Abby Smiles (they/them)
LightNews LightNews
banner
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
Abby Smiles (they/them)
@abigail-smiles.bsky.social
77 followers 97 following 91 posts
Doctor of audiology 🦻🏾cat, fish, plant, and tarantula parent 🐈‍⬛🐟🪴🕷️ Queer, non-binary, and proudly autistic 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ residing on so-called “Vancouver Island” 🌲 my posts = my own views
Posts Replies Media Videos
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
Garden update: all 3 tomatoes have started to bloom!
A cluster of bright yellow tomato blossoms
June 9, 2025 at 4:49 AM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
I’ve been wanting to plant a little garden on our balcony and the weather this weekend was finally nice enough for me to make it happen!
A variety of planters on Abby’s condo balcony. Plants include marigolds, nasturtiums, strawberries, a miniature rose, tomatoes, and peppers.
May 5, 2025 at 4:00 AM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
The camas flowers are in bloom! I love this time of year.
The sunset illuminates a lush green meadow that is punctuated with many purple camas blossoms. Past the meadow, a sliver of the Juan de Fuca Straight reflect the golden light from the setting sun.
April 27, 2025 at 4:39 PM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
Two amazing finds at the garden centre today for under $30 each:

1. A good-sized pink princess philodendron (sooo glad pandemic houseplant prices have come down 😅)

2. A VERY lush hoya curtisii! I love all of the little leaves!
A pink princess philodendron: large dark-green leaves with splotches of pink variegation A Hoya curtisii: little spade-shaped leaves with tiny silver splotches. The leaves grow in a vining habit; many long strands of leaves hang over the side of the pot
April 7, 2025 at 3:50 AM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
This is an extremely Canadian photo
A lone Canada goose sits in the green lawn of the BC legislature building. A large Canadian flag is hung over the entrance to the building.
April 1, 2025 at 5:38 PM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
Harriet decided that she was going to hang out on my hand while I was changing her substrate (she chose to climb on my hand by herself, handling is generally not recommended as it can be stressful for the spider!) She’s such a chill little sweetheart.
A palm-sized Chaco golden knee tarantula sits on Abby’s outstretched gloved hand
March 27, 2025 at 3:59 PM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
It’s so nice to be free from a toxic work environment and I’m already noticing that I have so much more energy! Also, here is some cute moss that is growing on the gate to my condo building that made me smile.
Some fluffy green moss grows on top of a grey stone fence post
March 26, 2025 at 4:03 PM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
Looooooove cherry blossom season 🌸🌸🌸
A tree full of bright pink blossoms
March 24, 2025 at 4:31 PM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
Tomorrow is my last day at my clinic. Today, my last patient told me that she was so glad she got to meet me and that she’s going to miss me when I leave. This is the right move for me, but it’s going to be tough.
A screen grab of Michael Scott from The Office. The subtitles read “we’ll, this is gonna hurt like a mother[bleep]
March 21, 2025 at 3:32 AM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
Today’s colourful haul from the Victoria Lapidary and Mineral Society’s spring show! There were so many gorgeous specimens; it was hard to choose just these four!
March 16, 2025 at 9:41 PM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
I just came across a reddit post that I wrote 7 years ago about how burnt-out I was feeling as a speech language pathologist, and it makes me slightly emotional to read because now I AM an audiologist 🥹 (and much better at setting professional boundaries)
Sorry to ramble, I am just feeling like I’ve come to the end of my rope in this placement and I’m struggling to hold on (it’s so tempting to get on the interstate and just drive south some days haha). I’m definitely planning on checking out a different setting once I receive my CCCs, or possibly even a career change (audiology is fascinating and I honestly regret not taking that path). Does anyone have any similar experience or advice on how to practice self-care/ward off burnout when your job is so taxing?
March 13, 2025 at 1:49 AM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
Well, look who decided to make an appearance after being buried for a month 😂 Betty has moulted and grew back his (yes, he’s a boy) missing leg! Tarantulas are the WEIRDEST little friends and I can’t get enough of them.
A juvenile Arizona blonde tarantula (A. chalcodes) sits on top of a mound of dirt in his enclosure
March 10, 2025 at 6:20 AM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
🎶 I always feel like somebody’s watching’ meeeee 🎶
A black cat with large green eyes peers toward the camera through the handle of a wooden box
March 9, 2025 at 10:36 PM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
See a flower, share a flower
A photo of two bright yellow daffodil blooms; in the background is a mixture of different greenery
March 9, 2025 at 9:49 PM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
Ash is so pretty 🥹
A black cat sits on a pastel rainbow cat bed. She gazes downward with her green eyes; a single paw rests on top of a rose gold laptop computer that is covered with stickers.
March 5, 2025 at 4:48 AM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
Well that was an interesting way to be woken up this morning 😅
A screenshot of an earthquake map showing parts of Washington state and British Columbia. The epicentre of the quake is shown near the San Juan islands and a ring shows that the quake could be felt in Victoria, BC. The text reads: Magnitude 4.4 earthquake. Affected countries: United States and Canada. 10 km from Washington, USA 5:02 a.m.
March 3, 2025 at 1:16 PM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
We spent the last meeting of the Indigenous geography course that I’ve been taking at W̱MÍYEŦEN, a beautiful nature sanctuary just outside of the city. It was an excellent reminder of the ways in which our actions affect the natural world (and a good reminder of the healing power of nature!)
The silhouettes of many tall trees stretch up toward the evening sky
February 27, 2025 at 7:36 PM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
In today’s critter news, I spotted this sweet friend seeking refuge from the rain!
A little brown and white striped moth clings on to the white stucco of a building. It hunkers close to the wooden door frame to keep out of the rain.
February 22, 2025 at 12:59 AM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
In today’s critter news, I got into a staring contest with a huge squirrel in my work parking lot this morning.
A very large squirrel hangs on to the side of a cedar tree trunk; it is looking at the camera
February 19, 2025 at 5:56 PM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
I got to see one of my favourite bands in concert tonight; I HIGHLY recommend going to see Mother Mother if you ever get the chance!
The five band members from Mother Mother stand together on stage
February 19, 2025 at 7:53 AM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
I decided to practice my oboe for the first time in over a year; it felt nice.
The top of Abby’s oboe is visible in the lower right of the frame. It has a reed with dark blue thread. In the background are several houseplants in front of a window; they are soaking up the light from the bright sky. Several Beatles posters and an Ohio State University pennant are hung on the wall to the left of the window.
February 18, 2025 at 1:08 AM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
I didn’t have the spoons to post this earlier, but last Wednesday our indigenous geography class took a field trip to see the Plaskett telescope at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory! It is 106 years old and was instrumental in understanding the rotation of the Milky Way galaxy!
A very large black and white telescope points toward the night sky through an opening in an observatory dome The rounded dome of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory sits in the bottom left of the photo. Above it, many stars, including the constellation Orion, are visible in the night sky.
February 17, 2025 at 4:19 PM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
In critter news, Mochi (my giant American millipede) made a rare appearance to nibble on a piece of cucumber.
A brown millipede crawls through some leaf litter toward a piece of cucumber
February 17, 2025 at 4:04 PM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
We are holding hands 🥹
Abby’s hand rests on a blanket. They are facing a black cat, who is resting a paw on their palm
February 11, 2025 at 2:41 AM
abigail-smiles.bsky.social
What an amazing afternoon spent at Florencia Bay!
A sandy beach with a ripple pattern in the sand carved out by the waves. A forest of conifer trees sits in the background A large, black rock at the edge of a tide pool. The rock is covered in barnacles. The bottom of the rock is lined with hot pink anemones Large rocks sitting in the water at the edge of the pacific ocean. A small tree-covered island sits in the distance. A picture of a beach facing out towards the pacific ocean. Several sand bars and large rocks stick out of the water
February 10, 2025 at 4:28 AM