BUSH DIARY AUGUST 1993

BUSH DIARY AUGUST 1993:

8-1-93:  First sunset of the year.  Yawn, 45 minutes, phew, almost missed it.

8-3-93:  Temp dropped, has been raining, very nice to lie in bed and listen.  However, it snowed all day, didn't stick but it did snow.

8-5-93: Is has been a brutal week in Barrow.  There was a double murder this last weekend.  Two women were raped and murdered then the murderer padlocked the door shut to make it look like no one was home.  A relative went looking and found them Tuesday morning.  Both were young and left small children.  A special investigation team flew up from Anchorage. 

Missed seeing a polar bear sporting about on a small ice berg as I rode the bus to work this morning.  Our visiting Pediatrician from Georgia rushed out to see and take pictures.  He and his wife live near Vidalia.

More Bear stories.  Our lab manager, Dave Morrison and his wife, Kris, took a camping trip to Canada and were dropped off by float plane for several weeks worth of outdoors life.  They were almost packed up at the end of their trip in a boat including their unloaded rifle when they were charged by a bear.  They had inadvertently gotten between Mama Bear and Baby Bear.  Dave grabbed shells out of his pocket and quickly loaded the rifle and managed to get two shots off dead in her chest. Yeek.

I read a book by Bulwer Lytton, a Victorian writer famous for the phrase "It was a dark and stormy night".  This book was Eugene Oram a historical crime figure in England and apparently worthy of several hundred thousand words.   His crime that he committed which was murder of a rich but degenerate relative could be described in Texas as "He needed killin'."  And to be fair the authors were paid by the word so that just encouraged run on sentences like you would not believe. Lytton was paid a penny a word including all three prefaces and dedication.  I picked up a couple of books in Missouri.

I also picked up A Golden Treasury of Songs and Lyrics printed 1908. It is a collection of poems and the Treasurer is actually cited in "Little Women" when Meg is worried about John going to the Civil War and Marmee gives her copy and tells her to read page so and so about duty.  I adore the following.

THE POETRY OF DRESS BY R. Herrick
When as in silks, my Julia, goes
Then, then (methinks) how sweetly flows
that liquifaction of her clothes.

Next, when I cast mine eyes and see
that brave vibration each way free:
O how that glittering taketh me.
Some was HOT for Julia.

8-7-93:   Saturday, nice sleeping.  Got up to watch my public TV program called "The collectors" who were in Atlanta and "Victory Garden" who were in a three acre garden at a winery near Santa Rose, California.  Beautiful.

It's all how you sez it.  I was typing away on a tape by Dr. Larry Smith and he was saying the final diagnosis, "dehydration by ass uh tonic less than 5%".  I had to flag him down for clarification. He snorted and told me in very carefully Southern accented English that he had said what sounded like EYE so tonic less than 5% dehydration.  I got the giggles because I was listening in my American and he was talking in HIS American.  And I typed "Isotonic".  It is good to communicate, I say COMMUNICATE.

Oh Goody, got a notice from NSB Housing that they will be changing out the toilets in the 12 plexes for the very efficient Swedish toilets that have a small charge of air and reduced water flow to flush and even better news, no more sewage smell.  Yay!!!

Housing is also dismantling the Utilador through which all of the gas, electric and water lines have been routed.  All of these services will be adequately insulated and buried.  So the kids will not be able to ride their bikes along the top of the foot wide fence.

Friday the thirteenth of August.  Not all bad luck, we got paid!

Dr. Lacerte is going to change my BP medication.  Yay.

Trip to Point Hope for the Health Fair.  Judy said I hadda go.  Ugh.  First thing there was a bunch of us going and we all had to tell the pilot how much we weighed so he could calculate fuel and stuff.  He looked at me inquisitively and I snarled, "Make a good guess!". And he nodded and jotted something down.  Good boy.

We flew for what seemed like forever towards Russia.  We did stop at the edge of the water as Point Hope is right on a tiny spit of land and the runway is parallel between the ocean and the town.  We got a ride to the Bingo Hall in the local cop car and we set up for the day.  The honey buckets were running over and I waited until the last possible moment to avail myself of them and I did not drink a thing.  Ugh. Point Hope is very picturesque, you can see gentle hills on shore.  Quite pretty.  There was a huge crowd.  My main job was to give eye tests to who ever wanted one.  

8-17-93:  Got up to 53 degrees today, ack! warm but windy, kept the skeeters off. Apartment very hot, ran the fan all night long to keep from cooking in our beds.

8-18-93:  Tim went to pick up mail and Mom mailed him a bunch of old  8-track tapes.  He will look them over and add them to his collection.

Judy is gone to Fairbanks and then onto Seattle to review some software that NSB is considering.  She may have to go shopping, look out Nordy's.

Tim ordered a bunch of cat food and toilet paper from Span Alaska.  It came and he noticed that the toilet paper was not as advertised.  He wrote a letter and get a refund.

Work was a scramble last minute scheduling of 30 school physicals, much gnashing of teeth and squishing of appointments.  Argh!!!

A little bit of Barrow history.  I was chatting with Lois Anderson at lunch and she made a comment that my ring reminded her of one that her uncle made for her when she was a little girl.  It was made from metal from the wreckage of the plane crash that killed Will Rogers and Wiley Post. 

Funny at work:  For the first time since I started here we had more non natives admitted to the hospital than natives.  Newbies have a tough time learning how to pronounce Aveoganna, Sikvayugak, Sakeagak, Kudrulook, Towksjhea etc.  Anyway one of the nurses was droning at report that there was a Mr. James Hill in room 108 anyway she thought that was how it was pronounced. (har dee har, har, har).

Mailing Labels:  Breakthrough !! I dimly remembered how to set it up and tried on the Mac at work and that is now set up.  At least it prints.

I am working on a recipe book and am missing Mom's Pickled Green Tomato recipe and I need her recipe for freezer jam.

Okey dokey, lets put August 1993 to bed.

BUSH DIARY JULY 1993

BUSH DIARY JULY 1993:

July 3, our building is now completely covered in six inch foam panels and brand new blue skin.  This raises the ambient temperature even higher.  It is probably 80 degrees in the apartment and the little steam handle is turned off.  So now we keep the brand new Arctic windows open all the way.   Unfortunately there is no cross breeze so it feels distinctly tropical in here.  I need a mint Julip. 

 

July 4.  We had the annual parade of any and all vehicles including Search and Rescue helicopters and jet only they were at 500 feet.  Nice and noisy.

Tim read the directions on the VCR and now I can record network news which comes on at 3 pm by way of Detroit or Chicago and also Jeopardy.  Yay!!

I am not able to figure out how to do mailing labels on the computer.  Since I am the Northline editor it would be nice to have 60 or so mailing labels.  I hope to get it figured out eventually.

July 15 the HOTTEST day of the year!  It reached 79 degrees.  Granted that does not sound like much but there was not a breeze to be had, the mosquitos were able to land where ever they wanted.  They got inside the buses and the drivers were busy swatting them. Ick, ugh, bug smear on the INSIDE! Outside as well. 

Have been watching the flooding along the Mississippi.  I am glad we went when we did.  Hannibal has its flood gates closed and the place where we got on the tour boat looks like it is miles from shore.

The assembly approved money for raises and stuff.  Time sheet reflects 3% raise, we did not get the 2% merit raise.  Okay, taxes not quite so high. Thanky.

Potluck at work today for GLo Andrew's birthday.  I am taking my usual salad consisting of pineapple bits, banana, shredded cheddar cheese and mini marshmallows.  The ones I had were hard as rocks but they will soak up the pineapple juice very quickly. 

 

Got a letter from a Missouri Cousin.  It has been pretty wet in Missouri had 7 inches of rain.

July 29, the wind is blowing like crazy. Surf is up Spotted the huge ten story thingy on a barge going to Prudhoe Bay, some kind of oil bidness apparatus.  

The Polar Star with bodies on board eighty.  The ship is the largest US Coast Guard ship.  Two guys from the ship came to clinic yesterday with "owies". 

Mom and Dad are in Seattle playing with Carla sightseeing of course.

That is all for July 1993.

BUSH DIARY JUNE 1993

BUSH DIARY JUNE 1993:

I actually left Barrow on May 29 for the vacation as follows:
Okay the plane did not land at 11:30 am as planned as it could not land due to fog.  Fog is the usual issue this time of year.  We were told to call back every 30 minutes.  Finally after 4 1/2 hours of this they announced that the weather had lifted and as soon as they could find the passengers and crew the jet would be on it's way.
I cannot remember if I was bright enough to call Seattle and let Carla know I missed all connections.

On the leg from Fairbanks to Anchorage and since all connections had been missed the very nice captain took us for a low level spin around Denali.  We were close enough to clearly see the base camp at 14,000 feet.  We were also close enough to clearly see the trail that went on up the maintain.  The view was spectacular.  Weather is not often clear enough for this flyby.  Oh and the captain?  Captain Kirk.  Hee, hee, hee.

Landed in Anchorage, rebooked for 7 am the next morning and hailed a cab and asked him to suggest a hotel for the night.  He took me to Ramada which needs a remodel but it was a comfy bed.  Security consisted of a loop of chain rather casually draped about the door handle.  Left multiple messages for Carla but not answer, they apparently went looking for me which was a no show.  Drat!

I upgraded to First Class with mileage and ate fancy croissant and cheese something or other.  Nummy. Carla took off Monday and we played.  We rode the ferry  and had breakfast in the Space Needle (Barrow prices!) saw a movie at the OMNI theater all about Antarctica.  We ate lunch at  Kuchina! Kuchina! which is noise, come with a good set of lungs. (Writing this 20 odd years later, I think Kuchina! Kuchina! is probably a lot quieter with the advent of the smart phone). Rode on the monorail which is a tragically short ride from West Lake Center to the Space Needle. We also toured Smith Tower which at one time was the tallest building west of the Mississippi. The observation room is furnished in Chinese and very pretty.  The tower has only one apartment and that is where the mechanic lives.  Parking sucks however. We obeyed all posted signage to not give anything to panhandlers.

Flew to Boise June 1. Mom and I took of by car for Wyoming on the 2nd.  We drove to Yellowstone Park through West Yellowstone, Montana.  I had never been to Yellowstone and found it quite beautiful.  We stopped at one point for a quickie walk around some geysers.  I remarked to Mom that we could fart all we wanted because no one could tell unless it got noisy.  The fire damage is still quite evident but the buffalo are easier to spot.  Lots of sport fisherman in the river, saw one deer. We stopped at Old Faithful long enough to take pictures and scoot out the back side of the park headed for Cody, Wyoming.  We got a room there at Comfort Inn and next morning we toured the Buffalo Bill Museum. I skipped the gun collection and drooled all over the bronzes by Charles Russell.  I saw fabulous bronze of wild and raging cattle stampede it was about six feet long, full of long horns and carnage.

Kept moving east. Stopped at Wall Drug, saw the ten foot tall rabbit. Went south from there through the badlands which was gorgeous.  I forgot to stay that we stopped Wyoming to pick up Ellen who had taken the bus to Casper to meet us and away we went.

We took the Wind Cave tour. If I had known how stove up I would be by the next day I would have gladly taken the elevator.  We walked down lots of stairs and at one point the guide turned off the lights so could see how dark it was six feet up the backside of a cow.  

We stopped in Mitchel SD to see the Corn Palace, quite nicely done.  There was a doll museum there as well and my favorite doll was a little old lady dressed in black with baskets and stuff all hung about her person.

On the road again, headed for deepest Minnesota to Bloomington to see the Mall of America. (open, open, open!) Went to Bloomingdales and opened an account.  We could only do a partial lookee loo due to time but wow!  We spent six hours there and finally pled exhaustion.  

Back on the road to Rochester Minnesota.  One of the TDY docs suggest that we visit the Mayo museum.  We accidentally found the historical society that handles the tour and a bus was waiting conveniently leaving in fifteen minutes.  Mayowood was started in 1908 and finished in 1910.  The mansion has 55 rooms and cost 65k in 1908 dollars.  Three generations of Mayo's lived there before being donated to the historical society in Rochester.  They had a pipe organ installed.

We declared the next day a day of rest and of laundry.  Rest, rest, rest, wash, wash and dry.

Then we headed South through Minnesota and Iowa and missed five tornadoes. We went through Burr Oak and accidentally found a Laura Ingals Wilder museum.  We drove to Harmony and found a nice Amish guilt shop.  Fabulous!  We left there and drove to Kansas City and found a shopping mall where I got a haircut until it was time to meet Carla at KCI, she flew in from Seattle to join us. 

 We hopped in the car (four women in one car AND luggage) and headed east to Hannibal, Mo.  We stayed at the 3rd street B&B for the night and it was HUMID!!! Ye Gods!!! We road on the Mark Twin (itty bitty steam wheeler) and toured Rock Cliff Mansion built in 1880 at a cost of 500k of 1880 dollars.  This was my second time to visit as Judy, my boss, and I had visited it the previous year.  
After then we drove north to Kirksville and got a room and prepared to attend the Horn Cousin. Later that evening we visited with Gladys Grogan my mother's only living Aunt.  We stayed long enough for the fireflies to come out, so beautiful.

The reunion was held in Livonia, MO. All of of the cousins are descended from Isaac Newton Horn. Livonia is a small town of about 200 better known as a terrific Blue Grass town.  I was interested to see that one of the geneology cousins had compiled quite the family history. Volume one starts with Richard or Robert the Sherriffe Veatch.  Veatch is supposed to be a corruption of the French word for cow "vache". Which in the 1600's having a last name as a significant honor and status symbol.  The Sherriffe was supposed to have stampeded a herd of cows into the oncoming path of the enemies of Robert the Bruce. The history culminates in Volume three and there we are the whole famdamnbly. We had some minor car trouble the next morning, JB Wheeler had his son-in-law fetch a fan belt and got that installed and we headed out.  Thank you everybody!!

We drove towards KCI and visited in Belton with a potential relative of Carla's.  We spent the night in Belton and next day crossed Kansas City and it felt like forever before we actually sighted the airport.    We dropped Carla off and she changed her ticket to go home a day early.  That left three women and luggage in the car headed west.  

We got to Castlerock and stayed with Ellen and Leo for a couple of days and played lazy.  We did drive to Greely and visited with Aunt Wilma and Uncle Lester Kast. 

After overnighting in Greely Mom and I headed back through Fort Collins.  We stopped at Montpelier, Idaho for the night  This was Butch and Sundance country.  I was pleased to see the menu included pastrami sandwich which in actuality turned out to be a fried ham sandwich.  Kosher it ain't.

Calling home to Barrow was very difficult my Alascom card worked ok except in deepest MCI country.  Then I had to go through three operators to get an AT&T operator. Argh!!!
Arrived back in Emmett the afternoon of June 17 just in time for Cherry Festival,  bother Phil was performing at the grandstand in the city Park.  Yay!

Sunday, Dad and 
I took off in his little GEO for a quick trip to Jackpot for my annual donation to the great state of Nevada.  We stayed at Cactus Pete's and thoroughly enjoyed slot machines, poker and craps.  I enjoyed a book and a chocolate shake. I got a last minute 50 dollar jackpot and almost broke even.  Yay!

Tuesday we took Dad to the VA for a dental appointment.  I stopped off at Barbara Whelan's work place and we went out to dinner and a movie. We went to the Egyptian theater to see "Jurassic Park".  The movie sells bulk candies in the foyer so I purchased a goodly amount of Jordan almonds, my fav!

Wednesday Mom and I went to her doctors clinic as her foot had been bothering her since Greeley.  Turns out she had a stress fracture of the middle toe left foot and is now sporting a walking cast for a few weeks. 

Thursday was another run around day.  We visited Eddy's Bread store. Tim would be in love with the prices.

Friday caught the plane, met Carla for my hour layover and handed over the copper and brass watering can that Dad had found for her.  I upgraded to First Class on the Anchorage leg.  The weather was clear on the Boise to Seattle leg and I saw all of the volcanoes; Mount Adams, Hood, Jefferson, Washington, St. Helens, Baker, and Rainier.  Fabulous view.

Got hung up in Anchorage, had to change planes and was 45 minutes late.  Got to Prudhoe and we were warned they might not be able to land in Barrow.  A hole in the clouds opened up at the last minute and the pilot set us down.  Hooray, met by Tim and home we went. 

We also purchased a telephone answering machine, look out 21st century!
That is all for June 1993.  Must rest.....

BUSH DIARY MAY 1993:

BUSH DIARY MAY 1993:

The following is a poem published in the Azimov SciFi mag for May/June
IF ANGELS ATE APPLES
If angels ate apples, potatoes and pears
they'd grow to be chubby and cheerful as bear
nibbling knishes and other such things
tickling your face with the tips of their wings

If seraphim shouted and whistled at girls,
drank drafts from thimbles all friends with the world
drained the best ale and chased it with rye
then fluttered in circles while trying to fly

Angels on tables (watch out for your glass!)
Slipping on puddles right plop on their ass!
Laughing at music that only they hear
then tweaking the barmaids a pinch on the rear.

Fuzzy fat angels, that's something to see
as they dance to the jukebox  at quarter to three,
and ace out the pinball, a marvelous treat,
the lights and bells flashing (though sometimes they cheat!)

If angels made merry, would that be so odd?
Must they always be solemn, to stay friends with God?
It's a pity that Heaven is so far away

angels hardly ever come down and just play.

-Geoffreyd A. Landis-

May 8, 1993:  Saturday.  Tim worked today so I rode the bus with him to check the mail and enjoy break up weather.  Lots of mud and puddles and quite warm out.  The teenagers are all out wearing raggedy clothes to enjoy the warm weather.

I enjoy eating my lunch in Quarters.  There is a lovely nook on the second floor that overlooks the lagoon and the ocean.  However I had company one noon, it was a couple of ladies praying over decision making and then seriously discussing their being saved and trying to figure out exactly what passage of the bible the revealed itself to them.  Prayers ensued.  I felt as if I were intruding and not particularly wanting any personal revelations, I departed the "Arctic Chapel". 

Medical News:  My endometrial biopsy came back negative so no hysterectomy.  Yay.  I would rather decline surgery of any sort.  I still remember the huge nurses strike in California.  During that period fewer surgeries were performed and coincidentally fewer patients died from surgery.  Duh.

I have been reviewing older editions of the Bush Diary and apparently I never documented this particular Grandma LaVann story.

There had been a visiting priest on sabattical from seminary and living in a small cabin near the Navarro river which was not too far down the road from the ranch.  One Sunday it somehow became known to the Father K that I had a two year old son.  Father K said that he possessed a small plastic wading pool and that we were welcome to come pick it up.  So Sunday afternoon Grandma LaVann got her old Jimmy out of the barn and we drove to the cabin.  We pulled into the yard, parked, got out and knocked on the door.  No answer.  So we walked around the back to take a look down the river to see if we could see Father K.  Sure enough about 200 yards away he was chatting with a friend, saw us and started walking towards us.  Grandma LaVann and I stood there for a while watching him walk towards.  As he got closer, Grandma asked me, "What kind of swimming suit is he wearing?"  I answered, "Um, it might be one of those string and bag kind of things".  She gasped, "He's not wearing a swimming suit, He's NAKED!".  She grabbed my arm and dragged me around to the front of the cabin as I was still trying to see the naked priest.  He got to the cabin and called up, "Margaret, do you mind if I come as I am?"  She retorted rather sharply, "No Father K, I MIND".
He laughed and said he would be up in a minute after he put on some shorts.
He climbed up, found the swimming pool and helped get it in truck. He got a tight lipped thank you from Grandma Lavann and we got in the truck and left.  She started laughing so hard we almost wrecked the truck.

Article from The Messenger Index, my hometown paper:
Courthouse bushes removed over jail security concerns.
By Janet Monti
Among other jail security violations, beer siphoned through a hose through jail cell windows from friends hiding in bushes outside (The jail is in the basement of the Courthouse), were reasons Gem County Sheriff Jim Woods gave last week for the removal of shrubs outside the Gem Courthouse.  Because of the overgrown bushes, people were hiding in them on both sides of the Courthouse and sneaking things into the cells.  The outside lights have not worked for years and these have been replaced.

I nearly fell off the couch laughing when I got this early May issue of the Messenger Index from Emmett.  Just remember, it's a small town, small staff, and old jail and a very small budget.  (snerk, snerk, snerk)

TRIP TO FAIRBANKS: Tim and I just got back from the trip to the Alaska Medical Record Association annual meeting we only stayed three days.  We did some shopping, filled three blue cheapie suitcases with a case of toilet paper, a ton of other stuff as well as microwave popcorn.  We also mailed home a Hoover vacuum cleaner, a box fan and a microwave oven.    It was very warm, none of the hotels in Fairbanks have AC and it is only needed by people  from Barrow who can't take the heat.

We are losing one of our ladies for three months, she has no childcare in Barrow so she is going to Homer for the summer vacation.  Childcare is either nonexistent or incredibly expensive in Barrow.  Best bring your babysitter, it is cheaper

Bradford the Siamese Manx met us at the door having only nibbled on one plant, opened all the cupboard doors and the bathroom doors.  

WORK:  May 18.  Am getting caught up. Got six days worth of census done, corralled all of the discharged charts and assembled.  Got the transcription caught up, only two discharge summaries.  I did a death certificate and two birth certificates.  The death certificates get complicated because the relatives are trying to remember how so and so's middle name was spelled in Inupiaq.  Everyone I have ever talked to regarding filling out the death certificates have been so sweet about getting the details correct.

Our three packages arrived at the PO got them dragged home and haven't tackled assembly quite yet.  Did get the massaging shower head hooked up.Yay!!

UIC is installing aluminum siding on our building in a bid to better insulate.  Okay, that means the steam heat needs to be turned down even more and I better break out the box fan.

May 21: There was a partial solar eclipse about 5 am.  I was up at that time but did no see any perceptible darkening of the sky.

Pepe's North of the Border sponsored an all male review at 25 bucks per head.  I did not go but the ladies who did go said the dancers were quite athletic and good natured about getting 20 dollar bills stuffed into their Speedos. 

All righty then, enough for May 1993.

BUSH DIARY APRIL 1993

BUSH DIARY APRIL 1993:

April 1:  :Not April Fools Day but rather dedication and free cake for nurses quarters tour etc.  Apartment #27 is open for public inspection.  They are all very nice, all have stack up washer/dryer.  Unfortunately Carolyn McClintock Hospital Administrator says the water usage was not budgeted for in the new build.  Water may get metered and everyone will not be able to toss in a pair of socks for a quick rinse.
  
Major news:  Charlie called this evening 4-5-93 to say Howdy and introduce me to Leslie Turk his significant other and who works at Chim Chimney as secretary.  They are renting with option to buy in Sonoma.  He has a roof over his head, thank all the Gods of Domesticity.  I also introduced them to Tim and we chatted in a friendly manner for several minutes.  It was very nice to get caught up.

3-21-93;  First whale of the Spring season was struck this afternoon and the phone system promptly collapsed from everyone calling everyone about the whale.

A two year old boy was struck by a car over the weekend.  This will be a coroner's case and I will not have to complete the death certificate.  Poor little boy.

Ah Spring breezes, the weather is so nice we had quite a few cancellations and only 10 to 15 walk-in's. There is the hint of dust in the air that come with spring rain, the smell that sort of catches in the back of your throat and makes you feel like gardening (not me).

Rodney King joke:  There is a joke going around that asks, "How many cops dos it take to shove a perp down a flight of stairs?"  "None, because he fell down by himself."  

Oppornockity tunes:  Tim has accepted a position at AC in the hardware department.  H will be working two shifts 9 am to  pm and three noon to 9 pm shifts. He gets a 15% discount. I am surprised he got work so quickly.

Lots of routine stuff.
That's is for April 1993.

THE FOR REAL BUSH DIARY MARCH 1993

BUSH DIARY MARCH 1993, once again.

Monday March 8, 1993:  Tim is here.  I met him at the airport and he brought his cat, Bradford who was not happy.  Took a couple of tries to get the luggage from there to home and partially settled.  Let the relationship commence.

No toilet flushing in the apartment.  About 11:30 Sunday evening the toilet refused to flush.  Ack!!! I called housing who thankfully came over ,looked at it and got is off at midnight and were kind enogh to leave a honey bucket.  Yikes!! Night crew came about 5 am and checked for plugs somewhere along the line and unplugged and hooked everything back up.  Thank yew Housing!!!
Another day of toilet not worky!!!!  Please Housing come fix!!! Blubber blubber.

Have come down with my yearly bout of Barrow crud, Tim also contracted same crud three days into his time here.  Yay.  Between bouts of throat, chest and other ailments we have actually considered marriage dates and the various tasks involved to get that accomplished. We are in no hurry just discussing and we will get around to it one of these days.

Nurses Quarters: Are almost finished. They were made available to people to move in this weekend. I walked over at lunch to look at Glo's apartment, she actually lives with her daughter, Wanda, who is a nurse at the hospital.  Residents are cautioned not to flush feminine products down the loo.  Jeeeez. Fire alarms got tested, over and over and OVER.

Tim is adjusting to life in Barrow, he is all appropriately booted and parka and it is nice to have a partner with which to ride bus and shopping and other intangibles. Nice.

March 25,1993:  We got our first full blown AIDS patient.  A woman 33 years ago, had an HIV lover five years ago.  It does not look good for her.  The hospital is having very intensive universal precautions being taught to wokers, nurses and nonmedical personnel.

FAMILY HOUSING:  I am reminded that Gale has marched successfully through the process to obtain a house.  She has a lovely back yard and space to groom dogs if she wants to start a bidness.
RAISE:  I will be darned.  I got a 4 on my performance review which puts me in the 5% category if and whey the Borough budget gets approved.  Yay!!!!  It is very weird but the borough PAYS FOR ALL OF THE HEALTH CARE for all employees.  I think they allocate 100k each time someone is hired.  It all goes into a kitty and gets managed for paying health bills for employees.  I am stunned.

Taxes:  I mailed off everything to Judy's tax person in Idaho and I have to pay $218.00 to Unca Sam, none to Alaska. Very happy to do that.  Happy, I tell you!!

Recent scandal:  We have a genuine character working as a taxi cab driver here in Barrow.  Her name is Sheila T.  Her lover is married and she has been sharing the Boy-toy for some time. Every once in a while the wife or Sheila will show up all beat to hell or slashed up.  None of us can figure out the attraction. As near as we can figure, the gentleman in question is an acquired taste.  Erk.  Anyway Sheila's little house on sledges burned down and she has nothing left on her property but pilings.  Perhaps she will rebuild, we will see.

Today at break one of the native ladies, Lois Anderson, talked about food.  She told the story about when she was a little girl and her cousin gave her some money to go spend at the store.  She and her girl friend went into the store and looked and looked and finally selected a bottle that was red.  She and her friend went outside to sit by the lagoon and took turns tasting it until it was gone.  They then put water in the bottle and shook it and drank the water out of the bottle.  She found out later that they consumed a bottle of catsup.  Big Smile.

Lois also told me that they did not know what potatoes were.  So they fried them in seal oil and thought they were pretty good.

Monday March 29, 1993:  Sam and Lee's burned down.  Damn, that's where I liked to go for Mongolian Beef and to listen to Korean opera.  Hope they rebuild.

Charlie check:  I hear second hand through Helen that he is still working as a chimney sweep and is living in Sonoma county.  Further details may or may not be forthcoming.

I think that is quite enough for March 1993.

BUSH DIARY FEBRUARY 1993

BUSH DIARY FEBRUARY 1993:

Sad news from home.  Mom called to tell me that Jim and Anita's baby boy was born February 3 and did not live.  He was born with a cord around his neck.  He was otherwise perfect.  I sent a card and some cash for a get away.  It's a very hard piece of news.

Weird week at work:  Last week one of our ladies was gone all week because her Aunt Rose died.  The whole family flew in from all over.  The body arrived Friday morning just in time for the 2 o'clock funeral.  The bodies that come to town are kept in the back hallway of the hospital in the two drawer morgue. The family schlepped to the hospital for the viewing as there are no funeral homes in Barrow.  They opened the casket and were dismayed to discover a little old black lady lying in state in no way resembled Aunt Rose. The funeral was postponed until Monday afternoon.  It seems the bodies were accidentally switched in Anchorage.  Aunt Rose was sent to Virginia.  One of the nurses was heard to murmur sadly, "You know Rose never traveled that much when she was alive..."

Judy is in Albuquerque this week soaking up all things a IHS for continuing education and quality assurance.

This week we are having Kiviq or Messenger Feast.  The mayor refrained from declaring a three day holiday in a bit to restrain the budget a little bit.  Some of the festivities include a fun run between the MarkAir terminal and the High School.  There is a ceremonial lighting of the seal oil lamp, the lamp was light inside this year.
I read in the Anchorage newspaper that the State approved 771 million dollars for education.  The borough budgets about 50 million and that includes the villages etc.

Long distance romance continues apace.  There be lengthy phone calls.

Charlie has moved.  He lost all of his roommates and cannot afford the apartment. He bought a car that he says he will live out of for a while.  He will let me know when he gets settled down.  eeeeee
Presidential Inauguration:  If you notice any Eskimo's in the parade the Barrow Dances were invited to attend. 

We lost our phone service last night.  Apparently an undersea cable was entangled by a trawler about ten thousand feet of fiber optic cable.  So that means that phone service will get routed through the satellite and we lost local access for one of the television feeds.  And that is the channel is all Star Trek etc.  Also speaking via satellite involves about a 1 second lag so there is the tendency to over talk.  

That's it for February 1993.

BUSH DIARY JANUARY 1993

BUSH DIARY JANUARY 1993:

We get our share of winter weather here with snow, wind etc.  However I did notice one spectacular effect one evening.  I call it "Spotlight Night".  I do not know why it happened but when conditions are just right all of the lights in town not only shine down but straight but the secondary beam goes straight up like a Hollywood film premier.  It was gorgeous, the town wore a crown of many lights that evening.

Travel:  I am leaving today for a week of sun and work in Tucson, Arizona at the IHS computer support facility.  Jeanne Cheeseman and I will be learning data entry stuff and supervisory stuff.  Judy advises me that we should pretend that we do not know one thing when we show up in class.  The instructors get flustered when the students get ahead of them.  Okay fine.  I think I can handle nodding intelligently at the appropriate places.  We will overnight in Seattle and Carla will pick us up and will let us stay at her apartment before we catch the next plane at 7 am God Bless the girl. 

My long distance romance is flourishing.  Tim is eager to meet.  So we are working on logistics etc.

Blizzard!!! a warm front blew in and it was practically pantyhose weather strangely enough.  No planes in or out, business was slow.

Back from Tucson.  No sunny weather, it rained and rained and flash flooded here and there.  Wet, wetter, wettest.

Work was pure crap, lots of people in the department out with JURY DUTY!! I went in Sunday to transcribe 7 tapes and get my trip report and paperwork taken care of.  Monday promises to be brutal.

I went shopping a bit while in Tucson.  I purchased two empty suitcase duffel bags and filled them with linens, towels, pillow cases, and other sundries not available in Barrow.  I managed to get it all wrestled into the two bags and schlepped home.  I purchased a very charming set of earrings called burden baskets.  They have little metal "bells" on them and tinkle delightfully when one tosses ones head as one must do occasionally.

The leg from Seattle to Anchorage was entertaining. There was a father daughter pair sitting in front of me who had no boundaries, dad kept flopping his arm overhead and dangling his hand in my space and the daughter chanted, "We're all going to die" on the descent into Anchorage.  Cute.

Took Markair Prudhoe to Barrow leg.  I am always astounded at how many people I recognize in the Anchorage airport who are coming from and going to Barrow.  I saw one of the nurses returning and I saw one of the former Central Supply guys going.  It is a huge state but you bump into a lot of people with whom you get acquainted.

1-22-93:  1:27 pm  First sunrise of 1993. Daylight was almost two hours long. 

Work:  The entire community has been hit with strep throat. Stop kissing and wash your hands!!! On Monday we saw 87 walk-in's by 5 pm.  The rest of the week was not much better. 

Housing: Rick and Carla have purchased a house with the idea that the garage will eventually become a photography studio.

KBRW has been broadcasting weather advisories all day warning of wind chill to minus 100.  Exposed flesh will free in less than ten seconds.

Personal news:  The public health nurses who I have seen for pap smear etc are of the opinion that I qualify for a hysterectomy and why don't I think about it for a while.  Yeah, think about it.  Bleahhhhh.

That's it for a very chilly January 1993.

BUSH DIARY DECEMBER 1992

BUSH DIARY DECEMBER 1992:

Taking Thursday the 10th off for my "borough" sanctioned holiday.
I got to Anchorage Monday morning for Computer Site Manager training at ANMC.  I must go shopping, lost a little weight and need some clothes. 

Social Scene in Barrow.  The local theater group is putting "The Good Doctor" by Neil Simon and there is a dance at the Lion's club the same night.  Hope there isn't a riot at either spot. 

Glo Andrews is having open house party at her house the 18th.  She ordered a bunch of Costco stuff to show her daughter, Wanda, what a party in Barrow should be like. There will not be liquor so she probably won't make the papers.

I have been invited for Christmas to Heidi Mau's apartment.  She is the pharmacist who routinely fills 300 scrips a day with a smile. We will have potluck and play Trivial Pursuit and Pictionary.

Lunar eclipse:  Wednesday 12-9-92 we saw the lunar eclipse.  It was very pretty seeing an arctic eclipse.  The full moon's are so beautiful up here.  This one was spectacular.

The Play:  Last night I went to the 8pm showing of "The Good Doctor" by Neil Simon.  The play consisted of 7 or 8 skits.  All set in early Russia.  The funniest skit came in the skit entitled "Defenseless creature".  This rather large and florid woman stalks into the local bank determined to secure the money coming to her husband (who has been ill for the past five months with a nervous condition and has been fired from his job).  The banker is a bit frail himself, suffering from at attack of gout and he cannot see how his bank has any obligation to the "Defenseless creature."  The wife persists however sitting on his top had and generally destroying his office and the banker's sense of an orderly world. At one point in the dialog, she is demonstrating how hard she has been working caring for her sisters sick children, nursing them "all through the night" at which point she clutched her rather large bosom demonstratively.  Someone in the audience gasped quite audibly, "Oh my Gawd!" The audience erupted in laughter and it took a few minutes to die down enough to allow the play to continue.
  
The cast had worked hard for three months and did a fine job, no fluffed lines as far as I could tell and there was only one curtain call because it takes a good five minutes up get all dressed up in the many layers of Arctic cold weather gear.  I do not participate in theatrics, because God meant for me to be the best damn audience that I could.  I can clap very well if so needed.

Week of Dec 14, went to Anchoragua. Spend four days absorbing high tech stuff absorbing stuff regarding Altos and RPMS system.  I learned a lot of stuff but also learned that unfortunately any physical improvements to the Barrow system are about two years down the road.  So that means a lot of "Landing the plane because the pilot had a heart attack" scenarios.  I have lots of cheat sheets and phone numbers.  Oy.

Oh and it's official Tim Alden and I are writing and talking on the phone a lot.  This could be a very nice relationship.  It has been a couple decades for me. So looking forward to becoming better acquainted. 

Merry Christmas!  Charlie called and he has been working 12 hour shifts 5 to 6 days a week.  We chatted and got caught up.  He thinks he will be able to get a car next month to make job hunting easier when the "Chimney sweep" season ends in February.  Did not know there was a season.

Went to Lois Crawfords apartment for a friendly get together.  As happens in such places some story telling is done.  She told the following tale handed down from a Colorado uncle of a few generations ago.

One of the local characters a large redheaded woman of strong jaw, strong jaw and strong opinions married one itty bitty dried up cowpoke.

A wedding dance was held.  She was the belle of the ball in her wedding best and white socks.  One of the dances was romping along pretty well when suddenly the bride went ass-over-teakettle in the middle of the dance floor.

In the shocked silence, a whispery voice was heard, "Lordy! The big sorrel with the white socks is down in the herd!"  

One of those oft told tales that persist in families for generations.

I have a couple of them myself.  One from Missouri is a young girl cousin being berated by her mother for holes in her underwear, "Julie, I do believe you have a buzz saw in your pants!".

And a personal one, one of my cowboy uncles who worked on ranches most of his life came to visit one time and he hadn't seen me in a few years and he greeted me with, "Well it looks like you wintered up pretty good!"  Um, I was speechless.

The local Mini Mall was broken into, some kids trashed the place, I go there for my diet program and hair cuts.  We will see what happens in future.

That's it for December 1992.

BUSH DIARY NOVEMBER 1992:

I documented a weird show biz dream that included Redd Foxx and Spike Lee. They were rehearsing. No idea what that is all about.
Hunters shot a female polar bear and her two cubs.  They had become very dangerous  as they kept trying to get under houses to eat dogs and muktuk.  The ice has been in long enough for them to have departed on their natural seal hunting.

11-18-92  Today the sun set for the last time and will come back up late January 1993.

One of the night security guards was caught having his inseam measured by patient going out for a smoke break about 4:30 am.  He was fired.  All true.

Native Arts Collection.  I was in Arctic Coast Trading Post when a little old Inupiat  came in and rattled a box.  It held a few things, I purchased five ptarmigan perched on a log.  His name is Luke Saganna he is shorter than me and wears coke bottle glasses.  His wife shepherds him around to keep him from getting lost in the shuffle.  I do not remember what I paid for the piece.  The ptarmigan are bone and sitting on a piece of baleen.\

We had a frantically busy 11-30-92:  Everyone and their dog was off sick or busy.  There were only four of us in the department.  We got the morning stuff done the phones covered and the remaining three pulled charts for 50 walk in patients.  The same 50 patients also had business with public health, dental or optometry.  All I know is that the waiting room was still pretty full when I got to clock out at 5 pm and go home.

I ordered a Tai Chi tape to do exercises.

G'night folks, that's it for November.  Pretty sure there was Thanksgiving in there somewhere.

BUSH DIARY OCTOBER 1992

BUSH DIARY OCTOBER 1992:

Whaling season:  Is coming to an end with a total of 17 whales hauled up and butchered on the beaches.  Polar bears can smell dead meat from a long ways off.  Ursus M is a protected species and the locals are encouraged to get their muktuk cut up and into cold cellars or mailed off to relatives.  Standing in line at the PO is very interesting when someone is mailing a package of muktuk to family in one of the villages.  

I will write more when I get back from St. Louis.  I see there is a Neiman-Marcus there. I may have to drop in to take a look at the 5k suede and mink stole. Uh huh.

I finished the local courses on Word for Windows and Excel.  I like the programs.  I don' have much use for Excel but some number cruncher will love it.

No more Pat Yer Beli Deli in Emmett.  Sherry sold off the innards as business had dropped off quite a bit.  I did like the sandwiches.

RECAP OF ST. LOUISE.  The National meetings of the American Medical Record Association last a week.  There is lots of CE programs for everyone and it is impossible to attend them all.  The social events are a great deal of fun.  The vendors put on a great spread and give away lots of goodies. 

One speaker addressed how fast things are changing.  He cited Sony who invents two things a day.  Granted some are a little looney such as the Vitamin C impregnated panty hose !?  The point is that very soon the data storage required for our industry will result in empty buildings because paper will disappear.  I should live so long.

Judy and I went to a little piano bar in the hotel where we are staying and the guys playing were so mellow and it was fun to watch a very seasoned couple dance to the music.  I purchased their CD, very nice.

Thursday Judy talked me into running away and doing some sight seeing.  We rented a car and drove to Hannibal, north of St. Louis to tour a lovely town where Mark Twain lived as a boy.  I am glad it is October and not the humid summer, as it was a very pleasant drive.  We toured his home.  And found a wonderful mansion to tour that had NOTHING to do with Mark Twain other than he was invited to dinner there one evening.  The Cliffrock House was built by a lumber baron, and I do mean big bucks.
One room had 100 a roll wall paper.  The ballroom was on the third floor and the school room was on the fourth floor.

10-24-93:  Happy Birthday Charlie! Love Mom.

In summary we obtained some worthy continuing education credits with which to maintain our national membership.  We found three malls and walked through them and found Neiman Marcus and Saks 5th Avenue.  They had hired a plumpish clerk for those of us who do not wear size zero.  Good marketing!

Plane ride home was good.  I was seated on one of the longer legs with a gentleman who was reading something and I was nosy and asked what he was reading.  It was a screen play for Childrens Theater in Seattle.  We the conversation took off. I only had to be a very good audience while this nice man waxed rhapsodic about the play, his girlfriend who getting her doctorate in Women's Studies etc.  Most enlightening.

Stopped in Seattle and Carla came to meet me during the layover and we chatted and got caught up.  That girl just LOVES drive all over Seattle.

We got to Anchorage and overnighted there. I went to my room and slept like a log.

Flew to Barrow the next and Dean met us at the Alaska Airlines terminal.  Things had been quiet in Barrow. 

Must get caught up with mail and laundry.  Yawn.

That's is for October 1992.

BUSH DIARY SEPTEMBER 1992

BUSH DIARY SEPTEMBER 1992:

9-1-92:  53 foot female bowhead whale taken by the Captain Billy Adam's crew.

9-2-92:  Whaling crews took three more whale today.

9-3-9: Another whale.  Also the first two modules for housing were set daintily upon the foundation at the hospital compound.  There goes the fabulous sea front view.  They shipped up a big crane along with the 80 modules. 

9-4-92: Another whale, this one was big and there were only four boats available to help bring it in. all the other boats were busy cutting up the other whales.

Watched UIC swing ten modules into place and hang stringers, the view of the ocean is almost gone.

They held Cora Tiglook's funeral today. She was a little bitty elder who loved to go on the birthday show and sing "Happy Birthday" in English and then in Inupiat.  I understand that the congregation sang "Happy Birthday" At her service.

I am fighting a cold, everyone seems to have some sort of crud.

The Northern Spirit whistled past going south and got into Nome two days later.  Thence on to Antarctica.  Yikes.

The Whaling Captains have called a moratorium on whaling while the seven whales on land are still being processed.  Good idea.  Maybe someone will show up to man the phones.  Naw.

I ordered a pair of boots from Nordstrom.  They very nicely shipped them to me and I saw where the box was marked defective.  What!?  I looked them over very carefully, not a thing wrong with them.  I finally put them side by side and noted that the fur is cut slightly longer on one side.  Okay, I can live with that.

The Borough sent us all to beginning DOS to prepare for the new computers. I finally got to do a few things in Windows.   Also learned the reason that games are included in the program.  It is to get one used to using the mouse.  I saw one of the nurses really struggling with the mouse.  She was holding the mouse so tight that she was  getting muscle cramps and BLISTERS!!  I took her gently and showed her the game and she loosened up considerably, probably saved a tendon or two.

The buses have stopped making a circle in the hospital compound, too cramped for the buses to make the turn, so now we must go catch the bus a couple street corners over by AC store.

I joined a weight loss group.  Ugh

That is entirely enough from September 1992.

BUSH DIARY AUGUST 1992

BUSH DIARY AUGUST 1992:

8-1-92  Birthday party for Lita Miller the big 4-0.  She was very surprised to receive a giant 40th birthday car.  Good eats at the ensuing potluck.  

A measure to raise the rent on housing an additional 100 dollars per month. I have it withheld from the direct deposit.  So no worries.
Price shocker: A eight ounce jar of peanut butter costs $3.49 cents.  Spread that thin.

Livestock report:  I saw my first lemming. One of the kids down stairs was playing with one in the hallway and it got away.  Looked like a small brown earless, tailless mouse.  They don't live long, a mature female can have two litters per summer.  The owls and foxes eat lemmings. 

Talked to Charlie he is postop in Marin General and hungry.  That is a good sign.  I feel bad that I cannot fly down until October but we will visit and maybe he will show me his scar.

I sent a card to Charlie, it is a get well card, shows rumpled lady in curlers, cigarette, dog on leash, bunny slippers says "Feeling sick, huh?  well feed a fever, starve a cold". Open the card it says, "Moon a neighbor, hey you gotta have fun when you're sick!"

Today Charles got to eat jello , soup and tea. Bowels are rumbling and that is a good sign.  Ileus hurts as I can attest.

An Ice breaker from Russia the Kaptain K something went by a few days ago headed for Bremerhaven to be fitted as a passenger ship for circumpolar tourista journeys.

Charles is on full liquid diet and only likes the juice.  Hospital food is terrible. He must be feeling better, he is complaining.

Hooray Mall of America opened  in BLoomington, Minn.
  
The brand new Ipalook school opened.  Over 100,000 square feet, it cost 30 million to build.

Charlie was discharged to Grandma D' s house for a week or so of recovery.  He said he lost 16 pounds.  He is too tall to lose that much weight.
  
I have been watching the Olympics. 

Elaine Rockne arrived for a three day coding workshop.  She has been here three times now and always teaches me a new card game. 

Mt. Spur a volcano 80 mile south of Anchorage puffed out some ash and the Anchorage airport shut down.  A few people are sweating out tight connections to the lower 48, Our summer hire is in a wedding party on Saturday and we have been teasing her about catching a ride on the barge.

The Canadian Cutter Martha Black is just off shore.  So pretty.

Movie: I rented Cinema Paradiso.  It was wonderful. I recommend it to you for viewing pleasure.

I documented a couple of dreams but I shall not repeat that mental babble here.

Oops, that was NOT the Martha Black, that was the Polar Star US Coast Guard.  Well!

The weather has been balmy, the constriction guys working on the housing project got warm enough to take off their shirts, haven't seen that much white skin since I last wore shorts.  Scary.

Three hump back whales visited the Barrow beach yesterday to scrape off barnacles.

The barges got here on the 24th. a small tug is snugged up against the sand just down the street  Everyone is breathing a huge sign of relief.  They will be delivering 24/7 until everything is on land.

I sent Tim a copy of the Bush Diary, poor man.

Damn not going to be able to connect with Charles in October.
  
One of the nurses had visitors from the lower 48, they decided to go for hike to the point that is out past NARL.  On their way back they spotted a polar bear heading their way.  They quickly  found a building to climb on top of, they had a 357 mag pistol and they also managed to call Search and Rescue to come pick them up.  Yeesh.
I went beach coming and found a 1967 dime, a small shell and some pretty rocks.  Some kids had collected some small jelly fish in a jar.

Enlightenment:  A couple decades ago I took a civil service exam.  I vividly remember one of the questions, "What is a Lucullan feast?"  I had no idea but it haunted me periodically over the years.  I was watching  "The Collectors" on Channel 56 from Detroit.  They were visiting a shop in New Orleans called "Lucullus".  The shop specialized in antique culinary stuff and was named after a Roman General who was famous for his dinner parties.  Knowledge at last!!!

First whale of the Fall season was landed, a female bowhead 47 feet long.  We thought things would be slow with everyone working on the harvest.  We only lost one lady from the phones.  

That's is for August 1992.