BACK WITH JACKSON AND PEACH FOR A WHILE

POST # 34


Jackson and Peach are racing around the house this morning as I write these words and putting on an entertaining show for the housesitter who has just returned from the prairies and the previous housesit in Calgary. But before long they are both tuckered out and are now snoozing away, Jackson on the floor and Peach up on the pillow on one of the chairs in the living room. Blissfull thoughts of dog treats later from the housesitter dance through their little heads.

Today begins day one back at one of my regular housesits here in Vancouver with my dog buddies mentioned above. I have arrived a week earlier than originally planned as the owners have decided to have a four week vacation this year, which is great from my point of view, as I really have come to love these little dogs over the years that I have been taking care of them which is at least three but maybe more.

I arrived yesterday afternoon here at the house which must have been somewhat confusing for Jackson and Peach. Normally they don't see me until after the owners have left so yesterday even though they knew something was up they weren't quite sure what it was. Maybe they were thinking that they had hit the jackpot and they would now have three humans to take care of them for the rest of their lives and for a short time at least, that was the case. But as of this morning, it's just the three of us now, and so it will be for the next four weeks.

The previous 36 hours or so are a bit of a blur as I left Edmonton on Thursday evening on the Greyhound bus bound for Vancouver, a journey of around 17 hours. The bus has become my preferred form of transport at the moment and for the most part I find it enjoyable however while my leg is still not 100% it does make the longer journeys somewhat more of a challenge. For most of the trips I have been on, the bus has only been about 25% full and yesterday was no exception until we got to Chilliwack and then it was a packed house all the way from there to Vancouver. I had been given a complementary seat reservation in Edmonton for the back row of the bus which has three seats abreast, and I was glad that I had that little bit of paper with me to show others, as it allowed me to stretch out and enjoy the extra space that the last row provides. The only drawbacks are the fragrance emanating from the onboard washroom and the noise of the engine. But the extra space makes it a good tradeoff for the longer journeys. The one major stop along the way this time was at Kamloops and I had the chance to catch up with a friend who now lives there, for about an hour which was great.

So now I am settled back in here in Vancouver with Jackson and Peach and they don't realize it yet, however they will be seeing a lot more of me this time than on previous housesits. With my limited mobility at the moment, it's easier to just stay at home and I am quite sure that they will be ok with that arrangement. I did take them out for a walk last night, just to test out my leg and even though we moved along at a slower pace than normal, it all seemed to go pretty well. In fact from a dog's nose point of view, it was a tremendous success, as the slower pace allowed those two little noses to sniff up a storm all along the way. Jackson and Peach will be happy about that, and I am grateful for the chance to use each walk to help rehabilitate my right leg.

So from where I sit at the moment, things are looking pretty good for the next four weeks. I've got my dog buddies to keep me company and help me exercise my leg, and they have me to spoil them with attention for the next little while so it should be a good match. As I come to the end of this rather short blog, Peach is still curled up on the pillow dreaming of dog treats and Jackson is currently licking my toes which is something he seems to do rather well. He is particularly focussed on my right foot, so maybe this is his way of helping with my rehab. Or more likely it's the wonderful fragrance left over from my running shoe, that only a dog could appreciate. Whatever it is, it's nice to have the both of them around and I am very much looking forward to the next four weeks with my dog buddies Jackson and Peach.

Until next week then.
Happy Trails

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer