Winter Wonderland Pt2

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have trouble truly enjoying any climate. Cold, hot, I'm usually miserable. I hate the extreme cold of the north yet I find it fit enough to call my home for the past 3 years (go figure). I can't stand any heat above 20 degrees so coming home for summers in tropical-like Ontario is also a major bummer. That combined with my extreme ability to crisp like a fried onion once the sun touches my delicate ginger skin that hasn't been exposed to natural rays for 9 months, makes me quite unhappy during the summer. HOWEVER. What makes me most upset is the promise of warmer weathers by all normal standards that is never delivered on. People, it's June tomorrow. What did we get last night? Take a wiiiiiiiild guess. That's right. Snow. Of course. Well, being the stubborn person that I am, I went out on the town wearing my sparkly flip flops and leggings, refusing to accept this most recent weather system. It's been snowing almost daily since we got back from Goosebreak and I have had to get my winter jacket out of the closet where I so lovingingly shoved it before leaving in May. Refusing still to wear my boots, I have settled on sneakers. I long for flat and sandal wearing weather. 

Anyways, now that we are back from Goosebreak it is really crunch time for our Grade 1s. It was a little hard coming back for a lot of them, getting back into routine and buckling down was tricky and I felt a little discouraged. However, all the hard work my class did last week proved to me that things are moving along well and I'm really happy with the progress they are making! June is going to be very busy with lots of testing so getting in the last of the material now is going to be overwhelming but I think also rewarding. 

Last night I went to a ladies raclette dinner. It was great to catch up with some people I don't normally get to talk to in depth for a couple of hours and enjoy some delicious cheese-smothered food. Friday I did some deep spring-reorganizing of the home and found many treasures! Today I am going into the classroom for a bit to do some planning and packing. I am starting to pack up the non-essentials now because my family is coming to visit the last week I am in Wemindji and I don't want to be at school every night until 9 packing up when I can be enjoying some quality time with them at home and around town!

Friday was part 1 of Annie Whiskeychan day (a Cree cultural celebration) and I got to see another walking out ceremony (where the child takes their first steps on earth). It was very rainy and cold but also a great tradition to witness and I also got some delicious egg salad sandwiches out of the deal so it was a win win in my opinion. 

Lies lies lies

The tree for the little girl to "chop" 

The teepee from which the children emerge.  

The geese ready to be "shot" (pre-killed and propped up on spikes). 

Walking out! They are both carrying wooden rifles. 

Pretending to shoot the geese. 

"Chopping" down the tree!

Gone Goosebreak

Like the title suggests, Goosebreak came in like a crazy wife, played with my mind and emotions and disappeared without a trace. 

That being said, this Goosebreak was pretty nice. As planned, I caught up and enjoyed some great meals and time with family and friends, got some much needed rest and even managed to squeeze a little shopping in there! I spent some quality time with my Mama (rendering me homesick the minute I pulled out of the driveway for my trip back on Saturday) and visited with my sick Nana and since I don't get to see her often, it was really nice to share some time with her and I hope she recovers soon. I also spent MUCH quality time with the love of my life Bobo. 

 Mmmm movie theatre popcorn. 

Sweet love. 

That face. 

A summary of my break. 

As my sisters and I get older and "mature" it's nice to see that we are growing closer together as the years progress. Before, not having a lot in common at the time or simply being testy females, we weren't particularly close growing up. Close as in "paint each other's toe nails, stay up late at night telling secrets, braid each other's hair" kind of close. Sure we shared the same experiences and went through a lot together but it really hasn't been until recently that we could all connect on a deeper, more meaningful level. Growing up has a lot to do with it but so do huge life changes for all of us. I won't divulge their life changes but for me, it was probably moving to Wemindji. Being so far away - even with the marvels of modern technology to help us keep in virtual touch - constantly helps me realize and acknowledge what is important when all the distractions of daily life are peeled away. Coming home to Oakville and spending time together is such a treat and something I really look forward to. No bells or whistles necessary, just hanging out or grabbing a sandwich. It's all more special when it's something you haven't done for months and know you won't be doing again for months to come. So personally I have to credit Wemindji for strengthening my bonds with my family. My mom, sisters and I had a really nice girl's night (which included pizza, clay masks, pedicures and a scary movie) before a fantastic Mother's Day dinner that Sunday.

 

So beauty. 

I'm not upset I just couldn't move my face much. 

Costco date!

Mother's Day dinner!

Planting for Mother's Day. 

Besides seeing a lot of family I managed to squeeze in time for my first life changing shellac manicure. I sat through about an hour of psychological and verbal abuse at the hands of my manicurist but emerged a changed woman. I have a slight obsession with nails and now a huge obsession with shellac manicures. However I live in a town with NO beauty amenities so I am going to, of course, have to procure my own UV manicure setup so I can appease the nail polish beast that lives within. 

Obsessed. Do these look like the "worst cuticles ever" to you?!?! Frig. 

So after a well deserved 2 weeks off, Monika and her sister Raquel and I took off on Saturday morning to come back to Wemindji. It was a gorgeous drive with hardly any traffic which was puzzling especially since it was a long weekend and we were driving straight through cottage country. Anyways we made great time both days and I made it home without incident AGAIN!! Perhaps the driving gods are beginning to see they have taxed me too hard and too often and now it is time for a break. (Side note: I did run over a nail on my way down it turns out and punctured one of my winters but it was easily reparable thankfully.)

Anyways we arrived yesterday in Wemindji to what felt like an artic hurricane. Winds were wild and it was (and still is) COLD. In fact I saw some flakes just now blowing around outside and I went to my happy place (aka the liquor cabinet). I didn't go crazy like I usually do with shopping since there is only about 4 teaching weeks left and didn't need much for the classroom or home so unpacking didn't take long. Today I built my new treadmill, prepped my meals for the week, did laundry, cleaned my house a little, got groceries and dropped off stuff at the school! Now I sit and relax and will watch some shows as I nurse my hand which I just stabbed with scissors and may require stitches who knows. 

Yum

Found this at the dump. 

Call 911

Anyways so as one countdown ended, another shall begin - this time for summer break! Ta ta for now!

Knee-deep in Goosebreak

Well folks I'm currently a few days into my wonderful, glorious Goosebreak!  

Monika, Meghan and Samantha along with pets Ellie (dog), Flip (cat) and Nick (hamster) hit the road Friday afternoon at 4pm after a long day of work with the sun shining, tunes blasting and a box of pizza to keep us company. The weather was gorgeous and roads perfect! We had a few laughs in the car and listened to a masterfully crafted 1990's and 2000's playlist which set the tone for the trip. 

We made really good time on the James Bay Highway with not an incident to report! It was awesome! We even saw a linx!! Rolling into Amos around 1am, I promptly collapsed into bed and woke around 8:30 to get the day started. Saturday felt longer for me but was still a great drive with great roads and weather. Making a pit stop at the local Tim Hortons that morning I discovered their new Nutella products. Sometimes I have regrets about living in the north....

Anyways after dropping off Meghan in North Bay where her parents drove from Ottawa to pick her up, then Samantha in Etobicoke and then Monika in Oakville just north of me, I made it back to good old Pinegrove Road at about 7:30ish. I was POOPED but glad to be home in one piece!!!! (Or so I thought... Turns out I ran over a nasty nail the size of a French bread stick requiring a repair, you just can't take me anywhere!!)

Since Saturday I have really packed it in and I'm paying for it now. I caught up with Clair and Ryan and Heather as well as went for a really nice dinner at the Lowville Bistro with family on Sunday. I got my first sunburn of the season and discovered that I packed horribly for this tropical southern weather. Monday I had brunch with Hilary and Mummy and literally shopped the entire day, picking up many items on my list which felt good but I also spent so much money I felt a bit of panic. I saw my first theatre movie in months (the James Franco and Jonah Hill one, pretty good!). Today I had my winter tires changed over to my summers, repaired the puncture (thank goodness I didn't have to replace yet ANOTHER tire) got my oil change, ran some more errands and had to literally and forcibly crash at home. I've been in bed ever since. Bobo has been my constant and loving companion over the last few days, following me around the house, laying with me, giving me kisses on demand and really just being an all-around prince. 

On a more somber (yet celebratory) note, I have finally gotten rid of my last hamster, Nick! All of the 8 babies born to sweet Carmonika either died peacefully (...hopefully) or were adopted out. When Carmonika herself passed (too soon), I decided it was time to finally get Nick a home that would appreciate him and love him. 

Traveling long distance with hamsters is no easy task believe it or not and had become somewhat of a burden. I had looked for months for someone to take him with no luck. While he used to be a classroom pet last year, certain circumstances with my new class meant that I couldn't keep him with us. I also didn't want to advertise him on the Internet incase some sicko took him and wanted to use him as their weird play toy or for anaconda food so I decided to take him to my local humane society. Did you know you needed to be INTERVIEWED in order to surrender an animal? Yeah. I had to make an appointment and fill out a looooooong application/history as well as pay a $35 fee. Gone are the days when you could just leave an unwanted pet on the doorstop in a wicker basket in the night. 

Since they took my drivers license information I'm pretty sure I'm blacklisted forever from adopting from there so that's great. Feeling judged and like a knob for having to surrender him, I made sure every person I came into contact with at the shelter knew the backstory. I was given a beautiful gift of a hamster who turned out to be pregnant. I tried my best to care for a billion hamster babies (buying the best cages, food, bedding, toys and treats - all of which I donated to the shelter) but I just couldn't do it anymore. It's hard being a single grandmother to 8 babies. 

Its a no-kill shelter so they assured me no one would be plotting his death with a string of dental floss and that since he was the only hamster in the shelter, he would likely be adopted out soon. I pranced out of there with my sister and I am now a free agent!

So as I lay here in my bed, feet up and the window open, I am grateful for the past few days and a relatively intact car. I'm so happy to see my family and friends and am really looking forward to the next week and a half of reunions and catch up. I'm saving my big Costco and Dollarama shops for the end of the trip since there really is no space to store all that stuff in my mom's house while I'm here. 

Anyways I'm going to watch a show or something. I leave you with some words of wisdom from Cookie Monster.