FINAL POST OF 2018

POST # 340

Some bug has managed to invade my body, so I will be spending the majority of today curled up by the woodstove with the resident critters, Leeloo and Trinity. My energy level is low, and I will keep this post rather short.

Looking back on the year, I've managed to do a total of eleven house/pet sits, ten of which have been at a variety of locations, here on Vancouver island.  The other one was in Delta,  on the mainland.  The vast majority of my time (by choice) has been spent in rural locations.  I expect this to be the trend going forward, for as long as I have the ability to do so.

 I had the opportunity to make one final visit to Belize to see my friends Guy and Pauline, and then a subsequent visit to see them in their new location in New York state.

For the remainder of my time this year, I was extremely grateful to spend it with my friend Mary, and her adorable bonehead named Dora, aka Dora dog.

Trips across the border have become more of a hassle over time, and I sometimes wonder if that will even be possible in the not too distant future?  I'll keep doing it for as long as it is an option.

Looking forward to 2019, crossing the border might be one of the least of my (our) problems, but I will continue to face each new day as it presents itself, being grateful to have the opportunity to spend it, even when I have a bug in my system.

happy, accepting & grateful,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

MORE YUKON THOUGHTS

POST # 339

As I write these words with the assistance of the battery power still remaining on my device, I am without power for the third time in a week.  It happened a week ago, then yesterday afternoon for a few hours, and then again last night about 7pm.  It's now just after 8am on December 21st, and the power is still out.  As a result, the pump that had been supplying me with water is also not functioning, so I am without running water as well.  It's a simple lesson to illustrate what most of us take for granted in our comfortable existence.

So last week it was the clogged woodstove, and now this.  The fun never ends.  The resident critters appear to be unaffected by the power outage.  As long as the food keeps coming, and the place is warm, they are content.  They don't concern themselves with things like the internet, and that's probably a good lesson for the housesitter.  These days I find that I do most of my reading online, and now I've been forced to crack open a book, and read by candlelight.

  This used to be the normal thing to do, especially when I lived at my little shack in the woods back in the Yukon.

And speaking of the Yukon, my sister Gerry sent me a photo of the inside of my cabin I called Snug.  The photo was taken years after I had moved, but I happened to be back during a winter housesit at a friend's place across the highway in Bear Creek.  I thought that it might be fun to go for a walk and check out my old home.  By the looks of it, someone or something had managed to get inside and totally trash the place.  I was lucky to have lived at Snug, and to this day, it remains at the very top of my list, as the best place that I have ever lived, and I've had plenty of places to compare it with over the years.
So the waiting game will continue regarding the power outage, and I'll just go with the flow.  The woodstove is pumping out the heat, and I've got a pot of water warming on its surface which will provide me with my morning coffee, a bit behind schedule, but much more appreciated than usual.

happy, accepting & grateful,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
PS: The power came back on this afternoon after about 20 hours.

SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES

POST # 338

 

CLOGGED WOODSTOVE CHIMNEY 

One of the skills that I acquired while living in the Yukon, was that of learning the finer points of woodstove operation.  This came in handy last week upon my arrival at my current house/pet sit.  It seemed rather obvious to me right from the get go, that the air wasn't able to go up the chimney.  Not only was this a major inconvenience which caused copious amounts of smoke to flow out into the room, it was also a potential fire hazard.  Having been through the start of a chimney fire once before in Dawson City, I decided that the first order of business was to unclog the stack.  This was accomplished with the assistance of the owner, who lives here on the property.  (I am house sitting for his renters.) 

First, I had  to let the fire go out, which made for a chilly night and the following morning.  I had enough layers of clothing to stay comfortable, but I was getting unhappy looks from the resident bonehead named Leeloo, and especially from the resident furball named Trinity.  They really couldn't understand what I was up to.

Next on my to do list was to clean out all of the ash from the stove, and then remove a couple bricks inside the stove so that I could have a look up the stack.  As the attached photo clearly shows, the chimney was well and truly plugged.

Dave, the owner arrived as scheduled with multiple ladders to access the the roof, as well as the brush to clean the chimney.  It was so plugged up that he had difficulty pushing the brush down the stack.  Persistence paid off, and before long there was a huge pile of creosote down in the stove.  Job done.

I thanked him for his help, and he thanked me for bringing this to his attention.  It would have been a real bummer to burn the house down, and I doubt if I would have gotten a good referral, if I had survived.

Now anxious to get a fire lit, and with the resident critters watching on in anticipation of a warm house, I built a pile of kindling in the stove, and then lit a match.  Whoosh!!!  As soon as the wood caught fire, I knew we had had a successful operation 

Leeloo, Trinity, and the house sitter could now relax and enjoy the pleasant warmth that now emanated from the fire.

happy, accepting and grateful,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PLEASANT TIMES IN PLEASANTVILLE

POST # 337

PLEASANTVILLE TRAIN STATION

Following two air flights, a bus ride and then a train journey, I arrived safe and sound in Pleasantville, NY. Upon exiting the station, it was just a short walk to my friend's place.  After arriving at Hobby Street, it should have been a simple matter to walk along  until I found number 36.  I got to number 32, and the next house was number 40.  WTF???  What happened to number 36?  I continued my journey, and eventually found it.  The sequence of house numbers was as follows, 32, 40, and then 36.  Maybe it's a New York thing .

En route to their place I passed by Paulies bar which was featured in my last post, but this time, there was a strange Canuck taking a selfie out front, just to prove to myself that the place existed.

As things worked out, I never did get a look inside and perhaps I'm better off as a result.  Mind you, I'm beginning to look like the type of character that might frequent an establishment such as this one.  As luck would have it, we ended up instead at Lucy's bar, just down the road from Paulies.  I guess I really am getting old, because even though there wasn't any music playing, the decibel level generated from just the voices of others in the bar, had us all wanting to make this a short visit.  By the look on Guy's face, it appears that he was enjoying the noise even less than Pauline and I were.  It was time to go.

 

Of course a visit wouldn't be complete without the boneheads.  There used to be four of them, but now it's only Devo, Lielu (sp) and Brownie, my personal favourite.  They seem to be adjusting to the cooler weather compared to their most recent home in Belize.  I think they're happy to be back in the temperate zone.  But hey, what do I know? 

 

I had to chuckle when I saw this Dead End sign in conjunction with the Hobby street sign.  Considering Guy's synthesis of the volumes of evidence staring us in the face regarding abrupt climate change, and the subsequent dead end that our species is staring at, I thought it was a rather appropriate sign.  Gallows humour at its finest.

My pleasant time in Pleasantville went by way too fast, and before I knew it, Guy and Pauline were driving me back to LaGuardia airport, where we said our goodbyes, and I headed to the gate for my journey back to the west coast.  For the first time in my entire life, I touched down on Quebec soil, for my connecting flight to Vancouver.  

This is the closest I have ever been, and probably ever will be to where my Canadian ancestors settled in the township of Trois-Rivieres way back in the mid 1600's, after a journey from Fecamp, France.  There have been plenty of little Marcottes under the bridge as it were, since that time, and I am grateful that the line continued, so that I could have the experience of life on planet earth.  It's been quite the journey.

Today is the start of my next house/pet sit, but seeing as I am settling in at the moment, I'll give an update next week as to how it is going.

happy, accepting & grateful,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

FROM MURPHY'S MANSION TO NEW YORK

POST # 336

MURPHY'S MANSION

It's the final post for the month of November, and The Thoughtful Wanderer will be on the road again today.  I have had the great pleasure to spend about three weeks with Mr. Murphy bonehead, and it has been fun.  I can tell that he thinks that something is up, because I've been cleaning and packing and generally running around today, in order to have the place looking good for when the owners arrive home in a few hours from now.

And at that point, I will be heading to the airport, in order to catch the red eye to LaGuardia airport in New York.  My friends Guy and Pauline have relocated to New York state, from their previous home in the jungles of Belize.  From one jungle to another as it were.

This will just be a quick visit in between house-sits.   Just around the corner from their place is Paulies Bar, so I will have to put it on my to do list while I'm there. 

I'm really looking forward to spending time with my friends, and as a bonus, there are a few boneheads at their home, so I'll be able to keep my pet skills tuned up for the next sit, which begins during the first week of December, back on Vancouver Island.

happy, accepting & grateful,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

FORTY YEARS AND COUNTING

POST # 335






For as long as I continue to be alive, today's date will automatically cause my mind to think back in time, to this date in 1978.  It has been forty years now, since I had the wonderful opportunity to be a passenger aboard Air New Zealand flight number 901, on a journey to Antarctica.

The day before the flight was spent with my new friend Ted, and a few other travellers over in Devonport, just across the harbour from downtown Auckland.  Without going into all the details, let's just say that the day involved plenty of frisbee throwing, some beer drinking, and a crazy idea that night, after the pub had closed,  to attempt to start up a ferry boat, and transit the Auckland harbour in order to get all of us back to the youth hostel.  Thankfully, that last part wasn't successful, and we managed to catch a cab.

I didn't sleep very well, because I was concerned that I would miss my flight.  But that didn't happen and early on the morning of November 21st, 1978, I arrived at Auckland airport, and along with another couple of hundred or so people, boarded flight 901, bound for the continent of Antarctica.

Air New Zealand made sure to only fill the aircraft to about 85% capacity, to encourage the passengers to move around the cabin in order to have a variety of viewing locations during the flight.   On the initial phase, we flew down along the length of the country, prior to continuing the track south over open ocean.  As breakfast was being served, we watched a movie about the story of Scott's fateful trek to the south pole which had taken place back in 1911.  This helped to get us "in the mood" for our visit to the continent.

Eventually, we were flying down McMurdo Sound, and Antarctica came into view. Of course, I can't remember all of the details, but there were a few highlights.  We flew over the dry valleys, and Mount Erebus, and plenty of other locations as well.  Because we were allowed to move freely around the cabin, we were also allowed to spend time up on the flight deck with the pilots. (Those days are well and truly gone.)  When it was my turn, I happened to be on the flight deck with a woman who had a  daughter working at Scott Base, located on Ross Island, and she had the opportunity to chat with her daughter from the aircraft.  It was quite an emotional experience for the two of them, and I was glad that I happened to be there during their conversation.

We managed to fly to about 80 degrees south latitude, and then it was time to turn around and head back to New Zealand.  Once the last of the ice bergs had faded from view, it was party time for the passengers, and seeing as we didn't have to focus on what was below at this point, the drinks flowed freely from the cabin crew.   It really was like a big party in the sky.

We landed at Christchurch on the south island, prior to our final destination, in order to top up the fuel tanks.  The DC-10 was parked away from the terminal, and some of the passengers, including this one, had some time to spend inside the building.  I called up a girl I had met back in Brisbane, Australia, one Jenny Long who lived near by.  She drove out to the airport for a quick visit.  At some point, a flight attendant was tapping me on the shoulder, to tell me that the plane was ready to go, and that the only reason that they were still waiting, was because I was still inside the terminal building.  I said a quick good-bye to Jenny, and then walked across the tarmac, a little embarrassed to have been the one to hold up our departure.

The last leg of the flight was the relatively short one back to our starting point at Auckland.  I think I slept most of the way, and when I returned to the youth hostel, it was time to crash.  There would be plenty of time in the subsequent days, to tell my story to my fellow travellers, including Ted, and the rest of the frisbee throwing, beer drinking, and almost ferry operating crazy group of young men, I had spent the previous day with in Devonport. 

This story wouldn't be complete without a couple of additional stories.  In November of the following year, I was in Singapore.  I picked up the morning newspaper.  On the front page were images of what was left of flight 901. This flight which had taken place on November 28th, 1979, had crashed into the side of Mount Erebus with a total loss of life on board.
http://www.erebus.co.nz/background/thestory.aspx

Then many years later, in 1996 when I was doing research for a planned year long solo expedition to Antarctica,  https://antarcticsociety.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Antarctic.V16.2.1998.pdf

 I had flown to Christchurch to meet with a man named David Harrowfield.  He happened to be an expert on Cape Adare, my proposed location, and the purpose of my trip to visit David,  was to learn as much as I could about the place.  In conversation, I happened to mention to him how my interest in Antarctica had come about as a result of the flight back in 1978.  He ended up showing me the airline ticket that he had kept as a souvenir, from the November, 28, 1979 flight which he had been scheduled to be on, but had to cancel due to other commitments.  I guess we were both lucky, especially David.

So now it's forty years later (and counting), and somehow I still happen to be roaming around the planet.  I had a chat today with Murphy the bonehead about all of these adventures, and this was his reaction.

There's nothing like a faithful bonehead to put things into perspective.  Thanks Murphy for bringing me back to the present moment.

happy, accepting & grateful,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

MURPHY NUMBER 3

POST # 334

MURPHY

This is Murphy.   He is the third bonehead named Murphy, that I have had the pleasure of getting acquainted with over the many years that I have been wandering around pet/house sitting.  The first was a Bichon Frise, the second was a  Labrador Retriever, and now it's Murphy number three, a Goldendoodle.  With his colour, and his curly hair, he's almost a combination of the previous two Murphy boneheads.

It didn't take very long to get settled in at my current house-sit, and the owner's made the hand off, a very easy affair.  We had the opportunity for a visit the evening prior to their departure, and during that time, I had a chance to get to know Murphy.  He's a very friendly critter, so our bonding session didn't take long.

It's been five days now since my arrival, and we have settled into a very comfortable routine, which includes three walks per day.  Fortunately for the two of us, there is an off-leash dog park immediately to the rear of the house,  so it's been very easy to get our daily walks accomplished.

At this time of year (at least for the past three), I would have been taking care of Shadow, the furball, but for whatever reasons, my friends contacted me earlier in the year to say that they wouldn't need a pet sitter.  Normally, they head off to Mexico for a couple of weeks.  Instead, I find myself at a new location, while these owners are in Mexico.  In addition to that similarity,  I could almost start calling Murphy, Shadow, because he follows me wherever I go.  

 Here he is keeping watch (or is he beginning to fall asleep?) while I sit in the computer room, and after another joy filled day with the pet sitter, Murphy is happy to lay down and take a well deserved rest.  It's a rough life.

happy, accepting & grateful,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

SO LONG ONCE AGAIN TO MAC AND BERT

POST # 333

ONE OF MAC'S NEW FRIENDS

When asked what surprised him about humanity the most, The Dalai Lama replied, 

“Man. Because he sacrifices his health to make money. Then he sacrifices his money to recuperate his health… He lives as though he is never going to die and dies having never really lived.”

------------

Some wise words from the Dalai Lama, that were brought to my attention by my friend Mary.  I would like to think that for the most part, I haven't followed the path described in the above quote, but I suppose we are all guilty to a certain extent.

Of course, these days I try to live as fully as possible, and for me, that means spending the majority of my time interacting with my mostly furry, mostly four-legged friends.  As far as I am concerned, it has been and still is, a very wise use of my time.

Recently,  two of my former house-sit clients made positive comments about my lifestyle, and that's nice to hear, but I certainly didn't choose this lifestyle in order to win the approval of others.  I live this way because I think that it is a good use of my time, and, because I house/pet sit for free, it's my way to give back to others.

Speaking of time, it's almost up at my current house sit, here in a rural area on Vancouver island.  This has been round two with Mac and Bert, and just like round one, it has been very relaxing and enjoyable.

For the first few days, I kept calling Mac, Dora by mistake.  He just tilted his head and gave me a blank look.  I guess that shows how attached I've become to Dora-dog in such a short time.  So many boneheads, so little time.

And I can't forget to mention Bert because he's got his own special personality.  The two of them make very pleasant company indeed.

This is also a very special location for three main reasons.  It's rural, it's quiet, and it has a great view.  The owners have offered me another opportunity to be here next year, but I am already booked.   Perhaps some other time.

They arrive home tomorrow, and I'll be heading out to my next sit early Friday.  As much as I am looking forward to my next gig, I will miss this place, and more importantly, I will miss Mac and Bert.  So it goes.  It's a small price to pay, for this privileged life that I lead.

THIS MORNING'S VIEW FROM THE DECK

LATE NIGHT WALK WITH MAC

happy, accepting & grateful,


Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

CLOSING ANOTHER CHAPTER

POST # 332

It's the last post for the month of October, and also the last post from my current location near Bellingham WA, where my friend Mary has resided for almost three years.  I helped her to move in, and I am in the process of helping her to move again.  Dora-dog will be upgrading to a fenced yard, with perhaps a doggy door to let her come and go as she pleases.   She's already had a couple of opportunities to inspect the place, and she seemed right at home.  There will even be a four-legged neighbour for her to get acquainted with, so that is a bonus.

Dora will have to say so long to her favourite dog park, and the expression on her face seems to imply a certain sadness in her mood.  There is still time though, for a few more visits, and the plus side of where she'll be going is that she has an ocean beach to run around on.  She's already been there, and on her very first visit, she met one of her bonehead friends, so it was a great introduction to her upcoming location.  Dora was somewhat shocked when she decided to drink from this oversized "lake" which had a pronounced salty flavour to it.  It didn't take her long to figure out that from now on, it would be best to wait until she gets home to her water dish in order to refresh herself.

All things considered, this is looking like a positive move for both Mary and Dora.  How's that old saying go, "a change is as good as a rest."   In the meantime, there is plenty to do to get ready for the move, and Dora isn't really sure just what is going on, what with all the packing boxes and strange activity.  She seems to be somewhat upset by it all, and we wonder if at sometime in her past, she participated in another house move, which may have resulted in her ending up at the animal shelter.  It's an unsolvable mystery, but I think that once she is settled in her new location, she will relax, and finally come to realize that she is in a very good place with a very good person who will take care of her for as long as that is possible.

There will be things to miss, like the wonderful sunsets that take place from time to time,

 playing in the mud at the local off-leash dog park not far from here,

and in addition to all of that, Dora will have to say so long to her friend, Simon the three-legged furball as well.

No matter where Dora is, she will still have the opportunity to play with her many toys, and while doing so, bring joy to whatever human might be at the receiving end of her playfulness.

However, it's looking like a positive transition for Mary and Dora, and that is a good thing indeed, because Mary is one good person, and Dora is...

As another chapter comes to a close for The Thoughtful Wanderer, I would like to thank both of them for letting me participate in their adventure.  I am a truly blessed individual.

living in acceptance,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

OCTOBER WEATHER

POST # 331

MARTHA'S BEACH, LA CONNER WA

A perfect autumn day.  Using the word, "perfect" to describe autumn, would have been one of the rare times that my mom would choose to disagree with me.  She preferred the spring.


living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

DORA AND ACCEPTANCE

POST # 330

It has been somewhat of a hectic week, but we still found time for Dora to have her nails trimmed.  She almost looks as though she's enjoying it, and it didn't take long for her to get to the acceptance phase of the procedure.  Acceptance is the key.


A recent interview of my friend Guy, which describes exactly where we are at in the human experience, lays out how the future is likely to unfold.  Like Dora, I accept what is coming, and like Dora, I try to smile in spite of it all.  And having my friend, Mary and Dora-dog in my life makes it that much easier to smile these days.

Here is the link to the interview.

https://guymcpherson.com/2018/10/on-imminent-human-extinction-interviewed-by-rajani-kanth/#more-17402

Living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

IT'S A PARADOX

POST # 329

"when the situation is hopeless*, there's nothing to worry about."

The Monkey Wrench Gang, by Ed Abbey

It truly is a paradox.  If one lives their life with death in mind, and the realization that each breath could be their last one, then each and every moment is that much more precious than before.  As the title of a recent book I just read states, "Death makes life possible."  

For many years now, I have tried to live my life in this way, and I would have to say that I am a happier being as a result.  It takes some practice but it's well worth the effort.

Nowadays, I derive great pleasure participating in the little things of life, and one of those "little things" is a stroll along a beach with a bonehead.  My current location has allowed me to do that, three times a day.  Each step is a joy.  On a recent journey, the tide was way out so Tova and I walked right out to the water's edge, and took a few moments to soak up the wonderful view, and breathe in the early morning salty fresh air.  I decided to take a quick video to remind me of our journey.

This will be one of the last strolls on the beach with Tova, and by tomorrow, I will be saying so long to her and her furball companion, Saki.  They have been great company, and I am happy that I have had the opportunity to spend time with them.

SAKI

The owners arrive home later today, and soon, I will be off to my next adventure.  But in the meantime I'll take a few more walks, and capture some of the beauty that I am surrounded by.

living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

*And speaking of hopeless, here is a video which describes in less than 5 minutes why the situation is hopeless.  So, relax.  And don't worry.

https://guymcpherson.com/2018/10/countdown-to-extinction-nthe-in-5-minutes/#more-17475

LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN

POST # 328





(From top to bottom- Sophie (now Ziggy), Felix and Oscar on Orcas Island)

In just three more days, on October 1st, I will have been intentionally homeless for a total of seven years.  On that date, back in the year 2011, I walked away from the marina in the West End of Vancouver for the final time, having sold my beloved sailboat to a couple of young French Canadian brothers, who were keen to get their sailing career underway.

I was bound for Orcas Island in Washington state, for the first of what would end up being a regular house sit at my friend, Cathy's place.  Back then, she only had two furballs, Oscar and Felix, but eventually a third one named Sophie (changed to Ziggy later on) would show up on the scene.  Orcas Island would certainly rate as one of my favourite house sit locations during all of these years.

Wow! Seven years of intentional homelessness.  I don't know if that is a record, and I don't really care if it is, but I most certainly am grateful for having had the ability to live this lifestyle for so long.  Intentionally homeless and intentionally unemployed makes it even more unique.  I don't personally know anyone else doing the same thing, although I imagine they're out there somewhere.  It certainly has been a wonderful experience, to wake up each day, and be able to plan out how I would like to spend my precious time, especially nowadays.

The list of critters that I have had the opportunity to care for is very long, and includes multiple boneheads, plenty of furballs, a variety of birds, some goats, a few horses and even one toad named Mr. Bumples.  Quite a few of them have died over the ensuing years, but the memories remain.  They have all been special in one way or another.

So now what?

It's late in the year, and I most certainly feel that it is late in the human experience and so where does The Thoughtful Wanderer go from here?  It's a good question, but for me the answer is an easy one.  I expect to be doing exactly what I am doing now until I take my final breath.  The jury is still out on what day that will happen, but in the meantime, I continue to enjoy each and every one of those breaths, as well as enjoying the company of my current four-legged friends.

TOVA

SAKI

living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

ICE-NO ICE

POST # 327

Here we are on the cusp of the Autumnal Equinox, and I really thought that I would be writing about our first ever BOE.  BOE stands for blue ocean event.  All of the signs earlier in the year were pointing to the fact that by this time in 2018, the Arctic would be ice-free for the first time in the human experience on the planet.

But it didn't happen.

One of the theories put forth is  that because of the tremendous amount of smoke in the atmosphere as a direct result of all of the fires this year, it caused some additional masking of the incoming rays of the sun, which helped to preserve whatever is left of the Arctic ice. This blocking of the sun's rays is called global dimming.

But it won't be long.

If I am still able to write a blog by this time next year, I suspect that I will be confirming that a BOE has already taken place.  Of course, when that finally happens, whenever it may be, the methane that is currently increasing due to the melting permafrost etc. will probably really take off.  If we think it's bad now, just wait.  How does the old saying go, "today is better than tomorrow."

In the meanwhile there are plenty of other shall we say "interesting" things happening on many different fronts, and it looks to me that the wheels could well and truly come off of the wagon long before next September.  Time will tell.

Thankfully for the Thoughtful Wanderer, I continue to work on being in the present moment, and as a result of this state of mind, I can appreciate even more than before, just how precious my life is. It helps me to enjoy even more than before, the beauty of a sunset over the ocean.

living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

A JOY, TO WATCH HER JOY

POST # 326

DORA, LIVING IN THE MOMENT, FOCUSED ON A SQUIRREL

She was in doggy heaven for a couple of days, and I wonder if she'll ever be the same after her little vacation?

As far as I know, Dora-dog had her first encounter with squirrels on this vacation, and she had a ball.  A large cedar tree is to the right of the photo, and it was one of the preferred locations for the resident squirrels to hang out.  There was no requirement to take Dora for a walk.  All we had to do was just stand back and watch her, while she raced around and around and around this tree, stopping occasionally to look up and see where the squirrels were.  She would  rest for a moment, and then begin her journey once more.  It was a joy, to watch her joy*.

*My dear friend, Mary, can take full credit for the transformation Dora-dog has gone through since rescuing her from the animal shelter back in February of this year.  Dora has gone from being a timid, frightened bonehead, to what you see now. Thank you, Mary.  If I could read Dora's mind, I'm very sure she would be thinking the exact same thing.


living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

SIT WITHIN A SIT

POST # 325

ANTIQUE TENDER

No, I won't be using this tender to get from one housesit to the other, but if I had a dependable craft, I could get there via the sea.  But due to time constraints, and the fact that I am boat-less at this time, I'll be using a combination of motor vehicles , ferries, and buses to accomplish the journey.

A slight misunderstanding regarding the start date for my current housesit caused me to have to be in two places at the same time.  After all of the years that I've been alive, I still haven't found a way to do that.  Fortunately for me, the neighbour has offered to pinch hit  for four days, which will allow me to get to my other location.
I had offered to take care of my friend Mary 's bonehead, Dora, so that is where I'll be.  That is, as long as I get across the border.  On my most recent visit, the border guard gave me such a hassle, that I wasn't sure if I was going to be allowed entry.  I think that it is a sign of the times, or the fact that because I have no fixed address, people such as border guards find that somewhat suspicious.  So it goes. 

 So that is my "sit within a sit" however my other sit has two lovable four -legged critters, one furball called Saki, and one bonehead called Tova.  Here they are.

Saki is 20 years old, but when she's being chased by Tova, she's as fast as a kitten.  Tova is 9.  She's one smart  poodle, and I am enjoying getting to know the both of them.

Getting back to my choice of transport, I came across this vessel earlier today.  Perhaps it might be slightly more sea worthy than the other one, but I'm not taking any chances.  It sort of looks like the wreck of the  SS Minnow from the '60's show, "Gilligan's Island.

living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

IT'S GREAT TO BE ALIVE

POST # 324

I came across this sign recently, and it got me to thinking, which is always a good thing, in my opinion.  Because of the fact that I rarely watch television any longer, I have more of my precious time to spend on other activities.  These days, I like spending time with boneheads and furballs, and a few human beings, and if possible, I like to spend a majority of that time in nature.  Because I live my life with a very short view of the future, I am able to appreciate the fact of  just being alive, way more than I have ever done in years gone past.  Personally, I find it a wonderful and joyous way to live, and I will continue to attempt do so until my last breath.

Along with "killing the television", I am fortunate to have kept intact the child-like quality of a basic curiosity about things, and that, perhaps more than anything else in my life has allowed me to pursue topics that the average person may not take onboard.  Curiosity, plus my interest in reading, which I will be forever grateful to my dear friend, Ted for encouraging me to do, way back in 1978, have allowed me to continue to learn more and more about so many interesting topics.

At the top of the list these days is my interest in the topic of abrupt climate change leading to the near-term extinction of our favourite species.  That would be homo-sapiens.  Not to be political, but this topic most definitely "TRUMPS" everything else and that includes Donald Trump.  If one does finally grasp its significance, then it has the effect (at least for me) of making everything in my life that may have seemed to be a problem or a  big issue in the past, pale into insignificance.  It also has the effect of helping me get so much more out of each and every moment, with the knowledge that any one of those moments could be my last one.

Of course, those who have read my blog over the years would know by now that the person that has been most influential in providing this knowledge, is my dear friend, Dr. Guy McPherson, whose work I came across way back in about 2010.  We first met in person on February 5th, 2013, and have remained friends since then.  For that, I am unbelievably grateful.

Guy and his partner Pauline who is also a dear friend, were on a recent speaking tour in the USA, and he just posted a video of a presentation he did in Woodstock, New York on August 22nd.  He states that it will probably be his final presentation, and after listening to it, I can highly recommend it to anyone who happens to read this blog.  It covers in detail, just where we are at, and if the viewer can watch it with an open mind, then I think that it will help them understand the predicament that we find ourselves in, here in 2018 on planet Earth.

Here is the link:

https://guymcpherson.com/2018/08/presentation-in-woodstock-new-york/#more-17279

And here is a link with a graph of the collapse of civilization which is interesting.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mdlZfMdDxPAIF39R2P9309Sq0UAyDLwXaOuiWHgXzsifVfx3vUW1WXe2VzTeFgAtoTEn0NIrzVt0BPwcehp-83XfBmsMsopbeUYNQNtzVqh2Hz4P78tM9xhK7FKMHS9D414M5pSc19nJ/s640/cope.jpg

How  you deal with this information will of course be up to you.  For me personally, the information only helps to reinforce the notion that my time, your time, everyone's time is rather short, and as a result, I spend it, being more grateful for each and every breath.  I am also truly amazed that I was even born in the first place.  That fact alone, is more than enough to put a smile on my face each and every day.

Dora-dog's expression, mirrors my inner feeling.  It's great to be alive.

living in acceptance,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer