2021

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? It is still dark looking more like night than morning. But that is what it is at this time of year. I think that is why we have some issues with our sleeping patterns at this time of year. At least I know that I do. It just seems weird to be getting up in the darkness for work and it was even more strange when I physically had to leave the house in the dark. At least my commute is short and I can have the lights on so it does not totally feel like night unless I look out the window, lol. Anyway soon the sun will rise. When we were out earlier the moon appeared to covered partially by clouds. Maybe it will be an overcast kind of day, time will tell. GUESS WHAT? We have a visitor. Alvin’s BFF Teddy spent the night with us. He arrived around 6 p.m. last night and will be here for this morning and part of the afternoon, I think. The boys are so cute. Alvin seems like the “in your face, wants everything now (food)” and Teddy is this “little, quiet, chill little one.” I get such a kick out of watching them interact. You should have caught the arrival. Teddy’s Mom pulled the car up to the sidewalk out front and got out, opened the back passenger door and all I could see was this bolt of black&white and then I realized he wasn’t coming up the steps, he accidentally went up the neighbour’s sidewalks as it was dark and his Mom had pulled up closer to their walk than ours. It was cute. Alvin was waiting on the porch. I called, his Mom called as she approached the steps and he caming running like a lightning bolt, if it could run. Oh what a sight. He ran into the house with his Mom coming in and closing the door. Yes, Alvin and I were already in the house. He made a beeline from the front to the back door and then stopped to jump up and say hi to me and then to Alvin. The boys ran about for a few minutes before settling in. Teddy’s Mom stayed for a quick visit. Afterwards I finished my supper that had been warmed in the oven and was too hot to eat before they arrived. After I got the dishes done and cleaned up and set up my workspace we settled down to watch some television with Alvin snuggling on my right side and Teddy on my lap. I think that Alvin sometimes wishes that he was more of a lap dog. He just is too big. But he does like to snuggle right up against me. At bedtime, well that is another story. Alvin of course lays close to me and then Teddy likes to snuggle by my legs. Sometimes it can get a bit awkward as he snuggles in when I lay down between my legs as I sleep on my back initially as I am reading. So I have to pick him up and move him over a bit and then get comfortable before he does. Usually it takes a little bit to get everyone settled. But they are so cute. At this moment, Mr. Alvin is sleeping outside the office door in the hallway and Teddy is downstairs on the sofa. When we got up earlier and ended up on the sofa, the same thing happens as does on the bed. Teddy wasn’t wanting anything to eat so he will eat later. He did not want supper at home last night and his Mom was a bit worried but when Alvin had his bedtime snack, Teddy had some food as well. So it worked out. Teddy remains snuggled up on the sofa on the red cozy blanket. Well it is time to head on downstairs. Another mild day on the way. It was warm outside earlier when we were out. I can smell the delectable aroma of coffee perking (in my mind) so I better go.

Have an awesome Monday. Be safe and well.

Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, understanding, love, laughter and gratitude.

Always, Carol, Alvin and Teddy

P.S. I am grateful that Alvin has a good friend who can come by for a sleepover from time to time.

2021

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? We are well. Had kind of scary few moments earlier this morning when I let Alvin outside realizing that we had freezing rain earlier and the deck was a sheet of ice except for a smallish pile of snow. Alvin had to go out and I figured he would stand a chance of remaining upright but the poor little guy slipped about trying to go down to the grass area and then trying to go up the steps to the upper deck while I called out to him to “STOP.” I was so scared that he would slip and wrench one or more of his legs and then we would be right back to where we started from or worse. Luckily he ended up over by the snow and of course had to walk into it but in the end he had a pee. It was horrifying for a few minutes before he got safely back to the house. Just after we got up, I quickly went outside stepping onto the mats on the deck just outside the door with ice pick and shovel in hand I got to the snow and starting shovelling and throwing it all over the deck. Hoping then he would have some traction for his next visit outside. It is warm out so unfortunately it will likely melt but with the plus temperatures over the next few days – the snow will likely all melt on the deck anyway. The sun is beginning to rise with the blue night sky slowly starting to dissipate. Well I will have a shower after this post. Followed by some cleaning. I brought up and put away the last of the laundry that was hanging to dry and put away before I started this post. Made the bed and arranged the pillows. Does anyone else make their bed anymore? It seems like most of the younger ones do not but I like it made. A personal preference or perhaps a generational thing, I do not know. But anyway.

I forgot that my friend Gillian’s husband celebrated a birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday.

I received a message from Teddy’s Mom saying that they were coming back into the City and could Teddy spend the night. I hope that this freezing rain stuff does not stop that from happening. Safety first, of course. Not sure what the highway is like. I know that the QE2 (Queen Elizabeth Highway #2) had a major accident yesterday with several tractor-trailer units. I hope everyone is okay, I was scared to check further. Teddy’s Mom also mentioned that perhaps while she ran errands tomorrow that possibly Kobi could stay with us. I said “YES” of course. Alvin will be over the moon to have his best bud sleep over and visit. I cannot wait, fingers crossed that the roads are okay. Coming in from the country you never know.

The Christmas Cards were all done yesterday and then last night I thought of two more, one to post and one to hand deliver. Just two so that is not too bad. I am mailing 33 I believe and hand delivering 16 for a total of 49 which is the least amount that I have ever done. I used to write up cards for my coworkers and some others from work that I know well and that was a big number and I used to mail 75-100 but there are cutbacks everywhere including my Christmas Cards. Besides the ones to the office, I don’t have people’s addresses except for one. So I am mailing her a card. Everyone else will receive a verbal “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year.”

Well I suppose I should go and hit the shower followed by some coffee and breakfast and then do some cleaning.

I hope that you have a wonderful Sunday wherever you may be!

Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding and gratitude.

Always, Carol

P.S. I am going to put on some Christmas music ……

2021

Good Morning ALL! How are you today? I, we are really good. Bed later as someone was watching a Christmas movie and then I read for a bit before lights out around 11:30 p.m. Mr. Alvin woke up about 1:00 but I coaxed him back to bed and we slept until 4:00 and then we were downstairs and outside. It was cool but the sky was amazing. The glitter of the stars as they surrounded the moon in the night sky. If I could have laid down on the deck, I could have watched the stars for hours. Then back into the house and we slept until 7:00 a.m. (can you believe that Mr. Alvin did not fuss about his breakfast before then?). I gave the boy his breakfast and decided that we should just stay up and not lay back down. Plus when we went outside I noticed that Humphrey & Bogart’s parents were up. So up we stayed. I have gathered the laundry, changed our bedding, got dressed and am doing this post now. Feels like I have accomplished so much and it is not even 8:00 a.m. One can always have a nap in the afternoon if needed. I am going to try and get up earlier on the weekends. Usually we have been getting up between 8-830. I guess it depends if you are a morning person or a night person, right! Some people I know get up at 6:00 a.m. every single day no matter what time they go to bed. I used to get up between 4:30-5:00 a.m. when I was working at the office and now it is 6:45 a.m. What a difference no commute makes? I am sure grateful that I am able to work from the comfort of my home. Alvin is grateful as well. What are your mornings like? Do you get up at 6:00 and go for a walk, exercise, have coffee and breakfast, write a post, clean the house, do laundry or perhaps all. I have quite a few things that I would like to accomplish this weekend with the big items being laundry and Christmas Cards. This time I would like to write up the cards that I hand deliver. If I get them ready this weekend, I will have them ready to deliver once I get the cookies baked next weekend. I usually give some homemade cookies / baking to some of my friends and neighbours. People that I can physically walk and deliver to but I also have some delivered. I love this time of year.

Yesterday, we went for a full walk at my lunch break. It was SO NICE outside. The air felt warm. There were a few icy patches but nothing serious and we both stayed upright the whole walk. I had to coax Mr. Alvin to stay on the public sidewalk when we approached his best friend Teddy’s house as he always turns at their driveway and pulls me up the steps to the house. Sometimes I cannot hold him back as he is still pretty strong. I guess he is hopeful that his friend is at home. I know he misses him a lot. We don’t seem them too much these days as they are back and forth to the farm. What a true friend. Teddy’s Mom said that they could have another sleepover soon. I know that Alvin will love having his friend over for the night. We all need friends no matter who you are!

I had a craving for some popcorn, the good stuff, the Kirkland brand from Costco so I reached out to my girl friends. My friend lives two minutes away so I walked over to pick up the popcorn. We had a chat in her entranceway catching up as time seems to zing by. It felt like forever since I had seen my Newfoundland Friend (she was born in Newfoundland, Canada). I was so grateful when she handed me four packages of popcorn, the good stuff. So happy. We were talking about Christmas, shopping and the state of affairs in our grocery stores. I have not been for weeks so I had no idea that there were bare shelves in our grocery stores. Our Save-On-Foods stores have their main office in British Columbia and a lot of the produce comes from B.C. and with the recent flooding and drought this past summer, the farmers are suffering with crop failure and loss so it then is passed on to the consumer. Not by choice, but that is how it works. So they are starting to bring in more produce from the U.S. I can only imagine how the pricing is going to increase even more than it has already. Anway, I was saying about getting low on produce and before you knew it, my friend was saying that she had two red peppers that she could not eat before they spoiled, could I use some potatoes as they were begin to sprout and that she was going to bake some banana bread and would bring me some later.

I was so grateful to my friend for the popcorn, some fresh banana bread and some other food items. My “stores” were getting low and with payday next Thursday, we had some time to wait before restocking the produce. I was out of fresh fruit, only had carrots left but we were not starving. There are sometimes when you want to clear out the pantry (thank goodness I had things in the pantry and freezer) and make sure that you use those items but it is always the fresh produce that goes first and those are the foods that I love the most. Let’s face it there is just so much you can do with chickpeas, lol. So I am grateful to my friend for hooking us up with some fresh produce, thank you. I felt like I had won the lottery. Please understand that we all run into times when might need a bit of help from someone and that is okay. I will be there when she needs me. That is what friends do.

Okay it is now after 8:00 a.m. and I hear the laundry calling me to take it to the basement and start it washing. I really would love a cup of coffee this morning. The sun is coming up. It is a good day.

Sometimes when you are in a moment of feeling low, someone comes along and brings sunshine to your cloudy sky. So grateful. The sky is clear and I feel wonderful.

Have a great day. Do me a favour, keep an eye on your neighbours and friends, sometimes people do not like to ask for help and sometimes, just sometimes, someone needs your help!

Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, understanding, love, laughter and gratitude.

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. I do love chickpeas and eat them weekly.

2021

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? Alvin and I had a great sleep. As usual up at 3:00 a.m., he had his glucosamine chew, outside to pee and then back to sleep on the sofa. Up at 4:30 to have his breakfast and then back to the sofa until the alarm went off at 6:45. So all in all a good sleep. I am so grateful that most of the time I can fall back to sleep after our 3:00 a.m. wake up. You know if you had asked me this years ago, I could not have foreseen this. I will say that Alvin has always had a thing about getting up early. He did sleep longer in between the puppy and senior stages. But you know what, even though we have had our ups and downs, I would not change a thing. He has taught, is teaching me so much. I would say that I am more easy with change now than I ever was, I have more patience most days and I enjoy the moment. Dogs do that. They live in the moment. Back when I was working away from home – he was always super excited to see me. I know that part of that was that he had to pee really bad but he was happy to see me, I know it, just like every other dog owner on the planet. I do have one regret and that is not pee pad training him. If I had he could have drank more water during the day and peed on the pads. All those years, my poor pup. I feel badly for not doing this. Luckily for me he does not appear to have held a grudge although may in his own way he is doing so with the early morning starts. Live and learn. I know that I am not the most perfect pet owner but I am trying. I do ensure that he has good food to eat, lots of water, love and attention, regular 6 week visits to the vet for nail trim etc. and in between if he is under the weather and walks. We try to walk most days although as we age getting out in the winter can sometimes be a challenge but we do the best that we are able to. Mr. Alvin is the best cuddler when he is in the mood,lol. He is quite photogenic. When he wants some of my food he can turn those eyes into “soft puppy dogs pools of love” and it makes it hard to resist although most of the times I can because he cannot have what I am eating. He loves bananas and cauliflower and green peas. He likes a lot of other things but since his February surgery he is not allowed to have them. So just once in awhile I might give him a piece of carrot. I want to keep him healthy for as long as possible. Hopefully just the regular vet visits. I hope that his ears stay healthy for a long time. I think he needs a bath but with his ears being infected and being on medication likely better for a sponge bath. He might like that a lot better anyway. Maybe.

Cutest profile

New sweater

Mr. Alvin while I work

My Alvin over the last year or so.

Well the times is slipping away and closer to starting work for this Friday.

Happy Birthday to our angel “J.”

Have an awesome day.

Continuing to live my life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, understanding, love, laughter and gratitude.

Always, Carol & Alvin

2021

Good Morning All! We hope that you are doing well. I have recovered and feel great. It is amazing what a day of sleep will do for someone. Alvin was a good boy and other than the odd visit outside, he slept right beside me. Note to self: when you aren’t feeling yourself it is okay to take a sick day. We all need some extra rest sometimes. I am so grateful to be feeling great.

In the early morning the sun was shining so bright but was cool. Just after my shower it feels hot in the house so it must be warming up outside. We are to have plus celsius temperatures tomorrow and Saturday or was it today and Friday. Anyway some warm days ahead. We have been so fortunate to have a good fall. There were a few bla days but all in all it has been great. I wonder what winter will bring? Officially winter does not happen until Tuesday, December 21, 2021. So this is fall. Spring officially comes in March.

Alvin is just laying on his belly in the hallway staring at me. I wonder what he is thinking? I am thinking that I have not had a cup of coffee since Tuesday morning and I am going to enjoy a cup or three this morning.

I did not get any of my cards done up to be hand delivered so perhaps tonight. I would like to get them done so that I have them ready to be delivered. I am happy that our photos arrived so that I can pop some in with the Christmas cards both being mailed and hand delivered.

Today is the birthday of my eldest niece. I can still remember the day that she was born. Seems like yesterday. She is all grown up now, and has a daughter who graduated from high school this past year. My how time flies. Happy Birthday Dee. We hope that you have an awesome day.

It remains dark at this time but won’t be long until the sun begins to rise in the morning sky. In the meantime, while it is still dark, I will pop on the Christmas tree lights and enjoy them. Wishing you all a wonderful day. Be safe and well.

Oh, my goodness, how could I forget. Happy Thanksgiving to all our neighbours to the south. Wish you a wonderful day. Be safe and enjoy your time together.

Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding and gratitude.

Always, Carol & Alvin

2021

Good Morning,

Cold but bright and sunny morning and I am feeling under a bit under the weather with a headache. Decided to take a sick day and get some rest.

I will be back bright and early tomorrow.

Always, Carol&Alvin

2021

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? I am okay, we are okay. Alvin for some reason couldn’t settle down to sleep so we were up and outside at 11:08 p.m. which was only one hour and a bit since we went to bed. Then we settled on the sofa. Do you have sometimes when you just cannot shut off your mind, mine was in overdrive. I kept thinking of random, silly things over and over until I decided that we had to go back upstairs. Plus I just could not get comfortable. So back upstairs we went. As soon as I laid down, I knew that had been the right choice for both of us. Next time we were up was almost 4:00 a.m. (not too bad for a pair of old ones). Then back to the sofa and up at 6:00 a.m. and yes, you guess it, I could not help but to keep hitting the snooze button until 7:03 a.m. (yikes, momma). This is the time of year that I struggle with sleep, I cannot seem to get enough. Now that being said once I am up – I am okay. How many of you have a child, a spouse or an “Alvin” that wakes you up during the night and early morning? I am pretty certain that I am not alone in this. But this is my life. Bed, up, down, up, down, up down and then up. Sometimes I feel like a yo-yo.

I just took a glance out of the office window and noticed that there is lightness to the south which can mean only one thing that it is “later” than I was thinking. Yikes, I have to hustle as it is almost time to go to work. The night sky is slowly dissipating as the sun rises with all the colours of the morning. Beautiful. I definitely need a cup or twelve of coffee this morning. Guess I will be going now as I have a few things to do downstairs before I start to work. The minutes seem to be evaporating.

I hope that you have a wonderful day. Be well and stay safe.

Oh, yesterday we managed to get two short walks in …. Mr. Alvin has only chose to walk just into the park and then home ….. so I have to follow the leader.

Continuing to life this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, understanding, love, laughter and gratitude.

Always, Carol & Alvin

2021

Good Morning ALL! How are you this Monday morning? Hard to believe the weekend is over already. Where does the time go? Alvin is patiently waiting in the hallway for me. He is laying on his tummy. I finished the Christmas cards and letters to be mailed yesterday. So once the photos arrive and are placed in with the cards and are sealed – they will be ready to be mailed. The mail to date is for December 2, 2021. I think that I read somewhere that our postage is increasing in the new year. Isn’t everything? It is pretty scary to think that there may be some shelves at the grocery store empty over the next days, weeks and months ahead. Items that are stuck in transit or just are beyond the reach of the grocers. I see very likely that our diets will change accordingly. With the recent events (flooding) in the Fraser Valley – the farm area – it will definity affect all of us. The farmers will be reeling from the loss and it will then turn to the consumer. Then there are the storage containers stuck in port in both Canada and the U.S. We may be reaching the end of the Pandemic or are we? I have not looked at the number lately but I have hope that people will get vaccinated and slow down the variants. Who would have thought that all this would happen? It sounds like a movie. I just take one day at a time. Keeping all those affected one way or the other in my thoughts and heart. It is surely getting crowded in there but you know I am feeling a lot of gratitude for my life. I have a nice home, Alvin and I are in good health, I am employed and able to work from home, I am able to plan my meals around what is accessible, I have clean drinking water, I have heat in my home, I am surrounded by good neighbours, I have a wonderful family and so much more. So everyday I am grateful. It is gratitude for my life and all those in it that get me through each and every day. No matter what has happened or will happen, I am grateful. Grateful that the sun rises each and every morning. Grateful that when Alvin wakes up – I can get up with him. Grateful that I wake up each and every morning. Grateful when I sit up and swing my legs over to the floor that my legs and feet will carry me whenever I need to go. There may be some moments when I am scared or nervous or stressed but I try very hard to keep those moments to just moments. Changing your thoughts to those of gratitude can certainly make a huge difference in one’s life. Life is seldom 100% silk and satin. There is always roughness along the way. The way we think and feel determines the difference between silk & satin and roughness. Feeling grateful for all that we have smooths away the roughness leaving the softness of silk and satin. I hope that you have more silk & satin in your life than roughness. Remember the mindset …… GRATITUDE. Truly it makes all of the difference.

Well time to go and put on the coffee pot. Work in a little bit. Still dark outside. Sunrise in a bit. Have the strength to have the gratitude for your life.

Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, understanding, love, laughter and gratitude.

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. I baked some yummy cookies as I needed some sweet treats. Chocolate chip with some Halloween treats – smarties, cut up twix bars, and M&M’s. So yummy. That is what I did yesterday afternoon after our walk.

2021

Good Morning ALL! I hope that this finds you well. Alvin and I are doing well.

On November 12, 2021, an extreme rainstorm and snow was forecast for southern British Columbia. The rain did not stop. It just kept coming causing mudslides, unsafe road conditions and major flooding. Entire regions of the Fraser Valley were and are under flood water. The Fraser Valley is known for its rich farmland. There are many livestock farms (mainly cows and chickens and goats) and berry farms. I worked alongside my mum and sister as a teenager at one of those berry farms in southern B.C. at a town named Agassiz, and it breaks my heart to know that so many of these farms are destroyed. Many towns were completed flooded. Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes. Farmers trying desperately to save their animals. The loss of animal life is in the thousands. My thoughts and prayers are with the people and for the loss of animal life in southern British Columbia. Cleanup and repairs will take months to what can be saved. They had a hot dry summer followed by a wet fall and then this!

There is nothing else that I can say after this …… my heart is broken.

Continuing to this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, understanding, love, laughter and gratitude.

If you are dry and warm you are lucky, as am I.

Always, Carol & Alvin

2021

DREAMS

Last night I dreamed of,

packing for a trip,

checking to ensure the money in place,

securing a ride to the airport,

buying some last minute clothes,

for the first tropical trip of my life,

I was excited and nervous,

I remember there were two others going that I knew,

we were all excited,

then it was the time to leave for the airport,

my ride was there,

it was the people that I was going on the trip with,

for some reason, the topic of passport came up,

I stopped dead in my tracks, dropping my luggage,

I couldn’t breathe,

they asked what was wrong,

I replied, I forgot to renew my passport,

it was too late, I would have to stay at home,

there was no way with the state of the world,

that I would be allowed to travel,

without that precious document called a passport,

I had my vaccinations and the Covid-19 Immunization Record,

the bar code

but I had forgotten somehow to renew my passport,

how is that even possible,

never came up in conversation,

I do not know,

well I guess my first tropical trip,

is a no go,

will have to wait once again,

I will have to apply and have it done as they are good for 10 years,

the passport that is,

It was a hard goodbye as they left the house,

then I remember going somewhere with someone else,

we were a distance from my home,

when I remembered I had forgot my suitcase,

what a dream,

what a dream when you dream a dream,

of white sands and tropical breezes,

One day, it will happen,

I will travel to some far off tropical place,

Perhaps Hawaii, I would love that.

Talk about confusion in that dream,

I was wondering why,

Then I remembered I had watched a show,

on t.v. last night about memory,

it sparked the madness I called a dream,

There it was,

Good Morning,

thank goodness I am awake now!

Written by CY Lewis on Saturday, November 20, 2021

**************************************************

You never know what you will think of when you are asleep. I had that strange dream just a few hours ago. With Alvin at my side and despite his many attempts to get me to stay up. Each time I fell back to asleep I would continue with that dream. WOW.

I hope that you have an amazing Saturday. Oh, just looked out the window and the sun is shining and it is SNOWING. Oh no, not more snow. I guess on the upside the temperature is warmer with the moisture. So we can walk later. This weekend is laundry and Christmas cards and letter writing. I will have them finished by the end of tomorrow. Ready to mail next payday.

Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, understanding, love, laughter and gratitude.

Always, Carol & Alvin