Mama and Papa days continued

Monday. 

My snowmobile has been having some trouble so Richard took it to Gabriel to have it looked at.  Gotta love the Cape Dorset Canadian Tire (dump) as some bits and pieces Richard had found there were exactly what my machine needed to get up and going.  He found this crazy big spring and it worked perfectly as my rear spring so my machine doesn’t bottom out any more.

The big news of today is Rick’s new purchase.  Since arriving here he has been admiring Richard’s seal skin mittens.  We have been asking around but no one had mittens for sale.  I mentioned this to one of the women I sew with.  About an hour later she showed up at the house on her snowmobile saying that she had gone on the radio asking for mittens and had received several phone calls.  She had two pairs of mitts with her unfortunately neither fit Rick but she said not to worry because she had two more leads to follow.  She called and said one of the women would be by shortly with a pair.  Rick saw them and fell in love.  They were full gauntlets and are beautiful.  He got a very good price on them.  They fit him like a glove (ha, ha) and are keeping his hands toasty warm in our yucky weather.

Tuesday.

The search for water continued today.  We were okay being patient until we heard that some houses had gotten water delivered twice while we (and everyone in our building) had received nothing.  So Richard called the garage and asked for water.  About 10 minutes later the water truck arrived and partially filled our tank.  The water is coming from Dead Dog Lake.  This is not the best of water and so we will be boiling our water before drinking.  Nobody else seemed to know where the water was coming from so I spent a while on the phone telling as many people as I could.  Even if we can’t drink it we can SHOWER!!!!!

Richard and Rick went for a ride after dinner.  They said it was absolutely beautiful!  Although the floe edge is disappearing quickly and is completely gone in the spot we took them to the other day.  They were having a great time and stopped on a mountain peak to look around.  When it was time to return they discovered that my sled wouldn’t start.  They towed it to Gabriel’s house.  It looks like my carb froze over again.  Gabriel managed to fix it but time for some long-term repair as this is the third time this same problem has occurred.  We also got some amazingly generous help from a neighbour and I would like to thank him very much!  Richard also found a man selling a complete engine for our type of machine and so there is now a snowmobile engine sitting in the living room drying out.  Ah, the North!

Wednesday.

Rick, Maureen, Richard and Lily went to visit the artists Co-op today.  They had a great time, were given the full tour and got to see some beautiful art.  Unfortunately most of the works had been packed up ready to send to galleries down south.  But they got to talk to a working artist and see lots of things.  Everyone came home with samples of that great art.

I spoke to my principal today who asked me for some help spending money.  It doesn’t seem like a hard job but it was.  Just before school let out for the holiday we received a grant from the municipality for ‘Arts and Crafts’.  Five of us met and made a list of projects we would like to see happen.  The end, I thought.  Now we need to actually order everything and I was asked to do it.  Some of the project I know a lot about and felt comfortable ordering but a few I have never tried, like leather work.  It is hard to order basic supplies when you don’t understand what tools are needed.   Thank goodness for the internet is all I can say!!  PS I have 24 hours to get supplies ready for all 11 projects.

This evening I was called to an emergency meeting of the Resource Center Committee.  We had been working on a proposal for funding for the year ahead and just found out we have been denied.  All the application said is that our project is too similar to another in the community and we should join with them.  Nobody could think who this ‘other group’ might possibly be which makes it hard to join with them.  So it was decided that I would call and see what information I could find out.  We have 4 days left to appeal the decision.  Why is it that everything happens all at once?!

Thursday.

I spent the morning trying to finish up business.  I spoke to a very nice woman about the proposal. 
Along with some other helpful information she was able to give me the name of the other group applying.  I called Mary, one of the other committee members who wrote the proposal, she recognized the name.  Mary had in fact also helped with their proposal and so knew for certain it was nothing like ours.  There we go crisis averted.   Looks like a misunderstanding and so I will now write the appeals letter and will be able to discuss how our group cannot join with the other group and that we do in fact need the funds we have applied for.

For those of you who don’t know I should clarify.  Back in October I began to sew with a group of local women at the resource center.  Anyone is welcome to join and can just come and sew.  I began to learn parka making and have now completed four.  I thoroughly enjoy this group.  There are some wonderful women there with some amazing knowledge to share.  I was nominated for and voted onto the newly formed committee two months ago.  The group has always been fairly informal but the committee is the beginning of trying to make it slightly more formal – while still welcoming any and all women who want to sew.  (I still don’t know exactly why men can’t join us but I know they never do more than stick their heads in the door to let their wife or mother know that their ride has arrived.)

I also finished the Arts and Crafts shopping list and sent it off.  Done and done.

While I was hard at work the rest of the family went off to the park.  It is snowy and blowy but they had a great time.  They also stopped by the store which Lily always thinks is a good time.  Home for lunch.  We tried to put Lily down for a nap but as is happening more and more frequently she is refusing to nap.  She did stay in her room having quiet time so everyone got a little down time, we grownups played some dominos, but all too soon she was up and about.  So nap kyboshed we decided to head up to the GN (Government of Nunavut) building.  Rick and Maureen are so enjoying their visit that they are contemplating moving here.  We went up to check out the building as it is beautiful but also so that Rick could meet a few people and talk about possibilities.  We had a very nice visit.  Got to see Amy and Lily took to exploring the offices on her own.  It is a big circle so she went for a little walk.  I found her in a nearby office chatting with a woman at her desk.  She just made herself right at home.  What a little nut.  Luckily everyone loves her and so she rarely gets herself in trouble.  Rick got lots of good information and so they are left to debate what life is going to look like.  But then aren’t we all?

Thanks again for reading and I hope we will get the photo thing sorted out soon!

Margot