ANOTHER THOUGHTFUL WANDERER MILESTONE COMES TO PASS

POST # 400

Today, The Thoughtful Wanderer blog has now reached another milestone.  Post number 400.  Not bad for a project that began way back on October 21st, 2011 when I was house sitting in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

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

Back then, I really had no clue about how long this little online journal would last, but I suppose that as long as I am still breathing, I will continue to write something, four times each month.

Post number 100 came into existence on December 21st, 2013 when I was hunkered down in the snow at what became one of my regular gigs in Vancouver.  Jackson and Peach aka the baby boneheads kept me company during my stay there.  I even attached a very short video of the two of them running out into the snow in the backyard.

https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-thoughtful-wanderer-scores-century.html

The above link also makes note of the approximate distance I had travelled since the beginning of the blog, and includes a list of countries and critters that had been a part of my journey up to and including that date.

Moving right along, the blog reached the 200 mark on January 28th, 2016.  I was back in my favourite "home" of Dawson City in the Yukon.  To be more accurate, I was at the little village of Bear Creek, about 12 kilometers down the highway from Dawson, where I had the great pleasure of caring for a pack of Border Collie boneheads and one lovable furball.  Time in the Yukon is always well spent in my opinion, and I enjoyed my visit.  It's the last time that I have been there.

https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2016/01/done-in-dawson-at-least-for-now.html


On to number 300, as the months and years continued to fly on by, and as is always the case, faster than expected.  The date was February 28th, 2018.  The location was not too far from Sidney on Vancouver Island.  "Her majesty" aka the furball named Tina was my companion for that house sit, and she was certainly a good one.  I also met my very first Leonberger bonehead.  I had never come across that particular breed of dog, and he was a gentle giant.  The owner told me that Maynard was only 16 months old at the time, and that he already weighed 125 pounds.  I remember asking the owner how much he spent each month on dog food, and even though he didn't state a dollar figure, he told me that it cost him a truck payment per month.

https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2018/02/abbey-road-her-majesty.html


And so here we are now at number 400.  When I began this project all those years ago, I really did not think that I would still be doing it at this stage, and I certainly wouldn't have thought that I would ever reach the 400 mark.  I'm glad that I have persisted over the years, as it's fun for me to look back just to see where I have been, what critters I've had the pleasure of caring for, and to re-read what I have already written.  Every now and again, I think that I have had something worthwhile to say.  Well, at least I think so, but I don't know if any of my readership would agree.

The next milestone would be the magic number 500.  And just like all the other milestones, I really can't imagine that I will get there.  After all, with an average of 48 posts per year, that would put the date somewhere around April, 2022.  With the state of things in the world as they are at the moment, I would be surprised if I get the opportunity to pen blogpost number 500, but I would be very happy indeed if that milestone comes to pass.

In the meantime, I will continue to try and appreciate the time that I do have, and try and make the best of it, for as long as possible.


grateful for every breath,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer