The Chill Continues...

Day by day, with the temperatures not budging above -20. The wind has eased, and that helps a little, but it is not gone, and it still adds to the bite of the cold. Everyone is pretty tired of the persistence of the cold, and the suggestion that there might be a break towards the weekend is welcome. Of course, that does not mean that it will actually happen. We shall simply have to wait and see what transpires. It would be nice to see some temps above zero for a few days. It might give us a chance to thaw a couple of things out...

Da Chill Continues...

-61 windchill the last that I looked...what does that feel like? It is kind of hard to tell, as I made sure to cover as much of my body as was absolutely possible for the morning dog walk (read dog dash). However, I did need to keep a small patch open through which I could see. Within a matter of about a minute or less, I began to develop an "ice cream" headache caused by exposure to the wind and cold. It was, fortunately, a simple matter to turn my head away from direct exposure. I made sure to wear my goggles for the later walk to the school.

Today is a mandatory contract work day, which means that we get paid for the kinds of things that we do for free on the other weekends of the year. I have a stack of papers to grade, and plans to finish, and a project to lay out.

It is quiet here, and another week of the semester has already come and gone. One of my students is doing a news article about her perception that this year seems to be going faster than last year. She is actually interviewing some of the staff about their perceptions. I certainly think that it seems to be going faster and better than last year at this point. Two weeks down, sixteen left to go...

So Much For That...

The travel plans got canceled for everyone. The windchill out at the site to which they would have traveled was reportedly -50, which is an automatic no-go under district rules. So, everyone stays put, we have a work day tomorrow, but we are done for today, and it is time to walk and have a leisurely evening. We can come in tomorrow at whatever time we wish, as long as we put in the time. That will give us a nice break that we would not have had otherwise. I feel badly for the kids, but a breather is hard to sneer at.

Now for the treadmill and some quality time with my wife...

Not So Bad Really, But It Is Cold...

The temperature seems to be the main topic of conversation this morning, with frozen water pipes and sewer alarms going off across the two teacher housing buildings. It has essentially been a frozen month. The high temperatures hovered around five degrees F for a few days and then descended back below zero, where they have remained. It has not been this cold here since I arrived in these parts. Well, it has not been this cold for this long. The effect is being felt especially in the form of frozen pipes and more frozen pipes. Of course, that is a thing that can be repaired. It will be interesting to see whether or not teams can travel for ball if it gets colder.

Enough Already...

Wind Chill Advisory remains in effect from 6 PM this evening
to 9 am akst Saturday...

A Wind Chill Advisory remains in effect for the Kuskokwim Delta from
6 PM this evening to 9 am akst Saturday.

* Wind chill values... 35 below to 45 below

* wind... northeast 10 to 20 mph.

* Timing... dangerously low wind chills will develop early this
evening as north winds develop and temperatures cool and then
persist through mid morning Saturday.

* Impacts... increased risk of hypothermia and frostbite.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

A Wind Chill Advisory means that very cold air and strong winds
will combine to generate low wind chills. This will result in
frostbite and lead to hypothermia if precautions are not taken.

Heat Wave...

Up to -25.1...

Brrrrr3...

The National Weather Service (that evil Federal menace!!!) says that it is -31.6 F in Bethel now. One of our staff members reported a local reading of -35 and change. Cold for sure, but it is very still, and the cold does not bite as much as it does with the wind blowing. The most interesting visual phenomenon is the fact that smoke coming out of various chimneys (or steam for that matter) will not rise much at all. It flattens out at about ten feet or so above the top of the stacks. Kinda cool looking, and it speaks eloquently to the mass of cold air that is present here.

We have DARE presenters coming to the junior high this morning (they should be in there now), and it will break up the morning a little bit. We will see how the kids process it.

My plan is to head home "early" (read 5:15) to get caught up on the domestic chores before the upcoming weekend, which promises to be hectic. We have junior high basketball here, and no seniors available to staff the concession stand. My wife and I are in our second year of senior class sponsorship, and we have to be there to help raise funds for the senior trip. A couple of obliging underclassmen have promised to help (they are actually girls), and I think that we may have some parental support as well. There is also a work day scheduled for Saturday, and a lot of people are going to be gone as chaperons. It ought to be an interesting weekend, but it sure won't be a restful one. Oh, well, that wouldn't be that much fun anyway. We would just get bored.

We are actually working on a plan to get ourselves out of the building at a reasonable time at the end of the day, and it will be interesting to see how it progresses. Even a small break before we come back to work out in the evening is nice to change the day's pace.

Brrr2...

Nice day with the kids today. All of it. I need to scaffold more, though. It is currently -26.3 F, and I am preparing myself for the walk home and the trip outside with the dogs. Fun. The good part is that I get to jump into PJs at the end of that trip. I read an article in Slate magazine today about the glory of PJs and I have to agree. I even come over here in the weekend to work in them. Last Sunday I threw on a pair of insulated overalls (we call them snow pants out here) so that I didn't have to change out of PJs because of the cold. Last night, I just braved the cold.

I used to dress in designer suits (and I like them just fine). These days, I tend to be much happier in a hoodie and PJ pants...what a slob I have become. One of these days, I will remind myself to feel bad about that.

Brrr...

-25 this morning, and the outlook is for more of the same. It has not gotten above 10 degrees for about a month now, and for the most part, the temperatures have been consistently below zero. My classroom is quiet, as the kids have gone of for an elder visit as a part of their Yup'ik class.

For some reason, I have a hard time feeling confidence in the progress that I have made as a teacher out here. I know that it is there, but every day seems like an extremely steep slope to ascend. Maybe someday it will change, but I don't know when that will happen. I am kind of tired of waiting, even though I know that I do much of it to myself. Ugh.

Trying For a Little Time...

At least that was the thought...we had this idea that we would make it a point to get out of here at 4:30 this afternoon, so that we could catch up on a little personal time and some house cleaning. Then, we remembered that we had to use the treadmill. Then, we remembered about the union meeting tonight at 7 pm...oh, well, we can still try for it. This weekend won't provide much time-there is supposed to be junior high basketball Friday and a work day Saturday. No, we will have to make do with what we can eke out today...

The Beginning of Another Week...

I can hear my wife struggling to get her students going in a straight direction this morning. I am sitting in the adjacent classroom during my preparation period. I have been composing a new vocabulary activity that I will use in a few minutes. My junior high kids were looking like something out of The Night Of The Living Dead when I left them to do their Yup'ik class. I am trying to decide whether to light a fire under their butts when I return, or gently nudge them towards some level of functionality. I suppose that I would be best advised to assess the situation upon my arrival.

Just an example of the myriad of tiny daily decisions about the approach to take to classes and students. Some of them work, and some of them are hideously bad ideas. It is not always clear in advance which way things will go. Sometimes you just have to take your chances. Take the PE activity for this week. Badminton. Just checked the supply of shuttlecocks. Three. For somewhere between 16-18 students. Ain't gonna work. At least not for the first couple of days of practice leading up to the "tournament." Maybe it is time to check on Amazon and see if I can pick up some cheap birds...

Of course, we can always segue to basketball or ultimate frisbee or bat game. No biggie. Just not all that organized. Best laid plans...

Two Days, Two Funerals...

Napaskiak laid two to rest this weekend, starting on Friday afternoon. We had the first funeral at the school, and there was quite a turnout. The Saturday service at the church was also crowded. I am impressed by the community closeness that accompanies a death. I learned a lot this week, and felt that it was a very important week in some significant ways.

I don't have much more to say about these deaths in this forum. A new week is beginning, and we have been to the school today to finish lesson plans and enter grades. Now it is time to head for home and my wife's good cooking. Time to appreciate life a little...

Thursday

I believe that the first of the funerals that will take place this week will come this afternoon, although it has not yet been confirmed to my knowledge. The other will follow in the next couple of days. We took some soup that my wife cooked to one of the houses of the bereaved families last night, and we stayed to visit and listen to some hymn singing. It seemed like a good thing to do. We will visit the other house tonight with the rest of the soup.

We are getting the semester off to a sort of lurching start, with some frequent interruptions of the school day due to visitors and other necessities. I think that the routine is beginning to catch on, however.

Things have been so busy that I haven't had the combination of time and energy to shave my head. Joe says that he is going to shave his after his daughter's wedding on February 5. I plan to remind him. I need to get groomed and get some laundry and dishes done today at some point, but it is hard to see where that is going to fit in. The house is beginning to disappear under our residue, and we have only been there since Sunday. There is just a lot to do right now. I am optimistic that we will get around to it in the next several days-we have no choice at this point...

Working Through It...

We are all getting along here a day at a time. My students were flat out wonderful yesterday, and it made the day much better for us all, I believe. I am making a conscious effort to emphasize the most positive approach that I can in dealing with classroom management. I have already apparently perfected the "don't let them see you smile until Christmas" (at least Thanksgiving) approach, so it has been suggested that I have established my meanie cred. Time to lighten up a little.

We got off to a pretty good start yesterday, focusing on review and some new stuff as well. I am cautiously optimistic that the week will go smoothly from here.

My wife and I need to go out and do some visiting of the family vigils for the departed tonight. A chicken has been cooking slowly in a pot since last night to produce stock for what will likely be a delicious soup. We will take that to the families tonight.

The funeral services have not yet been definitively scheduled. I suspect that further information will be forthcoming.

I am much happier to be back here than I would have thought was the case at the end of Monday. We have again been greeted with the phrase "welcome home." How can you resist that kind of warmth? I don't plan to...

Mixed...

We made it back to the village without major incident or delay. Everything went smoothly, even if I do find the rituals of return kind of stressful. However, immediately upon our return, we found out about the death of a local young man that occurred Sunday morning. The status of that funeral has yet to be determined.

We had an inservice yesterday that is best left forgotten. More mandates from on high, and the questions are already buzzing about the three hours of training to administer a new test, and the indication from at least one site that those training hours will be the responsibility of teachers on their own time, outside of contract hours. This issue has been bubbling for the past year or so, and I wonder what shape this potential controversy may take.

This morning, I learned that yet another village citizen has died. I knew this man, and he was one of the earliest to greet me here warmly. He has a special place in my heart, and the news was frankly stunning. I found myself stepping outside into the bitter cold to compose myself and blink away the tears. Two deaths in 48 hours. This will be a challenging week. Fortunately, there are lots of smiling kids here today to lift my spirits a little. I am going to make the most of that that I can. I intend to ease back into this semester as gently as possible under the circumstances. Love and patience will be the bywords of the week. We are all just trying to get by under sometimes difficult circumstances.

Anchorage!

The snow was there, but we waited until later in the day to leave Cadillac, and I think that this might have given the road crews along the way more time to clear the highways of snow. The worst of it was along the 40 miles from Cadillac to Big Rapids, and everything was pretty good after that. There were some places where snow was still flying enough to limit visibility, but we were able to make it to my sister's house in about five hours, which is about what I would expect under perfect conditions. We had a pleasant dinner, and made it to the airport the next day, and had a pretty uneventful flight to Anchorage, where we find ourselves this morning. The required trips to various stores have been made, and we have a significant load of totes and kennels to get to the airport and off to Bethel. A ride apparently awaits us there, which will be nice, as the temperatures there are still pretty darn cold. The end of the day should find us safely and warmly (I hope) ensconced at home with the humidifier running. The cold here is very dry, and my skin and sinuses are already complaining. Some hydration would appear to be in order.

We have inservice fun tomorrow, and then the kids on Tuesday. It will be a short week with them, but a longer week for us, because there is also a contract work day on Saturday. Back to the grind? In some ways, the answer is yes, but we are also on the downhill side of the school year. Halfway done, with most of the extra work that we have to do behind us. We will be busy with basketball and senior fundraising, but I suspect that the rest of the year will pass quickly.

More later- it is time to start in earnest the game of organizing the exodus to the airport...

That's That...

So we are on the way back to Alaska. We have made most of our farewells here in Cadillac, and we will try to make our way to Chicago as best as we can in the morning. The weather has turned foul as predicted, and it may actually make more sense to leave later rather than earlier. We do not have to be at the airport until Saturday morning, and we will try to take that into account as we travel. It is what it will be. Something like 12" of snow will have fallen along the route that we must follow. Not much that we can do about it, except to hope for the best and take our time. Friday the 13th???

All Things Must Pass...

The week dwindles away, as does our vacation break. It is time to start thinking about the return trip to Chicago and beyond, which will begin on Friday. The weather does not look promising, but there is not much to be done except to deal with it. I am at least hopeful that the storm that is supposed to hit Chicago will move through before Saturday morning, when we are supposed to fly to Anchorage. That town has not been having especially good weather lately, what with repeated storms and wind. And Bethel, the penultimate stop on our voyage back to the village, is in the renewed grip of extremely cold temperatures that have apparently resulted in burst pipes at the schools in town. It will be interesting to see the conditions at home when we return.

Enough of that. It is sunny and warm here today, and it is time to go to Traverse City again for some visiting. We are looking forward to tomorrow's get-together with friends that will mark the farewell to Cadillac for the next several months...

Grrr/Brrrr...

I am not that happy looking at the temperatures back in our winter home...the thermometer has not made it above -20 since we left. I am seeing accounts on Facebook suggesting that many houses and schools in the region are frozen or freezing quickly. Our snowmachine, which had to be left outside because we could not find the torch with which to thaw the lock on the storage building, is likely a lost cause for a while. I suspect that we will devise some thawing strategy, which will probably involve the repair shop in Bethel. It needed to be looked at anyway. There will be alternative strategies for mobility, if I have learned anything about life in the Delta over the past several years.

Temperatures and weather conditions here have been pretty benevolent during our entire visit. Winter has done some playacting, but has not made a real appearance. Of course, I am superstitious enough to fear that making this statement will lead to retribution from Mother Nature when we try to drive to Chicago this Friday.

It has been good to get home and see friends and family. I think that we both needed it to set us up for the next semester. We will do some more of it this week before we leave. Today is kind of a quiet day involving mostly football watching. Things will get busier tomorrow...

Snow Storm? Bah!

The cataclysm never arrived here...we got on the road Sunday afternoon as it started to snow, headed to downstate Michigan, and a visit with my family. The real challenge to driving ended up being some fairly heavy rain, which made visibility difficult. We managed to drive out of that after about an hour, and just had some wind to contend with on the rest of the ride.

I got to spend several days with the fam, and it reinforced the idea that this was a very necessary vacation. We have been catching up with friends and family on both sides in different cities, and we are reminded that we missed and were missed during the last several months. I am glad that we made the trip.

I must also admit that I am glad that we have missed out on the temperatures since our departure. It was -20 the day we left, and it has gotten no better since. In fact, it has gotten down into the -30 range in the past few days, and the windchill has gotten down to a dangerous -60. It has currently warmed to -29, with a windchill of -56. Lovely. I am sincerely rooting for a warm-up in the next ten days. Hope that I get my wish.

We will commence a couple days of appointments tomorrow, including the eye doctor and the dentist. We leave for Chicago a week from Friday. More friends and family to see and play with...