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