DisneyWorld.  They sure are growing! James is 13 now, Patrick is almost 12, and Charlotte is 9 1/2 years old.  Both boys are taller than me, and Charlotte has a new pair of beautiful glasses as of yesterday.  My, how time flies!

Okay....I guess I have kept you in suspense for long enough.  Actually, we have been finalizing some details about our living and moving arrangements that we wanted to have tied up before  I made any concrete announcements, and since things are mostly signed, sealed and delivered, I figured I can let you in on our soon-to-be whereabouts.  I sure hope I don't jinx things by making this announcement too soon, but since we are leaving in just a few days for our destination, I had better let the cat out of the bag.

Have you any thoughts as to where we might be going?  Well....we are headed to.......

...a really nice place that is not in Ontario.  We have told a few of you with whom we visited over the past few weeks, and some of you received our news quite happily, in that you are happy for us, and others, were not happy at all because we are not staying in Ontario.  It saddened us that some of you reacted the way you did, because WE are thrilled about our new situation.  The thing is, as teachers, it is extremely difficult for us to find work in Ontario.  If we want to work, we have to leave Ontario.  It was incredibly difficult to leave last year.  As we approached the Manitoba border last year, Greg and I were both crying.  We will always consider Ontario to be home, and maybe one day we will be able to return, but as teachers, time in the union is important, so the longer we stay the less likely it is we will be able to return.  Anyway, like I said, we are really happy about our destination.

What do you think now?  We are headed to......

...a town of 19,000 people.  This town has paved roads, intersections, grass, trees, restaurants, banks, pharmacies, a post office, gas stations, and all kinds of retail stores.  James is thrilled because there is a Boston Pizza in town.  Charlotte is happy there is a McDonalds.  Patrick is happy there is an indoor pool complex.  Greg is happy there are several grocery stores with fresh (as opposed to frozen) food.  I am happy there is a Walmart.  In addition, there is a movie theatre, airport, small mall, and a great book store called The Book Cellar.  Cool name, huh?

Any guesses?  We are headed to.....

...a town where I will be teaching Core French to Grades 4-7.  Greg will be supply teaching for now until something else comes along.  We are hoping he will find an LTO (long-term occasional position)  or better yet, get a job with the Ministry of Education or another part of the government.  This school is a Catholic school, and the kids are thrilled to be headed back to a faith-filled school environment, surrounded by those of like minds.  I am happy that I am going to be teaching what I was trained to do, and am finally getting my career going.  Incidentally, from what I can tell, having not seen my schedule yet, I will be teaching both Charlotte and Patrick.  They are actually quite happy because I understand that they haven't been using their French for over a year since they didn't take it in Tuk, so I will supposedly go easy on them.  Hmmmmmm..........

Don't you hate that I'm dragging this out?  We are headed to....

...a place that is accessible by airplane.  Simply fly from Toronto to Calgary or Edmonton and then connect.  Easy peasy.  Gramma and Grampa Wilson have plans to visit soon, and my mom is also talking about visiting.  Any and all of you are welcome!

Here's a final clue.  We are headed to.....

...a town whose name begins with a colour and ends with a something you will find in front of you when you sit down to dinner.

Okay, that ought to make it quite obvious by now!!

As of Sunday, August 23, 2015, the Wilson Family will be residents of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

Thank you to everyone for your love and support as we move across the country again.  I will continue to blog about our life in the North, and although we are not living in a 'remote' community, we still have loads of new adventures ahead of us, and we look forward to seeing what God has in store for us in our new town (although some of you would argue that Yellowknife is remote, too. This is a matter of opinion, I guess.  Heh heh.).

I will blog more about the actual town of Yellowknife as we make our journey there.  Here's to a new school year and new beginnings!

Did Ya' Miss Me?

Hi Everyone!  Did ya’ miss me?

I sure have missed writing these past few months, and I thought it was high time I let you know where we are in the world, how we came to be here, and in which direction we are headed… this time.

When I last left you, the Wilsons were about to begin May Break, which is the equivalent to a March Break anywhere else but since there is so much snow and the temperatures are still so cold in March in Tuktoyaktuk, they wait until May.  There were times when we thought it would be -40C forever! Anyway, by the time mid-May rolled around, we were all pretty desperate to see home and have some face to face time with our nearest and dearest.  

You also knew that Tuk just wasn’t working out for us as a family.  We will always be glad we went to Tuktoyaktuk.  We learned a lot about ourselves and each other, as well as how to band together as a family to support each other.  We made some friends, learned a lot of really great life lessons, both the practical which we can apply to life in general and some lessons which are unique to Tuk. Greg and I also learned a lot professionally, too.  And on a personal note, it was here that I learned just how much I love to write!

This means that when I last left you, a lot was up in the air about our life for the fall, and as a family we were facing another hardship that loomed large in our lives - being separated.  After May Break, the kids and I stayed in Ontario and sent Greg back to Tuktoyaktuk to finish the school year.  It was ‘just’ seven weeks.  How hard could that be?

It was the most difficult time in my life, that’s how hard it was.  I thought last summer was tough - having to pack up the last five years of my life, give away a great deal, put stuff in storage and take only the most essential plus a few sentimental items with us, preparing for a ‘new life’ in a place I knew very little about. I was leaving all my friends and family and going where we were completely unknown.  I was scared to death, both for me and for my family. What’s more, it was’t just me!  Greg and the kids needed me to do my part and be a support to them, too.  The thing is - we had each other, and there is always safety in numbers.  Besides, we Wilsons have each others’ backs.

When Greg left to fly back to Tuk, at first it felt like he was going on a business trip.  Easy enough.  In London, there were times when Greg would have to travel to Sault Ste. Marie for a week at a time and the kids and I got along all right.  James missed having a barrier between the two of us because he and I are so much alike sometimes we clash.  Patrick missed having somebody with whom he could share his deep thoughts, since he and his father are very similar that way.  Charlotte missed cuddling and teasing and the adventures she had on a daily basis with her Daddy, and I missed my partner in life.  By the end of the week, we were all waiting with baited breath for the door of our apartment to open and for our beloved and fearless leader to walk in, larger than life and full of love and jokes and laughter.

After the first week, it sunk in.  We all went into a tailspin, and to top it off, the four of us were living in Parry Sound where there was the expectation to finish the school year via homeschooling with Gramma Wilson.  Gramma herself had come home early from Poplar Hill, Ontario, a small fly-in First Nation community in Northern Ontario, where Grampa Wilson was principal.  She was facing a six week absence from him, and was feeling it, too.

So there we all were, with raw, gaping emotions, trying to limp along and establish a routine with some sense of normalcy.  There were definitely some hills and valleys throughout these seven weeks, but the kids and I and Gramma pulled ourselves together and finished the school year. Some days we didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but we did it, and we are all are stronger for it.

The kids each came to me in their own time and manner, expressing their unhappiness  about being away from Dad, and I knew in my heart how much I was yearning for Greg, too.  I turned to God, who has never let me down, and to Facebook for support stating that if I heard a “Buck up.  He’ll be home soon.  The time will go so fast and he’ll be here before you know it”  I would blow.  I did blow up at few people and I also got a great deal of support from others.  Both categories know who you are, and to you I say I’m sorry and Thank you.  

Then there was Greg, who was all by himself in a three bedroom house, trying to finish the school year, pack up our house, arrange a move, look for work for next year, and complete report cards.  He was used to the constant chaos of kids in the house and having his partner there for him to lean on and instead he had……. a great phone and internet connection.  Too bad we didn’t have one in Parry Sound and couldn’t be in touch via Skype much at all.

Greg did, however, manage to submit his doctoral thesis, and will be defending his dissertation in Calgary on August 31st.  After six years of study, research, writing, meetings, and paying tuition, Greg is more than ready to put this behind him and become Dr. Gregory Wilson, or Gregory Wilson, Ed.D.  I must admit there is a thrill for me, too, because I will be the wife of a doctor!!

Our days of separation were dark ones for our family, but the day came when we were all reunited, and that was a joyful one indeed!  Since then we have spent a happy summer together, resting, playing and just being, especially when the stress of finding a job was alleviated….by me!  More to follow about that in a bit!

We spent a wonderful 10 days in DisneyWorld, lost in the magic that only Mickey Mouse can bring, and attended a family wedding on the way home.  I spent a week with my Mom just prior to Greg’s arrival in Ontario, and we have been back and forth to London for playdates.  

However, our summertime fun is approaching its end.  The Wilsons are on the move! We are now in the process of packing up and getting ready to head to………..

Stay tuned for further details!!!

We're 'Tuking' It In

Over the past few weeks on Facebook I have been alluding to the fact that the Wilsons are on the move.  I have had many private messages asking me for details and some of you are confused about why we would be leaving in May as opposed to the end of the school year.  I figured our blog was the best medium in which to explain what is happening to the Northern Wilsons and what our future holds in store.

First of all, we are leaving Tuktoyaktuk.  Although it has been a year full of incredible experiences and adventures for all of us, it is too difficult for the kids to live up here.  They are just too different from the Tuk kids and will always be reminded of it, in moments of bullying, teasing or just in everyday interactions.  The kids up here have not had the same experiences as James, Patrick and Charlotte, and as a result, they do not relate well to each other.  The majority of the kids up here like being outside, playing sports and being on the land for hunting, trapping and fishing.  Our kids, aside from the occasional snowball fight,  are not outdoors kids at all, and much prefer to be inside reading, gaming and playing with their gadgets and toys.  Tuk students' natural learning environment is on the land, learning the skills necessary to provide for and nurture an Inuvaluit family.  They do not adjust well to a classroom environment, which is all our children know.  Essentially, they are like oil and water.

That being said, all three kids have learned a lot of life lessons which will be useful to them for the rest of their lives.  They were bullied and learned how to handle it, what to do and what to say.  We are very proud of each of them for standing up to their bullies, having the courage to speak up about it and to talk about it openly so that others will learn from their experiences too.  We would like to think that we are a pretty tight-knit family, but this year has cemented that fact.  When you feel like you are all alone in the world, turning to others who feel the same way makes a world of difference!  They have learned the value of their education, after being in a classroom full of students who were not comfortable in the learning environment. They have learned about respect, after seeing so little of it in the school and in the classroom.  They have learned that when they are feeling down, not only can they rely on their family, but they can also lean heavily on God, who will always see them through.  They have learned not to take what many would consider the most basic elements of life for granted and to cherish what they have.  These lessons are just the tip of the iceberg so to speak...in a north-of-the-Arctic Circle kind of way.

Greg and I have grown, too, both professionally and personally. We have learned that with God, anything is possible and we have grown even closer together as a couple.  We have faced adversity together and learned how to handle extremely stressful situations and people, and how to comfort each other during these times.  We have learned to appreciate each member of our family and their own unique role he or she has in supporting it, as well each other's strengths and weaknesses, and we have learned that no matter how terrible a day or a week has been, it, too, shall pass.

All five of us now subscribe to the theory that in the North, whatever doesn't kill you just makes you stronger!  There were times when we were so homesick or so heartsick that we thought the school year would go on forever.  Sometimes we just wanted to pack it all in and run away, but we stuck it out and we are the better for it.  We met some pretty amazing people here, people we are proud to call friends and will consider so for life, and others who will quickly fade into the past. 

In Tuktoyaktuk, there is no March Break.  Instead, there is a May Break because this is the time of year when the sun doesn't set, the snow is beginning to melt and it's the perfect time to go out on the land to hunting cabins at Husky Lakes and fish, hunt and bond as a family. Since attendance is low at the school during this time of year, why not have a spring break now?  It makes for a long haul for the teaching staff with no break between January and May, but upon the return from the break there is only six weeks of school left.  The countdown is on!

For the Wilson Family, May Break means a trip to Ontario!  We are very excited to be returning home for a visit, eating some fast food, drinking water with fluoride in it, driving on the 401, and, of course, visiting with friends and family.  For Greg, it is a short but sweet visit as he will be returning to Tuk in order to complete his one year term.  The kids and I, however, will remain in Ontario for the remainder of the school year, making Parry Sound our home base.  We have been homeschooling all three kids up since the beginning of April and that will continue upon our return home.

Where do we go from here?  Well, some of you heard that it was almost a done deal that Greg was going to re-hired to lead his old organization back to its former glory, but that did not pan out.  It was quite a blow when this happened, but we have picked ourselves up, brushed ourselves off and are actively looking for work again.  We each have a few irons in the fire in Ontario, and although we hope that one or some of these will work out, we are also applying to boards all over Canada.  We would prefer to say in a major centre, or at least in a community with a road leading to it, and preferably an inexpensive plane ride home.  A community with a bank, a few restaurants, a variety of stores, churches and schools would be nice too, and after Tuk, that is a step up!

Our adventures in Tuk are ending, and although we are happy to be returning to our dear ones, we are a bit sad to be leaving.  We never in a million years thought that we would get to live on the shore of the Arctic Ocean, and yet here we are!  Many of you have said we were crazy to do this, but the incredibly unique experiences we have had far outshine the hardship of living in such a remote, cold and rugged part of the country.  We all will remember our adventures here in Tuk, and are better people for having learned and loved in this community.  

I have decided to keep blogging.  Stay tuned for updates on our summer adventures in Ontario, Greg's thesis defence, our trip to DisneyWorld, and of course, where we will land come September. In the meantime, our heartfelt gratitude to all of you for your love, support and prayers while we have been so far away this year.  We couldn't have done it without you!  On a personal note, I would like to thank you for your kinds words, support and encouragement as I found my voice on this blog and recorded our adventures over the last ten months.  Some of you have suggested I write a book based on our time in Tuk, and I want to let you know that this is an extreme possibility.  I hope that you will continue to enjoy reading my blogs about our more tame adventures now that we are returning to mainstream society. 

As for our next adventure, who knows were we will wind up?  We do know, however, that God will lead us and we will go where He needs us to be, and that you will love us and pray for us no matter which corner of the world we may roam.  We love you.

Spring has Sprung.....Tuk Style

Ahhh.....daffodils!!

A few weeks ago, I was talking to Aunt Sherin and she was telling me that the daffodils in her garden were beginning to push up through the soil, making their entrance into the world to announce the arrival of spring in Barrie, Ontario.  Their sunny yellow petals make me smile and think of Greg's Grandmother Wilson, whom we affectionately called Grandma B.  She planted a bunch of them around her property years ago, and now that my in-laws own that lot, daffodils spring up all over, every year they get thicker and more plentiful, and their blooming makes my heart smile.  I am sure that the daffodils are out in full force now all over what we refer to 'up here' as 'the South'.

I was talking to my BFF, Jen Hinrichs and she said that the only snow left on her property was that which had piled up in the shady parts, protected from the sun by the house.  You can see old, dirty snow along the fence line, but anything touched by the sun as it gradually warms is disappearing. Even the tired, gravelly snow piled high in the parking lots of the big box stores is melting steadily, creating a constant trickle of water to the nearest sewer.  Spring has definitely arrived in Cambridge, Ontario!

My mom said that she went outside a few weeks ago in her winter coat to run some errands, and got all hot and sweaty while she was out.  Later on that day when she had to go back out for one additional item, she wore her spring coat and has been enjoying her lighter weight jacket ever since.  This means that spring has arrived in Sarnia, Ontario!!

Every year Greg's parents have a competition to see who can spot the first robin of spring.  This beautiful bird with the red breast is most definitely the herald of spring to many people across the United States and Canada who celebrate four seasons in the year!  A few days ago, Greg's mom spotted a robin industriously pecking at some old dead grass to use for nest building.  No doubt it will be filled with a few of its signature coloured eggs within no time at all!

As a child, spring had arrived for me when I was shoved outside in a new spring coat and rubber boots, still wearing mittens and perhaps even a hat, but happily clutching a brand new skipping rope.  My friends and I had to be careful when we played at first because the street cleaner hadn't made its first run through the subdivision to scoop up all the gravel from the winter snow ploughs and sanders!  Almost every year one of us suffered a bloody knee or worse when we rolled on the gravel and fell, another spring time ritual.  You had to be equally as careful when you were riding your bikes during this time of year, because the tires skidded on the gravel, too.  We kids were always so relieved when we heard the street sweeper coming around and our smarting knees and elbows (and sometimes chins if a face plant had occurred) rejoiced with relief!

While I reflect on the signs of spring in Ontario that I know and love so well, I became more curious to learn what signs of spring I could expect to experience in this neck of the woods so to speak, since we live north of the tree line!  Actually, in all seriousness, so many of the signs of spring have to do with growth, trees, plants, flowers and greenery, I was feeling a bit lost about what to expect up here.  Currently I am substituting for the High School English teacher, and so on Friday I asked the English students what their signs of spring were and they were very willing to share with me.  One guy who had lived in Edmonton for a while said that he missed seeing the tulips and daffodils but if you look around, spring does visit Tuk, too.

The view across the street from our house at 3:30 am on
April 28, 2015.  Notice the beautiful blue sky?
Once the sun sets, this is what it looks like now, sort of
like a long and drawn out dusk and dawn all blended
into one.  Even with the blinds pulled, it is
difficult to sleep these days.

The first and obvious sign of spring to everybody is the arrival of the sun.  At first it is exciting to actually have a few hours of daylight, but after a while the daylight becomes more of a commonplace occurrence again.  Once the sun begins to rise up here, we gain 10 minutes of daylight per day, until eventually, the sun just doesn't set and there is 24 hours of daylight. Even leading up to the first day of summer and the longest day of the year, the night time is only a soft dusk before the sun rises again.  As of the writing of this blog, the sun is setting around midnight and we are experiencing that dusk, which will just get shorter until it's only a few minutes long.  We are grateful for our window blinds, which are thick enough to block out the sun.  Those who do not have any blinds on their windows use tin foil, which may be a bit of an eye sore, but at least it's inexpensive!

Once the sun rises, the temperature rises.  A few weeks ago when I originally began writing this post, the average daytime temperature was about -15C including windchill, which is almost always a factor here.  Now we are hovering between 5C and -5C.  It is so incredible to leave our parkas and fur hats and gloves on the hangers and pull out what we used to call our winter coats, but now refer to as spring coats.  The kids still wear their snowpants to play out, as it is called.  Most of us don't worry about hats unless it's windy out, and our thick mittens are now lighter weight, again what most of our Southern Ontario friends and family would wear during the winter.  We feel so light and free compared to the weight of the parkas and our heavy, clunky boots.  Apparently, the colder the temperature rating on the boot the heavier they are!  We aren't dressing in layers anymore either!  Gone are the long underwear and the layers of long-sleeves!  It is wonderful!

Since the sun has risen and is up for extended periods of time, this means the temperature rises, so naturally the next thing to happen is that the snow begins to melt.  This has been an incredible sight to see, too, since we felt like the snow would never melt.  In January the snow made a hollow sound and even someone my size could walk on it without falling through it.  Now, the snow has melted not quite enough to go away just yet, although that certainly is happening with each passing day, but it is becoming looser and turning into packing snow!  This makes for some pretty entertaining snowball fights between us, and if you have ever been around Wilsons in the winter, snowball fights are inevitable and epic.  Even Charlotte has impeccable aim!

Greg's last trip down the ice road to get our van out.  If we
did not get our van to Inuvik before the ice road disappeared
we wouldn't be able to drive home for the summer
because the first barge (which is how we got the van
up here to begin with) doesn't arrive in Tuk until
the end of July.  

With everything softening and melting, we have said good-bye to the ice road, for which we were immensely grateful during our long, frigid winter.  It was lovely to drive to Inuvik and eat in an actual restaurant, shop in a few assorted stores, sit at a traffic light (the only one in town and from what I was told the only reason it was installed was because in order for the Ministry of Transportation to allow driving tests to occur in Inuvik, there must be at least one traffic light/intersection in the municipality.), and enjoy the amenities of a town that has an actual road leading to it.

The ice begins to melt in the rivers in Southern Northwest Territories (whew..there's a contradiction in terms for you!) and this causes the ice to break up and flow up toward the ocean.  The movement of the water underneath all the ice causes cracks in the ice and before long water starts to appear along the sides of the ice road.  When this happens, the ice road is officially closed for the season.  Sometimes things freeze up again and it can be re-opened for short periods of time, but as of the writing of this blog, the road is closed for the season and it won't be opening up again.  This, however, does not stop the locals from driving on it anyway!  Yesterday a gentleman with a transport truck drove up the wet ice road with a trailer full of windows, not exactly light cargo, dropped them off, and then immediately turned around and drove back to Inuvik, I am sure thanking his lucky stars that he made it alive.  Talk about taking your life in your hands!  Many local people I know say that it is fine as long as you keep going and your vehicle is high enough off the ground to allow for the splash.  Since our van is just that - a van, as opposed to a 4 x 4 pick up, Greg drove it out a few weeks ago and left it at the Inuvik airport.  I admit it really stinks not having our vehicle up here, especially for grocery shopping, but we make do.  Greg and the kids are definitely getting more exercise!  I wish I was, but my knee will not allow much walking at all these days.

This is Charlotte's team, two boys and a girl
per team, and they placed second
in the toboggan pull for her age group.
Yay for Charlotte!!
See how beautiful the sky is?

Another sign of spring in the North are Jamborees.  Each community up here takes its turn hosting a Jamboree weekend, which is a cultural celebration.  There are games for the kids and adults, including things like the toboggan pull, tug of war, snowmobile races, and all kinds of other fun, mostly outdoor events.  There are also lots of fun events in the community centre too, like jigging contests, talent shows and square dancing and drum dancing at night.  From what I have been told, Tuk's is typically the last one of the season and it is a great chance for the community to earn some tourist revenue.  We were all involved in different parts of Jamboree but it was Charlotte who had the best time of all because she placed second in her age group in the toboggan pull and won a gift certificate from the Northern Store, where she promptly bought herself a new Barbie doll.  The ice road held up for the weekend and although it was slushy, people from all over made the drive.  it was neat to see!

One student mentioned that spring to her meant the reindeer crossing.  In order for the herd to get to their traditional calving grounds, they have to be shepherded across the ice road so they'll make it in time for the births of this year's generation of reindeer.  It was an incredible sight to see and certainly a herald of the spring. See one of my previous blog posts for details of the reindeer crossing.

The annual reindeer crossing, when the reindeer are herded
from their winter feeding grounds to their spring/summer
calving grounds.  (Photo courtesy of Krista Cudmore)

Other signs of spring that kids have mentioned to me are the return of the birds.  The most important winged creature to return are the geese, which makes a lot of people begain to drool at the thought of a roasted goose. Apparently, there are robins up here, but we won't see them until the middle of May, and they only have one nest of babies up here before it's too cold to remain.  The grass, or whatever you would call it...the scrub.... begins to grow and before long the greens, yellows and reds will be in colour. It seems like a long time ago when we arrived in Tuk and we saw the community without snow, the bare pingos, and the ocean waters lapping along the side of the road.

One of the final signs of spring are bugs.  People up here detest the bugs and in fact, do not much care for late spring and summertime simply due to the insects.  They much prefer the cold and snow.  One of the elders up here said to me that an Inuvaluit man looks much like a fish out of water when he is standing on the land without snow.  I don't know if I believe this completely because there are people who are very excited to be going out to their Hunting Cabins and spending time out there, enjoying the weather and the companionship.  A lot of the people from Tuk have cabins at Husky Lakes, which is a few hours' snowmobile/boat ride Northeast of Tuk
.
In Tuk, we do not have a March Break.  We have a May Break, because May is the time of year when whole families will head off to their hunting cabins for a few weeks to hunt geese, fish, play and socialize.
As for us, it is just nice to put away our long underwear!

Happy Spring Everybody!!

We are 'oil' out!! (There is an Addendum to this....)

See my pun there?  Either way you state it, we have a small problem this morning.

We are out of oil.  When the oil goes out, the heating pump doesn’t work, it can’t pump the hot water into the coils which run along the baseboards of the house, thus providing us with heat.  It also can’t pump water into our hot water tank, so we don’t get any hot water either.  This is definitely not a good way to begin the morning when the house is cold!

I am hoping that today will gain momentum.  We woke up to a freezing cold house.  It was so cold that our bare feet felt numb on the hardwood floors, and I seriously, no joke, thought we would be able to see our breath!  When we had to get dressed it was pure torture, going from our warm snuggly pyjamas to our clothes for the day.  Even putting our feet in our boots was an ordeal because our boots were cold! Greg made porridge for everybody and it was lovely going off to school with a warm belly full of milky, brown sugary porridgy goodness.

On a regular day, once we arrive at school, we scatter.  Greg makes tracks to his classroom to prepare for the day, Charlotte either goes to Greg’s room to hang out or she goes to find her teacher to see if she can enter her classroom early.  Sometimes Mrs. Thrasher is prepared to be in the room until the first bell rings and sometimes she is not.  If she is not, then Charlotte comes to find either Greg or I and stays with us until the first bell rings.  I generally make my way to the staff room in order to leave my boots and coat, collect my shoes and sweater – I call this my Mr. Roger’s thing – and then make my way to the high school wing.  If I am not in the high school that day, then I skip over the staff room and go right to the classroom I am in that day, since I will need my boots and coat to go out for yard duty at recess time. This morning, however, I stopped in the staff room to make arrangements for the oil to be delivered.  James and Patrick no longer attend school so they don’t come with us, although they have their own list of work to do at home.  This morning we told them to read in bed, and to wait until they heard the oil truck arrive to deliver $1000 worth of oil to our humble abode.

Heating costs can vary in the hamlet based on a few things, some of which are logical and some which make no sense to me whatsoever.  The first is the actual cost of the oil.  The oil to fuel the buildings throughout Tuktoyaktuk is brought up on the barges from Yellowknife all the way up to Sachs’ Harbour, up and down the MacKenzie River and parts beyond.  This past summer the delivery of goods via barge was extremely threatened due to low water levels.  We were actually lucky our van was put on the second to last barge of the season because the last one was cancelled due to low water levels.  We had heard that the barge that actually had our van on it got stuck a few times on its way up, and was delayed a few days because of this. Anyway, in a capital society it’s all about supply and demand, so the cost of oil goes up depending on the supply of it.  It stinks, but it’s true.  When we purchased half a tank of oil in early December (and I’m sorry, I don’t know how many litres of oil our tank holds; it’s not in my realm of expertise) it cost us almost $2,000.  When we purchased oil again in early February, the with the ice road wide open, the cost of oil had gone down dramatically because the supply had been replenished.  What a relief!!

Another thing that affects heating costs is the weather.  When it’s extremely cold outside, and by that I mean -40C or below, especially at night, the heating is on more, thus using up precious oil.  Every time I hear the water gurgle in the coils along our living room I see dollar signs.  When the 

temperature is warmer but the wind is blowing, the heat comes on more frequently.  There is almost always a wind chill here too, seeing as we live on the shore of the Arctic Ocean.  Calm days are few and far between, but when they do occur, they are most welcome, as it saves on oil.

Apparently there is a way to check the amount of oil in your tank, which is found outside your house, supposedly along the same side of the house as the entrance for water delivery and sewage removal.  This makes sense since oil delivery involves another large truck backing up in the laneway beside your house.  This morning when Greg called he asked for $1000 worth of oil, which is payable by cash or credit card.  If you choose to pay by cash, you must stop by Gruben’s, which is the oil delivery business, and pay in person before delivery.  If you call in with a credit card number, delivery is usually within a few hours.  Here’s hoping our boys are at home getting warmer!

I am looking forward to coming home to a warmer house, although with how cold it was this morning I am unsure how long it will take to sufficiently heat up the place.

I guess there’s always soup for lunch!

ADDENDUM....

It got worse.  After a busy morning at school, we arrived home for lunch to find our boys dressed in their warmest sweaters wearing their boots because the floors were so cold.  To our shock and dismay, the oil truck had not made its delivery, and we could not be in touch with Grubens' because in Tuk, everything shuts down between 12 and 1 for lunchtime.  The schools, offices, and pretty well everybody except the grocery stores are closed over lunch so that families can go home and eat together.  On this particular day, however, we had to drink our soup out of our bowls because we were shivering with the cold and the soup couldn't make it to our mouths from the spoons!

After a series of phone calls, it was discovered there had been a transposition error and the oil was delivered.  We were busy with supper, and had the oven and stove going full throttle, along with our space heater, so we felt as though the house was warming up sufficiently.  WRONG!!  The oil was delivered, but that didn't necessarily spark the heat pump to begin working.  Apparently, one must get one's landlord to bleed the air lock out of the tube that connects the tank to the pump.  Who knew? Too bad for us that we didn't realize this until after midnight, shortly before Greg and I were headed to bed!

It was a pretty miserable night.  We put the space heater in the boys' room and closed their door, and took Charlotte to bed with us and layered ourselves in both pyjamas and blankets.  I wound up sleeping with my head between two pillows, like a pillow hat, and every time one of us moved, it brought a draught of icy air through the top of the blankets.  I slept no more than 30 minutes at a time, and spent far more time awake shivering than asleep.

By the time we had to get up and going the next morning, we could actually see our breath!  Greg found a piece of wood that we had kept in the back of the house, and he started a fire.  We haven't been using our wood stove very much for other reasons which I will not discuss right now, but we were certainly most grateful for it yesterday!  A phone call to our Patient and Long Suffering Landlords procured an airlock bleeding and before we knew it, our heat pump was happily chugging hot water along our baseboards and the Wilsons were toasty warm in no time at all!

Interestingly enough, we never lost hot water throughout this ordeal, which is unusual.  Normally we should have, but for some odd reason which we can't explain, the line that connects our oil supply to the water heater was not connected to the one heated by oil, but rather to the electric one.  This probably cost us a lot more money in electricity costs this winter, but it saved us over the last few days because we had hot water running through pipes that otherwise would have become cold enough to cause a pipe to burst or freeze and that cost would have fallen on us in our negligence to keep enough oil in the tank!

God sure does work in mysterious ways!  We have no idea how things got mixed up because we don't touch all the heating/wiring/water stuff in the utility room.  We have no idea how it works and when it doesn't, we call the Landlords!  Perhaps somebody re-routed our source of hot water during the Flood of 2014? (Please look in the archives for the account of that historic event in our adventures up here!).

I am amazed sometimes at how God looks out for us!  I think there are times, however, when our Guardian Angels must be exhausted, and honestly, I don't blame them!

The Reindeer Crossing

THE REINDEER CROSSING

Yup.  You read that right.  Today the Wilson Family joined the throng of people who drove to the halfway point of the ice road between Inuvik and Tuk to watch the 80th Annual Crossing of the Reindeer from their winter feeding grounds to their summer grounds.  This is most definitely an event unique to the north, and one of those things that, while it is happening, you can't believe you are seeing with your own eyes.

I have come to realize that we certainly have had several eye-opening experiences in the last year.  It began with our adventure out here. From the rough Canadian Shield and the dark, cold water of Lake Superior, to the golden-green wheat fields and the grain elevators of the prairies, to the rugged beauty of the Rockies, and finally, the incredible fireweed and rolling mountains of the Dempster Highway, which led us through the Arctic Circle and the end of the road in Inuvik, we Wilsons have lived this part of our country.  There were several times when we had to pinch ourselves because we couldn't believe what we were seeing!  Since our arrival in Tuk, we have had even more amazing adventures.  It was mind-boggling to watch the darkness gradually take over the sky through the fall, until finally the sun didn't rise at all - and we are in the exact opposite position now as the sun tips the scales and continues to shine long past what any person would consider a decent bedtime!  We have learned lessons along the way - water rationing and delivery, how to prepare for a blizzard, dressing for the weather and experiencing extreme Arctic temperatures, living amongst the Inuvaluit culture, adjusting our teaching styles to suit the students here, small town living where everybody knows you and your business, the ice road....the list goes on and on.  Today, we shall add the Reindeer Crossing to our list of adventures.

Here they come!! (Photo courtesy of Krista Cudmore)

The history behind the reindeer crossing has to do with ensuring that the herd crosses the MacKenzie River (named for Bob or Doug...I forget which one. There's a little Canadian humour for you there, ya' hosers!).  According to some articles I read, the herders, dressed in traditional clothing and driving snowmobiles, the modern man's dog sled, round up the reindeer from their wintering grounds on Jimmy Lake and, more or less 'escort'  snowmobile to their calving grounds on Richards Island, familiar landmarks to those in the MacKenzie Delta Region, which is close to Tuk. The herd is made up of about 3,000 reindeer, the only free range reindeer herd in Canada, all of them descendants of the original reindeer that were imported to Canada in 1929 as part of the Canadian Reindeer Project, which was originally launched to keep the Inuvaluit from starving.  Some of you may be confused when I refer to the Inuvaluit people.  Aren't they called Inuit?  Well, the Inuit people live all across Northern Canada, but the Inuvaluit are the western most Canadian Inuit, and believe me, the people of Tuk are proud to be Inuvaluit!

Moving right along folks! (Photo courtesy of Krista Cudmore)

Traditionally, the reindeer cross the MacKenzie River at Swimming Point because well, from what I read, they used to swim across during the summer, or at least that is what was implied.

 Now, they are herded across in early spring.  Every year the locals look forward to the event.  As a matter of fact, there are Arctic tours that come up here in time for the Reindeer Crossing, and people from all over the world pay big money to travel up here to watch this.  We actually saw a truck with a Texas license plate in the parking area today!

It was amazing that we were so close to them! (Thanks Krista)

The last of the herd...around 3000 total. (Photo courtesy of Krista Cudmore)

In order to get to the crossing point, Greg drove the van full of Wilsons plus Pam and Michele, two fellow teachers, up the ice road to Swimming Point, which was marked by two RCMP vans flashing their lights, two Reindeer Crossing signs and some rope to cordon off the road when the herd actually appeared.  There had been a parking lot ploughed out for us and some port-a-potties dropped off, although you'd have to be pretty desperate to want to bare certain parts of your anatomy today!  As I type this afternoon it is currently -28C with windchill, and the wind is really blowing.  This morning it was definitely below -30C and windy, too!  We parked the van and started to explore the area.  There were snowbanks piled up from the ploughing which were perfect vantage points for the crossing.

After a little while, you could see the front lights of the herders' snowmobiles coming along the horizon, and there appeared a big white cloud of snow, which were quite a distance apart.  As the cloud got closer, you could see that it was the reindeer kicking up the snow with their hooves!  If you looked just a little below the snow cloud you could see a mass of antlers bumping up and down.  It was truly amazing!  This year, however, the reindeer did not quite cooperate. They did not cross the road where they were supposed to, more or less moving up the shore of the river, past the far side of the parking lot, but we all got to see them and they will still make it to Richard Island in time for calving season.

While we were waiting for the reindeer to arrive, an Innuvik CBC reporter sent to film the event interviewed Greg and I on camera, asking us all about what we were doing in Tuk and what we thought of being at the event.  It was really cool!  You never know, we may wind up on the local news....or maybe Territorial....or maybe National!!  Or...maybe not.  You never know!

Anyway, this is one of those chance-in-a-lifetime experiences for us and we were extremely happy to have been able to witness this.  Greg took loads of pictures and I will add them for your enjoyment.  The CBC reporter asked us if we were going to have reindeer for supper tonight, and I said, "No way!! We don't want to upset Santa and accidentally eat Vixen or Blitzen, so we're having chicken. We figure that would be safer AND keep us on the nice list!".

After all, you never know.........

P.S.  See below for the link to the CBC news report.  Happy Reading!!

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/tuktoyaktuk-reindeer-crossing-marks-80th-year-1.3014151

Gramma's Tool Belt

If you look at a map of Canada, you will notice that Tuk is waaaaay Up North.  It is sitting on the shore of the Arctic Ocean/Beaufort Sea, and as I have mentioned before, is north of the Arctic Circle as well as the tree line.  Amazing, huh?  That being said, only the heartiest of souls would be brave enough to venture up here - and that is something Greg and I have come to realize.  What the heck were we thinking when we moved up here?  That said,  we sure have experienced some pretty amazing things so far - experiences through which most of you are happy to live vicariously!

There are two people I know who think vicarious living is for the birds - even a permafrosty, goose downy, blizzardy kind of vicarious. Jim and Dianne Wilson, Greg's parents, grab life by the seat of its pants and experience it head on. It's not any wonder that this is how my adventurous husband came to enjoy experiencing new cultures - he inherited the wanderlust gene.

Jim and Dianne are people of the north.  Dianne was born and raised in Kenora, Ontario.  She lived through winter storms and extremely cold temperatures as a child, and has the stories to pass down through the generations about her childhood.  Jim was born and raised in tiny, remote CN Rail communities, which housed the families of the CN workers who were building and/or maintaining the railroad across Canada.  Dad has stories about the train bringing his weekly lessons and taking two to three days to work like fury to get them all done so he and his sisters could go outside and play for the rest of the week, until the train came again, when they would send their previous week's work back and receive more.

Jim and Dianne have travelled extensively throughout Europe and even lived there for a year teaching the year before Greg and I had James.  Before that, they taught a year in Kuwait and traveled throughout the Middle East as a result.  Jim has been a principal in reserve schools across Northern Ontario, currently in the small, fly-in community of Poplar Hill, which is north of Red Lake.  Neither Jim nor Dianne are afraid of hard work, and face a task undauntedly, whether it be building a house, moving large items or contents of houses, solar projects associated with Jim's business aside from teaching, yard work, or pretty much anything that is thrown their way.   Their work ethic exceeds that of anybody I have ever met!

They are also devoted grandparents.  When James was born, Dianne embraced her new role of Gramma Wilson, and has been busy burping babies, pushing strollers, making chocolate chip cookies, reading stories, showing how a grasshopper jumps, and all kinds of other stuff like that to her six grandchildren, three of whom live in Mexico, and the other three whom, until recently, were relatively local.  It sure did break their hearts when Greg and I pulled up stakes and dragged our family across the country west and way north to our new home in Tuk, but they understood that sometimes you do what has to be done out of sheer necessity.  That being said, they were incredibly sad that their good grandparenting skills were going to waste!  There were trips to Mexico City and to Cancun to visit with the Mexican-Canadian grandchildren but one could hardly expect even the most devoted of grandparents to make the trek all the way up here to Tuk, could you?

Well, apparently you can!!  When Gramma Wilson caught wind of the fact that her grandchildren were struggling up here and facing more adversity than kids their age should have to face, she kissed her husband good-bye for almost three weeks, hopped on a plane, and a few days later, had James, Patrick and Charlotte in her long underwear'd, fleece covered arms.  Grampa was grim because his principal's duties kept him from visiting, too, and he admitted he was jealous not only that Gramma got to visit with the grandchildren, but that she was the one who got to visit Tuk and live as far north as Santa Claus!

As you have realized over the past several months through my blog posts, life up here takes some getting used to.  There are different aspects of life and lessons learned the hard way that people from the south have to experience in order to adjust to what we consider daily life up here, and believe me, Gramma Wilson experienced them the same way she faces all of life - head on!!

Gramma's arrival in Inuvik meant a van ride north up the ice road on the McKenzie River, which empties into the Arctic Ocean just south of Tuktoyaktuk.  It was a sunny, clear day so it was clear sailing as the van whisked along the twists and turns, the road just covered enough with snow as to prevent too many slips and slides.  Gramma was excited but tired from her early flight that morning but she settled in happily, her grandchildren by her side, which always makes her happy.

A few days later, the temperature began to drop and the wind picked up.  For us, the wind has become a part of life, especially the windchill, which can take an almost normal Southern Ontario winter temperature and plummet it to Arctic temperatures in one stiff breeze!  One particular day, the wind picked up to 60 km/hr gusting to 80 km/hr and before long, we were under a blizzard warning with the blizzard expected to hit about 36 hours from the time the warning was issued.  We still had to contend with the current wind, which blew the snow around and created limited visibility.  While the wind was blowing at 60 clicks,  Gramma decided that she would go to the school to deliver items to Greg and then come home with him at lunchtime.  There was a PD Day that day, so Greg was the only Wilson at the school, the rest of us being otherwise occupied at home.  Gramma loves a brisk walk, and so off she set, despite a few warnings about the wind, and an offhand "Oh, I'll be fine.".  I also knew that she had walked back and forth from the school enough to know where she was going, not realizing the wind was causing poor visibility.

After about an hour or so, Greg came home for lunch and said that the school was closed for the afternoon due to the poor visibility.  I was surprised that Gramma was not with him, and when he realized that his mom was out in the weather, he immediately went out looking for her.  Luckily, he found her quickly because she had gotten turned around due to the blowing snow. After a few anxious moments, we were very relieved to have Gramma safe and warm in our snug house, where, after she warmed up, continued reading, knitting and watching Wheel of Fortune all at the same time, a typical and comforting Gramma habit.

On Saturday, while we were still under a blizzard warning but had blue skies and sunshine, Gramma was rather amused while we bought cooler size jugs of water, laid in food that could be eaten without cooking or could be cooked on a wood stove, checked batteries in flashlights, made sure we had the matches and candles handy, and performed other chores one must do in preparation for nasty Tuk weather.   When the storm did hit, we spent the day listening to the wind shake the house and howl like a freight train barrelling by just inches from the walls.  Gramma was a calming influence for the kids, and she knit socks and chatted with the kids, played cards, and proclaimed a reading hour, where everybody dropped what they were doing and read for an hour, a great activity to pass the stormy day.  Even when the power flickered, she was strong, although afterward she admitted that she had never seen Mother Nature be so ferocious.  She was relieved when the wind died down and that we didn't have to eat our dinner via the wood stove!

One thing that we learned is that when there is a blizzard, you have to start conserving water right away, because goodness knows when the water truck will be able to make its next delivery.  She was all set to do laundry "since we're not able to be out and about" and was mystified when we explained why we had to hold off.  She was also a bit put off when we explained that since we didn't know how long the blizzard would last, we had to start limiting how much we flushed the toilet and that we pulled out the hand sanitizer and left it on the bathroom counter.

That night, nobody showered, and Gramma didn't much like that either, but she was glad she didn't because the next day we were low on water, and the water truck didn't deliver to us that day.  Apparently, one of the two water trucks in town had been in Inuvik for maintenance and wasn't able to make it back up on the ice road before the blizzard hit, so there was only one truck in town trying to serve everybody, and it was taking longer than usual because everybody was low on water.  By Monday night, Gramma was worried because she was running out of clean laundry.  By Tuesday afternoon, we had water again and everything was back up and running.  After this lovely lesson, Gramma better understood the rationing of water, and how we have to plan our water usage - who showers when, when we use the dishwasher and how many loads of laundry can be done on a given day.  She was fascinated when the water truck came, and watched out Charlotte's bedroom window when the truck backed up and the hose was hooked up to the house.  She also liked watching the tank fill up and just like me, the feeling of being down in the gutter rose with the water level in the tank as it was being filled. It's funny how I can be upset about something, but a fresh water supply always gives me a fresh outlook.

In the days preceding Gramma's arrival in Tuk, we had been having some issues with our front door.  The door had become difficult to open and close, and finally wouldn't latch at all. The stormy weather, which had wind gusts in excess of 120 km/hr, was enough to blow the door right in, thus allowing Mother Nature to deposit some snowbanks in our mudroom, and all over our boots and outdoor clothing!  A post-blizzard call to our landlord brought about quick results, but not as quick as Gramma would have liked.  The same thing happened when our dryer died.  Again, Gramma was growing in short supply of clean clothing and became anxious that the dryer was not fixed or replaced immediately.  I had learned the hard way that all things happen in time up here, and not to impose my Southern values and expectations on a northern community. After a day or so, when the dryer was procured eventually,  life moved on.  In the end, Gramma always managed to have clean underwear!

One of the things Gramma enjoyed the most was wandering around the hamlet with the kids. We showed her the Health Centre, which she had to visit to pick up a prescription that she had had filled in Inuvik earlier.  All prescriptions are filled in Inuvik and flown into Tuk, where they are delivered to the Health Centre for pick up, and Gramma got to live that experience, too.  She saw the graveyard, with its white picket fence surrounding it, and the white wooden crosses marking each grave.  The hamlet was mourning the loss of two elders, and she saw the amount of people in the Hamlet who attend funeral services because everybody is related somehow, as well as the fact that all the businesses shut down during the funeral, both so that people who wish to attend the funeral may do so without losing pay, and also out of respect for the deceased.

While out for a walk with Patrick on a particularly cold day, Gramma saw some people cutting snow blocks to build an igloo in their front yard.  She was amazed, and every day she walked or drove by this house so she could monitor its progress.  She was delighted when, a few days later, there was a completed igloo.  She was equally as disappointed that she didn't see any wildlife while visiting here either, aside from some huskies.

Gramma also came into the school and met the students.  They were very curious about her, just as they were curious about the five of us when we first arrived.  The students were especially amazed that Greg's own Mom was here, and they asked all kinds of questions about what Greg was like as a child.  She came in and sat with Patrick during some afternoons that I was teaching, which Patrick loved, and she taught James' class how to use sign language to sign O Canada, and she taught Charlotte's class how to sign 'Happy Birthday'.  While I was subbing in a class that had several behaviourally challenged students, she volunteered in that classroom which was an immense help to me having an additional grown up in the room, and an experienced teacher at that!

We so enjoyed our almost three weeks with Gramma Wilson, although we can't decide who missed each other more, Gramma or Grampa!  The time passed in a heartbeat, and before we knew it, Gramma was packing up and preparing to head South to be reunited with Grampa on his birthday no less.  However, she took three wonderful presents with her on the plane in the form of her grandchildren, who met Grampa in Edmonton for what was the Ontario March Break (in Tuk, we get a May Break).  During their jolly holiday, they made a circle tour of Alberta, exploring in Edmonton, visiting the Banff Hot Springs, the Royal Tryell Museum in Drumheller, and touring Calgary together.

Our trip down the ice road to Inuvik to take the travellers to the airport was fraught with adventure when our van started making some peculiar noises because the snow had drifted and had created what looked like 2 foot snowbanks all over the road but they had hard bottoms to them, rather like wide speed bumps, that caused the whole undercarriage of the van to scrape across them. It was a tense ride until we arrived just past the halfway point to Inuvik, which was plowed and clear.  Gramma was amazed that the ice road could be so schizophrenic, considering how clear it had been on the way up.  She was also impressed that she had driven on the Arctic Ocean, and at one point during her stay, walked out on the ice road a few paces to say that she had walked on it, too!  By the time Greg and I returned home, the Tuk side had been plowed, much to our relief!

Gramma and Grampa Wilson are truly devoted and loving grandparents, and our kids are very lucky to have them in their lives.  We feel so blessed to have had Gramma visit with us and get a feel for what life up here is like.  You either have to be foolhardy or tough as nails to make the trip to Tuktoyaktuk, and since we live up here despite people telling us we are crazy, we figure Gramma must have knit the tool belt she uses for her hammer!

We are truly humbled that you came to visit, Gramma.  Thank you, too, Grampa.  We know how lonely you were and we thank you for loaning Gramma to us. Your love and generosity knows no end. North, south, east or west - we love you across the map!