SMOKE-FILLED AUGUST

 POST # 564

Southbound on Amtrak

 Smoke free days are hard to come by this month.  Smoke,  mainly from fires in Canada, has enshrouded the skies from morning until night.  As I write these words, the sky is yet again filled with more smoke.  It has almost become normal, which can't be a good thing.

However, there was a clear day this past week, which allowed me to help out Mary, by re-staining her gazebo.  Here I am in action.

 

In spite of it all, Dora-dog seems not to notice, as long as she has a toy and a human to play with.  Smoke shmoke is her reply. Let's just play.  That's Dora-dog wisdom.

Perhaps September will bring some relief. I guess we'll know soon enough.

grateful for every breath, (in spite of the smoke)

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THEY'RE BAAAACK!!!

 POST # 563

This was the look upon Ollie's face yesterday, when I told him the news that his "mom and dad" aka Nicole and Dan were on their way back home.  You can just see the disbelief in those eyes.  Now, I'd like to think that because he's had such a great time with the house sitter, that he had probably forgotten all about them.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

As the day wore on, and it was still just the two of us on the couch, it looked as though Ollie had finally given up all hope of them ever coming back home.  It's easy to see that he has now figured out that I am not telling him the truth, and he'll be stuck with me forever more.  And because Ollie doesn't do text messaging, he didn't know that I had some inside information regarding their time of return.

And then right on cue, Nicole and Dan arrived home, and boy was Ollie ever happy to see them.  He's certainly not the type of furball that likes to be picked up and held, but this time he made an exception, and he was more than happy to be cuddled.

So there you go, Ollie.  All's well that ends well.  They're back home and as is always the case over the many years that I have been doing this,  I instantly become totally irrelevant, or as I like to say, I become chopped liver.  

But guess what, Ollie?  I'll be back again later this year, so you'll once again have the opportunity to wrap me around your little paws, just the way you like it.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

GOSH BY GOLLY...

 POST # 562

Gosh by golly, it's time for another round with Ollie.  When it comes to easy to care for furballs, Ollie scores full marks.  He's so laid back, that he has had that effect on me.  So I'll keep this entry short today, and get back to hanging out with Ollie.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

SILKEN'S SITUATION

 POST # 561

When I look at Silken's expression, I can only speculate on what she is thinking, but perhaps her thought is what is written on the doormat featured in the next photo.

Yes, that's right Silken, it's me again, so you'll just have to get used to it.  I won't be here for too long, so you'll be able to get back to normal before the week is out.  So just relax.  It's not like we're strangers after all.  I've been here on numerous occasions, and as you have witnessed in the past, everything goes according to your plan, so this time won't be any different.  You have my word.

I can understand that you may be a bit more anxious than normal, as you have been feeling a bit under the weather lately, however your owner has supplied me with the proper food and medication to help you get better, so chill out, and enjoy yourself.  Here's a suggestion for you.  Why not just sleep even more than you normally do, and that way, you won't even know that I am here.  I'll make sure that I keep quiet so that you can have the most restful sleep that is possible.  And if you're not sleeping, there are plenty of cat toys around the house that we can have fun with, so it's all good, my furball friend. 

I've been keeping a watchful eye over you, and from what I can see, you seem to be pretty well back to normal.  In fact, as each day passes, it appears that your situation is improving.  I've had to deal with other sick furballs in my house sit journey, and it hasn't been fun for the furball or the human.  Thankfully, you are on the mend.

Now that looks better.  It appears that you are back to your old ways, snoozing on the cat tree.  Perhaps during my next visit, you will have forgotten all about this recent sickness of yours, and everything will be back to normal.  You will be grateful for every nap, and I'll be...

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PS.  Happy birthday, Pauline