Hi folks! It has been awhile since I have written anything here. I did promise that my posts would be infrequent but I did not realize that meant several months. Gotta love being neurospicy! Grab a tasty beverage and let’s chat.

To catch you all up on my goings on, I have been working on my Adult Learning Certificate with the University of Calgary for several years and just completed one course that had been taking up the bulk of my time these past few months. I started in 2022 and I had hoped to have completed it in the two years that was suggested. Alas, the suggested time is for neurotypicals that maybe have a partner to help them out around the house or maybe do not have to work full time. I was also still parenting a bit at the beginning of my journey as my daughter graduated from her first degree and made preparations to move out with her partner. That being said, I am determined to complete it even if just to prove to myself that I can complete things. It is often a common misconception that folks with ADHD never complete what they start. We do complete things, just maybe not on the schedule that society feels we should be able to. I am on track to have it done by the Summer of 2027 and only have two more classes left. I have really enjoyed learning about Adult Learning and being able to apply my skills in my day job. Writing training programs, facilitating them, and being a mentor for my team has fulfilled me in ways I was not expecting. It is funny. When I was in grade two, I vividly remember deciding that I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. It has only taken me around 40 years to get to this point but here I am, albeit for adults and not children. The teaching profession is a strong one in my family. My great grandmother was a teacher. My grandfather had his teaching license. My uncle is a retired SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) instructor. My daughter is heading into her second degree in education this Fall. I also work for an organization that supports the public and Catholic school teachers here in Alberta and interact with those in the teaching and support professions on a daily basis. Sometimes your seven year old self just knows.

On the garden front, my garden is in. It is much smaller than in years past. My sister and I are preparing for a move next Spring and I thought it best if I started the purge now. I really focused the pots I was going to plant to those pollinator plants that are favourites like the Bee Balm, Blanket Flower, and Sunflowers. I also made sure to have at least two pots of Anise Hyssop as the bees lose their minds over this stuff and it is a really good tea herb. To round things out I have planted my culinary herbs and these absolutely breathtaking deep deep purple petunias (see photo below). The weather in Edmonton has been odd. We had what some would say was an early Spring but then we had a week or two of absolutely frigid temperatures at the beginning of May. Then nearly a week of +25C and higher followed by several days of heavy rain. All but one of my pots of sunflowers has come up and everything else seems to be doing ok. I have not had many bees come by for a visit yet but that makes sense when there are few blooms out.

As for other things going on in my little corner of the world, there is not a lot more to share. I am helping some loved ones through some tough times and managing my own health concerns (menopause is a wild ride). I have been reaffirmed as a Director At Large with the Society of Alberta Asexuals and Aromantics and put in our application for the Edmonton Pride Parade in August. For volunteer work I have signed myself up for a few opportunistic plant pulls and tree plantings over the Summer and have some plans to get out into the Urban Forest a bit more regularly.

Which then leads me into my intentions for this blog over the next few months.

I always have more ideas than I will ever be able to use; it is the downside to being someone like me. I have thought about pre-planning posts and themes but then I feel stifled by having these boundaries. I like to be inspired by the Awen (the word Druids use to describe the divine spark of inspiration that moves the universe) when I create. However, that can also mean that I don’t have any structure or logical flow to what I create or any regularity in the end product. So what am I going to do?

I would like to write at least one post about Pollinators as Pollinator Awareness Week is coming up on June 22-28th. Urban Pollinator habitats are vital in ensuring that our native pollinators have the resources they need to survive and it is remarkably easy to create these even when you do not have a yard.

I would also like to write about micro seasons and learning to identify them in your location. I recently picked up a book on Indie Bookstore Day called The Hidden Seasons: A Calendar of Nature’s Clues by Tristan Gooley. I have noticed a lot of micro seasons in Edmonton and I think it is a fabulous practice to get a person in touch with Nature and recognize changes in the landscape that can affect ourselves and influence our lifestyles.

Another topic that is floating around is about feedback loops and how small changes that we make and small actions we take can have larger effects. This article from Atmos Magazine entitled A Scientific Case for Climate Optimism was very inspirational and actually has spoken to something that I have been working on personally. I often fall victim to thinking that my actions are just too small to make any difference in the lives of the beings I care about most and so why bother. This article suggests otherwise.

I hope you all have a great rest of your Spring and take some time to celebrate the Solstice on June 21st. Join me on my Instagram @theurbanforestdruid for lots of quick posts and reels about my adventures in the Urban Forest.

Hug a tree when you can and be sure to talk to the magpies that come around; they often have wise things to say.