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

A FAILED PLAN B

 POST # 567

Before the reader begins to think that this skunk is my latest pet sit critter, let me say that it was just a part of a failed plan B recently.

Now it's always good to have a plan B, and I thought that I had one, but it failed, and the skunk ended up being just one feature of that failure.

Last Saturday, I was hoping to have a place to stay for the night, but that didn't work out.  So now it was time for plan C.  That plan was to find my favourite park bench, and settle in for the night.  Prior to that, I hung out at the beach and watched what I thought was a pretty spectacular sunset.  At least I thought that it was spectacular.

These guys, on the other hand, seemed to be much more interested in what was happening on their devices, than to spend a few moments watching the sun go down.  It seems to be the norm these days.  I guess that I am just showing my age, but I'd much rather watch the sunset, than stare at a screen.  

Eventually, it became dark, and that was my cue to settle in on the bench.  I did manage to get a few hours of unsettled sleep, but eventually, a cool wind started to blow, and that ended my rest.  Now what to do?  It was around 2 am, so I decided to take a walk around the neighbourhood, and try to find an all night coffee shop in order to warm up for a while.   I was unsuccessful in finding anything open, which included a place with an "open 24 hrs" sign, with the lights on and employees inside working, and yet the door was locked.  Go figure.

So it was time to head back to my bench and try and get through the remainder of the evening, and it was on this return journey, that I happened to see the skunk featured above.  It was walking across the street into an alley, and just prior to it going out of sight, I managed to take the photo.

Settled back on my bench, I managed to toss and turn during the final hours of darkness, and eventually dawn arrived, and the sun began to warm things up.

Later in the day, at the ferry terminal I came across these two Leonberger dogs, and asked the owner if I could take a photo.  She was pleasantly surprised to find out that I knew what breed they were.

A couple of gentle giants, but I am glad that I don't have to pay to feed these two.  I remember meeting a guy some years ago, that owned one of these giants.  That's how I knew what breed they were.  I remember asking him at the time, how much it cost to feed his dog.  He didn't give me a dollar value, but he told me that it was a truck payment per month.  Sounds like a lot to me.

So now I am settled at my current sit, here on the island, with Silken the furball.  I've lost track of just how many times I've had the pleasure to care for her.  As long as her meals are on time, then she basically sleeps for a large part of the day, so she's very easy to care for.

Once Silken has had her breakfast, she can settle in on her favourite chair on the deck, and have her morning nap.  She can sleep most of the day away, then it will be time for her dinner, and then time for more napping.  What a charmed life.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THE WEEK THAT WAS

 POST # 566

After completing a painting project yesterday, it was time to do a quick clean out of the exhaust tube that is attached to the clothes dryer.  I had done this once before, and it is a very straight forward procedure.  The tool used is a series of rods that screw into each other, and at the end is a brush which can be seen in the above photo at the left of the exhaust tube.  All went well, until I was exiting the tube, and then the brush disconnected from the rod, and was now stuck somewhere in the tube.  I can't tell you how many different attempts I made to get it out of there, but after a very long while, and one last ditch attempt, I was successful.  Boy, was I glad when I had finished this little job.  

That was yesterday, but earlier in the week, Mary invited her friend Carol over for dinner, and of course she brought along Baker.  Baker and Dora-dog enjoyed each other's company on the deck, and were constantly underfoot, looking for handouts from the dinner table.

Here they are looking as cute as ever, as they are waiting to come back into the house.  I much prefer this look on Dora-dog, rather than in the following photo where she puts in her best effort at looking as depressed as she possibly can.  Now I'd like to think that she looks this way because she knows that pretty soon I will be leaving once again, but the truth is, it's just one of her many facial expressions, which certainly isn't one of my favourites.

I'm sure that I will get to see this same expression from her this coming Saturday, when I say goodbye at the train station.  Mary and I will be feeling about the same as the expression on Dora-dog's face on that day. And yet, I remain... 

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

SEPTEMBER CELEBRATIONS

 POST # 565

It would be nice to think that the two critters featured above, got all dressed up, in order to look good for the photograph that I took of them last Saturday, but this was not the case.

The town of La Conner wanted to celebrate the life of Tom Robbins, the prolific author who happens to be a resident, living just a short drive from here on Pull And Be Damned Road.  How's that for an address?

He is now ninety one years old, and he looks pretty good considering his age. 

There was even a Spam carving contest if you can believe it.  Proof of that is the following photo of one of the many Spam judges at the event.

All in all, it was a festive day for this town, and many folks showed up to enjoy all the fun.

Back here at the "ranch", it was potato harvest time.  I was amazed at just how many potatoes can be dug up from a very small plot of soil.  It really is quite something.

And that sums things up for the first post of September, 2023.  As in other recent posts, I seem to be having trouble putting a longer story together.  Perhaps next week will be better.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer