When all else fails, hit it with a hammer

Yep, this is Rob starting the truck. See below for the story.

The elders in this community are tough as nails. This lady walked from the Seniors home to the Northern, and it was BITTER cold. We were all in winter jackets. All the elderly women dress like this, in skirts. She is wearing tights, but her jacket is not zipped. I see this woman everyday walking, and she always smiles at us.

I only yesterday found the graveyard. It's tucked away behind the community. It's unlike anything I have ever seen before. One day this week Joey and I are going to go walk around it. There are no headstones, only wooden crosses.

There is a God and he works at the Co-Op. They FINALLY carry Sunrise bologna! Colby will only eat Sunrise bologna, and so far we have been receiving it in care packages from Gramma and Nanny. I was surfing the internet one day last week and found a company in Ontario that ships Newfoundland products, one of them being Sunrise Bologna. I emailed them to see if they ship up here and to find out their prices. They advised me that they send their products via Canada Post, so it wouldn't be any different than the care packages we get now. She also mentioned that the Co-Op in Yellowknife carried this product, and provided me with their number. We have checked in the Co-Op a couple times previous and were only able to find Maple Leaf bologna (yes, there is a BIG difference in taste). I called the Co-Op, and yep, they sell it! My understanding is that this is something relatively new for them, as I had to buy the whole bologna at a price of 28.00, which is about 6-7.00 more expensive than back home. But, when you factor in the price to mail it up here, it's still cheaper and fresher! The woman at the cash register commented on the bologna, as she is a newfoundlander (as are most people in Yellowknife). She was all excited because she had never seen it there either! So we spent the morning cutting it and now it's in the freezer. I also bought Mt. Scio Savory, Fraser Farm Meatballs, and of course, Pineapple Crush!

Colby hates the drive to Yellowknife. We found the only way to make it more enjoyable for all of us is to give him a camera! Wonder where he gets that from?! Colby cam pictures to come soon! Do I really need to comment on this one?

This is the best thing ever. Yes, I brought my camera to the bathroom with me, but I had to! This seat is in the bathroom of the Yellowknife Canadian Tire, the best and cleanest bathroom I have found in Yellowknife! I will make a special trip to Canadian Tire if we have to pee just for these bathrooms!

So, I went to Yellowknife with Joey on Friday to get the exhaust put on the truck, finally. There's not much selection in Yellowknife for vehicle repair, especially if you drive a foreign vehicle. There are only 2 dealerships in town, so if you don't drive a Chevy or a Ford, you're going to Canadian Tire for your repairs. There is one other spot called Auto Tec that deals with foreigns, but as you can imagine being the only other one in town and having a small shop they are very busy. Joey and I dropped the truck off to Canadian Tire Friday morning at 9:30 and went for a walk. We walked over to a hair salon where I got my hair cut for the first time since I moved here. I have always worn my hair in long layers so I can go months between haircuts, as long as I trim my bangs. When I get my hair trimmed, all my natural curl comes back. She ended up putting crap in my hair to keep the curls in and I walked out looking like Shirley Temple. We killed some more time in Wal-Mart, and then headed back to Canadian Tire around 12. I was livid when I walked back in the parking lot to find the truck in the same spot, with no exhaust on it. They told me it should be done by lunchtime, as they knew I would be walking around with the baby and I live an hour outside town. When I went to the service desk, they asked me "So, how do you start your truck?" WHAT?? I first thought "Oh shit, I didn't leave the keys" but I did. He asked me if there was an anti-theft on the truck because it wouldn't start. WTF?! We went out to the truck, he hooked up a battery to it just in case mine was dead (which it wasn't), and then we came to the conclusion that the starter was going. He went back in the shop, brought out a long crowbar, and after a couple hits on the starter it turned right on. Luckily it happened there in the parking lot, BUT 2 hours were now wasted and they were about to go on lunch. I walked over to the Co-Op again to pick up the stuff we needed, and walked back again. It was almost 5 by the time I left Canadian Tire, with a new exhaust but the same starter. They tried it a bunch of times and it worked right away so we left it, because I was tired and poor Joey was at the end of his rope. We ended up going back into Yellowknife yesterday because Rob wanted to "get out of Dodge". The starter is still acting up, and it's literally hit and miss. We now keep a long metal bar and a hammer underneath the front seat, and we joke that it's the "automatic starter". I laughed the first time I saw Rob do this, hearing my dad's voice saying "When all else fails, hit it with a hammer". :)