Nostr notes by Dave 🇨🇦 :autism: ✊

Meet Zack, Zoe's new little brother! This little guy came to ...

2026-08-24T12:52:50Z

Meet Zack, Zoe's new little brother! This little guy came to us from a local rescue where his mom and 3 littermates were found abandoned and in very rough shape.

We're foster-to-adopting him with a trial period, but I see no signs he won't settle in nicely with us.

#DogsOfMastodon #PuppyLove

Nice walk on the beach with my girl. ...

2026-08-10T00:36:27Z

Nice walk on the beach with my girl.

I have a friend who did an Autism assessment, the result of which ...

2026-07-26T22:55:34Z

I have a friend who did an Autism assessment, the result of which was, to paraphrase: If you were assessed as a child, you almost certainly would've been diagnosed with Asperger's. But you've developed sufficient coping skills to avoid being diagnosed at this point in your life.

Isn't that basically saying: yes you broke your leg, but you spent years fashioning a splint out of a log, so you can kinda walk now, so your leg isn't really broken anymore?

#ActuallyAutistic #Neurodivergent

I present this photo of Zoe with no additional commentary. #Husky ...

2026-07-24T12:23:39Z

I present this photo of Zoe with no additional commentary.

#Husky #DogsOfMastodon #Dogs

ISTG if I see one more post on social media from an American ...

2026-07-18T15:35:47Z

ISTG if I see one more post on social media from an American complaining about wildfire smoke from Canada...

It's just fucking ridiculous.

Yesterday, our dear furry child Beau went to sleep forever. When ...

2026-06-19T23:16:39Z

Yesterday, our dear furry child Beau went to sleep forever.

When Beau came into our lives during the COVID lockdowns, it was supposed to be temporary; he was a foster doggo. We picked him up, on behalf of a local rescue, from a shelter where he was going to be euthanized.

He was in rough shape: matted fur, a horrible skin infection on his belly, and a miserable ear infection that caused him to shake his head and bark trying to get the infection out. We nursed him back to health. We saved his life. When it came time to put him up for adoption, we could not say goodbye. We couldn't imagine life without Beau.

We moulded our entire life around Beau. We started calling each other Beau's mommy and daddy. When the COVID restrictions lifted, and we wanted to travel again, we realized we could not travel with Beau. He couldn't come with us, and we refused to leave him for extended periods of time. That's not fair to him to have part time parents.

We literally bought our motorhome and chose a nomadic life, instead of buying a house and staying in place, so we could travel with Beau.

Somehow, in the way we talked to him and each other, everything became Beau's.

Beau's house.
Beau's couch.
Beau's truck.
Beau's yard.

There is so much in our lives that would not have happened without Beau. We would not have found a second home in Vegas and met such great friends there. We would not have found Zoe. We would not have seen the Grand Canyon, boondocked in Utah, camped in Death Valley, or explored the forests, beaches, and mountains of the Pacific Northwest. We would not have experienced the absolutely stunning drive through the Rockies, in either Colorado or Alberta.

Beau came everywhere with us. On hikes, on road trips, on beach days. In the rare case we left him at home, we would joke and ask him if mommy and daddy forgot Beau at home.

And now, only five short years later, I realize his presence in our lives was temporary anyway. So much more temporary than I expected. I'm struggling with saying goodbye. I can't imagine life without him. How can it be Beau's house without Beau? I suppose we'll figure it out, in time.

Bye Beau. We never forgot Beau, and we will never forget Beau.

The longest I've walked in a long time. I can definitely feel ...

2026-06-06T17:10:58Z

The longest I've walked in a long time. I can definitely feel the difference. It's getting a bit easier every time I go out.

Added a few more plants to my small food garden... never really ...

2026-05-31T23:16:25Z

Added a few more plants to my small food garden... never really gardened before so we'll see how it goes!

I've got basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano, 2 tomato plants, pepperoncini, green onions, and strawberries.

Everything (except the strawberries!) for a yummy home made pasta sauce.

I built a little stand out of some scrap wood that sits between ...

2026-05-16T18:08:56Z

I built a little stand out of some scrap wood that sits between the dashboard and windshield of my RV and started a little herb garden.

Not entirely sure what I'm doing but I'll learn as I go!

Drove across the island to Ucluelet and Tofino yesterday... the ...

2026-05-10T14:59:46Z

Drove across the island to Ucluelet and Tofino yesterday... the drive is beautiful and the coast is stunning. It's a 2.5 hour drive, but I'd totally do it again to spend a whole day at Long Beach.

#VancouverIsland #BritishColumbia #Canada #PacificNorthwest #Beach

Beautiful day at the Esquimalt Lagoon. #Victoria #BritishColumbia ...

2026-04-26T19:35:06Z

Beautiful day at the Esquimalt Lagoon.

#Victoria #BritishColumbia #Canada #Beach

Absolutely gorgeous day here on the island. And it's finally ...

2026-04-06T23:24:48Z

Absolutely gorgeous day here on the island. And it's finally clear enough to see the Olympic mountains!

#VancouverIsland #Victoria #BritishColumbia #Canada

Here's an example. I'm exhausted today so I've done ...

2025-12-29T00:00:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…0pux
_________________________

Here's an example. I'm exhausted today so I've done not much other than laying on the couch watching TV and enjoying some downtime. But according to the stress graph, I've been stressed since I woke up. What gives?

I bought a second-hand Garmin watch - a Venu - and my stress ...

2025-12-28T23:56:18Z

I bought a second-hand Garmin watch - a Venu - and my stress graph indicates I'm stressed almost all day, every day, despite mostly doing relaxing low key things all week.

Folks with a Garmin smartwatch, is that normal? Apparently the only time I'm not stressed is when I'm sleeping.

Hey friends 👋 We made it to Vancouver Island in one piece, and ...

2025-11-04T14:34:50Z

Hey friends 👋

We made it to Vancouver Island in one piece, and it's gorgeous here 😍

We've been stationary for a few days. I'm in a pretty good headspace and feeling motivated again... hoping to be more active on here and reconnecting with everyone.

Nostr event nevent1qqsxdh3wr0mv0cfygm6nkv2q5sv6xtty8zjc88p0wdjdcfmqmyyk0yczyrq84nvax7udluaj72f747s4e2d2rysgqvgegrnn9dtcthqjqn3us2n2x3q

2025-08-31T17:33:04Z

#SilentSunday

Been quiet again lately... kinda tired and hyperfocusing on work ...

2025-08-21T22:53:33Z

Been quiet again lately... kinda tired and hyperfocusing on work stuff.

Back home in the RV, in our usual off grid spot in Northern Ontario. Planning to be here until the beginning of October. Not sure what's going to come next.

#RVLife #DigitalNomad #FullTimeRV

Started on this last night... took me about 5 or 6 hours across ...

2025-08-17T18:53:47Z

Started on this last night... took me about 5 or 6 hours across last night and this morning. Quite happy with it 😀

#Lego #FordBronco #Bronco #BroncoNation

Oooh, look what I found at Costco! 😀 ...

2025-08-17T15:07:07Z

Oooh, look what I found at Costco! 😀

Beach day in Grand Bend ...

2025-08-13T15:32:19Z

Beach day in Grand Bend

Hoooooome 🥰 #RVLife #FullTimeRV #DigitalNomad ...

2025-08-10T22:09:53Z

Hoooooome 🥰

#RVLife #FullTimeRV #DigitalNomad

Making good progress on this blanket. I started on Tuesday. ...

2025-07-26T22:22:22Z

Making good progress on this blanket. I started on Tuesday.

#Knitting

Finished the swatch for my first knitting project. Now I'm ...

2025-07-23T23:01:37Z

Finished the swatch for my first knitting project. Now I'm curious to measure the stitches and see how close I am to the project gauge

#Knitting

Not really sure what's happening here 😂 #Dogs ...

2025-07-22T19:29:19Z

Not really sure what's happening here 😂

#Dogs #DogsOfMastodon

My second practice project, in which I've started learning ...

2025-07-22T00:22:11Z

My second practice project, in which I've started learning the purl stitch, and realized you can somehow inadvertently duplicate stitches. I went from 30 to 46 somehow 😂

Got it back down to 30 by casting off a single stitch after every new row. So now I've got a not-quite-square cloth in the works 😃

#Knitting

My first knitting practice run 😃 Not trying to make anything ...

2025-07-20T14:17:21Z

My first knitting practice run 😃

Not trying to make anything here... just trying to get the hang of it.

How to keep a Husky busy for hours #Dogs #DogsOfMastodon #Husky ...

2025-07-18T15:52:03Z

How to keep a Husky busy for hours

#Dogs #DogsOfMastodon #Husky

Omg the host of the meetup made me a name tag and I love it ...

2025-07-12T16:17:38Z

Omg the host of the meetup made me a name tag and I love it

#ActuallyAutistic

Scrolling through pics of Zoe as a puppy and came across this ...

2025-06-27T01:40:38Z

Scrolling through pics of Zoe as a puppy and came across this gem. She has been bullying her older brother since day one 😂

#DogsOfMastodon #Dogs #Husky #GermanShepherd #Puppy

Having lived in an RV almost her entire life, Zoe doesn't ...

2025-06-27T00:40:02Z

Having lived in an RV almost her entire life, Zoe doesn't know the trauma and terror that a bath tub can bring to a dog.

If I called Beau he'd run the other way 😂

#DogsOfMastodon #Dogs #Husky

It was really windy at the dog park, but it didn't seem to ...

2025-06-25T23:45:16Z

It was really windy at the dog park, but it didn't seem to bother Mister Beau.

#DogsOfMastodon #Dogs #GermanShepherd

Volleyball playoffs tonight... packing 2 full bottles of water ...

2025-06-24T23:33:13Z

Volleyball playoffs tonight... packing 2 full bottles of water because it's still 34C/92F out at 7:30pm 🥵

Thankfully it's only one game tonight, when it's usually two.

I don't post a lot of photos here, mostly because my ADHD ...

2025-06-23T18:11:46Z

I don't post a lot of photos here, mostly because my ADHD brain scoffs at the thought of writing alt text despite my strong belief that alt text is mandatory.

But having discovered @altbot I'm going to start sharing more photos.

And so, here's Zoe being a snugglebug.

#DogsOfMastodon #Dogs #Husky

Braved the traffic and limited parking and took the dogs to the ...

2025-06-22T18:56:18Z

Braved the traffic and limited parking and took the dogs to the off leash park at Kew Beach.

It's crazy hot today (45C with the humidex) but there was a cool breeze blowing off the lake that cooled it down and made it more comfortable.

Beau and Zoe had a blast playing with all kinds of new friends, and Beau, as usual, entertained himself howling and barking at the waves.

Nothing is quite as relaxing as this 🥰 ...

2025-06-20T21:53:23Z

Nothing is quite as relaxing as this 🥰

@npub10v4…s27h @npub148j…ucy6 I was just talking to a ...

2025-06-08T18:46:33Z

ActuallyAutistic group (npub10v4…s27h) actuallyadhd group (npub148j…ucy6) I was just talking to a neurodivergent friend of mine. We both realized we had a history of chronic otitis media as kids... I did some digging and apparently there's been some research on it that suggests a link between chronic recurring otitis media and hyperactivity, ADHD and/or Autism, which is intriguing to me.

I'm curious about the community here and your experiences. Did you have recurring ear infections as a kid?

#ActuallyAutistic #ADHD #AuDHD #Neurodivergent

So fucking overwhelmed and stressed today. But also really proud ...

2025-05-30T21:18:28Z

So fucking overwhelmed and stressed today.

But also really proud of myself for identifying my feelings and communicating then in a stressful moment.

I had to do a stress echocardiogram test today. The technician explained the procedure at the beginning, but I was already feeling overwhelmed from dealing with a stressful situation right before the appointment so I didn't catch everything she said.

All of a sudden she's like "okay we're going to put in the IV now" and my brain went NOPE YOU'RE NOT

Getting blood drawn is incredibly stressful for me. I need time to emotionally prepare and time to recover afterward. The last time I had an IV put in, I almost blacked out.

There was no way I could deal with a surprise IV given all the other stimulation of the day.

So I spoke up. I spoke up without feeling guilty or ashamed or like my feelings were invalid. I told them I didn't think I could handle the IV right now. I asked if there was any way to do it without the IV. They said they could but the ultrasound might not be as clear.

So I did it without the IV.

I feel proud of myself for speaking up, for trusting my feelings, and for communicating them quickly. I've spent my whole life powering through stressful and overwhelming situations, believing I had no choice. But I have a choice.

#ActuallyAutistic #Neurodivergent #ADHD #AuDHD

This about sums up the current state of affairs. ...

2025-03-06T04:11:21Z

This about sums up the current state of affairs.

Over the last six weeks, I have watched Dexter, Dexter:New Blood, ...

2025-03-02T01:21:27Z

Over the last six weeks, I have watched Dexter, Dexter:New Blood, and I'm now 3 episodes in to Dexter: Original Sin.

Going to have some serious withdrawal when it's over.

I love that your clock came with a user manual. @npub1lq6…nf7e

2024-12-31T18:40:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…9tjk
_________________________

I love that your clock came with a user manual.

Lauren Weinstein (npub1lq6…nf7e)

I love the #ActuallyAutistic community I've found here. This ...

2024-12-31T00:04:22Z

I love the #ActuallyAutistic community I've found here. This is a space where I feel safer than I've ever felt online.

But I still find myself expending significant energy rethinking, editing, overthinking, and imagining all the ways a post I write could be judged, criticized, taken the wrong way, or otherwise winding up with me feeling like I fucked up or misread a situation or said something wrong.

Sigh. No wonder I struggle to connect with people. There's very few people in the world that I speak openly and freely with, without that self-censorship and anxiety of being misinterpreted.

Maybe 2025 is the year I throw caution to the wind and just start saying what I want to say. And if I say something wrong accidentally, then I'm happy to own my mistakes and I can learn to cope with making them.

Seeking an official diagnosis is a very personal and subjective ...

2024-11-23T21:42:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…n3z5
_________________________

Seeking an official diagnosis is a very personal and subjective decision.

The biggest reason you'd seek a diagnosis is to access support, assistance and accommodations that can only be accessed with a diagnosis.

There's other personal reasons people seek a diagnosis, but support and accommodations is definitely the biggest and most impactful one.

For me personally - 18 months into discovering I'm Autistic - my support needs are such that I don't feel I need a diagnosis. In the early days, I felt like it might validate my feelings and confirm my beliefs, but just spending time in Autistic communities satisfied that for me.

ActuallyAutistic group (npub10v4…s27h)

A couple of photos of our explorations in #Arizona yesterday. ...

2024-11-23T14:35:09Z

A couple of photos of our explorations in #Arizona yesterday.

Stopped at the Eagles tribute in Winslow, the Meteor Crater, and a lookout over the Painted Desert.

#DigitalNomad #RVLife #Travel

I have to go get a kidney and pelvis ultrasound tomorrow, which ...

2024-11-14T19:31:13Z

I have to go get a kidney and pelvis ultrasound tomorrow, which involves drinking a liter of water an hour ahead of time, then having to hold my bladder.

That doesn't sound fun.

Re-reading this post from last night and it's coming across ...

2024-11-12T10:59:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…wgtz
_________________________

Re-reading this post from last night and it's coming across as internalized ableism.

"I need to start taking diet and exercise a bit more seriously."

I've done Keto, Starting Strength, Insanity, Couch to 5K, several yoga programs, and a few other various cardio and strength training programs over the years.

I've gone through phases of reducing my junk food intake and only having a sugary treat on Saturdays. I've gone bike riding, swimming, played volleyball and softball.

I'm not sure my problem is a lack of seriousness, commitment, or determination.

My problem is - like almost everything else in my life - I have a really hard time sticking to anything consistently.

I've read all the habit forming books. I've tried all the habit forming methods. Nothing has ever stuck.

It's not time to take diet and exercise more seriously... because that's not the problem. It's time to find a way to make diet and exercise work for me, taking into account that I'm Autistic and that I have different needs

#ActuallyAutistic

Got my latest bloodwork back... surprise surprise, my uric acid ...

2024-11-11T23:58:47Z

Got my latest bloodwork back... surprise surprise, my uric acid is high. Hence, gout.

The doctor initially wanted me to make lifestyle changes rather than put me on medication, but I told him I don't have the lifestyle risk factors. I don't eat a lot of red meat, shellfish, or alcohol. I do have a family history of gout though.

My cholesterol is a bit high too. Guess I need to start taking diet and exercise a bit more seriously.

At the recommendation of my daughter in law - who is also ...

2024-10-28T23:41:28Z

At the recommendation of my daughter in law - who is also Autistic - I've started colouring while listening to my usual downtime comfort music.

I'm finding it very relaxing and meditative, and possibly more regulating than my usual approach of laying quietly in darkness.

it gives my brain something to focus on that doesn't require a lot of energy, whereas sometimes, when trying to lay quietly, I struggle to calm my brain because it's obsessing and fixating on whatever.

#ActuallyAutistic

@npub10v4…s27h Who has - or has tried - to start and maintain a ...

2024-10-22T11:33:30Z

ActuallyAutistic group (npub10v4…s27h)

Who has - or has tried - to start and maintain a physical activity routine?

I'm curious to hear your experience with it and how it impacted your energy.

I've tried various routines over the years... the most poignant one that leads to my question is the last time I tried Couch to 5k. I got to week 5 and found it just completely wrecked me - I had zero energy to do anything and felt deeply exhausted all the time.

In retrospect, I'm curious if it's a common thing with Autistic folks, because I was shocked to hear people talking about feeling "energized" and "invigorated" by doing c25k.

I can't say I've ever felt energized doing physical activity.

#ActuallyAutistic #AskingAutistics