A DAILY WALK

 POST # 592

You just never know exactly what you may come across while out for a daily walk with Dora-dog.  We came across this sign the other day, and it made me chuckle, so I thought that I would include it in today's post.  The squirrels were nowhere to be seen, but if they had been around,  Dora-dog would most certainly have let me know about it.  She loves to chase the squirrels, but so far has never managed to catch one.  

Unless it's raining hard, a daily walk is part of the routine while I am here.  Sometimes it's just me and Dora, and at other times, the three of us head out on our journey to various places around the local neighbourhood, or to a dog park so that Dora-dog can hang out with some of her four-legged friends.

The other day, a neighbour called, to tell us that she was taking her dog Sully for a walk, and so we met up and the three humans and Sully and Dora-dog began our journey to the marina and back.  The two dogs know one another, so they were happy to have the chance to hang out together for a while.  I had the pleasure of taking Sully and Benson for a stroll almost three years ago, and so I wrote about that at the time.  Here is a link to that post.

https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2021/04/sully-and-benson-day.html

Sadly, Benson is no longer with us, but the other two seemed to enjoy their walk in spite of their buddy not being with the two of them.

Every now and again, it was time to take a short break, and let them relax for a few moments and take in the surroundings.  

Eventually, Sully headed home with his owner, and we continued on our way back home as well.  Dora-dog appears to be happy that she is back home, but she's probably thinking about the wonderful time that she has just spent with her buddy, Sully, and perhaps she's looking forward to another journey with her four-legged friend, sometime in the future.

A daily walk is a good thing for all of us to partake in, but it is certainly more enjoyable, if the walk can be shared with four-legged friends such as Sully and Dora-dog.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

SPRING HAS ARRIVED

 POST # 591

View from Mt. Erie on Fidalgo Island (1273 'ASL)

Spring has finally arrived, and along with it, there have been some wonderfully sunny days lately, which is a welcome relief after the extended period of grey days.  As I write these words, the grey skies have returned, so it was good that we took advantage of the nice weather and headed up to the viewpoint(above), on Fidalgo Island.  This is the view looking south with Campbell Lake in the foreground and Skagit Sound to the south of it.   It was a beautiful spring day, with a magnificent view.

Another sign that spring is here, is the fact that the daffodils are now in bloom, soon to be followed by tulips.  Even Dora-dog is enjoying them.

It's always a good idea to get out for a walk, especially when the weather is cooperating, and so we wandered down to the local park to spend some precious time overlooking the water and the bridge.

Dora-dog was having a good day indeed, as you can tell from the expression upon her face.

It seems like that's about all I have to say for today, so I'll wrap this up, and with any luck, the clouds may clear off soon, and we can get back out there and enjoy the day.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

SELINA

 POST # 590

One day, I was riding my bike back to where my mom and dad used to live, and when I arrived, my sister and brother in law had just arrived in their car.  They were on the way to the hospital, because my sister Judy was very pregnant, and was about to give birth to my niece, Selina.  While Don went into the house to drop off some things, Judy sat in the car, looking very uncomfortable indeed.  I was amazed to see what she was going through, but needless to say, she wasn't interested in having a conversation at the time.  She had other things on her mind.  Soon, they left and not long after they left, Selina was born.  The year was 1976.

Fast forward to this year.  Last week, our family found out that Selina had died on March 4th.  She was just 47 years old.  This was sad and very unexpected news for all of the family.  Since hearing the news, I have been thinking about Selina every single day, and that's why I chose to write about this today, instead of what I normally write about on my blog.  Isn't it strange.  I hadn't seen Selina for many years, and would rarely think about her, and yet since last week, I think about her every day.

I don't have much else to add to today's short post, but I felt the need to record this just the same.  Perhaps this is just another reminder to me, and to anyone who happens to read this, that life is precious, and we should try to appreciate each and every day as it comes along.  

My apologies to any of my readers who may have been hoping to see more dog or cat photos on my blog for today, but Selina was on my mind, so I felt the need to write these few words, in memory of my niece.

Here is a short video of Selina from 2016. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZdmj6Bk8kU

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer 

LILY'S LOVELY VIEW

 POST # 589

Say hello to Lily.  As you can tell by the photo, she's a very relaxed bonehead.  Here she is, on one of her favourite chairs, getting ready to have yet another nap.  She deserves it, because after 12 years on the planet earth, she's earned some rest time.

Having recently spent time with the high energy of Caper at my previous house sit, Lily is a relaxing companion by comparison.

When she's not napping, she has a very lovely view to enjoy, and so does The Thoughtful Wanderer.  We are perched on a hill overlooking the Strait of Georgia, and it's hard not to want to spend the entire day just gazing out the windows.

One of the trees out front appears to be the home base for a couple of magnificent looking eagles.  They come and go throughout the day, but not a day has gone by, since my arrival, that I don't see them at least once.  

Most of the days that I have been here, the ocean has been roughed up by the wind, however late yesterday, for the first time, things calmed down, and the strait looked like a large, calm lake.

This has been a rather short house sit, and the owners arrive back home later today.  In spite of the shortness of the visit, I have enjoyed the location very much, and Lily is a real pleasure to spend time with.  

After our final walk of the day, she'll find another location in the house (she has plenty of them), to stretch out and have another nap.  After all, she has to save up some energy, in order to get ready for her evening meal.  What a life.

Thank you Lily, for spending some time with me, and sharing your lovely view.  

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

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