Good Morning ALL! Happy CANADA Day to all Canadians. We are not a perfect country but I know that I am for one, always trying to be a better person, a better human being, a better Canadian. Happy Birthday Canada. We will get there and I believe sooner than later. As long as we have today we can always help to make/build our tomorrows better than our yesterdays. If we continue to learn, that is what matters most. We, being Alvin and I are going to spend the day doing “stuff.” We will be going to our friend Pauline’s house to check on the flowers and plants and perhaps do some watering. Again, there is rain in the forecast but how can we know if it will actually happen OR if there will be a significant amount to give moisture to the foliage. After all, that is one of my happiest places so I will go everyday and give the plants a drink, if need be. We love to hang out in the garden and just be. I promise to take some photos today.
I must say that my plants are beginning to grow now that we have had some sunshine the past few days. There is some concern about one of my lavender plants but I believe it may be turning the corner now. The sun is shining again this morning. Alvin bless his heart, slept from lights out at 10:30 until 5:00 this morning. I was so happy. After he had his glucosamine chew, his breakfast and went outside to do his business, we laid down on the sofa until 7:00 a.m. and we have been up ever since. I changed the bedding on our bed, changed out towels and spent some time looking over Instagram pictures. You see last night we were vegging at home. I had received an invitation to go and join my friends to sit around the fire pit but I graciously declined as yesterday my eyes were “burning” off and on throughout the day, making it difficult to see the computer at times. It happened in the house and not even outside. I chalked it up to allergies but to what? Nothing new in the house. Anyway okay now. I was watching a bit of television and snuggling with Mr. Alvin when I decided to look on Instagram and at that very moment a photo of my long-time friend Diana’s granddaughter popped up, she was all dressed up for her graduation and will be going into High School in the fall. The photo was posted on Diana’s daughter page. I must have been following her and not realized it. So one thing led to another and next thing I know I was texting with both of them. I cannot tell you how happy I was to reconnect with my friends. It has been forever since we chatted and I know it was not in person or even by video but it was close enough. I spent a good amount of time looking at my friend’s Insta page this morning. Sometimes technology is a wonderful thing. Most times. What a great way to start the second half of 2022 reconnecting with friends. Catching up is always good.
Well today will be watering flowers and hanging out for a bit in our friend’s most beautiful garden and taking photos. Mr. Alvin requires a haircut and bath. There be laundry to do matey! Also some cleaning as always. But we will relax in between.
Time to go and get out of my pj’s, get washed and dressed, make some coffee, enjoy said coffee (maybe even outside on the deck for a change, I just realized that I have not done that yet this summer), have breakfast and then go for walk. I want to go before it gets warmer as Mr. Alvin does not do well in temperatures over about 22 degrees. Yesterday was too warm for him. I hadn’t realized how much humidity there was when we went for our walk at noon.
Happy Canada Day to All Canadians.
Have a wonderful day.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus and possibilities and COFFEE.
Good Morning ALL! I hope this find you doing great. Not sure what our weather is doing. Appears to be a mixture of sunshine, clouds, rain and wind for the weekend. All is well with our company. Alvin woke up a bit earlier than what he has been the past few days but I would expect it is due to the change in our household. They are getting along quite well. The odd growl here and there mostly from Georgie. He is about the same height as Alvin but about half the size. He can easily sit upon my lap and he is doing so right now. In fact, when we were sitting on the sofa last night he was right up there. I am so grateful that Alvin does not get jealous when other pups sit on my lap. I found that Georgie loves Alvin’s wet food and by the way, not one dog that I have come across does not like it. Likely because it costs $5 per can. Just like the humans, always going for the most expensive. Anyway, all is good. As long as everyone is happy, I am happy. After having breakfast at 6:00, we laid back down on the sofa till 8:00 which was nice. Cute story, just after they arrived later yesterday afternoon, I was getting instructions from Georgie’s Mom when we noticed he was in the kitchen, he lifted his leg and peed right smack on the end of the IKEA shelving unit that is laying on it’s side (which is my flower stand etc). I just smiled and said “it is okay” as I grabbed some paper towels and the puppy cleaner solution. What is a little pee anyway, that was the last time in the house, thank goodness. He was just marking his place. I ended up putting his food / water dishes stand on a little mat covering the area with hopes he won’t do it again. So far so good. He has market his place on two of my flower pots on the deck so of course, I cleaned them as well. What a guy! He is well behaved and listens pretty good and loves me right beside me, just like Mr. Alvin. We went for a walk after an early supper and it was still pretty warm so we only go just inside the park when the boys turned around for home. Even with a drink or two of water (I always carry water for pups) they were hot. Home we went. Georgie took the lead just as we approached our house and walked right up the sidewalk, he found it all by himself. I better get them downstairs in case someone has to pee or poo. We will have to get out for a walk before it starts to rain this afternoon.
Enjoy your Saturday.
My plans are to do laundry, clean the garage, take the pups to the park for a walk and hopefully get to the grocery store. The girls are coming for coffee tomorrow morning and unless I get very creative I am not sure what I can make unless it is eggs and biscuits. I don’t have any fruit. Cannot even bake banana muffins.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus and possibilities.
Always, Carol, Alvin and Georgie.
P.S. I shall post photos in tomorrow’s post. The garage is getting close to be ready for the sale on weekend of the 25th of June. Today is 59 days till my 65th Birthday.
Good Morning ALL! How are you this Wednesday morning? We are well. Mr. Alvin slept from bedtime until 4:53 a.m. Can you believe it? I can hardly believe it. But oh so happy. We went outside and then he had his Movoflex chew and then his breakfast. We had some more zzz’s on the sofa till time for me to get up and going.
The sky is semi overcast but the sun is shining. It was warm out. I am always amazed by the difference between looking out of my office window to the south and out our bedroom window to the north with only our house in between.
Well yesterday turned out to be a great day. I did have a minor, I would not say meltdown as it was not that but have you ever had multiple things happening all at once and you lose it, temporarily. Well it was near the end of my work day and I was closing programs, my phone was pinging with some incoming messages and Alvin was scratching wanting up onto the sofa. Just a combination of those sounds made me not happy. Anyway, I didn’t save one of my spreadsheets which would have been an update but needless to say I clicked on “don’t save” instead of “save” as I was riled. I looked Alvin in the eye and gave him heck and poor boy was shaking. I was not yelling but I think he definitely felt the elephant in the room. I felt so bad. So have to change things. No more phone nearby. If I can turn off or down the sound so that I don’t have to listen to the pinging, that would be helpful. I am human but feeling like a terrible one. Hard to make up for bad behavior. I have to forgive myself and move on. I feel so bad for Alvin. Thankfully this did not last long. I guess we all have moments.
Last night I mowed the lawn and pulled some weeds from the back flower bed. The plants on the south side of the house are doing okay but the ones out front are doing great. Our overnight temperatures have been on the cool side. The grass in the backyard is lush and green considering the front is barely green. I wished that I would wake up tomorrow morning and look out of the front window and see dark green lush grass out front. A gal can dream.
Well it is time to head downstairs. I have a bit of a headache. Sign that I need to drink more water for sure.
Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Don’t give up! Keep on going ahead.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus and possibilities.
Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? Alvin and I are fine. A bit tired but okay. Our company, our beautiful pups Aspen and Milo have gone home with their parents. My kids arrived weary but overjoyed to see their babies and to get home to their own bed. It was an up and down night. I thought originally that we would just wait up until they arrived knowing it would be well after midnight. My daughter texted me about 11:00 that they had landed in Edmonton. Knowing it would be at least 1.5 hours before they arrived, I made an executive decision to just go upstairs to bed, the pups were happy. We made one last trip outside before heading upstairs. Upstairs and a few minutes later the lights were out. My daughter texted their progress. She didn’t have my house key with them so I instructed them to ring the doorbell or knock at the door. I keep my bedroom door closed at night so wasn’t sure that I would actually hear them knock but I did. 1:00 a.m. they arrived. I turned on the lamp beside the bed and grabbed my socks and got up. As I opened the door and headed downstairs, Milo and Aspen followed. It was a great reunion. Alvin surprisingly did not come downstairs. I had their belongings ready to go so it was a quick in and out except for one bathroom break. Then we were alone. We had quickly made friendly exchanges and hugs before the departure. When I headed back upstairs I found Mr. Alvin sitting on the bed. I think he was sad and confused. The house was so quiet. I pulled up the blinds and waved at my daughter as they headed for home. This morning I had a text that they were home.
Yesterday was a good last day of vacation. The sun shone and it warmed up enough to melt a lot of the snow. I had shovelled my walk, neighbours in other half and Humphrey & Bogart’s Mom’s, as well. On the deck I moved the snow around. All in all, only snow left is on the front lawn and a little pile on the deck and a small amount in the backyard.
Lots of stories to tell and about a parcel but I hit the snooze button a couple of times this morning. Time to get downstairs and put on the coffee and start work.
I will finish my story tomorrow.
Have a wonderful Thursday.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus and possibilities.
Good Morning ALL! I hope this post finds you doing very well. Today is Wednesday, April 6, 2022. Happy Birthday to a long time friend of mine, Lisa. We hope that you are having a wonderful day.
The sunrise is beautiful and the sky is a most pretty blue. The kind of blue that you love to look at. I can see oranges and pinks with a slight mix of blue and purple in the sunrise as the sun slowly rises in the morning sky. We are so blessed to see this beauty. I am most grateful for these mornings.
There is a bit of a breeze but not gale force as it was yesterday. Nothing like eating your hair as you are out for a walk with your favorite pup.
Everyday I hear more and more birds as they return to start building and laying their eggs. The geese are returning. The bunnies are turning brown. All sure signs of spring. Also big news, most of the snow and ice from our little grassy area as melted. I was able to chip a good portion away from the edge of the deck as Mr. Alvin likes to jump down and I was so worried about him doing this. For some reason he is not into taking the steps. The edge of the deck is not high as this is the middle section and I can even step up and down (which is something for me). Little bit higher than steps. Anyway. Even though it was windy we did get out for a couple of walks yesterday. I can feel any stress or anxiety melt away as I walk along the sidewalks in our neighborhood with my Alvin.
My life is really good. Oh and I have more good news. I seem to be almost back to normal after my backward tumble in the backyard on Sunday. Also I have been using the ice pick as a walking stick whenever I go into the grassy area so that I do not slip or lose my balance. Works perfectly. I also make sure that I hold the railing when I take the stairs. Always good to do. They are there for a reason.
Oh, the sunbeams are resting gently on the trees and the houses that I an see. Looks so pretty.
On Friday, it is forecasted to be +20 degrees celsius here in Edmonton. I believe that will be flip flop weather and no sweater weather. Cannot wait. Makes our walks so perfect. I am going to start carrying water with us for the boy to drink.
Well it is almost time to start work for another day. As a friend once said “one more day closer to retirement.” Which is true. I am excited as I am taking some vacation days starting next Wednesday. Really looking forward to this time off. I go back to “work” on the 21st, which is the following Thursday. Working Monday and Tuesday of next week and then Thursday and Friday the following week. Easter falls in there as well so Good Friday and Easter Monday are vacation days for us.
I hope that you have a wonderful day. Maybe even be able to get out for a nice walk.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus and possibilities.
Good Morning ALL! How are you today? Alvin and I are doing well. When we were outside much earlier about 4:00 a.m., a strange cat was on the railing around the fence at our neighbours, the home of Humphrey and Bogart. I hadn’t heard the cat calling out to the others but when their Dad popped his head out the window, I guess that the cat had been. We or at least I did not hear the commotion. With this weather I do not like to see cats outside. Thankfully the new few days are going to be warm. The sun is breaking through the clouds and we are well on our way to a beautiful Saturday. Mr. Alvin is trying to tell me something.
This weekend I am going to spend some time putting together the documents for my taxes so that once I have my T4 – I can go ahead and submit them. Laundry. Those are my two jobs for the weekend. We will get some walks in and also it looks like I will be chipping away at ice once again out front. Dratted ice. With this weather it happens a lot. We have so much snow and then melts and runs down the lawn onto the sidewalk where it is lower and pools freezing overnight making a deep pool of ice. That is a job that follows me every single winter. Good exercise for the arms, though. The snow banks look pretty as they glisten in the morning light.
I have not seen any coyotes or bunnies as of late, not a good sign for the rabbits. Poor little ones.
It is nice see that most of the snow has melted from the roofs as it had been accumulating. At least on my neighbours to the south. I will have to check the back of my house next time I am in the backyard.
I have been thinking of my friends and neighbours as I have not seen much of anyone as of late. With the cold weather we were not walking, then ice. No one is visiting. I think that today I will also reach out to a few of them. Perhaps we will be able to walk as far as our friend Pauline’s house. I miss her, I miss them all. Before the Pandemic I saw friends almost every week/weekend whether walking or visiting NOW if I see someone once a month, I feel blessed. I am however, grateful to be of good health so I will patiently wait till I can see them again. We can video chat and I think that would be a great idea at this point. Likely a good idea for everyone. Thank goodness for technology. We are more lucky than we know.
That SUN is starting to sparkle and shine. A great day is here for us all to enjoy.
Have an awesome day. “See” you tomorrow.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus and possibilities.
Good Morning ALL! How are you this fine Saturday morning. Alvin and I are doing well and have been up for hours. We have already been for a walk, watered all of the flower beds and flower pots and did some yard work. I wanted to get in all of the outdoor work before the heat sets in for the day. I really am enjoying our early morning walks. Other than two people out for a walk we were the only ones. Surprised that folks with pups were not out for a walk but perhaps they were out even earlier. Alvin really loves his new travel water dish and usually drinks the whole bottle on each of our walks. I put the coffee on to perk while I am writing this post. Lots to do this Saturday. After this post, coffee and breakfast followed by changing and preparing to give Mr. Alvin a haircut and bath. His hair is not really long but in this next week heat wave a shorter cut will be better for him. Then of course, there is laundry and I think in the heat of the day we will be in the basement. My daughter and son-in-law gave us a leather love seat which fits perfects in the family room in the basement so we have a place to sit for my, lay for Alvin and watch a movie and just hang out and be cool. I have some rearranging to do in the basement so perfect time when it is hot outside. The fans on the main floor keep the temperature at about 80 which seems hot but isn’t too bad. I am not a heat person by any stretch of the imagination. Not at all.
Last night we went to one of our neighbors and hung out in their beautiful backyard. It really is gorgeous. First thing that Alvin does is to roll around on the grass as it is cool and thick unlike ours. He really loves this couple as do I and we always have such a great visit. Laughing and sharing news and information. Alvin made sure that he sniffed every part of the yard. He was fixated on something in one of her flower beds and surprisingly enough lifted his paws as not to squash any of the flowers. We were shocked. It was an deliberate action. What a guy!
Well this is going to be short as I have to get going and get Alvin’s haircut done. At least the fans will help. I need that cup of coffee and perhaps some toast before starting.
I am grateful to have fans for us to be cool. Not much housework this weekend. Thankfully I usually keep things tidy and clean so really not much to do. I am grateful that we were able to go for a nice walk earlier. The roses smelled amazing and the birds singing their morning songs. So beautiful out.
I hope that you have an awesome Saturday. Keep cool and safe. Enjoy the weekend.
Living this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, understanding and gratitude.
Good Morning ALL! How are you this great Thursday morning? Alvin and I are doing great after a FANTASTIC night sleep. The sky is overcast and it is windy. The wind seems as though it is here to stay.
I finally downloaded my photos from Tuesday night. The flower shots were all taken during a crazy strong wind. Some photos were so blurry that I had to delete them and reshoot them. I love the vibrancy of my beautiful flowers and the green plant at the end of the first row is a PEPPER PLANT. I can hardly wait to see peppers forming. It will be a surprise as to what colour they will be. How exciting. I also threw in some photos of a couple of selfies that I was trying to take for a Fifth Avenue Jewelry Jewelry post and well, the most important subjects were Alvin and the necklace. I took those photos Wednesday late afternoon and the ones of Mr. Alvin laying on his bed were taken Wednesday morning after he wanted to play with his Teddy Bear. Which we did. So cute.
We had two lovely walks yesterday. At lunch time we met a dog named Wilson. I love that name for a doggie. Not much is new with me and Alvin. Father’s Day is coming up for all those Dads out there.
I hope that you enjoy the photos as much as I love the subjects of the photos. Flowers are a passion for me. I love their beauty, various colours and shapes and scents. They just make me feel like a billion dollars. Another passion in my life is my four-legged buddy. I will admit that sometimes I do have less patience than I should but I do try as we continue to muddle through this life of ours together.
Wishing you a wonderful Thursday. Maybe you are doing something special today? Just for you! I hope so. You deserve to take some time and do something just for YOU. You, rock. Remember that! We take ourselves for granted sometimes.
Continuing to go through this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love and gratitude and thoughtfulness.
Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? Well other than not falling asleep quickly we had a great night sleep. Alvin woke up at 4:00 and then we were up to stay at 6:22 a.m., now does not get more perfect than that. YAY Mr. Alvin and yay Momma. The wind was cold last night and I was worried for my flowers but looking at them earlier they appear to be okay. We do have some cold weather coming this week with even possible “snow” flurries, I sure hope that the sun shines and the only moisture we receive is rain. Some of the overnight temperatures are in the single minus number range and that means covering the plant pots that I cannot move. There are three that I struggled to get to the lower deck from the garage and there is no way that I can easily move them into the garage and out for the daytime. So covering is the only option. I finally was able to download my photos and I now have figured out why everytime I download photos from my phone to the computer ….. that I get a message stating a number of files did not download and that is because they were LIVE shots. Gotta love technology. So yesterday when after two years with this phone (should have asked my daughter) the light bulb came on and I made the realization. So I spent over an hour deleting live shots from my phone. Luckily I had some portrait mode ones that I could download. I reshot the flower photos last night. The jewelry party was a success, I have no idea the sales but there were more people attending and watching the replays than ever before and I am grateful for that.
This is my back deck area. Lots of flowers and different than I usually plant. Of course, there are some of the usual. I did forget to pick up marigolds so will have to grab a couple of those at some point during the next couple of weeks. Marigolds help keep mosquitoes and wasps away.
I hope that you all have a wonderful day and that your weekend was great.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion and patience.
Good Morning ALL! How are you doing this Thursday morning, May 6th, 2021? We are well. We enjoyed a couple of walks yesterday and on the second one we were able to have an outside visit with our friend. She was working in her garden and invited us in for a patio visit. I love sitting on her patio in her backyard. I cannot wait until her flowers are all out and blooming. She starts most of her plants and flowers inside the house and then in spring plants them in pots on her patio and some in her flower beds which surround the lawn area. She has one of the most beautiful garden ever. It is our sanctuary away from home, I always feel relaxed and calm in her yard.
As I am plum out of stories and things to say on this morning. I am going to post some photos of mine from previous years. Bad me, I still have not downloaded the photos that I have been taking recently. I will be proud to show you my handiwork on the front flower bed and cannot wait to fill it full of plants and flowers. It is now a blank canvas so I had better get planning it before it is too late. Soon it shall be time to pick up some plants/flowers and get them planted. I cannot wait. My favourite thing is picking out some plants/flowers, then planting and caring for them and watching them grow and flower.
My Flowers
A gift
Impatiens
My pansies
Perfection
Wishing you joy and laughter on this Thursday. Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion and patience.
Always, Love Carol & Alvin
Love flowers ………
P.S. cannot wait to get the fence painted. Looking a bit worn, lol.
My New Life @ 51 