DEATH BY CHOCOLATE, A BORDER UPDATE, AND SUMMER HAS BEGUN

POST # 411

Not too far from here, there is a business called Snow Goose Produce.
http://www.snowgooseproducemarket.com/index.html

 In addition to all of the fine fruits and vegetables on offer, they have a dedicated section that sells these very large ice-cream cones, a photo of which can be viewed at the linked website. The one featured above is Death by Chocolate.  When Mary took this photo,  I was already well into consuming this yummy treat.  That gives you an idea of just how large these ice-cream cones are when they are handed to you across the counter.  There is no need to go back for seconds, unless your last name is McPherson.

The ice-cream section at Snow Goose has been closed for quite some time now, and there is no prize for guessing the reason why.  But they're back in business,  at least for the time being so we thought we should take advantage of that fact.

As far as the border crossing, the update is that it will now remain closed until at least July 21st, which now makes me wonder as that date approaches, will the authorities revise it once again?  If this keeps up, pretty soon I will be saying Zee instead of Zed, and I will have to drop the "u" from some of my favourite words.

Finally, it is officially summer now.  It happened yesterday, due to the extra day this year.  Perhaps there will be another opportunity to enjoy Death by Chocolate, before the summer ends.

grateful for every breath,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

THE QUARANTINE ACT

POST # 410

According to the latest report that I have read, in one week's time, the US/CANADA border crossing could be re-opened.  Emphasis on the word, could.

I do find it somewhat curious, that the land border remains closed, and yet I can board an airplane and fly back.  I would have thought that it should be all or nothing, but I guess the Canadian government and I choose to differ on this topic.

In any event,  the Canadian government now has in place some legislation called the "Quarantine Act" and I have provided a link below.

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice.html

Violation of any of the clauses in the act can result in fines starting at a mere $750,000 and up to 6 months in prison or both.  And it gets worse than that, if you can believe it.

What hasn't been revealed yet is if/when the border is finally open, does that then mean that the mandatory 14 day self-isolation clause will still remain in effect, or does it go by the wayside?

At some point in the not too distant future, I need to get back to Canada to take care of some personal affairs.  Whether or not I will be able to do that without going through the quarantine is still in question.

So, what to do? Well, I will continue to appreciate the fact that I have this present moment to enjoy, and right now I still have Mary and Dora-dog to share some of those moments with.  What happens in one week's time will be known by the time I sit down to write my next blog post.

As I write these words, Dora-dog is giving me "the look" which tells me that it's either time to take her for a walk, or play chase-the-bone in the backyard.  Both options are a joy, and once again the four-legged is teaching the two-legged what is really important.

grateful for every breath,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

MY FAITHFUL GARDENING ASSISTANT

POST #409

Thankfully, there are plenty of gardening projects to keep me occupied during my time here in Washington.  I do love digging around in the dirt, and every once in a while, Dora-dog takes a moment out of her busy day to come by and offer some moral support.  She drops everything (read, her bone), and comes over to have a look at what I am up to.  I happened to be sorting weeds and grass from dirt the other day.  It was the perfect spot for her to camp out for a while, and watch me work.  My faithful gardening assistant.

I'm still not certain as to when the Canada/US border crossing will re-open, but in the meantime, and as long as the weather is favourable, the weeds in the garden will continue to grow, and I will continue to be employed.

Today, we drove to Anacortes to pick up a few items, and while there, we went over to the local dog park.  It had been closed for the longest time, and now that things are re-opening, the dog park was a very busy place.  There were about a dozen dogs there when we arrived, and Dora-dog could barely hold back her excitement.  Once we walked through the gates, she was in doggy heaven.  It was great to be there, and share in her joy.  Sometimes it's the simple things that can provide the most joy, and spending time with her in a dog park, certainly fits the bill.

Back home, there is a new pile of dirt/grass/weeds to dry out and separate, and so I must finish this short post, put on my gardening clothes, head out the door while the sun is still shining, and continue my work.  With any luck, my faithful gardening assistant will come outside with me, to once again help me in my quest to keep the weeds at bay.

grateful for every breath,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

A DOG JOKE

POST # 408

To finish off my blogposts for the month of May, I thought I would end with a joke, that Dora-dog happened to hear, from one of her four-legged friends while we were out for a walk the other day.   I will have to keep this one in mind to tell people in the future.     OK, so here goes.

TALKING DOG FOR SALE

A guy is driving around the back woods of Montana and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house:  'TALKING DOG FOR SALE'

He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard.

The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.
'You talk?' he asks.
'Yep', the Lab replies.

After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says,
'So, what's your story?

The Lab looks up and says, 'Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young.
I wanted to help the government so... I told the CIA.

In no time at all, they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping.  I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running...

But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting and younger so I decided to settle down.  I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in.

I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a bunch of medals.

I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired.'

The guy is amazed.  He goes back in the house and asks the owner how much he wants for the dog.

'Ten dollars,' the guy says.

'Ten dollars?  This dog is amazing!  Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?'

'Because he is a bullshitter.  He's never been out of the yard!'


grateful for every breath,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

WEEDING AND GLOVE CHASING

POST # 407


Years ago , I re-discovered my interest in weeding.  I was in Port Townsend at the time, and there was a vast quantity of weeds that needed to be pulled out.  Once I began the project, it became a daily ritual, and one that I looked forward to.  I was in my own little world, playing in the dirt and doing something productive.  I began to love this activity.

Fast forward to 2020, and there is plenty of time to practice the art of weeding once again.  Mary's place certainly doesn't have the quantity of weeds that were present back in Port Townsend, but there is enough to keep my happily entertained for a while.

The toughest weeding challenge here, was when I decided to attack the weeds in the two gravel driveways.  That was much more difficult than working in the garden, but now that that it is behind me, I can do a simple survey every now and again of the driveways, and if I see any new weeds popping up their heads, it is a simple matter to yank them out.

I'm not really sure what it is exactly that I find enjoyable about this activity, but it doesn't matter.  It is work, but it doesn't feel like it.  Dora-dog came by every once in a while to do an inspection, just to make sure that the weeder was doing his job correctly.  At one point in yesterday's activity, she re-discovered a bone that she had buried a while back, so perhaps all of my digging had inspired her to do some digging of her own.  Late in the day, after all the work had been accomplished, I saw Dora-dog across the yard, with something hanging out of her mouth, which I couldn't identify.  She had a look on her face that told me that I had caught her doing something that she shouldn't be doing.  As soon as I headed towards her to find out what she had in her mouth, she took off around the corner of the house.  As far as she was concerned, the chase-me-around-the-house game was on.  It wasn't long before I realized that she had found one of my leather gloves.   I chased her around the house a few times, and then she disappeared for longer than normal.   As I wandered around the back of the house, there she was, attempting to complete the job that she had started a few minutes before.  My glove was rapidly disappearing into the same hole that she had dug up her bone from earlier in the day.  I managed to rescue it, just in the nick of time.  If I hadn't showed up when I did, the missing glove mystery may have never been solved.

So that was yesterday's activity.  It was both rewarding and fun all at the same time.  Weeding and glove chasing.  Who could ask for more?


grateful for every breath,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

EXTREMELY SLIM ODDS

POST # 406

 A PHOTO OF DAD (FAR LEFT) AND THE REST OF THE MARCOTTE CLAN

In light of all that is going on in the world in 2020, it's always good to remind oneself that the odds of ever being born in the first place are extremely slim.  This subject came up in a conversation today with my friend Guy, and in fact it was Guy that mentioned this to me many years ago.  Up to that point, it wasn't something that I had ever considered.  Nowadays, I do try to remind myself each and every day, that it is a real fluke that I am even here at all.  By keeping that in mind, it helps me to put things into perspective.  Whatever life dishes out, I try to be grateful.  After all, at least I am here to experience whatever comes my way, for however long that may last.

grateful for every breath,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

SOME COMIC RELIEF

POST # 405

DOES THE DAMN THING WORK?

I was scrolling through some old photos, and I came across this image.  It makes as much sense as anything these days, and it ALWAYS makes me laugh.  And goodness knows, we can always use a laugh.
It has  already been posted here a while ago, but it's worth re-posting.


grateful for every breath, (and laugh)

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer