Ya gotta love pink hair!

As anyone who knows me well can confirm, I love Halloween. I love to pull out that ‘Tickle Trunk’ of sorts and figure out just what I should wear. Actually, that pic on the left is from a Halloween celebration I had with one of my classes in the middle of August…why limit the fun to the end of June? Or February? Or October?

Well, this year it’s like the All Hallows Eve grinch snapped through and stolen my pumpkin. I thought it would be great to dress up again, get the dogs ready, and wait for some trick’or’treaters. That was, until, I was advised that it would be a better idea to put up my Beware of Dog sign and turn the lights off.

My pumpkin and ladybug...

Last year was more fun. At the time, I lived  in the brightly-lit part of town which was frequented by many costumed kids; these days, I do not. I thought giving out handfuls of treats was great. Wouldn’t you have smiled? Even though I was dressed as a witch?

…I’m not sure what I would have put on Sophie, but I guess I’ll figure that one out next year…

I really need to get a better picture of these three together...

I got back from Iqaluit yesterday, and today I went to pick up Sophie. So here I am, again, in Qikiqtarjuaq with my three dogs. This short trip made me realize so much about my ‘life in the doghouse’.

Scarlett and Gryphon are now amazing at travel. First off, though they don’t like the sweaters I make them wear when we fly around the Arctic Circle, I know it’s in their best interest. However, to be fair, I don’t really like having to deal with checking in and customer service…I guess we’re even.

For anyone who moves north with a small dog (or a cat for that matter), a simple sweater or blanket is essential for not only the jaunt from the airport to the plane, but also while you’re in flight. The planes heading to the small communities beyond Iqaluit don’t seem to have any heating to speak of. Fortunately, with both Canadian North and First Air, very generous measurements are allowed for the in-cabin pet carrier.

In addition, accomodations were far less stressful this time around; I’ve been lucky enough to get the little ones settled down and bark only if someone knocks on the hotel room door! Total turn-around. I think it’s just that they’re becoming more comfortable with the uncertainty that a new environment presents. They are there together and they know the won’t be forgotten.

For anyone stuck in the Iqaluit area, my vote for a pet-friendly hotel is Capital Suites. They charge a weekly fee of $50 for animals; whether you have 1 or 5…there is no difference (other than your level of sanity). The Nova and The Navigator also accept pets, but you pay a nightly fee per animal. The former asks for a considerable damage deposit. However, since the Navigator – it doesn’t even have a website – is in such nasty shape  to begin with, you might be more comfortable there if you’re worried about possible dog-damage. When I was stuck in Iqaluit with all three dogs last August, I preferred it for just this reason.

I wish I had had this sort of information on my first jaunt through the capital.

Anyway, that’s information on travel with the small dogs. I won’t be travelling out of the community with Sophie until my contract is up…it’s just too much trouble and worry. I’m usually on my own and, with a carry-on, 2 suitcases, a soft-sided pet carrier with 2 dogs, and a dog crate that reaches chest level when it’s on wheels, it’s not the most pleasant experience. Go figure, right?

So what’s it like to return to such a large creature? Returning means that you have, at some point, left and experienced new things which probably provide you with a new perspective. For a week I didn’t have to worry about pee runs, long walks, slobber, and hair on everything (ok, Scarlett and Gryphon lose hair like mad but, since it’s black, you can’t see it on my clothes). Doing without that headache was nice…very nice.

When I went to get her this morning she was jumping around like crazy and raring to go. Was she happy to see me? I’m not sure. However, she was estatic when I let her loose for her ‘free-run’ in the back field. That’s something that can only be done on the weekends since everyone has a work schedule keeps their weekdays occupied until long after darkness descends. By 5pm (when I finish for the day), all that’s left is a deep twilight.

Observing the improved behaviour of the little dogs this week and comparing it to the spastic quality Sophie generally exhibits is a huge eye-opener. She is moving into her adolescent phase of maturity (6 months), and apparently she’ll be like this until she’s around 2. Just like in a video game, I have challenges to fight through to make sure her adult life is one in which she learns certain skills before moving to the next level. Today, while wiping the globs of spit off my forearm, I figured that biting is the one I should focus on since potty training was established when she was merely 2 months old.

I’ll let you know how the dog training progresses but, for those dog owners moving north with larger breeds, be prepared for the differences in the quality of care and attendance to behaviour that you might be used to in the local dogpark.

I have seen so many blog posts recently about the arrival of snow. Indeed. We’ve had snow here for a few weeks, and it just keeps coming. Unfortunately, what hasn’t come yet, is my Arctic Cat. Although the very name strikes fear and frustration into the heart of any seasoned snowmobiler, it’s the hardware with which I find myself equipped. I suppose I’ll just have to deal. For those of you who have kept up with the minutiae of my life, you will remember that I left my Cat in Pang with a friend. Right now, all that is left, is to get the shipping details together for First Air and hope for the best!

So, I guess the most noteworthy thing in recent memory was Thanksgiving. Woo hoo!! Yay to the big bird celebration. In true holiday fashion, I decided that it was absolutely essential that I cook a turkey; how do I get into this every year? It seems I never learn.

Well, another thing I never learn is that I’m doomed if I make big weekend plans up here. What’s worse than trying to cook a turkey when you’re naturally paranoid of salmonella? Waking up and realizing that you have no water – and that you have to cook a turkey. What a nightmare!

Fortunately (I thought) I have access to all the college kitchen facilities. So I packed up the nasty bumpy-skinned thing along with spices, stuffing  ingredients, and a few secret things and trudged across town – totally slimed out in my ‘bum-around-the-house’ yoga pants. True to form, I had barely finished putting the turkey together when the college ran out of water. Seriously! I didn’t even have time to finish up the dishes.

Since phonecalls weren’t doing it, I finally headed over to find the water guy. He was really nice and, apparently, he never got the message that I called. Whatever it was, I got water within the hour and I didn’t have to pay for that extra callout charge…yay!

Anyway, the bird turned out great…basted to perfection!

And nothing else is new in the life of me.

Here it is, not even November, and I’ve already gone through all of the big chew-bones that I shipped up in my sealift. Since it was the first time I had put anything together – and it’s really difficult to foresee what a growing St. Bernard will need – I ordered a little bit of everything. The biggest hit were the big cow joint bones…

…and here’s the last one…

Gryphon is constantly trying to pull this away for Sophie...quite the power struggle.

You see, I didn’t expect to have the little dogs sneaking in and grabbing something that is so much bigger than their regular chews. This is that same bone with Sophie, the 5 and a 1/2 month-old St. Bernard…

The funny thing is how Scarlett acts as the ringmaster in the who circus. She usually stands back and just watches, then, when things look to be getting a bit rowdy, she ‘takes care of business’. “To the mattresses,” is that the expression? In this last pic, she’s defending Gryphon’s possession of the bone when Sophie got a little too close for comfort. You’d do that for your baby brother, wouldn’t you?

Craziness, craziness...

Well, it took me much longer than I thought it would to finish up this trilogy. Why? I’m not so sure. Of course all the books were high up there in the review section of every bestseller list, but perhaps that led me to expect too much.

The first installment, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was, I’ll give it, a great weekend read. It’s easy to get through and that exotic ‘hacker’ element keeps it interesting…everyone finds that whole internet prowess seductive on some level; I know I sure would like to be a white hat!

The Girl Who Played With Fire, though interesting, wan’t as captivating. Though I read the whole thing through, this time it took me about a week – a sure sign that I was getting sick of Blomsky and his ‘player’ ways. Lisbeth was still fascinating, but Erica made me want to scream…very annoying.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest took about 2 months to finish throughout which I read several other books. I just couldn’t get into it. I’m not exactly sure why, but I do know that I wouldn’t have finished it at all if it weren’t part of a trilogy.

Anyway, since I’m reviewing these books as a group, 3/5 is the best I can do. First one was great, the last one was crap…the middle one was just annoying.

Awesome! I have finally seen a St. Bernard in its full puppy glory…the good puppy – not the crazy poop machine who rolls in nastiness. All I needed was a little snow!

Don't you just love that ear-flapping craziness when a dog takes off?

Some dogs are made for certain things. Retrievers are made to retrieve. Greyhounds are made to run. Chihuahuas are made to look cute. And St. Bernards are made to roll in the snow. And run in the snow.

Yes, there's actually a dog under there!

One thing that never fails to amaze me is how gentle the dog is – and how much she loves kids. If she had the choice, she would follow them around and let them pull her ears all day!

In this pic you can kind of see the airport in the background.

I have a fantastic open space behind my place that Sophie absolutely loves. I can sit back on a rock and just bask in the sun like a lizard while she runs off all the steam that accrues during her time alone. Nice.

The view back towards town...

The shore across from the school today.

Finally. We have snow. I don’t know what has stopped me up with this blog, but I do know that the white blanket outside the window makes me feel more at home. How is that possible? It’s not that I associate snow with where I grew up; I associate snow – and everything that comes with it – to my life now.

Last year I waited around in Pangnirtung, counting the days until I would actually need to wear that Canada Goose parka on which I had dropped such a huge chunk of change. I told myself I wouldn’t wear it until it was -15 degrees or the beginning of November…whichever came first. November came first. Today in Qik, with the windchill, it got down to -12; almost there!

Another awesome throwback memory of last year? The fact that we had our first snowstorm the day after I picked up my super-duper Baffin boots at the post office. This year, since I already had the kicks, it was crazy Black Diamond gloves from MEC and a fantastic balaclava type thing that showed up yesterday. OK, it’s true, I bought them for the time when The Beast is finally up and running, but snowmobile season has to start soon. There were even a few crazies out there on their machines today!

Qik's beautiful, bright green hamlet building. Think there was a sale on paint?

Walking around town today wasn’t as extensive as it usually is but, before you brand me as a bad person who would rather stay inside than take her dog for a walk (that’s only occasionally true), hear me out. With all this glorious snow, it was much more enjoyable for both Sophie and I to just roam around the open spaces around the airport. Now that it’s no longer muddy, she’s free to run and roll in the snow to her heart’s content.

So the worm medication for the dogs has finally arrived – thanks Marc! Anyone who’s been following my random entries, tweets, and status updates on facebook knows what I’m talking about. The whole ‘priority post’ to Qik, I now know, takes close to 2 weeks. Boo. Someone told me, and I can’t remember who, that after you force those bacon-flavoured pills down your pup’s throat it gets worse before it gets better. Straight from the horse’s mouth? It’s true. Blah.

Anyway, the main thing that keeps floating in front of my eyes right now is my snowmobile. I have the equipment, I’ve ordered new skis (drove the crap out of the old ones last year), an extra belt and a handful of spark plugs are on deck, and all the proper attire has arrived. OK employer, now it’s time to ship me The Beast from Pang!