FIFTY NINE AND TWO AND AUSTIN

POST # 110


This is the one post during the year in which I don't have the extra days off after the preceding post, due to the short length of February, so a mere one week later here I am back at the computer to write a little bit more.

Since last week a couple of numbers have come to pass, those being the ones in the title of today's blog. I turned 59 earlier in the week and the next day was exactly 2 years since I went tumbling down the hill in Grand Forks BC. I'm quite sure that there are people out there who bemoan the fact that they have become one year older, however that has never been the case with me. And since my accident two years ago, I appreciate even more the fact that I actually am older, because as far as I'm concerned, all the days since then have been bonus days for me. In some ways, having that fall was one of the best things that could have happened to me for two reasons that I can think of. It allowed me to see how I reacted in a situation where the life and death stakes were very high indeed, but more than that, it has given me an extra appreciation for savouring every moment since that time.

So even though I have technically started my 60th year on this rock spinning around the sun in a small corner of the universe, I am the only family member left who still has an age that starts with the number 5, as all my sisters are now in their 60's. I would like to think that I will be as fortunate as them to get to my 60's, but life is a bit of a crap shoot at the best of times, even without adding in all the other factors that are appearing now on the scene at a rapid rate of knots. The list is long and getting longer, and it's all the more reason to appreciate each moment as it appears.

Spending time with my new dog friend Austin, is one of the ways to appreciate some of those moments. I've been settled here in Chilliwack now for about a week and Austin and I have had plenty of time together. He's a great dog, and so easy to care for, that it's been a house sitter's dream to be here. The location is rural, and quiet which I may have already mentioned in last week's blog, and I am quite content to be here. We've had plenty of snow followed by plenty of rain but that's o.k. because it's not like I'm out camping in it. This morning as I write, the sky has started to clear and a patch of blue sky is showing, as well as a few rays of sun. Perhaps this will be a good day to go for a wander down by the river which is immediately out front of the house. It's Austin's playground and it's good to take the opportunity to spend time with him down there. I was somewhat reluctant to do that earlier this week, because there was still too much snow on the ground, which is no big deal, except for the fact that it covered all kinds of rocks and sticks that are potential tripping hazards, and a trip and fall, or a sprained ankle is something I most certainly can do without at the moment.

Before that blue sky and sun disappear, I think I better finish this up and get outside and appreciate a few of those moments while the weather holds. It's much better to be out there without the radiation laced rainfall coming down. After all, only four days from now marks the third anniversary of the the triple nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, but as is the case with any important information these days, it is edited out as if it never happened by items much more important, like Justin Beeber and Miley Cyrus. Bread and circuses to keep the people content.

Austin's giving me the look so it's time to go for a river walk.

Happy trails,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer