TRIXIE

 POST # 496

Here's Trixie, a very energetic two year old.  Whether indoors or outside, Trixie has more energy to burn than this ageing old house/pet sitter.  After only six days here, we seem to have made it work. At least so far.  I'm trying to teach her a few things, and she's teaching me much, much more.  

I'll get another opportunity to update my journey with Trixie in the next blog on April 7th, and in the meantime, I'll try and continue to learn from her, and maybe she will adjust to having me around for a while longer.

I have a lack of enthusiasm for writing more today, as my mind is preoccupied with another issue that is much more important to me right now.

        At last, some down time.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH

 POST # 495

The Ides of March (/aɪdz/; Latin: Idus Martiae, Late Latin: Idus Martii)^[1] is the 74th day in the Roman calendar, corresponding to 15 March. It was marked by several religious observances and was notable for the Romans as a deadline for settling debts.^[2] In 44 BC, it became notorious as the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar, which made the Ides of March a turning point in Roman history.

Last Tuesday, March 15th marked the 2066th anniversary of Julius Caesar's assassination.  For whatever reason, this very old history popped into my head that day.  A lesser known fact was that it was the date for Romans to settle their debts.   

It's that second point that seemed more appropriate for my situation.  Tuesday, March 15th, was the date for my second appearance in court, relating to when I crossed the border back into Canada on July 3rd of last year, without proof of a PCR test in hand.  As readers of this blog are aware, I was issued with a fine of $5750.00, and the purpose of going to court was to set a future date for a trial to argue my case as to why I didn't think that I should have to pay this outrageous amount.  Would I, like the Romans long ago, have to settle my debt with the Canadian government?

I had been mulling over exactly what I might say to the judge.  I thought it might be good to tell the judge that I haven't had an income since January 27th, 2009, which is the truth, and since that time I have been doing volunteer work, taking care of people's pets and homes, which is also true.  My thinking in this regard was that it may elicit a small bit of empathy from the judge.  Perhaps this was hopeful thinking on my part, but I figured that I had nothing to lose by this approach.  In addition to telling the judge my tale, I made sure to "dress up" in my newest looking old thrift store clothes, in order to make a good visual impression at the very least.  If the judge didn't buy my story, at least I was going to be presentable when I told it.

I was sitting in my hotel room, in preparation for my long journey to the courthouse in Surrey, when an email arrived in my inbox at 10:28 a m. from the legal firm that was handling my case for the government.  Before even opening it up, my immediate thought was, "now what?"  Had they decided to increase the fine, or maybe send me straight to jail, or what?  You can imagine my feelings when I finally opened the email, and read the following words:

"Please be advised that a Stay of Proceedings has been entered for the above noted matter.  There will be no need to attend the court for this ticket going forward, nor pay the fine associated with it.  Thank you."

I can't recall how many times I read and re-read those words, and yet I still couldn't believe it.  So I called the person that had sent me the email, and she re-confirmed over the phone, that "yes, Mr. Marcotte it's all true."  I told her that she had made my day, and I wished her a wonderful life going forward. This news certainly put a smile on my face, and by her reaction to my comment about a wonderful life going forward, seemed to put a smile on her face, as I could hear it in her voice.  So everyone was happy.  Having been informed last year that the government had thousands of these cases on the books, my guess is that the woman who confirmed the good news was probably spending her entire day(s) sending out similar emails to other border crossing Canucks.  

So now that that chapter of my life is finally over and done with, I now wonder if this may be a small indication of things going forward?  The real proof from my point of view will be if/when this wandering soul will once again be able to cross into the United States.  As far as that case goes, the jury is still out.  Of course, I have absolutely no control over that outcome, so I just need to put it out of my mind at the moment, and concentrate on what I do best these days, and that is looking after people's pets and homes.  

And on that note, tomorrow it's time to head to Qualicum Beach for a new house sit with a new bonehead named Trixie.  I've already met her, and I think that we're going to get along just fine.  She a very active two year old small German Shepard.  With walking, ball and Frisbee throwing on the agenda, it should be plenty of fun.  And now that Spring has finally arrived, perhaps even the weather might start to improve.  So I am looking forward to getting to know Trixie, and I'm sure she has plenty of things to teach me while I'm there.

In closing, from now on, whenever the 15th of March rolls around, instead of thinking, "Beware the ides of March," I will say to myself, "Ignore the Ides of March."

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

DOUG-LESS

 POST # 494

It's a toss up to figure out who looks the saddest.  Is it Doug, or is it The Thoughtful Wanderer?  I've been here for just over a month, and today the owner arrives home.  I'm sure that any sadness that Doug is currently experiencing will instantly disappear as soon as she shows up.  It will take The Thoughtful Wanderer somewhat longer to get over not being around Doug.  Ah well, such is the life of a wandering house/pet sitter.

We've had plenty of time for play, and I am very sure that we both had fun during our daily play sessions.

And after our daily walk through the woods near the beach, Doug gets enough exercise that during the ride home, he settles into my lap, as we head back to Nanoose Bay.  Another good day for the both of us.

But as the old saying goes, "all good things must come to an end" and today is one of those days where the saying holds true.  Perhaps I will have another opportunity to spend time with Doug in the future, so I will hold on to that thought as time goes by.

I'll be heading back to the big city today, and that will most certainly be a shock, after the peace and tranquillity here in Nanoose Bay.  But it's only for a bit longer than a week, at which time I'll be back on the island en route to my next sit at a new location in Qualicum Beach.  I will have a different bonehead to play with, and if I  haven't gotten over my sadness by then, I'm sure that the new bonehead will help cheer me up. 

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PS: More sadness.  I found out earlier in the week that Murphy, a bonehead that I came to know and love, died.  That news made me sad, but certainly not as sad as his owners are right now.  It's just another gentle reminder to enjoy each and every moment.  Here is a link to a post I wrote when I was at Murphy's place, back in 2018.

https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2018/11/murphy-number-3.html

PPS: Happy birthday Bill.

THE THOUGHTFUL WANDERER'S BONUS DECADE & 123FAG

 POST # 493

                                                              GRAND FORKS HILL

As of three days ago, I consider the past decade as one big bonus.  As readers of this blog may remember that on March 4th, 2012, The Thoughtful Wanderer, not trusting his gut instinct, took one wrong step, and tumbled head over heals down this hill in Grand Forks BC.  This most certainly could have been my last day on the planet, however I was very lucky, and only broke one leg in five places.  I could have just as easily broken my back, broken both legs, or got knocked out cold, and if any of those things would have happened, I'm quite sure that I would have ended my life right there on that mountain.  Like I said, I got lucky.  For those who haven't read, or would like to re-read my account of that day, just head over to this link: http://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2012/03/sadie-and-pauls-big-adventure.html.  There is also a follow up post a couple of weeks later.  http://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2012/03/part-1-death-comes-knocking-but-paul.html.  I really have enjoyed a bonus decade.

I was telling this tale the other day to Doug, and he seemed quite captivated by it, especially the part about Sadie wanting to continue to play ball at the foot of the mountain.  After I finished telling Doug the story, he decided to demonstrate what I may have looked like when I ended up at the bottom of the hill.  Here's his interpretation.

Now, over this past decade I have plenty of things to be grateful for, and they would be too numerous to mention, but I'll mention just a few.  If March 4th, 2012 would have ended up being my last day, I would never have met my dear friend Mary, and her wonderful bonehead Dora-dog.  We first met on September 3rd of that same year, after I answered a request from her for a house sitting position.  At that time I was still walking around with a cane, and when she met me at the train station, she wondered if I was going to be a suitable sitter, because she owned a bonehead named Tika who was a very large and strong dog.  Somehow, Tika and I made it work.  I've enjoyed Mary's kindness, consideration,  generosity, companionship, and love now for almost a decade.  For that, I am grateful beyond words.

In addition to Mary, I've also enjoyed the friendship of Dr. Guy Mcpherson and his partner Pauline.  They have moved around a lot over this time, and fortunately for me, I've been able to see them in a multitude of locations, sometimes just for a visit, and other times as a house/pet sitter.  None of that would have happened, if I had been unlucky back in 2012.  Again, I am most grateful to know them.

Of course there are other old friends and family members that I get to see/talk to every now and again, and I appreciate all of them, including my dear friend Ted, who was the person responsible for getting me interested in reading, and my friend Dave in Australia, who loaned me a book way back in 2005 that changed my life.  Also, my friends Tim, Jay, and Bob who came out to Grand Forks while I was there, to offer assistance to a cripple.  And all of the fine staff at the hospital in Trail BC, who helped me through a very trying time.

And of course I have to be thankful for all of the many furballs and boneheads that I have had the pleasure to get to know, and care for over this time period.

I've had plenty of new adventures during this period of time, including as far away as Australia, so my adventurous lifestyle has continued in spite of my wonky leg.

123FAG

What the heck does 123FAG stand for?  I came up with this quite some time ago, and it helps me to get the most out of every day that I get to spend.  So here is the breakdown.

1. I was born.  

2. I'm not dead yet.

3. Any moment could be my last.

F. Focus.

A. Acceptance.

G. Gratitude.

The first three are all truths.  Oddly enough is the understanding that I may never have been born in the first place.  There was no guarantee.  My dear friend Guy pointed this rather obvious fact to me many years ago, and up to that point in time, I would have never considered it.  Of course, because of that fact, everything follows on from there.

By writing today's blog, I have proven that I am not dead yet.  And I certainly do believe that any moment could be my last.  We are all given numerous examples of this fact as we go through life.

As a result of 123, I now try to Focus on each and every moment.  It's much easier said than done, but I work on it, each and every day.  Like for instance, yesterday on our walk, I was captured by this tree growing on top of another tree. Amazing really, but so easy to miss if one isn't focused on the moment.

Acceptance.

Acceptance is easy, when things are going your way, but much more difficult when they aren't.  However, whether the situation is in your favour or not, it seems a much wiser decision in my opinion to accept things as they present themselves.  Otherwise, one could spend way too much precious time trying to re-write one's own history.  That seems like a complete waste of time.  So I choose acceptance.

Gratitude.

As I say at the end of each of my blog posts, I'm grateful for every breath, and I truly am, because one day in the future, my life, as everyone's life will come to an end.  All the more reason to be grateful for today.

During this past week, I turned 67 years old.  This was the age of my father when he died, way back in 1984.  If I survive until July 15th of this year, I'll beat his record by one whole day.  I'm planning on beating his record, keeping in mind point #3  stated above.

At my current house sit, there is a little reminder out on the front step that I like to look at every day.

No doubt, those Easter Islander's probably thought that life would just continue on indefinitely, and look how they ended up.  Nothing lasts forever.

I think that's about enough for today.  Doug is looking very bored, so he's probably trying to tell me that's it's just about time to head to the local park, and go for our daily walk.  How could I say no to that request?

Some wisdom from the Traveling Wilburys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMVjToYOjbM&list=RDUMVjToYOjbM&start_radio=1

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer