Bear Anxiety

I walk silently. I listen, alert to any sound, and I frequently glance behind me as I walk. Gossip and emails have me hyper alert to the presence of a bear on the island. What will I do if I encounter him? Di carries a big stick, but I’m not sure hitting a bear is a good idea. There was a big ad in this week’s island newspaper warning us about the bear and advising us about garbage and bird feeder management. It heightened my anxiety about walking alone with Sheba off her leash, so yesterday I ordered a bear horn from Amazon to carry with me.

I did little but read and despair yesterday. One toilet is broken, my freezer is broken, one burner (the one I use most) is broken, the water system needs repair and is leaking, and the generator tanked. The more one owns, the more that can go wrong. And when things go wrong, my symptoms worsen. Today I’ll search for an appliance repair person in jopes of correcting the freezer and stove. Shizah!

Ten minutes later: relief. I found a Nanaimo appliance repair company that comes to Gabriola every Thursday. Hope lives! I’ll be calling them today. 

The latest Lousie Penny book was released in paperback last week, and so my copy arrived yesterday. I’m thrilled, of course. And Beth wrote to tell me that another book by her is coming out this year. I reckon I can count on one a year henceforth.

Today looks just lousy! It’s dark and damp. It’s not raining, but as I walk around, I can feel droplets of water landing on my face. Rain is predicted for every day until Monday when I go to Vancouver. Sigh.

Now it’s raining and I’m okay with it. The gardens will rejoice, and I will read and eat. I’m sad today. The school shooting in America has left me feeling bereft. I shall avoid the news completely; I don’t want to hear the repugnant things that incidents like this provoke from idiots and psychopaths.