the old man and the sea – 2 Traveling Dogs

This is Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle. I am a bit relaxed today. I know that is hard to believe, but being in a town like Sequim, Washington has brought out the best in me.

Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.-Ernest Hemingway

We may have started off our days here a bit tired, irritable and worn out, but I have learned that often it only takes one person to change your day for the better. Or in our case, one person and a swarm of bees.

The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.-Ernest Hemingway

We have only been here for a few nights, but we already have our routine. Get up, lay around, walk down to the marina, watch the boats, come back to camp, get breakfast and then plan our day. And since we are in a different place every week, it is hard for anywhere to ever really feel like home, and I guess in a way, we don’t want it to feel like home. Because eventually, we are going to have to leave it. But sometimes, things just happen, and you feel things you can’t help. Even though you know you are going to miss that person, place or furkid, you still let your guard down. Because the little time you have with it is worth the pain you will one day feel. And I suppose that is how we are going to feel about leaving Sequim, Washington.

Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.-Ernest Hemingway

As we were walking at the marina yesterday morning, it was busy. There were boats pulling in and out, lots of cars, and Girl Person was starting to get irritable again with all the commotion. But then, all of a sudden, a man who Girl Person said looked like a famous book writer got out of his truck, walked over to us, and told us what good dogs we were.

He asked Girl Person if he could give us a treat and opened up a brand new box of dog bones. He gave us our treats, got back to pulling his boat and was gone. And Girl Person told us that we indeed were good dogs and that it was going to be another good day.

Of course, every person we saw after that, we assumed had a treat for us. The man person with a hamburger, the girl person who was afraid of dogs, the couple people who were gazing into each other eyes and Deputy Digby tried to jump on them, and a grumpy woman person who was running from us trying to find her dog biscuits in her purse. I know they were in there.

But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.-Ernest Hemingway

So…we were making a name for ourselves at the marina in Sequim, Washington, but that was ok. We were going to be leaving in a few days, and well, that was that. We got back, ate our breakfast and knew it was going to be a good day. Girl Person started cleaning up, and then she started complaining as Girl Person does when she has to wash a million dishes outside on a tree stump, since we have no sewer hookups and are parked for so long.

As she was standing there and I was supervising, we heard it. Buuzzzzzz. Buzzzzzz. Louder and louder.

I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.-Ernest Hemingway

Girl Person looked up in the direction of the noise and we saw it. A huge swarm of bees. Now, most people would be scared at a sight like this, but the persons like bees and have learned a little about them. And they know when a swarm like this occurs, the bees are trying to find a new home. And it is very, very rare that you see such a thing. And all the persons could do was stand there and marvel. Sequim, Washington had taught us something again.

You see, even bees know sometimes that they need to move. They know that if their home gets too small or threatened that they must move along together. It is the cycle of their lives. And we feel a bit like the bees today too. There was nothing wrong with our Florida place home, and there still isn’t. And we have traveled to places and states on this trip for over a year now, every time wondering…could this be home? Like the bees, we are still searching for somewhere we can afford, somewhere that feels like home, somewhere we will go together. Change is necessary in life, and can be good just like for the bees. If bees can do it, we can do it. So we keep searching, keeping our minds and hearts open. Life is so uncertain right now, and we are worried. But Sequim, Washington has taught us that there are still good people and good places out there.

And at the end of our day last night, the most perfect thing happened. As our evening walk thru the marina was coming to a close with the sunset, an officer pulled thru. He stopped, turned around, and we thought the worst. I didn’t call for backup, so what was going on?

Just like the old man at the beginning of our day, he had a treat for us too. And although we refused to sit for him, he didn’t arrest us and thanked his fellow officers.

There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.-Ernest Hemingway

And we knew this day was meant to teach us a lesson. Embrace life, see the good. It is still out there. And we will find our place…somewhere soon.

The only thing that could spoil a day was people. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself. -Ernest Hemingway
-Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle

We get asked all the time what we use for flea protection and it’s simple. We use no chemicals, only 4-Legger, organic dog shampoo. It is no secret too that handsome has to be maintained, and Sheriff Brickle uses no other shampoo except organic,

4-Legger!