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We had landed at 1pm and by 4 we were viewing the first house. Our realtor was great. He was able to schedule us to see all the homes we had wanted to in one evening. This allowed us to be able to put an offer in on a house the next afternoon. We basically narrowed it down to 3 homes that we loved. The first one didn’t work out because of some water damage/issues we had noticed in the basement. We really did love the house and yard, but because of the time constraints it wasn’t something that we could even explore regarding damage, cost of repairs, negotiating with sellers, etc. The second house we almost put an offer in until we realized that there were a few issues with the neighborhood that we weren’t willing to live with. The third house ended up having another offer in, but in the end they liked ours better and we got the house. We are very excited about it. The yard is smaller than what we hoped, but there is a huge park and green space behind our home. It will be perfect to take Cisco out to walk around in and it’s nice knowing we won’t have any back neighbors. The house is only 7 years old. So we don’t need to do much work right away. There are definitely things we would like to change, but we can do that in the years to come. We ended up with a very short possession date. We will be moved before the month is through. I still can’t believe this is all happening, and so fast at that! It is going to be an exciting new adventure. I am going to be sad to say good-bye to this community. We are definitely going to miss the amazing friends we’ve made during our time here. I know we will see them again, it just won’t be as often as we do now.

I also have other sad news. Since we won’t be living in the Great White North for much longer, this blog won’t really be pertinent anymore. We have created a new blog that will follow our lives as we move back into civilization. Unfortunately, due to some issues we’ve had, we have decided to make this blog a little more private. We still invite you to follow along with us if you’d like. The difference between that blog and this one, is you will have to register in order to read it. To register for our new blog, check it out here.

I’m hoping we will have a few more great experiences up here before our time comes to an end. So don’t give up on us quite yet!

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A few weeks ago we had some furnace problems because an ice dam had formed atop the chimney. The wind was blowing a down draft in it and shutting the furnace off and blowing some carbon monoxide inside the house. After attempting to get some workers to come chip it off, Mario decided to get a ladder and do it ourselves. No one seemed interested in helping us. I spoke with the fire chief and he was very helpful in lending us one of the fire truck’s ladder as we didn’t have one tall enough to reach the chimney. Long story short, Mario went up there chipped the ice off and everything went back to normal, until today that is….

Today was another ice accumulation that caused us to go back out. The plumbing vents were blocked which caused to house to fill with the sweet smell of sewer. We have seen the ice chunks on the vents grow all winter long but they never completely blocked the vents until today. Oh by the way, it’s -20C with 50km/h winds… not a very nice day. This time we had to physically go on the roof because the vents are farther up than the chimney. Everyone that knows me knows that I’m not too fond of heights. Once again, Mario had to go up there. We called the fire chief, borrowed his ladder again, tied a rope to the front deck and Mario climbed up there. After a little scare or two the house smells fine once again. Scroll down for some photos of Mario’s adventure.

Mario going up hoping he won't need to cash in his life insurance on this Good Friday!

Testing the thin rope...

Giving the first ice chunk a good shove.

Aiming it straight for the ladder! (Mario doesn't need it to come back down apparently)

Hopefully he doesn't because it's coming down!

Next! That one was HUGE!

No damage from this one falling.

"How do I get down again? Oh yeah the lad..... uh oh...."

The culprits for our stinky house

The big one!

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This past week Etienne went to the school to play badminton with a couple of the teachers and his boss.

Etienne used to play a lot in high school and college. It’s been years since he’s played and he really enjoyed it. One of the teachers is really good, so they were able to play a competitive game. It seemed like everyone had a good time.

Even a couple of students showed up to participate in the fun

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Yesterday (Saturday), Glen called me and said that he was going to build an iglu for Kaya and Iva in their “backyard”. He figured that he had good enough snow to build blocks. Since he needed someone to help him cut and carry blocks (aka a slave) he called me. I figured that it would be a good way to spend the afternoon so I agreed. I also took pity on his sockitis (wink, wink). Carly and I got dressed and, dog in tow, we walked across the street and helped him build his first iglu of the season. It was the first one ever for me since last year I didn’t get to partake for some reason. Here are a few photos mostly taken by Carly. Enjoy!

Etienne cutting some blocks in crappy snow.....we didn't use those blocks in the end...

Still cutting blocks....lots of them!

The dogs cheered a lot...read barked really loudly and annoyingly for half an hour

Glen and Kaya cutting as well

Glen the expert iglu builder at work

Having fun destroying the useless blocks....all that work for nothing

Waiting for the last block. Hi Glen!

Reaching out for that last block

Trying to make it fit

Shovelling out a door so that Glen can come out

Door. Ready!

Inside view

The first visitor entering the kid sized masterpiece!

Then Kaya and Siku or Siku and Kaya....not sure who wanted to get in first

Good ol' father/daughter photo! How cute!

Glen finally seeing the light of day.

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The most surprising was the other day when he brought home prosciutto and Provolone cheese! Who would have thought we’d ever see products like that up here. However, It still doesn’t solve our problem with fresh produce. I’ve been sad lately with the lack of fruit in town, until yesterday. Etienne brought home a watermelon. It wasn’t the watermelon that surprised me, it was what he said that did.

Etienne: Guess what I bought today?

Me: (Since I could see through the bag) a watermelon?

Etienne: Yup, and guess how much it was?

Me: $30?

Etienne: no, it was only $15!!

Yes, that’s right, he paid fifteen dollars for a watermelon!! I can’t believe that he was happy that he only spent $15 on a 2kg piece of fruit. It’s amazing what living in the North will do to your perceptions of pricing.

We cut it up today and ate some. I do have to admit that it was pretty good. I don’t know if it tasted like a $15 watermelon, but it was sweet and juicy none the less.

The Proof....

What makes this even more entertaining is what it says underneath the price! Neither of us noticed it until I had uploaded the picture into the post. Did you notice the “Nutrition North” comment?? I had a really good laugh when I read it!!

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It doesn’t feel like we’ve been here almost 2 years already! Where the did the time go? I can honestly say that I’m not 100% ready to leave yet. We are heading south to look for a home at the end of April. The actual move day will depend on our possession date. This is going to be a big change for us. We’re used to living in small communities, and now we’re moving to an area about 30 minutes from big city Ontario! I’m am going to miss a lot of things from here. First and foremost the friendships we’ve made. This is the one thing I hate about moving; moving away from amazing friends you’ve made. I know that Cisco is going to miss her buddy as well. I will also miss the ability to drive for less than 10 minutes and be so far away from everything and everyone. I’ve had some amazing experiences up here and will be sad not to be able to do them again (kayaking, ice fishing, spending time “on the land”, snowmachine rides, etc). On the other hand, there are things I’m looking forward to. Going to a grocery store and being able to buy fresh produce. Having that produce last longer than 2 days because it hasn’t been exposed to extreme temperatures. Being able to actually touch and look at something before I buy it, as opposed to seeing it on my computer screen and hoping that it’s what I want, the right size, etc. I’m also looking forward to being able to eat out if I don’t feel like making supper. I’m sure there are many more things I will miss and am looking forward to, I just can’t think of them right now.

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If you remember from this post, our fridge was fully stocked a week ago.

So it’s been a week since our last foodmail order. We are officially out of most of the produce we bought. So yesterday we went to the store to restock our supply. Well, I can’t say that I’m completely surprised at what we found:

The Northern Store was closed because there was no staff.

The Co-Op had minimal produce and out of what was there, I bought 2 tomatoes and a carton of strawberries. That’s it!! They did have blueberries, bananas and kiwi, however, they were already spoiled. The blueberries were shriveled into tiny little pebbles, the kiwi were in a box and the box was wet from the rotting fruit, the bananas were bruised and discolored from the exposure to temperature changes. So I guess we’ll have to try the Northern Store today (if it’s open) and see if we can find a little more produce. I know that I’ve had to lower my expectations up here, but come on, not being able to buy some lettuce (heck, I don’t even care what kind it is at this point), bell peppers, fruit that isn’t past it’s expiry date, isn’t asking too much is it?? I guess we’re going to have to use the frozen and canned fruit and vegetables for a while.

Oh the joys of northern living! It’s a good thing there are so many things I love up here, that the fresh produce issue really isn’t that bad. I just like to vent from time to time. So thanks for listening!

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Today Etienne showed me this article he read from the Globe and Mail. I had a chance to read through it today. It is a really long article, but definitely worth the read.

It’s about the History of Nunavut and an explanation of why the territory is plagued with social and economical issues. There really isn’t a lot of finger pointing or someone trying to save the world in it. It is more information of what the journalist found while traveling through the territory interviewing different ranks within society.

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Yesterday we decided to take Cisco and her buddy Siku for a run with the snowmachine out to Fox Trap Island. It was a little cooler than the past week or so, but it was still nice to be able to get out for a bit. I think the dogs were thankful to get out and stretch their legs. I think we should have ran them a little more. They were leading us all the way home….They still had an amazing amount of energy.  It is just a km or so from town out on the sea ice. We drove out there, walked around a took a few pictures.

Just hanging out...

One of the many Inukshuks on the Island

The dogs playing and checking out the "sights"

Wait...I think they were having a stand off....Who's going to pounce first?

What a beautiful day

Etienne having fun with the camera.....

Walking around...You can see town in the background

Taking a quick break

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