A Hermit by Choice or Circumstance?

Mid-April and I ranted all day yesterday. I will spare you most of that. I will however tell you about Kenya's bad behaviour which contributed to the rant.

We went to pick up Wilbur for his walk. She leapt out of the car at him, teeth bared. Wilbur did his usual Wilbur thing and smiled. She got over any fears she might have had that Wilbur wanted to share her car seat, and the walk proceeded predictably.

Then we met a Portuguese Water Dog called Lucky. The meeting and greeting went well.

Then Lucky's housemate, Chili Pepper, appeared, and Kenya suddenly went ballistic. No one got hurt but Chili was terrorized, her owner, though he remained calm, must have been furious, and I was mortified. If Kenya were anything but a spayed two year old female, I would have suspected either PMS or menopausal madness. As it was, she was just having a particularly bitchy day.

We returned Wilbur and then headed off to see Remi. I thought it might do them good to play rather than walk in view of what we had already been through. Remi wrestling is always a safe arena for getting rid of frustrations and energy. However; 10 minutes into playtime Kenya caught sight of something in the woods and tore across the road in pursuit with Remi hard on her heels. Whatever it was must turned on them and stood its ground because they both dashed home to the chicken strips I was holding up as bait. I leashed them and went for a walk.

It has been several weeks since I have had garbage pick-up here because big trucks have not been able to get in on account of the snow. Now they can, but the road is so soft that it is in really bad shape and I am bottoming out on it. Large trucks would destroy it completely. I think I am going to have to park elsewhere till spring thaw is over. I hope that Lise will let me park there.

I have to get my garbage cans out to Dan's while I can still get out with the car. I now own four (garbage cans, not cars) and will take two to Dan's. Today will likely be my last trip down the hill unless Henry has too much food for me to carry. I am picking Henry up this afternoon after I take my tax stuff to the accountant.

Yesterday afternoon I watched The Snow Walker and saw once again the profound difference between us and those who live with nature. The young native heroine is so wonderfully accepting of what life hands out ... no childish outbursts of temper and frustration ... no railing at Fate ... she simply does what is necessary to survive. She is willing to wait for the fish or the marmots as long as it takes. Even her death is accepted peacefully.

Henry Miller says that we should accept what life offers unquestioningly; that we shouldn't run away, deny, denigrate or despise anything that life hands us. Rather we should face all adversity with an open mind in order to discover in it a source of beauty, joy and strength. "Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to accept it as such."

So I guess I should be reveling in the ever increasing isolation of this place and welcoming the additional opportunities for exercise afforded by its inaccessibility. I am after all a hermit by choice.