Temp: -28
Windchill: -46
Winds: 68 km/hr
Blizzard
Sunrise: 9:36 a.m.
Sunset: 3:36 p.m.

Well, today we are off due to a blizzard. It's not the worst blizzard I've seen up here but it surely is a nasty one. There's been a blizzard warning for the Baker area all week but until today we'd only been off Tuesday morning. It's funny how we all look so forward to having blizzard days up here; you'd think we didn't like our jobs or something but it's the exact opposite really. I love my job but living in the north you look forward to these days where mother nature unleashes her fury and you can stay home and just gaze at it from the comfort of your couch.



And I have to say it was a real treat to have Tuesday morning off as it afforded us the opportunity to watch President Obama's inauguration. How exciting was that?! It just leaves you with so much hope for the States and for Canada. Although, frankly, it also hits home how much charisma Canada's current leader does NOT have in comparison. Gee, is it any wonder he called his own election before the States?! Think perhaps he was worried about the ripple effect Obama's win would have on Canadians tired of our politicians and the lackluster leadership we have had for way too long?! Too funny.

But, other than that I have been spending my time working on an English Prose course I'm taking through Athabasca University. Well, I should say I've been procrastinating working on my course. Funny how things like scrubbing the tub, straightening closets, and organizing magazines seem like tasks that need immediate attention when one is supposed to focusing on something that actually has a timeline. Ahh well. As soon as I complete this post I will get right to it. :o) Thankfully there isn't too much quality television on during the day (or, honestly, in the evening for that matter) and after watching a bad movie called Bats: The Human Harvest, well lets just say it would be good to stimulate the ole noggin a bit.

Well, I'm hoping to get out this weekend and take some pictures of the drifts around town; I'm sure there will be some really good ones. Hopefully I'll have some cool ones to post in the next few days.

Temp: -33
Windchill: -53
Wind gusts 50 - 67 km/hr
Blizzard
Sunrise: 10:03 a.m.
Sunset: 3:02 p.m.

Well, here we are on Sunday and Baker Lake is in a full on blizzard. I've seen worse definitely, but this one is predicted to last possibly until Thursday. It's cold outside but I truly love blizzards. They leave me feeling very cozy and like I'm holed up in a cocoon. Now the only thing that could make it better would be a blizzard day tomorrow with no school. I've started working on an English course through the University of Athabasca and I'm afraid I've ben a bit tardy this weekend in getting it done so having a day to play catch up would be nice. And, frankly after coming back to work for a full five days with little ones finding it just as hard to get up and pay attention in the morning as I did, it would be nice to have an unexpected long weekend.



Things have been going really well in Baker this year (and we are so very far in to 2009 don't you know); the days are slowly getting longer and the sun is staying up in the sky just a wee bit longer. Funny how just a few minutes a day makes such a big difference. As does being a bit more active this year. I've been going out more to badminton and there is a really great turn out. Lots of laughs and wonderful exercise. Between that and using my new paraffin wax hand treatment I'm feelin' pretty spry I have to say.

This last picture is just a random shot from my holidays; Doyle's dog had pups and I was hanging out with them. So cute!



Anyway, 10 more hours and I'll know if I have work tomorrow....
:o)

Temp: -27
Calm
Sunrise: 10:15 a.m.
Sunset: 2:44 p.m.

Well, here we are on Sunday and getting ready to head back to work tomorrow morning. Where did the time go?

My holiday was wonderful; I flew into Edmonton on Thursday night, the 19th and Friday was spent frantically shopping and getting appointments taken care of. And, it would appear I got taken while I was out. I was sitting in my the car waiting for my parents to meet me when this young man rapped on my window. I rolled it down to find him standing there with big crocodile tears in his eyes and him looking all flustered. He gave me a story about how he'd been in a restaurant up the road waiting to catch the bus and someone had stolen his bags and jacket. He showed me his wallet, which had $100 in it, and said he didn't have enough money to catch the bus now to get home to BC. That a stranger had given him the sweater he had on for a coat and that he was a welder and made good money and would get it back to me after he got home. Now, had I not been so surprised by it all I would have asked him why his cards had gotten stolen and not his cash but I was flustered, he was big, and I was in a hurry. So, I gave him $50 to get him home and my business card and haven't heard from him since. Apparently, I got took but I kept thinking that if it had been one of my cousins in a pinch I would want someone to help them out so that's that. Ahh well. At least somewhere some probable con artist had a bit more of a Merry Christmas than he would have had otherwise. :o)

And so the next day my folks and I drove to Calgary to see my sister and brother-in-law and have an early Christmas with them. We had such a great time! I have to say it was perfect; we laughed, we ate, and we opened gifts. I was so happy to get a Kitchenaide mixer - I love to bake and have wanted one for years and now I have one! It's in storage until the summer which sort of sucks but it's nice to have it to look forward to when I head out for the summer.

Then on the 23rd we drove to Stettler to spend actual Christmas with my Aunt and her family and again, it was so nice. On the way there we stopped at the Red Deer greenhouse and they had the coolest ice sculptures there so I got a few pictures. The greenhouse was decorated to the nines with Christmas stuff including upside down Christmas trees and trees decorated with antlers if you can imagine! Heh heh I should start marketing the caribou antlers we find when we're out and about on the land. I could make a mint! :o)








Anyway, once we got to my aunts, we had a great time. We laughed, played cards, played games, ate and just relaxed. It was really cool to be in Stettler on the 23rd because they shut down mainstreet to vehicle traffic from 4-9 p.m. and set up 5 or 6 bonfires along the street to wander up to so you can warm yourself as you're shopping. And there was a horse drawn wagon that sauntered up and down the streets hauling tired shoppers from one end to the other. It was awesome! And Stettler is great as it has a lot of charming stores with really neat things for sale. I loved being there. And spending time with my mom's sister was so much fun. On Christmas Eve we had a homemade stocking competition where we broke off into teams and had to decorate a stocking from anything natural we could find outside. Good times!

Then on the 26th I headed back to Peace River with my folks and relaxed for the next day before Doyle came and got me and we headed to Grande Prairie to spend New Years there. It was nice to be settled for a few days and nice to hanging out in the country. It's a very peaceful place complete with horses, chickens, turkeys, and puppies! Doyle's dog had pups a few weeks earlier and I had a blast playing with them. So, I took it easy while there, baked (his oven has two temperatures - off and nuclear so I burned three batches of cookies!) and hung out in the hot tub. Loved it! And New Year's Eve was brought in with our friends Michelle and Irvine playing games and hanging out. Again, very good times.

And so January 1st I found myself on a plane back to Winnipeg from GP. There were delays due to the weather out East but everything went pretty smoothly. Except we were an hour late leaving GP which meant that West Jet had to hold the plane for me in Edm to catch my connection to Winnipeg. Nothing like walking onto a plane full of grim looking, possibly hung-over people who all know their flight has been delayed because of YOU. Heh heh, needless to say I was feeling a bit sheepish. And catching such a quick connection I just knew my luggage wouldn't find me at the other end and I was right. But, luckily it arrived sometime in the night and was there by the time I was back at the airport at 5:30 a.m. to catch my flight to Baker so all was good. And it was nice to have familiar faces on the plane ride up to Baker as Todd, Jenesta, and a couple other teachers were there and we all got caught up on what happened over everyone's holidays.

So yesterday I took down my Christmas decorations and just caught up on some rest. Today I have to do the grocery shopping and get going on my course that I've ordered from Athabasca University. It's an English course and has tonnes of reading involved in it so I need to get cracking. All in all I had a great trip but it's nice to get back and see Oliver and the gang. Thankfully everyone up here had a peaceful, relaxing Christmas despite the extremely cold weather they had up here. New Year's Eve it was -46 with a -59 windchill and while AB wasn't all that much warmer, I'm glad I missed out on the frosty weather up here.

Now, back to work and reality! Hi ho, hi ho.....

:o)