LOOKING BACK AT 2025

 POST # 676

So 2025 is almost ready for the history books, so I thought I would take a look back at the critters that I have had the opportunity to spend time with this year.

Caper

                                                                                Logan

Blanca was very easy to care for, and as you can see, she very much enjoyed a good laugh, when I told her my favourite dog joke.

Below is a photo of Mr. Leon, aka the brushaholic, a name he deserves.

And of course there  was Toby.

And Teddy and Sam.

And who could forget Mitten the kitten and Tank, the tank.

Moving right along, here are two very energetic boneheads, Carlos and Dulce.

And my reliable old furball friend, Silken.

And then there was Doug.

And Ollie.

Well I guess that covers them all, and they were all a pleasure to spend time with throughout 2025.  But wait a minute, am I forgetting anyone?  No, that must be all of them.  But something in the back of my brain keeps telling me that I am missing one.  Now, who could that be?  Wait a minute, an image is coming into my mind of one other critter.  Let me see. Oh right, here she is.

Dora-dog.  How could I have forgotten her?  Of course, I didn't really.  In fact, I've likely spent the better part of half of 2025 with Dora-dog, and my dear friend Mary.  And for that, I am very grateful indeed.

But I am also grateful to have had the opportunity to spend the rest of the year with all of those other four legged friends, well almost all four legged with the exception of Silken, my three legged friend.

In 2025,  my journey took me to Duncan, Cadboro Bay, Nanaimo, Lake Country, Ladysmith, Britannia Beach, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver, and Shelter Bay.

The year seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye as the old saying goes, and in three short days, we will begin 2026.  What's in store for The Thoughtful Wanderer is anyone's guess at this point in time. I consider myself very fortunate to have gotten this far.  Let's see what 2026 has to offer.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

WINTER SOLSTICE HAS ARRIVED

 POST # 675

Winter Solstice has once again arrived on the scene, here in the Northern hemisphere, and this is the very first time in my memory of the event, that I have had the chance, brief though it was, to experience a rainbow on this day.  If I had blinked, I would have missed it.  It's the shortest day of the year, and the good news is that from now on, the days begin to get longer, and hopefully less wet. I'm confident of the first item happening, but not so sure about the latter.

Ollie certainly wasn't blinking about it, and in fact, he appears to have a somewhat evil look in his eyes.  Could this be because of the fact that the housesitter has once again arrived on the scene, and that he isn't too happy about his owners leaving?  Perhaps.  Or maybe he's just trying to let me know who really is the boss around here. Or is he attempting to put a spell on me, that will convince me to give him more treats?  It's anyone's guess at this point.

  

I arrived here yesterday, and when I got here, the rain was pouring down.  Something tells me that it's going to be a wet week ahead, but at least I don't have to take Ollie out for a daily walk around the neighbourhood.  He is more than happy to spend the vast majority of his time under some sort of blanket or another, and sleep most of the day away.  Occasionally, he comes up for air, and I then have the opportunity for another photo, like the one below, in which he looks much less sinister that the first photo.

I told him the good news about the days getting longer, and that seems to have had a positive effect on his mood.

So Ollie, let's keep an eye on the sky, and try and notice the lengthening of the days going forward, and who knows, with any luck, we may even get to see another rainbow, before I leave.

At least the weather isn't very cold, with an expected high today of 7 degrees, and a low tonight of 4 degrees.  Compared to my old home of Dawson City, it feels like summer.  Today in Dawson, the expected high is going to be minus 44 degrees, with a low tonight of minus 50.  Thank your lucky stars Ollie, that you aren't roaming around the streets of Dawson City.

  

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

MINI SIT

 POST # 674

The opportunity for a mini sit presented itself this week, and of course, with Dora-dog as my companion, I was more than happy to accept.

Mary was off to Oregon for five days, so it has been just me and Dora-dog here to spend time together.  There has been plenty of rain, but somehow, we have managed to get out and about in between showers, and get some exercise.  As well as our regular walks, we have been down to the beach to check out the extremely high tide.  The high tide, along with the rain, has made for some dicey conditions for various places around the area, but thankfully, here in Shelter Bay, we have been lucky to have escaped any flooding, at least for now.

We did another walk along the channel yesterday, which is one of Dora-dog's favourite places to stroll along, and I took this photo of Mount Baker, and the soggy fields in the foreground. It was the first time that I had seen blue sky in quite a few days, so we certainly wanted to take advantage of that fact.

Of course, all of this running around tires out Dora-dog, and before long we return back home, where she can stretch out and relax, and have a snooze, while dreaming about squirrels and kitty cats.

Mary returns home this evening, and that's when my mini sit will come to a close.  But before that happens, it's time to take another trip to the beach with my faithful four legged companion,

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

FROM THANKSGIVING TO CHRISTMAS

 POST # 673

It sure doesn't take long.  In the USA, once their Thanksgiving is finished, it's already time for Christmas, or so it seems anyway.

Dora-dog is even participating by wearing her festive coat. The photo above is taken from this year's calendar, and the photo below is the one that will be on the 2026 edition.  I guess that she is happy to participate, but you might not know it from the look upon her face.  In any event, soon her festive coat will once again be removed for another year, and she can go about her business in an unrestricted manner.  Now, that's something that will put a smile back upon her face.

And something else that will put a smile upon her face is the new homemade dog biscuits that Mary found a recipe for the other day.  As of this writing, they have been taste tested by Dora-dog, and she gives them a definite paws up.

There has been plenty of rain, and some strong winds this past week, but somehow, I manage to get in a couple of walks each day with Dora-dog, and that's something else that puts a smile upon her face.  Then, the other day, we had a lovely sunset to watch, and one can always be thankful for that little treat, courtesy of Mother Nature.

We still have a couple more weeks of the days getting shorter, and with any luck, we will have a few more sunsets like this one to enjoy.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

SETTLED IN AT SHELTER BAY ONCE AGAIN

 POST # 672

As I mentioned at the end of my last post, there would be plenty of photos of Dora-dog on the way, so here is the first one.  She's always happy to oblige.

More than a week has gone by since I settled in here at Shelter Bay, Washington, and for the most part the weather has been grey and rainy.  But this morning, we were surprised and delighted to once again see the sun.  I'm not sure how long this will last, but we'll enjoy it as much as we can.

I happen to be here for the American version of Thanksgiving which was yesterday.  Mary cooked up a magnificent feast for us, which was very much appreciated by this visiting Canuck.  I am very grateful that she went to the effort of preparing all of this yummy food.

On a totally different subject, while out for my daily walk with Dora-dog, we came across this wonderful collection of mushrooms growing out of an old stump.  I thought that it was a good idea to take a photo of them.

In addition to these mushrooms, when we were out walking yesterday, there were more squirrels than I have ever seen before at any one time.  Dora-dog was beside herself trying to keep track of all of them, and I enjoyed watching her slowly walk towards them, hoping that she would be able to finally catch one.  Of course, that wouldn't be possible because I had a firm grip on her leash, but even if that wasn't the case, she wouldn't stand a chance with these agile critters.  In an instant, they can be up a tree or on a fence, before Dora-dog can blink an eye.  Still it's fun to watch her interaction with them each and every time.

So that wraps things up for today, and for the month of November.  There will be two more posts from here, before I journey back to Canada, and no doubt, there will be more photos of Dora-dog along the way.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PS.  I always think of my dad on today's date, as this was his birthday.

SO LONG DOUG

 POST # 671

Doug is giving me that look.  He knows something is up, but when I took this photo, he wasn't quite sure what it was.  However, once my luggage was sitting at the front door, he knew for sure that it was time for me to say so long to him, and the next photo shows another sad looking face.

Then moments later, I was out the door, and on my way to Nanaimo, to pick up Doug's owner, Pam, and then head to the ferry terminal.  The journey was an interesting one, because the clutch in Pam's truck is failing, and it was a challenge to shift gears.  Be that as it may, I did manage to arrive on time, have a quick visit with Pam, and then watch as she drove away.  It was now her turn to deal with the faulty clutch.

After an overnight in Vancouver, it was time to head to the train station in preparation for my journey south, once again.  In all of the times that I have done this trip, I have never seen the terminal so empty as it was on Wednesday.   Boarding begins at 3:30 pm and usually by the time shown on the clock, there is already a long line up of people waiting to board the train.

In fact, it was so empty, that I had the opportunity to be very first in line.

Clearing customs was a breeze, and I settled in for the journey southward.  In my train car, I counted only thirteen passengers, in a car that holds eighty.  We even left fifteen minutes ahead of schedule, which is a first.

It was an uneventful trip south, and as always, Mary and Dora-dog were there at the station to greet me. I'll be here for a month, so I imagine that there will be plenty of photos of Dora-dog during this upcoming period.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

ANOTHER WEEK WITH DOUG THE DOG

 POST # 670

If there is one thing that Doug is very good at, it's his ability to give me the look.  The look means, "isn't it time to go for a walk, Paul?"  He has certainly perfected this look, and you can see it displayed proudly as he stares at me while lying down on one of his favourite beds.

So there is only one thing to solve this problem, and that is to take him for his daily walk around the neighbourhood.  There are always plenty of things for Doug to sniff as we stroll along, and it is a pleasant and relaxing exercise for the both of us, at least most of the time.  But occasionally we encounter another four-legged critter along the way, and Doug makes sure to let it know, that he is the boss.  His bark is usually enough to let the other critter know that it would be best to allow some space as we continue to walk on by.  So far, we've never had a bad encounter, but I am always careful to keep a tight hold upon his leash, just to be on the safe side.

Our walk continues, and each day is unique as we stroll along the road together.  We sometimes come across another human who knows Doug, and then there is plenty of tail wagging taking place as we approach them.  Doug gets a few pats on the head, and I have the opportunity to have a quick chat, prior to us continuing along on our journey back home.

Before too long, we arrive back, after yet another enjoyable stroll together.  After Doug gets his expected post walk treat, it is time for him to settle down and relax, and while doing so, perhaps he's thinking about tomorrow's walk, and who or what he will meet along the way.

I've got a few more days to hang out with Doug, and I'll try and make the best of them.  He is certainly one of the most laid  back boneheads that I have had the pleasure to know over all of these years.

And finally, I thought that I would mention last night.  The final thing that I do is let Doug outside for his final pee and poop, and when I opened the front door, I noticed something on the front lawn.  I decided to go out and see what I was looking at, and it was the sad sight of a dead rabbit, which by looking at its injuries, it had obviously been attacked by something.  I made sure to get it off of the ground before Doug could have a closer look. How it ended up in the front yard will remain a mystery.  

I leave next Tuesday, so I will try and make the best of my final few days with good old Doug the dog.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

HANGIN' OUT AGAIN, WITH DOUG THE DOG

 POST # 669

On October 30th, I enjoyed a sunny ride  across to Vancouver Island, en route to my current location, here in Nanoose Bay. Pam picked me up at the ferry terminal and we headed back to her place.  I was last here, almost exactly one year ago to take care of Doug the dog.  You can't really tell from the photo, but he was truly happy to see me.  His mind appears to be elsewhere.  Perhaps he was thinking about the fact that Pam would be leaving the next day, and he wasn't too happy about that.

The next day was Halloween, so I asked Doug if he would be kind enough to show me his scary Halloween look, and he was happy to oblige.

I guess that his look worked, because we never even had one visitor the entire evening.  I think that it wasn't his look that caused the lack of visitors, but the fact that it was a very rainy night,  which didn't make it very inviting to go out trick or treating on the local streets.  We enjoyed a quiet evening at home, as the rain poured down.

There are two times each day, when I have Doug's full attention, and those two times are breakfast and dinner.  As soon as I grab his food bowl, he's right there next to me, waiting and drooling for his meal.  Moments after I put his bowl down, the food has disappeared.  

It must be time for our afternoon walk, so I'll get Doug ready, and off we'll go.  Thankfully the weather today has cooperated, so I won't have to take an umbrella along with me.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

RHUBARB RAMBLINGS AND THE TWO AUSSIE DAVIDS

 POST # 668

A very long time ago, when I was still a child, we had a great rhubarb patch in our garden at home.  My sisters and I would take advantage of this fact, and occasionally pick a stalk to eat.  Back then, it was normal to get a cup, put some sugar in it, and then dip the rhubarb into the sugar prior to eating it.  The idea was that because the rhubarb was sour, the sugar would help make it more palatable.  In fact, it seemed to exaggerate the sour taste, at least for me it did.  I'm not sure what effect it had on my sisters.

My dad on the other hand, used to sprinkle a bit of salt upon his rhubarb prior to eating it.  At the time it seemed like a strange idea to me, but somewhere along life's journey, I decided to try some rhubarb with salt.  And I've never looked back.  

Why so much talk about rhubarb today?  Well, I just finished the last three stalks here at Mary's place.   The plant is now done for the season, so I'll have to wait a long time until I can once again enjoy the taste of rhubarb with a sprinkle of salt.  And every time I do, it makes me think of my dad.  I'm glad that he showed me the best way to eat it, all those years ago.

Today's date also takes me back to the year 2002.  I've written about this before, but I'll state it again.  I was living in Dawson City at that time, and I phoned my friend David Jones in Melbourne to wish him a happy birthday (the 29th in Australia).  After wishing him a happy birthday, I asked, "what's new?"  That simple question was the beginning of a very big adventure.  David had just purchased a sailboat in Durban, South Africa, and right then and there he invited me along to help sail it back to Australia, an adventure that took place from March 6th to April 17th, 2003.  It most certainly was a memorable journey on many fronts, and was without doubt the biggest adventure I had been on up to that point.  So today is once again his birthday (in Australia), so I'll make sure to send him a note to wish him a happy birthday.

And speaking of Davids.  I sent an email yesterday to another David friend of mine in Australia, whom I hadn't heard from in ages, and lo and behold there was an email in my inbox today from him.  As it turned out, I managed to send the email to him on his birthday as well, so that was good timing.  It was great to be back in touch after all of these years.  Having had my yahoo email account hacked many years ago has caused some problems, and my lost contact with him was no doubt a result of that misfortune.

Soon I will be heading back to Canada to begin my next house sit back on Vancouver Island once again.  In the meantime, I will enjoy Mary and Dora-dog's company for a couple of more days.  And of course, I can't help myself, so here is the latest photo of Dora-dog just after we had returned from our daily walk.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer
 

SHE'S BAAAACK!!!

 POST #667

She's baaaack!!!  And Dora-dog is one happy bonehead indeed.  Mary arrived back from her vacation to Hawaii last Saturday morning, so I took Dora-dog for a ride to the Shell station to meet Mary after she exited from the airport shuttle bus.

Now I know that Dora-dog enjoys my company as well, but Mary is still number one in her books.  And that is as it should be.  After all, it was Mary who rescued this frightened young puppy from the animal shelter way back in February 2018.  Who knows where she may have ended up if Mary hadn't adopted her back at that time.  

She's had a good run since then, but a very large part of her happiness is the fact that she gets to spend time each and every day with Mary.  

Here is a link to a post that I wrote one year after Mary adopted Dora-dog.

https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/search?q=dora

They've come a long way since that time, and I'm pretty sure that they would both agree that it has been a wonderful journey for each of them.

And one more photo of Dora-dog, as you can see.  Her number one human is back on the scene, and  she is very, very happy about that.

Okay.  Just one more photo to re-confirm that Dora-dog is happy.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

ONE ON ONE WITH DORA-DOG

 POST # 666

                                                              Post walk relaxation

I could probably write an entire blog on the various meanings of the number 666, but instead I'll just say that I am currently one on one with Dora-dog.

Mary is off on a vacation to Hawaii, so it's just the two of us for this week, and as can be expected, we get along very well together, and I think that Dora-dog is enjoying this one on one time with her housesitting human friend.

We get two and sometimes three walks per day accomplished, and seeing as we are both carrying extra pounds these days, it's doing us both some good.

Our time together began with some rainy weather, but the last couple of days have been absolutely gorgeous, and we are enjoying spending as much of it as we can outdoors.

We've got the rest of the week to enjoy our one on one time, and we'll try and make the most of it while it lasts.

                                                Enjoying some late afternoon sunshine

The last time that we were one on one was way back in September of 2019, when I had the great pleasure of removing the cone off of Dora-dog's head.  She was very happy when that happened and here is a link to that blog post.  https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2019/09/so-long-cone.html

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

LEON'S NEW NEIGHBOUR

 POST # 665

Since my last visit here, Leon has a new neighbour.  In case you didn't get a good enough look with the first photo, here he is again.  Leon's owner did mention his name to me, but as of this writing, I have forgotten it.

But what's in a name anyhow?  The main thing to know about this new furball in the neighbourhood, is that he is extremely friendly.  Every day when I look outside in the morning, he is there to greet me at the back door.  I'm not sure if Leon is as happy to see this furball as I am, but they at least seem to respect each other.  I'm pretty sure that if the owner wanted to adopt another furball, this one would be only too glad to accept the offer.  Leon, maybe not so much.

I'm glad that he's in the neighbourhood, and I enjoy our daily visits out on the back deck.  He comes over on many occasions, and I get the impression that he would rather be here than at his own place across the street.  Why that is, I can only guess.

Of course, Leon is my first priority, and he is also very good company.  So the house sitter has had it good lately, enjoying two furballs for the price of one as it were.

However, tomorrow I will have to say so long to the both of them, as I continue on my journey.  As always, it's been great to hang out with Leon again, and I'm glad that he has a new friend in the neighbourhood.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer