POST # 17
I woke up this morning very early, about 4:15am and it could have been for a variety of reasons; the heavy rain on the roof, or thinking about what on earth I was going to write about this morning, or maybe, just maybe I was anxious to see how my invalid buddy Felix was doing. Sometime prior to waking, I had experienced a dream in which I was carrying a big black cat up a long set of stairs into a quiet and safe room. In fact, I had been doing that all week, as Felix couldn't climb the stairway because of his injured leg, so the dream certainly was based on recent experience, unlike many other dreams. When I had turned out the light last night, I had both Felix and Oscar curled up on each side of me, however this morning Oscar had gone walkabout, but Felix was nicely curled up beside my legs. Once he realized that I was awake he got up and moved closer to where he could reach my hand and the purring began. This was a very good sign, as purring was one of the things missing most of this last week. I think he was using all his energy to get better, so why waste it on purring? He flopped down beside me and was close enough to my face that he reached out and gently put his paw on my cheek. This was the same paw which he has been favouring all week long, so it was another positive sign that he was on the mend finally.
After multiple trips to the vet, including x-rays to see if there was anything broken, it was decided to give him an injection of antibiotics as he may have had an infection due to an abscess. In any event, he is now on the improve, so that makes me very happy, and I am sure Felix is glad that he doesn't need me to carry him up and down stairs anymore. So I will remember this past week as the Felix week, even though I tried very hard to share my affection between him and his brother Oscar.
So now it is Tuesday of week 3 here on Orcas and soon I will be leaving again. I don't depart until Saturday morning, but I already know that the days will go by fast. And even though I am probably the least busy person that I know, it always amazes me how quickly time passes now. It has been just over 3 years since I chose to stop working at a regular job, and the plan at the time was to take a year off work, and yet here I am 3 years later. So now my "work" is caring for animals. I don't really think of it as work, however it does fill up the days, and the weeks, months and now years. It has been a very simple lifestyle, one which is tailor made for me.
This time, like my last visit to Orcas, I had planned a variety of things to do and this time, just like last time, it seems that I haven't accomplished many of them. I suppose I could come up with all kinds of excuses as to why, but really it comes down to mainly one thing- this house and these two very friendly cats. Sure I have made the effort to get out every day, to go for a bike ride or a walk, even just into town to pick up some groceries, however I always look forward to getting back home with my furball buddies. And who wouldn't? Purring cats make for wonderful company when one chooses to have an afternoon nap. It's a content life here on Orcas.
Today, and Friday are my last two volunteer shifts at the senior's centre, helping out in the kitchen, and I will probably get in to the animal shelter again to see all the cats there, and before I know it, it will be Saturday morning and I'll once again be on board a ferry to Anacortes on the mainland and then onwards to Vancouver. I can't help being left with a string of good memories for my time spent on Orcas, and who knows, maybe at some future date, my friend Cathy will need to go away again and as a result, require a housesitter to care for Oscar and Felix. So I sort of feel, that this really isn't goodbye to Orcas and the cats, but more of "see you next time." But one thing I do know, is that it will be my last time housesitting at this particular place, as Cathy has now bought a house down the road and will be moving there in April.
So I will try and soak up as much as I can of this place for the remaining days, and try not to think about my goodbye to Oscar and Felix which will be happening way too soon, because Saturday, the Thoughtful Wanderer, will be back wandering again.
Felix is curled up on his favourite chair and Oscar as usual is lying on the carpet in front of the heater as I type out these last few words. It's a grey, rainy morning out there, but we three are warm and content here in our cozy home on lovely Orcas island.
Happy trails,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
THOUGHTFUL: showing consideration for others; occupied with or given to thought; contemplative; meditative. WANDERER: moving from place to place without a fixed plan; or having no permanent residence; nomadic.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
POOR FELIX-INDIFFERENT OSCAR-AND LOPEZ ISLAND
POST#16
Last Saturday, I made the decision to head across the water to Lopez island which is only a short ferry ride from here on Orcas. During my last visit to Orcas back in October, this journey had been one of the things on my "to do" list but I ended up enjoying Orcas so much I never made the time to go to Lopez. After a few rainy days, the forecast was telling me that Saturday, would be the only day in the next while that was going to be a sunny one, so the cats and I were up early, so that I could catch an early ferry.
After feeding Oscar and Felix, it was time to put them outside for the day, which for Felix at least wasn't his normal procedure. Usually after breakfast, he's ready for another nap, so he was a bit shocked when I carried him down the stairs and placed him out on the porch along with Oscar.
With the cats taken care of, my lunch packed and the bike in the back of the truck, I headed south for the short drive to the ferry terminal, with plenty of time to spare.
Soon after, the ferry arrived at Lopez, and my bike journey began. The guide book I had, stated "once you get beyond the steep initial climb from the ferry dock" that the journey on Lopez would be fairly easy. Well all I can say is that whoever wrote the book probably hadn't done much cycling, because the "steep initial climb" seemed to me like a walk in the park, so I figured then, that the rest of the journey should be quite easy, which proved to be correct. The only issue was one of a fairly stiff breeze out of the south, which meant a headwind for me. Anyone who has done a fair bit of biking knows, that it isn't so much the hills that are a problem, but the damn headwinds that can make an easy ride, more of an endurance test. (I remember a day many years ago in northern California, when the headwind was so severe, that I had to put my bike in the lowest gear and stand on the pedals just to go DOWNHILL. I'll let the reader imagine what thoughts were going through my head that day.) By comparison, the wind here on Lopez, was insignificant.
After about a half hour I arrived in Lopez village, however due to the early hour, there wasn't much going on, so I continued on south. My objective was to find a farm on which was located a small house that is owned by the lady I am currently housesitting for. My journey was a success and I had the opportunity to go inside and have a look. It's a house on wheels, and it would certainly live up to my standards as far as size goes, being only slightly bigger than my old cabin, Snug, back in the Yukon. She calls the place "Raven house", and if you go to google images type in raven house and scroll down to the bottom of pg 4, you can see a picture of it being towed by a pick up truck.
The sunny day never did materialize and with my objective complete, I headed back north, now enjoying the tailwind that pushed me gently towards my destination. I had some time to spend, before the ferry arrived, and found a wonderful little coffee shop with a cast of local characters, and I spent an hour or so just enjoying the local chit chat. The impression I was left with, is that Lopez is a very friendly place, and I could see why the people living there probably think that it is the best place in the world. Now I don't know about putting it at the very top of the list of the best place in the world to live, but it certainly has a very relaxed charm about it.
I continued on my journey north to the ferry and before long I was back on Orcas and eventually home. No cats were around when I arrived which certainly wasn't out of the ordinary, and finally around cat dinner time I checked outside and sure enough, Oscar and Felix's internal food clock had not let them down, and they were wanting to come in.
Unfortunately, Felix, was favouring his front right paw, so after feeding them I spent a long time with a magnifying glass and a light, examining his paw. Everything appeared to be very normal, and he even let me touch his paw without pulling away, so I couldn't really diagnose the problem. This is where the cat/human interface breaks down somewhat. "Tell me what's wrong Felix?" I asked, half expecting him to form his meows into something resembling english so that he could explain his problem to me. But who was I kidding?
So now it's Tuesday, and for the last 3 days or so POOR OLD FELIX is still limping around. Aside from the front paw, he seems perfectly ok, with a good appetite etc. I have been spending extra time with him, and have gotten into the routine of carrying him from one sleeping place to the next, or up and down the stairs so that he can go outside and do his business. I even bring his food dish to him, to save him the trouble. I have had numerous people including the vet's office yesterday suggest that he may have just injured it jumping down from somewhere, and the suggestion is to give it a couple more days to see if there is any improvement. So in the meantime I continue to fret about my buddy Felix, while Oscar on the other hand doesn't seem to care one way or the other, that his brother isn't feeling 100 per cent.
Maybe Felix is getting use to all this special treatment and has decided to milk this situation for as long as possible so that his human servant treats him with extra special care. I don't really think this is the case, but at times I wonder. But it makes me feel sad and helpless really, and I wish I could make him better. At least if you had a sick child, you might be able to find out what the problem was. And even after all the advice I've received, and in this age, where all we have to do is "google" some topic to get information about it, here am I still pretty helpless when it comes to a sore cat's paw. How pathetic is that? So I'll continue to give Felix any special care that I can, monitor his progress, and if things don't improve soon, then it's off to see Ron the vet, in order to get to the bottom of this. For the past 3 days it's all I can think about, so I do hope that Felix gets well soon.
This morning after breakfast I carried him downstairs and outside so that he could pee, and now he's gone for a bit of a wander (just to stress me out even more), but maybe he needs some time outside to breath the fresh air and commune with nature for a while. Oscar, on the other hand is curled up in front of the heater, looking quite content, without a care in the world. Where's the brotherly love, Oscar?
So now it's time to finish this blog entry, so that I can head on out to my twice weekly visit to the senior's centre down the road, to help out in the kitchen for lunch. I'm sure this will be a good distraction from fretting about Felix, as I can put my concern towards other humans for a few hours at least, and during that time if any of them come up to me with a sore paw, at least they will be able to tell me what the problem is.
That's all for now from lovely Orcas island.
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Last Saturday, I made the decision to head across the water to Lopez island which is only a short ferry ride from here on Orcas. During my last visit to Orcas back in October, this journey had been one of the things on my "to do" list but I ended up enjoying Orcas so much I never made the time to go to Lopez. After a few rainy days, the forecast was telling me that Saturday, would be the only day in the next while that was going to be a sunny one, so the cats and I were up early, so that I could catch an early ferry.
After feeding Oscar and Felix, it was time to put them outside for the day, which for Felix at least wasn't his normal procedure. Usually after breakfast, he's ready for another nap, so he was a bit shocked when I carried him down the stairs and placed him out on the porch along with Oscar.
With the cats taken care of, my lunch packed and the bike in the back of the truck, I headed south for the short drive to the ferry terminal, with plenty of time to spare.
Soon after, the ferry arrived at Lopez, and my bike journey began. The guide book I had, stated "once you get beyond the steep initial climb from the ferry dock" that the journey on Lopez would be fairly easy. Well all I can say is that whoever wrote the book probably hadn't done much cycling, because the "steep initial climb" seemed to me like a walk in the park, so I figured then, that the rest of the journey should be quite easy, which proved to be correct. The only issue was one of a fairly stiff breeze out of the south, which meant a headwind for me. Anyone who has done a fair bit of biking knows, that it isn't so much the hills that are a problem, but the damn headwinds that can make an easy ride, more of an endurance test. (I remember a day many years ago in northern California, when the headwind was so severe, that I had to put my bike in the lowest gear and stand on the pedals just to go DOWNHILL. I'll let the reader imagine what thoughts were going through my head that day.) By comparison, the wind here on Lopez, was insignificant.
After about a half hour I arrived in Lopez village, however due to the early hour, there wasn't much going on, so I continued on south. My objective was to find a farm on which was located a small house that is owned by the lady I am currently housesitting for. My journey was a success and I had the opportunity to go inside and have a look. It's a house on wheels, and it would certainly live up to my standards as far as size goes, being only slightly bigger than my old cabin, Snug, back in the Yukon. She calls the place "Raven house", and if you go to google images type in raven house and scroll down to the bottom of pg 4, you can see a picture of it being towed by a pick up truck.
The sunny day never did materialize and with my objective complete, I headed back north, now enjoying the tailwind that pushed me gently towards my destination. I had some time to spend, before the ferry arrived, and found a wonderful little coffee shop with a cast of local characters, and I spent an hour or so just enjoying the local chit chat. The impression I was left with, is that Lopez is a very friendly place, and I could see why the people living there probably think that it is the best place in the world. Now I don't know about putting it at the very top of the list of the best place in the world to live, but it certainly has a very relaxed charm about it.
I continued on my journey north to the ferry and before long I was back on Orcas and eventually home. No cats were around when I arrived which certainly wasn't out of the ordinary, and finally around cat dinner time I checked outside and sure enough, Oscar and Felix's internal food clock had not let them down, and they were wanting to come in.
Unfortunately, Felix, was favouring his front right paw, so after feeding them I spent a long time with a magnifying glass and a light, examining his paw. Everything appeared to be very normal, and he even let me touch his paw without pulling away, so I couldn't really diagnose the problem. This is where the cat/human interface breaks down somewhat. "Tell me what's wrong Felix?" I asked, half expecting him to form his meows into something resembling english so that he could explain his problem to me. But who was I kidding?
So now it's Tuesday, and for the last 3 days or so POOR OLD FELIX is still limping around. Aside from the front paw, he seems perfectly ok, with a good appetite etc. I have been spending extra time with him, and have gotten into the routine of carrying him from one sleeping place to the next, or up and down the stairs so that he can go outside and do his business. I even bring his food dish to him, to save him the trouble. I have had numerous people including the vet's office yesterday suggest that he may have just injured it jumping down from somewhere, and the suggestion is to give it a couple more days to see if there is any improvement. So in the meantime I continue to fret about my buddy Felix, while Oscar on the other hand doesn't seem to care one way or the other, that his brother isn't feeling 100 per cent.
Maybe Felix is getting use to all this special treatment and has decided to milk this situation for as long as possible so that his human servant treats him with extra special care. I don't really think this is the case, but at times I wonder. But it makes me feel sad and helpless really, and I wish I could make him better. At least if you had a sick child, you might be able to find out what the problem was. And even after all the advice I've received, and in this age, where all we have to do is "google" some topic to get information about it, here am I still pretty helpless when it comes to a sore cat's paw. How pathetic is that? So I'll continue to give Felix any special care that I can, monitor his progress, and if things don't improve soon, then it's off to see Ron the vet, in order to get to the bottom of this. For the past 3 days it's all I can think about, so I do hope that Felix gets well soon.
This morning after breakfast I carried him downstairs and outside so that he could pee, and now he's gone for a bit of a wander (just to stress me out even more), but maybe he needs some time outside to breath the fresh air and commune with nature for a while. Oscar, on the other hand is curled up in front of the heater, looking quite content, without a care in the world. Where's the brotherly love, Oscar?
So now it's time to finish this blog entry, so that I can head on out to my twice weekly visit to the senior's centre down the road, to help out in the kitchen for lunch. I'm sure this will be a good distraction from fretting about Felix, as I can put my concern towards other humans for a few hours at least, and during that time if any of them come up to me with a sore paw, at least they will be able to tell me what the problem is.
That's all for now from lovely Orcas island.
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
THE FULL MOON AND GREEN REPLACES WHITE
POST #15
If I had gone into a deep deep sleep since the last time I saw the full moon prior to today, I would most certainly have thought that something very odd had happened in the universe. Because this morning as I watched the moon sink over the horizon, I was actually looking slightly to the north of my current location. Last month I was looking way south. People living here hundreds of years ago would have expected to see a moon that set in a regular location each and every month of the year, but we in the modern society have the advantage (at least for the moment) of jet travel which enables us to cover vast distances in a short amount of time. So much distance in fact, that a moon can set in a very different location from one day to the next. I wonder what the people back then would have thought of the idea that they could cover over 600 miles in about an hour? And I also wonder how in the future some people may ponder the fact that humans of the past (ie us) had these things called jet aircraft that zipped us around the world to wherever we chose to go and in a matter of hours we could go from one side of the world to the other, and not only see the moon in a different place, but see a whole other constellation of stars in the night sky. Now that really is amazing when one thinks about it. But we DON'T think about it that much I suspect. Well some of us who have been studying the energy conundrum that we are facing think about it all the time. But most people don't take the time to do that. Instead, we live in a world where we look at long distance travel as NORMAL and I expect that there would be more than a few souls who look at it as their RIGHT. In this high tech complex world we currently live in, people just book airline tickets as easily as they pour themselves a morning cup of coffee, without much thought into just how amazing it is to be able to do that. Just go online, book the ticket you want, slap down the old credit card number (so you can get those airmiles don't forget) and then sit back and daydream about your upcoming vacation in Hawaii, or Thailand or Australia, or wherever you decide. It's all so simple really. Well, if I use to think that way, I certainly don't anymore, and so in the past few days it seems almost like something akin to a miracle that I could have been way up north in the Yukon on one day, and within a couple of hours, I would be back in Vancouver. Airline travel for me now has become a special event and as a result I now appreciate it much more than I ever did in the past. And a great part of that appreciation for me comes from the fact that I really wonder how many more airline flights I will have the opportunity to take? The way things are going, it seems to be only a matter of time before there will be less airlines, hence less flights, which means the cost of each seat will have to go up. That won't have much of an effect on a small portion of the population, but I think that the masses of people who now take for granted that they can just fly wherever they want, whenever they want, will have to adjust to the new normal, which might mean more ground travel and less air travel.
So where has all this travel talk taken me to? Well, I have returned to the lovely little place on Orcas Island in Washington with my two feline friends, Oscar and Felix. I was here in October at the beginning of my "homeless housesitter" journey, and it's wonderful to be back. The cats seem to be happy that I am back, but how can you really know for sure. "Look Paul, just feed us twice a day and let us sleep alot and we won't give you any hassle." What with doing all these different housesits, one after the other, I am mixing up my pet names, so when I arrived here I was calling one of the cats, Otto, which not only isn't Felix's name, Otto is a dog. You would think that I could at least get the species correct.
Arriving back here after 6 weeks in the Yukon, the most striking thing for me is the colour green everywhere, as opposed to the whiteness I've just come from. (That's one more thing about jet travel, your climate can change in just a matter of hours. But even that, we take for granted). So yes, it's green, green, green, and many degrees warmer for sure. My first night back I walked to the beach and the smell of the ocean was almost overwhelming. I sucked in large breaths, and I had almost forgotten how wonderfully fresh the sea air is.
Now that the snow has been left behind I can now get back out on the bike and spend some time doing the slow travel that a bikeride provides. And this time around I plan to get to some of the other islands near Orcas and take the bike along to explore new places close by.
One other thing before I finish this entry. I was reading a book the other day which has information on all the San Juan islands, so naturally I went straight to the section on Orcas to read up on some history. So let me just quote from the book-
"the 1897 discovery of gold in the Klondike transformed Seattle. Thousands of gold crazed men flooded the town, intent on getting north as quickly as possible. Ships were needed to haul them there and Moran Brothers began building sternwheelers at a furious pace. Eighteen of these-each 175 feet long- were completed in 1898, and Robert Moran himself led the flotilla, starting at Roche harbor on San Juan island and sailing all the way to St. Michael at the mouth of the Yukon river, a distance of 4000 treacherous miles." Robert Moran ran a shipbuilding business in Seattle, until he retired to Orcas island and lived out the remainder of his years.
So a funny coincidence, that having just come back from the Klondike, I find myself in a place that has a link to the Klondike from the past.
The journey back then would have been much more of an arduous one, and certainly taken a lot longer than the one I have just experienced in the past week. The adventurers of old would have seen just a gradual change in the location of the moon, and by the time they reached their destination in the Klondike, it would have seemed to be in the right place to them.
Back here on Orcas, I will have the opportunity to get comfortable with the location of the moon, the rhythm of the ocean tides and the purring of the cats. Life is good.
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
If I had gone into a deep deep sleep since the last time I saw the full moon prior to today, I would most certainly have thought that something very odd had happened in the universe. Because this morning as I watched the moon sink over the horizon, I was actually looking slightly to the north of my current location. Last month I was looking way south. People living here hundreds of years ago would have expected to see a moon that set in a regular location each and every month of the year, but we in the modern society have the advantage (at least for the moment) of jet travel which enables us to cover vast distances in a short amount of time. So much distance in fact, that a moon can set in a very different location from one day to the next. I wonder what the people back then would have thought of the idea that they could cover over 600 miles in about an hour? And I also wonder how in the future some people may ponder the fact that humans of the past (ie us) had these things called jet aircraft that zipped us around the world to wherever we chose to go and in a matter of hours we could go from one side of the world to the other, and not only see the moon in a different place, but see a whole other constellation of stars in the night sky. Now that really is amazing when one thinks about it. But we DON'T think about it that much I suspect. Well some of us who have been studying the energy conundrum that we are facing think about it all the time. But most people don't take the time to do that. Instead, we live in a world where we look at long distance travel as NORMAL and I expect that there would be more than a few souls who look at it as their RIGHT. In this high tech complex world we currently live in, people just book airline tickets as easily as they pour themselves a morning cup of coffee, without much thought into just how amazing it is to be able to do that. Just go online, book the ticket you want, slap down the old credit card number (so you can get those airmiles don't forget) and then sit back and daydream about your upcoming vacation in Hawaii, or Thailand or Australia, or wherever you decide. It's all so simple really. Well, if I use to think that way, I certainly don't anymore, and so in the past few days it seems almost like something akin to a miracle that I could have been way up north in the Yukon on one day, and within a couple of hours, I would be back in Vancouver. Airline travel for me now has become a special event and as a result I now appreciate it much more than I ever did in the past. And a great part of that appreciation for me comes from the fact that I really wonder how many more airline flights I will have the opportunity to take? The way things are going, it seems to be only a matter of time before there will be less airlines, hence less flights, which means the cost of each seat will have to go up. That won't have much of an effect on a small portion of the population, but I think that the masses of people who now take for granted that they can just fly wherever they want, whenever they want, will have to adjust to the new normal, which might mean more ground travel and less air travel.
So where has all this travel talk taken me to? Well, I have returned to the lovely little place on Orcas Island in Washington with my two feline friends, Oscar and Felix. I was here in October at the beginning of my "homeless housesitter" journey, and it's wonderful to be back. The cats seem to be happy that I am back, but how can you really know for sure. "Look Paul, just feed us twice a day and let us sleep alot and we won't give you any hassle." What with doing all these different housesits, one after the other, I am mixing up my pet names, so when I arrived here I was calling one of the cats, Otto, which not only isn't Felix's name, Otto is a dog. You would think that I could at least get the species correct.
Arriving back here after 6 weeks in the Yukon, the most striking thing for me is the colour green everywhere, as opposed to the whiteness I've just come from. (That's one more thing about jet travel, your climate can change in just a matter of hours. But even that, we take for granted). So yes, it's green, green, green, and many degrees warmer for sure. My first night back I walked to the beach and the smell of the ocean was almost overwhelming. I sucked in large breaths, and I had almost forgotten how wonderfully fresh the sea air is.
Now that the snow has been left behind I can now get back out on the bike and spend some time doing the slow travel that a bikeride provides. And this time around I plan to get to some of the other islands near Orcas and take the bike along to explore new places close by.
One other thing before I finish this entry. I was reading a book the other day which has information on all the San Juan islands, so naturally I went straight to the section on Orcas to read up on some history. So let me just quote from the book-
"the 1897 discovery of gold in the Klondike transformed Seattle. Thousands of gold crazed men flooded the town, intent on getting north as quickly as possible. Ships were needed to haul them there and Moran Brothers began building sternwheelers at a furious pace. Eighteen of these-each 175 feet long- were completed in 1898, and Robert Moran himself led the flotilla, starting at Roche harbor on San Juan island and sailing all the way to St. Michael at the mouth of the Yukon river, a distance of 4000 treacherous miles." Robert Moran ran a shipbuilding business in Seattle, until he retired to Orcas island and lived out the remainder of his years.
So a funny coincidence, that having just come back from the Klondike, I find myself in a place that has a link to the Klondike from the past.
The journey back then would have been much more of an arduous one, and certainly taken a lot longer than the one I have just experienced in the past week. The adventurers of old would have seen just a gradual change in the location of the moon, and by the time they reached their destination in the Klondike, it would have seemed to be in the right place to them.
Back here on Orcas, I will have the opportunity to get comfortable with the location of the moon, the rhythm of the ocean tides and the purring of the cats. Life is good.
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Saturday, January 28, 2012
WINDING DOWN IN THE YUKON
POST#14
As I begin to write this final blog from the Yukon, and with the temperature a mild minus 35, it's time to take a moment to reflect on the time spent here. This past week the temperature finally made it up into the minus 20's and normally that would have felt like a summer day in comparison to what we've been through. But with the milder temperature, along came the winds howling from the north down the valley created by the mighty Yukon river. When that happens it can feel even colder than when the temperatures are lower, due to the added wind chill factor, which makes the wind feel like thousands of little sharp needles hitting any exposed skin. To be out in this type of weather without being covered up is just inviting frost bite.
As it so happened I had a dinner invite across the river in West Dawson during this windy period, and I was very glad to get across and into the protection of the trees on the other side. It would take much worse weather than that, to turn down an evening with good food and great conversation. The return journey home in the dark was something else again. Even though the wind had subsided substantially, its effects were left in the form of huge snow drifts across the now, hard to make out trail. More than once I went from a hard packed surface straight into snow up to my thighs. "Oops, I guess we'll have to look harder to get back on the right trail." And even though I knew that the river was frozen solid by this point in the season, there still is a small underlying uneasyness, thinking that you may find the one spot that isn't frozen, and end up under the ice. Of course that never happened and soon I was back in town and heading home to tell Otto the dog about my adventure. Of course with new dog smells now on me from my visit to West Dawson, he was thinking that yet again, I had been cheating on him.
It's been a week of socializing trying to take the opportunity to catch up and visit with so many people, and of course it's never enough time, and everyone has plenty to do, with the exception of me, so it has been difficult to see everyone that I had hoped to see. I guess that only means that I will have to make another journey up this way in the future, in order to do that. Maybe a summer visit will be on the cards in the future.
It hasn't been all happy times up here though. Many Dawsonites have died since I have been here, and it seems to have been the winter of funerals. But as sad as that is for everyone involved, it does help us that are left living to be even more thankful than before at just how lucky we all are to have the opportunity to spend one more day. Yes we all make plans for the future, and hopefully for most of us, the plans will come to fruition, but all any of us really have is the present moment, and it's good to be reminded of that now and again, so that we can savour each one.
Yesterday, an anniversary of sorts arrived. My last day working at my last job was on January 27th, 2009. I can remember mentioning to my friend Ted, that I thought at the time, that it might be good to take a year off and see how that went. Well here I am 3 years later wondering where the time has gone. Without a regular income I have been living an even simpler life than I have in the past, but I have also come to appreciate things more, I think. I can't say when I will be working again for someone, and maybe that will never happen, but the journey to find that out is the most important thing as far as I am concerned. I was reading a quote the other day, by Henry David Thoreau, in which he stated, "My greatest skill has been to want little", and I have to say that it would be the same for me. And the older I become it seems, the simpler I want to live.
So this Monday, my friend Glenda returns to Dawson and Otto and I will head out to greet her at the airport upon her arrival. And I am pretty sure, that when Glenda and Otto's eyes meet, I will instantly become chopped liver. Still I hope I've made a good enough impression on Otto, so that he remembers me at some point in the future. Once Glenda is back to work poor old Otto will be having to get up earlier than he has been in the past month, and maybe for a few days after I leave he will be thinking that he had it pretty good with this housesitting guy.
I'll be finishing off my time back at Bear Creek where this current adventure began, and driving to Whitehorse on Feb. 1st enroute to Orcas island. Another stockpile of memories can be added to the ever expanding file of them in my brain, and with any luck I'll be back again in the Yukon at some future date. It has a way of drawing you back for some reason.
So it's on to "tropical" Orcas to settle back in with my cat friends Oscar and Felix, and I am looking forward to the warmer climate.
Until then,
Appreciate the moment.
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
As I begin to write this final blog from the Yukon, and with the temperature a mild minus 35, it's time to take a moment to reflect on the time spent here. This past week the temperature finally made it up into the minus 20's and normally that would have felt like a summer day in comparison to what we've been through. But with the milder temperature, along came the winds howling from the north down the valley created by the mighty Yukon river. When that happens it can feel even colder than when the temperatures are lower, due to the added wind chill factor, which makes the wind feel like thousands of little sharp needles hitting any exposed skin. To be out in this type of weather without being covered up is just inviting frost bite.
As it so happened I had a dinner invite across the river in West Dawson during this windy period, and I was very glad to get across and into the protection of the trees on the other side. It would take much worse weather than that, to turn down an evening with good food and great conversation. The return journey home in the dark was something else again. Even though the wind had subsided substantially, its effects were left in the form of huge snow drifts across the now, hard to make out trail. More than once I went from a hard packed surface straight into snow up to my thighs. "Oops, I guess we'll have to look harder to get back on the right trail." And even though I knew that the river was frozen solid by this point in the season, there still is a small underlying uneasyness, thinking that you may find the one spot that isn't frozen, and end up under the ice. Of course that never happened and soon I was back in town and heading home to tell Otto the dog about my adventure. Of course with new dog smells now on me from my visit to West Dawson, he was thinking that yet again, I had been cheating on him.
It's been a week of socializing trying to take the opportunity to catch up and visit with so many people, and of course it's never enough time, and everyone has plenty to do, with the exception of me, so it has been difficult to see everyone that I had hoped to see. I guess that only means that I will have to make another journey up this way in the future, in order to do that. Maybe a summer visit will be on the cards in the future.
It hasn't been all happy times up here though. Many Dawsonites have died since I have been here, and it seems to have been the winter of funerals. But as sad as that is for everyone involved, it does help us that are left living to be even more thankful than before at just how lucky we all are to have the opportunity to spend one more day. Yes we all make plans for the future, and hopefully for most of us, the plans will come to fruition, but all any of us really have is the present moment, and it's good to be reminded of that now and again, so that we can savour each one.
Yesterday, an anniversary of sorts arrived. My last day working at my last job was on January 27th, 2009. I can remember mentioning to my friend Ted, that I thought at the time, that it might be good to take a year off and see how that went. Well here I am 3 years later wondering where the time has gone. Without a regular income I have been living an even simpler life than I have in the past, but I have also come to appreciate things more, I think. I can't say when I will be working again for someone, and maybe that will never happen, but the journey to find that out is the most important thing as far as I am concerned. I was reading a quote the other day, by Henry David Thoreau, in which he stated, "My greatest skill has been to want little", and I have to say that it would be the same for me. And the older I become it seems, the simpler I want to live.
So this Monday, my friend Glenda returns to Dawson and Otto and I will head out to greet her at the airport upon her arrival. And I am pretty sure, that when Glenda and Otto's eyes meet, I will instantly become chopped liver. Still I hope I've made a good enough impression on Otto, so that he remembers me at some point in the future. Once Glenda is back to work poor old Otto will be having to get up earlier than he has been in the past month, and maybe for a few days after I leave he will be thinking that he had it pretty good with this housesitting guy.
I'll be finishing off my time back at Bear Creek where this current adventure began, and driving to Whitehorse on Feb. 1st enroute to Orcas island. Another stockpile of memories can be added to the ever expanding file of them in my brain, and with any luck I'll be back again in the Yukon at some future date. It has a way of drawing you back for some reason.
So it's on to "tropical" Orcas to settle back in with my cat friends Oscar and Felix, and I am looking forward to the warmer climate.
Until then,
Appreciate the moment.
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Saturday, January 21, 2012
WARM MEMORIES ON A COLD DAY IN DAWSON
POST #13
In a bordertown between Alberta and Saskatchewan on what was probably a cold winter prairie day, a baby girl was born. She would be named Madonna and the date was January 21st 1916. I can only imagine that life on the Canadian prairies back in 1916 was a much harder life than what people are now accustomed to. In spite of that, she managed to survive and later the family would relocate to Drumheller Alberta, where eventually Madonna would become a hairdresser. (With a name like that she could have become a pop star, but she was way ahead of her time).
Time rolled on and eventually she settled in Calgary, got married and had 6 children, a boy (stillborn) then 4 girls and finally one more boy.
One of my earliest memories of this wonderful lady was when on occasion the radio played the song "Wheels" an instrumental which just made you want to dance. I was probably around 4, but the memory still is lodged firmly in my brain. And on the very odd time that this song is played now, I am instantly transported back to my childhood, happily dancing around the living room with Madonna, my dear mom.
We would have many memories to share over the years to come, some happy, some sad, but of course that is all a part of life, and when it comes down to it, memories are all we take with us at the end, so I feel very happy that I was fortunate enough to have the majority of my mom memories, pleasant ones indeed.
A couple of specific ones come to mind as I write this blog. One also has to do with dancing. It was the '90's and I had been living in Australia for some time at this point and I had made my monthly call home to mom to tell her that I loved her and to find out what was new. Well, she was like a teenage girl on the phone, all excited because in couple of days she was going out on a date. My mom going on a date? She had been a widow at this point for more than a decade, and I asked who the lucky gentleman was. She told me his name was Myron, a man whom I had met a few years before at a POW function in Calgary. Well, I wished her all the best and a few days later, I just had to call again to find out how the date had gone. Was I going to have a stepdad all of a sudden? "So mom, how did the date with Myron go?" "Well dear, he's a real nice man, BUT HE JUST CAN'T DANCE." How unfortunate for Myron, as mom would have been a catch.
And another memory that is at hand took place back in late March 2003 and at the time I was about half way across the Indian Ocean between Africa and Australia, on a yacht when I had the opportunity to call mom from a satellite phone. After trying to calculate what the time would be back in Calgary, I called and when she picked up the phone, I uttered the first two words that up to that point in time were the only two words I needed to say, in order for her to know who she was talking to, and those two words were, " Hi Mom". But this time it didn't work because she knew that I was sailing across an ocean but in her wildest imagination she couldn't have ever thought that she would get a phone call from me then. We ended up having a good conversation during which time I had her walk into one of the bedrooms at her house, where I had put up a large map of the world and while we talked, I pointed out to her whereabouts on the map that I was calling from. She was quite amazed and also thankful that I was ok.
She celebrated her last birthday on January 21st 2007 and sadly on October 6th of that same year she died. I last saw her on September 29th, coming out from Vancouver to Calgary to see her in hospital.
So it's memories that we take with us, sad ones, and happy ones, but when it came to Madonna, my mom, the happy ones take first place by a very long shot, and I am grateful for that. And as the years pass, it's the happy ones that endure. So today, on what would have been mom's 96th birthday I will spend the day surrounded by those warm fuzzy good thoughts of mom.
And WARM thoughts are a very good idea for today, as here in Dawson it's been a week in the minus 40's so anything at all to make one feel warmer is more than welcome. The forecast for the coming week is for warmer temperatures, like warmer in the minus 20's and minus 30's so we'll take whatever we can get. I was looking at some old photos of here back during the gold rush days in the late 1800's and there is a photo of a thermometer with minus 72 on it. So I guess we shouldn't really complain. I think we've all become a bit soft over the years since then.
Now it's time to go back out and brave the weather and head over to the general store to see what's on sale.
And a final note, happy birthday to Troykofski as well.
Until next time,
stay warm
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
In a bordertown between Alberta and Saskatchewan on what was probably a cold winter prairie day, a baby girl was born. She would be named Madonna and the date was January 21st 1916. I can only imagine that life on the Canadian prairies back in 1916 was a much harder life than what people are now accustomed to. In spite of that, she managed to survive and later the family would relocate to Drumheller Alberta, where eventually Madonna would become a hairdresser. (With a name like that she could have become a pop star, but she was way ahead of her time).
Time rolled on and eventually she settled in Calgary, got married and had 6 children, a boy (stillborn) then 4 girls and finally one more boy.
One of my earliest memories of this wonderful lady was when on occasion the radio played the song "Wheels" an instrumental which just made you want to dance. I was probably around 4, but the memory still is lodged firmly in my brain. And on the very odd time that this song is played now, I am instantly transported back to my childhood, happily dancing around the living room with Madonna, my dear mom.
We would have many memories to share over the years to come, some happy, some sad, but of course that is all a part of life, and when it comes down to it, memories are all we take with us at the end, so I feel very happy that I was fortunate enough to have the majority of my mom memories, pleasant ones indeed.
A couple of specific ones come to mind as I write this blog. One also has to do with dancing. It was the '90's and I had been living in Australia for some time at this point and I had made my monthly call home to mom to tell her that I loved her and to find out what was new. Well, she was like a teenage girl on the phone, all excited because in couple of days she was going out on a date. My mom going on a date? She had been a widow at this point for more than a decade, and I asked who the lucky gentleman was. She told me his name was Myron, a man whom I had met a few years before at a POW function in Calgary. Well, I wished her all the best and a few days later, I just had to call again to find out how the date had gone. Was I going to have a stepdad all of a sudden? "So mom, how did the date with Myron go?" "Well dear, he's a real nice man, BUT HE JUST CAN'T DANCE." How unfortunate for Myron, as mom would have been a catch.
And another memory that is at hand took place back in late March 2003 and at the time I was about half way across the Indian Ocean between Africa and Australia, on a yacht when I had the opportunity to call mom from a satellite phone. After trying to calculate what the time would be back in Calgary, I called and when she picked up the phone, I uttered the first two words that up to that point in time were the only two words I needed to say, in order for her to know who she was talking to, and those two words were, " Hi Mom". But this time it didn't work because she knew that I was sailing across an ocean but in her wildest imagination she couldn't have ever thought that she would get a phone call from me then. We ended up having a good conversation during which time I had her walk into one of the bedrooms at her house, where I had put up a large map of the world and while we talked, I pointed out to her whereabouts on the map that I was calling from. She was quite amazed and also thankful that I was ok.
She celebrated her last birthday on January 21st 2007 and sadly on October 6th of that same year she died. I last saw her on September 29th, coming out from Vancouver to Calgary to see her in hospital.
So it's memories that we take with us, sad ones, and happy ones, but when it came to Madonna, my mom, the happy ones take first place by a very long shot, and I am grateful for that. And as the years pass, it's the happy ones that endure. So today, on what would have been mom's 96th birthday I will spend the day surrounded by those warm fuzzy good thoughts of mom.
And WARM thoughts are a very good idea for today, as here in Dawson it's been a week in the minus 40's so anything at all to make one feel warmer is more than welcome. The forecast for the coming week is for warmer temperatures, like warmer in the minus 20's and minus 30's so we'll take whatever we can get. I was looking at some old photos of here back during the gold rush days in the late 1800's and there is a photo of a thermometer with minus 72 on it. So I guess we shouldn't really complain. I think we've all become a bit soft over the years since then.
Now it's time to go back out and brave the weather and head over to the general store to see what's on sale.
And a final note, happy birthday to Troykofski as well.
Until next time,
stay warm
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Saturday, January 14, 2012
5:16AM AND OTHER THOUGHTS
POST #12
I have just wandered in to the Yukon College to use their computer to write this latest blog. It's just now past 11am and the current temperature is minus 37. Brrrr!!!! My fingers aren't moving very well across the keyboard as they are still warming up from my walk from home, so it will take a while for the blood to get to the extremities. The forecast low for Dawson tonight is minus 45 so it looks as though the REAL January has finally arrived. For the next 3 days the forecast HIGH for each is minus 41. But the good news is, cold weather means a clear sky and I think this morning is the first morning since arriving that it hasn't been overcast.
For some reason I awoke this morning at 5:16am which is damn early in most people's books, but if you're a housesitter like me, then it's bloody ridiculously early. Even Otto the dog was wondering what was going on at that hour. Absolutely nothing was going on, with the exception of the grinding of the wheels in my brain churning over all manner of thoughts. Maybe I awoke because I was thinking about what to write today, or maybe it was the clear sky, but whatever caused it, there was no going back to sleep. Try as I might, this just wasn't going to happen. As I lay there trying to pretend I was asleep so that Otto wouldn't get up, my mind was wide awake with Dawson thoughts, travel thoughts, friends and family thoughts and everything in between. One of the things that did come to mind was the book that I just finished reading last night. The title is "Brother Fish" by Australian auther Bryce Courtney. I was familiar with the author, but had not read any of his books. One of the good things about not having such regular access to the internet is that I have been back doing more reading which is always worthwhile. However, never have I come across a book until this one, that I actually had to put down, in order to save some reading for later. It was that much of a page turner that I didn't want it to end, and so yesterday afternoon with only 20 pages to go of a 1066 page novel, I stuffed the bookmark back in the book so that I would have the last 20 pages to read just before bed.
Considering that once upon a time, I never read books, I have come a long way indeed. And I have to thank my dear friend Ted, who now resides in Vancouver, for getting me started many years ago.
The year was 1979 and I was hitchhiking down the east coast of Tasmania, while Ted and a couple of California girls were riding their bikes. Ted asked me what was I reading while I sat by the side of the road waiting, and when I told him that I didn't read, I think he must have thought I was crazy. Funnily enough the book I just finished takes place partly in Tasmania.
I've lost track of all the reading I've done in the 30 plus years in between, however I haven't spent very much of it reading fiction. After "Brother Fish" I may have to change that. So if you're reading this Ted, thanks mate.
Back here in Dawson, the time is just flying on by and soon enough I will be on my way back to Orcas island. It's going to feel like Hawaii after the temperatures we're having here, and I am very much looking forward to spending time with my two cat friends Oscar and Felix.
But in the meantime, it's Otto and the frozen north. So it's time to go back out and enjoy the sun today. Even though it doesn't offer much heat, it's just a pleasure to see it once again.
The woodstove is going to get plenty of use this week for sure.
Until next time,
Stay warm.
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
I have just wandered in to the Yukon College to use their computer to write this latest blog. It's just now past 11am and the current temperature is minus 37. Brrrr!!!! My fingers aren't moving very well across the keyboard as they are still warming up from my walk from home, so it will take a while for the blood to get to the extremities. The forecast low for Dawson tonight is minus 45 so it looks as though the REAL January has finally arrived. For the next 3 days the forecast HIGH for each is minus 41. But the good news is, cold weather means a clear sky and I think this morning is the first morning since arriving that it hasn't been overcast.
For some reason I awoke this morning at 5:16am which is damn early in most people's books, but if you're a housesitter like me, then it's bloody ridiculously early. Even Otto the dog was wondering what was going on at that hour. Absolutely nothing was going on, with the exception of the grinding of the wheels in my brain churning over all manner of thoughts. Maybe I awoke because I was thinking about what to write today, or maybe it was the clear sky, but whatever caused it, there was no going back to sleep. Try as I might, this just wasn't going to happen. As I lay there trying to pretend I was asleep so that Otto wouldn't get up, my mind was wide awake with Dawson thoughts, travel thoughts, friends and family thoughts and everything in between. One of the things that did come to mind was the book that I just finished reading last night. The title is "Brother Fish" by Australian auther Bryce Courtney. I was familiar with the author, but had not read any of his books. One of the good things about not having such regular access to the internet is that I have been back doing more reading which is always worthwhile. However, never have I come across a book until this one, that I actually had to put down, in order to save some reading for later. It was that much of a page turner that I didn't want it to end, and so yesterday afternoon with only 20 pages to go of a 1066 page novel, I stuffed the bookmark back in the book so that I would have the last 20 pages to read just before bed.
Considering that once upon a time, I never read books, I have come a long way indeed. And I have to thank my dear friend Ted, who now resides in Vancouver, for getting me started many years ago.
The year was 1979 and I was hitchhiking down the east coast of Tasmania, while Ted and a couple of California girls were riding their bikes. Ted asked me what was I reading while I sat by the side of the road waiting, and when I told him that I didn't read, I think he must have thought I was crazy. Funnily enough the book I just finished takes place partly in Tasmania.
I've lost track of all the reading I've done in the 30 plus years in between, however I haven't spent very much of it reading fiction. After "Brother Fish" I may have to change that. So if you're reading this Ted, thanks mate.
Back here in Dawson, the time is just flying on by and soon enough I will be on my way back to Orcas island. It's going to feel like Hawaii after the temperatures we're having here, and I am very much looking forward to spending time with my two cat friends Oscar and Felix.
But in the meantime, it's Otto and the frozen north. So it's time to go back out and enjoy the sun today. Even though it doesn't offer much heat, it's just a pleasure to see it once again.
The woodstove is going to get plenty of use this week for sure.
Until next time,
Stay warm.
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Saturday, January 7, 2012
OTTO'S POINT OF VIEW AND MORE
POST # 11
About a week or so ago but in dog time much longer, a new human came into my owner's house to have a visit. I knew something was up right away because as soon as he came in he was being overly friendly with me. He also knew my name right away, and even though I was intially suspicious, I still let him pat my head and rub me on the ears. So he scored a few points as a result, but I was going to sit close by in my dog bed and try and figure out just what the story was.
My owner, Glenda and the new human which she referred to as Paul sat down at the kitchen counter to have a cup of tea and have a chat. Now, I am smarter than your average canine, however I couldn't understand every word they were saying. The easy words such as "treat", "go for a walk" "go pee" "good dog" and "stay" and of course my name "Otto" all rang a familiar bell. But a new word "housesitter" seemed to sound strange to me. I was curious to see where this was heading. Paul visited for about an hour and during that time, Glenda was giving him a tour of the house and showing him all kinds of things. Most importantly she pointed out where my food was kept and where the treats jar is located on the counter. To tell you the truth, I really didn't care much about the rest of it. Whatever was happening, I was glad this new guy knew about the food.
After a while he said goodbye to Glenda and me, and again he gave me a big pat on the head, and added "Good boy Otto" prior to walking out the door. By that time I was ready for my afternoon nap, and I imagined that this Paul guy was just one of Glenda's many friends who had come for a visit, and that was the end of it.
A few days went by and during that time, Glenda said goodbye to me and gave me to one of my other human friends, Bev who took me on an adventure to Rock Creek where we spent quite a few days together until January 1st, the first day of 2012. Most of the humans I know seem to be talking about 2012 like it's going to be bad, but as far as I'm concerned, as long as the meals keep coming, and I've got a comfortable bed to sleep in, I can't see what the problem will be. After all, with ample food and a good bed, what more could anyone want?
Anyway, on January 1st, Bev loaded me up in her truck and we drove to Bear Creek, where this Paul character showed up again. Not only that, Bev let him in to the truck, and the three of us continued our journey back to Glenda's place. Once we were all inside, Bev said goodbye, and just like that, I was now stuck with this Paul guy, and it began to dawn on me, as I put all the pieces together, that he was now going to live here. No one asked my permission, and yet, just like that here he was. For how long, it was anyone's guess.
Well right off the bat he was working hard to get on my good side. Only minutes after Bev had left, we were going for our first walk together. And even though I have trouble walking and my back right leg drags behind me from time to time and makes me look like a human walking when they've had too much to drink, not once did he make a disparaging comment. In fact all the way along, he was showering me with "Good Dog Otto" comments. And when we got back home he went straight over to the treats jar and handed a few to me. So I began to think that maybe this guy was going to be ok, yet I still wanted to give him one more test, which I saved for the following day. We had just come in from one of our walks, but I managed to save a little bit of poo, and pee, just enough to deposit on the floor, and walk through it to make sure that it got evenly distributed throughout the house. I made sure to do this while Paul was distracted reading a book. He discovered the mess by initially stepping in some of it and at that moment I knew I would find out what kind of a human I had on my hands by his reaction. Once he realised what had happened he actually apologized to me for not letting me out in time in order to do my business outside. At that point, he had passed all the tests as far as I was concerned, and I decided from then on I would be happy to have him around for how ever long he was going to be here. What's her name, ah, I mean Glenda was gone for who knows how long in dog years, so I decided to be happy with this new guy, and as long as the walks and treats keep coming, then I won't have anything to complain about. So in spite of the year, my 2012 has started off on the right track.
...AND MORE
Well now that Otto has had a chance to get a word in, I figured I would add just a few more thoughts of my own. So as of Jan. 1st I moved in to my latest housesit up on the dome above Dawson City. I had only just settled in and got the wood stove going, when poof, the power went out. This has been happening on a regular basis since arriving in the Yukon, but when it happens in a place you're not familiar with, then it is a whole new adventure. Thankfully I had the light from the wood stove to help me stumble around. And of course I knew where the matches were, so I lit one and went on a search for a candle. This proved fruitful after only a few minutes, which then, helped me find a flashlight, to help fight back the darkness. Otto didn't seem to be too put out by the whole affair, and after about 20 minutes or so everthing came back on and life was back to normal. Once again I was reminded on just how dependant we have all become on electricity. If I was hanging out on some tropical island, and the power went out, it wouldn't be such a big deal, but here in the Yukon in January, it's a very big deal.
Also, since my last blog post, I had a close encounter with an effing big moose when I was driving home to Bear Creek. Although we managed to avoid hitting each other, due to some quick braking action on my part, this then caused the van to go out of control and begin to skid down the Klondike highway, towards an oncoming vehicle. Eventually the van turned 180 degrees and I was going backwards down the road, not knowing exactly where I would end up. Thankfully because of all the snow we've had there was a good bank of it at the edge of the highway, and after what seemed like a long time, the rear of the van crashed into the snow bank and stopped. Thankfully also, the oncoming vehicle stopped as well and the two German tourists (you could only expect German tourists at this time of year)helped to push me free, and I continued the drive home. It was yet again one of those times in one's life when you get to me reminded just how fast your life can end or at least change in a big way. And just staying with that theme for a moment longer, each day when I head to town I walk past the local graveyards, which are located not far from my new place. Walking past gravesites always has the same effect on me, in that it helps to put life in perspective. No matter what happens in our lives, eventually we all arrive at the same destination. It keeps me from ever wanting to become a workaholic. Life is way WAY too short to go down that path as far as I'm concerned. I'd rather be staring up at the stars in the night sky, than to be burning the midnight oil on some work related agenda.
I'm settling in to my new routine and new friend Otto dog, and I am quite sure that I will be happy here for the remainder of the month. No doubt Otto will be teaching me a few more lessons during that time, and being an obedient human, I will make sure to pay close attention to what it is that he has to teach me.
The Yukon journey continues...
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
About a week or so ago but in dog time much longer, a new human came into my owner's house to have a visit. I knew something was up right away because as soon as he came in he was being overly friendly with me. He also knew my name right away, and even though I was intially suspicious, I still let him pat my head and rub me on the ears. So he scored a few points as a result, but I was going to sit close by in my dog bed and try and figure out just what the story was.
My owner, Glenda and the new human which she referred to as Paul sat down at the kitchen counter to have a cup of tea and have a chat. Now, I am smarter than your average canine, however I couldn't understand every word they were saying. The easy words such as "treat", "go for a walk" "go pee" "good dog" and "stay" and of course my name "Otto" all rang a familiar bell. But a new word "housesitter" seemed to sound strange to me. I was curious to see where this was heading. Paul visited for about an hour and during that time, Glenda was giving him a tour of the house and showing him all kinds of things. Most importantly she pointed out where my food was kept and where the treats jar is located on the counter. To tell you the truth, I really didn't care much about the rest of it. Whatever was happening, I was glad this new guy knew about the food.
After a while he said goodbye to Glenda and me, and again he gave me a big pat on the head, and added "Good boy Otto" prior to walking out the door. By that time I was ready for my afternoon nap, and I imagined that this Paul guy was just one of Glenda's many friends who had come for a visit, and that was the end of it.
A few days went by and during that time, Glenda said goodbye to me and gave me to one of my other human friends, Bev who took me on an adventure to Rock Creek where we spent quite a few days together until January 1st, the first day of 2012. Most of the humans I know seem to be talking about 2012 like it's going to be bad, but as far as I'm concerned, as long as the meals keep coming, and I've got a comfortable bed to sleep in, I can't see what the problem will be. After all, with ample food and a good bed, what more could anyone want?
Anyway, on January 1st, Bev loaded me up in her truck and we drove to Bear Creek, where this Paul character showed up again. Not only that, Bev let him in to the truck, and the three of us continued our journey back to Glenda's place. Once we were all inside, Bev said goodbye, and just like that, I was now stuck with this Paul guy, and it began to dawn on me, as I put all the pieces together, that he was now going to live here. No one asked my permission, and yet, just like that here he was. For how long, it was anyone's guess.
Well right off the bat he was working hard to get on my good side. Only minutes after Bev had left, we were going for our first walk together. And even though I have trouble walking and my back right leg drags behind me from time to time and makes me look like a human walking when they've had too much to drink, not once did he make a disparaging comment. In fact all the way along, he was showering me with "Good Dog Otto" comments. And when we got back home he went straight over to the treats jar and handed a few to me. So I began to think that maybe this guy was going to be ok, yet I still wanted to give him one more test, which I saved for the following day. We had just come in from one of our walks, but I managed to save a little bit of poo, and pee, just enough to deposit on the floor, and walk through it to make sure that it got evenly distributed throughout the house. I made sure to do this while Paul was distracted reading a book. He discovered the mess by initially stepping in some of it and at that moment I knew I would find out what kind of a human I had on my hands by his reaction. Once he realised what had happened he actually apologized to me for not letting me out in time in order to do my business outside. At that point, he had passed all the tests as far as I was concerned, and I decided from then on I would be happy to have him around for how ever long he was going to be here. What's her name, ah, I mean Glenda was gone for who knows how long in dog years, so I decided to be happy with this new guy, and as long as the walks and treats keep coming, then I won't have anything to complain about. So in spite of the year, my 2012 has started off on the right track.
...AND MORE
Well now that Otto has had a chance to get a word in, I figured I would add just a few more thoughts of my own. So as of Jan. 1st I moved in to my latest housesit up on the dome above Dawson City. I had only just settled in and got the wood stove going, when poof, the power went out. This has been happening on a regular basis since arriving in the Yukon, but when it happens in a place you're not familiar with, then it is a whole new adventure. Thankfully I had the light from the wood stove to help me stumble around. And of course I knew where the matches were, so I lit one and went on a search for a candle. This proved fruitful after only a few minutes, which then, helped me find a flashlight, to help fight back the darkness. Otto didn't seem to be too put out by the whole affair, and after about 20 minutes or so everthing came back on and life was back to normal. Once again I was reminded on just how dependant we have all become on electricity. If I was hanging out on some tropical island, and the power went out, it wouldn't be such a big deal, but here in the Yukon in January, it's a very big deal.
Also, since my last blog post, I had a close encounter with an effing big moose when I was driving home to Bear Creek. Although we managed to avoid hitting each other, due to some quick braking action on my part, this then caused the van to go out of control and begin to skid down the Klondike highway, towards an oncoming vehicle. Eventually the van turned 180 degrees and I was going backwards down the road, not knowing exactly where I would end up. Thankfully because of all the snow we've had there was a good bank of it at the edge of the highway, and after what seemed like a long time, the rear of the van crashed into the snow bank and stopped. Thankfully also, the oncoming vehicle stopped as well and the two German tourists (you could only expect German tourists at this time of year)helped to push me free, and I continued the drive home. It was yet again one of those times in one's life when you get to me reminded just how fast your life can end or at least change in a big way. And just staying with that theme for a moment longer, each day when I head to town I walk past the local graveyards, which are located not far from my new place. Walking past gravesites always has the same effect on me, in that it helps to put life in perspective. No matter what happens in our lives, eventually we all arrive at the same destination. It keeps me from ever wanting to become a workaholic. Life is way WAY too short to go down that path as far as I'm concerned. I'd rather be staring up at the stars in the night sky, than to be burning the midnight oil on some work related agenda.
I'm settling in to my new routine and new friend Otto dog, and I am quite sure that I will be happy here for the remainder of the month. No doubt Otto will be teaching me a few more lessons during that time, and being an obedient human, I will make sure to pay close attention to what it is that he has to teach me.
The Yukon journey continues...
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
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