2022 COMES TO A CLOSE FOR THE THOUGHTFUL WANDERER

 POST # 532

Let me see.

The snow has stopped. For the moment.

The rain has stopped.  For the moment

I have running water again.

The power is still on.  For now.

And the driveway is now clear.

And this morning, even the sun decided to make a brief appearance.

It has been an interesting week to say the least, and I'm rather thankful that some of the drama is now in the rear view mirror.  One week ago, I wrote that the owners would be leaving the next day, which would have been December 22nd, however that never happened, and as it turns out, I am very thankful that they were still here.  Why?  The low temperature caused the pipes to freeze, and as a result, we had no water for three days.  Just another one of those luxuries that we totally take for granted, until it isn't available.  If they had left, I wouldn't have had a clue as to how to fix the water problem.  The plumber was scheduled to arrive on Christmas Eve, and in preparation for his arrival, we walked down to the pump house, in order to shovel a pathway for him.  As I approached the pump house, I could hear water running.  Upon opening the door I was staring at a burst water pipe, that was spewing water everywhere, including over various electrical connections.  Needless to say, not a good situation.  

                                                                                   Pump house

The white vertical PVC pipe in the above photo is the replacement for the one that was spewing water all over the pump house.  Thankfully, the plumber did a great job, and we have water once again.  Later in the day, he had to return a second time, due to another pipe bursting in another building on the property.  Since that time, everything seems to be working fine, so I am counting my blessings.

After a couple of false starts, the owners finally had the opportunity to head out on their vacation, albeit five days behind schedule.  It was a grey rainy drive to and from the ferry terminal, and the colour of the sky matched my mood.  Here is a view of the driveway, upon returning to the property.  A couple of days before this photo was taken, it would have been impossible to drive down this approach to their house.

So the bonehead, Caper, the furball, Logan, and the house sitter have now finally settled into a routine of sorts, although I have to admit that Caper certainly has her own very energetic agenda, and that keeps me on my toes.

And then just this morning we woke to a very unusual sight.  This big bright object in the sky that hasn't been seen for such a very long time.  I went out into the yard with Caper, just to enjoy the fact that there was sunshine and blue sky.

However, our sunny break didn't last very long, and as I write these words, the rain is falling once again.  At least I don't have to shovel it.  

So we arrive at the final blog post for the year 2022.  What a year it has been.  And even though it has been a challenging year, I strongly suspect that in 2023 we may be in for more of the same challenges and perhaps even bigger ones.  That's certainly not a very optimistic view for next year, and I would love to be wrong, but my gut tells me otherwise.  The year will unfold as it will, and all we can do is try and appreciate the moments along the way.  Moments are all we have.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

 

THE SNOW CAPER

POST # 531

Just in time for the winter solstice, plenty of the white stuff has arrived, here on the farm just west of Duncan.  We are trapped at the moment, as the driveway is covered in the white stuff, and hopefully it will be plowed out later today.  We, in this case include the owners of the farm, as they are stuck here with me, and the two other critters that occupy this place.  Logan, the furball was also here last year, but since my last visit, a new bonehead has arrived on the scene.  Her name is Caper, and she just turned one year old about a month ago.  Needless to say, she has plenty of energy.

LOGAN

SNOW CAPER

Caper seems to be much happier with the snow than the resident humans, but in my experience, that seems to be the case with most of the bonheads that I have come to know over the years.  Mind you, they don't have to shovel the stuff, so perhaps that is part of the attraction for them.

Most of this snow arrived in the past twenty four hours, and with any luck, that might be the end of things for now, but at this time of year, one never really knows for sure.

And as I write these words, the person who owns the snow plow has just arrived, and is getting the driveway cleared, so that we can come and go.  The owners had originally planned to depart yesterday, but they will head out tomorrow instead.  That is, as long as we don't get another dump of snow overnight.

After they depart, it will just be the three of us, to keep each other amused.  Caper takes up most of my attention, and Logan is happy to just hang out in the living room, sleeping near the fireplace.  

Here is one more photo of Caper hanging out with The Thougthful Wanderer.  She's not quite sure about this position.

I'll be here until early January, so I'm sure there will be a few more things to talk about by this time next week.  It would be nice, if some of the snow is gone by then.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

DOUG HAS A LAUGH

 POST # 530

As we were relaxing on the couch the other day, Doug seemed to have a bored look in his eyes.  I was pondering what I could do to help spice up his afternoon, and then I came up with an idea.  What Doug needed was a laugh, and what better way to get that reaction from him, but to tell him my favourite dog joke.

For regular readers, the joke has already been recorded at this blog, and here is a link if you missed it.

https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-dog-joke_28.html

So I proceeded to tell him the joke, to see what his reaction would be.  His expression says it all.

He laughed, and laughed, and laughed some more.  He laughed so much that he wore himself out doing so, and soon afterwards, he had to retire to his favourite bed and have a nap.

I've got about another twenty four hours with Doug, as the owner arrives home tomorrow afternoon.  We'll try and make the most of that time together, and if I think up anymore dog jokes, Doug will be the first one I try it out on.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

ROUND THREE WITH DOUG

 POST # 529

This is the look that Doug gives me, when it's time for his breakfast.  

Yummy!!!   Kibble for breakfast, and dinner as well.  He never seems to lose interest in his twice daily meal.

At some point later on, Doug gets down to business with this very serious look.  This is the peanut butter request (demand) look.  He's got me well trained, and it works every single time.

This is round number three with Doug, so we are very familiar with the daily routine.  The weather has been on the cool side so far, so we have spent probably more time inside than either of us would like, but we take each day as it presents itself to us, and try to make the most of it.  Doug seems to be happy to eat and sleep most of the day away.  

We are now about half way through our time together, and I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly.  I'll continue to try and enjoy our moments together.  Doug's a very laid back bonehead, so he's easy to spend time with.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer