The End of Another Summer 2025
Hello and welcome! You will have to forgive me. I just finished a course/book called The Artist’s Way , by Julia Cameron. It was a 12 week course and I’ve been writing blogs on the course material literally for the past twelve weeks. It has been awhile since I’ve written a “normal” blog.
At the time of writing (October 8, 2025) we have been going through some changes and weird times. By the time this article posts, the issues may have resolved and everything may be back to normal.
However currently, we have two strikes happening at the same time in my hometown province of Alberta, Canada. First, the national mail carrier, Canada Post went on strike. This is a pain point that many of us have not forgotten since the year before - in November 2024, we experienced the first one. For a small business owner such as myself, this is indeed a difficult time, especially as this is the most busy time on Etsy.
The second strike is happening in Alberta Public schools. All the teachers are striking because for years, they’ve had large class sizes, more and more responsibility without a sizeable increase in pay. Our schools are overcrowded and it is really hard to teach a class with students with disabilities without help from teachers aids and the necessary resources.
Personally, I’m feeling a bit of claustrophobia in this madness. I feel the same feelings that I had during Covid and it’s not sitting well with me. I think it stems from a feeling of not being in control. With our current situation, there’s really nothing I can do to change it. As a matter of fact, the Alberta Teachers Association sent out some guidelines and resources to help parents with their kids mental health.
I am lucky enough to be already working at home and looking after my kids without having to pay for additional out of school care. But what about all the other parents who can’t? On top of that, we’re also worrying about our children losing out on their education that is a right for them to have. One day, two days, a week, a month…it doesn’t matter; all of the days are important.
So despite starting out this blog on a negative vibe (sorry folks, just being honest and telling you how it is), things have been going ok otherwise. At the start of the fall season - I guess the start of September, I was really looking forward for fall to start. I was more excited really about the fall planning. The seasonal stickers at this time of year are especially pretty and vibrant, and it just soothes the soul.
As the season has progressed and the days have gotten colder (remember, where I live, we have high seasonal changes: at the height of summer, we can get as high as 45 degree Celsius ( 113 degree Fahrenheit) and winter one year, a recorded temperature at our airport was -65 degree Decius (-85 degree Fahrenheit). Yes, you heard me - and I only live in Alberta. It gets worse the more North you go!
The nights are now dark as early as 7pm, and at the start of October, I was feeling all warm and cozy when the furnace kicked on. (We experience a rare moment in time when our natural gas bills are lowest - at the end of the air conditioning season, but before the furnace kicks in!) Trust me, that time frame is not very long!
Now, thinking ahead to the long nights and the short days, a chill goes down my spine at all the snow I’m going to have to shovel off our newly designed sidewalks. (Don’t even let me start on the new “neighborhood design” that took away all the street parking and made the area tight and congested with traffic. (We have three schools on our road and my four minute commute to my kids school turned into a 15 minute commute since the transition).
I usually slip into major work mode as soon as the temperatures decrease, but I have been very distracted lately. I do notice that it’s easier for me to lose focus and start watching shorts or Facebook videos. My husband has to remind me that I’m supposed to be working as I send him the 10th funny cat video of the day.
I do think the loss of my dog on August 1, 2025 has had a profound impact on my thoughts and daily efforts of keeping our household running. I knew things would never be the same without her and I was right. She was my best friend - the one person in my life that truly knew and understood me. She was my familiar, my best friend, my cuddle buddy. She was mine and no one else mattered. I am kind of a mess without her.
However, all we can do is move forward - that’s all I know. I may be taking baby steps right now, and that’s ok. We’ll get through this storm too. We will have another summer to look forward to and more warm days to play out in the sunshine.
On that note, thanks for reading to the end of my lament. Let us hope that our current situation improves quickly (especially with the kids going back to a learning environment), and that we can snuggle in with a good book while the cold nights blow themselves away!
❤️ Sandra
