A ROOM WITH A VIEW AND A DAY TO REMEMBER

POST #6
A ROOM WITH A VIEW
As the sun rises over the harbour, I sit here on the second floor of a house that was built in 1905 and take in the view that surrounds me. How lucky am I to be given the opportunity to housesit here. Back in 1905 this would have been a very different place than now, and I wonder what the thoughts were of the people who lived here then?
On a late November morning in 1905 I imagine that one of the thoughts at the forefront of anyone living here was how to keep the house warm. I am living in an area that was one of the big coal mining locations in BC back then, and no doubt at this time of the day someone would have put a few lumps of coal in the stove to heat the place. All I do in 2011, is turn a dial and the heat is produced as if by magic. How soft our lives have become since 1905.
I peek out the window over the top of my computer screen and I have a commanding view of Gabriola island, which is just a short ferry ride away. In 1905 there might have been a few small boats crossing the channel to what would have been a very sparsly populated island. Maybe even the owner of this house was thinking how someday it would be nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of busy Nanaimo and settle on Gabriola. Or maybe, as already stated, they were just thinking about keeping warm.
If I wander over to the north end of the house going through the kitchen and dining room I come to the main living area. A bay window provides an extensive view from south to north, and two other islands, Protection, and Newcastle island come in to view. The bay window area is also where the queen of the house spends a big part of her day. Her name is Myrtle, and on a morning like this one, with the sun streaming through the window, and having just come back from her morning walk she has assumed the position, lying stretched out on her feather pillows keeping an eye on all the goings on in the neighbourhood, that is, at least when she isn't snoozing away. She wouldn't want to hear this but she seems to act more catlike than doglike. Once she is up on her perch, she's happy to just sleep a big portion of the day away, no doubt storing up energy for the next walk her new dogsitter will take her on. Ah, what a life she has. Tomorrow will mark a week since my arrival and Myrtle has already managed to work her way into my heart. We have a couple more weeks together and the bond will only get stronger as the time passes. Of course the fact that I take her for plenty of walks and then give her treats when she gets home also helps her to think that I am worth her time.
Myrtle and I could easily spend hours right here at the window, just watching the world go by, and on the rainy days that is exactly what we have done. But todays sunshine will beckon us to spend as much time outdoors as possible and we'll both be happy as a result. Over the next two weeks I expect Myrtle will be teaching me a thing or two, and I will be a wiser human as a result.
The view takes in the surrounding neighbourhood and the majority of the houses are of an older vintage, mostly single storey and very modest in size. Again I am struck by how little space people really thought they needed back then, as I mentioned in an earlier blog. The bigger the house, the more it cost to heat in the winter, and even though the area here was abundant in coal, it would have been an expense that quite probably constituted a large portion of the daily budget.
I wonder if in the not too distant future, people will be having to pay more attention to the cost of their heating bills? When that time comes, smaller will equal better.
As my time passes here, I look forward to exploring more of the community with my four legged mate, Myrtle.

A DAY TO REMEMBER
I think of him only from time to time now, however on November 28th each year, I think of him the most. The man I am talking about was my dad, and today if he were still alive he would have been celebrating his 95th birthday. Sadly he only made it to the age of 67, and so much has gone on since his passing, I wonder how he would have viewed the world in 2011? How does anyone at 95 view the world? By that age, I imagine that life boils down to just a few simple things, to keep the wheels turning just one more day at a time.
Time has allowed me to forget most of the moments that dad and I disagreed on things, however as I write these words I am reminded of a dinner table conversation between us that had us defending each others "rightness" so much that it made my dear mother start crying and through her tears telling us to "just stop". It was the first of only two times in my entire life that I saw my mom cry. The other time was the day my dad died. And writing these words now, is bringing a tear to my eyes all these years later. And when I try to think about what we were arguing about, I can't. And yet at the time, it just seemed so important.
But all in all, as far as father and son relationships go, ours was pretty damn good when I take in the big picture. Sure we had our disagreements, as most father/sons do, but in the greater scheme of things I count myself very fortunate to have had him as a father, and of course I didn't appreciate him as much as I did until after he was gone. My tears flowed just as my mother's did, the day he died.

He loved me and taught me a good set of values and for that I will be thankful for the rest of my life. He's long gone, but certainly not forgotten, and so as I wind this blog up and get ready to take Queen Myrtle out for her second walk of the day, I'll use that time to think about dad, and talk to Myrtle about him. Maybe she can give me some advice on how to deal with my feelings today. Dogs are pretty smart you know.

Back again on December 7th.
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer