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

DORA-DOG'S RECENT LIFE JOURNEY

 POST # 708

I took the above photo of Dora-dog just this past Tuesday.  She sure looks happy, just as she did in a similar photo taken quite a few years ago, which can be seen on the right hand side of the blog (7th photo down the page).

And since last Tuesday, that is about the happiest that she has looked since that time.  But why is that?  Well in order to answer that question, we have to go back in time to last month. The vet noticed a small lump (lipoma-A lipoma in a dog is a common, non-cancerous (benign) fatty tumor that grows just underneath the skin) on the inside of Dora-dog's right front leg, and she suggested that we keep an eye on it.  Since that time it had grown, which resulted in a very pronounced limp, and so recently a decision was made to remove it, which of course meant surgery.

So this past Wednesday, we took her to the vet, dropped her off, and returned home without her.  It was strange being home, without Dora-dog.  In fact, in all of the time since Mary has had her, and I have been visiting, this was the first time that we were at home, and not had her around.  

Later that day, the vet phoned to tell us that the surgery had been successful, and that we could come and pick her up.  When we arrived she was happy to see us, but she was still getting over the surgery, so she was a bit groggy, not her normal excited self.

So she's now back home, and she is probably trying to work out why so much of her fur is missing.  She looks somewhat stunned by the new hair cut.

I suppose that she could look on the bright side of things, and pretend she now has some new "fur boots" to show off to her four legged friends.

But they really did remove quite a bit of her fur ( more than I would have expected) but I'm not a vet so what do I know when it comes to having a procedure such as she has just had?

It's going to take a long time for that fur to grow back, but it's really a minor issue.  The main thing is that the surgery was successful, and for that we are all very thankful indeed.

Of course, Dora-dog now has to wear a cone, to prevent her from licking the affected area, and she won't be able to go for any walks for the next two weeks.  TWO WEEKS.  

She gets all excited each day when she sees me putting on my shoes by the front door, because that is the signal that we will soon be walking out the door and heading out for our daily journey to town and back.  And then she can't work out why I am walking out the door and leaving her behind. I'm guessing that she feels sad, and I certainly know that I do.  But it is what it is, and we have to be thankful that she is now recovering, and eventually she should be back to her normal exuberant self.  We will both be very happy when that day finally arrives, and we can once again enjoy our daily stroll.  And maybe then, we will appreciate how lucky we are to be able to do that simple activity.  Like often happens, we take things for granted until they are not there. Thanks Dora-dog, for teaching this lesson to me yet again.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PS: Here is a post from August 28/2019, when Dora-dog had her first encounter with a cone.

https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/search?q=post+372

MY JOURNEY CONTINUES

 POST # 707

Yesterday, I had to say goodbye to Maggie.  As you can see, she wasn't very happy to hear the news. On the plus side, her owner would be home later in the day, and when that happened, she would once again be a bundle of joy.

And today, I have to say goodbye to Ollie once again.  I think that he's used to it by now, and after I walk out the door, he'll more than likely just find a comfortable place to curl up and go to sleep for the rest of the day. It's what he does best.

Mind you, he did have a shocked look on his face when I told him the news a little while ago.  He can't quite work out why I am leaving so soon, seeing as I only arrived here last night.

But my journey continues.  This afternoon, I will once again be heading to Washington to spend some precious time with Mary and Dora-dog.  Hopefully all will go as planned and I won't have any issues going through Customs, but I guess I'll know the answer to that question a few hours from now.

So once again, it's time to pack up my things, and head to the train station, in anticipation of my upcoming journey.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer