Good Morning! Welcome to Saturday. Yesterday was the 40th Birthday of a close family friend for whom I call “niece.” June came in way too fast. Happy Birthday D. I have the office window open and a nice cool breeze is wafting in and gently touching me. It is not too hot in the house but the coolness feels refreshing. I am so grateful for the weekend. Last night after work I had supper and did some laundry. Eddie went for a walk with his Dad this time. Some alone time which I understand. Oh, I just got a whiff of smoke, even though the sun is shining the sky is a bit on the hazy side. I had not smelled the smoke at first but now it is apparent. Perhaps better to close the window before the house starts to smell like a fire. Certainly do not wish that. It was in the early evening that I prepared for planting my new flowers that had been inhabiting the kitchen table. I filled several pots with two kinds of petunias and geraniums and there is one flower that I do not remember the name. Will have to find out. Almost looks like a type of geranium. I took my time and even had Mr. Alvin outside with me. I know it likely sounds a bit off but he used to enjoy that time of year hanging out with me. He would always check out what I was planting and where. Those were some of the best times. I filled nine pots adding to the six other pots that were already out on the deck. Actually I suppose there were two that had in the house. I am debating whether or not to put out my other succulents. I put one of them outside and will see how it does. They like the heat for sure but …… Unfortunately last night I only took a video of all of the plants to send to my daughter and Pauline (had to show her where I put the geraniums that she gave me the night before). So no photos to share today. I will take some photos this morning before I leave for Gillian’s birthday party. Seems like forever since we three were in the same place at the same time. Time passes so quickly! Thank you to Signe for hosting this birthday party. We take turns and it is so great when it is my turn to host our get togethers whether to visit and catch up or for a special occasion like a birthday.
My friend Lucy turns 65 in a few days and Pauline will be 70 in a couple of weeks. So many milestone birthdays. A sign that we are all getting older. A reminder to not get hung up on the little things like work situations and such. I am always reminded that I have so many wonderful friends and my family are amazing. To have them all is a true blessing. I consider myself very fortunate.
Time to go and have a shower and get ready for the party. I do want to take some flower photos before the sun gets bright in the back. Perfect time for photos now.
I hope that you have a great Saturday! Enjoy.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Good Morning. So glad today is Friday. The sky is blue and the sun is shining. We had some well needed rain yesterday so the grass and trees all had a nice boost. I hope that the areas affected by wildfires were blessed to have this moisture as well. I hope.
Yesterday was a good day. I walked with Eddie and Jeanette after supper. So different without Bruno but he is no longer in pain or suffering even though he was a master of not displaying the appearances that something was wrong otherwise than the physical changes. What a dear guy he was. Handsome and regal and well behaved. He would even say “thank you” for the treats in his way. I shall miss him always. We had a good walk bumping into friends along the way including our friends Jaime & Sadie. They were walking with two other sets of friends. So many pups so lovely. Eddie enjoyed playing fetch with the ball. He even “laid down.” Something he did not do very much before that moment. During our walk Jeanette had to take a long distance conference call between her Father’s Doctor and her brothers. When I say long distance it truly was: Venezuela, U.S. and Canada. How is that for distance? During this time we walked and I looked after Eddie. We played fetch and enjoyed our time together. We were playing fetch by my friend Pauline’s house and I noticed that her windows were open so I texted her in the off chance she was home and not busy. Her husband Al noticed me and waved and a few minutes later Pauline was outside and we were in the backyard. It felt so strange being back there without Mr. Alvin. Eddie walked around and smelled everything and looked around which reminded me of Alvin. Pauline and I quickly caught up with all of our news. They are going on a small fishing trip in June to B.C., how lovely. Our friend Lucy turns 65 in a few days and is leaving for a three month visit to family and friends in China at the end of June. Pauline turns 70 in June as well. Lots going on. We are planning a little party for her and I volunteered to bring the cake and I was thinking to myself that we can celebrate Pauline’s 70th with Lucy’s 65. We will invite another neighbour and friend of theirs (and mine).
Photo time once again. I seem to have a lot of photos to share and that is nice. My dry eye is bothering me once again, the burning and then I am obviously allergic to something as my nose is running. Will have to get my eyedrops, they help right away. I have included some photos of Pauline’s yard and my plants from Costco. Yesterday morning before work I went to the garage and brought them all inside to sit upon the kitchen table hoping they would get some sunshine but we did not have much of that yesterday but today is another story. I will plant them tonight or tomorrow morning before Gillian’s birthday party. A busy weekend ahead. I still need to wrap the birthday gift and write up a card for Gillian. Where did the week go? LOL. I gave a few plants to Jeanette as I know how much she loves them and now she has something to plant right away and enjoy. Just in case they are not able to get to a nursery.
Flowers to plantEddieEddie & JeanetteEddieVisiting with PaulineEddie checking for lightFlowersBeautiful yardMy Flowers From Pauline
Well time to hustle downstairs and put on the coffee. My eye is better now without the relief of eyedrops, yay. I hope that your Friday is awesome. Whatever happens today I feel good things are in the air. Our office group won $10.00 from Wednesday’s lottery draw so just adding a few more zero’s and we will be there. We are excited. Retirement is closer than we think.
Feeling so very blessed and fortunate this Friday morning. To be surrounded by such loving friends and neighbours is so wonderful.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Always, Carol & Alvin, My Forever Angel
Thank you Bruno for being my friend ……… I hope that you are out for a stroll with my Alvin!
Good Morning! Yesterday was a bittersweet day for me as dear friends said goodbye to their beloved companion Bruno. Alvin and I met this family a few years ago now. I did not really get to know them well until these past few weeks when I started to walk with them and found out that Bruno had a tumour which appeared to have shrunk but then a week or so later cancer began to grow and spread throughout his body. We knew he was in pain and major discomfort even with pain medication but he kept on wanting to walk with his son Eddie and his human family and me. I am so honoured to have spent that time with him and I learned a lot. Nothing is as important as life. Our four-legged companions teach us so much. He was brave, strong, gentle, kind, loving, patience and loved treats whether it was a bone or another treat such as the freeze dried liver ones that I gave him. He enjoyed his food and treats. There are no words to describe the loss of a pet, I really don’t like that word because they are our companions, our friends and really a major part of our family. The hole in this family’s heart is massive. He will be missed by his human family and most of all his son, Eddie. How cool is that? This family was able to adopt first the Dad and then later his son. Very cool and so wonderful. These pups have literally travelled more than most people. They have lived in different countries and I am so grateful that they came to Canada. I shall keep them in my thoughts and in my heart always and well Mr. Bruno, he was met at the rainbow bridge by Mr. Alvin. Nice to have a friend to meet you. I wished that we including Alvin would have got to know them better sooner. I guess there is always a plan.
For Bruno, I love you buddy and miss you ……
BrunoBrunoBrunoBrunoThe boysEddie & BrunoBrunoBrunoBrunoBrunoBailey with the BoysBruno & MomBruno & MeFamily
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Me again, I need to apologize to my dear friend Gillian whose Happy Birthday is today. My mind is not on happy events this day and I wanted to come back and wish this friend a Happy Birthday. We will be celebrating her this Saturday.
Happy Birthday Gillian. You are a great friend and I am grateful every day for our friendship.
One of my fellow co-workers is retiring today after 35 years. Debbie, wishing you a very Happy Retirement filled with many walks with Taffy & Tank. I will be able to wish her well in person at the main office this morning.
Good Morning. The early morning sunshine has been replaced by clouds. It would appear that we had some rain through the earlier hours of this morning. The wind is blowing the trees that I can see through my office window.
Last night after supper, I took my last walk with Eddie & Bruno. My heart is breaking once again or perhaps just breaking more. Life is not fair. These beings that touch our hearts and make us better, are lost way too early. Goodbye is never easy. Our last walk started with finishing off the liver treats on the front lawn. The clouds rolled in and Jeanette had not worn a jacket so I grabbed her one from my front entry closet and then we were on our way. Oh how Bruno loved those treats. He loved to eat. So reminded me of a little someone! Shortly after we left the rain started and continued for most of our walk. Not a downpour as this was the one time that the boys did not have on their raincoats. I think it was nice for Bruno to experience the rain gently falling onto him. He went to places in the park that we had not walked to over the last few weeks. Personally I think he was sniffing and taking in every place that he could. He drank two bottles of water within the first minutes of the walk and then with a burst of energy just kept walking. We did not take many breaks. He just wanted to walk. Eddie was quite attentive to this Father and not as playful as usual. They know. I miss him already. Oh our dear Bruno.
The rain did not make for taking many photos. I will post them later. We also saw about six adult geese and a great many goslings near the water’s edge on our walk. I did not get any photos.
I hope that you have a good day.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Good Morning! So happy that we had some rain earlier this morning. There are rain clouds slowly clearing around us to show a bright blue sky. We can always use some moisture. Here we are on the second last day of May 2023. Where has the time gone? As it does every month, it comes and goes. Yesterday was warm but we did have some rain throughout the day. A few minutes after I arrived home from work, I changed shoes and left for a nearby school where I voted in the provincial election. Not sure how I feel about the “results.” I am grateful that when we went for our walk last night that the temperature was bit cooler and the breeze helped keep us comfortable. I am amazed at how Bruno has energy and wants to walk despite his health. I snapped more photos and videos. When Jeanette and the boys arrived last night (few minutes early), I did not have my shoes on and at that time another friend with his pup Bailey happened to be walking by. So we had a puppy party. I quickly got my shoes on and grabbed the water and treats and headed out. The pups joined me on my lawn under the tree and I got some awesome photos during and after I handed out the treats. Bruno loves treats. Eddie well he likes them but is always looking to play and for the reflections, the lights. They are both special and unique beings. Bailey is such a good girl. She loves the boys. She even gave me a kiss. Jeanette asked Bailey to give her a high five and she did. Her Dad was shocked as she had not done that before …… Eddie gave me an unexpected high five and almost knocked me over. Love these guys. We had a much shorter walk but sat in the park and snuggled with Bruno and played with Eddie (he loves to play catch with the ball). Such a perfect evening. On our way home we came across two families of geese. Did you note that I said families? Yes, we were fortunate to see a gaggle of geese. So many babies. Little goslings. Cuteness. I did not get too close as I know that stresses out the parents. Photos, yes.
Photos: May 29, 2023. Bailey with Bruno and Eddie on front lawn. Photos of chilling in the park. Two Families of Geese. The perfect evening.
Time to head downstairs and make some coffee and have some breakfast. I hope that you have a wonderful day and are able to share some time with family and friends. Happy Tuesday to you.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Good Morning! Another beautiful May morning. Hard to believe that there are only two more days left in the month of May. Where does the time go? Feels like sometimes that it is evaporates. There is a coolness wafting into the office this morning. Yes, I opened the window to bring in some cool air. When I go downstairs I will open the windows at each end of the house. One being in the kitchen and the other in the living room. This will bring in some cool air. Gone are the days that I would open them early in the morning so that the main floor would be cool for Mr. Alvin. On the hot days, we would get out for an early morning walk. When Covid struck the planet, we would go in the mornings before work, if it was not too hot at my lunch break we would walk then and then should the temperatures be too hot after work, we would just stay cool by the fans. Sometimes we even went into the basement as it is always a few degrees cooler there. Yesterday morning after I got up and finished my small to do list, I grabbed my mug of coffee and “Alvin” and we sat out under the umbrella. He was in the shade but the umbrella did not quite cover me. There was still a nice cool breeze so I did not mind. We just enjoyed the sunshine with memories flooding my mind. He so loved his walks. His favourite spot on the deck was to lay just under the kitchen window and second was on the love seat next to me. I remember him as a pup and in the more early days how he would lay outside on the nice days soaking up the sunshine. Seems like a lifetime ago. I guess it really was but he will always be here.
Yesterday afternoon just after 4:00 p.m., the wind got up. I quickly brought in all of the houseplants and moved the other plants to the cover of the house or by the fence. I had taken the cushions from the table set and put them into the garage but left the cushions on the love seat and chairs on them. Earlier in the afternoon, my friend Gillian joined me on the deck for a cup of coffee, some sunshine, some laughter and good conversation. She is such a good friend. I am so grateful for her friendship. I was in the house and texting between three friends in two provinces when I noticed that one of the cushions had blown off one of the chairs. First time that has happened. I went out and put them away. All of my small items were moved just in case. If a gust moved the cushion then a little ornament from the table or deck could easily blow away. Not worried about anything get ruined but more of something being air borne and hitting someone or breaking a window. Anyway, after some heavy winds and a bit of rain a couple of hours later, I was out walking with Jeanette, Bruno and Eddie. Bruno, I am not sure how he is doing it, where does the energy come from, but he does a walk. Not a short one either. We take plenty of water and it almost all gets drank mainly by Bruno. We take three pet bottles of water and 500 ml (a lot of water). I will share a few photos of the boys from last night. The grass was “soft” after the rain.
EddieBrunoBruno
The time is getting late here and I have a few things to do before leaving the house for the day. Tonight I vote in our provincial election. That will be after work. I hope that you are doing well and have a wonderful Monday.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, patience, compassion, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Good Morning! I am a little late writing this morning as I ran over to look after the boys, Humphrey & Bogart and then on my way home I realized that I should water the grass/fertilizer seed that I planted yesterday out front and in the back. So I water everything. Then I thought I should put the houseplants outside and then I made coffee (have not drank yet) and then decided to haul up the clothes that were drying in the basement and then change the bedding and now I am here. Whew. Still no coffee but I will have some soon. What a gorgeous morning! Perfect time to be outside. I definitely will be drinking my coffee on the deck once I am finished with this post and after I have popped the sheets into the laundry. I have more Eddie, Bruno, Humphrey & Bogart photos to share. Who does not like to see photos of cuteness quadrupled? Despite the cancer and the pain that he must be in, Bruno loves his walk. Bruno leads the way – wherever he leads us that is the way that we go. Last night he wanted to go his old path and so we followed. I love these pups so much. I am so grateful to have had the absolute pleasure to have them all in my life.
For AlvinFor AlvinFor AlvinFor AlvinBlinds & baseboards washedSome rearrangingIn Memory of AlvinEddieEddieEddieThe boysEddie & BrunoThe boysEddie looking for lightsEddie BrunoBrunoMy GuysBruno & EddieBrunoBrunoHumphreyBogartHumphrey
Yesterday I washed the blinds on the main floor, washed baseboards, looked after Humphrey & Bogart, did some cleaning. laundry, walked with Jeanette and the boys Eddie & Bruno and miscellaneous things. It was a full day from beginning to end. I would not change a thing. My kitchen looked so bare in the photos as I had taken the plants all except for the aloe plant outside. I brought them in last night just to ensure their well being. If the sun decides to shine all day with no clouds, I will bring them in when it gets too hot. Too much of a good thing is not a good thing. The boys are doing well next door and their parents will be home in a few hours. I framed Alvin’s nose print and paw print yesterday and also put his memory card with the photo side up in a frame. I have him with me in every room of this house. Looking out of the office window at this moment, the sky appears to be a bit on the hazy side. Smoke? Everyday I pray for rain to extinguish all of the fires burning at this time. I do know that Mother Nature creates fires naturally to burn. Nature is so much more intelligent than we will ever be.
Tomorrow after work I have to slip over to one of the nearby schools and cast my vote in the provincial election. Should have, would have, could have voted in the advance voting but here we are! Oh well.
Well today is going to be a quiet one. Going to finish up here and put the sheets in the wash and then have a cup of coffee on the deck. Just chilling on this Sunday now that I almost have everything done that needs to be done. Of course, there is always something. Oh, I had better vacuum upstairs and give the bathrooms a quick going over but that won’t take long after the coffee “break.” I clean regularly so nothing gets too dirty. So much easier to keep on top of.
I hope that you have a wonderful day. Time to relax after the work is done. Time with family & friends. Go for a walk. Enjoy!
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Always, Carol & Alvin, My Forever Angel
Look in the photos above and you will see where I finally hung the whirly gift from Jessica.
Good Morning. What a gorgeous morning it is! I have been over to feed, change water, clean letterbox and just visit Humphrey & Bogart, I have moved plants outside, done some cleaning, gathered and started laundry, and now writing this post. I think that the following photos put into words my life at the present time, filled with friends whether two or four or three-legged and the beauty of nature and FLOWERS. So this post will be photos today. I appreciate all the lives in my life. I hope that you are having a great day. The air is a tad cool which is lovely against the slightly hazy sky. I do not smell smoke but alas it is out there somewhere. I pray that all lives are saved from the fires.
Jax, a 17 year old LabJaxJax & BrunoEddie & Bruno & JeanetteOh, BrunoBruno & EddieThe BoysBrunoSon & FatherEddie & BrunoBrunoEddie, Sadie & her DadBogartHumphreyBogartThose EyesChecking things outBrothers just watching lifeSome Houseplants outsideGetting some fresh airHouseplants outside
What can I say! My life is full. I have wonderful family, many amazing friends, so many pups and cats, a beautiful space to call my own and the sun is shining. Coffee has brewed awaiting me to go and have a cup of that delectable gold. I am so happy. Alvin is with me always, he follows me wherever I go inside the house or out. My forever Angel and friend.
Have a wonderful Saturday everyone. I am walking with Jeanette and the boys later. Checking in on the boys every so many hours. Doing some housework and laundry. I need to wash those dusty blinds on the main floor so that will get done this weekend. I am just enjoying life. No major housework to do so might as well just be outside as much as I can. Might be hot this afternoon.
I have two friend birthdays coming up. Gillian’s on May 31st and Pauline’s on June 13th. So much to celebrate. June and July and August are filled with birthdays.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Good Morning. How are you this morning? I am hoping you are very well. I am doing very well and very happy that today is Friday. The sky appears to be a little smoky but the sun is rising and shining bright and hopefully the skies will clear soon. To have the third day in a row where the sky is blue with the sun shining would be awesome.
Last night I looked after my neighbours Humphrey & Bogart and walked with my friend Jeanette and pups Eddie & Bruno. I made sure to take my phone with me to all places so that I could snap some photos and videos which I will share with you shortly. We did not walk the usual distance as Bruno is beginning to noticeably slow down, I guess he has been but more last night. Cute story. I was just chilling waiting till 5:55 p.m. to put on my running shoes and grab the water, my phone and lock up when I heard a sound. It took me a second to realize that someone was at the door and opened to see Bruno and Eddie on the step with Jeanette. Eddie, smarty pants that he is, was actually knocking! He put his paw up on the door to let me know that they had arrived. Bruno was patiently waiting. We had a good giggle over that and I so wished that I had been phone in hand and snapped a photo. It was priceless. No photo. So sorry. We had a good walk and stopped at our friends Jamie, John and Sadie. Again we were at their fence, John opened the gate with Sadie right there and before I could let Eddie off the leash he was pulling so hard, I almost lost my hand. I will learn (obviously the hard way). They had a good visit. Walking and running and playing frisbee, Eddie and Sadie that is. Bruno looked for bones. Looks like I need my eye drops as my eye is burning making it hard to see. I also had picked up a bag of freeze dried liver yesterday at my lunch bag. Quick story, last time I bought the bag it is was $32.99, this time it was $45.99. Talk about your price increase. But I would give the world to have something for Bruno to enjoy during his last days on this earth. I gladly paid the price. Oh, the boys inhaled some of those treats while they were on my porch. Sorry for flipping back and forth. Eye burning and I have to go and look after Humphrey & Bogart. So much for eye makeup. YIKES. Cannot see to type. Anyway, I have some photos to post. Wished that you could see the video of Sadie and Eddie at the garden hose lapping up the water. Sadie loves the water coming out of the end of the hose. It was like a game to her. Photos next.
DragonflyDragonfly having a drinkBogartHumphreyDragonflyBrunoParkBrunoBrunoEddieBogartSunsetRed Sun from bedroom
I forgot to tell you all about the Dragonfly. Quickly. I found a package on the neighbours step and wasn’t sure if they were home so brought it inside but I left a message on their doorbell message thing. Jessica came over a few minutes later and she spotted a dragonfly on my porch. I picked it up as was not sure if it was alive. It was so I gently placed it on the wreath on my door while we chatted for a few minutes. Then when were were finished I went inside the house and then had a thought that maybe it was thirsty so I gently brought it into the house and on a dessert plate poured a bit of water and placed the dragonfly close to the water. Well it actually walked over to the water and was drinking or at least I can imagine it appeared to be doing so. It was alive for quite some time but after that I had to go to see Humphrey & Bogart and have supper. After some time, I placed it on one of my houseplants with flowers. But it passed. Poor thing. But it did have some water. I wished I knew what could have been done. I love dragonflies. Time to go here. Running late.
Have an awesome day. Be well and safe and have some fun. Be a good friend and neighbour.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
My New Life @ 51 