Sara in NWT

Full disclosure- I usually hate November. It is my least favourite month of the year, and I even have a birthday in November!  November is the transition month between a beautiful fall and winter. In Ontario It is cold and damp- sometimes it snows, as it did for the Grey Cup. But generally, it creates havoc for drivers trying to adapt to changing conditions and ordinary folks trying to determine what coat to wear- raincoat, windbreaker, fall or parka! November in Yellowknife is awesome. It snows and it is cold. It is predictable and beautiful. November in Ontario in usually characterized by the colour grey.  Grey skies, grey streets, grey snow (if there is any). In Yellowknife November is white- brilliant, sparkly white. Aiden keeps trying to take videos to show his friends of how the snow literally sparkles on the roads. When there is moisture in the air we get the effect of all the trees, bushes and plants being frosted with spectacular ice crystals. It reminds m...

When we were deciding to move to the Northwest Territories we spent a great deal of time budgeting. Yellowknife has the highest cost of housing anywhere in Canada. (I am paying $2850 plus electricity to  live in a 3 bedroom condo!) But it wasn't just rent or a mortgage we needed to account for, it was all the other expenses- food, running a vehicle, sports, and all the little things that add up. We didn't want to make a move for higher salary but find ourselves poorer for the move. Turns out we over budgeted. Groceries is the first place we over budgeted. We assumed groceries would be as expensive as when we lived in Grenada for fresh foods. Unlike Grenada where at least there was an ample supply of inexpensive local fruits and vegetables- the north has a short growing season and everything needs to be trucked in. About the only local thing we buy is fresh eggs from Hay River, which cost about 50 cents more a dozen but we support local farmers. However the cost difference has...

While Twitter is abuzz (daily) with Trump’s latest gaff or sexual predators in politics and entertainment, Canadians prefer to generate their excitement via the weather. #ONStorm or #BCStorm are often trending on Twitter. It is interesting to note that the weather as an “event” is relatively new. Growing up in rural Ontario it was frequently -20, and yet we rarely had weather alerts or winter storm warnings. It was a given that people would adjust their attire for the weather outside. We used to call a “snowstorm” – snow. Sometimes it was a snowstorm, and sometimes we had blowing snow advisories, but that language of an advisory is very different than a watch or a warning. An advisory is meant to inform you so that you can act. It assumes that the audience is intelligent enough to come to their own conclusions about the content. Twitter with its 140 characters or the endless media cycle seems to be targeting an audience whom it believes is either too inept or too distracted ...

It has been a few years now since I have sworn off high heels. I saw a post similar to this picture, that showed how unnatural your foot is in a heel. Even a small heel. So I donated all my heels and moved towards much flatter footwear. However, giving up the pain of gorgeous shoes meant that I had to settle for rather boring and kinda ugly flats. Turns out people up here have that problem licked. Moccasins and mukluks. Moccasins are the short version of mukluks and mukluks are generally for outside (although I do see people wearing a hybrid inside that is mid calf). Before moving here I would have said a moccasin was a slipper- to be worn at home in the morning. I was wrong. People here wear moccasins at work and it makes so much sense. As anyone who works in an old office building knows, the coldest part of you is your feet. This takes care of that problem. It also makes your co-workers really stealthy as there is no tick, tick, tick of a heel. In fact when I do wear even a bit ...

One of my favourite things to do in Yellowknife is dawdle. Aiden's school starts at 8:30 and so does my work. From the bottom of the hill they are in opposite directions. So Aiden has decided that in the mornings we should "dawdle" down the hill together. He likes to get to school very early- it has free WiFi away from mom and dad. So we get ready as soon as the CBC hourly news comes on. Then for the next five minutes we dawdle down the hill. Inevitably we have to stop so he can tie his boots (again). But for five minutes we get to chat and hang out. For as long as I have been a mom I have never walked either of my kids to school, so this is a new experience. And it is great. We talk about how the light is changing, what the weather is like and which classes he has that day. Before you know it we are at the bottom of the hill and he is going one way and I am going the other. Aiden is in grade 10 so I only have three years left where he is home. If leaving 15 minutes...

I work in a building called Lahm Ridge Tower, which is a 3 story (four floors) building that houses a good chunk of the Education, Culture and Employment staff (ECE). Every payday the 3rd floor hosts "goodie day". Here's how it works: Each small unit of ECE is assigned a payday. Usually three units cover one pay day. My unit's turn was this past Friday. The units assigned that particular payday bake goodies for the staff of ECE. Usually that means about 20 people baking, cooking or bringing fruit or chocolate for about 100 people. Some units organize themes and sometimes it is just a random mix. I baked about 3 dozen biscotti seen near Benoit's creme brulle!! He had a draw for the creme brulle- which everyone loved! He also dressed the part in a full chef's outfit- now that's commitment! While I am not overly social, I love the idea of a shared coffee break. It gives everyone a chance to get together to share food and talk about what is going on ...