Well the tree is up and is it ever big! Probably 8.5 feet tall, way taller than our tree at home would ever be. You know how it goes though, what looks small in the bush is huge in the house, luckily we have a loft only over the back half of the cabin and there is plenty on room for the tree. The kids and I have been making decorations and will start to decorate as soon as the tree stops dripping, I'm thinking nap time for Laney will be about perfect.
We also have most of our gifts taken care of, thanks to internet shopping. All I had ordered online came in the last time we went for mail, that was a huge relief. You never know how busy Canada Post is this time of year and if our parcels will reach the post office they are picked up from by the mail truck that heads out our way once a week.
As I mentioned though, not all the gifts are taken care of yet, we also have to get to work making a few. We had decided with Tim and Martina that we would make gifts for each other. So Paul and I have our plans, it's just putting them into action now that is left to do. Hopefully it goes as smoothly as the plan looks in our head.
The guys are at 61 Marten, 1 wolverine, and 1 lynx now.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Perfect Day
Today was just awesome. After a good morning doing school work with Sasha and not arguing with her during the process, Martina and I completed the last steps of our wine, (12 more days and we can bottle it, Yahoo!) Then we had our lunch and went out to skate on our newly formed rink. The lake ice is thickening up fast now that our weather has taken a bit of a colder turn. Our coldest we have seen here is still only -19 and today we warmed up to -10.
And as for the lake ice, we could not ask for a better Mother Nature made rink. It was able to freeze without snow and it is like glass. There are a few rough spots here and there but overall definitely a thumbs up. The kids have been on it 2 days now and have improved already. They went from needing a hand or a hockey stick for support, to doing it all on their own. It's sure great to have the rink just a short walk from your doorstep. To be able to glide along the shore and go and go and go, if you so desire is not something I have ever experienced, and I love it. Because the lake froze without any snow and only a little frost on it, and because it was so clean and clear to begin with, you can see exactly what you are skating over, or coming up to. The kids like to lay on the ice and look at the lake bottom, wishing and waiting to see a fish swim by.
So after an afternoon on the rink, we added on a layer where needed and headed off on the snowmobiles and located our Christmas tree. Paul and I had spotted it earlier on one of our firewood runs. Today was just a matter of getting the okay from kids, Sasha said "Yeah, it's good.....enough". We took that answer as good enough too and down it came. Laney had her first tongue frozen on metal experience as she just couldn't resist licking an ice chunk on the skimmer. After that ordeal, which I think was more upsetting for Sasha to see, than for Laney to experience, we cut another skimmer load of wood for the other sled and returned home. Aron and I unloaded wood, while Sasha and Paul went and checked their marten boxes and squirrel snares that are close to home, but no luck on those this time. After Paul got his sled and skimmer ready for tomorrow's day out on the line, we all came in to supper which I had started before going outside and had filled the cabin with a smell that said "Time to eat". The kids seem to have pretty good appetites out here and no problem sleeping either. After supper we sat down to play a game together and Aron didn't make it to the end. He was asleep on the couch in to time.
Tomorrow, as I mentioned earlier, is a day checking traps for the guys, they are at 56 marten and 1 wolverine. The kids and I will start making our tree decorations and most likely have a day off school. I've quickly learned that myself and 3 kids in the cabin does not tend to be a productive day in school, so these days are better spent baking and doing fun things with them. And I'll admit that usually trapine day is also usually a movie day for the kids. Mommy puts on a movie for the kids and picks up a book for herself, and we all get to do exactly what we want for an hour or so.
And as for the lake ice, we could not ask for a better Mother Nature made rink. It was able to freeze without snow and it is like glass. There are a few rough spots here and there but overall definitely a thumbs up. The kids have been on it 2 days now and have improved already. They went from needing a hand or a hockey stick for support, to doing it all on their own. It's sure great to have the rink just a short walk from your doorstep. To be able to glide along the shore and go and go and go, if you so desire is not something I have ever experienced, and I love it. Because the lake froze without any snow and only a little frost on it, and because it was so clean and clear to begin with, you can see exactly what you are skating over, or coming up to. The kids like to lay on the ice and look at the lake bottom, wishing and waiting to see a fish swim by.
So after an afternoon on the rink, we added on a layer where needed and headed off on the snowmobiles and located our Christmas tree. Paul and I had spotted it earlier on one of our firewood runs. Today was just a matter of getting the okay from kids, Sasha said "Yeah, it's good.....enough". We took that answer as good enough too and down it came. Laney had her first tongue frozen on metal experience as she just couldn't resist licking an ice chunk on the skimmer. After that ordeal, which I think was more upsetting for Sasha to see, than for Laney to experience, we cut another skimmer load of wood for the other sled and returned home. Aron and I unloaded wood, while Sasha and Paul went and checked their marten boxes and squirrel snares that are close to home, but no luck on those this time. After Paul got his sled and skimmer ready for tomorrow's day out on the line, we all came in to supper which I had started before going outside and had filled the cabin with a smell that said "Time to eat". The kids seem to have pretty good appetites out here and no problem sleeping either. After supper we sat down to play a game together and Aron didn't make it to the end. He was asleep on the couch in to time.
Tomorrow, as I mentioned earlier, is a day checking traps for the guys, they are at 56 marten and 1 wolverine. The kids and I will start making our tree decorations and most likely have a day off school. I've quickly learned that myself and 3 kids in the cabin does not tend to be a productive day in school, so these days are better spent baking and doing fun things with them. And I'll admit that usually trapine day is also usually a movie day for the kids. Mommy puts on a movie for the kids and picks up a book for herself, and we all get to do exactly what we want for an hour or so.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
This and That
I know, I know, I'm not doing my blog enough. For someone who is supposed to have all the time in the world I am finding it hard to find time for this. One reason is that my computer time is limited and busy. And it seems that we are always doing something else. Martina and I were just saying to each other that we never thought that we would be so busy out here, we brought ourselves a lot of projects, games, books, puzzles and that sort of thing and we have not done any of it yet. I know though that the cold weather is yet to come and we will have all sorts of time for that stuff!
The guys have started trapping marten now, they have been for about 2 weeks, maybe more and they are at 36. Tomorrow they are checking again, their typical day is leaving home around 8:00 am, they sometimes split up to do the run of 160 km round trip, which makes their day shorter. Arriving back here for late afternoon, and if they stick together they are back for 6 ish. Some lynx sets were also set last trip out so we will see what that brings.
We have about a foot of snow here at the lake, at the claim cabin we have easily twice that, and at the top of the mountain there is about 40". We have been working on our tobagan hill, which is awesome to say the least. And somehow it has morphed into a luge run at the bottom. It is the longest hill I have ever been on and it honestly is like a track, the GTs do the best because you can steer them through. The kids are a little afraid to do the bottom section that crosses our road and leads down to the lake. I have to admit I was too the first time, since part of the track takes you under a fallen tree! But a little coaxing and off the kids went, and yes some trips you do almost get your feet wet. We also need radios to communicate from the top to bottom and to let you know if the trail is clear!
We have also been out snowshoing, there is a mountain that is of small size I would say that is behind us. and since we moved here my husband said he wants to climb it, so that is what we are working on. Day by day we go a little further up, the kids are doing awesome, they of course like the trip down better. Sasha wants us to take her GT up there so she can come down.
We had Paul's birthday yesterday, which was nice. Tim, Martina and the kids came over and some friends from the valley sledded out too, the valley meaning the community where we get our mail. We have had to sled out to mail the last few weeks now, and the trail is quite good. It's a beautiful trip into town and I never tire of the scenery. Actually today Martina and I went in on our own for some lady time. It was valley girls meets lake girls, as we all got together to make perogies. This is something the valley girls as they started to refer themselves as, do annually, and this year they were nice enough to invite us lake girls out for the day. I think that it is safe to say that we both enjoyed ourselves, and having the day to ourselves.
We are anxiously awaiting the caribou migration, each time we talk to a local we try to get more information about it. We are wondering exactly just how many are we expecting, do they come in one big bunch or are they more spread out? The lake here is still not frozen over and some have told us that they will even swim part of the lake if its not frozen. I just can't wrap my head around the whole idea as I have never seen anything like it before other than on TV, so I look forward to it, as I'm sure we all do.
The guys have started trapping marten now, they have been for about 2 weeks, maybe more and they are at 36. Tomorrow they are checking again, their typical day is leaving home around 8:00 am, they sometimes split up to do the run of 160 km round trip, which makes their day shorter. Arriving back here for late afternoon, and if they stick together they are back for 6 ish. Some lynx sets were also set last trip out so we will see what that brings.
We have about a foot of snow here at the lake, at the claim cabin we have easily twice that, and at the top of the mountain there is about 40". We have been working on our tobagan hill, which is awesome to say the least. And somehow it has morphed into a luge run at the bottom. It is the longest hill I have ever been on and it honestly is like a track, the GTs do the best because you can steer them through. The kids are a little afraid to do the bottom section that crosses our road and leads down to the lake. I have to admit I was too the first time, since part of the track takes you under a fallen tree! But a little coaxing and off the kids went, and yes some trips you do almost get your feet wet. We also need radios to communicate from the top to bottom and to let you know if the trail is clear!
We have also been out snowshoing, there is a mountain that is of small size I would say that is behind us. and since we moved here my husband said he wants to climb it, so that is what we are working on. Day by day we go a little further up, the kids are doing awesome, they of course like the trip down better. Sasha wants us to take her GT up there so she can come down.
We had Paul's birthday yesterday, which was nice. Tim, Martina and the kids came over and some friends from the valley sledded out too, the valley meaning the community where we get our mail. We have had to sled out to mail the last few weeks now, and the trail is quite good. It's a beautiful trip into town and I never tire of the scenery. Actually today Martina and I went in on our own for some lady time. It was valley girls meets lake girls, as we all got together to make perogies. This is something the valley girls as they started to refer themselves as, do annually, and this year they were nice enough to invite us lake girls out for the day. I think that it is safe to say that we both enjoyed ourselves, and having the day to ourselves.
We are anxiously awaiting the caribou migration, each time we talk to a local we try to get more information about it. We are wondering exactly just how many are we expecting, do they come in one big bunch or are they more spread out? The lake here is still not frozen over and some have told us that they will even swim part of the lake if its not frozen. I just can't wrap my head around the whole idea as I have never seen anything like it before other than on TV, so I look forward to it, as I'm sure we all do.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Five Solid Weeks
Thats how long we've been in without a trip to the outside. It's the longest amount of time that we have spent out here, previously it had been 2 weeks.
How is it so far? Is it what we expected? What are we thinking now?
Well so far it is going good, we have had execptional weather, have met some great people and we are spending a lot of time together as a family. We are doing pretty much what suits us on any given day.
We do have times when things are not so good, like the days when we miss our loved ones back home. Especially my 6 year old daughter, she misses her friends in school, her cousins whom she saw a lot, and she sometimes thinks that being taught school by her mom is not the greatest thing in the world. We also had a death in our immediate family 6 weeks ago that we went out for, and of course that is always on our minds. It definitely changed our perspective of things, especially about being out here and it is a totally different way of grieving for us than if we were home.
Is it what we expected? Yes and no, it has taken us some time to adjust to these ways, so to speak. Such as realizing that we can drop what we are doing (eg. a chore) and go fishing if the mood strikes us, because this is not our only day off work to fit it in. That would have been our thinking back home. We had a lot on our to do list when we arrived though, as the cabins needed some sprucing up. And at first we were nose to the grind to get it done, then as the majority of the work was completed we realized that the rest can wait. We have time to do it on a rainy day, lets go and enjoy today's sunshine. That mind set took a while to set in. As for other expectations, we have to wait for winter to actually hit, then I can tell you how those pan out.
And the last question, what are we thinking now? We are glad overall that we are here. We realize the sacrifices that we each gave up to get here and to stay here. We appreciate having our friends living right here, because to do this alone, would probably be too lonely for me and the kids. Not to mention the fact that more adults means more shared responsibilities. By this I mean if someone got hurt, we have more adults to deal with the situation. Or when they go out trapping later on when winter is in full swing, no one is out there alone dealing with the potential elements. Etc, etc.
I've often wondered if the title to this blog is appropriate, Living the Dream. Maybe I should have titled it Living our Dream, since this is obviously not everyone's ideal situation. But when I hear from people or check out facebook, and hear about all the bugs that are making everyone sick, I am glad to be here.
P.S. We also had another visitor this past week, the tooth fairy!!
How is it so far? Is it what we expected? What are we thinking now?
Well so far it is going good, we have had execptional weather, have met some great people and we are spending a lot of time together as a family. We are doing pretty much what suits us on any given day.
We do have times when things are not so good, like the days when we miss our loved ones back home. Especially my 6 year old daughter, she misses her friends in school, her cousins whom she saw a lot, and she sometimes thinks that being taught school by her mom is not the greatest thing in the world. We also had a death in our immediate family 6 weeks ago that we went out for, and of course that is always on our minds. It definitely changed our perspective of things, especially about being out here and it is a totally different way of grieving for us than if we were home.
Is it what we expected? Yes and no, it has taken us some time to adjust to these ways, so to speak. Such as realizing that we can drop what we are doing (eg. a chore) and go fishing if the mood strikes us, because this is not our only day off work to fit it in. That would have been our thinking back home. We had a lot on our to do list when we arrived though, as the cabins needed some sprucing up. And at first we were nose to the grind to get it done, then as the majority of the work was completed we realized that the rest can wait. We have time to do it on a rainy day, lets go and enjoy today's sunshine. That mind set took a while to set in. As for other expectations, we have to wait for winter to actually hit, then I can tell you how those pan out.
And the last question, what are we thinking now? We are glad overall that we are here. We realize the sacrifices that we each gave up to get here and to stay here. We appreciate having our friends living right here, because to do this alone, would probably be too lonely for me and the kids. Not to mention the fact that more adults means more shared responsibilities. By this I mean if someone got hurt, we have more adults to deal with the situation. Or when they go out trapping later on when winter is in full swing, no one is out there alone dealing with the potential elements. Etc, etc.
I've often wondered if the title to this blog is appropriate, Living the Dream. Maybe I should have titled it Living our Dream, since this is obviously not everyone's ideal situation. But when I hear from people or check out facebook, and hear about all the bugs that are making everyone sick, I am glad to be here.
P.S. We also had another visitor this past week, the tooth fairy!!
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