Way up North..

I finally got my confirmation letter.  I had to fill out a ton of paperwork and there is still more when I get there.

I have accepted a summer position at a Ranger Station on the shore of Lake Superior.  It is a beautiful spot and a gate way to the Boundary Waters Canoe area.  We normally go that way when we have a trip scheduled, and the little town has the ranger station.  I will be living in housing in the "compound" and will be away from home for up to two weeks at a time.

Now you may wonder why I have done this:  Mid life crisis?  Boredom with the cities? A chance to change life up a bit?  The real reason is that I have been hunting for a full time job for sometime and there is nothing or no one that will accept a woman of my age.  Yes, I am over 55 and have worked part time for 5 years but the boredom of the job was forcing me to feel that I was in the early stages of Alzheimer's.  My mother had it, my grandmother and aunt also.  If I am going to get it in my late 60's, early 70's, I want to live a little.  And have a full time job that will help the kids pay off some student loans even if it is just for the summer.

My posting is only 2 1/2 hours away from our cabin.  I will get to see my husband often and still feel like I am having my adventure.  When the job first was offered, he told me to "go for it".  That part of Minnesota is one of his favorite places in the world.  It is beautiful and wild and we have spent many summer vacations paddling the wilderness and re-discovering what silence really is.  We have seen bear (some way too close for comfort), and moose, gone days without seeing another human being, and enjoyed catching lake trout and other fish.  I remember camping on the northern point of Alton Lake, catching bass off the shore, handing them to him and he filleted them and cooked them as soon as I handed the catch to him.  It was wonderful!  And although Alton is a tad too close to civilization for us, and we normally head out to the hinter regions, it was a memorable trip.  He will be coming up to visit too and I wonder if it will be to really see me, or spend time canoeing. (Just kidding, he will come to see Me!).

So, my official start date is May 1st.  I will be leaving on Monday the 29th to move up there.  I have no idea what to bring other than the standard things like clothing, soap, towels, etc.  And I am bringing my sewing machine for those off days.  Most of my work time will be over weekends and I will start out at 4 days a week.  I guess this gives the regular crew some time off on weekends to be with their families.  My kids are grown and independent so I hope I can help with the other staff having time off.

I do know that there is no TV reception, no Internet connection, and if I use the phone in the cabin, I will have to have a phone card for long distance.  I do have a cell phone but my contract is with Sprint and the best reception is with Verizon.  We will see.  I also will have to find a WiFi connection to continue with the blog, check email, and download books to my Kindle.

Wish me luck!  I have already picked out walking paths.  I need to get into better shape and it will be nice to just follow beautiful paths and be healthier.  I will have to cook for myself (if I had my way I would subsist on peanut butter sandwiches).

I will try to keep up the blog and let you know what is going on.  Those that know me have been told where I am and so if any of my dear ones get up that far, stop into the Ranger Station and say hello!

It is finally sunny outside.  The snow is mostly gone and we may have temperatures up into the 70's this weekend.  Finally!  Maybe winter has left Minnesota for the season.  It has been a long winter for us with snow even last week. (5-7 inches)  We have suffered enough and are very very anxious for spring to finally be here.

Ta!