OUR DAILY WALKS

 POST # 659

Pre-walk

Twice each day, I hook up Dulce and Carlos, and head out for our daily walks.  There is always a look of anticipation  upon their faces,  while I put my shoes on, grab a couple of poop bags, and get ready to go.  They know the routine very well by now, and I don't have to say anything to encourage them.  Once we head out the door, the only decision to make is which direction we will go.  As time has gone on, I am getting better at trying different routes that may eliminate the possibility of an interaction with another critter, but it hasn't been easy, and there is always the unexpected.  In fact, to date there hasn't been even one walk that we've been on in which we manage to get back home without some interruption or another.  But walk we must, and so we do.

Walk

The walk above was one of our favourite ones, but the trail is now closed for some work, so even though it was one of the best walks we took part in, it is now ancient history.  The trail will be closed until well after I leave, so we have found other places to go since that time.  After a decent amount of time outdoors, it's time to head back home and relax for a while.  As you can see below, Dulce and Carlos have this part figured out.  There's nothing like a post walk snooze to make your day, and while they're snoozing, I can take a few moments to relax as well.

Post Walk

But soon, our walks will be coming to an end, as the owners arrive back this coming Sunday afternoon, which means that we only have six more walks to go prior to that time.  With any luck and maybe some good management on my part, they will all be stress free until then.  

And as an added bonus, I took a photo of a rainbow the other day. We had just had some rainfall which was much needed and most appreciated.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

CARLOS AND DULCE

 POST # 658

Say hello to Carlos (top), and Dulce.  Carlos is a three year old French mastiff, and Dulce is a one year old Dane/Poodle cross.  Let me tell you right now, they are certainly a handful, especially Carlos, who without a doubt is the strongest bonehead that I have ever encountered in all my years of pet sitting.

I arrived here on August 8th, and it's taken a while to settle in, but we seem to now have a pretty good routine going, and they are teaching me new lessons each and every day.  One of the early lessons was their reaction to other four-legged animals.  Let me put it this way.  It's all I can do to keep a hold of them when another dog or a cat happens to show up.  And believe me, I think that this neighbourhood has more cats and dogs than anywhere else that I have been.  So the daily walks are a workout for all of us.

We had a very close encounter just yesterday, when out of nowhere two people on bikes with their unleashed dog arrived on the scene, on a path that we were walking on.  I was doing my best to keep Dulce and Carlos under control, but with the other dog being free, it came right up to us.  Thankfully the owners managed to get control of their dog, and then head down the trail on their bikes.  I was glad to see them leave.

So far, that has been the closest encounter that we have had, but every day is a new opportunity for more chaos.  I am certainly keeping my eyes peeled as we walk along, and if I see any other critters, we take our walk in another direction.

In other news, we experienced the August full moon (Sturgeon moon) back on August 9th, and it was a pleasure to see it rise with its glow reflected on the ocean.

And then a couple of days ago, the sky filled with smoke from a wildfire northwest of here, but as of today the sky is once again clear.

So that's the latest news for now.  I'm sure I'll have a few more stories next week with regards to Carlos and Dulce, as each day is a new adventure with these two boneheads.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PS:  Good news regarding Logan from last week's post.  The day the owners arrived home, Logan came back.  I guess I didn't give him enough treats while I was there, but I was very happy to hear that he is alive and well.

WHERE IS LOGAN?

 POST # 657

The look on Caper's face seems to imply that she too wants to know where Logan has gone.  The owners left here back on September 28th.  That was the last day the Caper and I have seen him.

Logan is very used to coming and going as he pleases.  He has a cat door that he uses on a regular basis, and when I have been here in the past, he just shows up for a while to have something to eat, maybe take a nap, and before long, he's out wandering around.  It seems to have worked fine for many years, but for whatever reason, this time he's decided to go walkabout.

On a couple of occasions during this time period, I noticed that some of the cat food in his dish had been eaten.  Seeing as Caper doesn't have access to it, and the housesitter has more tasty items on his menu, then the only critter that could have eaten it, has to be Logan.  At least that is a hopeful sign.  He still must be somewhere around the property, otherwise the food would have never been touched.

But the mystery continues right up until today.  I leave tomorrow, so maybe he'll show up prior to my departure.  If he does, I'm sure that I will know, because Caper always makes a ruckus when Logan comes into the house.

Perhaps Logan knows that the owners will be home soon, and he's just hanging out somewhere outside until he sees their car arrive.  I'm sure they'll let me know if that is the case. 

In the meantime, I'll just hang out with Caper, and we'll both keep our eyes peeled for our wandering furball friend, Logan.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THE SUMMER OPTION

 POST # 656

I have had the great pleasure to house and pet sit for my friends Howard and Sally for a decade now, but not until this sit, have I ever had the summer option of taking care of their home and critters, Caper and Logan.

But summer is most certainly here now, and one of the first indicators of that, was the line up of garlic in the place next to the house, where the wood is normally stacked up, for use in the wood stove.  But there is no need for a wood stove right now, as each and every day so far has been sunny and very warm.

In addition to the garlic, there are other things growing in the garden, one of which is blueberries.  There is way more than I can pick and eat, but I am happy to munch through as many as I can, while I am here.

In addition to Caper and Logan, I have a couple of donkeys to spend time with if I choose to do so.

I'll be doing another post from here on August 7th, prior to my departure.  I wonder if the weather will stay as hot as it currently is, and I also wonder just how many of those blueberries I'll consume during my stay?

In the meantime, I'll just hang out with Caper and Logan, and the donkeys, and try to enjoy each day as it presents itself.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

A VERY RELAXING WEEK

 POST # 655

It has been a very relaxing week here at Britannia Beach, and my four-legged friends seem to be having a competition to see who can be more relaxed than the other.  Have a look.

Or how about these next two images.  It appears that they are really trying to outdo one another.

And even though there is time each day to take Tank for a walk, sometimes accompanied by Mitten, the two of them have certainly perfected the art of relaxation.  What a life.

There has also been time to enjoy the wonderful views around the area.   On a walk at the shoreline with Tank, I took a photo of a mountain across the water.  As best as I can tell, it is probably Mount Sedgwick, which is northwest of my current location.

And the other day on a trip to Squamish I stopped to take a photo of this magnificent rock face, which borders the highway.

The weather has been pretty darn perfect as well, although the downside to that has been that the fire danger has gone from moderate to extreme,  just in one week.  

But now my days are winding down in this beautiful location, and come this Saturday, I will once again be on my way, heading back to Vancouver Island for a little while.  I'm certainly going to miss spending time with Mitten and Tank, but I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks with them.  I hope that they feel the same about the house sitter.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

BRITANNIA BEACH

 POST # 654

A week ago today, I headed back to Washington State along with Mary and Dora-dog, to spend a few precious days there.  Then, two days ago I returned to Canada, and arrived here at Britannia Beach, about a half hour drive north of Horseshoe Bay.  As you can see from the photo, I have a spectacular view from my front deck, and for the time that I am here, I am quite sure that I will spend plenty of hours gazing out in that direction.

Of course, a house/pet sit wouldn't be complete without a pet or two to keep me company during my stay.  On this occasion, I have two wonderful critters to keep me company, a cat and a dog, or as I like to call them, a furball and a bonehead.

Let's begin with the furball.  Mitten comes and goes all day long, but manages to be here for mealtimes.  Mitten starts to purr as soon as you get close.  That's my kind of furball.

And then there is Tank.

Tank is a very appropriate name considering his huge size, but he is a gentle giant, and is very easy to spend time with.  He likes to spend much of his day hanging out on the front deck.  I'd like to think that he is there to enjoy the view along with the housesitter, but he seems to spend much of his time snoozing.  That's his choice.

I'm looking forward to spending time with these two over the next couple of weeks, and no doubt they will teach me some lessons along the way.  It's shaping up to be a very relaxed, and quiet house/pet sit.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

FIREWORKS RELIEF IN THE CITY OF MURALS

 POST # 653

With all of the fireworks happening back in the USA in recent days, Mary and Dora-dog decided to head north to get some fireworks relief.

They arrived in Ladysmith on June 30th, and picked me up at my last housesit location, and from there we headed down the road to the town of Chemainus, also known as the City of Murals.

It's a wonderful little town, and has a reputation for all of the murals around the place.  I think that there is a total of sixty altogether.  So I went out and took a photo of some of them, and decided to post them on today's blog.

The yellow footprints on the sidewalk which can be seen in the photo with the sailing ship and the Canada Post mural, are put there to guide people to each and every mural around town.

Yesterday we took a day trip to Saltspring Island which was an enjoyable way to spend the day.

And today we head back to Mary's place in La Conner, Washington.  With any luck most of the fireworks will be over with, and Dora-dog will be very happy if that is the case.  Here, it's been very quiet and relaxed the entire time, which we were all thankful for.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

FRUIT, AND A TEDDY DOUBLE HEADER

 POST # 652

As the season progresses, the fruit in the backyard continues to ripen.  The above cherry tree has been providing me with a few treats lately.  It's only a small tree, and I want to leave some of the cherries for the owners who return here tomorrow.  In the background on the left of the photo is another very large cherry tree which is located in the neighbour's yard.  It's absolutely filled with cherries, and from what I can tell, no one is picking any of them.  What a shame.

The raspberries as well are now popping out, and I've enjoyed a few of them too.  There will be many more to come, but I will be long gone by the time that they are ripe enough to eat.

And the peach tree below, is absolutely covered in fruit, but like the raspberries, I won't be here to enjoy any of them.

This final post for the month of June wouldn't be complete without mentioning Teddy, the furball that is currently absent from here.

Yesterday, I was out in the backyard, and Teddy climbed over the fence again from the neighbour's yard into our yard.  I wandered over to the bushes, but he stayed hidden, and even with the encouragement of some treats, he neglected to show himself.  A few hours later, I was sitting inside next to the backdoor, and lo and behold, Teddy actually walked up the stairs, only a few feet away from the door.  I gently opened the door, but that was all it took to scare him away, and he vanished back into the bushes outside.  This was the closest I have come to actually getting him back in the house, but unfortunately, I was unsuccessful.  But it is a hopeful sign, that he hasn't given up on returning. So that was the Teddy double header.

Sam in the meantime keeps a watchful eye over the backyard to see if his furball friend will be returning once again.  

So tomorrow the owners return home from the extended vacation.  With any luck maybe Teddy will then decide that it is time to come home and be pampered once again.  After all, Sam needs to share his good fortune with his four legged friend.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

SUMMER IS HERE, AND A SECOND TEDDY SIGHTING

 POST # 651

Summer arrived yesterday, and the flowers are blooming out all over the place. Every day there are more and more of them, which makes for a pretty sight.

In addition to all the flowers, Sam and I once again had the opportunity to see Teddy.  A few days ago, I noticed Sam creeping towards the plants in the backyard, so I went out to see what was up.  He made a dash towards the raspberry bushes, and moments later, a black cat which once again looked suspiciously like Teddy, scrambled up and over the back fence.  It was a repeat performance from last week.  So at least he still appears to be around, and I continue to keep an eye out for him.

Aside from that, there isn't much to report about for now.  The days go by, and I continue to be amazed at how fast that happens.  It's hard to believe that an entire week has gone by since my last post, but there you go.

Sam has been my faithful companion all the way along, and he has now taken to waking me up around 4 am which is a bit early for my liking.  Instead of just jumping up on the bed, and settling in, he climbs up on me, walks all the way from my feet to my head, and then insists on crawling under the covers for a while.  Needless to say, it's impossible to remain asleep while this is going on.  But eventually he settles down, and we both fall back to sleep for a while longer.

Sam also makes sure to get in plenty of naps during the day as well.

What a life. Sleep, eat, sleep, and sleep some more.  He's got it pretty good.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THE MYSTERY CONTINUES

 POST # 650

The mystery continues.  Where is Teddy?  To help solve the mystery, I put Sam in charge of watching out for him.  As you can see in the photo below, Sam takes his duty very seriously, and is keeping a keen eye out for his buddy.

So far, from his vantage point, he has been unsuccessful in his quest.  But a few days later, I was looking out the window and noticed Sam slowly crossing the yard to the back fence.  He appeared to be stalking something in the bushes near the fence.  I quietly walked outside, careful not to disturb him, and slowly walked up behind Sam to try and get a glimpse of what he was after.  I was only a few feet from him, when all of a sudden, he raced into the bushes, and immediately after that, a small black cat climbed up and then over the back fence.  I only had a couple of seconds to look, but my guess is that it was Teddy.  He was there, and then he was gone.  Was this an effort by Sam to scare him away?  Well if it was, it certainly worked, because since that day there has been no other sign of Teddy.  Then a couple of days after that, I met a neighbour who mentioned that he had also seen a small black cat roaming around, and my guess is that it was another sighting of Teddy.  But since that happened, I haven't seen him again.  I have left food treats out in the back yard just in case he comes around, and yesterday I noticed that they were all eaten.  Of course, that doesn't mean that it was Teddy who gobbled them up, but it's yet another potential indicator that he may be around the area.  So the mystery continues, but in the meantime, Sam and I will stay on the lookout.  Maybe we'll get lucky one day.

Moving on to another topic, three days ago was the full moon for the month of June.  I managed to get a blurry image of it, as it rose up in the night sky.

June's full moon is called a strawberry moon, which is an appropriate name considering what is growing in my backyard.  Each and every day, I manage to pick a few choice strawberries, which is a wonderful way to start the day.

So as the strawberries continue to ripen, Sam continues to be the sole furball here.  As you can see, he looks pretty happy about that, which makes me wonder yet again whether he plotted Teddy's getaway a while back.  Of course I'll never know.  In the meantime, I'll enjoy his company, and continue to ponder the mystery of Teddy's current location.  

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THE GREAT ESCAPE

 POST # 649

                                         Teddy                                                         Sam

The planning for the Great Escape had been in the works for months.  It began not long after Teddy arrived on the scene.  Teddy had confided in Sam that one day he would like to be back outdoors, where he had spent plenty of time prior to his arrival here.  Sam told Teddy to be patient.  After all, Sam had not been in this situation ever before, where he was tasked with helping one of his fellow furballs to make an escape.  He would need more time to work out the details of his plan, and once he was confident that it could be successfully completed, he would let Teddy know.

The months went by, and each day Teddy would ask Sam if today was going to be the day to escape.  Sam told him that he was still working out a few details, and that as soon as he had the details finalised he would inform Teddy.  Teddy continued to wait.

The biggest challenge as far as Sam was concerned, was to make sure that the two humans in the house would be either outside, or if inside, at least not in front of the door featured in the photo above.  This was the key to the success of the escape.  Things were looking good, and then for reasons unknown to both Sam and Teddy, a strange new human appeared on the scene.  Sam wondered how this was going to affect the carefully thought out plan that he had concocted. He told Teddy once more to be patient, and he would think about what to do next.

Then one day shortly after the new human arrived, the other two humans left the house, and Sam and Teddy were now confronted with this new situation.  Unfortunately for them, this new human seemed to have an obsession with this entrance to the house, and he seemed to hover around this area any time the two of them were near the door.  Weeks past.  And then one day, the two original humans arrived home, and the new human left.  Finally, it seemed like the escape plan could be put into action.

A day later, when one of the humans was outside, and the other human was upstairs, Sam told Teddy that the time was now right for him to make his great escape.  Sam gently opened the screen door, and as a result of that simple action, Teddy was now outside and free.  Apparently he hung around for a while, maybe wondering whether he should stay or go.  But eventually he decided that he wanted to be free, and with a final thank you meow to Sam, Teddy wandered off, never to be seen again.

Sam was surprised when a couple of weeks later the same human showed up, and the two humans left once again.  What's going on here?  Sam wasn't quite sure, but one thing that he did know, is that he liked this new human, and what's more, he now had the new human all to himself.  No more competing with Teddy for this human's affection.  

So that is the state of affairs now.  If I were to speculate, I think that Sam had this Great Escape planned right from the time that Teddy arrived.  But of course I'll never know for sure.  In the meantime, I'll try and enjoy his company as much as he appears to enjoy mine, and while doing so, I will keep an eye out for Teddy.  Wouldn't that be a happy situation if he decided to return. Happy at least for the owners, but maybe not for Sam.

And finally, I did ask Sam today if he would demonstrate how he opened the screen door for Teddy.  He was happy to oblige.

The Great Escape Artist in action.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

SUMMER CUT

 POST # 648

I wasn't expecting to be here on this date, but the owners of Teddy and Sam decided to take a few more days in between their two planned vacations, so once again I am back in Shelter Bay.  Lucky me.  As a result, I had the opportunity today to go with Mary to the dog grooming place in Anacortes, so that Dora-dog could get her summer cut.

The photo below shows Dora-dog prior to her haircut.

But the days are getting quite warm now, so in preparation for summer, it was time to get this taken care of, so that she could be a bit more comfortable with the warm temperatures. 

Dora-dog wasn't looking too happy about being out front of the dog groomers place,

and she was even less happy once we were inside, and getting ready to say goodbye to her.  She looked very anxious indeed, but we assured her that we would be back soon, and with that we left her in the hands of the dog groomer.

Eventually it was time to pick her up, about two hours later, and she was very happy to see us.  She looked even happier once she was back in the car, heading for home.

Now that she has had her summer cut, she'll no doubt be thankful that she doesn't have that extra fur to trap the summer heat.  I think that she looks more cute with long hair, but I'm not the one who has to bear the uncomfortable heat as a result of having that long fur.

Lastly, here are the most recent words of wisdom posted at the gate coming into Shelter Bay. Good for a chuckle or two.

I'll now be heading back to Ladysmith on June 2nd, so in the meantime I have a few more days to spend with Mary and Dora-dog, and I am happy about that.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PS.  I usually try to post at 3:55 pm but our trip to the dog groomer didn't allow me to do that.  Next post for sure.