Howling Dogs of Snow & Ice

To all my friends and enemas:

My phone is now operational and taking calls for your enjoyment , and mine.
There is even voice mail if I should miss your little self. And if you can't call ( or don't wanna) then a lovely little email from you would be just as welcome.

This offer good 24 hours a day

As I amble through the town, skimming down Front Street, the calm and fast moving waters of the Arctic Sea sworl chunks of ice toward the pale sunrise to the south. It is 10:30 am and I am transfixed by the light. Shades of palest pink sky prove that night has fled; for the moment. There are more shades of grey twixt the sea and the sky than my unruly mop hosts beneath my hood. Strewn across the glassy, swift inlet breathe dozens of 'oogruk' or bearded seal. Dark heads protrude from their frigid lair...like so many ebony players on a mirrored field waiting for the games to begin. As they bob and tread, submerging in their sleekness to dine, I am silenced by the thought that the sea belongs to those who belong to her.

Most nights, when I work, I don't get to enjoy the rare beauty of this place. An occasional bell-clear aurora, assisting a new human into this world, or escorting an elder out, shows me the connectedness of all.
Most days, when I am sleeping, I miss out on the vitae of this frozen realm. Being here alone, save my inscrutable familiar Kody, gives me more than enough time to think, to read, to ponder. I live in what is referred to as the "20 Unit" or the 'Dog House' You can guess why. At night, the Dogs of Snow and Ice howl along with the symphony of winds. Eerie does not begin to describe it.

I have no mode of transport, save my two legs. For these I am immensely grateful.
I have no television, by choice. My media is sound and I have been delighted to stream my favorite ambient program online and reconnect with my favorite public radio station as well. I read about a book a day, and have many trips planned "outside" to keep whatever sanity I have from fleeing totally.
I suspect it will go into hibernation any day now.

Having been here for 6 months now, and having another 18 to go, I can only imagine what energies will become unleashed with the passing of moons.

I remain sober yet wary,