SMOKE-FILLED AUGUST

 POST # 564

Southbound on Amtrak

 Smoke free days are hard to come by this month.  Smoke,  mainly from fires in Canada, has enshrouded the skies from morning until night.  As I write these words, the sky is yet again filled with more smoke.  It has almost become normal, which can't be a good thing.

However, there was a clear day this past week, which allowed me to help out Mary, by re-staining her gazebo.  Here I am in action.

 

In spite of it all, Dora-dog seems not to notice, as long as she has a toy and a human to play with.  Smoke shmoke is her reply. Let's just play.  That's Dora-dog wisdom.

Perhaps September will bring some relief. I guess we'll know soon enough.

grateful for every breath, (in spite of the smoke)

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THEY'RE BAAAACK!!!

 POST # 563

This was the look upon Ollie's face yesterday, when I told him the news that his "mom and dad" aka Nicole and Dan were on their way back home.  You can just see the disbelief in those eyes.  Now, I'd like to think that because he's had such a great time with the house sitter, that he had probably forgotten all about them.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

As the day wore on, and it was still just the two of us on the couch, it looked as though Ollie had finally given up all hope of them ever coming back home.  It's easy to see that he has now figured out that I am not telling him the truth, and he'll be stuck with me forever more.  And because Ollie doesn't do text messaging, he didn't know that I had some inside information regarding their time of return.

And then right on cue, Nicole and Dan arrived home, and boy was Ollie ever happy to see them.  He's certainly not the type of furball that likes to be picked up and held, but this time he made an exception, and he was more than happy to be cuddled.

So there you go, Ollie.  All's well that ends well.  They're back home and as is always the case over the many years that I have been doing this,  I instantly become totally irrelevant, or as I like to say, I become chopped liver.  

But guess what, Ollie?  I'll be back again later this year, so you'll once again have the opportunity to wrap me around your little paws, just the way you like it.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

GOSH BY GOLLY...

 POST # 562

Gosh by golly, it's time for another round with Ollie.  When it comes to easy to care for furballs, Ollie scores full marks.  He's so laid back, that he has had that effect on me.  So I'll keep this entry short today, and get back to hanging out with Ollie.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

SILKEN'S SITUATION

 POST # 561

When I look at Silken's expression, I can only speculate on what she is thinking, but perhaps her thought is what is written on the doormat featured in the next photo.

Yes, that's right Silken, it's me again, so you'll just have to get used to it.  I won't be here for too long, so you'll be able to get back to normal before the week is out.  So just relax.  It's not like we're strangers after all.  I've been here on numerous occasions, and as you have witnessed in the past, everything goes according to your plan, so this time won't be any different.  You have my word.

I can understand that you may be a bit more anxious than normal, as you have been feeling a bit under the weather lately, however your owner has supplied me with the proper food and medication to help you get better, so chill out, and enjoy yourself.  Here's a suggestion for you.  Why not just sleep even more than you normally do, and that way, you won't even know that I am here.  I'll make sure that I keep quiet so that you can have the most restful sleep that is possible.  And if you're not sleeping, there are plenty of cat toys around the house that we can have fun with, so it's all good, my furball friend. 

I've been keeping a watchful eye over you, and from what I can see, you seem to be pretty well back to normal.  In fact, as each day passes, it appears that your situation is improving.  I've had to deal with other sick furballs in my house sit journey, and it hasn't been fun for the furball or the human.  Thankfully, you are on the mend.

Now that looks better.  It appears that you are back to your old ways, snoozing on the cat tree.  Perhaps during my next visit, you will have forgotten all about this recent sickness of yours, and everything will be back to normal.  You will be grateful for every nap, and I'll be...

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PS.  Happy birthday, Pauline

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES

 POST # 560

As I wind up my house/pet sitting duties here, and head back over to the mainland,  I wasn't exactly sure what I would talk about today, but then I came up with the idea of including this photo, as an example of at least a part of my adventurous life.

A while back, I was pawing through my storage locker, with the purpose of finding my birth certificate, and while doing so, I came across this long forgotten photograph.  I thought that it was worthwhile to share it with my readers.

I took this photo, while living in Melbourne, Australia way back in 1996.  Did I ever look this young?  It's hard to believe it now.  

It was a trip down memory lane for me. Photos of my time at Expo '88 in Brisbane, when I worked for a float plane company that did daily flights to the Expo venue.  A few photos of the day that I received my Australian Citizenship, and the after party at the house I lived in.  Hiking and climbing in the mountains west of Calgary.  A couple of photos of mom and one of dad.  Landing my Piper Warrior aircraft at Moorabbin airport in Melbourne, after I had received my pilot's license.  A photo from Indonesia, with a monkey on my back trying to steal my eyeglasses.  A photo from a fruit juice stand in New Delhi, India, and many more. There are at least two readers of my blog, that if they look real, real hard, will find themselves also featured in this post.  I've enjoyed life's journey.  What's that line from the old song by Joe Walsh, "Life's Been Good To Me So Far."  I have to agree.

The adventure continues.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

FROM NEW FURBALLS TO AN OLD BONEHEAD

 POST # 559

From Sam's point of view, it doesn't get much better than this, as a way to start the day.  During my time here in Ladysmith, caring for Sam and Tess, this became Sam's morning ritual.  As soon as he heard that I was awake, he would come racing up the stairs and settle himself down in between my legs.  He probably could have stayed here all day long, because as you can see, he looks rather relaxed.  But before long, it was time for me to get up and head back downstairs with Sam, in order to join Tess in the kitchen.  The furballs demanded breakfast, so before I attended to any other item, breakfast was served.  Soon after, they would both be back upstairs in my room sleeping again.  What a rough life.  Mind you, it certainly is an easy house/pet sit, when I can just do my own thing all day long, while the furballs dream about whatever they dream about. They probably dream about sleeping even more.

But yesterday, the party came to an end.  Sam and Tess's owners returned home, and I had to head to my next gig, here in Nanaimo.  I've lost track of how many times I've been at my current location, but it's a wonderful place to spend some time, and the view overlooking the harbour is spectacular.  

So it's time now to hang out with Eunice, and even though, she's a timid bonehead, I think that ever so slowly, she's coming around to trusting the house sitter.  Her owner left this morning, and I just happened to get this photo of Eunice, as she drove away.  Her look says it all.  

A few hours have now passed since I took this photo, and Eunice seems to have come to terms with the fact that she is once again stuck with me for a while.  Soon enough, we will be into a regular routine, and things will settle down for her.

Now just to  backtrack in time for a moment, I had to include these two photos which I took about three days ago, down by the marina in Ladysmith.  This visit to the marina had become a part of my daily walk, and I found a particular bench overlooking the marina, which had a wonderful tree next to it, that allowed me to be in the shade.  While sitting there relaxing the other day, I heard the sound of what could only be an eagle.  The sound was right up above me, so I walked a short distance from the bench, and there it was sitting in the tree.  I took one photo, and then decided to take one more, and it was just a fluke that I managed to catch the eagle right at the moment that it took off from the branch.  Both photos are somewhat blurry, but you get the picture.  I was happy to have been there at the moment of take off.

So that rounds out the blog for today.  Eunice is giving me the look, so it must be time to get her out for her afternoon stroll around the neighbourhood.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

WARNING!!! MOUSE FREE ZONE

 POST # 558

If you happen to be a mouse, you'll want to stay well clear of the house that I have recently arrived at, here in the lovely little town of Ladysmith, BC.  The two resident furballs have attached this door knocker to the front door, just as a warning.  This is a mouse free zone.

I've only been here for three days, but so far, I haven't even seen a single mouse, so I guess that the furballs are right on top of things.  I can sleep peacefully each and every night, knowing that they are keeping the house sitter safe from wandering rodents.

If I were to hazard a guess as to which one of these two would be a good "mouser", my money would be on Sam, shown above.  He's got energy to spare.  On the other hand, Tess, below, spends most of her day sleeping.  I'm sure that she deserves it.

They are both very affectionate companions, so I am having a wonderfully relaxed time getting to know them.

I have a great location, and even though I am technically in a small town, this location feels quite rural.  As I may have mentioned before on this blog, I like a more rural setting, and the main reason for that, is that it offers peace and quiet.  Above all else, including the critters that I care for, my number one preference for any particular house/pet sit is that it is quiet, and my current location fits the bill.  

I have a wonderful garden that I can relax in, and I happen to be here when there are plenty of fresh beans and raspberries to pick, something that I do a couple of times a day.  There are even a few early tomatoes, so I am very fortunate indeed.

Each morning, as soon as I wake up, I hear Sam bounding up the stairs, so that he can hop up on my bed, and spend a few moments with the sitter.  Tess, on the other hand, doesn't see the point of wasting the energy to climb the staircase, so she just remains downstairs, in anticipation of my imminent arrival so that they can both enjoy some cat food for breakfast, served of course, by the house sitter.  It didn't take the two of them very long to train me.

After the furballs have had their breakfast, my next chore is to head outside and water the many plants in the yard.  It doesn't take me very long to do, and I rather enjoy the task, so it really doesn't feel like work.

Just this morning, when I was in the backyard, completing my watering duties, I noticed this flower on the cactus in the photo below.  Truth be known, it's the first time that I have noticed it, since my arrival, which makes me wonder if it just sprang up overnight?  Whatever the case may be, it certainly is a pretty flower to look at.

And just in case I forget who is actually running the show around here, this sign is there to remind me each and every day.  Thankfully, as a pet sitter, at least I don't have to pay the mortgage.

A couple of more things to mention before I finish for today, is that as you can see, I now have the ability to once again post photos.  It's a little more complicated than before, prior to my email account getting hacked, but at least it's now possible.  

And the last item for today is to mention my blog post from exactly one year ago, on July 14, 2022.  On that day, I officially outlived my dear old dad by one day.  So as of today, I have another year under my belt.  Where did that year go?  The days fly by way too fast now, but at least I am still here to enjoy each and every one of them.  

Here is a link to that post from one year ago, today.

http://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2022/07/24606th-day-on-planet-earth.html

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer