Second Half of the NEW YEAR

Good Morning and Day 2 of my Vacation Days (Day 5 since my last day of work).

A very warm one is one the way.

The sky is a delicate blue, there is virtually no breeze at all and the sun is glowing like the powerful ball in the sky that it is.

Yesterday I defrosted and cleaned the fridge, cleaned the oven, and finished my craft project.

So it was a busy day.

As we have been doing since Sunday morning we were out walking bright and early.

Well 7:30 a.m.

We were already into the park when Alvin spotted a “shopping cart.”

It had been on the other side near the entrance yesterday morning and he did not acknowledge the beast.

But this morning …. it got his gaw.

He gave the big green monster a wide girth as we walked by, growling and barking until we were clear.

So funny.

Oh me Alvin.

We encountered not a soul … not cats out in the yard enjoying the sunshine …. no humans out walking their Alvins.

Just me and Alvin.

I will say it was kind of nice.

As we walked into the park – I had to stop and move my glasses (with sunglass clips) to fully appreciate the rich green of the trees and grass.

Absolutely breathtaking.

The green is my favourite shade of green ….. grass green ….kelly green would best describe that shade.

Picture perfect with the blue sky and the green grass and trees.

As we came near our friend’s house …. we briefly stopped to admire her flowers.

She has one of the most gorgeous flower gardens that I have ever seen.

 

Well before it gets too hot, I want to give Mr. Alvin a hair trim and bath.

So have to get going as want to begin before 9:00 and be done no later than 11:00 a.m.

Otherwise it will be too warm.

I think Alvin will be pleased to have a bath on a hot day.

I will follow with a shower.

 

My TO DO LIST is starting to get shorter with each passing day.

The only item that I may not get done this week is washing all of the window blinds in the house.

There are blinds on each window so there are a great many.

Might leave them for next Monday, we shall see.

This is vacation after all.

But also time to get those extra time consuming jobs completed.

 

I hope that you are safe and in good health, keeping cool.

For all those birthdays in August …. WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

I think that I know at least one person with a birthday every day in August.

 

We stopped and picked up the mail on the way home.

I had two non-junk pieces of mail.

One was a birthday card from my Aunt and Uncle, so treasure her cards and letters.

I am saving the letter for later to read and enjoy.

The other was a brown envelope from Revenue Canada …. I was not sure what that would be.

When I opened it – pleasant surprise.

Information about applying for CPP or better known as Canada Pension Plan.

All the details including amounts that I could receive pending on when I apply.

 

Okay time to fly.

Get this day going …..

Wishing all creatures on this earth to live with kindness and respect.

I/We shall remain,

As Always, Alvin and Carol

Second Half of the NEW YEAR.

Welcome to Tuesday, the 4th day of August, 2020.

The sun is shining so brightly and the sky is a beautiful blue dotted with a few white whimsical clouds.

There is a slight breeze.

But already you can feel it is going to be another warm day.

Although the weather channel is forecasting 25 degrees celsius for today; I think there is a strong possibility it will be much warmer.

We just arrived home a few minutes ago from a lovely early morning walk.

We bumped into a gal with two pups named Luna and Bella.

 

Yesterday in the early afternoon my daughter came for a visit and to help me with a craft project.

She picked me up a couple of supplies from Michael’s.

We had pancakes with fresh blueberries and coffee before working on my project.

My daughter is one of the best human beings that I know.

She is intelligent, caring, compassionate, supportive and loving and has a great sense of humour.

There are not enough words to describe her or what she means to me and Alvin.

We love her very much.

I am most grateful that she is able to take time away from her busy life to spend time with us.

I am blessed.

 

Today is my defrost the fridge and clean the oven.

Two large jobs that I wanted to get done.

As it is a bit cooler now – decided to do the fridge now.

So this will be short.

I guess I should have stayed up at 5:11 when we were first up and the fridge could have been done before our walk.

The house is not hot now either which will help.

I have more stuff in the fridge than I planned.

Freezer things will go into a rubbermaid container to keep the cold contained.

I will have to work fast.

 

I hope that you all are doing well.

Last night we had the storm of all storms.

Lots of thunder and lightning with the lights flickering from time to time.

The rain was coming down in buckets full.

I am glad that I moved my flowers.

 

One more thing to mention.

I decided at the last moment to check Telus ON DEMAND and see what was there for movies.

I saw that THE SECRET had a new movie on demand.

“Dare to DREAM”

It was skipping the theatres and available to rent.

I was shocked it was renting for $20.00.

I really have enjoyed all of the books that Rhonda Byrne has written and published.

Something told me to go for it.

If I had gone to the theater by the time I paid for my ticket and treats it would be more than $20.00.

So I rented the movie.

Really good and inspirational.

Another reminder that you do receive what you think about the most.

Time to change those thoughts patterns once again.

It is so easy to get into a rut.

 

Well time to go.

I can always watch the movie again later as I have access to it for two days.

It was well worth the $20.00.

I guess an early birthday present to myself.

 

Living with kindness and respect.

Alvin is barking downstairs.

Time to go.

Fridge and Alvin are calling me.

 

I/We shall remain,

As Always, Carol & Alvin

 

 

 

 

Second Half of the NEW YEAR.

Good Morning.

We were up once again in good time and had a lovely walk.

The sky was filling up with clouds and the thunder roared as we went about our morning stroll.

We were just about home when we spotted our neighbour Irene out painting her fence.

She is the wife of Norbert.

Yesterday he was trimming their hedge in the front yard.

Alvin and I stopped and had a quick visit just as it started to rain.

Luckily it did not amount to much so we did not get wet before reaching home.

We were home long enough to get Alvin a treat, grind some coffee beans and put on the coffee.

I was at the kitchen window pulling up the massive blind trying to open them when I heard at the back window the voice of my neighbour.

Asking me to please come as Humphrey and Bogart got out.

“Outside,” I said and she replied YES.

I ran to the front door telling Alvin as I left that I would be back.

We ran out front calling them and looking for the cats when my friend had gone back to look in front of her house, she had her front door open and saw them at the patio door

off her kitchen.

They were in the backyard after all.

What a relief!

In the backyard, we found that the kitten could get on top of the back gate and make his escape that way.

He could follow the gates and even come into our yard.

Master Houdini.

Wow, I haven’t seen Bogart for a few days and he has really grown.

We visited for a few minutes before I returned home to Alvin.

So time to have him in a harness and on a leash while outside in the backyard if she is not able to be out there with him.

Lots of excitement this morning.

Also lots of thunder happening but not much rain as yet.

 

Well we had fun with Bailey the puppy from down the street.

Her Mom dropped her off about 4:30 and picked her up about 9:00 p.m.

She is a busy little one.

Reminds me of a two year old child.

When Bailey was not running all over the place she was attempting to bite me and everything else.

She loves Alvin’s chew treats so I gave her a couple and that kept her busy for some time.

Alvin and I were played out between Bailey and the 83+ degree temperature it was in the house.

Even with fans going full blast it was still hot and most especially for Mr. Alvin with his fur coat on.

There is a nice cool breeze coming in through the office window.

Back to Bailey.

There were a couple of times of course when they each had a chew treat and Mr. Alvin was not very gracious.

He growled at her only because she had one of his treats.

Finally after a couple of times, I resorted to giving them each a shot with the water bottle.

That released Alvin’s thoughts and hers.

Actually with the heat the water likely felt refreshing.

I was so impressed with Miss Bailey as she barked at the back door when she had to go outside to pee or to poo.

 

Holy catfish, that thunder is loud.

The lights flickered a minute ago.

I am wondering if I should move my flowers …. downpour coming?

Not sure….

But I am going to run down for a minute …. will be right back

I am back.

Just moved a few of my flower pots closer to the house.

Lights just went out for a second.

Likely better for me to end this soon.

 

Back to Bailey, we enjoyed having the puppy with us.

I have some photos but will share them later.

She was so cute when she would just snuggle up beside me on the sofa.

Bailey on one side of me and Alvin on the other.

That peaceful glorious moment was amazing.

 

Okay time to go.

 

Living with respect and kindness.

I/We shall remain,

AS Always, Carol & Alvin

 

 

Second Half of the NEW YEAR.

August 2nd, 2020 and a beautiful morning.

We were first up at 5:00 and Alvin had his breakfast.

Then back to the sofa for some extra zzz’s.

It was so hot in the house yesterday that I was really wishing that I had the A/C working.

But we made it through with the help of some electric fans.

I had the windows open with a breeze coming in earlier and have already started the fans.

I can only imagine what our electric bill will be next time.

We slept until 7:00 and then were up and got ready to go for our first walk in over a week.

 

One of neighbour’s down the street, Norbert was already out trimming his hedge that lines the sidewalk before their fence wraps around the yard.

They are on the corner lot and have a huge yard.

All of the neighbours are envious of their beautiful yard and flowers and the trees.

They truly have one of the most glorious yards.

We stopped and chatted of course and when I said that Alvin has a pulled muscle in his neck, he thought something must be wrong as they had not seen us out walking.

We walk like clock work unless one of us cannot.

After catching up we were on our way.

One of the people down the street from us had not cut his grass at all this summer.

I was surprised to see it finally cut.

Norbert said he had three people out cutting the grass.

Now that person is in half of a duplex so the front yard is not huge and likely the back was in as bad shape as the front.

So I could see multiple people.

It looks like a real bad haircut.

On the upside, the weeds are cut down.

Hopefully he keeps it cut.

Another neighbour, in fact, a young woman had some work done in the front yard.

She added some shrubs and some beautiful little solar lights and wood chips in the front lining the sidewalk from her house to the street.

Looks so good.

Man, so many changes since we were out last walking.

I miss seeing everyone’s flowers and chatting with folks.

We saw a couple sitting on their front porch enjoying “breakfast,” I would assume.

Although this morning Norbert was the only person we knew out.

There were a couple out for a morning run and then on the way home, a lady was out for a morning stroll.

Funny story, while we were out, we or actually I noticed this squirrel with a white belly on these huge rocks in the front yard of a neighbours a few blocks away from our house.

The squirrel was sitting and then would run a bit and then stop and then I noticed there were two black cats watching him with anticipation of what …. well who knows.

Likely not good.

They were on long leashes out enjoying the cool morning air.

So no immediate danger to the squirrel.

But I noticed the squirrel and the cats noticed the squirrel but not Mr. Alvin.

He was just sniffing away.

 

We had the best walk.

Enjoying the sights and smells of the flowers along the way.

 

Well I am going to make pancakes for breakfast before the heat really sets in for the day.

I guess this is going to be an easy not much going on kind on day.

But later our friend Alison is dropping off puppy Bailey for a couple of hours as she has an outing.

Bailey is busy so I will be busy.

 

I have some craft projects that I am working on so that will keep me busy for the day.

Something not requiring a lot of running about.

 

Well time to get this day underway ….. well to have coffee and breakfast.

I hope that you are keeping cool and enjoying your weekend.

We are so grateful to be feeling well and for the walk, it was absolutely glorious.

Another hot one on the way, 30 degrees celsius.

Then tomorrow 23 or 24 degrees celsius.

That will feel cold, wild laughter !!

 

Living my life with kindness and respect for all.

I/We shall remain,

As Always, Mr. Alvin and Carol

 

 

Second Half of the NEW YEAR

Good Morning,

Wow, August 1st, 2020.

The sun is shining brightly with a picture perfect sky.

There is a cool breeze.

When we were out on the deck a few minutes ago it was glorious.

I/We could have stayed there until it gets too hot.

But alas we had to come into the house as there are things to do.

Last night I worked till 5:58 so that I could finish all of my work including returning phone calls.

I do not like to go on vacation and leave work to do.

That is one advantage if you will of working from home.

If I had been at the office …. there would have been things left to do.

So I am grateful to be at home for that among many other reasons.

I am officially on vacation and do not work again until August 17, 2020.

Two glorious weeks to dibble and dabble around the house.

I have a list, well actually not yet as it is only in my head at this time.

But so that I do not forget anything I will write things down on paper.

My office “workspace” will return upstairs at some point today.

I was thinking of rearranging things up here as well to better accommodate working from home.

I have more a iMac computer for home and then a laptop and monitor for work.

Two desks from IKEA line one of the office walls.

Not wide but they run from the doorway to the window.

At the moment my MAC is by the window but as I will be spending more time on the work computer, perhaps there would be more room the other way around.

Actually I like working from the kitchen table but it is not practical long term.

Okay, vacation mode ….

Looks like we are going to have some hot days for the weekend at least or that is all I managed to see on the weather channel before going to bed last night.

I celebrated my last day of work by ordering pizza from my favourite pizza place “Royal Pizza” in a neighbouring community.

With the pizza I had one of the alcoholic beverages that my friend had given me to try.

To finish the celebration – I had a buster bar from Dairy Queen from the box that my son-in-law had surprised me with at the beginning of the week.

I actually could sit by the office window now in my sleeveless nightgown with the wind ever so wonderfully touching my shoulders with it’s cool touch.

Mmm, nice.

Alvin has left the office and is in the hallway.

I turned the fan on in the bedroom as next stop is a shower.

Man, I need one it has been a few days.

My hair looks like something out of a monster flick.

The Monster from Beyond.

We also found out on Friday that we are not going back to the office until the NEW YEAR.

They have asked us to complete a survey about our time at home and the ups and downs.

I did not have time to complete the survey as I was busy trying to get my work done before vacation.

Instead at lunchtime I replied to our CEO’s email and let him know my thoughts.

Truly I love being at home.

At first, it took some adjustments, of course.

That was a major change.

But now being at home with Alvin and no commuting.

The extra 1.5 hours or more extra that I have at home is great.

Now granted some of that time and more I work but that is not going to be a forever deal.

Well time to head to the shower.

I think today will be a slow one.

Shower, change bedding, do some laundry, well better have some coffee and some breakfast.

Move the computers around before it gets too hot or NOT.

I have time ….. a nice luxury.

We will see where this day takes us.

 

For all of you that read my blog daily or whenever you have time, I really appreciate your time.

I hope that sometimes I make you giggle, laugh or smile.

Perhaps give you cause to rethink something.

Maybe an idea.

Or maybe just a little distraction from your everyday life.

We all have our down in the dump moments leading sometimes into days.

We all have our joy to the rafters moments leading possibly into days.

We all have little things and big things.

Good and bad and inbetween.

To be human is to experience everything that runs the gamut from one extreme to the other.

I hope that you are able to find your best space somewhere in in the middle.

Life is only as perfect as you make it.

Life is only as you react to those moments that run the extremes.

So on this first day of my birth month and being on vacation, I am over the moon happy.

Great feeling to know that at the very least we will be home until the New Year.

Merry Christmas.

So happy for Alvin …..

I started working from home on March 19, 2020 and if I go back to work in January 2021 – that is almost one whole year.

So happy that I have had this time with the boy and am keeping my fingers crossed that we will continue past January 2021 working from home.

There will be a couple of days each month that I will take turns with my coworkers and go to the office but hey that is not a problem.

FOR SURE.

 

Okay I am rambling …. thoughts just pouring onto the page.

Time for that shower.

I can start to feel a change in the temperature.

Time to close blinds again.

 

I hope that you all have a great Saturday.

See you tomorrow morning.

Living with kindness and respect for this Earth and its inhabitants.

I/We shall remain,

As Always, Carol & Alvin

 

Some of the cuteness that surrounds me

Mr. Alvin and Neighbours Humphrey and Bogart

Second Half of the NEW YEAR.

Well today is Friday, July 31, 2020 and my last day of work before I begin vacation for two weeks.

I worked last night until 9:00 p.m. and yes, it was a long day but I feel that I will be leaving “my desk” in a better place for my coworkers and for my return.

The air outside is a bit cooler and there is a slight breeze.

I will tell you that Alvin wondered what the “hay” I was doing last night.

My Supervisor at work was took a couple of days off and my teammates dubbed Mr. Alvin “the Supervisor.”

He always seems to instinctively know when I should be taking a break and always gives me “that look.”

One of the team wanted to see and meet Alvin so I turned the camera on and we all had a little visit which lightened our “work time.”

Sometimes we need that connection.

One of the girls has a three year old boy named Tyler and he was anxious to meet Alvin, so we hooked him up.

I couldn’t see their faces and I did not have time to think about how I looked which was not “pretty.”

But really I didn’t care and no one seemed to either.

Alvin was the star of the show and that was the main thing.

I was able to show off my cuteness of a partner, companion.

Oh, just felt some cool air touch the back of my arm, felt so good.

 

I have photos to share and then this will be short as I want to get work done and this day done.

Now for a magic trick.

See the first two photos in the top row.

I had gone to water and check on my flowers and found this Snapdragon flower floating in mid air.

I had been at a distance and thought that I was seeing things.

As I approached I could see a spider web hoisting the flower off the step.

Very cool.

How strong are spider webs, very.

Some of my other flowers …. cannot remember the name of the orange flowers but very pretty.

The Snapdragons – yellow.

Couple of quick shots and the first one looks out of focus.

You can see the Hens & Chicks in the second photo.

 

Well as it is almost time to start work, I had better head back downstairs to grab my coffee and get Mr. Alvin’s bed set up.

Working in the kitchen at the table was a great idea.

This is the boy’s set up …. comfy and beside Mom.

Well the boss just told me that I have to get downstairs.

He is the designated Supervisor for these two weeks.

So the boss cannot be late for work.

 

Clearly the boy is feeling much better.

 

Happy Friday All,

Living with kindness and respect and love,

I/We shall remain,

As Always, me and the boy

 

Second Half of the NEW YEAR.

Well another super HOT HOT Day in Edmonton.

I am not a heat person.

A tropical climate would not be for me.

I feel for animals in this heat …..

Of course, Alvin won’t stay in the bedroom with the fan blowing cold air.

He has to be with me in the hot office.

No fan and even with the window open there is no cool air.

So I guess this will be short and sweet.

I just cannot leave him in here for ten minutes or so while I do my blog.

He will not let me out of his sight.

 

One of my girl friends texted out of the blue to ask if she could come over.

She brought a nice “beverage” with her and I enjoyed it immensely.

We sat in the house and then on the deck.

 

I have some photos that I want to share but it is taking too long to download/upload them from phone to the computer.

They will be for another day.

Man it is hot in this room.

I can feel my forehead starting to release droplets of “water.”

 

Alvin is panting like crazy.

 

Update he is feeling better despite the heat wave.

Tomorrow is a new day.

Two more days of work and then vacation.

 

So excited.

 

Looks like another storm tonight.

I watered my potted flowers and moved some of them into the shelter of the house.

 

Thank goodness for fans.

 

Have an awesome Thursday.

 

Take care.

Be healthy.

 

Living with kindness and respect.

I/We shall remain,

As Always, Carol & Alvin

 

 

Second Half of the NEW YEAR.

OH, WOW, we are in a heat wave.

It is so hot in my office as I type this post that my wrists are sticking to the desk.

Beads of perspiration are mounting on my forehead.

Poor Alvin …. I cannot imagine being in a fur coat during this heat.

He is laying on our bed with the fan on the top setting to cool the bedroom down.

Now I am wishing that I had contacted someone to service the A/C.

Why, oh why?

I know why but doesn’t help matters now.

Thankfully one day left and then it will be under thirty.

Hot but bearable.

 

I just want to say thank you to some very special folks for their invaluable help during Alvin’s latest health issues.

When they say it takes a village – it does, whether it is your child or a pet.

Family is family.

The pharmacist at the nearby Pharmasave came through as promised with some Robaxin and I called a friend and she was here to pick me up in like 5 minutes.

He was so nice when I picked up Alvin’s medicine.

Timing is everything.

I have timing.

Thank goodness.

 

 

I see Alvin just popped into the office to see where I am.

He cannot stay in here or he will expire.

I can barely take this heat.

 

The sky is overcast and there is the possibility of some rain in the later evening hours.

That should help cool things down.

I am going to have a shower but feeling a bit guilty and want to put Alvin into the shower.

I have been wiping him with a cool wet cloths to help.

Making sure we both drink lots of water.

 

Time to go.

I hope that all is well with you.

I need a shower badly.

So hot.

So very hot.

 

Keep cool.

Stay safe.

Living with kindness and respect.

I/We, shall remain

As Always, Carol & Alvin

 

Second Half of the NEW YEAR.

Good Evening,

I know folks have wondered what happened to us the past couple of days as I have not posted my daily post.

Mr. Alvin as you know has been suffering from some health problems as of late.

He was not himself over the weekend.

At lunchtime today I was able to get him into see his vet.

My daughter drove from her home in Spruce Grove to take us.

I appreciate all of her help and support.

She found that he had a pulled muscle in his neck.

Well that would account for many of his actions over the few days.

To add insult to injury we had the hottest day in over a year.

Tomorrow is to be hot as well.

One of the medications that his vet prescribed was Robaxin (if I got the spelling correct).

For some reason not very many pharmacies keep it in stock.

That makes me wonder.

It is a specific dosage and perhaps that is why.

Anyway as I drip from the heat of the day and with a slight reprieve from the coolness of the night air.

Definitely cooler outside now than in the house.

Wished we could sleep on the deck.

 

Anyway back to his pills.

A pharmacy down the way from his Vet is going to order them in and hopefully should have tomorrow.

That will totally help his neck muscles.

 

As he has to limit climbing and actually he has not been climbing the stairs, I have been carrying him up and down when necessary…

I have decided and have already moved my workspace down to the kitchen table.

Seems odd but it actually works quite well.

Only for this week as I am on vacation after Friday.

 

One of my favourite entertainers … talk show host ….. Regis Philbin passed away over the weekend.

He was 88 only and only a month away from 89.

Regis was one of a kind and there are not many of those truly good people left.

The ones that you never heard a bad word about ….

A true legend and beloved man.

Rest in Peace, Sir.

 

Alvin is not doing well with the added heat so I have to cut this short.

For this week, I will be posting my blogs at night before bed.

 

I hope that you are keeping cool and dry.

There is such extreme weather everywhere.

Take care.

 

My son-in-law had been in the neighbourhood late this afternoon having his teeth cleaned.

I was happily surprised when I saw him pull up in front of the house.

He came to the door with something in his hand.

He stopped at Dairy Queen and picked up my favourite frozen treat.

Buster Bars ….. with peanuts and chocolate and ice cream.

What a sweetheart.

I am truly blessed to have the most thoughtful kids on the planet.

 

With kindness and respect,

I/We, shall remain

As Always, Carol & Alvin

 

Second Half of the NEW YEAR.

YAY, it is Saturday and the sky is a beautiful blue and the sun is shining every so brightly.

There is a breeze.

Last night was only my second time away from Alvin since March 19, 2020.

The first time was last weekend when I had morning coffee with one of the girls.

Last night first evening time away and for about four hours.

I had such a great time.

There were four of us.

The fourth girl/woman was a lifelong friend of the friend who hosted the “Diamond Painting Party.”

We had pictures with beach motif, lovers walking down a tree lined lane, a red truck filled with pumpkins and a colorful tree.

We all took appetizers to have for the best kind of supper.

There was so much food ….

My peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and coffee cake with a thick fruit sauce were a hit.

We ate, laughed, ate some more, shared stories, opinions, had some drinks.

Enjoyed the evening.

After supper we did the Diamond Painting.

Best night ever.

When I came home to Mr. Alvin he was so happy to see me.

After the initial hello – he did let me know in his own unique way that now that I am home, pay attention to him.

 

So it is Saturday.

We were up early but not too early and then hit the sofa once again which seems to be our routine.

I am so happy that I had a great Friday night with friends and now Mr. Alvin is feeling like his old self, a great Saturday and Sunday to follow.

We might be finally able to meet the new puppy Bailey down the street.

I have to get in touch with Bailey’s Mom to see what time will work for us all.

I have laundry and cleaning to do.

Some yard work along the way to do.

Bit of weeding if the flower beds dry out.

Even if they do out …. I will wear my DAWGS or CROCS whichever they are ….. I know they are different companies.

Perfect little sandals for working outside.

 

Feeling pretty happy this morning.

Thinking wouldn’t it be wonderful if a close family member or friend won the $60 million Lotto MAX draw last night.

Someone who loved me so much that would love to share a bit with me.

That would be amazing.

 

Okay time to make coffee, drag the laundry down to the basement and have some breakfast.

Let’s get this day going.

Well actually I have changed the bedding and put out fresh towels in the upstairs bathrooms and am doing this post.

So I guess this day is already going.

 

Have the best day my friends.

Living our lives with kindness and respect.

I/We, shall remain

As Always, Carol & Alvin