I ❤️ Pinecone Park

I could hardly wait to walk Sheba yesterday morning, so as soon as I’d had my morning soak in the spa, off we went. I was very keen to see her stool. (I can’t wait until the word, ‘stool,’ is gone from these posts.) Although it was overcast, it was lovely, warm and gently windy. I loved being in the forest, but there was no pooping on her part. She must have done her business when I let her out at 4:15 when it was still very dark and I didn’t follow her to see what happened.

When we went for our walk, I felt blissful because I was up to date with SPACE and the house and yard were in order. I felt no pressure to do any chores, so I looked forward to getting deeper into my thick book: Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann.

I walked Her Highness three times yesterday. It didn’t rain, but it was heavily overcast all day. The darkness of overcast days makes me feel calm. I saw no one on the trails, there was hardly anyone in the market, and there were only a few cars on the road passing me between the village and home. These days slow me down. I don’t have to water, I can rationalize staying on the chaise with a book, practicing for Winter.

Late in the afternoon, I did quite a bit of watering. I shall finish watering all the remaining beds today. This morning when I let Sheba out after her breakfast, I followed her as she hurried to do her business and I was happy to see the state of her stool. She is definitely getting a bit better every day. I think our crisis has passed.

This morning, early, I Zoom with Nicola, then we shall walk with our friends. I’ll come home to water and then I have a Zoom session with Aidan and then another Zoom session with a bunch of my fellow stutterers to discuss future plans for SPACE.

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I remember when I moved here, feeling like I was staying at a B&B. From a small condo in downtown Vancouver to a three-bed, two-bath home with a large studio and shed, sitting on half an acre. It was a steep learning curve to take this on with my inexperience with wells and machinery, frequent power outages and knowing only one person on the island.

Every night now, I take a walkabout in the backyard. Sometimes I go to the edible garden and front yard garden as well. And when I come in, every time I open the back door, I am overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for this life I have here. Pinecone Park is my safe place.

Here, I am loved by three beautiful creatures. Over eight years, we have come to know and love each other. Last night, watching a movie, Sheba was on the floor beside the chaise, and Fred, Ethel and I were on the chaise. Everyone there by choice; everyone feeling safe.

I can speak fluently to people I meet on the trails or as I lead my life here on the island. If someone stops and wants to engage with me, my stutter will flare. However, were he someone I met several times, I’d become more fluent if I liked and trusted the person.

It’s the same thing with places. I can speak with the insurance people at the local credit union. They know about my speech, and they are very warmly professional, so I can communicate orally with them. And it’s getting better as time passes. (‘Communicating orally’ is my term for when my speech is very limited. Often, gesture, facial expression, body movements, etc. are part of my oral communication.)

It’s very hard to get comfortable away from home. For me, I programmed in my brain to be on high alert. When I leave the island, I am mute, and very adverse to extremes sick as bright lights, loud noises, fast drivers on the highway, people who speak loudly, are aggressive, or who won’t look at me.

My nervous system is stuck on ten out of ten. That’s why I came here, to where life is slow, quiet and gentle. The quiet here is as impressive as the aurora borealis. I thrive here, thanks to the place, the community and, in particular, Sheba, Fred and Ethel.

The spectacularly beautiful landscape of White Sands National
Park in New Mexico.

Back to Solitude

Monday began well. Sheba was showing signs of improvement and there was no need for me to water anything in the yard. I had the entire day to myself to do some SPACE work, to read and to walk Her Highness. But our morning walk was with our friends. 

I took her out at 6:30 so that I could see the state of her stool, but that was a short walk and our walk with our friends was much longer. Although it was overcast and only 17°, it was lovely to walk in the fresh air and to see how welcome the rain was to everything growing in the forest.

When we got home, it wasn’t long until it was lunchtime. I had to give Sheba her penultimate dose of deworming medicine that she despises first, but then we had lunch—she remains on her bland diet, but today I start introducing her regular food.

After lunch, I read until the delivery truck arrived with a new chair that I assembled. Then Her Highness and I went for our afternoon walk while we were still confident there’d be no rain. When we were done, we came home, me to read until dinnertime, she to rest. Our evening was the usual.

This morning is overcast, slightly windy and wonderfully warm. It’s inspiring to be outside at 5:00 when I take Sheba out. I don’t walk with her, but I look around the yard amazed by the beauty of early morning on a warm Summer day. I could hardly wait to get into the spa.

Last night, I did all my SPACE homework, so I am free to spot water and read today. Yesterday, we had four walks. We’ll likely have several today as well. This morning was the second morning without any issues with Sheba’s problematic bowels. She seems better. I’ll know more when we walk later and I see how her stool looks.

Tomorrow we return to sunshine and heavy watering. Sigh. But I’ve enjoyed the break from watering very, very much. 

Rain & Steve Departs

I awoke to the delightful sound of falling rain yesterday morning. The joy I felt was slightly offset by the smell in the house created by Sheba’s deposit in the hallway. Once Steve was up, I was back on all fours cleaning the carpet with my wonderful steam cleaner. 

The rain wasn’t heavy, but it was ongoing. I continued all through the morning as Steve and I passed time on our computers as we awaited the time to depart for the ferry terminal. It was great to see my rain barrels filling up with fresh water. Showers are predicted for today, and rain is forecast for tomorrow. I’m going to love having several days off from watering the beds.

At 11:30 I took Steve to the ferry. On the way back, I stopped at Rollo Park to walk Her Highness. Then we came home and I started to read and then fell asleep. There was no rain in the afternoon. but it was dark and damp. I love rain in Summer! We all had dinner and I couldn’t decide on a movie, so Sheba and I went for a walk at 20:00. We went to Rollo Park where she is always willing to walk.

There was no one else there, and it felt like a different world in the dim light, and the dampness of the forest. I loved it. It was dead silent; there was no wind. As we walked I became conscious of feeling blessed to live here where we can walk off leash all over the island trails. 

I survived Steve’s visit. He is an obsessive attention seeker, and when he drinks he interrupts people and I wish he wouldn’t do that. I treasure the love of both my brothers. I believe Dwight is coming sometime soon. He’ll be coming on his bicycle. Steve is getting together with Dwight when he is in Vancouver.

One day, he was gone with the car for a long time. On another day, he kept napping, once for two hours. Sometimes we sat together, me on the computer, Steve on the phone. Also, we ate out for every meal. We have learned how to be together without causing me stress. It blows my mind I took the toilet apart and changed the gasket. How butch is that. New trick for this old dog, too.

Yesterday afternoon was all about recovery. I love Steve and I look forward to his visit every year. I feel blessed that he is in my life, but I was very happy to be alone again after he departed. We had a really good time. I shall treasure the memory of our first dinner together on the lawn at The Surf in the sunshine by the sea.

Today the sky is thick with dark clouds. It may be like this until Thursday, with each day possibly including rain showers. No watering! Yay! And this morning, there were no Sheba souvenirs in the house, probably partly because of our late-night walk and lots of markings leaving her urine deficient, and partly because she is getting better. I had reason for optimism when I saw the state of her stool this morning.

Today will be about walking and reading. It’s going to be a nice slow day at Pinecone Park for all of us.

Steve: Day Four

Blood! It broke my heart to see so much of it in very little stool. (Isn’t this fascinating reading?!) I’d followed her outside to watch her. It was 5:00. I walked the entire yard looking for traces of more stool and found nothing, so I got busy watering. When I’d finished over half of the beds, shrubs and trees, I came inside and found what I’d been looking for in the hallway. 

Thank goodness for my steam carpet cleaner! Once Steve was up, I got it out and soon all traces of unmentionables were gone. I had a break from watering, chatting with Steve while he obsessed about the weather, and then I went back to watering even though rain is predicted later today and tonight. (I have no confidence in the forecast when rain is predicted.)

Steve, Sheba and I went into the village to go to the farmers’ market, and then we went shopping at Nester’s for supplies to make the Spanish gazpacho soup we’re taking to Eoin and François’ place where we’re having dinner. When we got home, we had lunch and then Steve took the car to go exploring, but he didn’t last long. He was back in about an hour and he went to bed and slept for two hours.

While he slept, I took the guest bathroom toilet apart. It’s something I have never done before, but there was a problem with it running all the time. The plug inside was not working and needed replacing. I was very worried that I would not be able to get everything back together without leaking. However, I did it!

When Steve got up, he busied himself making the soup, while I took Sheba, who is still mighty sick, walking. Soon, it was time to go to E&F’s place for dinner. And man-oh-man, did they make a wonderful dinner. They julienned a shitload of veggies and wonderfully spiced and cooked tuna, chicken and beef, and we made ourselves rice paper rollups for dinner. Oh my God, it was delicious. My two wonderful friends are amazing cooks!

François, left, Eoin, centre.

We came home and immediately went to bed. This morning, another canine accident in the hallway, so I was steam cleaning again this morning. Soon, I’ll be taking Steve to the ferry. He’s catching a bus in Nanaimo to go to Victoria where he’ll meet his partner, Tim, for a stay there and then they go to Vancouver for the Pride celebration.