CONEHEAD BONEHEAD VERSION 2.0

POST # 372

According to the dictionary definition, the words conehead and bonehead are words to describe a stupid person.  Dora-dog takes exception to that, and so do I.  For many years now, I have been using the word bonehead as a term of endearment for dogs, and as far as conehead goes, I think the photo above makes a good case for a second definition of that word.

How did Dora-dog end up in this pickle?  It started a little while ago when the dewclaw on her right front paw was injured.  Dora-dog is such an exuberant runner, that I am amazed it took until just recently for this injury to take place.  No doubt it hurt, and she licked the affected area on a regular basis, so Mary her owner decided to take Dora-dog to the vet last week to have both front dewclaws removed.  It made sense to do both at the same time, in order to prevent a similar injury to the left dewclaw in the future.

Hence, the conehead bonehead.  Now instead of just looking cute, she looks both sad and cute.  She is adapting to this new arrangement and her wounds are healing as time goes by.  The follow-up appointment with the vet is for September 4th, so she still has about a week to go before she can go for her first run and swim.

So why the Version 2.0 in the title?  Let me explain.  I first met my friend, Mary almost exactly seven years ago, back in September 2012, as a result of applying for a housesit at her place, in order to take care of the dog she had back then, named Tika.  On a subsequent housesit in February of 2013, Tika developed a sore on her right front paw, and as a result, ended up at the vet as well, and came home with her own conehead to deal with.  Tika was a rather large Malamute, and when she wanted to eat or drink, she preferred to crouch down on the floor.  This arrangement didn't work well with the cone, so I ended up having to crouch down in front of her, and hold her dish up to her mouth, so that she could eat/drink.    Here is a link to the post that I wrote back then.
http://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2013/02/cone-head-dog-and-other-stuff.html

Dora-dog as Version 2.0 is much easier, as she has no problem at all eating and drinking with her cone.    Yesterday, I decided to remove the cone for about an hour in order to give her the opportunity to lick various parts of her anatomy, and to allow her to feel normal for a least a little while.  But in order to do this, I had to be watching her constantly, so that she wouldn't attempt to lick her wounds.  For the most part she ignored her front paws, and was way more interested in attending to the hind parts of her anatomy.

So the conehead bonehead will have to put up with this arrangement for just a little while longer, and then everything in her world will be back to normal.  But in the meantime, one advantage to the cone is that when Dora-dog wants to sniff something on the ground, she now has the ability to encapsulate the smell within the cone, which probably accentuates the fragrance for her.

She's looking happier by the day.

By early evening,  it's time for some well deserved rest.

maximizing my moments,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

JOURNEY TO WHITEFISH MONTANA

POST # 371

This past week,  I  accompanied my friend Mary, and Dora-dog on a journey to Whitefish, Montana.  Mary's daughter, Chani was our host.  On the trip back, we looked at a rock face along highway 20, that is approximately 100 million years old.  That certainly puts my life into perspective.  By the time we returned yesterday, Dora-dog was ready to relax.

maximizing my moments,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

ON THE BENCH

POST # 370
  

 A TYPICAL PARK BENCH                                                     

On the bench.  A long time ago, when I played ice hockey on a regular basis, spending time on the bench would be my least favourite part of the game.  Thankfully, I enjoyed my share of ice time, so my bench time was limited.  In fact, my time on the ice was so generous, that there were moments when I was happy to return to the bench, for some rest.

In recent days, I decided to re-visit the idea of bench time, seeing as I am in between house sits at the moment.  Even at this late stage in a wanderer's life, it's not too late to try something new, and that was a small part of the motivation to give this a go.  The main reason however was to "walk in another person's shoes" as it were, and try and gain some empathy for all of the poor souls in this world, who have only a park bench to sleep upon each night, if they're lucky.  I, on the other hand have lived such a privileged life, that this sleeping option has never been a regular occurrence.  Don't get me wrong, I certainly have had some memorable sleeping experiences, including sleeping by the side of a freeway in Melbourne Australia, with my umbrella as my "tent" on which was plastered a big Canadian flag image. I can only imagine what all of the people driving by on the way to work thought about seeing a Canadian flag, with a pair of legs sticking out from underneath it.  But I digress.

So back to the present sleeping arrangement.  It began five days ago, and so far at least, I have come through without really too much to complain about, and I certainly have gained some of  that empathy that I was looking for as well.  Thankfully, the weather has co-operated for the most part, although on a couple of the nights, I experienced some pretty chilly winds. In addition to that, last night and on Friday night a trio of skunks wandered by, so it was fortunate that I wasn't sleeping on the ground.  Other than that, it has been smoother than I had expected.  Only one more night to go, and then I will be on to my next venue.  By the time that this is posted, my bench days will have come to and end, (at least for now).

If you use the measurement of one second, and consider that as one moment in a life, then at this stage along the journey I have experienced well in excess of two billion moments, (2,033,683,200), as of today, so a mere six nights on a park bench is minuscule by comparison.

I certainly have had some interesting dreams from this new endeavor, and perhaps there may have even been a dream about being on the bench at an ice hockey game.


maximizing my moments, (all 2 billion + of them)


Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

BORDER BLUES

POST # 369

It's a travel day today, with one more opportunity to cross the USA/Canadian border, heading north.  As time goes on, this little ritual seems to become more and more of a hassle.   It's always worse heading into the USA, but I have had my share of hassles going the other way as well.  Such is the life of a wanderer.

I will accept whatever comes my way, and I suspect that one day in the not too distant future, crossing the border will become even more difficult, if not impossible.  But in the meantime, I'll continue my journey, for as long as I am able.

maximizing my moments,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer