POST # 39
It's late in the afternoon on blog day and finally the Thoughtful Wanderer has a moment to sit in front of the computer and scratch out a few brief thoughts, and I will be brief because I am on the clock right now on this terminal.
So, due to unforeseen circumstances, I am housesit free at the moment and may just be this way until October 1st. But hey, that's OK because I look upon this time now as "vacation" time for Mr. Petsitter. Almost 5 whole weeks to fill up with who knows what?
A look at the globe makes me think that I should find a warm beach somewhere and just hang out for a while, and that still is a possibility, however in the meantime I continue to check out any new housesit opportunities which may come my way.
I am exploring all points of the compass from Vancouver, to Dawson City, to Pacific Pallisades in California, and even as far away as Normandy in France, where my ancestors set out from, all those years ago to begin populating North America.
To fill in my time in between though, I continue to do the things that I enjoy which includes reading, writing, thinking, walking (or learning to again) and riding my bike. It's all part of the adventure, and so let's get too it. It's a life that Thoreau would approve of I'm sure.
Hopefully there will be more thoughts to write down in September.
Until then,
Stay happy.
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
And a PS. This afternoon I bid bon voyage to some dear friends who as I write these words are jetting their way to Crete, via Scotland where they plan to settle for quite some time it sounds like. I wish them all the very best and I hope to cross paths with them again sometime in the future.
THOUGHTFUL: showing consideration for others; occupied with or given to thought; contemplative; meditative. WANDERER: moving from place to place without a fixed plan; or having no permanent residence; nomadic.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
MARLEY AND ME (AND PILLOW AND THE GIRLS)
POST # 38
"Molly, ah Maggie, ah Myrtle, I mean MARLEY." Poor Marley the dog must be wondering just how stupid a petsitter he has, as I struggle to have his name come to my lips. I guess that is one of the hazards of having done so many housesits and gotten to know so many dogs with names that start with the letter "m". Marley just gives me this blank expression and delays his tail wagging until the right name spills out. Maybe by writing this blog and seeing his name in print I will remember his name in the future.
Marley is only one of the animals that I now have in my care. There is also, Pillow the cat and then the 6 ladies who live in the chicken house at night and out in the yard during the daytime. In addition to all of these pets, there are numerous bunny rabbits bounding around the property so it all adds up to a very happy place to be at the moment.
Nestled in the hills south of Nanoose Bay on 5 acres, the setting is extremely peacefull and it's a wonderful break from being in the city. I really had no plans originally for this time period, but then out of the blue a one week housesit came up on the housecarers website, so I applied and here I am. It's a great match and I am very happy to be here and very greatful for the opportunity.
Pillow the cat is unique as far as I can tell, as she is the first cat that I have ever met who doesn't purr. Or maybe she does, but just not around me. The first day I was here she went walkabout as cats sometimes do, but since then she's been hanging around with all the other pets so we are all just one big family.
The 6 chickens or chooks as they call them in Australia are fun to be around. They like to be where you are at any given moment and it's easy to see if anyone is missing as there are three different colours, two rust, two grey and two a grey/black speckled colour. Each day they leave a few little gifts for me in their chicken coup in the form of eggs.
Everyday Marley and me spend time near the edge of the property and pick blackberries until we've had our fill. Marley picks a few of the low hanging fruit, but it's much more fun to have me pick them and throw them his way. He's a great catch, so very few berries hit the ground after leaving my hand. There are way more blackberries here than we could possibly get through, and it is wonderful to be able to have some fresh fruit right off the vine each day.
I also have the good fortune of having a trampoline on the property which I have been using on a daily basis to exercise my leg and that, along with a hot tub to soak in seems to be helping my leg during this recovery period. I have been taking longer walks each day without the use of the cane so I know I am getting better, but there is still a long way to go before I get back to normal, that is if I ever do.
This housesit only goes until the end of the week and then I will be back to Vancouver for about 5 weeks at one of my regular sits. In the meantime I will try to soak up as much of the peace and quiet here as I can before I return to the big city.
Marley is looking at me with those "blackberry eyes" so it's time to get outside and start picking. I can't think of a better way to continue this lovely summer morning here in the country.
Bye for now,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
"Molly, ah Maggie, ah Myrtle, I mean MARLEY." Poor Marley the dog must be wondering just how stupid a petsitter he has, as I struggle to have his name come to my lips. I guess that is one of the hazards of having done so many housesits and gotten to know so many dogs with names that start with the letter "m". Marley just gives me this blank expression and delays his tail wagging until the right name spills out. Maybe by writing this blog and seeing his name in print I will remember his name in the future.
Marley is only one of the animals that I now have in my care. There is also, Pillow the cat and then the 6 ladies who live in the chicken house at night and out in the yard during the daytime. In addition to all of these pets, there are numerous bunny rabbits bounding around the property so it all adds up to a very happy place to be at the moment.
Nestled in the hills south of Nanoose Bay on 5 acres, the setting is extremely peacefull and it's a wonderful break from being in the city. I really had no plans originally for this time period, but then out of the blue a one week housesit came up on the housecarers website, so I applied and here I am. It's a great match and I am very happy to be here and very greatful for the opportunity.
Pillow the cat is unique as far as I can tell, as she is the first cat that I have ever met who doesn't purr. Or maybe she does, but just not around me. The first day I was here she went walkabout as cats sometimes do, but since then she's been hanging around with all the other pets so we are all just one big family.
The 6 chickens or chooks as they call them in Australia are fun to be around. They like to be where you are at any given moment and it's easy to see if anyone is missing as there are three different colours, two rust, two grey and two a grey/black speckled colour. Each day they leave a few little gifts for me in their chicken coup in the form of eggs.
Everyday Marley and me spend time near the edge of the property and pick blackberries until we've had our fill. Marley picks a few of the low hanging fruit, but it's much more fun to have me pick them and throw them his way. He's a great catch, so very few berries hit the ground after leaving my hand. There are way more blackberries here than we could possibly get through, and it is wonderful to be able to have some fresh fruit right off the vine each day.
I also have the good fortune of having a trampoline on the property which I have been using on a daily basis to exercise my leg and that, along with a hot tub to soak in seems to be helping my leg during this recovery period. I have been taking longer walks each day without the use of the cane so I know I am getting better, but there is still a long way to go before I get back to normal, that is if I ever do.
This housesit only goes until the end of the week and then I will be back to Vancouver for about 5 weeks at one of my regular sits. In the meantime I will try to soak up as much of the peace and quiet here as I can before I return to the big city.
Marley is looking at me with those "blackberry eyes" so it's time to get outside and start picking. I can't think of a better way to continue this lovely summer morning here in the country.
Bye for now,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
FALLING BLACK DOTS AND OTHER THINGS
POST #37
As I looked up into the air, the tiny image of the Piper Navajo aircraft came into view from the east. It was at a height of 12,500 feet. Only about a half hour before, I had been having a chat with the pilot of the aircraft and now he was passing right overhead here at Pitt Meadows airport. From that height, the Navajo looks pretty tiny, but it was nothing in comparison to what was to come. With eyes straining, the first black dot exited the aircraft, followed by 5 more dots in fairly rapid succession. Each one of these specks were falling rapidly towards the ground at a rate of 176 feet per second. And one of those black dots falling in the morning sky was my niece Laura. She and a group of friends had come to Vancouver for the long weekend from Calgary and one of the things, on their list of things to do was to go skydiving.
The first part of the skydive was in freefall which was the reason for the rapid descent. Watching this from the ground, it is rather amazing at just how fast this appears to happen. After about a 5000 foot freefall, the chute pops out and the jumpers all gradually descend to the target field below. Being first time jumpers, they were all strapped to a skydiving instructor which allows people who have never jumped before, to experience a freefall on their very first jump.
When they returned to the airport hanger they were all "pumped up" which was to be expected after what they had just experienced. While we waited on the ground for their various photos and videos to be produced I had an opportunity to ask them all what they thought was the best part. Most agreed that the moment they exited the door of the aircraft was the most memorable part of the whole event. Once you jump out that door, there is no going back, and then you are left to depend on the skill of the instructor as well as the skill of the person who packed your parachute. I'm guessing that for those first 5000 feet of freefall, there might on occasion be just a hint of doubt as to whether or not the chute is going to deploy properly, and I imagine that all the virgin jumpers as they had called themselves prior to heading up into the air, experienced a sigh of releif once the chute finally did open. Or maybe the experience was so intense that their minds were just focused on the present moment as the ground rushed towards them. Whatever the case, they all were very pleased that they had traded a small amount of cash for what was probably a once in a lifetime experience for some of them. I was happy to have had the opportunity to experience this with them, even though it was only from the ground looking up.
Back here on the housesitting front I am now in week number four with Jackson and Peach, a bonus week, as the owners normally only go away for three weeks at this time of year. So lucky me, I get some extra time with these two little baby boneheads as I like to call them. The more I get to know them, the cuter they become. Peach injured her leg a while back but it seems to be getting better although from time to time she does limp. Maybe she is showing some empathy towards the housesitter's limp. The vet didn't seem to think it was anything too serious, but to keep an eye on it, and aside from that she is as energetic as can be.
Come this Saturday, my housesit here will be finished and prior to about a week ago, it was looking like I would have two weeks to fill without any housesit commitment. But then out of the blue, I found a week in Nanoose Bay and about a half of a week here in Vancouver, so most of the holes in my calendar are now filled up. What to do with the few days I have free, I haven't decided on yet, however I am contemplating a visit to one of the Gulf islands with my bike and tent in order to get out of the city, but we'll see what happens in the next few days.
And the one other thing to note is that depending on how the first part of next week goes, I may or may not be near a computer on the 14th so there is the potential for a missed blog on that day. If I am in the city I will be able to get to the library, but if I'm out camping I won't. In any event, by the 21st I will be housesitting again and with internet access, so the writing will continue then for sure.
The journey continues.
Bye for now,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
As I looked up into the air, the tiny image of the Piper Navajo aircraft came into view from the east. It was at a height of 12,500 feet. Only about a half hour before, I had been having a chat with the pilot of the aircraft and now he was passing right overhead here at Pitt Meadows airport. From that height, the Navajo looks pretty tiny, but it was nothing in comparison to what was to come. With eyes straining, the first black dot exited the aircraft, followed by 5 more dots in fairly rapid succession. Each one of these specks were falling rapidly towards the ground at a rate of 176 feet per second. And one of those black dots falling in the morning sky was my niece Laura. She and a group of friends had come to Vancouver for the long weekend from Calgary and one of the things, on their list of things to do was to go skydiving.
The first part of the skydive was in freefall which was the reason for the rapid descent. Watching this from the ground, it is rather amazing at just how fast this appears to happen. After about a 5000 foot freefall, the chute pops out and the jumpers all gradually descend to the target field below. Being first time jumpers, they were all strapped to a skydiving instructor which allows people who have never jumped before, to experience a freefall on their very first jump.
When they returned to the airport hanger they were all "pumped up" which was to be expected after what they had just experienced. While we waited on the ground for their various photos and videos to be produced I had an opportunity to ask them all what they thought was the best part. Most agreed that the moment they exited the door of the aircraft was the most memorable part of the whole event. Once you jump out that door, there is no going back, and then you are left to depend on the skill of the instructor as well as the skill of the person who packed your parachute. I'm guessing that for those first 5000 feet of freefall, there might on occasion be just a hint of doubt as to whether or not the chute is going to deploy properly, and I imagine that all the virgin jumpers as they had called themselves prior to heading up into the air, experienced a sigh of releif once the chute finally did open. Or maybe the experience was so intense that their minds were just focused on the present moment as the ground rushed towards them. Whatever the case, they all were very pleased that they had traded a small amount of cash for what was probably a once in a lifetime experience for some of them. I was happy to have had the opportunity to experience this with them, even though it was only from the ground looking up.
Back here on the housesitting front I am now in week number four with Jackson and Peach, a bonus week, as the owners normally only go away for three weeks at this time of year. So lucky me, I get some extra time with these two little baby boneheads as I like to call them. The more I get to know them, the cuter they become. Peach injured her leg a while back but it seems to be getting better although from time to time she does limp. Maybe she is showing some empathy towards the housesitter's limp. The vet didn't seem to think it was anything too serious, but to keep an eye on it, and aside from that she is as energetic as can be.
Come this Saturday, my housesit here will be finished and prior to about a week ago, it was looking like I would have two weeks to fill without any housesit commitment. But then out of the blue, I found a week in Nanoose Bay and about a half of a week here in Vancouver, so most of the holes in my calendar are now filled up. What to do with the few days I have free, I haven't decided on yet, however I am contemplating a visit to one of the Gulf islands with my bike and tent in order to get out of the city, but we'll see what happens in the next few days.
And the one other thing to note is that depending on how the first part of next week goes, I may or may not be near a computer on the 14th so there is the potential for a missed blog on that day. If I am in the city I will be able to get to the library, but if I'm out camping I won't. In any event, by the 21st I will be housesitting again and with internet access, so the writing will continue then for sure.
The journey continues.
Bye for now,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
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