Merry Christmas From The Arctic

I pass this sign every morning as I ski to work and it always makes me laugh. Before I glide through I first look both directions as I know, this is a moose crossing! Here, crossing the street doesn't mean that you are only checking for snow machines and quads, but also for large furry animals too.   Thankfully I have yet to cross paths with such a gigantic (and often aggressive) creature, but, they are frequently spotted around town. 

It still amazes me that these creatures can survive the winters here. Recently we lost power for for almost 2 days and our little apartment was beginning to get pretty cold. In addition to long periods of darkness (it gets light around 11:00 am and dark around 4 with dusk in-between) we have also had some -30 degree days, and that is without the wind factor.  So, as the wind was whipping around in the darkness I wondered how animals now and people long ago survived. 

During our power outage, Ian and I had plenty of time to ponder this and how we could occupy our time without the internet (Ian) or in my case The Office. However, with our 10+ candles not only was our home a sweet aroma of fragrances (thanks Frontier Family Farms!) but it provided the necessary light and heat to put in many long and romantic hours of the game Logic...haha.  Not to mention, it gave us a whole new appreciation for interior illumination (not to be confused with Clark Griswald's exterior illumination).  

So, if you have ever wondered where Aniak gets it protection from, let me introduce you to the Underground Secret Ninja Ring....or so they believe.  In addition to his weekly basketball games, Ian also likes to practice his ninja moves. 

He and our neighbor are both very skilled, as you can tell. And, knowing that I have not one but two secret ninjas around for protection is a great comfort.  


Here Ian is teaching a few lessons that he learned as a small boy. Listen close to the instruction given and you might figure out just where he received this wisdom from. As a result, he is very selective to whom he entrusts his knowledge to.

 Here is a picture of my new and much loved hobbie, quilt making. These are my first two lap quilts. The blue one is for Ian's parents and the pink one is for my parents. I had so much fun doing these (and I am sure that my neighbors also enjoyed hearing the constant bong bong of the sewing machine) that I have already started another project, or two.  

Ian even helped with a few stitches so that we could honestly say that the gifts were hand-made by both of us. As you can tell, he is thrilled to have helped.....LOL.  Now he can add to his many titles (husband, great white hope, ninja) the honor of being a seamstress....I can see Matt Lake shaking his head right now. 

We are continuing  to enjoy skiing. Aniak got a lot of snow over the last couple of days and earlier today Ian and I went on a 4 mile ski. Below are some of the pictures.

And, this my friends is evidence of a moose. Also evidence that he or she needs to get more fiber in their diet!

Here are some of the moose tracks that we saw along the way. We did not run into any live moose out there, but we did see plenty of tracks.

Other than that, we have been very good. After my long month (intubations, inserting my first chest tube) work seems to have slowed down. Last week I went on two village trips to Shageluk and Anvik. They are both small villages of about 80 people and Shageluk still does not have running water or electricity.  

I really enjoy traveling to my villages as I always leave feeling like I have made a difference. Not only do the people seem to appreciate the care, but I am often more humble and grateful when I return home.  Life can be very difficult out here and I am thankful that people allow me to be a part of their journey. 

Ian is also doing wonderful things (besides protecting Aniak). His monthly elder lunches are very popular and he continues to build trust and friendships with the community. Like I mentioned earlier he is playing basketball weekly and apparently his team is even winning.  He is also traveling to villages once a month and continues to enjoy his work. I think I will have him blog next time so that he can update everyone in his own words........

And, PRAISE GOD, my student loans are officially paid off!!!!!!!!! 

We are both VERY happy!

Anyway, Merry Christmas from the Niecko's!