MY RECENT WANDERINGS

 POST # 627

After one final walk with Dora-dog, it was time to get ready to once again be on the road to my next house sit gig.  Mary drove me to the train station this past Thursday so that I could catch the evening train back to Vancouver.  Once she and Dora-dog had left, it was time to wait for the train.  And wait, and wait, and wait some more.  About a half hour after the scheduled departure time of 7:34 pm, a member of the staff at the station informed us that the train would not be arriving, due to a landslide on the tracks, south of our location.  So now what?  Fortunately a bus had been organised, and it eventually arrived around 9 pm.  Now that it was a bus journey, we would have to clear customs at the border, which is something that I haven't done for a few years.  Thankfully, there were only six passengers on the bus, and we were in and out of customs in under ten minutes, and then on our way to Vancouver.

I arrived very late, and I was ready for bed.  The next morning I had a quick visit with Nicole and Dan prior to them heading off to work, and me getting ready to head to the ferry terminal.  Of course, there is always time to take a photo of Ollie prior to my departure, and after that was completed, I was on my way.

Howard met me at the ferry terminal in Nanaimo, and we headed back to their place just west of Duncan.  Caper, the bonehead seemed to be happy to see me, so happy in fact that she jumped up on the bed for a while.  Something tells me that this is where she will be sleeping during my stay.  But that's okay, as I am used to having bonehead friends next to me on the bed. I also have Logan, the furball to care for, so the bed might get a bit crowded from time to time.

But just prior to arriving here, Howard stopped in Ladysmith at the supermarket so that I could pick up a few items.  While I was in the store,  I needed to use the washroom, and when I got to it, there was this access code on the door.  Now what are the odds, that I would be in a random grocery store in Ladysmith B.C. and find an access code that is the exact numbers to match my day, month, and year of birth?  How crazy is that?

Howard and Sally left earlier today, and I went with them to the Brentwood Bay ferry, and dropped them off there, prior to heading back home.  When I arrived, Caper was happy to see me, but not so happy that Howard and Sally didn't walk in with me.  I'm sure she'll get used to the new arrangement soon.  But while we were away, Caper took it upon herself to add a few shoes to my bed.  This must be dog code for something, but I am not sure what.

I expect that all will go well, during my stay, and with any luck, the snow will not arrive until after I leave.

And finally, today is winter solstice, so the days will now begin to get longer, which is always a good thing in my opinion.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

A SWIFT EDUCATION

 POST # 626

After leaving my recent house sit with Sal and Gracie, I boarded the Skytrain to head back to Vancouver.  For a Sunday, it seemed unusually busy.  The other thing that I noticed was that the vast majority of the passengers, at least the ones in my carriage, were female.  And it also appeared that many of the females were a mother/daughter combination.

Sitting across from me, and a couple of rows back, was one of these mother/daughter combos.  They were all dressed up in sparkly outfits, with plenty of things dangling from their wrists, and both had the number 13 printed on some part of their bodies.  What on earth could all of this mean?

The journey continued on, and at one point, another mother/daughter couple boarded the train, and because it was by now, standing room only, they had to stand right beside the mother/daughter with the number 13 printed on their bodies.  The recently arrived mother/daughter, also had the number 13 on them, and they were also all dressed up in sparkly outfits.  What's going on here, I asked myself?

I had absolutely no clue whatsoever.  At some point these four females started up a conversation, and it wasn't long before one of them mentioned the name Taylor Swift.  I've heard of the name, but that's about it.  And now I was getting a Swift education for sure, as they continued their conversation.  It didn't take too long before I worked out that they, and probably most of the rest of the people on the Skytrain were heading to a Taylor Swift concert.  

The station that I left the train, was the closest one to the stadium that the concert was being played at, and the neighbourhood was inundated with carbon copies of these women that I had seen on board the train.

The following day, I boarded the Amtrak train, to head across the border once again to visit Mary and Dora-dog.  The train was sold out, and now I know why.  It was packed with concert goers, now returning home from the concert, the night before.

So that was my Swift education.  I sat down with Dora-dog, and patiently explained to her who Taylor Swift is, and what she does for a living, and this was her reaction.

She appears to be as impressed with the news as I was, in other words, not impressed at all.  But I guess that if you're an old fart like me, or a bonehead like Dora-dog, Taylor Swift doesn't have much of an impact.  And that is probably as it should be.  I for one, won't be going out anytime soon, to get the number 13 painted onto my skin.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THANKS SAL AND GRACIE

 POST # 625

Two very relaxed looking boneheads.  It's the end of another day, and they are both getting ready to settle in for the night.

Sal has boundless energy, but when it's time for bed, even she settles down.  Gracie is always settled down, and that is mostly because of her advanced age, as mentioned in last week's blog post.

Their owners arrive back home tomorrow, and then I will once again be on my way.

In my very long list of house sits, Gracie wins the prize for being the oldest bonehead that I have had the pleasure to get to know.  It certainly has taken some extra effort on my part to take care of her, but it has been worth every minute of it.  So thanks Gracie, for teaching me some new lessons.

Sal on the other hand, has been a very faithful companion during my stay here.   She's always by my side, no matter what part of the house that I am in at any given moment.  A true buddy.  So thanks Sal, for spending time with me.

The journey continues.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer