My master and I are best buddies
time together we do love to share
I have proven my “dogged” affection
For a cat, I am told, that is rare
So it gives me great pleasure to flaunt it,
how I’ll follow behind my fine friend,
stay with him as long as I’m needed, then…
…make a bed of his shorts at day’s end.
***
*Photo credits go to Paul Sautter Jr. – except for the last two 😉
***
I can hardly believe it. It’s been nearly five years since my husband and I went through with our plan to trade in our old lives and move out of the city.
In August of 2010, we threw caution to the wind and put our home of ten years on the market. Paul kissed me goodbye, drove to his hometown, and began overseeing the gargantuan job of renovating his grandfather’s old two-storey in Bonavista North. When the sale of our house closed near the end of September, Maisie, Vivian and I joined him. We stayed nearby in a friend’s vacant summer home until the bulk of the work was completed.
During the first week of December that year, we finally had enough upgrades done to buy our new appliances, unpack the boxes, and begin to set up house.
Do I have any regrets? Not many. That first winter, I missed living close to my family, and I still wish I could see my children and grandchildren more often than I do. But other than that, I am happy to have relocated here to our home by the sea. Somehow, I don’t think I would have taken up writing the way I have if I’d stayed in the city, so taking this journey to fulfill my lifelong dream has certainly made it all worthwhile.
Besides that, Paul’s dream to return to his boyhood home has come true too. ❤
Looking back now, I think we can both vouch for the old saying: the best journey is the one that takes you home.
***
***
Have you lived to see a dream come to fruition?
Or are you working on one for the future?
When my husband Paul was six years old, he and his family moved from Newtown – the little community in which we live now – to live in the capital city of St. John’s. Their parents relocated so that Paul’s oldest sibling David could attend the Vera Perlin school for his special needs.
On the day of the big move, Paul crawled up under the house – the actual house we live in now – in a show of protest. “Everyone should be able to live where they were born,” he argued through tears, but the die had been cast. He was pulled out and packed into the car with everyone else.
On the very first day at their new school, Paul and his other brother Kevin, who is one year older, decided to walk home from school for lunch, despite being told to stay there and eat the lunch they’d brought. But when they saw other children going home, they wanted to go as well. Unfamiliar with their new neighbourhood, the two boys got lost, and Kevin started to cry.
Brave little Paul tried his best to console his big brother by distracting him. “Don’t cry, Kev. Look at the pigeons,” he said, pointing at a bunch of them as they waddled across the sidewalk, hoping the strange, tame city birds might cheer him up. It worked, and they ended up following a classmate to his house. Between the jigs and the reels, their dad had to leave work and go pick them up.
Let’s go back a couple of years when Paul was four and Kevin was five, to another time the younger boy displayed his wisdom. A new addition to the family of three boys had arrived, and this time, it was a girl! When their mom brought baby Julie Ann home, the boys crowded around to get a look at their new sister. Kevin’s eyes opened wide when her diaper came off to be changed. “Look, Paul,” he said, incredulous. “She ain’t got nar topper!” (penis)
“No, ya foolish,” Paul said, enlightened beyond his years. “She got whatever Mom got.”
Now before you think I’m beating up on my brother-in-law, I’d like to share one more tale. Okay, two. When Paul was about nine and enjoying his summer vacation in Newtown, Kevin saved him from drowning. Paul was diving with some other boys off of Burnt Island, but he tired in the deep water and panicked. Kevin grabbed him by the hair on top of his head and pulled him to safety.
Years later, when Kevin was just beginning his teaching career, he and Paul were driving along in St. John’s one evening. Without warning, Kevin pulled over, stopped the car, and jumped out. He’d spied two teenage boys in a fist fight near the local hockey rink, and he wanted to stop them. Paul watched as he parted the boys, reasoned with them, and ended the scuffle.
It was a day he never forgot. Where most people would just keep going and not get involved, Kevin stepped in and tried to solve the problem. It made Paul really proud of his brother.
Paul confessed there were other boyhood fights where Kev stepped in and rescued Paul himself, fights my husband started and couldn’t finish. I would say he’s grateful for those too. And so am I. 🙂
For several reasons, 2014 was a happy and productive year for yours truly, and probably the most pleasant since we moved to Bonavista Bay North four years ago.
Fittingly, the most popular song of 2014 turned out to be “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. With its simple, exuberant message and its cheerful beat, perhaps I’m not totally surprised it has become one of the bestselling singles of all time (Personally, I liked his hit “Get Lucky” a little bit more).
However, I find myself partial to the version below by Walk Off The Earth, a band from Burlington, Ontario. They are accompanied in this video by the American pop rock band, Parachute. Have a listen, and tell me what you think!
Thanks to Denise and Dave for introducing them to us a couple of years ago, and kudos to Paul for “feeling the endorphins release”. 😉
What was your favourite happy song of 2014?
Was it a good year for you, or one you are glad to put behind you?
What is bringing you happiness right now?
Links of Interest:
Pharrell Williams’ 24 Hours of Happy
Walk Off The Earth (Official Website)
One sunny afternoon last month, we accompanied friends aboard the Virtue, their Beneteau 400 sailing vessel.
We were only too happy to share in the enjoyment of the October sea and sky.
“Throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
“I never get tired of the blue sky.” – Vincent Van Gogh
“Roll on, deep and dark blue ocean, roll… Man marks the earth with ruin, but his control stops with the shore.” – Lord Byron
“Long may your big jib draw.” – legendary Newfoundland saying meaning good wishes for the future
“I wanted freedom, open air and adventure. I found it on the sea.” – Alaine Gerbault
“How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is quite clearly Ocean.”
– Arthur C. Clarke
“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”
– William Arthur Ward
“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.” – Buddha
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” – Jacques Yves Cousteau
“I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and sky; and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.” – John Masefield
Have you ever gone sailing on a beautiful day such as this?
In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. ~ Albert Schweitzer
Nearly twenty years ago, I met my person. He came into my life at a time my “inner fire” had gone out, at a time I didn’t think I would ever be truly happy again. He gave me back my smile, made me believe in myself, and has been my best friend ever since.
Sixteen years ago today, I married him.
Thank you, Paul, for everything you do for me, everything you mean to me, and everything you are. I love you. Happy Anniversary to the man who rekindled my inner spirit and will always be the love of my life.
Do you have a special person in your life you are grateful for?
* Friday Bouquet will return next week
“Whaaa? Is Jennifer blogging about cats, again?”
Look, I will be the first to admit it. I love all animals, but my adoration for creatures of the feline variety is mega-size and always has been. So if you think I’m a hopeless ailurophile – for those who don’t know, that’s the fancy word for cat lover – I will readily own up to it. This blog has my name on it which means there has to be a cat post now and then.
I think often about kitties of all stripes (pun intended), particularly my own. On the days leading up to our trip to Cuba earlier this month, and actually, any time we travel, I begin worrying in earnest. What do our cats think when we disappear like that, for days on end? Do they open their eyes from each nap expecting to see us, and roam from window to window, wondering what the devil has become of us? Do they fill with anxiety, for fear we shall never return?
When I voice these concerns to my husband, he gives me a patronizing smile and reassures me once again that they don’t think that way, especially as we make sure before we go that all their needs are met and we have someone checking on them. And of course they have each other. But how can he know that for certain, that they aren’t pining for us? I know he loves cats too, but does he think he can read their minds?
Wherever we go, Cuba included, little cats seem drawn to him. I’ll give him that. Like this little tomcat.
So even though I remain unapologetic and consider myself as devoted to cats as he is, and I worry more about the ones we leave behind, I wonder why they always give him the lion’s share of attention. Even the Spanish ones.
What do you think? Say anything, but please don’t call me a crazy cat lady!
Further Reading: 8 Purrfect Destinations For Any Cat Lover
This is my contribution to Ailsa’s photo challenge at wheresmybackpack.com.
Happy Valentines Day!
Disclaimer: No wildlife was harmed during the creation of this photo shoot.
My son came for a visit here in Newtown this past week. On one of the days, I went along to take pics of him and my husband playing beach golf. This beautiful sandy beach is only a few hundred yards from our house. The weather was cool and windy, but I liked the way the photos turned out.
What do you like to do when you go to the beach?
Here is my take on Ailsa’s Travel Theme: Ripples this week.
First, some evening shots along the shores near my home:
This morning I shot these pics of my husband and Vivian on their pre-breakfast jaunt:
There were a few “ripples” of laughter from behind the camera too. 
Jennifer's Journal 