ELLY

 POST # 715

Say hi to Elly.  She wins the award for the smallest dog that I have had the pleasure to spend time with, during all of the years that I have been pet sitting.

I arrived at my current location just four days ago, and it's taken until today for Elly to finally relax and be comfortable with the new human occupying her house.  After the owner left, Elly sat on a chair and stared out the front window at the parking spot for many hours.  I guess that she was hoping/expecting her owner to return home from wherever he had gone to.  Time continued to pass, and still no sign of him.  When it was time for bed, I think she may have been starting to think that he wasn't coming home, at least for that day.

Since that first day, our relationship has gotten stronger, and in fact, just today she was running around playing with me, and having a ball.  Perhaps we've finally turned the corner now, and she has accepted that I will be the human taking care of her for a while longer.

We are located in a gated community in Abbotsford, and I like it because it is only a short walk to the local grocery store.  That's a good thing, seeing as walking is my only form of transport during my stay here.

So far the weather has been spectacular for this time of the year, and when I go out for a walk I can do it wearing only a T-shirt.  T-shirt weather in October.  What's not to like about that?

We have settled into a daily routine.  I expect that as each day passes, our relationship will grow even stronger.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

IT'S NOW OFFICIAL and NEW TRAIN NO TRAIN

 POST # 714

As you can see by the sign, it's now official.  The ice cream shop is closed until March 2027. A couple of days ago, we had our first opportunity to walk by, since my arrival on Sunday evening.  I knew that the shop was closed, but Dora-dog didn't know.

Needless to say, she was somewhat confused when we arrived there.  "Where are they, and why can't I get my dog treat?"

We stood around for quite some time, until I think she finally realised that there wasn't going to be a dog biscuit coming her way anytime soon.  I let her take as long as she wanted, and at some point, she turned away from the window, and we were once again on our way.  When we walked by today, she worked out quite quickly that nothing had changed, and so our stop was brief in comparison to the earlier day.  Dora-dog is a quick learner, and I guess she decided that continuing the walk was much more enjoyable than just hanging around.  I'm curious to see how the rest of the week progresses.  Who knows, we may even get to the point where we walk right on by without stopping, but we'll see.

If only she knew how to read, then she would have understood that standing around wasn't going to make any difference.  

And now to the other part of today's title.  On my previous journey back to Canada, Amtrak had a new train to travel on, which is a first since I have been using their service for the past several years.  So when I arrived at Pacific Central Station in Vancouver this past Sunday, I was expecting to be getting on board that same train to head to Washington.

I arrived at my usual time, and I was quite surprised to see the place so deserted. I placed my bags at the front of the line, and began my wait.  Eventually the rumour started to circulate that the train wasn't going to be arriving because of some problem, that I never did find out the answer to.  The rumour turned out to be true, and so we went from new train to no train just like that.  Some buses were arranged to arrive at the station, and after some delay we were finally on our way.

Eventually I made it to Mount Vernon station, and after some communication difficulties, due to no wifi connection, Mary and Dora-dog arrived at the station and we were on our way.

With any luck, the train will be back in service this coming Sunday, at which time I will be heading back to Canada once again, to begin a new housesit out in Abbotsford. BC.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

ONE + ONE = ZERO

 POST # 713

I mentioned the title of today's blog post to Ollie, and as you can see, he seems rather unimpressed with the math.  Now I don't expect him to be a mathematical genius, but it doesn't take a genius to work out that the math is all wrong.

When I was in school, math was one of the subjects that I did well in, so the title certainly seems to contradict that fact.  So let's get to the bottom of this enigma by breaking down each number in the title.

The first one is for one year.

The second one is for one day.

And the zero is for no alcohol.

On October 6th, 2025, which is exactly one year and one day ago, I made the decision to consume zero  beverages containing alcohol.  I was curious to see how much I would miss it.  And to be honest, it only took less than a week, before I didn't even think about having a drink.  It was way easier than I had expected, which both surprised and delighted me at the same time.

On that day last year, I happened to be thinking of my dear mom, as that was the anniversary of the day she died back in 2007.  It was a significant date for me, and so it seemed like a good date to start my non-drinking project.  And so far, so good.  I wonder what mom would think of my decision?  She did enjoy her daily rum and coke, so she may have wondered why I had chosen this path.  Of course, I'll never know the answer to that question.

So now you know the answer to the strange math in today's title.  I tried on numerous occasions today, to explain this to Ollie, but he showed absolutely no interest in listening to my reasoning.  His major concern for today, just like every other day, is to get as much napping accomplished as he can in a day, in order to save up his energy for his daily meals.  Listening to me, is a total waste of his time.

And writing any more on this topic, is probably not a good use of my time either, as it is a spectacularly beautiful autumn day outside, so it's time to head out for a walk, and enjoy the day while I still can.

When I return, if Ollie is awake, I may try just one more time to explain the math to him, but if his eyelids begin to close, as I suspect they will, I'll drop the subject, and let him go back to sleep.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THEY'RE STILL OPEN

 POST # 712

After her early morning squirrel watch, and a rambunctious game of chasing the bone, and chasing the ball, it was time for Dora-dog to relax for a while, in anticipation of a walk to town.

Since my previous visit, the weather is cooler, school is back in, and the tourist traffic is down, with only the occasional Canadian (me) roaming across the border.  Keeping all of this in mind, we headed out on our adventure.  I was curious to know what Dora-dog's reaction would be when we got to her favourite ice cream shop, only to find it closed for the season.  At least that is what I was expecting to find when we got there.  I was planning on taking a photo of Dora-dog standing in front of a  "closed for the season" sign, and was wondering just how long she would stand there waiting for her treat.

Imagine my surprise when we arrived to find that they're still open, with our friend Erin there to greet us. 

Dora-dog had expected it to be open, and get her treat, and that's exactly what happened earlier today.  So we were all very happy with the outcome, and soon it was time to continue our journey back home.  

The ice cream shop will be open for the remainder of this week, and then be closed for the season. We'll have to make sure that we get to town each day, so that she can enjoy her daily reward.  

It was her first long walk since her operation, and she seemed to handle it quite well, although I imagine she will be limping somewhat, later on today. I'm dealing with a sore Achilles tendon at the moment, so we may both be limping around this evening.  But the walk was worth it, and we expect to be back out there again tomorrow.

I leave at the end of the week, so we plan to get to the ice cream shop every day, as long as our legs will take us there.  I am planning to return on October 11th, so maybe then I'll have the opportunity to watch Dora-dog's reaction when we walk past the ice cream shop and find it closed for the season.  Perhaps at that time, I can get the photo of her, that I was expecting to take earlier today.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

OH THANK HEAVEN

 POST # 711

Oh thank heaven, for 711.  I couldn't resist saying that, for today's blog post.  And no, I'm not talking about the convenience store as you may have guessed by now.  But I am thankful for the fact that I've posted 711 times since this project began way back on October 21st, 2011.

https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2011/10/thoughtful-wanderer-begins.html

Throughout these years, I have many things to be thankful for, and as each day passes, I continue to feel that way about life.  Every day is a gift, and I do try to remind myself of that fact on a regular basis.

At my current location, one of the things that I am thankful for is the amount of fresh tomatoes that have been available during my stay here. This is just one of many harvests that has taken place over the past couple of weeks.

And of course, it goes without saying that my two furball friends, Sam and Arlo are two more reasons to be thankful.

Sam

Arlo

In addition to the tomatoes and the furballs, the weather has been absolutely  fantastic, so that just adds to my list of things to be thankful for.

Soon this sit will be coming to an end, and it will be time to say so long to Sam and Arlo, but who knows, perhaps somewhere down the road, I'll have the opportunity to once again spend time with them.

And then I will have to say once again, "Oh thank heaven".  But it will be more than 711 by then.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

RELAXING TIME TOGETHER

 POST # 710

So this is how each day begins here with Sam and Arlo.  As soon as they know that I am awake (and even sometimes before I am awake), they hop up on the bed, and settle in for a while.  Sam always takes the prime spot, and Arlo is happy to just be a part of the crowd.  How much time we spend there depends on how lazy I am, and how hungry they are for breakfast.  

I think that Sam would be happy to stay there as long as I do, as he never seems to be in any rush to get up and head downstairs.

On the other hand, Arlo, perhaps because of his young age, is more eager to get up and go, and he does various things to attract my attention, like he did yesterday by jumping up on the headboard of the bed.  It's his way of trying to say, let's get going, so that I can have my breakfast.

Eventually, we all head downstairs, and another day begins.  After they have breakfast, it's time to go outside and enjoy the sunshine in the backyard for a while.  The weather has been just fine since my arrival, and I am grateful for that.  But the cooler weather is just around the corner, and soon I'll have to put on another layer of clothing to stay warm.

In the meantime, the three of us will continue to enjoy our very relaxing time together.  Relaxing, what else can you really do with a couple of furballs like these two characters?

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

SAM'S THIRD HOUSEMATE

 POST # 709

                                                                             ARLO

It was way back in July of 2023 when I first met Sam.  At that time, he had a furball friend by the name of Tess.  Unfortunately, Tess went to furball heaven sometime after that visit.

And then along came Teddy, the escape artist.  Thankfully he remained here while I was house sitting, but the day after I left, so did he.  I guess that he must have been upset with my departure, or perhaps, Sam wasn't happy with his company.  Whatever the case, Sam now has a new house mate, who goes by the name of Arlo.

This is my first opportunity to have them both together, so it will be interesting to watch their interactions over the next three weeks.

                                                                             SAM

Sam appears to be taking it all in stride.  He's the boss after all.  

It should be a very relaxed time, and I am looking forward to spending it with the both of them.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer