The Rockies’ Beauty and One Long Evening at the Vet
The Sunday Summary is dead - long live the someday summary!
We spoilered in the last recap and now it’s done! Farewell Sunday Summary - you’ve been a real piece of work!
It is currently just not possible for us to write an update on a specific day in the week. A lot is going on at EatThisWorld right now and our quality standards are too high (😂) to rush it and mess with the process. That’s why we decided to take the due date out of the title and post our more or less regular signs of life when we actually have the time to do so. Like today, for example!
We wanna go back to the roots of this lil’ weekly: a short summary of what’s going on right now. A snap-shot of our life if you will. The more time went by in between these summaries, the harder it was to keep them short. We will limit ourselves in the future to one highlight of the week and one downer of the week. Back to the Roots, Baby! And regarding the new name - it simply fits better to the actualities of our nomadic life. 😉 We hope you still enjoy our weekly roundups because we’ll keep ‘em comin' as long as we are moving around. And right now it doesn’t look like we’re going to settle down soon!
Where are we now:
Jasper Nationalpark, Alberta, Canada
Okay, What’s new?
For one month we are located in the heart of beautiful Jasper National Park and once again we take care of 2 dogs. What follows is a short character study of a Wiener and a Wheaten:
Stewy, a Miniature Dachshund who hates the cold and loves the couch. He likes to spend his days buried under a blanket or on our laps. With current temperatures of -16 °C (3.2°F), we can not blame him!
Wallace, an energetic Wheaten Terrier whose favorite season is winter, could dig for hours through the snow, or chase other dogs in the dog park. At home, he’s always looking for the coolest spot in the house and his favorite snacks are ice cubes.
We’re happy we can spend another good week with them, but dread the day we have to say goodbye. Oh, and the house is also pretty nice. 😉
In addition to Wallace and Stewy, we are currently walking 5 other dogs, too. Of course we are not doing this just because it’s fun (although I have to admit that’s the main reason why we do it), but also because we can earn some money to pay for our expenses. In just a short time, we’ve established ourselves as one of the top dog walkers in town thanks to word-of-mouth recommendations of satisfied customers. As a result, we are always discovering new paths through impressive nature, are constantly confronted with wildlife, and despite the icy temperatures between -10°C and -20°C (14 to -4 Fahrenheit), we are out in the woods every day. And along the way, we shape those calf muscles until we look like Serena Williams!
At the moment, Anna is also taking care of two children with special educational needs for a few hours a week. 😎 From next Tuesday on, she will also work 3 hours every day at the afternoon care program of the local school as an enhancement worker. At the moment, we are quite satisfied with our work-life balance, but we are still considering a full-time job if we would stumble upon a suitable position.
We definitely want to stay in Jasper until the end of the year before heading further east next year!
Downer of the week:
Why house-sitting is not just fun and games and why the menstrual cup defeats the tampon.
Unfortunately, we already had to pay the local vet a late evening visit. After we got back from a big trip with the dogs and were about to cook our dinner, we heard Wallace open a door from the lower floor (he’s quite intelligent and a professional in opening doors). When I checked on him I caught the sneaky bugger digging through the trash of the bathroom bin. That alone would have been no reason to run straight to the vet, but now there was something missing in the trash bit: a tampon! 🤔😨😱😫 Logical conclusion: Wallace has choked down the damn thing! And this can be very dangerous for a dog. When the, er, sanitary article gets swallowed and soaks up the stomach fluids, it can expand and potentially block the intestine. When this happens an operation is inevitable. So we let our Spaghetti go cold, rang the vet's emergency number, and drove Wallace down there so he could choke up the tampon. No sooner said than done, Wallace gets injected with a remedy that causes him to vomit after about 10 minutes. But what ends up on the linoleum floor is nothing but partially digested dog food. Dear reader - you thought you came here to read a nice travel story about the majestic Canadian Rockies, huh? Nevermind and let me go on painting a word picture of our dog's barf. He throws up two more times, very reluctant to throw up in the bowl Toby is trying to aim in the right direction. Maybe it was a false alarm after all. The thing should have been chucked up by now, so the chances are pretty low that he ate it in the first place. The veterinarian shrugs, writes her report in the medical file, and sends us on our way. We should check on Wallace regularly for the next 48 hours - his feeding behavior, how he’s acting in general, and of course his bowel movements. There’s still a chance he poops it out after all. But If something seems strange, we have to head back to the vet for X-rays and surgery. And then, just as we are heading for the exit, he starts to throw up again. And this time it worked! We would never have thought we would be slaphappy to see a tampon in a puddle of dog vomit. Wallace of course has no idea what was going on, but he’s glad that everybody’s cheering! But his eyes say: „ This was a very weird way to spend a perfectly fine afternoon - can we go home now, ffs!“ We will cover the vet bill of $ 113, we’re just happy he’s alright.
Well, yet another reason to use a cup while traveling - boooo tampon!
Highlight of the week:
Canada, just like one would imagine!
Our time in the Canadian Rockies has been breathtaking so far. It's a cliché of endless coniferous forests, mighty lakes, majestic mountains, and wild nature that will turn every short walk into a winter safari. Constantly we spot animals: wapiti, bighorn sheep, giant moose, and foxes scurrying through the snow. Grizzlies, wolves, and pumas also live here in the woods around Jasper, but luckily they mostly stay away from the urban area. Again, we become aware of the diversity that our planet harbors, and we can just stare in awe at the many wonders this journey holds for us. To experience the impressive landscapes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, we humbly accept the extreme temperatures as a trade-off.
"There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing!" *Sir Ranulph Fiennes 🥶
