(TW: Strong Emotions, Imposter Syndrome?)
Wow. Okay.
So, here we go, and please bear with me because imposter syndrome has been riding me like a hobby horse from the moment, I decided that I was going to start writing for this blog again. The last time that I wrote anything for this blog was back in February, and even then, I’m pretty sure it was obvious that my heart just wasn’t in it. I was in a very dark place mentally, and I just didn’t have it in me to keep going.
So, here’s a quick recap, I guess?
Spring is here in Illinois, and in full swing. Summer isn’t too far behind, we’ve already gotten a couple of really hot days, which, unfortunately, weren’t great for my medical issues. In April, we were finally able to get another vehicle after 210-days of needing to either rely on friends, family, Uber, or similar services. Just the thought of being with a car again for nearly 2 months feels surreal. Is it the newest car? No. Is it the nicest car? No. But do you know what it is? Ours. And we love her dearly.
In other news, family friend [thought at this point he feels more like an uncle to us] wound up going all out for us this year- tearing out Grandma’s rotten garden from years prior, and building us beautiful new raised beds, which leads me into a brand-new hobby. Have I ever been interested in gardening before? No. But, within the next week, I will have cherry tomatoes ready for harvest, and that in and of itself is incredibly exciting. [We’ve already had some beautiful, fresh strawberries, and purple flowering chives that we got to harvest this year!]
We’ve made pickles, chive vinegar, and when our berry harvest is bigger, we’ll be making some kind of dessert with all of the fresh, homegrown strawberries that we’ve grown. As someone with a tomato obsession, having fresh tomatoes at my disposal will be so good for me! I won’t need to worry about pesticides, or genetic engineering, or any of that other weird stuff they do to plants nowadays. Not to mention the zucchini, bell peppers, peas, green beans, etc. that we’re also growing!
So, chances are, garden content is coming! Including the things we make with all of our fresh produce, canning [because I’d love to learn] and more. I do a lot of cooking and baking- I don’t get much choice, and although there are days where I might feel like I’d rather die, it’s something I genuinely love and would love to talk more about.
I’ll leave before and after pictures right about here. ->
As if that wasn’t a big enough project/ challenge to take on in 2024, we wound up adopting a female Australian Cattle Dog, named Luna from someone giving her away near Chicago. She is less than a year old, and shows immense potential for service work, so she will be acting as my service dog in training- which is also exciting. Lulu came home on May 11th, and in that amount of time we have learned a lot.
Which yet again, leads me to a new hobby, sort of. We are owner training Luna to be a service dog. Some of the things we’d like for her to learn, or she’s shown a natural affinity for, are alerting to my POTS flares, migraines, and picking up dropped objects. She’s also very strong for a blue heeler- it’s that wild dingo in her history, I’m sure of it- so we may also do some door opening down the line.
I’ll leave some pictures of her right here. ->
So far, her and Bear are learning to cohabitate. After 10-years of being an “only child” he’s turned into something of a spoiled brat but, even so I know he’s loving having her around. In the past month, he’s taught Luna some important things like how to be a “potato” and relax. He also taught her how to catch flies [he loves catching the “sky raisins”] as well as teaching her to stay the heck away from the rats, sugar gliders, and the hedgehog. She’s learning.
I hope you’re looking forward to some doggy updates, and service dog content about our owner training journey because it is on its way! You can also find out more about our service dog training, pictures of the pups, and just general updates over on their Instagram @AdventuresOfBearnLuna. It may sound silly but, every day I go on Facebook or Google Photos, and they’re always trying to show me “On this Day…” posts about mom, grandma, Pip, or the dogs, or even Angel, and I love having those to look back on. We’re making memories because, someday Bear won’t be here anymore [he’s 10-years old now] and being able to see his face in my memories will help heal my broken heart.
I guarantee you that there’s a lot I’m forgetting. I know there is, actually.
For example, I had the DRG in my back removed back in March because let’s face it… it wasn’t working. Everything about it was wrong and going wrong. I kept getting zapped at random, and it caused me more pain than necessary, made it hard for me to sleep, etc. These are all things that I’ll also post about, and talk about because, they’re all very real, valid parts of my journey as someone with CRPS, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, ADHD, Autism, and more.
But I think that’s enough for now, don’t you?
Until next time.
-Sky.
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