Holding On

The days are warmer now (unless there’s wind) but the mornings are still hovering around the freezing mark. The downside of having all the snow melt is that the world can see the results of having gremlins trash my yard all winter. They’ve made a real mess. 🙂 I’m gradually getting it cleaned up, although it’s slow going.

I had one of “those” birthdays this week. It’s a mystery why we consider some numbers to be milestones but, I reached one of them. The amount of virtual candles associated with this year is admittedly a shock every time I think of it – the body might feel it, but the brain refuses to acknowledge the reality.

I don’t know why exactly, however, YouTube is saturating my feed with “This is Who Died Today” videos – which isn’t comforting. A West Coast friend and I were recently discussing the fact that many of the people we associate with our younger days seem to be passing away and it just seems to be getting worse. David Crosby? The Universe is never kind.

I’ve mentioned (I think) that one aspect of living here and having a small Border crossing is that you become familiar with the Officers who work on both sides. They all know (unless they’re new, in which case they learn quickly) our habits and our business. They’ll remember our names even before they scan in our passports, or enter our license plates, and if our dogs want cookies.

I went to get gas the other day and on my way back the Officer looked at me and said “Well, that solves one mystery!”. It turned out that he had been told a woman with a name similar to mine (which is a little unusual for this Island) had passed away. He thought it was me. Then he looked at my passport, realized the proximity of my birthdate and the enormity of my age and said “Well, at least you’re alive!”.

I told him I was glad I could clear that up.

For today’s final image allow me to share a photo of my friend Becket. One of the few animals on this Island who does not spend the day telling me what to do. I’d better get back to cleaning up the yard – while I still can. 🙂