C-A-R AND ?????

POST # 45


Well, maybe I should have begun the title of this blog post with the "??????" because when I awoke this morning, which was quite late by the way, after having a very restful sleep, I soon realized that it was blog day again, and I really didn't have any idea where this story would begin, or end for that matter. Kind of like life, really. It seems like this time has come around again too soon, as a result of writing my last entry on the ninth instead of the seventh as normally scheduled.

I was originally awake around 4:30am and it briefly crossed my mind then that I should get up and start writing at that point. But Oscar was curled up in the crook of my legs and he looked so content so I used him as my weak excuse to drift back into dreamsville and lately there have been plenty of good dreams.

But by the time Felix arrived in the bedroom I knew that it must be time to get up. The boys were attempting to tell me through their actions that it was breakfast time and that I'd better get my lazy body up and out of bed in order to take care of their needs. I enticed Felix up on the bed to join Oscar and me for a little early morning group cuddle which is always nice, but as soon as I began to pull the covers back, they were down on the floor, and had started up one of their regular cat boxing matches, which is a hoot to watch. It begins with the "stare" during which time they begin to size up their opponent. This is followed by the very slow "dance" as they move around each other in a tight circular pattern, never taking their eyes off of one another. Finally one or the other of them begins to raise up a paw in the first signs of "attack" mode, and once that has happened it's only a matter of time before the other one raises his paw, and then the boxing has begun. I never see any claws come out and they just seem to be having fun getting some exercise. As fast as it began, it is soon over, and soon they are licking each others faces, as if to say, "don't worry brother, I still love you." It's great entertainment for the housesitter, and the boys appear to be having fun doing it, so it's all good.

With round one of the boxing match complete, and with the housesitter up and dressed, we head to the kitchen, or should I say that they lead me to the kitchen, and specifically to the cupboards beneath the sink, because that is where the cat food is located. "Meow,Paul we're hungry, and you got up very late today, so would you please drop everything else that you're doing and serve us up our breakfast?" I just hear the meow part, and that's enough for me. I need to get this task completed first, otherwise I will have two furballs hanging around on the floor beside me when I am doing my morning exercises. However, once the food is out, then I don't exist for a while in their minds, and I can go about my morning routine uninterrupted. Soon, Oscar and Felix will be outside taking care of business as it were, and for a while the house seems rather lonely without their presence. This new place that Cathy lives in since I was last on Orcas, is fully equipped with cat doors, which makes my life so much easier. At her previous house, I was upstairs in a loft, so each time the boys wanted to go out, I would have to walk down the stairs to facilitate this. Then every now and again I would have to take a look downstairs to see if one or both were ready to come back in. It was usually just one, which meant having to repeat the
exercise until both were back inside. Of course usually by that time the other one was thinking about going out again, which started the whole process all over. I think they were doing it that way just to get a kick out of having the housesitter go up and down, up and down the stairs. Now, it's all too easy. The other day I was outside walking past the cat door, and I had to chuckle as Cathy has written up on the wall above the door, "Oscar and Felix only." Orcas cats are known to be extremely intelligent, so once a stranger reads the sign, he/she moves on. So far I haven't had any other cats in the house, so I guess the sign is working. In a little while they will both be back inside, and curled up in one of the many cat friendly places there are here, and settling into their morning nap routine. Ah, the life of the cat. Eat, sleep for 14 hours a day, eat, sleep, repeat. Not too tough of a life, at least for these two boys.

Moving on, this week I have had a couple of "hunting" trips not too far from the house. October is apple time here on Orcas and after only a few rides around on the bike I came across a variety of trees just overloaded with apples ready for the picking and yet no one was doing that. I checked with a few locals to make sure that I wasn't going to be doing something I shouldn't be, that is, picking apples, and the word was go for it. So the apple hunt began. I managed to find a garden tool and a bucket that I could duck tape to it, and with this device I was able to increase my reach and capture more apples than I could have otherwise. I also found a little two step ladder to use. Cathy has a taller ladder, but with my leg the way it is, I didn't feel comfortable being that far from the ground. Anyhow the system I devised worked fine and I have a couple of varieties of apples now in the fridge. Last count was around sixty or more, and each day I manage to eat through three or four. Today I plan to go on another apple plucking adventure, and with the wind that has happened overnight and is still blowing strongly this morning, I might not even need to pick any, as the wind probably has done that for me. We'll see later today. An apple a day... I shouldn't be seeing any doctors for quite a long time.

I guess that brings me to the weather. Geez, Paul, your brain must be really short on ideas if you have resorted to talking about the weather. But it is worthy to note that as of yesterday we had a good soaking rain, and it's the first rain I can remember in many, many weeks. In that period of time I've been here, Vancouver and Everett, and the grass was dry and brown, so I am sure this will be a welcome relief. I am guessing that a certain dog in Everett is happy with the cooler weather for sure. But I can already picture the conversations in Vancouver. After a few days, the locals will be complaining about the rain. Maybe, maybe not, but as far as I am concerned it's a nice change. At this point I could go into a long essay about climate change, but if I've learned anything over the past seven years since I have been making a serious study of the subject, most people, at least most people that I have come across either don't want to talk about it, or even hear about it. Or maybe they're just too busy. I have come to the conclusion, probably too late, that it has been my emotional delivery of the topic that has had a negative impact on the listening audience. So now, even though I keep up to date with the latest facts and figures, I tend to keep quiet on the subject for the most part or if I do come across a willing listener, I try to deliver the message and keep my emotions out of it. But for me, that is still a challenge. After all the rhetoric, it really simply comes down to math and physics. Exponential curves and positive feedback loops that are rapidly changing the world in which we live, our only home. There is more than enough information out there for those who have an interest, and the subject can be explained much more eloquently than I could ever try to do. In the meantime I will continue to live my simplified lifestyle, which is the one thing that I can do, even though it's not enough. But it helps me sleep better at night.

Well, that last paragraph was a bit of a rant on a topic that probably doesn't belong in a blog about housesitting, but there it is. Perhaps I'll start another blog and dedicate it to climate change.

Back here at the ranch, the furballs are now back inside and are finishing up their self cleaning, prior to the morning snooze. I'm almost at the end of this post, and it's just about time to go out for a bike ride.

One final note about the title. The C was for Cats, the A for Apples, and the R was for rain. As far as the ???'s go, when I began this, that's how my brain felt, not knowing what to write about. Well now it's done, and I can get on to other tasks for the day ahead, including another apple hunt.

Peaceful times on Orcas Island

Happy Wandering,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

And one small PS. After finishing this blog, I walked out on the front deck only to be totally enthralled by the activities of a hummingbird collecting nectar from a plant on the front porch. Magic!