The Dark Days of Winter; 12-27-10

The Winter Solstice has passed, which means the days are now getting longer. The increase right now is still minimal, so the long dark will be around for a while.

Many people suffer from "S.A.D." (a.k.a. "seasonal affective disorder", "winter blues", "cabin fever") resulting from the lack of daylight. It's a common problem in the north during winter, because we don't get much sunlight.

You can read up on SAD on the net. Wiki has a lot of stuff about causes, symptoms and what you can to do prevent / treat it.

Basically, you want to get outdoors as much as possible, especially when the sun is shining (which, at this time of year, only gives you a few short hours, and that is on the clear, colder days). Being in the light is important.

It also helps to keep your home well lit too; especially the room you are in. An extra light or two can really help relieve depression, give you more energy and avoid the effects of SAD.

"Goin' on a Bear Hunt"; 12-6-10

The snow machine ride was typical; the walk through the woods was not.

Joey had told me about a bear "hole" (den) he had come across last fall moose hunting. There had been fresh tracks, recent digging and other sign to indicate a bear's intent to make this hole it's winter residence. Now we had enough snow for travel, so this was a good time to check it out.

"Do you think you can find it?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can." was his confident response.

When we shut off the machines and looked into the forest of willows; a dense mass of broom handles twice my height, I was doubtful. As I watched his head swiveling, searching for any kind of recognizable landmark, I became even more skeptical.

"You really think you'll find it?"

"I...think...so; maybe. It should be around here somewhere."

"How far back in the woods is it?"

"I don't know; not too far"

Yeah right. This was going to be a big waste of time. There was no chance of finding a hole in the ground in the midst of this mess. But I didn't want to give up. Yet.

He led the way, I brought the packsack and followed. We had to force our way through the tightly spaced willows. Many times I'd turn sideways to get through, only to get hung up by the packsack. It was tough going, but I kept following his tracks. Eventually he came to a halt.

"Here it is."

"No Way!"

"Yeah, it's right there" he said, pointing to the ground. And sure enough, there was the hole.

And then I laughed. And laughed. And kept laughing. It was one of the more amazing things I've ever seen. We walked 192 paces (I counted them on the way back out) through a complete maze of willows, with absolutely no landmarks whatsoever, and he went directly to it. Unbelievable.

"You are Real Native, my friend. I've never seen anything like this, and I was sure you were wasting our time. I'll never know how you found this thing."

He just smiled.

We chopped willows and cleared away the snow. We peeked. We shined flashlights. We poked around with a long pole. We even stuck our heads in there.

No one was home.

But it was definitely a fun trip, and I'll never forget it.

Welding Academy; 2010

The 2010 Welding Academy is now underway at AKD School. We have two of our local students participating;

Gerald and Gabe.

Also attending are:

Mary and Nicole (Ruby)

Derek and Dylan (Hughes)

Joseph and Dwight (Minto)

Levi and Oscar (Allakaket)

Leading the Academy are Jerry Trainer and Geoff Johnson, with Susan Paskvan helping as chaperone.

More info. on the Academy will be coming.

"1 down, 7 more to go"

Remember the last time you were watching a game down at the field?

Bases loaded, the batter drives the ball into the outfield, the go-ahead run is rounding third and coming hard to the plate and you start to jump to you feet to cheer him on...

Then you remember where you are; sitting top level on the rickety old bleachers. Now you are afraid the whole thing will come crashing down. You quietly settle back in your seat and wish the rest of the fans would do the same. While you're anxiously looking down at the ground you miss the play at home...again.

Well, no more.

We've begun the ball-field renovation project. First priority is to build new bleachers, and as you can see in the photo, one is complete.

For the next week or two we'll finish construction of all eight, then work on a covered picnic / cooking area.

More info as it happens.

Laker Highlights

Spirit Camp 2010

This year Spirit Camp is down at the Ekada's six mile camp. Here are a few scenes from Tuesday. A peek in a tent at someone's teddy, a forgotten bowl of mac & cheese, Karina and Dots hangin' out, Shawn fishing and the "Tent City"

Spirit Camp 2010

Camping in the rain = no fun. Sitting under a dripping tarp, bored. A smokey fire struggling to burn wet wood. Mud clinging to soggy shoes. A leaky tent awaits with a damp sleeping bag.

But yesterday was better; when the sun was blazing in a cloudless sky and there was swimming at the island.

Looking around the camp you'd see kids digging holes in the sand, Conrad dominating the net, fish drying in the sun and the Grandmas tanning fish skin.

The world's toughest job?... 6-11-10

That would be parenting.

Think about it. You start out with a baby that knows nothing...about anything. Helpless, unable to communicate (well, crying does send a message, but it's communication on the most basic level) illiterate, no social skills, etc.

The job as a parent is to...

-protect
-nurture
-teach
-and basically anything else that goes into transforming an infant into a functional, productive human being.

That task is huge. It usually takes, what? Twenty years or more?

And what makes it even more challenging is that nearly anyone can become a parent. There are no entrance exams to pass, no certification required, nothing. If the human body is adequately functioning (and nearly all are) parenting is a distinct possibility (Well, there are a few things that must happen, one in particular, but we'll skip that part).

Most parents start out untrained, inexperienced and hoping to learn as they go. Imagine how that would work out for, say, pilots or doctors. Weird, huh?

So if you are a parent (or hope to be one some day) get all the help you can. Read, talk to other parents, learn from good ones, observe, adapt, etc.

Here are a few links you can check out; a good place to start.

-About.com
-AllAboutParenting
-Healthyplace

Don't get discouraged and don't give up; just take it one day, one moment at a time. Remember, this is YOUR KID we're talking about. What could be more important?

May is the month for...

Bikes! Yep, that's right. May is national bicycle month.

Bicycling is great exercise. It strengthens the legs, burns calories and gives a good cardio workout. Plus it's a great way to get outdoors and see the world.

So dust off the two-wheeler, oil up the chain, pump up the tires and start pedaling...but not right now. You may want to wait until it stops raining : )

The Cook-out

Friday we had a cook-out at the Rec., sponsored by the Nulato Life Project and the Nulato Wellness Team.

Grilled burgers and hot dogs, chips, beautiful weather, chillin' in the Rec., hanging out with people in the community, etc. It was a fun afternoon.

We served about 50-60 people of all ages.

We'll do it again next month. The photo was taken last year; I was too busy cooking to pull the camera out of my pocket.

Break-up; 5-7-10

We can expect the ice to move any day now, with break-up to follow. That means it's time to get prepared. Be ready!

While the threat of flooding is relatively low this year (thin ice and not much snow) we should still be ready. Anything can happen. Here are some things you can do now, just in case. Be ready!

-Be ready to haul / store water. If the wellhead goes under, the water supply will be threatened. Find your buckets, water jugs, barrels or water ever you use to haul water and keep them handy. Be ready!

-Be ready with a honey bucket / outhouse. If the water goes out, flushing the pot will go with it. Some toilets will work using the "bucket flush" method, some won't. Are you prepared to deal with human waste? Be ready!

-Be ready and store some gas. The fuel depot is easily flooded. If that happens it could also suffer damage that would shut it down. Don't get caught without an adequate supply of fuel for the truck, 4-wheeler and boat. Get the gas now and store it in an approved container in a safe place (not in the house or on your porch). Be ready!

-Be ready with an adequate supply of food. Even a moderate flood will put the bridge under water, cutting off access to the airstrip. Local stores can run low on supplies quickly, so now is the time to make sure you are prepared. Be ready!

-Be ready around the house / smokehouse. If you live downtown, be prepared for high water. Pick up around the house, move stuff to high ground, etc. Even if you live back town, you may need to move things around the summer house or smokehouse. Check it out now. Be ready!

-Be ready to stay informed. Do you have a radio to listen to KIYU? A vhf? Do you know where you can get accurate information? During any emergency, rumors and stories spread quickly; some true, some not. Know where to go for updates and other info. Be ready!

-Be ready to help others. People living in low lying areas along the river may need help if the water gets high. If they do, they will need help quickly, so be prepared. Be ready!

Hopefully it will be an easy break-up, but you never know. Be ready!

Geese; 4-19-10

The Geese are here!

Well, I'm not sure if they are actually HERE, as in Nulato, but they are in Kaiyuh.

Reports of successful hunters are going around, and I saw the proof. Check out the pic.

Time to oil up the shotgun, dust off the decoys and head for your favorite spot. (Make sure you have a valid license and use non-toxic / steel shot.) Spring geese hunting is a healthy, traditional spring time activity, it's lots of fun, and if you can shoot, it's a great way to put some subsistence food on the table.

Good hunting!

AKD Health / Career Fair

AKD is hosting a "Healthy Lifestyles & Career Fair"; April 21-23. It kicks off Wednesday at 6pm with a coverdish, runs all day Thursday and concludes Friday.

Guest presenters include:
-U.S. Army representatives
-Rachel Perkins (TCC)- Youth Employment
-Karen Eddy* (TCC)- Health Educator
-Alex Hwu- UAF Distance Ed.
-Larry Hausman-Coord. YK Center
-Alaska State Troopers
-Christine Truncali-UAF
-Kerry Boyd-YKSD Superintendent
-Melissa McGinty*-Doyon
-Click Bishop-Commissioner DOLWD
-Larry DeDoux-Commissioner of Education & Early Development
-Bernice Joseph*-UAF Vice Chancellor
-Adrienne Stanley-TCC Dietician
-William Miller-TCC Fitness Manager
-Brother Bob & other local residents

Everybody come on out and participate / enjoy the Fair!

*denotes individuals residing elsewhere who consider Nulato "Home"

Grace

Grace paid us another annual visit. A cool time was had.

Probably the highlight (or one, at least) was the Grace crew hangin' out at the Rec. What a trip!

Grace teamed up with some of our local guys to build a shed for AKD, to be raffled off as a fund raiser. Work has been coming along real good; the roof went on this week before Spring Carnival. Next week we'll finish up by building and installing the doors.






Oh yeah, and it wasn't me that messed up on that corner

"Broken Walls"; 3-11-10

Wow! That was a good time.

Jonathan, Bill and Chris (guitar / flute, drums and bass) can really get it done with the tunes. What an awesome band, and an awesome bunch of guys too.

Props to them for coming to perform and speak good words of healing and encouragement. "Thanks" to Zach and Tom too, for helping out.

Spew!

Crazy things happen...like getting a bunch of kids to load up a mouthful of Alka-Seltzer and Sprite. The reaction makes the mouth blow-up with bubbles. Last one to "spew" is the winner.

Matt went down right away. George, Bri and even Gerald couldn't hang with the real competition; William and Alyssa. Little Bro' stayed with her for a while, but in the end Alyssa won.

Iditarod; 3-9-10

The Iditarod is on the way. Checkpoint staff will start to show up on Wednesday; racers by late Friday / early Saturday.

Come on down to the checkpoint (at the school again) and visit with everybody, check out the teams, etc. Lend a hand too, if you want. The race depends upon VOLUNTEERS.

Please make sure to tie up loose dogs, tell others to tie theirs up too.

The race is a global event. Nulato will be visited, viewed and read about by people from all around the world. Let's work together to portray our community in a very positive way.

3-9-10

Hey, check out the poll questions on the right. You can vote to give your opinion on what the nulatoLIFE project should be doing. Or just leave a comment by clicking at the bottom of the page.

They are COMING!; 3-01-10

They're coming! They will be here March 10th. They'll put on an assembly at the school, then there will be a concert in the evening for the entire community. Get ready.

They may look a little different. They will definitely sound different; that is guaranteed!

March 10th...Be There!