The magical allure of water

Although I have never taken much interest in the various Zodiac signs, I do know that I am an Aquarian. Aquarius is symbolized by the Water Bearer. The Times of India describes an Aquarian as ‘advanced, self-reliant, clever, exceptional, and optimistic’. I’m happy with that assessment. However, Allure magazine notes, ‘Free-spirited and eccentric, they can often be identified by their offbeat fashion sensibilities, unusual hobbies, and nonconformist attitude.’ Hmm, that’s food for thought for me. I think I would need to ask one of my honest friends about that, but I’m not sure I really want to know the answer.

Niagara Falls, Canada

So what made me think about being an Aquarian today? It came about from my reflecting on the fact that I am drawn to bodies of water. I then went to my friend Google to see if I could learn about some possible reasoning behind this. I did come across a few words that were new to me. In my younger days I could have been labelled an aquaphile; someone who loves doing anything on, in, or by the water. I say my younger days because of the word ‘anything’. These days, I’m more selective and less wiling or able to try some things. Aquaphile should not be confused with aquaphilia, which apparently relates to a sexual fetish concerning water and swimsuits. As many of us know, internet searches can at times take us down some unusual paths. Let’s come back to my original train of thought.

Are you starting to resemble Fido?

It is often said that humans and their dogs look alike. Take a moment to view these 15 photos to see some entertaining matches. Notice the pair with matching collars. So, do you agree with that premise?

Photo by Valerie Elash on Unsplash

If you are a pet owner, now take a critical look in the mirror and be honest with yourself. After all, most dog owners think their dog is the cutest and most adorable, but I doubt most think the same about themselves. My question now is that, as a volunteer home and pet sitter, where I spend a relatively short but concentrated time with someone else’s pet, do we start to resemble each other? I doubt it.

Rethinking climbing Mount Everest

One of my pet peeves (and I admit to having a few) is seeing people coming out of stores with shrink-wrapped 24-packs of bottled water. I cringe when I do house sits where the homeowners rely on individual bottled water for their household needs.

Photo by Boxed Water Is Better on Unsplash

I’ve moved in with Bart

I’m currently volunteering as a house sitter in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. This sit came from a referral from homeowners I’ve done multiple sits for, but only once in their Victoria home. It’s been two years since that first visit to Victoria, and so I was happy to agree to return as I do think it’s a beautiful area.

Come from away

The past few days, in the latter part of our coach tour of Newfoundland, we’ve been covering the east side of the island. I was looking forward to visiting Lewisporte and Gander, anticipating tales of 9/11; I gave little thought to our final destination of the capital, St. John’s. I prefer small-town life to city life, so I didn’t feel St. John’s would be of particular interest to me.

Wish list or bucket list? Just do it!

Previously, I mentioned in the blog post that it is on my wish list for me to see a moose while I’m currently in Newfoundland. Did I tick that one off the list today maybe?

O Canada, my home and adopted land

I’ve now lived in Canada for more than 45 years, but I’ve seen very little of the country. On the map of Canada below, I live in Niagara Falls, which is under the ‘T’ of Toronto in the lower right area of the map.

Someday I’ll travel to Winnipeg

A few years ago, I responded to a post on Tutela, a Canadian website for English language teaching professionals. The site’s slogan shows its purpose is to ‘learn. share. grow.’. The post was from a centre in Winnipeg that teaches English language classes to assist new immigrants with settling in Manitoba. I offered to proofread content.

I worked with Iwona, an employee there who quickly had confidence in my abilities and allowed me to spread my wings and go far further than the original task.

Iwona’s professional profile photo

Urban sprawl – at what price?

The header photo is of a sign I saw while in Hawaii. It was thought-provoking for me. On my recent house sit with Louis in Dundas, Ontario, Canada, I was reminded of this topic.

Sleeping with my new friend, Louis

OK, did the title get your attention? Looking for some good gossip, are you? Let me start by saying that Louis is a four-legged friend, and he’s a bed hog!

Recently I did a house sit in Dundas, Ontario, Canada through TrustedHousesitters.