Winter is Coming

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I hope that everyone passed a wonderful Halloween! Here we had a nasty ice/snow storm on Halloween day, so the fire department postponed Trick-Or-Treating until November 1st. I sat outside with a giant bowl of candy and enjoyed all of the creative costumes. In class we decorated our door, I had the students draw their stinky feet to put in the witch's cauldron.
The students enjoyed making Haunted Houses that opened up to spooky surprises!
The past week snowed nonstop, every single day! At first it was just a centimeter or two per night, but we are expecting up to 20cm today and tonight. The snow makes the trails that much more beautiful, and the dogs really enjoy playing in the snow.
Nara and Lily are sitting patiently for a treat in the picture below. 
There is a nice trail that goes all the way to the lakeside, but during the fall the path isn't sturdy enough to walk on. Now that there is snow, we can walk the entire trail to the water. The view is so still and breathtaking. 

The weather was cold, but not bone-chilling cold. It was the kind of fresh cold that you don't mind being outside for an hour or two, especially while following two energetic puppies! My colleague's friend from Halifax moved to Mistissini this past week to supply teach. He has a degree in Photography so he wanted to take the snowy trail to get some shots of the community. I took the picture below but it cannot embody the stillness and calm of the lake. 
This weekend marks the anniversary of the signing of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, which gave the indigenous people of Northern Quebec (Cree, Inuit and later Naskapi) back rights to their land. Read more about the treaty HERE. Friday was the day off, and some friends and I had planned to go to Chicoutimi (5hr drive away, near Saguenay) but there was a blizzard, so our trip will have to be postponed for another weekend. This weekend will instead be full of warm beverages, baking and puppy cuddles. 

Stay warm this weekend!

~Vicki


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