And What Are You???

I don't know that there are real ghosts and goblins,
but there are always more trick-or-treaters than neighborhood kids.
~Robert Brault

Wilderness First Responder Training once again comes in handy in this vast tundra wilderness. Well, we technically may occasionally be in a wilderness context since 'wilderness' requires one's whereabouts be at least 2 hours away from definitive medical care. Therefore if the weather is good and planes are flying we are indeed 1 hour, at most, from Bethel hospital. Now whether you reeeeeeeealy consider the hospital in Bethel definitive medical care is also subjective. No offense but I've heard too many stories. Anyway, if planes aren't flying we are at least 7 hours from Bethel's definitive medical care and that is by boat or... at this point not much will get you across the tundra lakes. They aren't all frozen yet and snow keeps reappearing and disappearing so snow go is not really a viable option. My point is we are probably about as wilderness as the next guy. Anyway, Jerilyn and I were chatting on the phone between disconnections (gotta love GCI) while her daughter was howling in the background, not all that uncommon when you have 3 children under the age of 8. Then Jerilyn shocks "Oh, no I think she really hurt her toe! I gotta go." She calls back a minute later and asks what to do if her toe is dislocated. Now if it is dislocated you reduce the dislocation but I couldn't see her toe so had no idea if it was really dislocated. "You put it back in place." I thought out loud. Immediately I hear Dakota shriek on the other end. "Okay, I don't know if that worked." Jerilyn says matter of factly. "I'm bringing her over." Suddenly I'm wearing a WFR hat. Something was certainly not right about Dakota's toe. It didn't appear to be dislocated or need to be reduced further so after consulting Google and the local first responder (who assured us she wouldn't have any better idea so proceed with whatever we were doing) we just taped it to the toe next to it, iced it and gave her a sucker. Jerilyn did end up taking her to Bethel the next day and she in fact had a broken toe. Apparently we did the right things, thanks to Wilderness Medical Associates training. You may be wondering what landed little Dakota in this predicament in the first place??? She missed her sister and kicked the wall. Last year I got to use my WFR skills to clean out Steph's puncture wound on her foot. That was thrilling.
Pumpkin Carving Contest
Around these parts pumpkin carving is not to be taken lightly. Pumpkin carving is a serious competition. That's Jim's Class's 1st place porcupine next to Mrs. Z's Class's rendition of Jim.

Halloween Costume Contest
The annual school costume contest was hit. I even got to play make-up artist. Unfortunately in the process I accidentally glued Nelsiann's eye shut trying to adhere the fancy false lashes...

Principal Eric was a robot, Einar was a fireman and the 6 Flags Guy took first.


Larissa's Big Win!
Our very own Larissa flew to Bethel with her Coach Alicia for the Jr. High Speech Meet. She arrived home with first place, her trophy in hand and to a lobby full of excited fans.

Speaking Ani-ese
I just feel like I have to brag about my dog for a bit. He's been patiently sitting on the couch while I'm camped out on the genuine, artificial zebra patterned curtain from Gram and Gramp's cabin turned rug, blogging away to you all. It (the rug, not Ani on the couch) reminds me of again childhood summers spent at the cabin, when catching perch off the end of the dock was done with bologna and a snoopy fishing pole (it may well be the best fishing I've ever encountered until the Alaskan salmon run), waiting to see headlights across the lake signaling visitors (almost always cousins, aunts and uncles) needing us to hop in the boat and come pick them up, was better than Christmas. It makes me feel close to my family and good times, we were remote then too you know...you can only get there by boat. Before cell phones and underground phone cables the only way we could get in contact with the mainland was to listen to 'The Message Period' on the local radio station...I remember everyone shushing each other and huddling around to hear if anyone would be visting...the cabin. It's still a part of me. What a blessing. Something about this fake zebra rug is my roots, ha, roots in a piece of zebra fabric...Where did this crazy fabric originally come from anyway, I remember it hanging in those big glass doors, we'd peek behind them every morning hoping to find sunshine through the trees out on the lake. That was when I was like 5 years old. This fabric is old...maybe this is where 'the fabric of our lives...' comes from. Strange that someone in my family (actually, I take that back it's probably not strange at all) saved a 3 x 3 square of it for this long and now I too am guilty of salvaging it and sending it up here to my stilted trailer in the tundra to use as a rug. It adds a certain flare. Ah, life. Again the best advice I got before moving here was, "Surround yourself with things that make you smile." That's what I'm doing. Now, watch me pull this brief cabin detour back on track....Ani makes me smile:)
Truly he is the best listener, I bet your dog is too. I'm glad he doesn't speak English even though I have a hunch our crazy conversations would be safe if he did. He does think I talk too much, don't run enough and am definitely way stingy in the dog treat department and still he acts like he cares and couldn't have said it better himself when I babble on. Wags his tail when I tell him anything in a happy voice, stands on his hind legs waving his front paws in the air almost dancing like he couldn't wait one more minute to see me, shares my pillow on the couch, also tries to push me off, escorts me around the house as if he's helping me find my way, maybe he does actually think he's chaperoning me, Lord knows I need it. I love his company. What a blessing. Dogs are a perfect example of God's Grace. We don't deserve such unconditional love but He gives them to us anyway. Animosh loves Ritz crackers and grapes...weird I know. He's really the silent type, only whines when he needs out and only howls or barks when Eric's dogs are being harnessed to pull. He has a phobia of kids and vacuums, becomes paralyzed with the first group, pees and hides with the second. His breath stinks and I still want to hug him. He's a good dog. And you know what I actually think he's fond of me too even when I'm totally myself, what a lucky dog owner I am.

Happy Halloween!

Trick or Treaters were knock, knock, knocking on my door starting around noon and ending around 7. Only because I left to go maqii with my friend Karen and family. I was delighted to find that as I ran errands throughout the day, I could put out a Rubbermaid full of candy with a little note that said "Please Take Only One" and they did. There was even candy left when I got back! What great kids we have in Quinhagak. This is Karen chain sawing wood for the maqii.
Since the chainsaw fit the character she decided this could be her 'Jason' costume for Halloween.

"He's your bodyguard, shielding every bone;
not even a finger gets broken." Psalm 34:20