LOGAN #2

 POST # 480

                                                                     LOGAN

 So it's now official. I now know two Logans.  The Logan featured here has fur all over, four legs and a tail.  The other Logan, only has fur on his face, two legs and no tail.  He was one of the people that I trained to operate an Aquabus many years ago.  I'm not sure what the other Logan is up to today, but this Logan is enjoying his life here on Vancouver Island, at my latest house sit.

This is just a short one week sit, as my friends have gone away to visit people they know, and they needed someone to care for Logan.  Mind you, he's a very independent soul, so my job is easy.  I just make sure that his food dish is topped up each day, and he just does his own thing.  

With all of the rain that we've been having, it was a welcome break to have a day with sunshine recently.  I decided to take a couple of photos in order to capture this rare phenomenon.

 

And it certainly was rare.  The next day we were back into the rain, which has seemed non-stop for so very long.   I for one have seen enough of it to last me for quite a while.

At least I have a good wood stove to keep me warm and dry, so I am thankful for that.  I also have the company of Logan who was a bit shy at first, but he has now come under the spell of the cat whisperer.  That didn't take very long.

I'll only be here until next Friday, and then it will be time to head off to a new location and a new furball which I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet.  In the meanwhile, I'll take every opportunity this week to spend time with Logan, so that if I do come back for another visit at some point in the future, he'll remember me, and we can pick up right where we left off this week.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

And a PS.  I always think of my dad today as it would have been his birthday, if he was still alive.

A HAIR RAISING WEEK

POST # 479

It was a hair raising week, and I've got the photo to prove it.  Thankfully, I didn't look like this when I stood in front of the judge this past Friday, but I'll tell that tale at the end of the post.

A sudden break in the non-stop rain earlier this week, was followed by some spectacularly windy conditions.  The last time that I can recall such a fierce wind was way back in 2006, if memory serves.  Back then, something like ten thousand trees got knocked down in Stanley Park.  That was a wild and windy night, and I spent most of it wide awake, as did all of the other liveaboards in the marina next to the park.  Surveying the carnage on my bicycle the next morning was a very memorable experience.

The wind this week wasn't as severe, but it certainly packed a punch, with gusts up to 100 kmph. It seemed like a good opportunity to head out for a walk and see what I could see.  The photo at the start of the post was taken as I walked across Granville Street bridge, on my way to the West End of Vancouver.   Being a sailor, it was sad to see this boat being smashed against the shoreline.  

Continuing on my walk,  I encountered this barge bashing up against the rocks.  The water in the foreground is actually the bike path.  I rode on this path each and every day when I lived and worked in Vancouver, and this is the first time that I have ever seen it under water.  And it's also the very first time that I have ever seen a barge washed ashore.  Both vessels are still in their respective locations, after the better part of a week.  I suspect that they'll be there for the foreseeable future.

But it wasn't just windy here in Vancouver.  The coastline got hammered on both sides of the border.  I took a couple of screen shots of this truck dangling precariously on its side on the Deception Pass bridge in Washington State.  I've crossed over this bridge on many occasions, but I'm thankful that I wasn't doing it when this truck was crossing.  I imagine that the driver didn't waste any time in exiting from his vehicle.  If the railing hadn't held, it would have been a long drop to the ocean below.

OK, so enough about the windy weather.  Let's go to court, shall we?   I was ordered to be in court as a result of me arriving at the border back in July without a negative Covid test in hand.  This first appearance was in order to establish whether or not I wanted to plead guilty, and if not, then a trial date would be set for some future date.  At least that is what I thought I was there for.  Apparently not.  I arrived ahead of schedule and I certainly wasn't alone.  Courtroom 102's name board was full of names of others who were there for the same reason that I was.  Thankfully I was able to stand in front of the judge early on.  I couldn't have tolerated being in that building any longer than I had to be.  I wore my best shorts in order to impress the judge, but I'm not sure whether or not she noticed.  A  date in December was suggested by the judge, for me to return to court to decide what I wanted to do, either plead guilty or go to trial.  I thought that was why I was there on Friday morning.  Anyhow, because I won't be in Vancouver in December, the new date set was February 15th, 2022.  At that time I get to go over this issue one more time.  In my humble opinion, this has been a gong show right from the start, and it's not over yet.   

After a very early start to my day, I arrived home to find Shadow, getting into the wine while I was away.  The poor furball.  I guess my early morning start drove him to drink.  But you can't blame him, as his name is on the bottle.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

SOME OVERDUE SHADOW TIME

 POST # 478

                                                                      YOU AGAIN?

Perhaps this shocked look on Shadow's face is because the house sitter is now back, after a two year absence.  For many years now, each November, I have had the pleasure of hanging out with Shadow for two weeks, however last year, his owners cancelled their annual vacation to Mexico.  There are no prizes for guessing why they cancelled.

I'm happy to be back, although this is probably the rainiest November that I have ever experienced.  As I type these words, the rain is pouring down, as it has been doing ever since I arrived here.  So it's possible that the look on Shadow's face has nothing at all to do with the house sitter, but has much more to do with the wet weather.

But neither Shadow or myself have much to complain about, because we have the luxury of being inside a warm apartment, unlike other poor souls who have no place to find shelter out of this cold, wet, weather. It's always wise to count one's blessings.

For instance, we have a pretty good view from our location, and not only do we have a view, but we are being viewed as well.  Check out these two characters.  Everyday they sit in this tree and keep an eye on things, including us.  Shadow "talks" to them each day.  I hold him up to the window in order to accomplish this, and it has become a part of our daily routine.  I think that the crows have come to expect us each and every day.

However, we can't spend the entire day staring out the window at these two.   Shadow likes to spend at least a portion of his busy day, stretched out on the carpet.  Legend has it that when he is fully stretched out, he measures 39 inches from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail.  He's a big furball. 

So with the continued rainy weather, and the lack of motivation to go outside, I'll just hang out here for now, and follow the instructions on the coffee cup that I use each day.  I'm ready for some overdue Shadow time.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THE GOOD OLD DAYS

 POST #477

                                                           MY CURRENT VIEW

Perhaps it's just a natural part of the human condition, the idea of the good old days.  Ah, the good old days.

Like when I could visit Mary and Dora-dog.

Like when I could travel without any restrictions or mandates.

Like when I could cross a border.

Like when I didn't have to wear a mask in order to shop for food, so that I can continue to live.

Like when I had a full house sit calendar booked months in advance.

Like when ...

I could go on, but you get my drift.

This is the state of the world in late 2021. I don't like it one bit, but unfortunately this is how things are at the present time.

What to do?

Do what I try to do each and every day.  That is, live with gratitude and acceptance, which has become much more of a challenge lately.

Yes, the good old days.  

 I feel that at some point in the not too distant future, we are going to look back at what is currently happening in our world, and say to ourselves, "Yes, in late 2021, those certainly were the good old days."  

I would love to be wrong.

                                      FOR THIS HERON, IT'S JUST ANOTHER DAY  

    

 

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer