Happy Thanksgiving!

It was a wondeful Thanksgiving here in Koyuk, although I do wish I could have been with my family in WI. It's a tradition here for me to go to Jason and Myra's for Thanksgiving. They are like my 2nd family here. They also have two kids (Myra's younger sister and brother) who are so fun to be around. I cooked the turkey this year and it turned out pretty good along with the pumpkin cream cheese pie and sweet potatoes. Myra's Gram has also been joining us the past three years and she is the sweetest Gram you'll ever know. She calls me her adopted grandaughter. She is my Alaskan Grandma and I love her a lot! Myra's brother David and our neighbor Joe also came. I made everyone wait for 45 mintues because the turkey was not done. It was well worth the wait because all the food was delicious! It's a treat to have a fresh spinach salad with other veggies.

We relaxed, talked, took crazy photos, and some serious ones. Berry was well behaved until she peed on the floor and DID NOT MISS MYRA'S FOOT. Good thing it wasn't Gram's foot!

We played charades and that was hilarious!

I am so thankful for so many things; here are some.

*Berry
*Jason, Myra, the kids and Gram
*Good health
*God's faithfulness and blessings
*Snow to snowshoe and ski

Halloween

Halloween is a celebration here. We have costume contests, classroom parties, and trick or treating. This year I was able to get a pumpkin to carve with my class. It took longer than I though! It was way too long for the 5 year olds. Their attention span was short. They designed the pumpkin while we reviewed shape and voted on different designs. I didn't know what I was going to be until the morning of. Jason and Myra got me a grandma wig in Anchorage so I was thinking...An exercising grandma..Yes..that is what I will be. I mismatched my clothes, put long underwear under shorts, stuffed my back with a pillow to have a hunch back, and stuffed by belly with a pillow also. I have to say along with the hidieous makeup and acting like fool while parading with my class for the costume contest, it was a lot of fun. My kids are still talking about it. I guess I acted so well and looked like a darn good grandma, I won first place and got red, big Coleman cooler with a smaller cooler and thermos inside. What a blessing! Enjoy the pics!

A Great Cultural Experience

A man was hunting for seal and he got one. I'm not sure how they hunt them. It is legal for Natives to hunt sea mammals but illegal for anyone else. He offered to have it be brought to the school so two women could butcher it and tell us how at the same time. Ruby began butchering the seal by cutting of the flippers (back and front) with an ulu. Then she turned it on it's belly and cut down the middle making sure not to cut the meat. First, she had to seperate the blubber and hide from the meat. After she did that she made sure to tell us it is best not get any meat on the blubber so it is good to make for seal oil. They cut the blubber off in pieces and sometimes use a board to put the hide on so the blubber is easier to cut off. Once the blubber is off the hide, they cut it only half way and then turn it around and cut it half again. They put all the blubber in a 5 gallon bucket and leave it; this makes the seal oil. They use the seal oil to eat with dry fish, sura (willow greens eaten in early Summer), agutuk (eskimo ice-cream-berries mixed together with seal oil).

Then she cut the seal from neck to bottom. The stomach came out and then she split the stomach and all the intestines came out. Here is what one of my students said, "Are those snakes? I didn't know whales eat snakes? " I reminded him it was a seal. Then he asked, "Do seals have teeth? Is the seal dead?" It was so incredible to be part of this boy's understanding of what was happening. The Ruby and Jean (our secretary) quartered it. It kind of stunk but not too bad. The kids made a big deal about it.

Long ago, the Inupiat women used the intestines to eat and also to make a rain coat. They first blew in them, dried them, dyed them and then dried them again. Then they split them down the middle and had a piece to sew together to make a raincoat. I was amazed at how much my kids remembered and how well they listened. They told me the whole process themselves when we came back it. We then wrote stories about our experience. I also learned that they blew up the seal hide and dried it to make a waterproof bag to store berries or other food. I'm not sure if they scraped the blubber or not out. I'm guessing they would becasue I did read from studying the culturals that they used the seal oil in lanterns. This was so amazing and am glad I got pictures to remember it by.

Does it thunder in Koyuk and is it winter already?

I never thought it thundered in Koyuk because I never heard it in all the three years I have been here. At the end of August it thundered and it hailed all the while it was sunny and warm. I could not resist myself so I went outside to feel the cool rain and hail. It was the strangest thing I ever saw in Koyuk. It felt so refreshing to get drenched. Of course there was a rainbow. August is usually the rainy month but it hardly rained. OUr rainy months this year were September and July.

Last weekend was the start of winter. It's too soon for me, but I am getting more excited to snowshoe and ski. I woke up to a cold apartment and looked at the thermometer and it said 33 degrees and it was blowing. Church was cold that day because there wasn't any oil. This last week it has been getting down to 30's at night and the about 50's during the day. On Tuesday we had a nice surprise. I looked out side about 5:45 am and it was snowing! These were not just oridinary flakes. They were the size of ritz crackers! It melted quick because it rained afterwards.

First Weeks of School

What a busy, fun, and challenging first couple of weeks. I have a great group of kids. Half of my class is special ed and it's so neat to see them meet their goals. We have been learning about school: how to listen, where things are in the classroom, sorting, shapes, colors. This week we started a unit on how unique each of us for many reasons: our facial features, finger prints, likes/dislikes, etc. The next week we are going to learning feelings, how to deal with feelings. I'll be teaching I messages and listening skills. We'll do role playing.

The challenges have been is not to react emotionally to things at school. I'm thankful for God showing me when I am and I'm so thankful for his forgiveness and grace He has shown me. I've already had a miscommunication with a parent. I'm thankful that God helped me not to react negatively when some of things they said were not true. Another challenge has been is splitting my time between Solutions Team (a program that works closely with teachers, students, and families to set goals so the student acheives when the teacher has already tried interventions), my classroom, my personal life, and most important my spiritual life.


A huge success was the parent night I had called Snacks and Stories. I have 11 students and 9 families and students showed up to fill out paper work, eat snacks, take photos, and suggest ideas on how to help their child become a better reader. It was great to hear their excellent ideas. Then I did a demonstration on how to help your child read and fill out the read and respond. Our reading curriculum requires students to read 20 minutes every night K-12 because research shows that is effective for children becoming good readers.

We have a potluck hosted by Solutions Team coming up after Labor Day. We have updated the Read and Responds to meet reading standards that are hard to cover in the SFA curriculum. I will describe the Solutions Team, introduce the team members. Then the parents will scatter to the child's SFA teacher to explain the new read and responds. Then we will have a potluck and visit with the community.

I've been having to work on Saturdays to get Solutions Team things done and plan for my classroom. I hope this ends soon.

On Monday we are having a staff picnic on top of Devil's Hill. It's a Labor Day tradition.

Take Care Everyone!

Fish or Seals?

I was asked to go fishing as deal that Myra suggested. They owed me some money so they asked if they could use the money to buy gas to go up Koyuk River. I've been wanting to go fishing for a long time so I jumped and squealed with joy when they asked. It was a beautiful morning with lots of sun and warm. We got in the 16 ft. lund boat: Myra, Jason, Romay, Ethan, Gram (Myra's gram/mom), and me. IT was a little crowded but so much fun. It took us 50 minutes to get there. What a gorgeous ride with lots of "loon ducks" and flocks of canada geese. This got Jason and I excited for duck season to start. We got to East Fork where Jason and Myra set the net. It was funny to watch Gram tell Jason how to set the net. She didn't want to tell Jason to do it one way so she kept saying, "You can do it that way." We climbed back in the boat and head to the middle of the river to start rod and reeling. Jason caught a nice pike within 10 minutes. We were fishing for Silver Salmon so Myra said throw it back. Gram said, "I like to eat Pike." So we kept the fish. Ethan had a silver follow his Pixie but didn't bite it. I had no bites.

We travelled up river and took a rest on a beach. I fell asleep with all the fresh air I've gotten so far. I do remember Jason and Myra discussing who would be a good husband for me. I pretended I was still sleeping. We went back to check the net and what do we see? We see a seal upriver! Since Natives are the only ones to hunt Marine Mammals Myra and Gram had a discussion on wheather or not to shoot it with the pistol. Poor cute seal! The reason for the discussion was because butchering a seal is an all day event. That would be a lot of work for Gram who was staying for only a few more days. So I was covering my ears and watching and waiting for the seal the come up again. We took turns spotting it with excitement. At one time it looked at Myra and she would have a great shot but still didn't know if Gram wanted it. So she didn't shoot it. After we decided to not follow the seal anymore because we didn't know how much gas we had, Jason said, "Didn't you put the bullets in?" Myra, "I thought you did?" So there was no ammo in the pistol. So we got to the net and no fish, except for the dead rotted Humpe if that counts. We were so bummed. I asked Jason and Myra for my money back. I jokes! I had a great time getting out and enjoying God's creation.

Gram wanted to go Berry picking so she led us to a place where she thought there were a lot. Well, there were tons and almost grape size. I got another quart and that makes three gallons of blueberries so far. I'm going tonight with Joon to the spot I found on accident while trying to untangle Berry from the willows. Sorry...I got off topic. So as we were picking berries, it started to sprinkle and then the rain came. I wasn't cold at first but after the first 1 1/2 hour I was and wanted to be home in a nice hot shower. As we were boating home slowly because we didn't know if we had enough gas, I start hear singing: Gram and Myra, and then Jason were singing. I wish I had the desire to sing while I was soaked through my raingear. On the way back we saw another seal!

We got back in 2 hours and the trailer was broken when Jason went to get it. So we had to anchor the boat and load the gear in the Honda. I have never been as wet as I was when I came back. It looked as if I had peed my pants. After taking a hot shower and warming up, Myra calls and says she's making pizza at 10 pm. So it was a nice snack after my dinner of leftover chicken salad sandwhich. I ate a lot because it was so good! Myra makes the best pizza in the world. I'm not just saying this either so she fogives me for making fun of her for "accidently" putting a hot pad in the oven along with the pizza. The whole apartment hallway was up in smoke. She won't live this one down. Hey, I figure it's about time I have something to make fun of her about since I'm always the one being made fun of. I jokes! Hopefully, I'll get to go out soon and get at least 1 or 2 fish.

It's moose season now and yummy....I put some moose in the crockpot that I got from someone.

Work Has Begun

Photo: baby bobcat at DeYoung Family Zoo up north

Well, I officially started work on August 13th by spending time in my classroom and then off to Unalakleet. We had a short inservice but I had a blast seeing old friends and learning how to be a better teacher. Every year all the 17 schools in Bering Strait District come to Unalakleet to sleep, shower, and learn. Nothing like a cold shower to wake you up in the morning because so many people are taking showers. It's a true experience also when you are sleeping on air matresses with about 12 other people in the room.

I didn't need to go to the reading training since this will be my 4th year teaching it. I went to Unit planning instead but I never created a unit because my units are already created for me. Instead, the Kindergarten teachers and I colloborated with each other on how to do the curriculum a different way but still teach the objective. This has been my biggest challenge of making the curriculum my own and not being so "in the box". So for example to review the sounds one of the teachers thought of doing hopscotch with a few of the sounds we have learned. I'm so thankful for those teachers who helped me to expand my ideas on how to teach the curriculum. We also came up with different activities teachers could do to for each of the new Kindergarten standards we have to teach. Then we posted these ideas on WIKI, which is a resource site for other people not in the district or anywhere to look at also.

I also did a 4.5 mile run/walk while I was in Unalakleet. ran for about 45 minutes of it and fast walked for the rest. A truck took us up and away from the village and then we raced back. Well, I didn't really feel I was racing but I was trying to beat some people in front of me for motivation. I was really proud when my time was 50:22. I couldn't believe I could do it! I was really enjoyed the challenge but not so much the soreness a couple days later when I could hardly get up from a chair or sit on the toilet.

It was great to see past teachers I used to work with and my mentor that I had for two years. She continues to mentor me and I love coming to her with my questions and advice but more importantly she is a great Christian friend who reminds me of God's faithfulness and goodness. It was nice to take walks on the beach with another new friend I met last year. There was so little time to sit down and talk to other people. I hope in October to get more time to do that.

I also had to go to the clinic while I was in Unalakleet also. I thought I might have an ear infection because my ear was red and hurting really bad along with a shooting pain on the left side of head (same side as ear ache). I did not have ear infection or a strep but got some ear drops that have been working nice and a hot pad.

I am excited for school to start and I believe I have Tuesday ready to go. I'm not looking forward to the rest of the planning I have to do for the year. It takes so long! Bye for now!

Training or Shoot Berry

Well, I thought I would stop being lazy and start training Berry again. The first day I wanted to shoot her with my 12 gauge. She didn't listen, fetched only half way, didn't come. I was so frustrated I wanted I started to cry and I did some yelling at her which didn't help and I knew would not make her listen more but did it anyways. I learned from that experience. I took her out again and prayed that it would go better and thank God because it did. She did wonderful the next three days. She even did some blind fetches really well in the tall grasses. Of course she tried to eat fish bones and I caught the just in time. I do not dare to leave her off her long rope. I'm hoping she'll be ready to hunt this spring. I'm working on heel with her also and that is coming along slowly. I have some good ideas when duck season comes around soon. I will save some wings and have her start fetching those and also save a duck and have her start fetching that amongst the decoys laying out on the ground. She's settled down a bit since she came back. She is not as hyper. She usaually sleeps a little longer when I get up and then is more than ready to get out and play and run.

Berries Galore!

Well, it's currently 5 am and have been up since 3:30 am and went to bed at midnight. I need to get to a sleeping schedule.

Well, I went Blueberry picking with Myra and Jason to (oh wait I can't tell you because someone from Koyuk might read this and then they would find our berry patch). The common answer if anyone asks you where you went to pick is, "oh, somewhere, a blueberry patch, etc. Myra practiced with me. She asked the question and I answered, but not correctly the first time. I was picking about a quart and Myra and Jason say, "Jeni you have to come see this." I was picking fast and didn't want interruptions. For some reason, I didn't trust them and said if this is a joke watch out I'll beat you both up. I walked to where they were picking and they found the most abundant berry patch ever! It was along a game trail, but no bears...Thank goodness. A carpet of berries filled the tundra ground. I've never seen anything like it. One branch on the bush was covered from tip to bottom with large berries as big as your tip of your pinkie finger. So I picked about a quart in 20 minutes. Jason was even picking for me. Their family got two gallons.

I also went picking yesterday with Jenna, writing teacher. She knew a good patch also. I got a quart that time.

So I have 6 quarts of blueberries and a gallon of salmon berries. I will go again today.

I can't wait to make blueberry jam, ice cream.

Swimming and Canoeing

What a fun filled day on the water. I went swimming with Myra's family. The kids were so nice to let me play on their rafts. If you know me well, I was a little nervous going into the Koyuk River because it was dirty looking and I don't like to touch the bottoms of lakes or rivers. Well, Romay was motor boater. She motored me around while I lay on the raft. We got into a barge whole and it freaked me out. I stepped down and I sunk in the mud. I rushed to grab the raft and swim out of there. Ethan was also kind to let me borrow his raft. We swam for about an hour. We walked up the beach a ways and then floated down. I loved the water and it didn't take me too long to get used to it.

Picture: A bloated dead walrus

Myra, a smart Eskimo as she is, made a fire with one match. It was nice to stand by the fire when you got out of the water. The temperature was about 75 degrees.

After swimming, I went canoeing with Mandy on the Koyuk River. She just bought the canoe and it was so much fun. It was a tough job carrying the canoe on your shoulders all the way down to the beach. I was really buff! We took a couple of breaks. The mud was sticky and if you stayed in one place too long it sucked you in. So we finally got out and went up river. The tide was out so it was a little hard to start. It was a little choppy out there but so beautiful. The clouds were amazing. We passed a family swimming where I was earlier and tried to find the inlet of Coal Creek but couldn't. So we went to a point and pulled the canoe up the beach so it wouldn't float away. We went onto the bank as quick as we could so we wouldn't get stuck in the mud. We picked a handful of salmon berries to go along with crackers and peanut butter. We enjoyed the beauty of Koyuk once again. The tide was out further as we came back to shore close to the village so it was even longer to get the canoe home.

Berry Update

After a day home from the Emergency Vet, Berry went back to coughing, throwing up, and heaving. I was very nervous and didn't know what else to do besides pray for her and trust God would take care of her. Well, He was faithful once again. After a day or so with a bland diet of rice and chicken she was more playful and wasn't obessed with eating grass every time she went outside. She is still heaving a bit and it's after she eats her food, so I dumped that out and tried some newer food. She's still not eating regular dog food as much and is still pretty tired most of the time. Maybe that is the medicine. Thanks for your prayers.

Surpise!

On Sunday Berry came home from Anchorage. First, Joe and I went up with the HOnda because I heard the plan come. When we got to the airport there was no plane in sight. We waited a half hour and Joe had the wise idea of checking to see if Sopie, our Frontier Flying Service Agent, brought her down. Well, we went back to the apartment and Sophie was there and she told me that Berry had to stay because there was not any room on the plane. I was a little upset and thought Sophie was joking so I went to look in my apartment and there was the little monster. I was so happy to see her. She seemed pretty calm and later she passed out because she was so tired. I really wanted to take her berry picking but thought it would be best if she rested one more day. A good friend Matt (Mandy's husband) watched her for me and said she slept almost the whole time.

So we (Joe, Mandy, and I) went berry picking for Salmon Berries by Mukluk. This is also the place where we have our duck blind. There are lots of little ponds around and very muddy in some places. It was nice to walk with Mandy all the way out there to discuss the plants and the uses for them. As I was walking I stepped in what I thought was solid ground but was mud and it sucked me right in. It was pretty funny.

The mosquitos were so bad that you could hear the buzzing in the air. We found lots of big Salmon Berries in a few different patches. Then we walked a little further into more of a salt water marsh and found some more. We were so surprised when we found hundreds of bushes full of blueberries! We picked a quart in only 30 minutes! The mosquitos were so bad we wanted to leave but I was torn: leave or pick more berries?

I was thinking to myself as I was picking berries, this is why I love Alaska. I can pick fresh fruit from the land, surrounded by mountains and the beauty of God's creation.

I can't wait for blueberry pancakes and Jam!

Berry and Bones

Berry and I were so glad to be back in Koyuk. She loved running free through the tall grasses and fireweed. I thought it would be good for her to have a cord outside where she could enjoy the fresh air. In Wisconsin she could spend hours outside digging holes, chewing on rose bushes, eating twigs off the lilac bush, catching fireflies. So I put Berry where I could watch her outside my bedroom door. So I looked out and saw her laying in the bushes and heard a snap. I ran out there as fast as I could and took duck wing bones away from her. These bones were probably ones left from May when we plucked our ducks. I didn't think she swallowed anything until later that night she was coughing, gagging, and clawing at her face. I called the vet in Nome and he was on vacation. I didn't know what to do. Do I wait to see if the bone passes or do I send her to Emergency clinic in Anchorage and pay a ton of money in flights. After praying, I decided I would send her. I spent from 10 am to 3pm making phone call after phone call to get her to Anchorage. Luckily a guy was taking over for the vet in Nome but was not a vet. So he picked her up at the airport in Nome and boarded her there for the night so she could make the morning flight to Anchorage. She arrived in Anchorage today about 3:15 and the vet gave her just a little sedative so he could check her mouth and throat. Thanks to God there was nothing and it didn't cost that much either. So the vet tech said Berry was looking at her wondering when she was going home. I can just picture Berry's expression: wide sad eyes and droopy ears. I miss her terribly and can't wait for her to come home Sunday. They want to keep her an extra day to just make sure. So now I need to make more phone calls tomorrow to get her back to Koyuk on Sunday.

Berry will be famous! She got her photos taken for the Anchorage Daily News because they wanted to do a story on bush vet emergencies. I had a reporter interview me over the phone. So check out www.adn.com. She will be in the Sunday paper.

I wish for...

The after I arrived from the Lower 48, I went berry picking with Heather (1-2) teacher and Elvina (Native of Koyuk). I thought I was all prepared: bear spray, camel back, some snacks, camera, lots of mosquito spray, hiking boots, sweatshirt, and a small medical kit...just in case we got bitten by a bear. I jokes! So Heather comes to the door and says do you have rubber boots and a heavy coat? I was a little confused because I never wore rubber boots and a coat to berry picking before. Then Heather finally said, "We're going upriver in Elvina's boat. I was so excited because I never went upriver to pick Salmon Berries. So we went into this narrow slough but it was so so deep. On the way there I was wishing we were going to see a bear. Elvina put the boat on the bank and we climbed out in water and mud and mosied onto the tundra. As we were searching for berry patches Elvina who is a basketball court away starts running back. There was a grizzly bear in the distance. So we booked it back to the boat and Elvina called Koyuk with a cell phone because she wanted the bear taken care of because there were awesome berry patches. It was great to watch Elvina tell us and other people what the bear did. She thought it was a tundra plant. I told Elvina, "I won't wish for bears only for berries." I also said, "Next time I'll save us with my bear spray!" By the way we did have a pistol with to protect us. We then went to four or five other berry spots and picked lots of berries and no bears. By the fourth stop I was so tired and content with the berries I had but didn't say anything. We ate dinner in the boat: fresh canned chum, bagels and peanut butter. I got a gallon of Salmon berries. They are the consistency of a raspberry, more tart than sweet. I learned something new about Salmon berries; they have 3 times the amount of vitamin C than what you need in a day.

I hope to go berry picking again tomorrow with Mandy and Kemper. (Myra and Jason's dog)

Blueberries are next in a couple of weeks.