CLOSING ANOTHER CHAPTER

POST # 332

It's the last post for the month of October, and also the last post from my current location near Bellingham WA, where my friend Mary has resided for almost three years.  I helped her to move in, and I am in the process of helping her to move again.  Dora-dog will be upgrading to a fenced yard, with perhaps a doggy door to let her come and go as she pleases.   She's already had a couple of opportunities to inspect the place, and she seemed right at home.  There will even be a four-legged neighbour for her to get acquainted with, so that is a bonus.

Dora will have to say so long to her favourite dog park, and the expression on her face seems to imply a certain sadness in her mood.  There is still time though, for a few more visits, and the plus side of where she'll be going is that she has an ocean beach to run around on.  She's already been there, and on her very first visit, she met one of her bonehead friends, so it was a great introduction to her upcoming location.  Dora was somewhat shocked when she decided to drink from this oversized "lake" which had a pronounced salty flavour to it.  It didn't take her long to figure out that from now on, it would be best to wait until she gets home to her water dish in order to refresh herself.

All things considered, this is looking like a positive move for both Mary and Dora.  How's that old saying go, "a change is as good as a rest."   In the meantime, there is plenty to do to get ready for the move, and Dora isn't really sure just what is going on, what with all the packing boxes and strange activity.  She seems to be somewhat upset by it all, and we wonder if at sometime in her past, she participated in another house move, which may have resulted in her ending up at the animal shelter.  It's an unsolvable mystery, but I think that once she is settled in her new location, she will relax, and finally come to realize that she is in a very good place with a very good person who will take care of her for as long as that is possible.

There will be things to miss, like the wonderful sunsets that take place from time to time,

 playing in the mud at the local off-leash dog park not far from here,

and in addition to all of that, Dora will have to say so long to her friend, Simon the three-legged furball as well.

No matter where Dora is, she will still have the opportunity to play with her many toys, and while doing so, bring joy to whatever human might be at the receiving end of her playfulness.

However, it's looking like a positive transition for Mary and Dora, and that is a good thing indeed, because Mary is one good person, and Dora is...

As another chapter comes to a close for The Thoughtful Wanderer, I would like to thank both of them for letting me participate in their adventure.  I am a truly blessed individual.

living in acceptance,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

OCTOBER WEATHER

POST # 331

MARTHA'S BEACH, LA CONNER WA

A perfect autumn day.  Using the word, "perfect" to describe autumn, would have been one of the rare times that my mom would choose to disagree with me.  She preferred the spring.


living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

DORA AND ACCEPTANCE

POST # 330

It has been somewhat of a hectic week, but we still found time for Dora to have her nails trimmed.  She almost looks as though she's enjoying it, and it didn't take long for her to get to the acceptance phase of the procedure.  Acceptance is the key.


A recent interview of my friend Guy, which describes exactly where we are at in the human experience, lays out how the future is likely to unfold.  Like Dora, I accept what is coming, and like Dora, I try to smile in spite of it all.  And having my friend, Mary and Dora-dog in my life makes it that much easier to smile these days.

Here is the link to the interview.

https://guymcpherson.com/2018/10/on-imminent-human-extinction-interviewed-by-rajani-kanth/#more-17402

Living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

IT'S A PARADOX

POST # 329

"when the situation is hopeless*, there's nothing to worry about."

The Monkey Wrench Gang, by Ed Abbey

It truly is a paradox.  If one lives their life with death in mind, and the realization that each breath could be their last one, then each and every moment is that much more precious than before.  As the title of a recent book I just read states, "Death makes life possible."  

For many years now, I have tried to live my life in this way, and I would have to say that I am a happier being as a result.  It takes some practice but it's well worth the effort.

Nowadays, I derive great pleasure participating in the little things of life, and one of those "little things" is a stroll along a beach with a bonehead.  My current location has allowed me to do that, three times a day.  Each step is a joy.  On a recent journey, the tide was way out so Tova and I walked right out to the water's edge, and took a few moments to soak up the wonderful view, and breathe in the early morning salty fresh air.  I decided to take a quick video to remind me of our journey.

This will be one of the last strolls on the beach with Tova, and by tomorrow, I will be saying so long to her and her furball companion, Saki.  They have been great company, and I am happy that I have had the opportunity to spend time with them.

SAKI

The owners arrive home later today, and soon, I will be off to my next adventure.  But in the meantime I'll take a few more walks, and capture some of the beauty that I am surrounded by.

living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

*And speaking of hopeless, here is a video which describes in less than 5 minutes why the situation is hopeless.  So, relax.  And don't worry.

https://guymcpherson.com/2018/10/countdown-to-extinction-nthe-in-5-minutes/#more-17475

LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN

POST # 328





(From top to bottom- Sophie (now Ziggy), Felix and Oscar on Orcas Island)

In just three more days, on October 1st, I will have been intentionally homeless for a total of seven years.  On that date, back in the year 2011, I walked away from the marina in the West End of Vancouver for the final time, having sold my beloved sailboat to a couple of young French Canadian brothers, who were keen to get their sailing career underway.

I was bound for Orcas Island in Washington state, for the first of what would end up being a regular house sit at my friend, Cathy's place.  Back then, she only had two furballs, Oscar and Felix, but eventually a third one named Sophie (changed to Ziggy later on) would show up on the scene.  Orcas Island would certainly rate as one of my favourite house sit locations during all of these years.

Wow! Seven years of intentional homelessness.  I don't know if that is a record, and I don't really care if it is, but I most certainly am grateful for having had the ability to live this lifestyle for so long.  Intentionally homeless and intentionally unemployed makes it even more unique.  I don't personally know anyone else doing the same thing, although I imagine they're out there somewhere.  It certainly has been a wonderful experience, to wake up each day, and be able to plan out how I would like to spend my precious time, especially nowadays.

The list of critters that I have had the opportunity to care for is very long, and includes multiple boneheads, plenty of furballs, a variety of birds, some goats, a few horses and even one toad named Mr. Bumples.  Quite a few of them have died over the ensuing years, but the memories remain.  They have all been special in one way or another.

So now what?

It's late in the year, and I most certainly feel that it is late in the human experience and so where does The Thoughtful Wanderer go from here?  It's a good question, but for me the answer is an easy one.  I expect to be doing exactly what I am doing now until I take my final breath.  The jury is still out on what day that will happen, but in the meantime, I continue to enjoy each and every one of those breaths, as well as enjoying the company of my current four-legged friends.

TOVA

SAKI

living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

ICE-NO ICE

POST # 327

Here we are on the cusp of the Autumnal Equinox, and I really thought that I would be writing about our first ever BOE.  BOE stands for blue ocean event.  All of the signs earlier in the year were pointing to the fact that by this time in 2018, the Arctic would be ice-free for the first time in the human experience on the planet.

But it didn't happen.

One of the theories put forth is  that because of the tremendous amount of smoke in the atmosphere as a direct result of all of the fires this year, it caused some additional masking of the incoming rays of the sun, which helped to preserve whatever is left of the Arctic ice. This blocking of the sun's rays is called global dimming.

But it won't be long.

If I am still able to write a blog by this time next year, I suspect that I will be confirming that a BOE has already taken place.  Of course, when that finally happens, whenever it may be, the methane that is currently increasing due to the melting permafrost etc. will probably really take off.  If we think it's bad now, just wait.  How does the old saying go, "today is better than tomorrow."

In the meanwhile there are plenty of other shall we say "interesting" things happening on many different fronts, and it looks to me that the wheels could well and truly come off of the wagon long before next September.  Time will tell.

Thankfully for the Thoughtful Wanderer, I continue to work on being in the present moment, and as a result of this state of mind, I can appreciate even more than before, just how precious my life is. It helps me to enjoy even more than before, the beauty of a sunset over the ocean.

living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

A JOY, TO WATCH HER JOY

POST # 326

DORA, LIVING IN THE MOMENT, FOCUSED ON A SQUIRREL

She was in doggy heaven for a couple of days, and I wonder if she'll ever be the same after her little vacation?

As far as I know, Dora-dog had her first encounter with squirrels on this vacation, and she had a ball.  A large cedar tree is to the right of the photo, and it was one of the preferred locations for the resident squirrels to hang out.  There was no requirement to take Dora for a walk.  All we had to do was just stand back and watch her, while she raced around and around and around this tree, stopping occasionally to look up and see where the squirrels were.  She would  rest for a moment, and then begin her journey once more.  It was a joy, to watch her joy*.

*My dear friend, Mary, can take full credit for the transformation Dora-dog has gone through since rescuing her from the animal shelter back in February of this year.  Dora has gone from being a timid, frightened bonehead, to what you see now. Thank you, Mary.  If I could read Dora's mind, I'm very sure she would be thinking the exact same thing.


living in acceptance,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer