Greetings from Craig!

After a summer that was anything but restful, I finally arrived in Craig a little over 2 weeks ago. I bought a very old, very used trailer before I left Atka, and a new-to-me used car in Oregon while in transit, so I have a place to live and a way to get around. The dogs and I were very happy to finally stop traveling and unpack.

Craig seems huge after Atka, with about 1200 residents. It's the largest town on Prince of Wales Island, though there are several other communities here. There's a grocery store and a handful of restaurants. There are 3 pizza places. I know 2 will deliver, but I'm not sure about the 3rd. Mail isn't delivered to homes here, so everyone has a post office box. If you want to run into friends and colleagues, the post office just after 4 in the afternoon is the place to be!

The school district serves Craig only. I think there are 200-250 students split among the elementary, middle, and high schools; I know the high school has about 70-80 students. The entire district has about 70 employees, from the superintendent to the bus drivers; 35 are certified teachers. A dozen teachers work at the high school either full or part time. I will be teaching special education, with a case load of about 20, which is more than I expected to have.

For such a small school, we offer a pretty good program for the kids. The full-time teachers all wear two hats. For example, one teacher has English and Art classes, while another teaches social studies and Spanish, and a third teaches History, Remedial Language Arts, Drama, and Home Ec. I won't have anything but my "study skills" classes for at least the first semester. That may be true for the whole year, but the principal and I are talking about my teaching either a Humanities course or AP Art History at some future date. Oddly enough, the state of Alaska gave me an endorsement in Humanities, so I'm actually certified to teach those courses.

My home is in decent shape for being a 43 year old trailer. Some things have been very well taken care of. Within the last 2-3 years, a new heater has been installed, a new roof was put on, the space beneath the trailer was insulated, and a new kitchen with stainless steel appliances was installed. However, the people who've lived here in the past have obviously had more skill than money. The curtains are cheap panels or cut up sheets, hanging on lengths of pipe that are mounted on blocks of wood nailed to the wall. I've started changing things to improve comfort or function. For example, the closets have a single shelf with a rod all the way across. I've ordered 3 wire units, one for each bedroom closet. The units plus the handyman to install them won't be more than $300, but it will make the closets much more usable. Of course, then I have to buy closet doors and get them installed, too, but that has more to do with aesthetics. I'll buy some vertical blinds for the living room window that's currently uncovered, but I can wait on replacing the ugly pipe-hanging curtains. Little by little, it'll all get done.

I haven't taken any pictures yet, at least not with my good camera. I'll probably come back to this entry and add some pictures once I take them. One set of pictures I hope to take is the view from my back deck, every day before school. Then I can put them together in a quick video to show how the seasons change. Who knows, I may even get pictures of some of the wildlife--bears, wolves, and black tail deer. I've seen the last in my yard a couple of times. I also watched a bald eagle fly by one morning.

I think I'll like it here, both the school and my house. Everyone is friendly and welcoming. I may have finally found my home.

All the News that Barks!

My life is generally quiet and uneventful. If it weren't for the three dogs who live with me, it would be downright boring. No chance of that happening!

Cody checks to make sure I'm still
following him.

Cody loves his life here in Atka. He's been quite sad since my teaching partner left for the summer; her dog Sam is Cody's best friend. Sam is spending the summer up in the village proper, and rarely comes down to visit. Cody goes over to their old house and searches for Sam, whimpering as he does. I tell him that Sam is gone, but Cody knows he's still around, just not "here." However, Cody is a busy dog with things to do. He shakes off his sadness and starts his rounds of exploration. As long as he doesn't go into the village, he's free to go wherever he likes; the village itself has a leash law. I'm not sure how Cody knows that, but he never goes into the village. Or, rather, if he has ever gone there, no one's told me so.

Shadow has to check, too!

Shadow also has a lot of freedom. The fact that he's roughly 1/6th Cody's size doesn't seem to inhibit him in any way. The only danger he faces is from the eagles. About 2 weeks ago, a friend showed up at my door with Shadow under his arm. He'd found the little guy a half mile down the road, toward the village. He wouldn't have noticed Shadow, except there were eagles circling him overhead. He grabbed Shadow and brought him home before the eagles could snatch him. It's early in the season yet; the salmon aren't running, and the eagles are hungry. For a few days after that, I walked Shadow on his leash. When I let him wander free again, I kept him in sight. As long as he returns when I call him, I can let him be free. If he doesn't respond to my voice commands, I put him back on the leash for a walk or two. It's amazing how obedient he becomes when he again has freedom. I sure hope the salmon hurry up!

What a sweet face! I think she looks like a miniature golden
retriever with a curly tail.

Scamp is now an adolescent pup. She hasn't been well-socialized to humans, mostly because there are few humans or opportunities for socialization in Atka. There is now a group of scientists living in the empty houses around us and working at the school. Scamp has been barking at the strangers. Then she started barking at their numerous vehicles. And then she started chasing the vehicles. I had to walk her on leash just to keep her safe. I kept her on leash in the house, too, because she wasn't responding to me anymore when we were outside.

Keeping Scamp on her leash all the time was exactly what she needed. The strategy is that being under my control at all times teaches her that all good things come from me. All bad things come from me, too. Her life is better when she behaves in a way that pleases me, so she learns to behave the way I want her to. Now when we go outside, she willingly approaches the scientists, tail wagging. She ignores their vehicles, except to get out of the way if they're moving toward her. Inside, she initiates play with me. We play Tug and Fetch. When I tried to teach her Fetch a few weeks ago, she wasn't interested. Now she brings me Ellie, her hot pink stuffed elephant, over and over for me to toss in the air.

Cody and Scamp play rough!

When I take all the dogs out for a walk, with Scamp on her leash, we set off single file, with Cody in the lead. He knows where he wants to go. If I don't head in the direction Cody is "suggesting," he turns around and follows us. He eventually ends up in front again, since Scamp wants to sniff everything and thus slows us down. Shadow trots along behind, keeping me in sight. It's an odd canine version of Follow the Leader.

I've been undecided about whether or not I was going to keep Scamp. Our relocation to Craig is logistically rather difficult. I considered putting her up for adoption in Anchorage, after I got her to a vet for shots and spaying. The biggest problem was - and is - getting Scamp, in her crate, Cody, in his service dog harness, Shadow, in his carry-on shoulder bag, a suitcase, a backpack, and me all onto the plane to Oregon and then from the plane to the car. The trip from Oregon to Craig isn't as bad because we'll be taking the ferry. I finally decided that Scamp is coming with us no matter what. Dogs aren't disposable; the decision to adopt a dog is a lifelong commitment unless something truly monumental happens. Moving isn't that monumental, no matter how difficult the logistics are!

So, my little family will move together in about 3 weeks. We'll have 2-3 weeks of staying in hotels and kennels. That is to say I'll be staying in hotels, while Scamp and Shadow stay in kennels. Cody will spend time in both. We'll be in our new home late on July 31. No more free run of the island; they'll all be on leashes until I can get a fence put in. Not only is there a leash law, but there are black bears and wolves on the island. There are some places they'll be able to run and play, like on the beach. I think they'll be happy there. I think we'll all be happy there!

Spring!

Landscaping by Mother Nature

Spring comes late to the tundra. March 21 is just another day on the calendar. Spring, which is to say less winter, starts in May. The first sign of the approaching spring is that the snow disappears from the ground and isn't replenished. There might be a sprinkling of snow in early spring, but it doesn't stay. The mountains remain white, but the whiteness begins to retreat until only the tops of the mountains are covered in snow. The air temps warm a bit, but not very much. The air feels heavier because it carries more moisture.

Even dandelions are pretty when
allowed to grow freely!

One of the first things I noticed was bird song. The eagles and ravens are here all winter, but the small birds that chirp and chatter were absent. Then, one morning, I heard them. I never noticed their absence, but I was happy to welcome them back.

Beautiful purple spikes
stand above the grasses

Bit by bit, the dried brown grasses give way to new green shoots. The greenness spreads first along the ground, and then up the mountains. Just as the snow creeping down the mountains heralded the onset of winter, the green creeping back up shows that spring is here.

These tiny white flowers
remind me of chamomile,
but I don't know what
they are.

Then the tundra bursts into bloom. My favorite color is purple, so you can imagine how happy it makes me that the predominant flower color is purple. There are also some yellow flowers and some white ones, but the only ones I've identified are the dandelions.

I love the way the silvery-green
foliage contrasts with the
brighter greens of other plants!

People continue to wear boots, since the ground is marshy. They wear jackets, but not heavy coats. The scarves, ear muffs, and gloves are gone until next winter. There seems to be more activity, but that's only because the workers are back at the cannery, and there are scientists working on identifying possibly contaminated sites from WWII. There are just more people!

As spring continues, the temperature may creep up a bit, but most days will have highs in the 60's. Shirtsleeve weather for me, but I guess most people will continue to wear light jackets.

Cody seems to love the change. Every time we go outside, he rolls in the grass. Such a silly dog!

Matters of Life and Death

Life in Atka goes along steadily, day in and day out, without too much to distinguish one day from another. The details of that life might be a bit different from the stereotypical picture of small-town America, but the pace is similar: slow and easy.

Of course, just as anywhere else, bad things happen. Life is filled with disasters large and small. Up until now, the biggest disaster that has happened during my time in Atka was my own eye injury, and subsequent med-evac. Sadly, that is no longer true.

The local seafood processing plant, know as "the cannery," though it doesn't produce anything in cans, is open now for the fishing season. There are line workers in the plant itself, as well as fishermen going out to find, well, fish! There are dynamics at play that I don't totally understand, but apparently the village is not willing to allow the cannery to build housing that is suitable for people to move here with their families and settle down. The cannery, therefore, is staffed with men, mostly young, who work for the season (May to November, roughly) and then leave with a pocketful of cash. Young men who have nothing to entertain themselves with in their off hours. That sounds like a recipe for trouble.

Yesterday, at about 4:30, when they finished their shift at the cannery, 10 men climbed into a van. I don't know where they were going or why they were in a hurry on that gravel road, but the speed estimates I've heard ranged from 60 to 80 miles per hour. As they passed the post office, the driver's leg buckled, causing him to push down on the gas pedal. The van accelerated, hit the edge at the side of the road, and flipped 4 times. Everyone who wasn't wearing a seat belt was ejected from the van through a window.

One man died almost instantly. Another died soon after. A third man also died, but I don't know exactly when it happened. Three people were evacuated to Anchorage. The remaining four, the ones who were wearing seat belts, will end up in an ER in Anchorage for shoulder and back injuries, but I don't know if they're being airlifted or if they're on their own to arrange transportation.

The med-evac plane for the men who were severely injured arrived about 4 hours after the crash. They sent one plane for all three. I don't have a clue how dead bodies are transported off the island.

I spend my time on the periphery of Atka, not quite part of the community and yet affected by it. I'm an observer, but not an impartial one. I care about the people here, especially my students. I'm shocked and saddened by this horrific accident. I have no doubt that the community is shaken to its core. Death may be a constant companion in Atka, seen mostly among the hunters and fishermen, but human death is thankfully rare. When young, healthy people die so tragically and unnecessarily, you can't help but pause and wonder.

It took four hours for the plane to get here, and then another four hours to get to Anchorage. Would that 3rd death have happened if help had been closer? I don't know. We're so used to help arriving in minutes. It's hard to fathom waiting 8 hours to get to a hospital. The island does have an ambulance, and I'm sure it's well-equipped. There are various people trained in emergency first aid, as well as the community health aide who mans the clinic, but even an M.D. wouldn't have been of much use without the arsenal of equipment that even a small hospital has.

As you know, I recognized that I needed to leave Atka based on the behavior of the superintendent. In the end, though, it was the lack of health care on the island that decided me. I don't imagine myself being in an accident, but at my age, and given my state of health, things like stroke and heart attack are possibilities I have to acknowledge. And with my sense of balance, or lack thereof, a fall resulting in a serious injury is a constant worry.

I pray for those who were killed and injured in this crash. I pray for their families. And I pray for the community that has to live with the memory of this event, and the fear it generates, for the rest of their lives. May all find healing and comfort!

Happy Pascha!

Atka's primary religion is Eastern Orthodox, specifically Russian Orthodox. The Catholic/Protestant calendar and the Orthodox calendar are different and calculate when Easter comes differently. Most of the time, there is a week or two between the Orthodox and non-Orthodox Easters. Even though I was a practicing Catholic for several years, I tend to agree with the Orthodox dates because Passover should always precede Easter. It always does on the Orthodox calendar, but not on the more mainstream calendar. This year, most Christians celebrated Easter on March 27; here in Atka, Easter is today, May 1. Happy Pascha!

The village worked hard over the last month or so to pay for a priest to celebrate Holy Week with them. They had pot lucks, cake walks, dart tournaments, bake sales, and raffles. About 10 days ago, Father Michael Oleksa flew into Atka, along with his wife. As a retired priest, he no longer has a parish, which gives him the freedom to go to these remote villages and celebrate with them.

One of his first stops upon arrival was the school. I recognized his name immediately when he introduced himself to me; he was the author of a book on Russian Orthodoxy in Alaska that I had used in teaching my U.S. History course in the fall. As we spoke, I found him to be a delightful man who emanated warmth and kindness. He had brought some egg decorating materials and wanted to know if he could come and decorate eggs with the students. I told him absolutely, and explained what I was doing with them in Art for egg decoration. He returned on Thursday to help the kids with the decals he had brought.

I tried to attend the midnight service on Saturday night, but ran into an odd problem. Father Michael had use of my car during the time he was here. There is a second SUV, but I've never driven it. I thought it might not be wise to drive it for the first time with one eye patched. I could certainly have gotten a ride to church, but the service is 3-4 hours long; I knew I would be leaving early. I couldn't figure out how to get a ride home. Oh well. No Easter service for me!

However, I was determined to be part of the community celebration, so I went to the pot luck luncheon today. I made rice pilaf, since I was pretty sure no one would have made it or even tasted it before. I finally got to taste sea lion and reindeer. The former had an odd, oily taste. It sort of made me gag, even though it really wasn't *that* bad.  The reindeer was dry and chewy. It reminded me of badly cooked mutton. I think I would probably like reindeer if it were better prepared, but I don't think I'll give sea lion another go.

I finally got to meet the oldest man on the island. The kids and I saw his picture among the exhibits at the Aleutian WWII Visitor's Center in Dutch Harbor. He was a young teen when he was sent to the internment camp. My students have said that he has lots of stories, which I would love to hear. Unfortunately, a pot luck luncheon isn't the time for serious conversation.

I had a good time being with everyone, given that I usually feel awkward in social situations, and that I never remember everyone's name or even their faces. Still, I've gotten to know a few people well enough to exchange greetings and hugs. I felt welcome, and that made it a happy Easter.

Barge In

I've described previously how dependent we are on the 3x/week mail planes. They transport mail, freight, and especially people to and from our little island, weather permitting. Unfortunately, the weather frequently doesn't permit, which causes problems. Hearing the plane as it comes in for a landing creates excitement. Everyone who can hops on their bike (ATV) and rides to the airport. They all want to see who or what came in on the plane.

Imagine, then, the excitement when the first barge of the season arrives. Barges only come April to November; the water is too ice-clogged the rest of the year. Not that Atka has any harbor ice, but other spots along the route do. I don't know where exactly the barge originates.

Items that are too big or too heavy for the plane arrive by barge. Vehicles. Lumber. Furniture. Stock for the store. People know what items will be there, and they send crews to the dock to unload it. Once it's here, the barge only stays as long as it takes to unload it. The process takes 6-8 hours. Each different recipient sends a crew of helpers.

If I thought people got excited about the plane's arrival, that was nothing next to the reaction when we got word that the barge was coming. We had visitors on the island, and even they were excited. Everyone seemed to be expecting something. The Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) was getting a new bike. The City was getting lumber for 2 new houses to be built this summer. The store had a ton of stuff coming. Everyone was checking the latest news on how far away the barge was.

The barge arrived around 1:00 on Thursday. Two of my students were hired to unload. Another student had to care for her little brother so her mother could put things away at the store; her grandparents own the store. I was left with 3 students. With no advance notice, I didn't have anything planned that half my class could miss. I sent one student to help in the primary classroom as a Reading Buddy. Another student helped the visitors bake cupcakes for a community meeting. The third worked on Math.

It was a generally exciting event, though I had no reason to get excited about it. Still, it's always nice to get a stress-free, lesson-free, half day like that! They can barge in any old time!

No Sight for Sore Eyes

In my last entry, I promised to explain why it had taken so long to tell you about our trip to Dutch Harbor. The explanation begins last August. I learned that I have diabetes 4 days before I was leaving for Alaska. My doctor didn't want to educate me about my condition because she wasn't going to be able to monitor me. That means that I got no instructions about diet, exercise, or blood sugar testing prior to my leaving. There were no medication changes. All I got was "You've got diabetes. Good luck."

I did the best I could in modifying my diet, but the only tool I had was a scale. I have yet to find two scales that agree on my weight. Besides, the significant number would have been glucose levels, but I had no way to measure that. The clinic here in Atka, as I've mentioned, will only provide acute care for non-Alaska Natives. I wasn't eligible for either chronic care/management or wellness care.

Fast forward to March 5, the day after we returned from our Dutch Harbor trip. I woke up with double vision. I called a friend and asked her to come look at my eyes, since I couldn't see them. Nothing was bleeding or swollen, but my left eye was not aligned with the right one. I called the community health aide who runs the clinic and told her what was going on. Coincidentally, the eye doctor was expected to arrive on Monday. The health aide assured me that I would be the first patient the eye doctor would see as soon as she arrived and set up.

The weather was bad on Monday, and no plane arrived, hence no doctor. I tried all afternoon to call the clinic to see what I should do, but the phones were out, probably because of the weather that canceled the plane. I called first thing on Tuesday, and the health aide told me to come in so at least she could examine me. A friend gave me a ride to the clinic; I kept walking into walls, so I didn't think I should drive! she checked me out, told me she suspected an infection, and sent the data to the doctor who supervises her.

A couple of hours later, she called to tell me that a med-evac plane was coming for me, and I should be ready to leave in about 2 hours. The reason was that the doctor wanted to rule out a tumor, aneurysm, or an infection that was filling the space behind my eyeball. Since there had been no planes for 2 days, and storms in the area, the commercial flight was unlikely to be able to get me to Anchorage. Therefore, the med-evac plane was coming.

This was a Tuesday. I was already scheduled to fly to Anchorage on Friday for my spring break trip. The advice I got from everyone was to pack as if I wasn't coming back before going to Portland. That turned out to be good advice!

The trip was somewhat surreal. There was a pilot, a nurse, and a paramedic, just for me. I was having a lot of pain around my eye; in fact, I thought at first the condition was related to sinuses. Lying down was painful, but the only "seat" for me was a gurney. At one point the pilot said that he wanted to climb higher, since he'd be able to make better time. The medical team checked with me, talked it over, and told the pilot to go for it. When the pain got worse, I got really scared that my eyeball was just going to explode all over my face! Of course, nothing like that happened. Upon landing, I was transferred to an ambulance and taken to a hospital.

Once in the hospital, it was the usual routine of "hurry up and wait." They did MRIs and CTs, which were all thankfully negative. I spent the night in the ER, and was discharged the next morning with referrals to an ophthalmologist and a family physician. The ophthalmologist examined me and told me I have a "partial palsy of the 3rd cranial nerve, without pupil involvement." It should resolve on its own within 3 months.

That Friday, I met my new doctor and then spent a couple of hours while his nurse taught me everything I needed to know to start managing my diabetes. It's not clear that the diabetes was out of control and caused the damage to my eye. It may have been related to my high blood pressure or the interaction of the two conditions. However, it's a vascular injury, and diabetes affects vascular health. I'm now checking my blood glucose levels daily and keeping a food diary, looking for patterns that tell me what I should and shouldn't eat.

I'm wearing a black eye patch. I can see perfectly, 20/20, out of each eye separately, but they won't work together. I sometimes switch the patch to let the left eye get some exercise, but I can't walk like that. Those walls insist on jumping in front of me! And, with my left eye covered most of the time, my left side is covered with bruises from things I walked into that I couldn't see! It's only been 4 weeks, so I'm hopeful the 6 weeks to 3 months duration the ophthalmologist quoted turns out to be correct.

Meanwhile, I'm in the market for a stuffed parrot to wear on my shoulder.