The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! Looks like another beautiful day on the way. It was actually not bad out earlier this morning when we were out in the backyard. Warmer than Saturday morning as there was frost then. No frost this morning. Alvin is hanging in there and me, too. Couple more days wearing socks when he goes outside and we should be okay. I have tried to examine the bottom of his pads but it is difficult by myself. Anyway, we are doing well. I am so grateful for the second day in a row for the sun to be shining so brightly. Thank you for the blue skies. There is a breeze but I think that is going to be part of the norm now.

Yesterday I cleaned out the office closet, went through all of my jewelry (which was huge), went through the spare bedroom, laundry and mowed the backyard. Not a huge amount of things but things done. Today I want to wash down the deck, sort through some of the things in the garage. Then basement left to do. I want to have everything ready for the garage sale. I have a pile of things in the spare bedroom to go downstairs and to the garage for the sale. But will leave them for now. Also do some vacuuming as well. I also moved the desk (table) that was storing my jewelry from the spare room to my room. My room is a bit more full than I normally would like but it is a nice change. I can put it back at some point.

It will be done in chunks as Alvin has to stay in the house unless I can keep an eye on him. Those dratted socks will not stay up all of the time. They slip from time to time. I am proud of them for at least allowing me to put them on his feet each and every time we go outside.

Yesterday there were two little blue/black/white birds flying about the birdhouse that I have in the backyard. It sits up on a pole that sits on the upper deck. The only thing is one of the birds kept flying too close to one of the glass windows on the garage. I was worried that it was going to knock itself out but gratefully it did not.

The neighbours are outside raking their lawn and doing outdoors things.

This is the time of year that most people if not camping for the first time this season that are out raking, going through their garages, getting things ready to haul to the Eco Station (not sure if it is open on the long weekend or not), and all things outdoors.

Tomorrow I am planting my flowers. I checked the weather station and looks like we should be okay for overnight temperatures. YAY. Cannot wait.

Have an awesome Sunday.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning! Happy Saturday. Welcome to our never ending SAGA. The house of almost no sleep. That is how I feel at this moment. I had planned to get up earlier but when you are up and up from 1:30 onward getting up and staying up at 7:00 does not look much like a plan. Poor Mr. Alvin is not having a good time of it all. We cannot walk until at least Monday. Whenever he is outside in the backyard he has to wear something on his feet. The only thing that I could come up with is, some of my socks. I found some that had good elastic in the top so that they would not slide off right away. Every time he goes outside I have to go with him no matter the time of day or night. Usually the socks slip down and I am walking behind him hiking them up. At first he was unhappy about the socks but now he is okay. We only started this yesterday morning after I call his Doctor. I spoke with one of the staff and was told he needs to wear something on his front paws to keep them clean so that they can heal. Makes sense to me. I had been between the time we came home on Thursday afternoon and until Friday morning washing and drying them off each time he went outside. This is a bit easier. Both Alvin and I are tired. I am grateful though that his paws will heal soon. So no hair cut or bath this long weekend. That will have to wait until next weekend. I will depending on the weather plant my flowers perhaps on Monday.

We were so happy to have our girl stop by on her way home for a visit. I made us coffee and we had a good visit. So much conversation and catching up. Seems like lots happening. I asked her to hold up Alvin so that I could more clearly see where to place the salve but it was difficult with Mr. Squirmy Pants. But I have a better idea. At the Vet they showed me but somehow I needed to see again at home. Everything is different at home, right?

So busy weekend. I want to wash down the deck, pull out all of my flower pots to plan what will go where, pull out the last bit of the two shrubs from the back flower bed, clean out said flower bed, put in a pile all those items to go to the ECO Station, clean out the office closet, go through Christmas stuff in the basement and the big cupboard with craft supplies etc. which is in the family room. We may have one of my daughter and son-in-law’s friends come to stay with us for a little while while she finds a place on this side of the city. So I need to get prepared. Even if she decides not to, I need to go through things and get ready for the June garage sale. Lots to do. Hopefully the weather will hold. There was frost on the ground this morning. I need to trim the grass in the backyard as it is long. Time to charge the battery pack for the grass trimmer. Sometimes I use it instead of my push lawn mower. Easy peasy.

So as per always plans change. But that is okay, my whole life has been a series of changes. I am sure that most people feel this way. I am accustomed to change but that doesn’t mean that I like things changing constantly. But that is life.

I am so grateful for the bright blue sky and the sun shining this morning.

I am so grateful for the visit with my daughter yesterday after work.

I am so grateful that I live, that we live in our own house.

I am grateful that Alvin will heal and be his old self once again.

I am grateful for summer days and summer nights.

I am grateful for each birthday.

I am grateful for each day on this earth.

Thank you for reading my posts. My life is not exactly exciting but there is always something happening.

Usually a work a round whether in my personal or work life.

I will be happy to see my flowers in pots and smiling at me on the deck and in the gardens.

The leaves are green and the lawns are getting there as well.

The bunnies are brown.

Time to go and have a refreshing shower and then put the coffee on before starting the laundry.

I need to make a list of things to sell, things that need to be done and the timelines.

Oddly enough, I do like making lists. So that will be fun.

Happy Saturday.

Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus and possibilities. There are always possibilities. You just have to keep your eyes open.

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. I need to post some photos. You need to see Mr. Alvin sporting socks. Instant smiles.

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! Happy Friday and I hope that you are doing great! The sun is shining here FINALLY and the sky is a beautiful BLUE, not grey. YAY. The long weekend is off to a great start. Oh, I am working but as far as I am concerned we are almost there. It has been one of those weeks, right! But we made it. The weather here in Edmonton is supposed to be quite nice so perhaps I will be able to plant my flowers, oregano and tomatoes that are taking up real estate on my kitchen table, window sills in the kitchen and with nestled in between my other plants.

Okay, so the vet visit yesterday. We were able to walk there are it had stopped raining. We had a nice walk there. While I was waiting in one of the exam rooms for Alvin, I could hear him crying. I wondered what was happening as he was just supposed to be getting his ears rechecked and checking his paws as I thought perhaps something else going on besides the arthritis and sure enough there was. I am not sure why I did not notice it but this is what Dr. Karen told me afterward. He had some matts in his front paws and they were in between his toes so creating some problems walking and otherwise for the poor boy. No wonder. Anyway it was tricky cutting them out and they started to bleed. The bleeding stopped. I have salve to put on every twelve hours for the next 7-10 days. I forgot to ask about walking. Then of course, he has an ear infection. I was truly mortified by how much gunk came out of his ears as I had cleaned them on Sunday. I guess I did not go deep enough. Cleaning his ears is not an easy job for one person. Anyway, he is on medicine for another yeast infection. I swear it must be a all time record for number of yeast infections in one’s life time. Poor guy. Now this sounds like I do not look after Mr. Alvin which could not be further from the truth. I started to cry when the vet was telling me about his paws. I cannot believe I had not noticed. Now his paws are dark and he does not like them being touched. Now he has no choice. I have to call back because I forgot to ask if we can go for walks during this time. The salve won’t likely help if he continually gets his paws dirty. I had to put his paws in a dish of lukewarm water after the vet visit and remove any dirt he got on them after we left the vet and then pat them dry. Well we had more water on the floor than in the bowl. I managed to clean them but wasn’t easy. Then I put on the salve which was hard to see if I was even getting on the right area. Anyway, the ear medicine prevents any cleaning for the next month so I guess that helps. So just have to concentrate on his paws. I will have to watch more carefully when I am giving him a haircut. I know that I usually have pulled hair out of his paws as he would step in some was I was cutting his hair even though I cleaned it up continually. It was raining when we were about to leave the vet so I called my friend and she came to pick us up. So grateful. Then he would not get all the extra grime on his paws from that back walkway. Which I cleaned up a couple of weeks ago and it is filled with garbage again, maybe not as much but still enough.

We did not have a great sleep but I am going to keep the faith. We have medicine.

The coffee is on and I can sort of smell it. I am very congested. The leaves on the trees.

We had a quiet evening after supper and cleanup. I am very grateful to Dr. Karen and staff for helping Alvin. We are adding to the list of his regular 5 week appointments having his paws checked for matts. How lovely!

Sorry.

I am happy that the sun is shining.

Life is good. Better for Alvin now, thank goodness.

My daughter is popping by after work to pick up something that was delivered for her. I cannot wait to see her.

Have an awesome Friday. Be well. Check your dog’s paws for matts.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

The NEW Year 2022

Good Morning ALL! Welcome to a Rainy Thursday here in Edmonton,Alberta, Canada. The sky is filled with puffy dark gray rain clouds and it is windy. Wind is beginning to be typical of daily life here in Edmonton. At least it sure seems to be. When it is calm, we surely appreciate it.

How are you this morning? Alvin was up a few times during the night but that is okay, I am okay. He has an appointment with his Doctor this afternoon. Fingers crossed that the sky clears for us to walk over so that I do not have to bother a friend to drive us there. Thankfully Alvin’s Doctor is less than a 10 minute walk. Sometimes if he is sniffing a lot it can take 15 or so minutes, lol. I walked over after work yesterday and picked up some pain pills and his food and toothpaste for him. Now we are stocked and will not run out. We were not close to running out but I like to ensure that he has more than enough food just in case. Looking ahead, I suppose.

One more day and it is the long weekend. Three days off in a row, how lovely. I have decided that I am going to plant my flower pots as I do not wish my plants to become root bound. I heard that the weather is supposed to be better and warming up on the weekend. Most of the trees are at least partially full of buds and leaves. So pretty. So there is lots of green. I could cut the grass in the back but it looks so nice and green. But anyway no cuts for the next couple of days anyway as it has to dry out.

It is one month till the garage sale that I am hosting. Have to start getting the garage in order. I have some large items to post on the social media so that they do not take up room in the garage. Boxes to break down and some items that belong to my neighbour that I have to chat to her about. I am quite certain that this next month will fly by and I want to have the garage almost empty. I also have to secure a way to the ECO Station as I have lots of things or a fair amount to take there. Will be so nice to have the garage where it should be …. stuff wise. Isn’t it funny how we end up collecting stuff even in the garage.

Alvin and I enjoyed a wonderful walk at noon yesterday. It was a bit cool but most enjoyable. Just as we were on the homestretch there were a few drops of rain so we did not get wet. I have yet to see any goslings and have been keeping an eye out for them. The only ones I saw were going down the street with their parents a few days ago. They are so cute.

Well time to head downstairs. I am only working for the morning so have lots of things to get done. I hope that you have an awesome day. Keep warm and dry and stay safe.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. I am nervous to listen to the weather channel as they were forecasting snow for most of the country east of us and even including the city of Calgary which is just south of us.

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? I well, er slept in and am running late. So this will be a short post. I apologize. I was up in time but the sofa and the warm blanket sang out to me and I kept clicking on the “SNOOZE” button. Shame on me. On the upside, I am up and had a beautiful warm shower and am feeling comfy at the moment. I guess it was too early to turn the heat off. It is in the mid 60’s F in the house this morning. The sun is shining outside which is a good thing. There is a breeze. It is Wednesday. Half way through the work week.

Last night Mr. Alvin was not having much fun. He started to shake his head and lick his paws even more than as of late. I gave him his last pain pill with the hopes that he could settle down and get some rest which would trickle down and give me some as well. He slept okay. So today I need to make him a vet appointment. Double check his ears and get him some pain pills for the arthritis. I hope that I am able to get him in today.

We are supposed to get some moisture today. If it is raining I cannot walk him to the vet. I guess time will tell.

Well I had better get going. Sorry for the rush.

I hope that you have an awesome Wednesday. We will certainly try.

Better get to the affirmations right away. They certainly do help.

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

Always, Carol

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! How are you this Tuesday morning? We are well, doing very well. Alvin is sleeping better than he has in awhile. Now that doesn’t mean that one or both of us aren’t up “once during the night” to do something but then we go back to sleep. We had a pretty good sleep. I hear the rumblings of the garbage trucks out and about. I filled my big garbage bin with the trash that I picked up in the neighbourhood two weekends ago. So I will definitely have my own to put out in two weeks.

The sky is overcast this morning and we had a good rain last night about 8:30 p.m. which included THUNDER. First thunder of this season. Nothing like the crack of thunder. There is a breeze this morning and it is cool out. Yesterday was so nice outside. We walked at lunchtime – the whole walk – well done Mr. Alvin. Instead of walking after work, I opted to wait and go after supper and cleanup was done. So after work I decided to flip the patio furniture about. I put the table and four chairs from the upper deck nearest to the garage onto the deck closest to the house just off from the bay window of the kitchen. It looks great there. Perhaps I will use it more. I do need an umbrella or two as they shredded and are waiting to go to the ECO Station. I placed the bistro table by the back door which is great when I have to haul in groceries etc. via the garage or someone comes over, there is a place to set something down instead of on the deck, which would have been okay, too. The wicker loveseat, coffee table and two chairs are back in the centre part of the deck. I can hardly wait to plant my flowers and fill in the gaps. I also took some of the branches that I had pruned from our front tree and placed them into a tall planter that I have on the deck. I have had this planter forever and it has deteriorated over the years making it almost impossible to move (it is heavy as well) without having a mess. I will try at some point, just not ready for it to go. It still looks okay – just looks old. It is made out of a ceramic something or other. Anyway, with a couple of ornaments on the tables it looks good for now.

When we were out for out walk after supper, we saw these two young guys. They both had their shirts off and walking looking at their phones. An accident looking to happen. What struck me the most was this. One of the boys was wearing the pants that hit below the hips while his underwear was almost completely showing above his pants. I watched in wonder and awe, thinking how can you possibly keep those pants from falling down? Maybe they are velcroed together? The boys wearing these pants all seem to have that same gait, that same kind of slow, side shuffle. Hard to explain. I am sure that all of you have seen this before and know exactly what I mean. Oh to be a teenager again with the whacky styles and trends. Whoever had this idea? Why? Really, lol, why?

I was disappointed that we did not see the baby goslings on our walks yesterday. They are out there in all their cuteness. So darling these little birds.

Coffee will taste great this morning. I turned the heat off a few days ago but now thinking I should have it on but I will keep wearing a sweater and put on something heavier if I need to. Might as well save on heating costs if I can. I have socks on as well. LOL.

Mr. Alvin is snuggled on the rug.

It looks like the sky is clearing on the horizon so that is good news. I hope that the sun shines.

To my friend Val who is hosting an “Epicure Tasting Event” today, I hope that you have fun and it is highly successful.

I heard the news that SGI (Saskatchewan Government Insurance) in Regina, Saskatchewan has their first female President. Congratulations!

Have an awesome Tuesday.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! Happy Monday morning. I hope that you are well this morning. Alvin and I had a great sleep, yes we did. Lights out just after 10:00 as I was reading and still did not finish the book that I am reading. This will be the third time that I have read this book so I know the ending. I am re reading the Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella. They are a nice light read and always make me smile. Rebecca or Becky as she is affected referred to, is just one of those characters that you can one minute shake your head in disbelief that someone would do that and in the next one you are feeling so sorry for her or so happy. She also reminds me of me in some aspects. I think she would likely remind most of the population of themselves. If you have never read the series, please do so. I am certain that you would them very most enjoyable. The characters are so well done. I hope that Sophie writes another new one soon. Maybe she has and I just have not heard. Reminder to check.

Well yesterday was a GREAT day. The to do list remains the same as I strayed greatly. Started out with the girls coming for coffee. We had a “muffin” day as everyone brought muffins in addition to my banana pumpkin with orange zest loaf. We had carrot cake muffins with cream cheese icing and then a mix of blueberry, chocolate chocolate chip, and raisin bran. I also had some oranges, (two kinds). We had a lovely visit. I just love these girls. I am so blessed to have such good friends near and far. After the girls left for home, I just settled down on the sofa with Alvin for some snuggles and to finish my coffee. In the end I watched a movie. Afterwards we went for a great walk. Mr. Alvin is feeling better and seems to have rounded the corner of concern and coming out the other side. In the afternoon, I tended to my flowers in the house, ended up trimming back and pulling one of my old bushes from the back garden. The bush used to be so pretty and then at some point it has turned into a thorn bush. I was tired of getting pricked all of the time so I trimmed it back and pulled most of the roots. I had to wear two sets of gardening gloves and the second pair on top were a heavy duty glove. Anyway, I was happy that I got it trimmed back and mostly out. I will need to get a small shovel and dig out the remaining roots. We just had a quiet afternoon for the most part. I made myself a big supper of pork chops and baking sheet of vegetables including sweet potatoes and carrots and onions and brussel sprouts. So good. After supper there was some action outside. A woman that I did not recognize looked like she was herding something as she moved about with her hand in the air. I looked out the window to see that a goose with two goslings was walking down the street. She was stopping traffic so that she could get the geese to safety. When I looked closer and actually went outside as were some of my neighbours, I saw two adult geese with the goslings. Little fluffy balls of cuteness. Nice of this stranger to get out of her car (someone else was driving) and help the geese. She herded them to the back lane which is busy enough but definitely more safe than our busy street where people drive insanely fast. I was happy to see kindness for the innocent birds. They will live to see another day and that is so wonderful.

The sky this morning is overcast. Not cold outside. I am happy that I decided to plant my flowers later.

After the geese were saved, I decided to take Mr. Alvin for a walk to the park. We bumped into another neighbour walking with her two dogs so we chatted and walked home together from the park.

Perhaps that is why we slept so good. FRESH AIR in the evening. Perhaps I will change our after work walk to after supper. Might be better for Mr. Alvin.

Time to go and have my first cup of coffee and start this day.

I hope that you have a great Monday. Be well and safe. I hope that there is something for you to laugh about today. Laughter is truly the best medicine.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. thanks Val for the text last night …….

P.P.S. to Pluto ….. I howled at the moon last night even though it was not visible at that time.

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! I hope that this post finds you doing very well. Both Alvin and I are good. I think that Alvin has had a turnaround in how he has been feeling. Part of how I can tell is from his “poop.” Argh, yuck, you might say but poop is important for animals and humans alike. It can tell a lot about your current state of health. Al was having some loose stuff happening, I will skip the details. This morning it was more firm and that is a good thing. Yesterday was an odd day. I had BIG plans but then they completely changed. OH well, I say, Oh well. I did some laundry in the morning, cleaned bathrooms and reorganizing a bit. By the afternoon, after being up so often Friday night, that I laid down beside Mr. Alvin on the sofa and ended up falling the asleep. Yes, I had a nap. I woke when something happened in a dream. This is what I remember: I happen to see our old neighbour Sherry outside looking around as if she did not remember she used to live in the other half of our duplex so I opened the door to check on her. I was so caught up in what was happening with her that I did not notice that Mr. Alvin slipped out quietly through the open door and was gone. When I realized he was not there, I happened to look down the street and there he was walking down the sidewalk toward the park. That is when I screamed and woke up. I really did scream. Poor Alvin in real life. I hope that my now neighbours did not hear me, I don’t think I had the window open at that time. Anyway, no one came over or called. So all good. But when I woke up to find myself drooling and Alvin right beside me on the sofa, I breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed so very real. Yup, drooling, I was. I had fallen asleep sitting up with my legs up on the sofa and head back on the back cushion of the sofa. Very comfy. Anyway, I still have that scared feeling running through my veins.

The sun shone for most of the day and it was nice out. After I woke up I checked on the laundry and then decided it was time to go for a walk. We had a great walk to the park and did our usual walk. When we first got into the park we came across this woman and a little white dog. So cute. Anyway, Alvin decided he wanted to say hello. We, humans decided to chat. I found out that her dog’s name was Bailey and Bailey is 16 years old. She has a heart condition but is on medicine. Bailey’s Mom’s name is Gail (not sure if this is how she spells her name or not). So they are going to be moving into our neighbourhood in June and she was just bringing Bailey here to get her used to the new place. What a good Momma. We had the nicest chat and I learned so much. I happen to mention to Gail about my concerns about Alvin, about how I thought that perhaps he may have the onset of dementia. She said that one day a while ago, Bailey would get lost (at home), starr into nowhere and have accidents. She took her to her vet and found she did have the onset of dementia. There is a human drug for Parkinson patients called “selegiline” (not sure of the spelling, I forgot to look it up) and you can buy it at Safeway. So she gave her the medicine and after 5 weeks, she was much better. The vet said if you catch it in time, you can stop or greatly reduce the effects. So I will keep an eye on Alvin and take him to the vet if required. I had no idea that there was a drug out there – that helped with dementia to that degree. If you catch it soon enough. All about the timing. We had a great chat. I am so happy that I fell asleep and that the dream woke me up when it did and that we met Gail and Bailey. After our walk, I worked on the laundry, cleaned up my plants and watered them. Baked a banana loaf. I checked a basic recipe and then decided to have some fun so I added pumpkin instead of oil or butter and orange zest. OMG, it turned out so good. I cannot wait for the girls to try it this morning. This morning is coffee visit with my pals Gillian and Signe. In less than one hour.

Considering we had a quiet day yesterday, I am going to clean out the office closet. I have things neatly put away in there and I think that there are items that I can sell or give away or even toss. Better to see if someone can use them. Remember spring is the time to go through closets, things stored away and decide if those items bring you JOY. Do they make you happy? How often do you look at them? Do you really need or use them? We in North America get so stuck on keeping things. Hoarding is getting to be a problem for a lot of people. That is a whole other topic for another day.

Time to get Mr. Alvin downstairs as he is patiently waiting. I will make myself a cup of coffee before putting on the pot for Gillian. Signe is not a coffee drinker she likes a specific kind of tea and she always bringings her own. I have the banana surprise loaf and some oranges for a snack. Which will be breakfast for us all.

I have decided to hold off and plant my flowers, tomatoes and oregano next weekend. If it gets colder after that, I will have to put them in the garage overnight. I do love having the plants filling the kitchen table.

Have an awesome Sunday. Thank you so much for reading my posts, this blog. I love to write, share stories about my life with Alvin and my thoughts.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. do what makes you feel good ….. you can clean the toilet tomorrow…..enjoy the sunshine!

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! How are you on this rainy Saturday morning? Perhaps the sun is beaming down upon you? Not at the moment here. It was raining when we were up earlier and we were up early. I decided to go to bed a bit early and read so when the lights went out it was likely about 10:00. Mr. Alvin was up at Midnight and I took him outside. We settled on the sofa and he was up on the hour after that starting about 2:00 a.m., very restless. Last night before bed, he seemed like his old self. Not quite as anxious and not whiny. Perhaps this cooler weather is playing havoc with his paws. I can imagine arthritis is not much fun. He seems to be okay this morning. I was wide awake at 6:00 so stayed up for a bit doing a few things and then decided to come back upstairs and just rest on the bed. We both fell asleep until a little while ago. Okay not such good sleep routine, our patterns are definitely bordering on the “off” side but it is what it is. If we don’t get 8 hours or close to it, we lay back down. Sometimes it is funny how a couple of solid hours of sleep can make or break the day. Anyway, all is well.

The trees are really coming out. Th leaves I mean, so green and beautiful. The grass with this added moisture is starting to turn green. Our poor grass/lawn out front has finally got some patches that are alive and not dead/dormant. Looks like the sun may shine after all. The clouds are breaking up and I see some clear patches.

Well you are likely wondering how we did yesterday with me going to the office. In addition to Gillian coming over at noon, our neighbour Sonja popped by about 3:00 p.m.. He ate, drank water and went outside at noon and did the same at 3:00 p.m. The girls did notice that he was a bit more anxious than usual. I can see that. Going into work is against our routine and as we get older, as dogs get older, routine plays a very important role. So I get that. He was having an off week. Hopefully he will continue to feel his old self. Oh my gosh, I pray for his old self. Anxiety and all. So the office. One of our group had hurt her knee and is unable to do much walking so we were down another body and our Manager was ill and did not attend the office. So no meeting. We did our mailouts as per schedule and then worked on mail etc. Our cubicles and desks are set up in squares with two desks and staff facing each other with dividers in between. The group that are the most vocal are all together, the gal that I came to work with faces one of them and then I am in another group where there is no one at present. My back faces them. So two of us found it very distracting. But I get that they wanted to catch up and some are more chatty than others of us. Not to say that I do not like to talk because that is so far from the truth. But at work, I like to do my job and not “visit.” With these low rise dividers and open air, it can get loud. We are not the only ones on this floor and it can get very loud and distracting at times. So I just tried to tune out the noise and get some work done. I did manage to get a few days worth of mail completed which was great. I still have more to do but getting closer to being current. Although where I am at is acceptable in our job. I am one of those old school bodies that just needs to have everything done and I do not like having things undone. Anyway, it was nice to see the team in person but other than that, I would have liked to have been at home at my kitchen table. I did notice that my chair did not feel comfortable and the lights were annoying. I am very grateful that for the most part I can continue to work from home. I am very grateful for that.

So today, I am thinking of working on the basement. I started going through things during the last two weekends and need to finish before the garage sale in June. It would appear that the forecast is not looking great for planting my flowers, tomatoes and oregano. So will keep inside for another week. My kitchen table looks amazing.

My girl friends are coming for coffee tomorrow morning. So I will pull the leaves out on each end and push the plants to the far end so we have room for our coffee. It will look like we are in a flower garden. How lovely! Today I want to bake something. I am thinking of a banana loaf with pumpkin? Not sure.

So a few things to do. Working on that book in my head. I do have lots of notes and stories already written down so really it would be just a matter of putting them together. So I am getting my mind wrapped about that. I think we need some good stories. We have stories about dogs and people but how many about an older woman and a dog. Not many. I have often joked that there should be a movie about Mr. Alvin as he is just so charming, sociable and magnetic. He has had that effect on people since I brought him home. Just something about him and his name always brings a smile to people’s faces. No one forgets his name. I am and will all remains Alvin’s Mum and I am good with that.

Okay, time for coffee and I definitely need that this morning.

Have an awesome day. Hug your family and pets if you have them. If you are on your own, look in the mirror and say “hello you awesome human being.” Be kind to yourself and to all living creatures.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. sometimes a mirror is a good friend …… look at your reflection ….. you are your own best friend. We need to treat ourselves like we are our own best friend. Start with you and see what a difference your other relationships will be. Love thyself and then you will love others.

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? Alvin and I are okay. Today is my day to be at the office. I am a bit anxious about leaving Alvin at home even though he will have our friend Gillian coming to check on him, he will still be alone. Much different than his usual routine. This is not the first time that I have had to go to the office but I will admit that each time it gives me more anxiety. He has not quite been himself for the past week. He still eats as much as I give him and would eat more if had the opportunity, drinks lots of water, pees and poops without noticeable pain or anything. It is the sleeping that worries me. He seems to wake up even more than usual. I think the arthritis in his paws is giving him grief. I have been giving him tramadol (pains meds) for the past few days and last night I have him a portion of a Robaxin pill to see if that would help him settle down and sleep. It was lights out a bit later than usual and he was still up at 3:00 and would have been up sooner if I had not coaxed him to lay back down. I will see what the weekend brings and then likely make him an appointment for next week.

Last night my friend Gillian texted me and then when I did not reply, she called. She was in COSTCO and found the Sketcher slip on shoes were on sale for $39.99. Now that is my kind of price. Thankfully we wear the same size of shoes so if they fit her, they would most likely fit me. She wanted to make sure that I still wanted a pair. YES, I said gleefully. So happy especially after my Clark’s fiasco. I am trying to sell the Clarks’ slip ons and so disappointed but oh well. I have new shoes to wear today. Now I just need a pair of runners. I have my eyes on a pair of ADIDAS. Just like them. Never had a pair of them before but I like the look and cleaness of them. Simple but elegant and look so comfy. Gillian came over and we had a Thursday night “drink” which is not a thing but thought I would make it sound that way, lol. We had a great chat while Mr. Alvin laid between us loving the attention as we took turns giving him back rubs.

Almost time to head downstairs so that I can ready my coffee to take and take Mr.Alvin outside for another pee before I leave. My ride was 15 minutes early last time so I want to make sure that I am ready just in case, she is that early again.

Have a wonderful day.

Looks to be nice out there. Was sunny earlier but I see that the sky is beginning to cloud. Oh well, rain is good. I should put the cushions back into the garage from the deck furniture.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

Yup, I did not forget that today is in fact, Friday the 13th day of May, 2022. Yes, it is.