HEADING TO THE COUNTRY OF 123123

 POST # 580

The other day I was having a chat with Ollie, and I mentioned to him that this Friday I would be heading off to the land of 123123.  Now I doubt very much that Ollie, or any other furball for that matter,  has much of a grasp of world geography, but even if he did, I'm quite sure that he would have never heard of the country of 123123.  You can just tell by the shocked look on his face, that he had no clue about what I was talking about.

So what am I talking about?  Here is the explanation for Ollie and my blog readers.  A while back, I was having a chat with my friend Guy, and he happened to mention to me that the date of the last day of this year is 123123.  Of course, that is only true if you live in the USA, as for some reason, it is the only country in the world that puts the date in a month/day/year format.  It certainly is a unique date.  And because I will be heading to the USA after I leave here, I will be there on that date.  

Anyhow, I continued my one way conversation with Ollie, and the more he heard about my imminent departure, the more I could tell that he wasn't too keen about the idea.  In fact, after my talk had finished, he did the only thing that he could do, to let me know that he didn't want me to go. 

Nice try Ollie.  It's not that I don't want to spend more time with you, but I have another place to go on Friday, and besides, your owners will be back then, and you'll be able to settle back into your familiar routine with them.  Just keep in mind, that I won't be in the country 123123 forever, and next year I will be back to hang out with you for a week in February.  

Come this Monday, the country of 123123 will have disappeared forever, and it will just go back to being the USA.  At least on that day, it will have the same date as the rest of the world, 1124.   And what's in store for the year 2024 is anyone's guess.  But as always, I am happy to be participating in this thing called life, for as long as possible.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

MY JOURNEY TO SEE SIMI

 POST # 579

Without a critter to keep me company at my current housesit, I hopped on the Skytrain yesterday, and headed to Surrey to meet a brand new bonehead named Simi.  This would be our first meeting.  Her owners were having a little pre-Christmas get together for friends and neighbours, and I was invited to come along to join in the fun.  I was especially looking forward to meeting Simi for the first time.

As the sun began to set, on this, the shortest day of the year, my journey on the Skytrain crossed over a graveyard, which is the signal for me to hop off of the train, and board a bus to continue my journey to their home.

After exiting the bus, it was a short twenty minute walk to my destination.  When the door opened, there was Simi, standing next to her owner.  And what kind of reaction did I receive from her.  Nothing other than, bark, bark, bark.  Needless to say, I hadn't made a very good first impression from the looks of it.  And speaking of looks, I was expecting a much friendlier start to our relationship.  After all, she looks so friendly.

Here she is, even dancing with her owner, so she certainly has the capacity to be friendly.  Throughout my visit, I kept trying to make friends with Simi, but she didn't allow me to do so.  Ah well, you win some you lose some as the old saying goes.  Just when I thought that I could call myself the dog whisperer, here is one that is teaching me that I still have a ways to go in order to achieve that honour.

It was an enjoyable get together, in spite of Simi's reluctance to become a new four-legged friend of mine, but who knows, perhaps sometime in the future, she'll finally decide that I can be trusted.

On my journey homeward, I stopped to take a couple of photos of the Science World Pavilion, all lit up.

All things considered it was a pleasant evening, and I was happy to have been invited to be a participant.  Perhaps at some point down the road,  Simi will become a friend.  I look forward to that occasion.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

 

DOG POOP, SMARTPHONES, AND A TRIP TO GRANVILLE ISLAND

 POST # 578

Now that certainly isn't a typical photo for this blog, but it got me to thinking earlier today.  I was walking down to the Aquabus Ferry terminal in order to catch a ride to Granville Island.  Lately, it seems like almost every time that I come across dog poop on the sidewalk (which is often), most of it has been stepped upon by some poor soul.  This made me wonder about why that might be the case.  My hypothesis is that with the vast majority of smartphones in use these days, most people are more preoccupied with looking at their screens, instead of watching where they are walking, and as a result we end up with piles of squished dog poop.  Now, it's just an idea on my part, but I wouldn't at all be surprised if there's something to it.  I'll continue my research, each time that I go for a walk around here.  Maybe I will be lucky to witness a smartphone carrying, dog poop stepping human, which will help to prove my hypothesis, and if so, I'll mention it to them as they are scraping the dog poop off of their shoe.

My purpose for going to Granville Island today was to look for some $1 bags of fruit.  My trip was a success, and I arrived home with a bag of apples and bananas, enough to last me another week.  

And an added bonus, was that I ran into the only two people that I still know from my old Aquabus days, Congo Bob, and Logan.  It was just a fluke in timing, but I was happy to see them both.

After picking up my fruit, it was time to head back home, but not before I drooled over the baked goods at one of the stands in the market.

I didn't linger here for long, and wisely decided to head back to the Aquabus dock, and make my journey home.

Logan, mentioned above is the taller of the two people standing next to the Aquabus.  I saw Congo Bob when I arrived at the island.  

My journey home was uneventful, and without a smartphone in hand, I managed to dodge all of the dog poop that I came across on my way back.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

VEGEMITE, CONDO-VILLE, AND MY SAD MOOD FOR TODAY

 POST # 577

My niece Kathryn departed yesterday to the land of Australia, which is also the land of Vegemite, and as a result, Uncle Paul, aka The Thoughtful Wanderer is now camped out at her condo in Vancouver.  She must like Vegemite, because the small jar on top of the larger jar, is attached to her key chain.  Nothing like a daily reminder to get in your dose of Vegemite.  And because she has a large jar here in the condo, I'm sure that I will take advantage of that fact, and enjoy some myself over the next couple of weeks.  According to the jar, Vegemite is now 100 years old.  I wonder how much of it those Aussies have consumed in that time period?  Years ago, when I lived and worked in Melbourne, I actually did a sales call out to the factory where Vegemite is produced.  I probably saw more Vegemite in the couple of hours that I was at the factory, than the average Aussie sees in a lifetime.  It was an interesting experience.  Hopefully, the equipment that I sold to the company, helped them keep the Vegemite production line working in tip top shape.

So it's time to settle in to the land of condos here in downtown Vancouver, which is quite a change from the peace and quiet of Shelter Bay in Washington, from where I departed earlier today.

Condo-ville

As you can see from my ninth floor view, I'm surrounded by condos in every direction.  Hopefully, I will adapt to this new location fairly soon.

The journey northward this morning was grey and rainy, as the Amtrak train rolled its way to Vancouver.  The grey sky reflected my mood, as I always feel sad, when I have to say goodbye to Mary and Dora-dog.

  As the train sat on the tracks, waiting for other train traffic to clear on the other side of the Fraser river, I gazed out the window, and wondered just how long our delay would be?  Thankfully, it wasn't long, and within about ten minutes, we were once again on our way to the Central Pacific Station terminal in Vancouver.  We arrived about 12:30 pm, which was about half an hour behind schedule.  Thankfully, I didn't need to make any other transport connections, so I wasn't concerned about the late arrival.  Customs was a breeze for a change, and soon I was on my way to my new location, via my other niece's place, where I had to collect the Vegemite key for this place.

And even though I am now settled here in Condo-ville, my mind is still in Shelter Bay, where dear Mary and Dora-dog are now back at home.  Mary will now be the one who keeps Dora-dog amused, and I'm sure she does a good job of it.  After all, in Dora-dog's mind, Mary is #1, which is as it should be. But having said that, I am the one who will be missing out on the daily play sessions, like chase the ball.

But it is what it is, and there is a plan to be back there for another visit in the not too distant future.  I will hold on to that thought, as I settle into my pet free condo for the next couple of weeks, and work my way through that jar of Vegemite.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

BACK IN WASHINGTON FOR A LITTLE WHILE

 POST # 576

Travelling south on Amtrak at this time of the year, offers plenty of seats for the individual.  I took advantage of the situation, and boarded the train to visit Mary and Dora-dog in La Conner WA.  Part of the reason for the empty train was no doubt the fact that my day of travel was American Thanksgiving, and the vast majority of travellers had probably already arrived at their destinations the day prior to November, 23rd.

Of course, I wasn't settled in very long, before Dora-dog wanted to play, and of course I had to oblige.

This past Saturday, Mary's friends had asked if we could spend the day at their house, and take care of their two lovely boneheads, as they were going to be away for the day.  We were happy to spend the day there with Benson and Sully*** (Benson on the left and Sully on the right), and Dora-dog enjoyed her time with them as well.

After a quick walk, treats were in order, and all three were more than happy to stand and wait, while Mary handed out the yummy snacks.

Mary's neighbours have a nice location overlooking the water, with their boat "Sound Venture" in the foreground.  If one looks closely, you can see the moon rise just above the bridge on the left of the photo.

With our house/pet duties completed, we headed back home.  Benson and Sully's owners would  be back home soon, so it was time to go.

We can now give all of our attention to Dora-dog, and she's happy about that.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

*** I spent a day with Benson and Sully back in April, 2021. Here is the link.

https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2021/04/sully-and-benson-day.html

Today's sunset.

MY MORNING WAKE UP CALL

 POST # 575

On most mornings, the first sound that I hear, is Shadow meowing from the hallway.  It's my morning wake up call and his way of telling me that it's time to get up and feed him.  But on some days, like today, he skipped the meowing part, and silently jumped up onto the bed.  I happened to be awake, and I was lying down on my side.  No problem for Shadow.  He just climbed up on top of me, and settled in.  I guess that he was still happy to sleep somewhat longer, and wait for his breakfast.

This went on for some time, and then I gently rolled over onto my back.  Shadow cooperated, and he was now upon my chest.  This is his favourite position.  From here he can now lick my face,  or any exposed skin with his sandpaper-like tongue, or bite gently upon my beard.  This goes on for as long as I can put up with it, and eventually I pull back the covers, Shadow jumps from the bed, and heads straight for the laundry room, which is where his food dishes are.  Breakfast time for Shadow has finally arrived.

Moments later, I am finally out of bed and doing my duty, attending to his needs.  This feeding process takes place three times per day, but the other two are easy in comparison, as I am already up and moving around.  

He's a pretty laid back furball,  and spending time with him is time well spent.  I'd like to think that maybe he feels the same about the house sitter.  After more than a decade of caring for him, each November,  he knows and can trust me.  It's a good match.

But in a couple of days, our journey together will once again come to a close, as the owners arrive home this Thursday, and I will be on my way.

From that point on, it will be their turn to feed and care for Shadow.  No doubt he will be happy to see them, and just like that, The Thoughtful Wanderer will just become a distant memory for him, at least until this time next year, and with a bit of luck, we will once again have the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks together.

Thanks Shadow.  As always, it's been a great pleasure to spend some precious time with you.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

TAKING A STAND FOR MY BACK

 POST # 574

Just four short days ago, while Shadow was relaxing in this chair, he inspired me to do the same, so I  settled down on the couch for a bit of relaxing as well.  I wasn't there for more than a half hour, but when I went to get up, my back told me that it wasn't happy about that decision.  Up to that point, my back was absolutely fine.  In fact, for about the past thirty*** years, with the exception of just once, (see here-https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2021/01/damaged-goods.html ) in January 2021, I haven't had any problems at all with my back.  That all changed on November 10th, when I arose from the couch.  

Since that time, I have been struggling to get through each day.  It's not so much that I am in pain, which I certainly am, but it's the fact that I struggle to do just the simplest of activities.  Like for instance, putting on my socks and shoes, or numerous other things that we all do each and every day without thinking twice.  

In fact, any other time in the past when I have had an injury to my back, I felt pain, but usually had the ability to function through the pain.  Not so, this time around.  It's a challenge to get through the day at the moment.

Lying down hurts,  and sitting hurts even more.  Bending over is impossible right now.  So that leaves me with standing, hence the title for today's post.  Standing, also includes walking, so I have been able to go out for a short walk each day, and that helps to take my mind off of my back pain.  And who knows just what I may encounter on my daily walk?  Like this character yesterday.  It seemed to be posing for me, so I took its photo.

Also during yesterday's walk, I took a photo looking back at the condo that I am currently staying at.  It's the large green structure in the photo.  I've been Shadow sitting here  every November since 2012, so it's a very familiar location for me.  

After returning from yesterday's walk, I took one more photo, looking out of my front window.  It's been beautiful weather the past few days, but unfortunately, I have been holed up for the most part, standing, and staring out the window.  At least, I have the ability to go outside if I want to, unlike the time a few years ago when I was locked up in quarantine jail for two weeks. In spite of my pain, I'm sure that I prefer this over that.

So I will continue to stand for most of the day, try and get a few restless hours of sleep each night, and maybe things will improve sooner rather than later.  That would be a blessing.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

*** Thirty years ago, I was living in Melbourne, Australia, and I had a similar incident with my back.  Fortunately for me at that time, I was introduced to a guy who worked out of his garage.  He fixed my back, and showed me some back exercises to do as well.  So far this time, the exercises haven't been as beneficial, but I will keep doing them, and perhaps things will improve soon. 

I'VE GOT TEN MORE YEARS

 POST # 573

                    

                           TEN MORE YEARS

It's now official.  I've got 10 more years.  To be even more precise,  as of today, I have only 9 years and 347 days left to go.  Now wait just one minute.  How could I, or anyone else for that matter, be so absolutely sure that that is the amount of time that I have left?  Before I answer that question, I must emphasize that this number is OFFICIAL.  There is absolutely NO speculation in this regard.  None other than the Canadian government has made this declaration, and in spite of the fact that I have had a few run-ins with said government in recent years, which leaves me questioning its honesty, on this topic, they are absolutely correct.  How on earth could my own government be so very sure about the time that I have left?  The answer is quite simple.  The following photo will give you a hint.

Yes, that's right.  I now have a brand new passport in my possession.  It doesn't expire until October, 20th, 2033.

Out with the old,

and in with the new.

That date seems to be a long way off,  as I survey my life and the world around me at the moment.  Nothing would make me happier, than to be able to walk into a passport office in the year 2033, and once again renew my passport.  At that time, if I lived that long, I would be 78 years old.  It seems like an impossible dream at this point, but one never knows for sure.  All I can really do, is take things a day at a time, count my blessings,  and in the meanwhile, I will continue to be...

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

LEON'S SERVANT

 POST # 572

Most of my mornings begin with the sound of the cat door opening, and moments later, Leon is meowing his head off.  The translation in human terms is, " get the hell out of bed, you lazy human, and feed me right now."

I would like to remain in bed for a few more minutes, but the meowing never stops.  Leon wins, and moments later I am in the kitchen, preparing his breakfast.  I am just his servant.

Now that my master has been served, I can relax for a while, as he gobbles down his food.  The next item on Leon's agenda, is his morning brushing routine.  He races into the spare room, jumps up on his cat tree, in anticipation of me grabbing the brush, and going to work.  I have to admit that I enjoy the brushing probably as much as he enjoys being brushed.  It's a task that helps to keep me in the moment, and not be distracted with anything else going on in the world.  I'm grateful to Leon, for allowing me this simple pleasure.  And as mentioned in last week's blog, he certainly purrs up a storm, to show his appreciation.

With both of those tasks completed, I am free to do whatever I want, and Leon usually heads outside once again, to do whatever he does outside.  It's somewhat of a mystery what he does when he's outside, but he probably spends almost as much of his day and night outdoors, as he does inside the house.  Like many furballs, the night time is the best time to be out there.  He's working up an appetite prior to coming through that cat door each morning.

A large percentage of Leon's daytime activity, revolves around relaxing and sleeping.  After all, he needs to rest up, and digest his food.

 

Even though he was now relaxing on the bed, I asked Leon for a favour.  Seeing as this post started off with the cat door, I asked him if he wouldn't mind giving me a demonstration.  Because I take such good care of him, he was happy to oblige.

Thanks Leon.  Now you can get back on the bed and have another rest.  You've earned it, my furry friend.

So that describes at least part of a day as Leon's servant.  I'm sure things could be worse, so we are happy to spend this time together, while it's available.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PURE PURR

 POST # 571

Earlier this week, I began another round of pet sitting with Mr. Leon.  He is pure purr.  I've known plenty of furballs, and I can only think of just one, who topped Leon, when it comes to purring.  That was a furball named Boris, owned by my friend Brian, in Melbourne.  I imagine that Boris is long gone by now, but when he was still alive, and when he purred, it was even louder than Leon.  Boris also had the bad habit of drooling while he was purring.  Thankfully, Leon doesn't do that.

My week began, by saying so long to Ollie, then moving on to spend a couple of days caring for Eunice, and now here I am with Leon.  He's very easy to care for, and there isn't even any litter box to clean, as he just heads out through his cat door to do his business outside.  All I need to do is feed him twice a day, and then spend the rest of the day making him purr.

The last time I was here, there was another furball across the street, named Marshall, and he would come by each day, just to hang out.  That neighbour has now moved away, so no more Marshall.  I doubt if Leon misses him, because Marshall's strong point wasn't purring.  He would rather lash out at you unexpectedly, and on more than one occasion, he drew blood.  Still, in a funny way, I kind of miss his company.  He was over here everyday, and as long as you gave him space, all was well.  Try to pet him, and the blood was soon flowing from your hand.  

I've got a little bit more than two weeks to hang out with Mr. Leon, so I will make the best of things while I'm here.  And after a big round of purring, Leon needs to have a nap.  But before long, he'll be back to pure purring once again.  What a life he has.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PS: Today, marks the 12th anniversary of this blog.

IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD

 POST # 570

While gazing across the night sky at the big "W" the other night, I was reminded of the title of a movie that premiered sixty years ago, in 1963.  I thought that the title was an appropriate one for today's blog post.  The reason that the big W brought this movie to mind, is because there is a big W that is part of the plot in the movie, hence my remembrance of it.  

It certainly seems like a good way to describe the world we currently live in, at least that's the way I see it right now.  Ollie, on the other hand doesn't seem to care one way or the other, as you can see.  As long as there is food in his dish, and he has a place to sleep, he appears to be quite content with his world.

Even the arrival of the window cleaners this past week, seemed to have no effect upon him.  While the guy was hanging outside, I decided to pop out on the deck to say hello.  As soon as he opened his mouth, I could tell that he was Australian, and when I asked where he was from, he mentioned Brisbane.  I told him that I had lived there for a couple of years back in the late '80's.  What are the odds that the only window washer that I have ever met, is from a city I lived in long ago?   He continued on with his work, and Ollie continued on with his sleep.

The days are winding down on my current house sit with Ollie, and I'll be back on the road this coming Monday.  Ollie seems to have a sense that something is up, as he has taken to sleeping on my luggage, perhaps in an effort to convince me to stick around a bit longer, and in spite of him being such wonderful company, there is another furball on Vancouver island that has requested my service, so I will have to say goodbye to Ollie in the near future.

In the meantime, we still have a couple more days to experience this mad, mad, mad, mad world, together.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

MY TED TALK

 POST # 569

Most of my readers, with the exception of just one, wouldn't know that I recently participated in a Ted Talk. It isn't my first one, as there have been many throughout the years, and I would like to think that it won't be my last one either.  Each Ted Talk has been very worthwhile, and I always come away from them with a good feeling.  The most recent one had the same effect. So let's go through the details.

Exactly one week ago today, on September 30th, I had the opportunity to participate in a Ted Talk that lasted more than four hours.  As far as Ted Talks go, that is a rather lengthy one for sure, but this particular talk went by way too fast.  I was so glad that I had the chance to participate in it.

OK, let me get a little bit more specific.  Rather than a Ted Talk, it was a talk with Ted.  This is Ted.

So, who is Ted?  Ted is a dear friend of mine, that I have known since November, 1978.  We happened to meet in Auckland New Zealand, and even though we've both lived in different countries over the ensuing forty-five years, we have somehow managed to stay in touch all of this time.

Some months after our first meeting, we unexpectedly bumped into each other in Tasmania.  Ted was biking down the coast to Hobart, and I was hitchhiking.  We ended up doing a cat and mouse thing down the coast, with him and a couple of friends on their bikes, and me with my thumb out.  At one point in the journey, Ted asked me what I was reading at the time?  He just assumed that with all those hours sitting by the side of the road waiting for a ride, that I must have something to read, in order to pass the time.  When I told him that I didn't read, he was rather shocked, and soon after he provided me with a book.  That simple exchange, all those years ago, is what started me reading, and I've never stopped.  For that, I will be forever grateful to Ted.

In the early part of the 2000's, we both lived in Vancouver, and so we had the opportunity to get together on numerous occasions.  Since that time, I have been wandering around doing my house/pet sitting gig, and Ted and his wife Doreen now live in Mexico.  They were returning there, after visiting their daughter in Australia, and that was the reason why we had the chance to have a visit last Saturday.

Of course, the time went by way too fast, but in my humble opinion, I think that we filled it up with meaningful conversation, and some beer and sushi as well.

Two Old Farts

But before we both knew it, it was time for Ted to say goodbye, so I escorted him over to the Skytrain station nearby, and took one more photo, before he walked through the turnstile, and I returned to the apartment.

Two old farts outside

Ted is now back home in Mexico, and I'm still here with Ollie as my only company.  Perhaps we will have the opportunity to catch up again somewhere in the future, but if we don't, then at least we had this time to spend together.  

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

A TRAVEL DAY

 POST # 568

Today is a travel day, so I'll keep this entry rather brief.  Departing from Nanaimo once again, after taking care of Silken at one location, and Eunice at my present location, where this magnificent apple tree is planted out front of the house.  If prizes were awarded for the amount of apples compared to the size of the tree, this one would win first prize in my opinion.

I'll be settling in with Ollie once again in Vancouver.  So it's been a furball-bonehead-furball week.  

So long Eunice.  See you next time around.

Ferry arriving in Departure Bay, Nanaimo.

And it's off to Vancouver, to begin my next sit with Ollie.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer