ANOTHER HOUSE SIT COMES TO A CLOSE

 POST #487

Canis lupus familiaris-Felis catus

aka: dog-cat

aka: bonehead-furball

aka: Lucy

It has been my experience that when it comes to furballs, there are two kinds.  Some are friendly right from the get go, and then there are others, like Lucy, that avoid you at any cost.  For the first couple of days that I was here, I wondered if she had taken off, because I couldn't find her anywhere inside or out.  Apparently she has a special hiding spot under the bed, and even though I looked there, she was so well hidden that I couldn't see her.  As time went on, she would appear every now and again, so I could tell that she was getting  a little more comfortable with me.  And now it's come to this.  I'm calling her a dog-cat, because just like a faithful dog she follows me around almost everywhere I go in the house.  She is also happy to curl up on my lap as can be seen in the above photo.  The cat whisperer once again wins over another four-legged furball.  

But just when I make a new furball friend, it's time to pack my bags once again, and get ready to leave.  The owners return home later today.  I'll spend one more night here, and then head off tomorrow back to Vancouver.  I've rented a car for the return journey which is much more expensive than taking the bus back, but since my arrival, the rules have changed yet again.  No jab, no bus for you, as of January 10th.  Transport that was perfectly fine, just a few weeks ago, is now off limits.  It makes no sense to me.  However, the narrative seems to be changing.  England is dropping all the mandates.  Maybe Boris should have a chat with Justin, so that we too can get back to normal.  Or perhaps the Queen ? I'm pretty sure that Justin would accept her call.  Just sayin'.

I don't have to return the car until Sunday afternoon in Vancouver, so I think that I will do a car/camp one night along the way.  I'd rather be out in the peace and quiet of the countryside, rather than the noise and lights of the city.  At least that is the plan.

It's has been a very relaxed time here, and I have enjoyed my furry friends, but like all good house sits, it must come to an end at some point, and that point is tomorrow.

Of course I couldn't end this post without mentioning dear old Madonna.  It would have been mom's birthday today and by now she would have been 106.  And if she were alive today, I'm quite sure she would agree with the advice on this sign, that is hung on the bathroom wall at this home.

And after you have completed all of those tasks, then why not head outside and check out the first full moon for 2022. That event took place this past Monday.  It was only partly overcast, so I stood outside in the chilly night air, gazed up at the moon, and contemplated the wonder of it all.  In spite of the crazy world we live in nowadays, it's comforting to know that there are some things that you can still depend upon, like a full moon  roughly every 29.5 days. 

And one final note.  Exactly one year ago today, Dora-dog had a big adventure that involved chasing a cat in Shelter Bay.  Thankfully, it all ended well.  Here is a link to that post.

https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2021/01/a-memorable-day.html

 grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PS: Happy 60th birthday, Troy

THE WORD IS OUT

 POST # 486

It looks like the word is out.  No-name, the furball who lives outside, roams around the neighbourhood, and shows up twice each day for his morning and evening meal, must have let the news slip out about left-overs.  

I guess that he is just being kind to his fellow critters that also roam around.  This guy appeared in the window the other evening, and has been coming back every once in a while.  He seems to be more interested in what's going on inside the house, than the left-overs on the deck.  At one point, when I opened the front door, I actually thought that he may decide to come in.  That would have been a bad idea.  Raccoons are very cute, but I certainly wouldn't want to tangle with one.  I'm sure I would come out second best.  But you do have to admit that he is cute, and curious as well.

He looks as though he would like to walk right in, and have a beer and a chat.  I think the resident furballs might have something to say about that.  And even though raccoons can certainly hold their own against another critter, I'm not sure how well he would do against three furballs.  Thankfully, we won't ever have to find out.  For as long as I am here, he will remain outside.

Just when I thought that the raccoon was the only other wildlife out there, yesterday I came across this character.  Like the raccoon, he was very curious to come over and stare at me.  

So this past week has me feeling like I'm living in somewhat of a zoo.  I'm surprised that there hasn't been any stray boneheads wandering the neighbourhood as well.  Mind you, my time here isn't up yet, so who knows?   I could invite into the house a bonehead or two, the raccoon, the deer, no-name the furball, and then let all of them "visit" with the three indoor furballs.  That would be quite the get together, but if it happened, I don't imagine that the owners would ever ask me back to house sit.  I will have to remain content with the situation just as it is.  

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

SOYLENT GREEN 2022 versus THE REAL 2022

 POST # 485

"New York city in the year, 2022.  Nothing runs anymore.  Nothing works.  But the people are the same.  And the people will do anything to get what they need.  What they need most is Soylent Green."

Those are the words to the trailer for the 1973 movie, "Soylent Green." It takes place in the future, in 2022, and so here we are in the future.  Back in 1973, when I saw the movie, I had only just graduated from high school.  How fast the years have gone by.

In Canada in the real year 2022, and with the way things have gone in the past couple of years, one might almost be able to say that nothing runs anymore, and nothing works.  Well, we're not quite there yet, but we seem to be heading in that general direction.  

What still works, at least to a certain degree, is the house and pet sitting business.  So fortunately for The Thoughtful Wanderer, I am currently enjoying a new gig, with three furballs plus one more.  What do you mean, three plus one more?  Let me explain.

The owners of this house have three furballs, Heidi, Mona, and Lucy.  However, outside there is a stray that has decided to hang around their place.  They've given it the title of No-name.  No-name is on the daily feeding schedule, and my guess is that before too long, he'll be an indoor furball along with the other three.  But it may take a while longer, certainly longer than the time that I will be here.

So here they are:

MONA

 

 

HEIDI

LUCY

       NO-NAME

Of course they all have their own distinct characteristics.  Mona wins the prize for being the most affectionate of the entire mob.  Heidi is somewhat less affectionate than Mona.  I rarely even see Lucy, as she spends most of the day hiding under the bed.  Finally, No-Name just shows up a couple of times each day, right at meal time.  He spends the rest of his day either under the house or roaming the neighbourhood.  Last night, I saw a couple of very large raccoons crawl under the house, and I wondered if No-name was going to be OK.  But he was here this morning for breakfast,  so I guess that he and the raccoons have worked out an agreement regarding under the house accommodation.

There has been plenty of snow over the past few days, and it's provided me with the opportunity for some additional exercise,  getting out there and keeping the sidewalks cleaned up.

All things considered, my year of 2022 is going much better than the dystopian year of 2022, portrayed in the movie Soylent Green.  I've got everything that I need to survive, at least for now, and who could complain about that?  So far, the real 2022 is much better than that fictional 2022.  But hey, the year has only just begun.  What's in store for the rest of 2022,  is anyone's guess at this point.

For the movie buffs, here is a link to the movie trailer of Soylent Green.

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

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

 

ARCHIE & THE YEAR END WRAP UP FOR 2021

 POST # 484

                                                                            ARCHIE

Say hello to the latest furball that I have the pleasure to care for.  Archie is one of the most gentle and affectionate furballs that I have ever come to know.  And he is competing with a very long list at this point.

Last week at this time, he was still at the vet having his splint replaced for this new one with the Christmas looking logos on it.  I made the long drive out to Burnaby to the vet's office. Once there, I spent a while with a lady named Christine, as she went over all of the details that I needed to know, especially regarding all of the medications that I would have to administer to him each day. I loaded him into the car to make the journey back home.

He seemed to be very happy to be back on familiar ground, and the house sitter was happy to have him back.  That was on December 24th.

Archie is on four different medications.  He has to take all four once per day, and one of the medications twice per day.  To administer these, I had one of two options.  The preferred option was to tuck the pills into a bit of food in the hope that he would happily gobble them down.  That unfortunately proved unsuccessful after a few attempts.  The other option was to load each pill into a device that shoots the pill down his throat.  I would have to force open his mouth with my left hand, and with the pill shooter in my right, I would insert it part way down his throat, then push the handle which would cause the pill to release, and hopefully go down his throat.  It sounds pretty easy, but it sure isn't.  And even gentle Archie became shall we say, less gentle during this procedure.  That's putting it mildly.  In spite of all of this, somehow I managed to give him his medications right up to and including this morning.  However, last night and this morning's pill popping session were the worst of all.  I think that Archie had finally worked out what was coming, and he was none too happy about it.  In addition, yesterday he ate almost nothing, and it was the same this morning.  I was concerned, so even though I was meant to take him to the vet on December 30th for his next splint change, I decided to drive out there this morning and explain what was happening.  The result is that he will now be staying there until December 31st, at which time I will return one more time and bring him home.

It was stressful for the both of us, and I feel that I have made the correct decision.  If he is not eating because he is ill, the vet will have the best resources to nurse him back to health.  I look forward to seeing him again this coming Friday.  He can be back home and  start relaxing like before.

2021 IS ALMOST A WRAP

And what a year it has been.  I've certainly had better years, but I suppose that there are plenty of people around the world that could make the exact same statement.  I really miss spending time with Mary and Dora-dog, and I miss the fact that my house sit calendar is mostly empty these days, and as far as I can tell, it quite possibly will remain that way.  

In my opinion, this whole Covid business could have been handled very differently, and not have caused the amount of disruption that it has caused.  I get reminded of this each and every day when I am mandated to use a face mask.  I've come to loath that word, mandate.  We seem to have become a society of us versus them, and my guess is that if you took a survey, I imagine that there are plenty of people out there who feel the same way.  I'd like to think that one day in the not too distant future, we could go back to the way things were pre-Covid.  But that is probably being way too hopeful.  

To quote Sir Roger Scruton when asked, "Are you hopeful."  His reply was as follows:

"I've never in my life been hopeful.  I take the view that pessimism is the wise position to adopt, because you're always agreeably surprised." 

Well I don't know if Sir Roger is correct, or whether I am correct, but this is where my head is at, late in the year 2021.  But hey, at least I've made it this far, so that's got to be something to celebrate.  And as I've mentioned before on this blog, there are plenty of people around the world that are doing it a lot tougher than The Thoughtful Wanderer.  As always, I do try to count my blessings.

Here is a meme I saw the other day.

Finally, if you are a scrabble player, here's a good mix of letters for you to play with:

A L M C N O D E T O R I.  

Two words that these letters can spell are DELTA and OMICRON.

Rearrange them another way and they can spell MEDIA CONTROL.  

What a very strange coincidence.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PONDERING A LIFE

 POST # 483

Vincent's rock courtesy of my sisters**

The year was probably 1971, but I could be off by a little bit.  In any event, it was a very long time ago. 

I was at dinner with a friend from my elementary school.  We hadn't seen each other for a quite a few years, and so the conversation ranged far and wide.  At some point we got to talking about our respective families. Both families have five children, and interestingly enough, there are four girls and one boy in each.  In addition to that, the order of boy/girl was exactly the same, with the four girls arriving on the earthly scene prior to the single boy.

The conversation proceeded somewhere along these lines:

Me: "Well, there was actually another boy born before the rest of us, but he was stillborn."

Her: "Lucky you.  If your brother would have survived, you probably would never have been born."

Me:  "Why on earth would you think that?"

Her: "Your mom and dad would already have their boy, so there would be no urgency to have another one, and the family name could continue on to the next generation."

Me: "Oh I really don't think that that is the case, it's just the way things happened."

We chose to disagree on this topic, and soon the conversation had shifted to other things, as there were plenty of stories to tell in the short period of time that we had together.

In spite of the fact that I rejected her take on the family arrangement, after we parted ways, I couldn't help but ponder what she had said to me.  The more that I thought about it, the more I started to come around to her point of view.  One of the main reasons for shifting my position was recalling the numerous times over the years that my dad would tell me that it was my responsibility to carry on the family name*.  I heard that on many occasions, and never gave it much thought at the time.  But now, the idea that mom and dad kept having one more baby in the hopes that they would finally get another boy started to make sense in light of what my friend had mentioned.  

We'll never know.  For whatever reason, I never brought the subject up with either of my parents while they were still alive, so the mystery will remain.  So of all the things to talk about, why would I talk about  something that happened about fifty years ago when I was still a teenager?

The answer to that question is in the photo at the top of the post.  You see, at my current house sit, I am for the moment, pet-less, so I have plenty of time to go for walks each day.  Yesterday was a brilliantly sunny day here, and seeing as sunny days have been few and far between lately, I wanted to make sure to get out and enjoy soaking up some vitamin D, and get some exercise as well.

Not far from this place is the appropriately named, Mountain View Cemetery, the one and only cemetery in the entire city of Vancouver.  It was opened in 1886.  It certainly lives up to its name.

There is a small section of the cemetery that contains the remains of many children that were either stillborn, or lived very short lives.  I had been here once before, so I knew where to go.  After a bit of skulking around, I located the rock that has Vincent's name on it.  I spent a few moments, pondering a life that, had he survived, I probably wouldn't be sitting here typing these words.  

Mission complete, I began my return journey home.  I find that walking around a cemetery can be a very enjoyable way to spend some time.  If for no other reason, it makes me appreciate which side of the air/ground barrier I am still on.  It won't always be this way, so I had best make the most of whatever time I have on this side of the barrier.

Next week, for the final blog of the year, I'll be able to introduce "Archie" who is the resident furball.  He's not here at the moment,  but I will be picking him up from the vet later this week.  It will be good to have him around the house for the remainder of my time at this location.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

*So much for carrying on the family name.  I ended up being the only one who chose not to have children.  

**My sister Gerry sent along this link and it's worth a listen.

https://elac.ca/projects/mountain-view-cemetery-infant-graves-area/

  

THE MAGIC WALL

 POST # 482

For the second time in less than a week, I encountered what I would like to call a magic wall.  This magic wall can be found on any BC ferry.  Yesterday, on my return journey to the mainland, I boarded the ferry in Nanaimo, en route to West Vancouver.  I had just completed a very short sit with two of my four legged furry friends, Eunice and Apollo.

I think that they both look a little sad knowing that I will be leaving soon, but perhaps I'll be back again sometime in the future.  Or maybe they look this way because I haven't fed them their breakfast yet.

OK, now back to the magic wall onboard the ferry.  A picture is worth a thousand words, so they say, so here is what the magic wall looks like.

Now, what is so magical about this ordinary looking wall?  Let me show you.

On this side of the magic wall, the air is fresh and clean, and the people above can go about their normal business of eating and drinking, and socialising with one another.  But beware, on the other side of the magic wall as seen below, no telling what might be floating around in the air. Everyone on that side must be sure to wear a mask.

It's truly amazing to me that whatever is floating around in the air is powerless to cross over this magic wall.  I was content to spend the entire crossing on the unmasked side of the magic wall, and during that time I enjoyed a conversation with a fellow traveller.  That was pleasant, and very rare these days, as most of us have our heads in front of some kind of electronic device much of the time. Having had the opportunity to engage with a fellow human being, took me back to the days when on a long haul flight, you got to know the person sitting next to you.  Those days are long gone.

As we pulled in to Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal, I finally had to leave the safety of the magic wall, and like all of my fellow passengers, I was forced to put a mask over my face in order to depart and leave the ferry terminal.  Even in the brisk fresh air of a December morning, the mask had to be in place until I was completely away from the terminal.

If you've read this far, you'll probably have worked out that I am not a very big fan of the masked world that we currently live in.  Perhaps if they were effective at doing whatever it is that they are suppose to be doing, I may be more accepting of them.  Here is a link from an expert who gives his view on the efficacy of masks. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u23TloydoM

 They appear to me to be more about social control than anything else.

Still, this is the world that we all live in at the moment, and I suppose I could spend the entire remainder of my life complaining about one thing or another, but then all I have to do is think about what my friend Guy pointed out to me years ago, and it puts all of this in perspective.  And what was that, you say?  He pointed out the obvious.  That being, that there was never any guarantee at all that I would have ever been born.  That goes the same for every human on the planet.  It seems rather obvious, but until he pointed it out to me, I never gave it a thought.  The advantage to now knowing that fact, is that it allows me to "roll with the punches" as it were.  Good or bad, at least I get to be here, and take it all in.  For that, I am grateful beyond words.

So whether it's magic walls, or masks,  I'll continue to live each day as it presents itself, and try to get the most out of each and every one of them.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

OUR PRISON-LIKE WORLD

 POST # 481

~

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.” ― Carl Sagan

In spite of the bars on the window, I am not currently in prison, although I would have to say that as time continues to pass, the world appears to become more prison-like, at least from my point of view.

And speaking of prisons, I recently received an email from my sister Rosie, letting me know that my niece Kathryn, currently a resident of Melbourne, Australia, a place I called home for ten years, is planning to leave the country and return to Canada.  She has already changed her flight to an earlier date than first planned,  in the hope that she will be allowed to leave the country and/or not get stranded in Singapore on her journey back here.

I responded to Rosie's email by commenting on the fact that Australia, and Melbourne in particular has become an open air prison these past couple of years.  We choose to differ in opinion on why that may be the case.  Let's just say that after reading her response, it's pretty clear to me that we are certainly not in agreement.

As each day passes, more and more information is coming out that strongly suggests that all of the measures that have been put in place in one country after the next, including lock downs, travel restrictions, mandatory masks and vaccines etc.  probably should have never taken place, or at the very least they should now be over and done with.  Yet, restrictions and mandates appear to be ramping up, not easing off.  If I want to continue to eat (live), I have to wear a mask at the grocery store.

As to just how we got here, well there could be plenty of reasons.  I will include a link to a recent review of Robert F. Kennedy Jr's recent book.  

https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid-19/2021/12/04/fauci-gates-and-the-biosecurity-state-as-told-by-rfk-jr

If one takes the time to read through that review, it may answer a few questions as to why we are where we are in late 2021.  And if you haven't been following this side of the story up to now, after reading that review, you may find yourself becoming quite angry at what we've all been subjected too over the past almost two years.  

I recently thought of a book that I read more than a decade ago.  The book was written in 1841 by Charles Mackay, and is titled, "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds".  In some respects it seems like that is exactly what we are experiencing now.  And even if you disagree with what I've written about on today's post, I can highly recommend this book, that is, if you can find a copy.  

When I wrote my post back on  October 28th covering this topic, http://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2021/10/finding-common-ground.html, I thought that it would be my last time doing so.  I guess I was wrong.  My sister's email encouraged me to write this today, so thanks Rosie, for the inspiration.

Of course, it seems to be only us human animals that are mostly affected by the current state of affairs around the world, so it's nice to know that there are other creatures on the planet that are just going about their normal days, and having fun, like playing in the mud.

I came across this lovely female during my recent house sit on Vancouver Island.  She lives at an appropriately named farm.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer