Beginning Irish Pet-Sit

I arrived in Gort Friday afternoon where the wife of my pet-sitting job (I will just call them husband and wife, not sure if people are comfortable having their names on here...) came and picked me up in her van. She is a very kind, friendly, caring woman that has a weakness for taking in stray pets. That's how she ended up with the rabbits and guinea pig that I am to take care of. Somehow I missed the chickens part of it, but yes, there are 11 chickens that I am to care for and collect eggs from. We drove up to their charming cottage that overlooks the Burren, a geological phenomenon, a sea shelf from the Carboniferous Era where tropical plants as well as those from the Arctic can grow at the same time. We went for a walk with the dogs (two German Shepherds that have since been kenneled while they are away) on the Burren the other day and it felt like somewhere between walking on the Moon and being in the desert. The wife told me that there are canals and rivers below the rock which actually flood into a lake in the winter. It was hard to imagine even rain on this ancient arid rock. I look forward to exploring this further and learning more about it during my stay.

At first meeting the husband seemed a bit mistrusting of me and rather eccentric, yelling things out constantly and then laughing like a cartoon character. He is a successful filmmaker, obsessed with films, and showed me his collection of DVDs that I will keep myself entertained with. Over the weekend I found myself quickly getting used to the quirks and found them both to be very warm sweet people. The husband kept saying that if anything happens to their house that I should just take off and go back to America and anytime he would show me something about the house or something I needed to do he'd say that I must have my wits about me if I'd gotten this far in life, if I knew what he meant, this that and the other.... He got a bike ready for me to use and when I went for the 'inagural trip' I asked if I was supposed to stay on the left side and go with the flow of traffic and his reply was Jesus! You have ridden a bike before haven't you?! He is from Dublin and definitely showed that famous Irish wit in everything he said.

Talking to them, and really everyone I encounter, it's very interesting to see the European perspective on Americans and the US. The husband asked me if I realized just how much the entire world hates Bush and that it's a shame that Americans get wrapped up in that package when for the most part Americans are very good people. Ireland is on the verge of a major recession, something that is talked about constantly. At home the focus seemed to be what was happening to our economy, the downfall and all that, when here it is more about the global economy that is falling. Everything is linked together and everything is suffering. Spain is experiencing a mortgage crisis which is expected to come to Ireland as well--it's sort of like dominoes from my understanding. But something else that I am struck by is just how long it's going to take to repair the damage that's been done not only in our country but all over the world. It feels like hundreds of years. Anyway, you really get a sense of the damage that has been done. But I'm not any pro on politics so I should just leave it to the BBC but it is something that's been a rather interesting topic of conversation.

Anyway, tt was very fun spending time with the two of them and they seemed to take me in like family. They are both obsessed with food and eating well and therefore we ate very well all weekend. I welcomed this very much especially after living off of B&B breakfasts and pub dinners (all of which tasted delicious but at the same time I ask myself what wouldn't taste delicious when you are starving? It was a first, but at one B&B I had porridge that they laced with Bailey's...drinking is still quite a part of the culture here, although I hear it is tapering off, but I'm off on a tangent here!). Even the day they left, the wife made some delicious vegetable chowder and baked two loaves of brown bread for me to eat while they were away. They endearingly called each other Piggy, which at first I thought was rather insulting, but as I got to know them found it fit perfectly. They were very cute and entertaining. Their lively spirits are all over the house with trinkets from their travels and a rather haberdashery decorating aesthetic--it's all rather quaint and comforting and it still seems as though they are here.

Now it's just me with the 4 rabbits (one of which is named Psyhco Bunny, because it bites), the guinea pig, eleven chickens, and at the moment, quite a few flies that are buzzing around inside the house as I type. I did just get all of my laundry done and managed to wash the sheep dung out of my running shoes in the washing machine, so it can't be me that is attracting them. At times when I was walking I would have hoards of flies following me and at one point began running to try and escape them. I felt like that Peanut's character Pig-Pen even though I did keep quite clean! The chickens are rather funny to watch, I don't know if it's from Disney movies but they all look like they are wearing billowing aprons, huffing and puffing about. I wondered what was wrong with one of them earlier as it was shuffling around in a dusty hole outside of the window but guessed that this must have been what the wife told me about them liking to take dust baths. They are funny. If I walk outside they all crowd around thinking I will feed them. (They are fed once a day in the morning). I collected their eggs at noon, the time that I let them out of their run, so that they've all had time to lay and I can get them before the lurking magpies do. It was kind of amazing to feel just-laid warm eggs. They each more or less lay one each day. The wife has someone picking up the eggs every few days to take to work and sell or give away. I am free to eat as many as I'd like and look forward to a yummy scramble. Lately, and now that I am free to create my own menu, I've just been wanting fresh veggies and salads!

So, my situation here, I am in three miles from Kinvarra, a cute little port village on Galway Bay, and 20 miles from Galway, my favorite big city in Ireland with lots of art and culture. The question remains how will I get into either. The husband and wife, as I said, put together a nice bike for me to use, with helmet, reflector lights and all, so I could bike into Gort or Kinvarra, or walk, but my apprehension lies with the busy roads I would have to take--very narrow, high hedges, winding, and rather crazy Irish drivers. There is no way I would use the roads once it got dark or during a busy time of day. I've been offered rides by neighbors, can take a taxi (but it'a very expensive), and can coordinate a few options to get me into Galway--bike, taxi, bus, the person picking up the eggs.... So I'm in this amazing area but I'm not sure how much of it I will see. Today I pretty much got to know the house and animals and didn't get further than the postbox. I guess I have plenty of food and DVDs to last me the next two weeks.