A NEW OUTLOOK ON LIFE

POST # 695

It has been just over a week since the dramatic fire at the neighbour's house took place.  And even if I wanted to put that drama behind me, I am reminded of it each and every day when I walk out into the back yard.  There is the house, or should I say, what is left of it.

One can't help but feel sad for the neighbours.  Last Wednesday started out like every day prior, and I am sure that they would have had no thoughts about their house being engulfed in flames later in the morning.  But life throws us some curve balls every now and again.  No doubt we could all tell a few stories about unexpected occurrences that have happened to us.  Somehow we just have to live through whatever takes place, for as long as we are able.

But for The Thoughtful Wanderer, this tragedy has had a profound impact on me.  It's so easy to go through a day, and just take everything for granted.  Most of us probably do just that.  Life's good today, and it will be good tomorrow, or so we imagine that it will be.

Since that day, I feel like I am getting more out of each day that passes.  I'm up earlier than normal, and I seem to notice little things that I didn't pay attention to before.  And I am more in the moment than I have ever been in my entire life.  For example, yesterday I was doing some weeding in the front yard.  Let it be known that weeding isn't one of my favourite tasks, however yesterday I enjoyed each and every minute of the work.  It didn't even seem like work.  I think that I could have weeded all day long, but before I knew it, I had completed the job.

I feel more alive than I can ever remember, and the tragic incident next door was without a doubt the catalyst for this new view of life.   

So I am very grateful for this new outlook on life, but at the same time I am sad for the neighbours.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

A CLOSE CALL

 POST # 694

"You'll want to get home right away, because the house behind your house is engulfed in flames."

That was the message we received from the neighbour yesterday, while we were in Mount Vernon grocery shopping.  Needless to say, we made a quick exit from the store and headed back to Shelter Bay.  We followed one of the firetrucks as it proceeded to the fire.

The smoke was very thick, as we entered through the gates, and we really didn't know what to expect when we got to the house.  As you can see in the next photo, the fire was truly raging as we arrived on the scene.  Mary's house is in the foreground, so you get an idea of just how close it was to the house that was on fire.

With multiple fire trucks (8) and crew on scene, they eventually put an end to the fire, which we were all very thankful for indeed.  Unfortunately for the home owners behind us, the house was a total loss.  

The map below shows how close we were to the house that caught fire.  It was number 67, and Mary's house is the one with the red marker on it.  Too close for comfort.  Thankfully, at least for us, the wind yesterday happened to be blowing (quite strongly) out of the south.  If it had been blowing in the opposite direction, it is possible that the other three houses featured on the map, including Mary's, might have also been destroyed.

We were very lucky indeed.  

You wake up each day, and expect to have a normal day, but yesterday certainly wasn't one of those days.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

BLOOMS AND THE BALL

 POST # 693

Maybe it was a bird flying by, or perhaps a squirrel running around the backyard, but somehow a sunflower seed managed to find a place to settle.  And now we have the beginning of what will be a magnificent sunflower, one day in the future.  It is amazing just how fast it has grown to this point, and I'm looking forward to following its progress while I am here.  There are other  sunflower seeds as well, so with any luck the backyard will have plenty of sunflowers by the time fall has arrived.

Yes, it's that time of year when everything is blooming, and we have a good selection of plants here to admire as the days go by.

Of course, one of my favourite plants growing right now is the resident rhubarb plant.  The stalks are fairly thin at the moment, but not so thin that I haven't had an early season taste.  And when it is prepared like my dad prepared rhubarb, with just a sprinkle of salt upon it, it is very yummy indeed.  I'll be keeping a close eye on its progress, for sure.

Rounding out today's short post, is the familiar face of Dora-dog, relaxing for a moment, after playing a game of chase the ball around the yard, which is one of her favourite things to do each and every morning.  We both get some exercise, and that is a good way to start the day.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer