Personal

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Tuckered Out

It was a trying weekend seeing as I had the night phone 3 nights out of 4. I’m constantly amazed by the people who think that’s an easy job ‘because the phone just about never rings.’ To me, the very possibility that it could ring is enough to keep me from getting any sort of deep sleep.

Moreover, I learned yesterday that it’s not the bears we need to be worried about up here but rather creatures less than an inch long. I was stung on the arm by a wasp and chided myself for being such a woose, but then discovered just how powerful wasp venom is, even for those who are not allergic. My arm swelled up for a time, then went numb, then tingly. Now, it is insufferably itchy and I fill achy all over like my body is fighting something.

I will be ‘on vacation’ in a week and I hope the change of pace will recharge my batteries. I still don’t know where I’m going! If the Dempster has dried out, it’ll be plan A, Inuvik, of course. I don’t mind doing it sloooooooowly if the road is rutty, but I am not insane enough to do it in my car if it is muddy. Plan B will be Fairbanks if the Taylor highway is open. Plan C will entail having both the Dempster and Taylor highways closed and will probably take me to Anchorage, but the insane amount of driving that this detour would entail makes Plan C unappealing.

This summer has gone by so fast! I’ve been back in Dawson three months to the day and will be pulling out in exactly a month!

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A Yukoner At Last!!!

It took a couple of attempts to get satisfactory proof of Canadian citizenship, but I have health insurance! And I’m officially a Yukoner!!! Yup, I finally got my health card!

While I was still technically insured in Quebec, my sun card would have been useless out here seeing as Quebec does not participate in the reciprocal agreement with the other provinces. In other words, I would have had to pay out of pocket had I needed to go to the ER last fall and then attempted to get reimbursed by Quebec with no guarantee of being paid back.

In related news, I received my vehicle registration papers today and burst out laughing. I owe the Yukon government $120. Compare that to the $900 I used to pay in Quebec. Plus $100 for my driver’s licence. I need to pay Yukon $50 four years from now for my licence.

My change of residency is complete and I am not looking back.

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Needing an Evening Out

I’m still very much under the weather, unheard of for me after almost a full week, but I have my appetite back now that I can taste food again. I haven’t been out in a week, other than to check my mail and run a few errands, and I was starting to feel mildly claustrophobic. Moreover, my fridge’s offerings were positively unappealing. So, this being a Sunday night I thought the Drunken Goat might be quiet and a good place to catch a bite. After all, isn’t garlic good for the immune system? 🙂

I wasn’t ravenous, so I thought of just ordering an appetizer rather than a full platter. But then I noticed that there was a wrap available for a very reasonable price, under $20, even made up as a meal with a salad, rice, and potatoes. I decided to try that, confident that I would have leftovers for a nice lunch tomorrow, which I did. It was all very tasty and just what I needed. The best part? A wonderful person I know picked up the tab for me!

Since I had a relatively light dinner, I had room for dessert, so off I went to the ice cream parlour where I confounded the server by asking for cookie dough instead of Rolo. 🙂 I took my cone up to my favourite bench by the river and watched the muddy eddies of the mighty Yukon mix with the clear waters of the Klondike. The day had started off very grey and nasty, but the sun was finally out in full force. I took my time enjoying my ice cream, savouring the cold treat and the warmth on my face, knowing that my Klondike days could very well be numbered and that such evenings remaining might very well now be counted on one hand. I have a lot on my mind right now, but my plans are taking shape.

When I finally headed back to the car I ran into one of my friends and we gabbed for a bit. I cannot believe how impossible it is to go out in Dawson without running into someone I know!

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Living in Her Car

The other night, I had the chance to meet an incredible fellow blogger. She’s a gal who just a few short months ago was dreaming of a more connected and less materialistic life, of driving an RV to the Arctic even though she’d never RVed before. She downsized, took a crash course in mechanics and RVing, and finally quit Texas, with the Arctic in her sights. She pushed on through fear and the sometimes impassable muddy stretches of the Dempster highway and emerged triumphant at the very edge of the world where a photo was taken of her frolicking in the Arctic Ocean. Her name is Jennifer and she is living in her car.

Our meeting was much too brief, as such meetings are, but how incredible to have met here, in Dawson City! I had a chance to show her a few sights and we talked a little. Meeting her in person was like welcoming home an old friend and a true kindred spirit. It was the kind of meeting where you are grateful for the time you had instead of bemoaning how short it was. Here was the only logical place for our paths to intersect, and they did.

Thank you for coming out on Saturday, Jennifer. I wish you many happy miles!

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Oz’s Fieldtrip

This afternoon, Oz and I went on a two hour walk to town and back. He was such a good boy!

On the way there, he took his sweet time sniffing around and marking his territory, so I thought we’d never make it! I accidentally kicked a rock a short ways past the motel and Oz went tearing after it. We played that game for a good ways, with me throwing a new rock for him to play with every few steps and that definitely got us moving.

The afternoon was starting to be a scorcher, so when we got to town I brought him down to the river so he could cool off a tad since his owner had mentioned that he loves the water. He was very happy with this detour.

Since today is a holiday, not much was open, so I decided to just get an ice cream and come back home. I tied Oz to a bench outside the store where he was immediately adopted by two grannies from Maine. Oz was very happy to lie in the shade under a bench and be fawned over while I got my cone.

I had my ice cream as he continued to garner attention and then it was time to head back since I had a shift starting at 5. Oz knew the way home and he was eager to get there, since he was obviously exhausted. He walked to the full length of his leash without straining, stopped, and then looked at me with an expression that said “Come on, I wanna get there!”

what a sweet boy!

what a sweet boy!

waiting for me to throw another rock

waiting for me to throw another rock

playing in the Yukon River

playing in the Yukon River

chillin' out in front of the ice cream parlour

chillin’ out in front of the ice cream parlour

Playing the ‘cool aunt’ with a dog is always fun, but I know I am nowhere near a stage in my life where I could have one. I’d definitely need to be home a lot more and have a semblance of a routine. That said, I look forward to more outings with Oz.