+ I had planned to write a Labor Day Weekend recap, but honestly, there wasn’t much to recap (because we didn’t do anything exciting, besides enjoying a very laid-back weekend), so the few little highlights I will mention here.
+ It was super-smoky/hazy in Sacramento last weekend, mostly due to the wildfires around the state, and on top of that we were still in the middle of a heat wave. Except for running the usual errands on Saturday and my long run Sunday morning, I tried to stay indoors and stay cool.
+ I did stop by the Fleet Feet Labor Day Sale on Saturday though hoping for a steal on some new marked down running shoes, but no such luck. I stocked up on some Nuun and Honeystinger Waffles instead and got some 50% arm warmers for the fall (whenever fall decides to show up around here).
+ On Sunday, I found a baby squirrel on my long run. I didn’t want to put a picture here (the newborns look pretty fragile), but if you want to know what they look like… don’t you agree that they almost look like little puppies? Its eyes were closed and it didn’t have much fur to speak of yet, it could have only been a few days old, but it was breathing and trying to move around. No Mama-Squirrel was nearby. I knew that I couldn’t just leave it there to die (I think I have watched one too many episodes of Bandit Patrol), but I also didn’t have anything with me to pick it up and I was pretty much halfway out from my run, so I decided to finish my run and then come back with the car and a cardboard box to rescue the baby squirrel. I knew I was taking a chance of it dying in the meantime, but what could I have done? Sadly, when I returned about 35 minutes later, it had indeed died and I am so heartbroken. I wish there was something I could have done, but I don’t think it would have made it either way.
When I told my Mom, she laughed and reminded me that as a kid, I had always picked up animals and birds in the woods behind our neighborhood and took them to our vet next door. No surprise that I wanted to become a vet for a long time. Have you ever rescued a wild animal? Did it survive?
+ I haven’t been very creative lately, but in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, I designed some #texasstrong cards for my Etsy shop. My friend Dina, the other half of our shop, lives in Houston and while she was lucky that she didn’t have to evacuate, my heart breaks for her city. All proceeds will go towards Texas flood relief efforts.
+ I had a pretty rough night on Monday. Do you ever lie awake and think about all the things happening in the world? The what-ifs in your life? I think about events that (apparently) I still haven’t completely let go off. I think about things that I wish were different. Man, I hate when I do that. I mean, why? It made me feel awful and I tossed and turned the rest of the night. Let’s just say that the next morning I didn’t feel exactly rested and I had an early morning workout on my schedule. At least, running my heart out made me feel normal again.
I am linking up with Amanda from Running with Spoons for Thinking out Loud again.
Terra
September 7, 2017 at 11:22 amPoor little squirrel! It seems so late in the season for babies to be being born, but I guess I don’t really know how squirrels and their birthing patterns work. I always picked up injured animals when I was a kid. I’d find snakes that had gotten hit with a lawn mower and bring them home for them to heal, and we had flying squirrels in our attic that the cat attacked that we nursed back to health. And birds. A lot of baby birds that fell from nests. We had a blue bird for several years, actually. He was a very good bird.
san
September 8, 2017 at 8:30 amWow, you’re much more dedicated than me… I wouldn’t have picked up any snakes, haha, but birds. Always birds.
marie
September 7, 2017 at 1:15 pmI have those sleepless nights that you speak of. They truly do suck. Something that has helped me in the past to try and rest my mind is yoga breathing. I just get out of bed and into our living room and do some breathing exercises to try and calm my mind. It works sometimes and helps to relax. Might want to give it a try.
That’s so awesome you guys made those cards. They look lovely and you have the best and biggest, warmest heart. Really do hope the fires all along the west coast get under control. It’s been heartbreaking along with the destruction both hurricane Harvey and Irma have thus far caused.
san
September 8, 2017 at 8:33 amI am usually a very good sleeper, I don’t have problems with insomnia at all, only once in a while. But that you for the suggestions… yoga breathing is a good technique!
I really do hope that things slow down natural-desaster-wise soon… I mean, on top of the wildfires and hurricanes, we know also have an earthquake in Mexico. The world is angry!
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
September 7, 2017 at 1:27 pmI struggle with sleepless nights, too, and had one on Monday. I attribute my sleepless night to being on steroids, though, as they make it so hard to sleep. I was awake until 1 am so was exhausted on Tuesday and felt like a zombie in the afternoon.
We basically have a squirrel circus in our backyard. They must have a nest in our tree or something. I have never seen so many squirrels in one place. So I don’t have a lot of sympathy/compassion for squirrels because they make a mess in our yard (they dig up the grass in areas) and they ate the basil I tried to plant last year! I know I sound heartless when I say I don’t have sympathy for them but there are just a ridiculous number of them in our yard!!
san
September 8, 2017 at 8:35 amI know you struggle with insomnia and every time I have one of those restless nights, I think of you because I know you deal with this much more frequently. I am usually such a good sleeper, but I have a hard time quieting my mind sometimes when there is so much going on.
I can definitey see how your attitude towards squirrels is a littler harsher than mine, when you have a squirrel family living in your yard. ;)
Hazel @ hazearella
September 7, 2017 at 2:16 pmPoor baby! It’s heartbreaking to know that no matter what your efforts are sometimes they just don’t make it. It sucks not knowing how long ago they were left behind or what has happened also. Your heart is in the right place; I would had felt really bad had it happened to me even knowing there was no way the baby would had made it.
I do hope that the wildfires stop soon, one thing I don’t miss about summers in Cali! With all these natural disasters going around it’s hard to stay motivated and positive sometimes.
san
September 8, 2017 at 8:36 amYeah, I wish I could have done something for the baby animal, but sometimes it’s just not meant to be
I also hope that all the wildfires, storms and earthquakres stop soon. We’ve had enough for a while.
Kimberly G
September 8, 2017 at 8:39 amAwwe, poor baby squirrel. I’ve never seen a baby squirrel or a run before.
I love the cards that you made for your Etsy shop.