THE LONELY LOACH

 POST # 588

What a life.  In my post from last week, I forgot to include the other pet that lives here. If you look closely you can make out the orange coloured tail fins of a fish called a loach, or as my friends describe it, "the ugly blue botia loach."

This critter spends its entire life on its own in this tank, and it's always in this position under the rock-like structure.  There had been other fish in the tank in years gone by, but this loach is the only remaining one.  I've never seen it swimming around, even once, but I know that it is alive, as every now and again, those orange tail fins flap up and down.

Each night, I feed it two of the little pellets that can be seen in the photo below.  I put a dime next to them to show just how small they really are. By the next morning the pellets are nowhere to be seen, but the loach is still in the same position as it was the day before.  That's its life.  

Perhaps the loach is trying to teach me a lesson, in letting me know just how blessed I am to have a multitude of activities to keep me occupied each and every day.  It, on the other hand, is stuck in that tank, with the only thing to look forward to are the two pellets that come floating down each evening.  If I ever find that I am feeling sorry for myself, from now on, all I have to do is think of the lonely loach, and that should set me right.

Soon I will be moving on to my next house sit, but the  lonely loach will continue on its existence, settled under a rock, at the bottom of a tank.  What a life.  What a lonely loach.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THE LOGAN CAPER

 POST # 587

LOGAN

CAPER

It's once again time for the Logan Caper affair.  That's right.  I arrived here yesterday, after departing Vancouver, to head over to the island.  It's been just over a year since I last took care of these two critters, and even though Logan hasn't changed, thankfully Caper is somewhat less hyperactive than she was the last time that I was here.  For that, I am grateful indeed.

Caper still has plenty of energy though, so I imagine that she will keep me busy during my stay.  Logan, on the other hand, will spend most of his day probably sleeping, so that makes my job a little easier.  

This is only a short sit, as my friends leave here tomorrow to head off on their journey to Florida, and I will be departing here on March 1st to head to Nanaimo for my next sit.  On that day, I'll be handing off the Logan Caper affair to some other folks, who will remain here until my friends return from their journey south.

This is most certainly one of my favourite locations, as it's out in the country, which means two things.  It's dark at night, and it's very quiet. Dark and quiet are a nice change from the lights and noise of Vancouver.  

So I am looking forward to some quality time with these two critters, and with any luck the weather might even co-operate during my stay here.  And if the weather doesn't pan out, then at least the three of us can hang out together inside our cozy wood heated log cabin in the woods.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

FROM TOBY, TO OLLIE

 POST # 586

I captured this photo of a very happy looking Toby, just a couple of hours prior to my departure last week.  But as I was walking out the door to head to the bus station, he was anything but happy.  He really didn't want me to leave, and his actions proved that point.  It was sad to see him like that, as I made my departure.  I will assume that by now, he's back to his normal self, and enjoying each and every day without his house sitting friend.

The bus to Vancouver was forty minutes late, and on more than one occasion during that period, I was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to arrive.  But it did, and we were on our way.  It made for a late arrival into Vancouver.

And now I'm back here, taking care of my furball friend, Ollie.  He appears to be happy that I am back, at least that's how I interpret his look.

By this time next week, I will have moved on, once again.  Mind you, I don't expect the same reaction from Ollie, as I received from Toby when I say goodbye to him.  He'll probably just yawn, and go back to sleep, that is, if he's not already sleeping when I make my departure.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

MY FINAL FULL DAY IN LAKE COUNTRY

 POST # 585

Who knew?  In all of my travels around the world, I had not realised until now, that Oyama is right up there among the famous cities of the world.  I've now been to three out of the four on the above list, but I suspect that I will never get to Paris at this stage of my life.  But now I can at least check Oyama off of my to-do list. How ironic that with my French ancestry, I will probably never get to France. 

Oyama is just down the road from my current house sit, and when I was there the other day, I took this photo of Woods Lake, looking south. 

When I take Toby out for a walk, we pass by many apple orchards along the way.  Not being an apple farmer, I was somewhat perplexed as to why there were so many apples left rotting on the vine, as can be seen in this photo.

Fortunately for me, the neighbours are knowledgeable about why this is the case, so when I was over at their place for a visit the other day, they filled me in on the variety of reasons that this is so.  They have probably forgotten more than I will ever know about apple farming, so I accept their story without any doubt.  Still, as an avid apple eater, it does make me sad to see so many apples go to waste.  To ease my pain, they provided me with some apples that were picked in time, and I am most grateful to them for doing so.

I managed to take this photo of a rare sunset since I arrived, as most days have been overcast.  This photo is quite the contrast from my last blog post, as the snow has all but disappeared.  That changed this past Monday, and now we have almost as much snow as when I arrived.  Thankfully it's much warmer now, so I don't expect this latest snow cover to hang around much longer.  

And speaking about hanging around much longer, I will be heading out tomorrow to return to Vancouver, as the owners arrive back home later this evening.  It has been a very relaxed and enjoyable stay out here in Lake Country, and I'm glad that the owners gave me the opportunity to care for their home and their wonderful bonehead, Toby.

I think that he knows that something is up, because he certainly has been staying close by lately.  Well Toby, we've got the better part of one more day to spend together, so let's make the best of it.  And thanks for your company during my stay here.  It's been a joy to take care of you.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer