BERT & MAC

POST #318

After only a few days, I am beginning to settle in at my latest house/pet sitting gig. I have two wonderful four-legged friends to keep me amused while I am here.

Bert the furball reminds me of Shadow in Vancouver, however Bert is much more "talkative" than Shadow. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with this behavior , however Bert likes to begin his "talks" anywhere between three and five o'clock in the morning.  It's early days, so maybe I haven't quite worked out his routine, but if this keeps up, I'll have to extend my afternoon naps to make up for lost sleep.

Mac, is the resident bonehead, and I would be hard pressed to think of any other bonehead that is as friendly as he is, right from the start.  He doesn't even seem to miss his owners, and I'm his new best friend, in spite of the fact that I keep calling him "Dora-dog" every now and again.

I'm looking forward to getting to know these critters, as the days and weeks pass.

 

BERT

.

MAC

living in acceptance,

Paul,

The Thoughtful Wanderer

MYSTERY SOLVED

POST # 317

My ongoing quest to teach humans the basics of life.

While out walking Dora, the other day, we came across another bonehead, and as is the standard doggie protocol, Dora and the other dog spent their initial moments sniffing out each others backside.  It's a curious way to say hello, but it seems to work for them.
A man who was present during this introduction, decided to fill us in on WHY, dogs do this.  He recited the poem below, and so finally, the mystery has b een solved.
Thank you Dora, for bringing this to our attention.

The doggies held a meeting,
They came from near and far,
Some came by motor cycle,
And some by motor car
Each doggie passed the doorway,
Each doggie signed the book
Each one unshipped his asshole
And hung it on a hook.

One dog was not invited
It sorely raised his ire
He ran into the meeting hall
And loudly shouted, 'Fire!'
It threw them in confusion
And without a second look
Each grabbed anothers asshole
From off another hook

And that's the reason why sir,
When walking down the street
And that's the reason why sir,
When doggies chance to meet
And that's the reason why sir,
On land, abroard or home
They'll sniff each other's backside...
To see if it's their own.

Here is another version sung by Matt McGinn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB5jkTfPcDs


living in acceptance (which includes butt sniffing)

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

BELIZE- THAT'S A WRAP

POST # 316

   Sign at Belize Airport

Now there's some wisdom for you. "Someday isn't one of them."  My ever observant friend, Guy mentioned to me that this sign was at the airport, so yesterday, prior to my departure, I managed to find it and take this photo.  It seems to be human nature or at least our culture that let's us think that "someday, I'll get around to...", fill in the blank.  However, seeing as none of us know exactly how much time we have left, it's probably good advice to take advantage of the present, just to make sure that you don't miss anything.  And that spells out the reason for this most recent trip to Belize.  I didn't want to wait for someday.

As just mentioned, I took that photo yesterday, and today I have access to a computer with a REAL keyboard, so I am taking advantage of it to write this hasty blog post.  It seems like a long time ago already since that photo was taken, and between that time and now, I've visited three airports, including a sleep over at San Francisco. Note to self.  The floors at airports are just as hard as Greyhound bus depot floors, but I was so tired, I managed to catch a bit of sleep.

After three weeks in Belize, it was time to say so long yesterday, and after our goodbyes, I took two different buses, and got a lift from a pastry chef, in order to arrive at the Belize airport.

I thought I would add a few photos of this most recent journey in order to round out the trip, so here goes.

This is just a single cashew.  I'd never seen what they look like before. (the actual nut is the brown bit at the bottom)

A couple of happy looking boneheads from up the road.  They just HAD to come out and say hi to the pet sitter.

Three more "boneheads" including the guy writing these words.  These are just two of Pauline's four Yorkies.  But if the truth be known, Brownie is my favourite one.

BROWNIE

Translation: "Waiting room refugees."At least that's according to google translate.  Our images are reflected in the glass wall of the building.  Guy and Pauline were here as they are every month in order to get their passports stamped so that they can stay in Belize for another 30 days.  It's a pain in the ass for them, but that's one of the prices you have to pay to stay.  Perhaps the image of us standing under this sign isn't that far from the truth of the matter.

One of the signs at the farm.  More good advice, if I may say so.

And finally a video from my last bike ride back to the farm from a few days ago.  What a ride.

It's been a hectic day so far, and in light of the past 36 hours or so, I am rather tired, so that will be my excuse for any spelling and/or grammatical errors.  I might use this excuse from now on.   

living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

A BIG THANK YOU

POST # 315

PIZZA OVEN by Sara & Matti






By this time next week, I will no longer be in Belize, having thus completed my fourth journey to The Stardust Sanctuary Farm, where my dear friends Guy and Pauline call home.

As is most often the case when I sit down and contemplate just what I should write about on this blog, a variety of thoughts come to mind, and I have to decide which topic to choose from prior to starting.  This week was no different. My first thought was to write an entire post about Mia, the new resident "bonehead" here at the farm.  She has provided plenty of entertainment and joy during my visit, and I'm happy to have made her acquaintance.

Contemplating beyond Mia, the idea of writing about the abundance of life here in Belize was also considered.  Aside from the jungle vegetation, the air is filled all throughout the day with an incredible variety of sounds, emanating from an untold variety of species, both on and off of the wing. Each morning, it's the winged variety that takes centre stage, and by nightfall under a canopy of stars, the amphibians rule the airwaves.

                        Morning birdsong


Another potential topic, and another species to consider, is the variety of human animals that have been here during my visit, but with all of their different stories to consider, I would be writing until I drew my final breath.  In addition to Guy and Pauline, tales of adventure have been provided by Matti, Sara, Mechele, Sara, Michelle, Andrew, Tabea and Viktoria.  With additional human animals arriving this week, I imagine that the story telling will keep right on going.

So with all things considered, I return to the two people I mentioned in my opening paragraph, my friends, Guy and Pauline. If I could make a wish come true, it would be that all of the wonderful people that I have had the good fortune to know along my life's journey,  would have had the same opportunity to actually get to KNOW these two special people, as opposed to what those same individuals may THINK they know about Guy and Pauline.  One doesn't have to spend very much time in their presence in order to see just how genuine and good these two individuals are. I consider myself blessed beyond belief that I have been able to spend as much time as I have in recent years, enjoying their company.

In light of developments both here in Belize, and on a more global scale, if I were a betting man, I would venture to speculate that this just may be my final visit here. Mind you, this is from the same person who said when he was departing the Mud Hut in New Mexico for the first time way back in 2013, that I may never be back for another visit.  It would take six more visits, to make that come true.  Let's just see how the rest of this year unfolds.

In conclusion, I just want to say a big THANK YOU to Guy and Pauline for their generosity, kindness, love and laughter, during this visit, and during all of the time that I have had the pleasure to call them my friends.

 living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

CONTRASTS

POST # 314

San Antonio village, Belize

On this most recent journey to Belize onboard an American Airlines flight from Miami, I was struck by what appears to be a new phenomenon.   It was a beautiful sunny morning, and yet almost none of the windows had their shades up. A quick glance around the cabin which has about 30 rows, only revealed about a half a dozen or so windows with the shade up. I had two windows available, so naturally I put up both shades, in order to enjoy the view. The next thing I notice is that the guy sitting behind me, reached past the corner of my seat, and pushed the shade back down. WTF??? This little game went on for a while, and eventually he gave up. I guess it's just another sign of the times with everyone wanting to be connected to their "device" that they don't even want to enjoy the view. Flying has gone from a time when people actually talked to each other, then didn't talk, and now this. How come I'm not surprised?

In contrast with that experience, here in Belize, being "online" is much more hit and miss.  But the good news is that the less time I spend in cyber space, the less I feel I need to be connected, and I'm sure that must be a good thing.

There are plenty of interesting people to talk to and there is a new bonehead here, named Mia, so I keep busy in spite of the lack of internet time. 

Living in acceptance,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

WANDERING TO BELIZE (AGAIN)

POST # 313

Sunset at Calgary airport

By the time this is posted, I will have been in Belize, AGAIN, for about a day.  This is my 4th journey here in order to spend some precious time, with my precious friends.  With the way things are going now in our crazy world, I decided it was time to get here, before I'm not able to do so.

It has been somewhat of a "milk run" to make it to Belize on this go around. The journey  began in Vancouver, followed by Kelowna, Calgary, Toronto and Miami before touching down yesterday morning. The journey lasted the better part of two days.   Hey, I'm not complaining and in fact, aside from needing a good sleep soon, wandering around seems to be what I was born to do.

So it's time to settle in and relax for a while. After all, I've got all of that house/per sitting work to get over. A soak in the pool, and a shot of the local rum should help.

Living in acceptance,

Paul,
The Thoughtful Wanderer

HIM AGAIN

POST # 312

Dora here.  It's him again.  This guy was here once before, and to be honest I wasn't quite sure if I was going to like him.  But he showed up again last week, and to his credit, he's been doing everything he can to try and get in my good books.  He assists my owner when she takes me for a walk, he scoops up my poop, and give me treats.  But here's the best part.  For whatever reason, he's managed to work out that I like to have a wrestle every now and again, and even though he doesn't stand a chance at winning the wrestling match, I allow him to think that he has won, just to amuse him.  The things we dogs do to keep the humans happy.  It's a daily chore.

So after much consideration on my part, I've decided to allow this human to spend more time with me.  Now that I've helped to re-educate him, it would be a waste if I didn't take advantage of him to the fullest.  Slowly but surely, my plan to control humans is working.  One at a time.  It gives me something to do, and it makes the humans think that they are getting smarter.  But believe me, they've got a long way to go in that department.

One final photo for today.  Here I am again, this time with a stupid toy on my head, just to please the humans.  I guess it does have some advantage, because it makes them feel that I deserve a treat afterwards.  I've got them wrapped around my paw.

Faithfully yours,
Dora dog

The Thoughtful Wanderer here.  I thought I would let Dora have her say for today's post.  I will be away on vacation next month for three weeks (some would say that I am always on vacation), and I may or may not have internet access, but if I do, I'll make sure to post something, even if it's just a photo or two.

living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer