Yukon bush life

(Lou, Yukon) We went to +5C this week (average temps should be around -20). A warm wind soared up the river and took the snow from our roof and yard. Yet again, the ice pans in the river shrank and softened.  No change for weeks The Yukon river usually freezes by mid-November. Not this year.  Snow melted on porch table If the river does not freeze safely enough for us to travel on it we are completely cut off from the world until, maybe May when the river is ice-free again and we can get the boat back in.  Snow melting off roof We decided we will do an inventory of our food and supplies on 1st December, if the river has not stopped, and work out what we might need to ration. It may be a lonely winter. Oh well, time to do all the bottom of the list things like, learn to bake cakes (til we run out of ingredients), write that novel, learn to meditate and…well I don’t know, but I refuse to take up embroidery. It was Neil’s birthday so we took ...

We’ve been occupying ourselves with “uglification” projects. We are in the process of turning our beautifully crafted log home into a plywood box. The skills of the craftsman who lovingly whittled each log and pole to create this beautiful house are just no match for Neil and I with a generator, a DeWalt drill and some sheets of 8x4.  Our house was built high, one and a half stories, with a sleeping platform in the eaves. There is a painstakingly crafted rail of spruce poles creating an indoor balcony. All the heat from our barrel stove drifts upwards and over the rustic railings so when temps drops we have to sit downstairs in our parkas and then sweat our Primark pyjamas off in bed.  The move between indoors and outdoors requires the putting on or off of so many layers of clothing, I’m buggered if I’m going to do that inside the house as well. So w e’re in the process of sealing off the upstairs space with 8x4s. If that doesn’t solve the problem, we’ll...