The KNOM volunteer house is pretty amazing. It’s a big space filled with books and movies, old maps and hand-me-down scarves, musical instruments and mystery knick-knacks. Just standing in this well-loved house, I can sense the histories of the volunteers that came before us and the many memories they left behind.
As special as our home is, though, there are a few things missing.
The house doesn’t have all the supplies that would let us fish or hunt on our own, without relying on the generosity — and gear — of the friends we make. It also doesn’t come equipped with the four-wheelers and snowmachines that would let us get out and explore like everyone else in town. And perhaps most tragically, the house has a strict policy against the many pets we’d like to adopt.
That’s all okay, of course. None of these things is essential, and the people we’ve met have been beyond kind — inviting us to tag along on fishing trips, lending us a few four-wheelers for the afternoon, or taking us out to the meet the dogs at the lot. We have a very lovely house and some very wonderful friends. We’re set.
But over the holidays, when people were traveling and out of town, we also had the good fortune to snag several house-sitting gigs. And it was really nice. It was fun to spend some time in different settings and enjoy a few of the extras we don’t usually have.
Over the last little while, we’ve probably looked after six homes, eight dogs, one snowmachine, and one very affable cat. And on top of that, we’ve had access to several bountiful freezers — and all of the moose, fish, oogruk, and berries that these homeowners were so generous to share.
Still, I’m really looking forward to getting all of us back in the KNOM house again as our house-sitting stints wind down now. Because as nice as it was to switch up our living situations for a bit — and enjoy some of the special benefits — it’ll be even better to come back to our own home and everything it has to offer.
