Squirrel Takeover

I went out to fill the bird feeders today for those fucking squirrels our fine feathered friends when I discovered for the second time an attempt to take over the birdfeeder. Now I know where my mop has been disappearing...those little bastards think they are going to winter out in my birdhouse, I have news for them...due to non-payment of rent and deposit on said house, you have been evicted...and you won't be getting your damage deposit back.

I can't imagine it would be very warm in there, and there is so much deadfall, I reckon they could find something much more cozy for the winter than a birdhouse that the roof comes off easily in the wind (or by squirrel power).

so take that you pesky squirrels...I have ruined your housing plan once

again...

Yukon Observations

From the day I moved here, I have people have said to me "welcome to the Yukon" as a means of explaining why something is the way it is here. Or they say things like "that's the Yukon for you". So here are a few things I've noticed during my time here. They may be particular to the Yukon, or just something I found interesting...

• they have more crosswalks than any town I've ever been in. The blocks here are short but yet there is a crosswalk at nearly ever one, both sides. So when you drive up 4th avenue for example, and look ahead, all you see is white crosswalks...and people jaywalking everywhere. And most people just expect you are stopping, and so they just charge out into the street, not even looking at the cars flying by. I don't know why more people haven't been hit, as they wander aimlessly into the streets. And then there are the inebriated souls that stagger across. They must have angels watching over them, because I KNOW they don't see the cars coming...
• there are more internationally inspired restaurants here than I would have imagined...but seeing the eclectic group of people that live here, I am now not surprised. I haven't eaten at them all, but most of my friends have been to nearly all of them...nice change from simply Chinese Food as your only international flavour in town, along with all the fast food places. They have two sushi bars; an Indian restaurant at the Family Hotel, with home made cooking by the Indian family that lives there; a couple of Mexican food places, one of which I have been to a couple of times; a European restaurant, a Thai restaurant, a Greek one in Watson Lake, a few Italian places, Vietnamese, French, and of course, a number of Chinese restaurants...and yet I found myself with friends tonight at Boston Pizza, celebrating a friend's birthday, and other friends pregnancy news!
• There are rivers running through nearly every town I've visited, or water of some sort. Funny how communities inland still group around large water sources....or maybe not funny, just logical for transportation years ago. It must have been cool to ride a sternwheeler up the Yukon River during the gold rush era.
• They have a lot of greenspace around the city, and you're barely out of the downtown core and you can be in near wilderness...complete with dear running across two-mile hill or bears in the outer neighborhoods.
• Nearly everyone I know owns a dog, or two, or three, or more...they even use doggy daycare...something I would only expect to see in the bigger cities like Toronto or Vancouver. I've thought about getting a dog, and still might...but would idealy prefer to borrow a dog for a year, and a friend is considering it...loaning me her dog for the adolescent years of the pup, and do some training with him and give him back when I move again and he is old enough to begin breeding him.
• pregnancy seems to be contagious...for just about anyone here...clients, friends, co-workers, you name it. And I hear their maternity ward is pretty laid back and women friendly. However I also know women that have given birth at home here too.
• misspelling street signs is quite acceptable. Including this one I saw just down the street a block from the school near my office.
• I hardly ever hear of car accidents here. It's probably because every one is driving a pick-up truck at 60kms an hour with a huge reserve gas tank in the back so they can make it to the remote corners of the Yukon. They're too fucking scared to drive fast and roll the truck....kaBOOM. If they're not, they should be.
• It's the only place I've ever lived where people get water delivered instead of drilling a well. Like me, I have a huge 12000 gallon water tank in my cabin. My neighbor has a well, but it is much less expensive to put a water tank in than it is to drill a well for some reason. However, there is an ongoing expense in paying $64 a fill, and I usually get one ever 3 weeks...since A. moved in with me.
• there are a great deal of grandparents raising their grandchildren, for a variety of reasons, but often because their children have some issues to work out, often addictions/alcoholism. And I think it's just wonderful for these kids to have the opportunity to be raised by their grandparents, and often some are raised by other relatives, instead of being placed in a series of foster homes or adopted out. Of course, foster care and adoption can also be very positive experiences for kids, but the reality is that there are not enough of them, and kids often end up in group homes, or bounced around and growing up separated from their siblings. Go granny!
• the city transit system is less than adequate...always late, if it bothers to come at all, and I don't see many using it, probably for that reason. Which sucks for the environment, as everyone drives their own car to work, with only one person in most cars. If they had a reliable bus system, more may choose to commute, although I don't think I'd be standing around on a regular basis in -30C...
• there are more hiking trails around here than I've seen in a while. I'm heading out tomorrow on hike with my friend J. and her baby, this time for a bit longer and a better view than thick woods.

Yukon life is never dull...I'm gonna miss it if I have to move...

Winter Is On Its Way

My friend R. came in with snow on her car today...apparently Marsh Lake had some snow last night! I have seen it on the mountains, but now it's closing in. Somehow it doesn't feel like the right time to be planning a move! So all the more reason to figure this all out and get myself settled in before the first winter storm. I haven't heard from the job interview for Fort Res yet, but it's only Monday.

If I don't get a job, I shall be turning my car east, felines and all I reckon. Hey, cross-Canada friends...you'll probably see me...hope you're kitty friendly for a night! I'm hoping for reasonable weather, but a good snow storm along the way would be almost like home, lol. I've yet to sit down and see if I can really make it work to go east to the rock for the winter, financially that is. I'm waiting to hear about jobs first...because for me now, going back east is feeling more like a privilege than a back-up plan...

So I hear the northern lights were out two nights ago. It pissed rain last night so couldn't check but tonight promises to be clearer so I shall be out for my first look at aurora borealis in the Yukon. I've seen them from Labrador numerous times, and a few times while on the rock, but so far, not up here! I think I may have been checking too early...in any event, I'm going out in a couple of hours to check. It is nearly dark now...the days are getting shorter...snow is on it's way...

Wolf Creek (Not the movie)

The river in the first photo is the Yukon River, and in the last photo, you can see Wolf Creek.


My friend J., her little one B. and her dog Bella and I went for a hike at Wolf Creek yesterday and it was just about 4 k, so not far. The forest smelled magnificent - I love the smell of fall..rotting vegetation, heh heh. Much of the leaves are down now, and there is something that turns white/grey when it dies, like a fern or something. It can be seen in a few of the forest shots here. We also saw tons of rosehip, which I hadn't really seen before. There was only one other hiking group along the trail - two guys with 3 dogs. J. had me pick up Bella when we passed them and only because Bella can be a real bitch to new dogs...I was worried the big husky might try to take her out. Bella is a french bulldog. But my friend J. knows her dog well enough to know her social skills with other dogs and what to expect. And boy did Bella wanna get down in a bad way!!!

We're hoping to get in a lengthier hike next weekend without baby... although he was really good, it would be harder to take him on a 3-4 hour hike just yet.

Ethics? What Ethics?

Interview #4 completed (#3 didn't complete) and I have a better feeling about this one. We shall see...I thought I effed it up with the first question. The question was such a big question and right out of the blue, so it caught me off guard. It was to name 2 social work ethics from the code...fumble, duh, hmmmm, ummmm...what an idiot I turned into. I have so much legislation in my head from the various child protection acts, the criminal code, the youth criminal justice act, and I have to refer to them all the time in my notes, so they stay fresh. Not so with the code of ethics...I mean it's not like we write about how our contact with our clients was ethical or not. It's more like a way you practice, it just becomes part of you, and I think that might be why I fumbled...but I was able to come up with one, and then we moved on to the rest of the questions before coming back for another, on which I think I really redeemed myself...phew!

In any case, they tell me they will know by next week if I was to get the job. So I reckon by the end of next week, I will be making plans either to move to Ft Res, or take a break altogether and go east for the winter, in search of other adventures I've put on hold for so many years.

The sooner I get this figured out, the better as winter is well on it's way...the mountains are dusted white already, and the leaves are mostly down...brrrrr...I may even have to turn the heater on. Either way it goes, I have a long drive somewhere ahead of me with an early winter coming in fast.

I'm off tomorrow for a walk with a friend to smell the flavour of fall in the forest, dog and babe as well. There may even be photos...stay tuned...

Still Plugging Through

Well, the missed job interview on Tuesday boiled down to a miscommunication on their part with the time change. The gal setting things up thought we were an hour ahead, instead of an hour behind...they want to reschedule now, and have apologized for it. Though now I don't know if I want to go through with it. It is all child protection, something I am trying to get away from (exclusively child protection anyhow).

I do have an interview booked though for Fort Resolution tomorrow, and want to proceed with that one. I will surely be glad just to have the whole thing overwith...I hate it!

I am also considering just taking a break between jobs and going back to the rock for a few months or more and do some writing, visit with my parents, reconnect with the east coast...

so who knows where Christmas will find me. Stay tuned for the continuing drama that is my life...heh heh...

How Did the Job Interview Go

wish I knew...they called this morning to confirm the time, and to let me know that I did not have to repeat the written part because I had done that yesterday for another Alberta agency, so I thought great! We confirmed what time zone we were each in, and ended the call. It was to be at 2:15pm this afternoon. I waited all afternoon by my phone and NO ONE CALLED. I called the HR gal finally to see what the hell was going on and got only her voicemail. So...what is one to think about THAT?

The Return Drive

The return drive seemed to go a bit faster and the scenery was just amazing...not much for mountains but those fall colors are nice enough and no wind. Stewart Crossing is quite pretty, with the Mayo River running through...

Check Out Mayo - Small Northern Town

I drove with my friend R. and her two kids (5 & 9) and their 10 month old german shepard to Mayo, about 4.5 hours north of here. The highlights are dog puke in the back seat, Chinese food in Mayo that made us all feel unwell, a little town with enough of what you need...there is a liquor store in the goverment building (handy, don't you think?), a school, post office, nursing station, RCMP detachment, restaurant, two hotels, above ground swimming pool (summer use, of course) and a community centre just finishing construction. There is also a curling club, and many First Nation's buildings, but we didn't stop there this time.

There is a government house, three bedroom, just a moment from the office; next door to the nursing station; across the street from the pool, community centre, curling club, and school! So quite handy...I didn't get to see inside the government house, but I've heard that it's nice enough. Will suit me!

The Travellers In My Life

- my friend L is heading down south from here on Monday...stopping by Vancouver for a night and then heading to Hawaii to camp near the beach. I loaned her my one of my summer bags that I've had for about 30 years or more. My dad bought four of them at the Canex and three of them each had our name on it. I still have 2 or 3 of them, and A. and I used them on our trip to Belize and Guatemala a couple of years ago, and I had meant to leave them behind with some less fortunate souls. There are many vendors that sleep in town until they sell their wares before returning to their homes, and some of themn sleep in the streets, in potato sacks. So I told my friend to leave it behind in Hawaii as there are many less fortunate folks that live on the beaches there and might be able to use the bag. I've held on to them long enough and I don't need them anymore. They are still in great shape after all these years, made of all synthetic materials, lol. In any case, I'm jealous of her. I haven't been swimming once this year...but at least she is bringing me back something besides a photo of her deep tan... :)
- my cousin J. is in Singapore right now for a term abroad from law school, and just came back from Kuala Lumpur where she spent the weekend and got to ride an elephant in the jungle...and it promptly dumped her in the river, lol...she's ok, and the pictures are awesome...check out her blog here - Jan
- my friend Bridget aka Phyllis is just back this spring from Africa, planning her next adventure...this gal has been darn near everwhere and has met the most interesting people along the way, as well as some famous ones.
- my friend K. from Cape Breton is travelling through Italy and Greece this month...I am insanely jealous of her too...I have not yet been to Greece...sigh
- my friend S. from work is moving to Tanzania this winter for several months with her young daughters...very cool! She is such a cool mom...she used to live in India for 3 years. (originally from TO)
- my cousin M. from Cape Breton has recently left to work in Australia for a while. She has worked abroad before, in Scotland and England.

I know my turn shall arrive, but I am still insanely envious of their travels. My own future goal hopes to be my most ambitious yet. Some of you already have heard me talk about wanting to begin saving for a year off once my student loans are paid off. With the wages of the north, I could do it in a few short months. My travels will be on a world ticket, taking me to several desitnations along the way, spanning the world. For now I shall live vicariously through my friends and family who are out of town just now, and have to settle for a weekend trip to Mayo tomorrow with my friend R. and her two kids, and new dog...photos to follow upon my return...

Thursday Tidbits

No real theme today, just ramblings...
- I've applied for a job in Mayo, about 4 hours north of here and my friend R. and I are heading there on Saturday for the weekend with her kids and dog to take a look at the place...never been there and I hear it's quite scenic...so of course there will be lots of photos come Sunday.
- the temperature at night is dropping...-2C this morning when I left for work...brrrrr...and my sunflower got nipped by frost
- A. had a fender bender today, rammed into a concrete/rock wall in the driveway of her b/f's house...local estimates are $400 so far...I told her to wait and not bother until she gets somewhere south of here where the labour costs go down. It's only plastic/fibreglass, so it won't rust and it's really not that bad...
- Survivor starts tonight - whoo hoo! And I am not part of a pool either, although there is one at work. It proves to be interesting as they have divided the players by racial lines to start...I reckon they will group differently for the next episode.
- I am considering fostering a dog if I get the job in Mayo...a big one if I can get it...husky, shepard or labrador would be my choice. Something for a kind of guard dog since I might be living in a remote community, alone and the cats are of no help...cowards...
- Loving my new television...for $120 it looks pretty good. Now I gotta figure out what to do with that other monster...it is still under waranty but there are no television repair shops in the territory...fuck.

My Body Temperature Is Confused

Well, got in my car this morning with -2C outside...the rain we had last night iced up on all the windows, sunroof included. brrrrrrrrrr...then by the time I left work at the end of the day, it was 16C...18 degrees difference in a few hours. I almost wore a coat...then at the office today, everyone is freezing of course (but not me...you know my internal furnace) and I was about ready to melt...pant, pant, pant...and I can't open a damn window in that place either. Stupid modern office buildings...

Then I got home to a chilly house and I had to turn the heat on, and here I am wrapped up in a blanket...I think my body's thermometer is confused...

Newfoundland Job Posting

There has been a mass exodus from Newfoundland for many years now, and Alberta seems to be the land of milk and honey, so most are flocking there...I have to say, witty choice of signage...

And So It Begins

So yesterday I heard by mail that I didn't get the job in northern BC that I interviewed for...no big DEAL, as I think I was pretty transparent that I didn't particularly want it anyhow...low pay, and too close to my sister. Not that I didn't want to be near her, but my potential jurisdiction would have covered her town and I could envision difficulties arising if I had to investigate anyone she knew.

Then I got home and checked voicemail, to discover that a job I applied for in Fort Resolution wants to schedule an interview. Great! That was enough to cancel out any sore feelings about not getting a job I didn't want anyhow...

Then this afternoon I got a call from the job I didn't get in BC asking me if I would like any feedback on the interview. Um, sure. Let's see what you got. While the interviewer had some valid feedback and suggestions for future interviews, I felt like what they were looking for with their interview questions was vague, and then he informed me of what they were actually looking for and it all seemed quite redundant. For many of the questions they were basically asking for a regurgitation of the courses I took in university, not anything related to my skills and experience as a social worker. Like the history of First Nations people, and the stages of development in children and adolescents...um...I have a BSW, and two BA's in social sciences...did you think I got them from a candy machine? What in the hell did you think I did in university all those years and clearly I passed my courses as I graduated 3 times...stupid interview questions IMHO. The questions were not clear in asking for that kind of information so it wasn't what I answered. Ask me how I would handle a situation, or what my strengths and weaknesses are. I don't understand why they would expect someone to regurgitate classwork...whatever...I didn't want the job anyhow!

So, still smarting from the negative feedback (I did score highly on the ones that did relate to my skills and experience) I came home to find yet another request for an interview, this time in Fort MacMurray (home to MANY Newfoundlanders)...so again, that cancelled out any hurt feelings...and Fort Mac is somewhere that I am interested in going because it isn't tiny town, it is in Alberta, so close to where A. may or may not (another story) be moving. Whoo hoo!

I knew that most of the competitions I applied for were closing this past week or so. I hope that the interviews keep on coming in! Thus far, we are 2 in 2 days...(not counting that crappy one I did for BC last month). Fingers are crossed...

Along The Highway From Atlin

Driving north on the Atlin highway was just as spectacular... what do you make of our ridiculous looking trees though? Straight up and skinny...

In Awe of Surprises

T'was a little rugged getting to this spot, but it was WELL WORTH IT. I wanted to stay and camp, but alas, A. has to work tomorrow at 7am...we should have come yesterday. Sigh!

The water was so still, the reflection is beautifully mirrored.

And Then Surprise Lake!

The road to Surprise Lake was pretty good, though the bridge looked a little sketchy as it was still under construction, but we watched another car cruise over it, so decided to take a chance...the road eventually washed out somewhat, so we parked and went for a wade in the icy mountain waters...that'll wake you up!!!

I'm not quite sure that that STAKE thingy is, but it was at the entrance to someone's property on the Boulder Creek road, just before Surprise Creek. It was chained closed, so we couldn't go farther.

The Town of Atlin

The town of Atlin was very pretty and quaint, seemingly untouched by the commercial tourist world...a refreshing change.

Atlin Was Awesome

A. and I headed out on a road trip south today, to Atlin, British Columbia. It wasn't very big, but it had lots of character and no shortage of photo ops with the gorgeous scenery. The drive down was stunning, with the lengthy Atlin Lake running alongside for much of the way. The mountains have begun to turn orange and yellow, and the fireweed is very red and orange. Not exactly the maple leaves of the east, but stunning just the same.

No wildlife along the way other than birds and squirrels... so I am still waiting to see a grizzly bear. From the car flying by at 110kms is fine with me...

We stopped at a few stores while in Atlin. There was a gold shop where a very friendly woman was crafting gold and suggested we visit with her friend Shirley, who makes quilts and cards. We met Shirley...she is elderly, and has a much larger shop than the gold craftswoman. However...some of her "art" was quite unimpressive and looked like kindergarten finger paints...she did have a wonderful collection of photocards though, and some interesting fabric postcards.

We had lunch at the Pine Tree Restaurant, and after travelling nearly 200 kms away, to another province in remote Atlin...we end up sitting next to my next door lady/landlady...she had been visiting friends there apparently! Small world...can't get away, lol. Lunch was great, and we headed back out in search of treasure...was able to purchase a t-shirt of Atlin, so happy with that.

Then we headed down an even more remote road to Surpise Lake...stay tuned

Yukon's Drug Problem

I've certainly seen and heard more about drugs in the Yukon than anywhere else I've lived or worked. Crack and cocaine seem to be the major culprits here. The First Nations communities have chosen to put up big signs warning drug dealers away, and there was a group of citizens that drew attention to the issue when they gathered together one night and began to systematically go through the downtown bars and toss the drug dealers into the streets. They also started taking pictures of the dealers, and noting addresses and license plates and then stapling posters of this information all about town. We got our hands on one of the posters at work and of course, recognize some of the addresses as client homes...no big surprise.

Then my daughter comes home from work last night with a tale of her ordeal...she works at a national grocery chain, and her particular department is the closest to the bathrooms. A woman came rushing over to A. to tell her there was someone who needed help in the bathroom, so A. goes in, thinking what the hell is going on in there. She found a gal in there, about the same age as her, passed out cold on the floor of a stall, having vomited and somehow struck her head, possibly from when she passed out, she may have hit her head on the toilet on the way down. Either way, she was laying in a pool of blood and vomit, and floating in the toilet was a used syringe. This gal had obviously been shooting up and trying to flush the needle with wads of toilet paper. The kicker is that she was still in her work uniform - the same as my daughter's. A. recalled someone being paged repeatedly and not answering the page...she thinks it was this gal. In any event, A. checked for a pulse, and it was barely there...911 was called and the gal was rushed off to hospital while the throng of shoppers peered on.

Nice work environment. The reality is there is a serious drug problem here in the Yukon and something needs to be done about it. I don't know how effective the signs warning them off are, nor am I sure that tossing dealers into the streets is the answer. I do think that the RCMP need to step up their involvement, put the heat on, and shut down the crack houses. How is it that the city's citizens know exactly who the dealers are, what they drive, and where they deal from but the RCMP aren't able to do anything about it? Perhaps the police are doing something, but one would never know it as the drug use here climbs ever so rapidly.

So A. was pretty shaken up by the happenings last night. She didn't panic, and knew what to do, calling a "code 66" which means first aid is required immediately with security. And she was careful not to touch the blood and vomit, thankfully. Her employers want to keep it all hush hush and are simply telling others that someone took a seizure in the bathroom...um, yeah, because covering up a drug problem is the way to help. If people keep burying their heads in the sand, nothing will change. The store clearly just wants to avoid negative publicity...whatever...they have the market cornered here in Whitehorse anyhow, so I don't think business will suffer in the least. Sigh...