My summer vacation with apologies to my supportive team!!

My apologies to all for being MIA for the past 3 weeks, I was NOT abducted by aliens although my family and friends think menopause is playing havoc with what brain cells I have left and making some rather *different* decisions with the journey I have been taking the past 3 weeks and for the upcoming month.



Audra sent this to me in an email and it clicked for me why I needed to do this ! While it probably would not make sense to most, it was like a light bulb turning on for me and hugs to her for always seeming to know what to send me to make me feel better in a crisis or personal meltdown. You are the best!!

At 8 30 pm on sunday nite (the 6th) I got a frantic call from a friend asking if I could go help out in the NWT at a firebase camp. I thanked her for thinking of me but told her no. I then called son and jokingly (kinda) told him of conversation and he told me to do it otherwise would b*tch and moan for months after that I should of done it. So I called her back and my new boss and said yes. 6 hrs later was on a flight to NWT. Cakewalk right?? Was only supposed to be for 7-10 days, internet, a kind of paid vacation in the bush with looking after 30 firemen!! Any womans dream come true plus get paid money for doing it!

24 hrs later we pulled into a camping spot and only thing there waiting was BUGS and smoke and 1 cute squirrel!! No running water, no kitchens, no luxury motel rooms, cabana boys were on strike and 2 rather dismal outhouses!! Deep breathes and checked purse and pockets for a reality check or at least some valium!!







With roughly 500,000 thousand hectares in fire to put it in prospective is around 1930.5 mi2 with the 180 + fires burning right now in NWT.

I have no words to explain how hard all of us worked to help out in this crisis situation. There is only 3 of us for kitchen for meals for all and clean up. Nova Scotia's fire bosses were amazing by bringing in supplie sand caring for all!! BC fire bosses controlled the chaos with fire plans. Ontario arrived yesterday. NWT is not our home but all contribute. Somehow a 30 men camp is now at 100 all trying to contain and steer these fires away from Yellowknife. We work for 16-20 hour days and yet noone gets tired as the support we get from these amazing men is so worth it!! Some nites they even do dishes or help to clean tables to ease our work load after they have worked the firelines themselves for 12 hrs plus!! Noone complains, all just chip in to keep our *family* safe and in good spirits!!

Melissa your Alaskans are incredible!! I want to adopt them all!! Matt and his crew opened a whole new outlook for me as to how people should treat each other. I have never had so many hugs or appreciation shown, that these young men gave to me. I count my blessings that for that short period of time they came into my life and changed my outlook with their beliefs! They are amazing!!



I am home for 3 days and then go back on Saturday morning. Please accept my apologies for once again being MIA for 3 or so more weeks.