THAT PESKY MEANDERING JET STREAM

POST # 105

As the image above illustrates, that pesky meandering jet stream has been all over the map lately, resulting in things like this:

… a huge avalanche yesterday just outside of the town of Valdez, Alaska, and on the other side of the continent we see images like this:

icicles on a tree in Ocala, Florida this month.




As the Arctic ice continues its inexorable decline to zero sometime in the very near future, these meandering conditions will probably amplify, causing all sorts of unexpected results. It promises to be a wild ride all along the way. California has severe drought, and because it is a major food producing area for North America, we all will be feeling the effect of that over time in the price of food. Perhaps this would be a good time to start thinking about that diet that you've always talked about. I'm just sayin'.

Closer to home, this persistent high pressure system that has parked itself off the west coast has resulted in dry conditions even here in Maple Bay. Abby the dog is happy, because we have good weather for walking. Bill could care less as he spends the majority of his time sleeping inside. And there in lies the rub. One would be hard pressed to find anyone out this way who isn't happy with the weather conditions, even though the majority of people wouldn't understand what is causing this dry and relatively warm period. In addition to that, on the eastern side of the continent, the frigid temperatures have allowed the ever diminishing group of global warming deniers to have a field day, because how can there be global warming if it's so damn cold?

But enough of all that for the moment. Today is my final one here in Maple Bay with my four legged friends Abby and Bill. It's been a real love fest over the past three weeks, and very relaxing as well. Late tonight, the owner arrives back home, and tomorrow morning I will be off to Nanaimo, just up the road for my next housesit with Piper the cat. During my time here, Abby has been happy to go on daily walks, and play with her ball,

while in the meantime, Bill has been content to do what most cats do very well, and that is, sleep.

So while the four legged animals continue to do their thing, this two legged one will continue to observe that meandering jet stream in order to try and work out just how much peskier it will get as time goes by. Perhaps a winter vacation in Alaska to catch up on some tanning might be in order in the not too distant future. Or how about outdoor ice skating in Florida?


Happy trails,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

Bill the cat says: "Nice blog Paul, Gimme 4."

PLACE OF HARMONY

POST # 104

Ramsay, a man I knew when I lived in Vancouver was also a sailboat owner. This fact caused us to strike up a conversation one day about the location of his boat. He told me that it was in a place called Sointula which I had never heard about.



So the other day, I was looking through the book collection at my current housesit here in Maple Bay and I saw one titled, "Sointula" and if it hadn't been for that conversation with Ramsay, I would have never plucked it from the shelf. I'm glad I did though, as I am enjoying the read.

And it looks like a beautiful place as shown in the images below, but I wonder just how many days are like this? Sointula is located on Malcolm Island which is a small island wedged between the very northern part of Vancouver Island and the mainland. My guess is that it has a high percentage of rainy and or cloudy days throughout the year. Sointula is the Finnish name for "Place of Harmony." Apparently a group of Finns paddled here from Nanaimo in 1901.

Back here at the ranch in Maple Bay, my four legged friends have been working at perfecting yoga poses. First, we have yogi Abby in the "dog at rest" pose:

Followed by yogi Bill in the slightly more complex "turkey leg" pose:

WARNING:DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME

Perhaps Abby and Bill will inspire me to take up yoga at some point in the future, however I'm not too sure about that. Abby's moves look doable, but that turkey leg manoeuvre makes my back hurt.

Today marks the end of week two here in Maple Bay, two-thirds of the way through, and the three of us have settled into a comfortable routine. Abby and I have been getting in plenty of walks and Bill plenty of sleeps and I expect that to continue for our final week together. It isn't Sointula, but it most certainly is a place of harmony.

Now, let's get back to that book, eh?

Happy Trails

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

PS. Of course I always think of mom today as it would have been her 98th birthday.

A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE

POST # 103

Caption: "OK Paul, what should we do now?"

As the old saying goes, every picture is worth a thousand words, so I guess I won't have to write too many of them today.

After only a week, Bill the furball, and Abby the bonehead, have come to the conclusion, that the house sitter isn't such a bad guy to have around after all, and so most days we can all be found in the same room together enjoying each others company. These two are wonderful company and the week has gone by in a flash.

Where we are in Maple Bay is about 7km outside of the town of Duncan, where I need to go in order to get more supplies, however, there has been plenty to graze on in the refrigerator up to now, so I've just stayed put. The location is super quiet, and I do like that aspect, and there are some good trails around to take Abby for a walk, so I have no complaints, and by the looks on Bill and Abby's faces, neither do they. Of course, Bill doesn't join us on the walk as you would expect. He's happy to keep guard over the house while we are gone, however my guess is that as a guard cat, he doesn't do a very good job, as most of the time he spends sleeping. That's what cats do. He has some favourite places to sleep, but the other day I gave him an additional option. He was lying in the bay window in the living room just as I was heading to bed, so I picked him up and placed him on the bed. "Hmmmmm, this looks like a comfie place to spend some time", he seemed to imply by the purring sound, and before long he was curled up and snoozing away. Abby on the other hand has been content to sleep in the owner's room, even though I've tried to have her come into my room by putting her blanket in there. So far it hasn't worked, and she seems to be happy where she is.

All things considered, it's a very easy and relaxed housesit and I am grateful that the owner accepted my offer to do it.

IN OTHER NEWS:

This blog wouldn't be complete as far as I am concerned, if I didn't at least mention THE POLAR VORTEX which has been in the news of late. It was the result of a meandering jet stream which brought frigid Arctic air way down south, and put much of Canada and the USA in a deep freeze condition. Of course, the ever dwindling crowd of climate change deniers had a field day because how could we be having global warming if it's so freaking cold outside. They don't understand, or don't want to understand the science behind the conditions. In addition to the frigid air dropping way down south, warm air was pushed north, which has the effect of increasing the warming in the Arctic, which only helps to exacerbate the situation. This feedback loop is now well in place, and will no doubt strengthen as time passes. That's enough said for now on that topic, otherwise I may lose the remainder of my dwindling audience.


Back here in Maple Bay, the three of us are pondering our options for the day ahead. Abby and I will be going for a walk or two, and Bill will be sleeping of course. I may also take the bus into town to pick up some supplies. When I return, I imagine that I will have the two of them staring at me like in the photo, wondering, "What should we do now, Paul?"


Happy Trails,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PAUL'S MISSING

POST # 102

Well, I'm not really missing, but today I will be in transit from one housesit to the next. This morning I say goodbye to Vancouver yet again, and travel to a new venue, Maple Bay on Vancouver Island. This will be my first housesit at Maple Bay and I am looking forward to a relaxed time there.

Because of my travel, I will leave this posting short, however if I do have another opportunity before the day's end, I will update this, once I am settled in.

Happy Trails,

Fluffy Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer



UPDATE

ABBY

BILL








It's now evening here in Maple Bay, and if every picture tells a story then these two tell us that Abby the dog is still not quite sure about the house sitter, and Bill the cat has already taken full advantage of the new guy in the house by jumping up on the counter, which I found out soon after the photo was taken, was a no-no. Damn cats always trying to get one up on you. Just kidding. Bill's a wonderful fur ball.

The setting is very quiet and peaceful and I know it will be an enjoyable three weeks. Abby has a big back yard to play in and Bill can come and go as he pleases, so my tasks will be light.


Happy Trails,

Fluffy Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer