CONCRETE AND DECK WORK

 POST # 696

Before we come to the story regarding Canadian donuts, let me spend a little bit of time talking about the deck work that has now been completed. (Well, almost completed, as I have a few touch ups that I will finish later today.)

This happened to be round number two regarding the deck. The first time that I completed this task was way back in April, 2021.  Here is a link to that blog post. https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/search?q=deck+work+done

I am amazed that just over five years have gone by since that first staining of the deck.  The older I get, the faster the years fly by, which is all the more reason to try and get as much out of each day as possible.

The photos show the before and after look, and if I don't mind saying so myself, I think it looks pretty darn good once again.  It had a double coat this time, so perhaps it will last longer than five more years.  Even Dora-dog has approved of the new look, as she inspects my finished work.

Okay, that's enough talk about the deck.  Now let's talk about Concrete with a capital C.

Approximately an hour's drive east of here is the small town of Concrete, WA.  I have been there on a few occasions over the years, and I just have to say that there is a pizza place there, that sells the very best pizza that I have ever tasted.  But this story isn't about pizza.

When I take my daily walk with Dora-dog, we always pass by the post office in town, and in front of it, there is a newspaper stand, that holds issues of the Concrete Herald.  Recently, the cover attracted my attention, so I grabbed a copy and brought it home to read.

There were numerous interesting articles to read, and near the end of the paper I came across the only obituary printed in that particular edition.  I decided to read about Carmal Ann Arnold.  Imagine my surprise, when I read about all of the places that she had lived throughout her life.  The place that caught my attention was the town of Canadian,Texas.  What?  There is actually a town in the USA called Canadian?  Turns out to be the case.  Here is a link to Canadian's website for anyone who is interested. https://www.canadiantx.com/live-in-canadian  The photo at the beginning of today's blog post is of the donut shop in Canadian.

After being a Canadian for over 71 years now, I had never heard of the place.  And I bet that I could do a survey of 100 Canadians, and not even one would know that there is such a place.  It was worth picking up the copy of the Concrete Herald, just to learn that fact.

I guess that is enough rambling for today.  It's going to be a beautiful day by the looks of it, and Dora-dog will be sporting a new look on our walk, because later this morning, she will be getting her Spring haircut, just in time for the warmer weather.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

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

DORA-DOG'S DAILY DOG BISCUIT TREAT

 POST # 692

I've lost track of the countless number of times that I have taken Dora-dog for her daily walk into town and back.  It has become part of our routine, and an enjoyable part for sure.

About a week or so ago, we had finished our outbound journey which ends at the marina at the north end of town, and turned around to begin our homeward trip.  On this part of the walk, we always pass by an ice cream shop along the way, and up until this recent time, we just walked right on past, as if the place never existed.

But one day, Dora-dog decided to stop, and look up at the counter.  I guess she must have sniffed out the dog biscuits that were situated there, and she sat down in anticipation of a treat coming her way.

Sure enough, she got what she came for, and after thanking the person, we headed back home.  I figured that would be the end of it, and come the next day our walk would be back to its normal routine, without the ice cream shop stop.  WRONG!!!  Stupid me.  Every day since that first dog biscuit, Dora-dog makes a little left turn from the sidewalk, and parks herself smack dab in front of the counter to await her next treat.  It has now come to the point that when I am ready to leave, she just continues to stand there, and look up at the person, hoping to get yet another treat.  A couple of days ago, I started to walk away, and she looked at me, then she looked up at the counter, pondering her options. What to do?  Hmmm!!!  She continued to wait for a treat.  I guess I know where I stand in her order of priorities.

Here she is in action, just the other day.  All the people working there have come to know Dora-dog by now, and they all are happy to see her arrive for her daily treat.

Once she returns home, she is happy to hang out on the back deck and enjoy some sunshine, and while she's doing that, she is probably already thinking about tomorrow's walk to town, that will once again provide her with her daily dog biscuit treat.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

FENCED IN AGAIN

 POST # 691

Some time ago, I can't quite remember when, there was a very windy day here in Shelter Bay.  It was so windy in fact, that the fence separating Mary's yard from her neighbour's yard buckled under the pressure, as the posts holding the fence, broke.  Even though the fence was still standing at that time, it was going to have to be repaired.

Mary found someone who could do the work, so he came out here last week to tackle the job.  In the photo below, you can see some of the old posts that were rotted at their base.  It was time to get some new ones in the ground.

It took a few days to complete this project, and while the section remained open for Dora-dog to go into the neighbour's yard and chase the cats that are there, she managed to stay on Mary's side, so that was a good thing.

Old post

New post.

Finally, the job was completed, and Mary (and the neighbour) now have a solid fence between the two properties.  The contractor, Scott, did an excellent job, and so I imagine that this fence will be able to hold up to any strong winds in the foreseeable future.

And Dora-dog now has her yard back to run around in, without having to be tempted by any cats in the neighbour's yard.

                                                    

                                                                   Fenced in again

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

BORDER BLUES

 POST # 690

Border Crossing

When I travel to the USA via Amtrak, I don't have to wait until I get to the border crossing in order to clear US customs.  That procedure is done at the train station in Vancouver.

In recent times, I have commented to various people that lately, going through customs has been very simple, and in fact, prior to this recent trip, the border agent didn't even ask any questions.  He just stamped my declaration card, and I was on my way.

So imagine my surprise last week, when once again I was standing in line at the train station, waiting my turn to go through customs.  I had a bad feeling about the agent even before I stepped up to his booth.  Perhaps it was the look on his face.

In any event, it took a very long time to go through the process.  He just kept asking more and more and more questions.  Questions that I have never been asked before, like how much is my income, how much do I have in my bank account, when did I retire, etc. etc. etc.  At one point I was beginning to wonder if he was going to let me through or not.

Finally, for whatever reason, he decided to allow me to continue, and I made my way onto the train in preparation for my southbound journey.  It was without a doubt, one of the longest times that I have ever spent going through customs, and I wonder if that is going to be the way it is from now on?  Only time will tell.

As always, Mary and Dora-dog were there at the station to meet me, and drive back to her home in Shelter Bay.

It had been a long day, as you can tell by the look on Dora-dog's face.

It was time to call it a day, and be thankful that I was successful in making the journey.  My border blues for today had come to an end.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer