Dancing Chicken Lipton Version

ok. let me explain . . . 

When I was a child I always loved animals. Least to say, I was determined to be a vet when I grew up. When I turned 18 and the depression hit, I lost all vision of anything to do with nature or animals since the only thing that occupied my mind was getting by. Although, luckily for me I was already enrolled into zoology at the University of Guelph for the coming year so there was something there to remind me. Something to pull me back up into the world of science and animals. 

(Above Picture: Is that not the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?)

Loving animals hasn't always been the same thing as loving nature for me. I loved animals but my family was never the outdoors type of people. Other than the collecting of snails and worms with my neighbourhood friends, I never really had a chance to see animals in their natural habitats. My experiences with animals were limited to house hold pets such as hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, and birds. 

(Above Picture: Taken in my backyard. My guinea pigs, Luna and Molly)

It was only when I started university that I began to have a true appreciation for nature. My family began to do more outdoorsy activities, I was taken out to the dairy bush for one of my first seminars in first year, and I began to look at animals in their natural habitats. How amazing is that? I spent almost 18 years not realising my love for animals did not have to be confined to owning them as a pet. I could appreciate an animal and everything it chooses to live around!

(Above Picture: Taken in my backyard. Spot the Leopard frog.)

A lot of my summer this year was spent in my backyard, which is in its own category of nature, with my family. I also spent my time on a boat in the middle of lakes, seeing if I could spot any fish in the water or just laying back and staring at the sky. I put a lot of emphasis on the animals around me, only because that is the natural thing for me to do when speaking of nature, though I love trees and slightly unruly looking areas of land. My family jokes about our backyard being a forest and says how we have to take more care in removing the unwanted plants, though I love the unruliness of my backyard and I especially love finding little critters running around enjoying said unruliness. 

(Above Picture: Taken at Bayfront Lake in Hamilton. Out on the boat in the middle of the lake.)

(Above Picture: Taken at Bayfront Lake in Hamilton. Standing on one of the docks.)

(Above Picture: Taken from my balcony. My backyard and all its trees. More trees are hidden behind these trees...)

I am really happy to say that my relationship with nature at the moment is the best its ever been! I am also overjoyed to say my family are finally outdoorsy people because it makes us more happy and a lot more relaxed (also extremely tired which helps in the whole relaxed department). I’ve finally realised that nature and wildlife can pick me up during the times I’m feeling down, and I think that will make me that much more content in the future. 

Thank you for checking out my blog! Please feel free to leave me a comment! 

(Above Picture: Taken at Shade’s Mill. The sunset over the lake.)

My Weekly Recommendation:

Shade’s Mill Conservation Area: This is one of my families favourite spots to go kayaking and boating. Its quiet and absolutely beautiful during sunset time. The park area has great spots to hike and the sitting area is full of trees, which is great for shade from the sun. There is a spot to go swimming and an area to launch a boat of any kind. In all, this area is amazing for people of any outdoor interest. 

Address: 450 Avenue Rd, Cambridge, ON N1R 5S4

Do you ever feel like you’re up late working, stressed, wired, and then can’t fall asleep until the early hours of the morning? Maybe it’s time to revamp your nighttime routine! Here are some tips on winding down at night and waking up rested and energized!

1.       Shut it Off Our electronics are often a form of stimulation. How many times have you laid in bed on your phone and then all the sudden 2 hours has gone by? Our electronics emit blue light which activates the “wake up” areas of our brain and prevents us from feeling sleepy. Try shutting off all electronics and bright lights an hour before you go to sleep. If you must use electronics, try blue-light blocking aps light Twilight for cellphones and f.lux for laptops.

2.       Journal that Stress Away Are you stressed about all the things you have to do? Are you feeling angry? Sad? Excited? Happy? Write it down! Journaling helps you get all your thoughts out so your mind isn’t racing into the late hours of the night. It is also useful to make a “to-do list” for the next day so you’re not stressing yourself out hoping you’ll remember what needs to be done.

3.       Don’t Hate, Meditate Meditating before bed is another great way to clear your mind and relax before catching some Z’s. Feeling your breath move up and down your body, cleansing your cells will put you in a dream-like state.

Hi everyone! 

I believe my current relationship with nature is nothing less than very strong. When I was younger, I always felt very connected with nature, but as I grew older I unfortunately felt that connection slowly fade away. Especially during quarantine, when everyone was stuck in their houses with little to do, I could not have felt more isolated from the world, especially nature. However back in 2021, my mom influenced me to start going on walks. They would usually not last a long time, nothing more than 25 minutes. But as time went on I started to feel like I was gaining back my connection with nature, started to go on longer walks, and felt much more at peace than I had in a long time. I know it may sound corny, but I truly think the act of walking two or three times a week surrounded by nature really changed my perspective on things. It was as if all the problems that I seemed to have just paused for 30 minutes while I was walking. And if they didn't pause because I just couldn't get them out of my mind, it would give me time to reflect on them. Sometimes just sitting on a bench and looking up at the clouds made me feel like all my problems were so small because of just how big the world really is! Thinking like this has really helped me change my view of the world. Sometimes though, it can be tough to go on walks, specifically in the coldness of the winter season. That is why I love the summertime so much because there is so much greenery and colour in every plant, flower, or tree you see! The sensory experiences like the smells of the different types of flowers, the sounds of birds, squirrels, bees or any kind of animal, and even the warmth of the sun hitting my skin, all of those things brought me so much happiness. 

My family, especially my mother, has been a major factor in helping me grow to appreciate nature and feel my sense of place. My perspective on the world has been influenced by her own passion for the outdoors and her constant encouragement to go on adventures. She would often talk about her upbringing, spending time outside, and how being in nature always brought her a sense of serenity. Her bond with nature and everything that it brings really made me want to experience those memories with her. She was the one who got me to go on walks in the first place and many times during our walks together, she would often attract my attention to details I had missed the previous time, such a certain flower or a bird's call. 

Overall I would say my connection and relationship with nature is always changing and growing and I cant wait to see how it evolves!

Thanks for reading :)

My current relationship with nature is very strong. I love going on hikes, swimming, and watching wildlife. I worked on a bull farm for the past three summers, as that may not seem like a very integral part of nature, I believe that it taught me a lot about how nature is unpredictable and not always fair, but also taught me to love and appreciate it anyway. I also live on a large plot of land with a little farm on it. As a kid, and through my growth into an adult I have found that no matter what chaos is going on in my life, the farm and my home is always the space that gives me a sense of place. As a kid I was outside a lot. My parents are very outdoorsy people but are also home bodies, this meant that most of my memories with nature are from my own backyard. Chipping wood with my dad, riding horses with my mom, and going on walks through the woods with my brother and friends, connected me to nature in ways that I never noticed until I began to look back. When going back home for reading week, summer break or Christmas break over the course of my undergraduate degree, I have realized that our farm is my sense of place. I have countless memories and feelings towards the smallest structures and areas on the farm. I remember climbing the fences to reach the apples on the apple trees that grow in the yard, staring at the stars with my mom in the barn yard because there was almost no light pollution so we could see so many stars, and skating on the pond in the back field when it got cold enough. When people visit my farm, they are always amazed by the horses, donkeys, ducks, or the tractors and machinery we have. The things that they don’t know is that there are so many special characteristics that gives each pond, tree branch or funny looking rock a bigger story that only I will understand the full effect of. With this, I owe my sense of place solely to my parents. My mother and fathers ability to create a space and a home that allowed for me to use my creativity and connect with nature would not be the same had they not bought a farm and taught me how to enjoy being outside I would not feel a sense of peace when looking for Orion’s Belt in the stars or the sense of joy I get from eating an apple from a tree that I picked myself.