Flooding, mosquitoes, and grants

While we were away there was massive flooding in Regina and around the region. Fortunately, our house didn't get any water at all even though nearby streets (a block away) were flooded knee-deep, and many homes that have never had any problems with flooding were hit by sewer backups. I heard of one example of a woman whose toilet suddenly started spewing water, leading to water damage all over the house. We were extremely lucky.

One of the lingering consequences of flooding in the area is a worse than normal mosquito problem. We are relatively close to the creek, and I think possibly because of that our backyard is absolutely filled with mosquitoes – much worse than last summer. This means that in order to be outside, we have to either put on mosquito repellent, wear protective clothing (most people on the West Coast have never heard of a mosquito jacket, but we now own two), or both.

Summer is short here, and there is a bit of a feeling of urgency around enjoying time outdoors. So in order to be able to spend as much time outside as possible, I decided to purchase a screen tent, which we will also be able to take camping. It is currently out on our back patio, tied to bricks to keep it from blowing away in the wind. I think it was a worthwhile purchase.

Another piece of news that I got while we were away is that I got a grant that I had applied for in February. It is a relatively substantial grant, that will partially fund my graduate students, allow me to hire a lab manager for ten hours a week, and provide money for recruiting and paying research participants. The grant will provide funding for three years, starting in September.

The granting agency is the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF), and I am lucky that an agency like this exists here, with funding priorities that are very much in line with the research I want to do. The grant is to study people who have a history of exposure to trauma, and their experiences with healthcare providers and healthcare systems. I am really excited to be able to do this research, and actually sort of amazed that I got this grant. It is yet another indication that I am in the right job, and in the right place. We may not like the mosquitoes in the summer or the extreme cold in the winter, but from the perspective of day-to-day things like work, we couldn't be in a better place :-)