LIFE UPDATE | GETTING CAUGHT UP

Just Like That, I Feel Like Writing Again — It’s amazing how it suddenly comes back

Life update — August 22, 2023

I lost my drive to write this summer. I’m not exactly sure why but at some point I just realized that I didn’t feel like it. In all honesty, I think it had something to do with being back in my hometown. I had terrible anxiety while I was there, and now that I have been away for a couple of weeks, I am feeling much better in my body and mind. Funny how that works.

So, where do I start with catching people up with my life? My last update was back in July when we finished our latest mural project. We had put another two quotes out for other projects, but sadly they haven’t come through yet. One of the clients stated that they want to go ahead with something in 2024. Of course, we have no idea where we will be in 2024 so we will see what transpires.

Our housesit in Canmore ended on August 7th and we almost immediately headed off to pet sit for a childhood friend of mine for a few days. They live out in the rolling foothills of the Rocky Mountains on a 4-acre piece of property. It was peaceful and tranquil and seemed so very far away from the hustle and bustle of Canmore. While we enjoyed our time in the mountains this summer, we were also happy to get a change of scenery.

I haven’t lived back in Canmore for that length of time for about 25 years. In one sense it was nice to revisit the mountains and explore the trails through nature, on the other hand, it doesn’t feel like the town I grew up in. But I am thankful for the experience and it was a stiff reminder of why I don’t live there anymore, and likely never will again.

I also had a few days to visit with my friend before and after she left us with the dogs. Plus, her mom was staying with her. I haven’t had a good visit with either of them in a really long time, so it was nice to get all caught up. The major reward of this lifestyle is that we have the time to do these things now. Back in my old life, I would only have time to meet people for coffee or drinks and a quick catch-up.

Sadly, I forgot to take pictures of all of us:(

Currently, we find ourselves in the small town (population 800) of Daysland, Alberta, Canada. We are staying with Chris’ mom for a little bit and are ultimately on our way to reconnect with a friend in Grande Prairie, Alberta. She claims that “I want to hire the Jill and Chris show to help me downsize.” We will see what transpires with that.

In the meantime, we are thrilled to be visiting and eating good food! Chris’ mom is an incredible cook and makes everything from real ingredients which don’t have sugars or preservatives. Even her baking is gluten-free and it is to die for.

We are very thankful for how spoiled we feel!

We are also thrilled that they have a bunch of kittens here — 13 to be exact! You can read my recent Six Word Photo Story to learn why there are so many.

Most days we have found ourselves outside playing with them. However, only one is really friendly as the others seem to be quite afraid of humans. Slowly, but surely, though, we have been winning over some of the others. The ones that are more socialized are the kittens of the only female that likes human attention. The other 2 moms hiss and growl at us when we come near. It’s no wonder that their kittens do the same.

There is nothing like a bunch of kittens to curb a person's anxiety!

On Friday, last week, we made a one-hour journey to visit Chris’ high-school sweetheart. Coincidentally, despite that we are a 10-hour drive from Chris’ hometown, Naomi married a farmer and lives this close to Chris’ mom. Since the two had not connected in all the time that they have lived in this close vicinity, we deemed it time for everyone to reconnect. Chris also hadn’t seen her since he was in his early 20s. So there was much anticipation and excitement about this reunion, as you can imagine.

They connected again like no time had passed and she immediately took us on a tour around the property. To just say that we were impressed doesn’t even begin to describe our amazement. Her mother-in-law, who also lives on the property, has her masters in soil science. So it is no surprise that their garden was absolutely to die for.

We wandered down rows of giant romaine lettuce, beets, onions, pumpkins, squash, corn, rhubarb, and so much more.

They also have an abundance of fruit trees. And when I say ‘abundance’, I mean it! They have around 13 varieties of apples alone! Not to mention multiple types of plums and cherries. It really was heaven!

Of course, with her mother-in-law having the skills that she has, all of it is organic and grown naturally using mostly cow manure as the fertilizer.

Surprisingly, they don’t sell items from their garden, they grow it for themselves and family members. The primary income of the farm is seed production. But they also have a few heads of cattle that they raise and sell. She took us for a drive to see some more of their property and we found the cows all huddled together in one spot. They have hundreds of acres of land.

It was truly a great experience getting to see a large commercial farm of this size in action. It was a hive of activity and we could see that our hosts are busy people and we were grateful that they made time to visit with us.

We even cooked lunch together and enjoyed it outside on the picnic table.

Can you believe that we had steak for lunch? I guess that is regular fare when you raise cattle for a living!

And of course, they sent us home with a bunch of goodies from the garden.

Yes, we felt spoiled all over again!

While we are enjoying our time in Canada, mostly, we are also looking forward to our exit again. We aren’t sure exactly when that will happen, we still have personal details to work out, but it is inevitable. We have realized that we really don’t fit into this hustle and bustle society anymore. While Canada will always be where we come from, I don’t think it will ever be home again. At least not long-term.

Thanks for joining me on this update. Sorry for my long absence and sporadic attendance in Medium this summer but, thankfully, I truly do feel like I am getting back in the saddle again:)

I’m tagging those who have requested to be tagged in my life updates. If you would like to be tagged, please let me know and I will add you to the list.

Robert | Louise | Adrienne | Kim | Mia | Michele | Ivy | Erika | Anne | Sandra | Julie | Bruce | JoAnn | Louise | Lysergic World Design

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