DEER, SEAGULLS and CLOUDS

POST #311

Just when I thought that I've seen it all, and now this.  Deer strolling along the beach yesterday.  My first thought was that perhaps I've just been in the wrong place all of these years, and that deer on the beach was a normal occurrence.  Yesterday, being a Sunday, there were plenty of other people walking along the seawall, and a quick glance at any of them, suggested to me that this was anything but normal.   All along the wall, with their cameras in hand, people were recording this unusual event.  In fact, I'm pretty sure that I even saw a couple of seagulls taking a second look.  They've got enough competition for shellfish with the other birds, without having to deal with these two freeloaders.  But the seagulls had nothing to worry about.  The deer were happy to just take a Sunday stroll along the beach, and enjoy the day just like the rest of us were doing.

Eventually, the deer turned around and headed back in the opposite direction and before long, the beach was back to normal, and all of the birds could relax and go about their business.  And by going about their business, I mean the ongoing search for shellfish.  Lately, this has been a very successful enterprise.  It's that time of year when the tides are quite extreme, and when it's low tide, there is plenty of food available.  At high tide, the pickings are slim,  and the competition is rather fierce.  I never cease to be amazed when I watch a seagull that has recently plucked a shellfish into its mouth, then have to go through the most incredible flight maneuvers to try and keep its catch away from the others.  At times I wonder if the amount of energy expended by the seagull is actually more than it gets from the consumption of its catch?  Some seagulls manage to out-maneuver their rivals. They follow up this aerial display, by doing a steep climb in order to drop the shellfish from a sufficient enough height so that when it lands on the beach, it cracks open.  After all of that, more often than not, a rival is there to scoop up the prize, and all of that energy expended was for naught.

My time at the beach was coming to a close for the day, and as I prepared to hop back on the bike and head home, I marvelled at a cloud in the western sky.  I could probably spend as much time staring at clouds as I do watching birds these days.  Both provide me with happiness.

MAGNIFICENT

It just so happens that this cloud was in the direction of home, so I had the great pleasure of watching it change and grow, as I continued on my journey.

Deer, seagulls, and clouds.  Simple pleasures.

living in acceptance,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THE LAZY-HAZY-CRAZY DAYS OF SUMMER ???

POST # 310

It would be easy to assume that the current run of sunny days and warm temperatures must indicate that the summer season is well and truly here, but it's still more than a month away.

What's a Thoughtful Wanderer to do, after taking care of the resident furball, but to head to the beach, and just enjoy the day.

Of course, it's a stressful occupation to be sure, so after my beach time, I like to heed the words in this Spanish proverb:

Seems like good advice to me.

Now it's time to head back to the beach.

living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

MELLOW MYRTLE

POST # 309

MYRTLE BELONGS IN A DR. SEUSS BOOK

Long, long ago, in a land far, far away...

Hang on, let's start again shall we?  Almost 7 years ago, which isn't really that long ago, and not in a land far away, but just a few blocks from here, I had the good fortune to spend a few weeks with Myrtle.  She was much more energetic back then, and I probably was as well. I'd like to think that we're both gently ageing like a good wine.

I came across Myrtle the other day while out on my bike ride.  It just so happens that I was going past the house where she lives, and she was sitting out on the front porch with her owner.  It was too good of an opportunity to pass up, so I stopped for a visit.  Prior to my departure, the owner invited me to a "turkey and dog food" dinner.  That certainly sounded intriguing.  The owner explained that the reason she called it that, was because any left-over turkey goes into Myrtle's dog food dish.  I was relieved to hear that.

So last weekend, I peddled on over, and was one of seven guests at the dinner.  Too bad for Myrtle that there were so many humans to feed.  I didn't like her chances of getting many leftovers, considering that the owner also sent me away with a "take home" pack.

It was an enjoyable evening, and aside from some interesting conversations, I was grateful for the opportunity to once again catch up with mellow Myrtle.

MYRTLE SUPERVISING MY DEPARTURE

living in acceptance,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

SILKEN AND THE APPLE BLOSSOMS OF SPRING

POST # 308

SILKEN PUTTING HER BEST FOOT FORWARD

When you're a furball with only three feet, you have to make sure to put your best foot forward, which is exactly what Silken appears to be doing in this photo.  It probably is her best foot, as it has to support all the weight that would normally be distributed between two feet.  I find it truly amazing at just how fast she moves from place to place around the house, especially when there might be food involved at the end of the journey.  

Once again, I have the good fortune to be spending time with Silken, while her owner has gone on a trip to Africa in order to view a variety of other species, thus leaving her furball in my care for a while.  The truth be known, Silken isn't as much fun as pet-sitting a bonehead, but on the plus side, she's much easier to care for, and she is very loveable.

With the exception of today's rain, the weather (not to be confused with the climate) has been just magnificent, which is an abrupt change from the past few months.  As mentioned last week,  I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to see the sun again?  It seems like we've gone directly from winter to summer, and the trees are in full bloom.  Take for example the apple tree, here in the backyard.

Here's a close-up view.

These really are magnificent to look at, and I am enjoying my time out in the garden as much as possible.  Soon the blossoms will be gone, and the apples will come in to view.  Unfortunately, I won't be house-sitting here during harvest season, but by the looks of things, it's going to be a bumper crop for this apple tree.

 I can't spend all of my precious time gazing at the apple blossoms, and being a conscientious pet-sitter,  a certain portion of the day needs to be shared with the resident furball.  It's time well spent, and Silken seems to enjoy it as much as I do.  Here she is playing with her favourite toy, which is part of her post-breakfast daily routine.  The other part is a morning nap, and as I write these words, that's exactly what she's doing.  After all, she's been awake now for at least three hours.  It must be nap time.

living in acceptance,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

APPRECIATING THE WORLD AROUND ME

POST #307

One of the benefits of attempting to live in the moment is that you may be able to appreciate the world around you even more than you did in the past.  It's a worthwhile exercise, and I continue to work at it on a daily basis.  Here are just some of those precious moments.

It's wonderful to finally see the sun again after many months of overcast skies and rain, rain, and more rain.  

I have to include (yet again), my new best bonehead friend, Dora.  She's got this living in the moment thing worked out to perfection.

living in acceptance,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

A BLISSED-OUT BONEHEAD AND THE MADNESS OF EMPIRE

POST # 306

DORA DOG

Dora dog, aka Dora the bonehead enjoyed a wonderful day yesterday.  It may be the best Friday the 13th that she has ever had in her short life, but I'll explain some of those details near the end of this post.

Yesterday was also a memorable day for The Thoughtful Wanderer.  My thoughts took me back to the year, 1962.  I certainly don't remember all of my childhood, but I have a distinct memory from October of that year.  This was the time of the Cuban missile crisis, and the memory that stays with me all these years later is one where I am standing in the kitchen at home, and listening to the transistor radio, that was located on the counter.  Being only seven years old at the time, I certainly couldn't grasp the full meaning of what was being said, but I could tell by the mood in the house that it was a troubled time.  I also remember that there was an air raid siren located not far from our house, and on occasion the siren would sound, and this sent a chill through anyone who might have been within earshot.   Was this going to be one of the last sounds we all heard before the bombs began raining down upon us?  Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, and humanity and the rest of the living planet dodged a nuclear war.  

That was then. Fast forward to yesterday, and the war drums were beating again, over what appears at this stage to be yet another lie in order to get another war started.  Kind of like the weapons of mass destruction lie of 2003.  However this time the stakes were even higher because the end result could have been war between the two largest nuclear armed countries in the world.  Today dawned and it looks like at least for now, WW3 has been postponed.

Most experts would probably agree that the USA is an empire, and similar to empires of the past, it will do everything in its power to remain one.  Just like those other empires, it too will end, and it probably won't go quietly.  If you were an aborigine living in outback Australia way back when the Roman Empire collapsed, it would have had zero impact upon you.When this current empire collapses, it will probably take the rest of the living planet along with it.  I'm sure there could be many reasons as to why we have arrived to this point in the story, but I would humbly suggest that this particular empire began to grow exponentially after WW2, when the world's reserve currency became the US dollar, and all international transactions had to be conducted in said currency. 

Our modern world only works because of the use of oil and its derivatives, and that being the case, and with the world held hostage to trading in US dollars, the empire has been number one. Every country needs oil, and in order to acquire that oil, it needs US dollars to do so.  Don't get me wrong, I as a Canadian, along with my Australian, New Zealand, UK and European friends have benefited from this arrangement along the way.  This has been the way of the world for longer than I've been on the planet.  Go along with US policy, and all will be well, but try to resist it, and see what will happen.  The list of failed countries is a long one, and for the majority of those countries, it's because they wanted to challenge the US hegemonic position on the world stage.  Recent examples would be Iraq and Libya, and now it appears to be Syria's turn.  But this is where the empire hits the brick wall of Russia, and if things continue to go the way they are heading, then none of us will have to concern ourselves with much of a future outlook.

Of course, there are larger forces at work that will manage to have a major impact upon our future and a recent "Edge of Extinction" episode from my friend, Dr. Guy McPherson puts things into perspective, even if we don't have WW 3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esGQn1TlVNg#action=share

OK, I'm glad I got that off of my chest, and now I can come back to Dora the bonehead, and the wonderful day she had yesterday.  Along with a few walks, multiple poops, and interactions with a few of her four-legged bonehead friends, she had the pleasure of being brushed with a new brush from the pet store.  With some new dog treats to round out her day, she seems to be in a state of complete bonehead bliss, and she could care less about all of the words just written in this post.  She's a lucky creature indeed.  And as I was saying goodnight to her last night, I told her exactly that.  She probably had a much more restful sleep than I experienced.

She is blessed with the ability to be living in the moment, as can be seen in the photo below, as she focuses on a deer in the yard.  

And to wrap up today's post, I thought it would be fun to attach a recent video of Dora, taken a few days ago.  She really looks happy, and so is the Thoughtful Wanderer, in spite of content of today's blog.

living in acceptance,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

A-DORA-BLE DORA

POST # 305

It is unclear where she came from and the answer to that question will remain locked up in her little brain forever.  But one thing is certain, and that is the fact that she sure is adorable.   Her name is Dora.

My friend, Mary had been looking for another dog for quite a while, and finally on February 14th of this year, her wish came true when she adopted Dora from the local humane society.  I guess that it was a happy Valentine's day for the both of them.

Dora is certainly one of the most timid dogs that I have ever encountered, and I suppose that her demeanor is directly related to the life she had prior to her arrival at the humane society.  However, in the short time that I've known Dora, which is about ten days, even I can detect positive changes in her behavior, and that's been a wonderful thing to experience.   There is no doubt in my mind, that the care that Mary has shown towards Dora has been a major factor in Dora becoming more open with humans. I suspect that as more time passes, the memories from her previous life will continue to fade away, and as a result she will become less timid, and even more adorable than she is already.


living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer