Beginning to Feel Okay

It's been a really long time since I last wrote, there's no denying that. 

Writing has always been a huge creative outlet for me, though unfortunately the past two years my entire life was a bit of a shit show. When that happens, my creativity tends to wane and my energy focuses on survival.  I'm finally starting to feel that creative spark once again, so I thought I would bite the bullet and just get a blog post out there today. 

I'm not going to get into the depths of what turned my life into such an unpleasant place to be in these past few years, but I finally feel like it's starting to appear in the rear view mirror instead of directly in front of my path.  Enough that I'm starting to feel creative again and organize my life in a way that is beginning to feel okay. 

Etiquette in Gardening, Etiquette in Life.

For the past few years, I've been a member of our local community greenhouse.  The idea is that those of us with less than adequate growing facilities in our own back yards can rent a raised plot of organic soil in a huge greenhouse for around $2/square foot in order to still be able to experience the joy of gardening.  I first signed up while our yard was being newly developed, nothing more than a pile of rubble.  It's since been landscaped, and while I do grow a lot of my own veggies in my yard, I really enjoy the community aspect of the greenhouse.  You can try to grow almost anything you want in there as long as you keep to organic fertilizers and seeds.  I love seeing what other people manage to grow in there, which gives me ideas for next year (corn or tomatillos perhaps?).

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Beauty Creek/Stanley Falls

Taking in some Zen at Beauty Creek.  Thanks for the great pic Sarah! 

Beauty Creek/Stanley Falls - Jasper National Park 

LOCATION: The trail starts 85 km South of the town of Jasper, along the Icefields Parkway. The trailhead is a pullout east of the highway where two culverts cross under the road.

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: I would give it about a 2/5 for difficulty

DISTANCE/TIME: The trail is 6 km round trip and took us a couple of hours to complete (we stopped along the way quite a bit for photos). 

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Beaver Boardwalk: Happy Creek Trail

Happy Creek Trail, Hinton Alberta

LOCATION: The trail starts at the Beaver Boardwalk (signs will be posted). 

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Easy - I would give it about a 1/5 for difficulty - it's a great beginner's hike. 

DISTANCE/TIME: The trail is 5.5 km round trip and took us exactly 2 hours to complete. 

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Paying the Fat Tax: Part 1

Photo courtesy of Sarah Burns

  

Paying the Fat Tax

There's no denying that I am not exactly in prime shape physically.  I know there are a lot of people who hate using the word "fat" but it is what it is. Pretending that it's anything else is exactly what got me into this situation in the first place.  I'm trying to make changes that hopefully result in a healthier lifestyle, but I still have a long road ahead of me. I thought I would share a few observations that I have made along the way from a larger perspective. 

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Valley of the Five Lakes, Jasper Alberta

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Valley of the Five Lakes, Jasper Alberta

LOCATION: Trail is located just South of Jasper, Alberta.  You can find the trailhead by following Highway 93 (towards Columbia Icefields/Banff) approximately 9km from town. 

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Moderate - I would give it about a 3/5 for difficulty. 

DISTANCE/TIME: The trail is 9km round trip, which took us around 3-4 hours to complete mainly due to us stopping to enjoy the view, taking pictures, and having lunch. 

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Bear!

The awesome thing about this picture is that I'm not using the zoom whatsoever.  I was literally this close to the bear!  I was in the safety of my husband's truck, so it was really cool to be able to see it so close (about 2 feet away).  The bear was completely unfazed by us and continued eating his dinner (some nice grass by the looks of it). 

We also saw a mama bear and her two tiny cubs on our way up to the hot springs, but they dashed into the woods before we could get a good look at them. 

Total bear count so far this year - 5.