Guys, I feel good. Like really good. Like better and more content than I have felt in a really really long time. Being in Saskatchewan these last couple months has returned in me a sort of balance; work and socializing on the one side and nature and clarity on the other.

When I lived in Toronto it was hustle and bustle all the time. Back then, spontaneity was totally stripped in my days as I was so busy, and I would often have to plan events weeks in advance in order to attend. Three nights a week I would be out at concerts, and then the rest of the time I would be out with friends, or at a play, or at a work event. I remember at one point I found it necessary to schedule in one night a week to just be my myself. And while this lifestyle may have been exciting, and gave me a lot of stories, it totally drained me both emotionally and physically.

Learning to balance my life has taken some learning, but here I am, happy as a clam. I’ve been meditating at least once a week, taking long solitary walks at night around my hometown, and visiting my friends and family. I’ve also been working my butt off at multiple jobs, but in a way that seems (so far) to suit me.

Where I Went

Regina Beach, Saskatchewan

Esterhazy, Saskatchewan

Favorite Destination

Despite having grown up in Saskatchewan, I have only visited a handful of its lakes. My family just isn’t part of the ever-present lake culture in SK. Yet, this summer, I found myself out on Regina Beach’s Last Mountain Lake.

It was two days of sitting in the sun, fishing, and relaxing in a rented cabin. Bliss.

Favorite Moments

Baby Birds

One of my favorite things about having been in Saskatchewan for a long period of time has been establishing a closer connection with nature. So, early on in the month, an event happened that put me right over the top nature-wise.

There were two little baby robin birds living in one of the flower pots hanging from my parents’ deck veranda. Since their eggs hatched, my parents had been watching mama robin feed the babes and nurture them til they got bigger. Until one fateful day, that is.

We hadn’t seen mama robin in quite some time, and the baby birds were starting to get hungry. So, while I was reading a book on the deck and just out of the line of fire, the baby birds made a break for it and jump.

The first one leapt from the flower-pot with a squeak and landed with a thump on the deck. Because of those noises, I looked up from my novel just in time to see the second baby robin attempt to do the same thing, only he landed on my parents’ glass fireplace, shat himself, then proceeded to hit the deck with a slightly softer thud than his brother.

It truly was amazing to watch as they tried their best at walking around the deck, and then eventually jump off of it into the grass. All the while squeaking at each other periodically as if playing a precious game of Marco Polo.

Only, things soon went a tad awry. One of the birds was bigger and stronger than the other, and he soon wandered out into the yard, leaving his littler sibling behind. Well, the little bird sibling quickly went into scared mode, apparently decided to use the “I’m going to stay here forever so that if someone comes looking for me they’ll be able to find me” approach, and proceeded to chill in one grassy spot. For hours.

My mom and I watched to see if the little guy would get his courage up and go look for food, but that time never came. Instead, he would open his beak every single time another bird flew overhead, despite the fact that it was now getting dark outside.

So what was I to do except google how to help the little dude? I didn’t feel right picking him up with gloves and putting him back in the nest like some bird experts say to do, so I decided to help him the only other way i could think to; by finding him a worm.

I went out into a big dirt hill in the back of the yard and dug until I found a nasty little slimy worm, shook the dirt off it, then offered it to baby bird, who opened his mouth SO WIDE the instant he saw the worm. Without touching the bird, I hung the worm off his open beak and he gulped it down with enthusiasm. My work was done.

Shortly after, little bird’s big brother came squawking by with another adult robin, apparently looking for little bird. Little bird got so excited and Marco Polo’d his way over to his family. Together at last.

God, this freakin’ reads like a fluffy heartwarming children’s book. But I swear it happened, and it was great.

A very 50’s Bridal Shower

On September 2nd, one of my very best friends got married. And while I’ll leave more information on that event until my next recap, I will dish on her 50’s housewife themed bridal shower!

The shower was beautifully put together, with nary a detail forgotten or hair out of place. The venue brimmed with color and fun 50’s music, while the attendees each got a funky apron to put on during the festivities. We played games such as “What’s In Your Purse”, “Guess the 1950’s Price”, and 1950’s themed Mad Libs.

Challenges

My right foot

So, um, remember a few months ago when I stress fractured my left foot? Well, that had pretty much stopped bothering me by mid August – with the exception of a day I decided to wear heels – so I guess it was just about time for another injury.

I don’t really know how it happened. All I know is I was turning a corner in my house, my foot slipped out from under me, and I was down on the ground in a flash. Right after, I decided to stand up and see if I could put weight on it, and as I did I got super light-headed and had to sit back down. Ugh.

I couldn’t walk normally the rest of that day, and so I decided to pay the ol’ doc a visit the next morning. Turns out I tore a ligament, and was instructed to wear a boot, stay off of it for 4-6 weeks, and take anti-inflammatory’s.

Oh, and did I mention this was exactly 4 days before the wedding in which I was Maid of Honor?

WHY, UNIVERSE, WHY?

What I Read

Back in January I made the decision to participate in a reading challenge courtesy of The Girl Who Wanders. The challenge is to read 26 books over one year, which is roughly one book every two weeks. The challenge outlines different criteria for each book selection to help with book choices.

This month I read:

“A Pulitzer prize winner”

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt

Angela’s Ashes is a fascinating and heartbreaking account of extreme poverty in 1930’s Ireland, told through the eyes of a child.

Frank McCourt was the first of his parent’s brood, having been born in Brooklyn, NY. However, given the hard times of the dirty 1930’s, which was only made more unbearable for the McCourt clan given their immigrant status, the family decided to retreat back to their homeland of Ireland in order to find respite near Frank’s maternal grandmother.

However, the tide never rose, and the McCourts were left to struggle in Limerick through extreme poverty, disease, and the deaths of many children, the pain of all of which was exacerbated by Frank’s father’s alcoholism.

The novel tugged at my heartstrings throughout, was exceptionally written, and despite the ever-looming shadow of the content, was humorously told. Would recommend.

“A book published in the year you were born”

Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland

I wanted so much to get into “Generation X”, but despite an honest attempt, I just couldn’t. The novel is about a trio of twentysomething’s in the early 90’s living out in the California desert, away from society, away from commercialization, away from anything considered too conventional.

The group, Andy, Dag, and Claire, spend their days working ‘McJobs’, fretting about relationships, and telling each other daydreamy stories. They are obviously in the midst of their mid-twenties life crises, and honestly, relatable. Despite their retreat from life’s hustle and bustle, they’re searching for deeper life meanings while riding out their own personal Utopias and lavishly judging those on the other side. And you know what, these are ideas I can 100% relate to, even though they are ridiculously pretentious. However, I found the structure of the novel to be distracting, and given the uneven flow and constant corner turning, I found it hard to stay interested in and sympathize with the characters.