OUR DAILY WALKS

 POST # 622

 Now that's a happy looking Doug.  Like most boneheads, he loves to go out for a walk or two each and every day.  It has been somewhat of a challenge, in light of the wet weather that we have been experiencing lately, but we usually get in at least one walk.

When we were out walking yesterday, I was thinking about how each walk is like a new experience for him.  Doug is like all the other boneheads that I have come to know over the years, in that regard.  We humans can be thinking that it's no big deal, but these four-legged critters look upon a walk as if it's just the very best thing that could be happening.  They are as always, living in the moment, and as a result they take full advantage of that time.

Our walks these days, only take place around the neighbourhood.  In times past, Doug would hop into the truck with me and we would go off on an adventure to a nearby beach location, or for a walk in the woods.  But nowadays,  Doug is unable to hop up into the truck, so all of our walks are close to home.  He doesn't seem to mind.  He's just happy to be out there checking out the sights and smells as we stroll along.

After we return home, it's time for  a treat for him, and soon after, he is settled in for his afternoon nap.  No doubt he will be dreaming about our next walk, and when it happens, he'll be just as excited to go, as he was the previous time.

Once again, our four-legged friends are giving us a lesson about living in the moment.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

A DOUG DAY

 POST # 621

Doug wants his breakfast.  And he wants it now.  With that kind of expression on his face, how could I resist?  

And so another day with Doug begins.  Having been here a few times in the past, I know the routine very well.  Minutes after I get up, it's time to take Doug out for his morning pee and poop, and the very next item on the agenda is breakfast.  There would be no way on earth, that I could expect to do anything else at this hour but get his food ready.  Thankfully he knows the routine very well, and so he is patient while the house sitter gets the food prepared.  But once I have his dish ready, then the excitement shows, along with the drool dripping from his mouth in anticipation of things to come.  Once I place the food dish on the floor, he gets right to it, and even though I haven't timed him, I suspect that it takes less than a minute for him to have licked his dish clean.

With breakfast out of the way, we usually have fun playing with his many toys.  And then at some point, I get to have my own breakfast.

Eventually it's time to head out for a walk around the neighbourhood, so that Doug can check out any "pee mail" that his dog neighbours may have left behind.

The days go by pretty fast, and before long it's time for Doug to relax on the couch prior to bedtime.  He's having his pre-sleep rest.

He is certainly an easy bonehead to care for, so I am lucky to have his companionship for a while longer.

I like to think that he enjoys my company as well, so it's a good match.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THE LOOK

 POST # 620

I just informed Silken, that this coming weekend I will be leaving her, in order to take up residence with a dog named Doug.  As you can tell by the look upon her face, she is NOT impressed.

 

She is having trouble processing this recent news from the housesitter.  Why, she wonders would I choose to spend time with a dog named Doug instead of her?  Hence, the look.

But it is once again time to be moving on, and Silken will just have to accept that fact, even if she doesn't agree with it.  

When her owner is back home, I will become a distant memory, and life for Silken will once again return to normal.  But in the meantime, I expect to get plenty of opportunities to experience the look, prior to my departure.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THE THINGS WE TAKE FOR GRANTED

 POST # 619

If you or I were to take a blank piece of paper, and begin to write down upon it, all of the things that we  take for granted, my guess would be that that blank sheet would fill up pretty darn fast.  

Yesterday, I awoke at my usual time, and as expected, Silken was waiting at my bedroom door in anticipation of it opening.  The reason that she was there was to tell me that it's breakfast time, Mr. housesitter, so would you please get to it, and prepare my morning meal.

We have a little routine that we go through.  After I turn on the kitchen light, I head over to the pantry to grab a can of cat food for her.  While I am doing this, she is rubbing up against my leg, purring away, in anticipation of the upcoming meal.

I open the can, put exactly half of the contents in one of her favourite dishes, sprinkle some special powder on top, and bend over to put it on the floor.  She wastes no time chowing down, and during this time, I take the opportunity to continue on with my morning chores.  I weigh out her daily kibble, and after that is complete, it's time to head over to her litter box, in order to scoop out what ever happens to be in there from the night before.

Yesterday, after doing the litter box chore, I noticed that it was time to add some more fresh material to her litter box.  It is located right next to her litter box in a separate container.  It's a simple matter of opening the lid, and scooping out whatever amount I need, and it was at this very moment, while bending over to complete this task, that a pain like I've never experienced before, shot through my lower back.  It was so intense, that I almost fell down as a result of it.  Now, I've had back pain over the years, but for the most part, my back is not a problem.  That isn't the case right now.  And so I am hobbling around at the moment, hoping that this pain will subside sooner rather than later.

When I awoke this morning, I thought that things felt somewhat better, but as soon as I got out of bed, I knew that I was right back where I was yesterday.  

So getting back to that piece of paper that I mentioned at the beginning, if I were to start my list right now, I would write down that having a back that is pain free would be one of those things that I have been taking for granted for some time now.  Not any more.

So I will try to get through today, and try to have a good night's rest tonight, in anticipation of feeling somewhat better tomorrow.

The things we take for granted.  Yes indeed.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

MEG RYAN AND THE CDCP

 POST # 618

"and yesterday I met Meg Ryan, or as she is known around these parts, Dr. Megan Ryan, my new dentist." 

I wrote the above words way back on November 28, 2017.  I had visited Dr. Megan Ryan on November 27th, to do some repair work on one of my front teeth.  Here is the blog post that mentioned it.

https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2017/11/meg-ryan-and-desperate-situations.html

And that was the very last time that I visited a dentist.  Since then, my dental health has continued to deteriorate, which of course isn't a good thing.  However, because I haven't been in any pain, I have neglected to visit the dentist.

Then this year, I finally became qualified from an age point of view, to apply for the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP).  So this past May, I applied.  My first application was rejected, because according to them, I had not filed my 2023 tax return.  This was not so, and I even had an email from the Canadian Revenue Agency to prove that I had indeed, filed my return.  

I have lost track of just how many times I tried unsuccessfully to contact the CRA, but eventually I was successful.  That was the first step in re-applying for the CDCP.  Once they had confirmed that I had filed my return, I re-submitted my application.

And just this past Friday, I received the letter that I had been waiting for, confirming that I was now a part of the plan.  

So this morning I was eager to go and visit a dentist here in Nanaimo, as my first step in getting some very long overdue dental work taken care of, now that I had successfully been accepted into the program.

Imagine my surprise this morning, when I realised that today was a public holiday.  It's Thanksgiving day, but for me it was just another Monday.  When you are a house/pet sitter, one day is just like the other, so I totally forgot that today was a holiday.  Oh well.  My planned visit to the dentist will have to wait until tomorrow.

With any luck, I will be accepted at the dentist that I plan to visit tomorrow.  If that happens, then it's just a matter of trying to plan some dates that I will be able to be there, to get some work done.  I guess I'll know more about that soon.

Of course, I mentioned all of this to Silken this morning, hoping to get a reaction out of her.  She just begged for some more food, and then went to curl up in her bed to go to sleep for the day.  She didn't seem the least bit interested.  I don't blame her.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

WEEK ONE WITH SILKEN

 POST # 617

It's time for another round of fun with my furball friend, Silken, featured above.  This particular photo was taken in August of last year.  With my continuing problem with uploading new photos, I decided to scroll through some old ones to find a photo of Silken.  Even though she is more than a year older now, she looks exactly the same.  She is ageing gracefully, to be sure.

It's a pretty relaxed routine with Silken, so relaxed in fact, that I have taken to her habit of having an afternoon nap, while she has one.  All in all, life is good for Silken and the house sitter.

This is only the first week that I have been here, and I'll be here until early November.  Perhaps between now and then I will finally work out how to get some new photos uploaded, so I can give a more accurate portrayal of Silken.

In the meantime, I'll leave the reader with one more old photo from last year.  Here she is, doing what she does best.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

COFFEE AND OLLIE

 POST # 616

A very long time ago, in the last months of 1980, I was living and working at a place in central Alberta, approximately a two plus hour drive from my home town of Calgary.

After the work week had finished, I would hop in my car, and make the drive back to Calgary, to catch up with family and friends for a couple of days, before returning Sunday night in preparation for the work week ahead.

And it was during that time, that I started drinking coffee.  I would have just one cup, prior to the beginning of my drive to Calgary, and because it was the only cup I would drink all week, I would get quite a buzz from the caffeine.  And that's why I drank it, as it helped to keep me awake on my journey southward.

So that was the beginning of coffee drinking for me.  Why do I bring this up now?  Well, as of today, it has been exactly one year since I drank my last cup of coffee, and to my surprise, I haven't missed it one little bit.  It's rather strange that a habit that had lasted for 43 years, could just stop, and not be missed.  I don't even think about it now.  

Changing subjects.  In a couple of days, I will be saying goodbye to Ollie, as I head across the water to Nanaimo to begin my next house sit.  He'll probably be sleeping when I leave, even though it will be the middle of the afternoon.  He's a true furball.  He loves to sleep most of the day.  But if he is asleep, I'll make sure to wake him up, and give him a pat on the head to say my goodbye.  Thanks for your company Ollie.  It has once again been a pleasure to spend some time with you, my furball friend.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer