The Next Chapter

Good Morning ALL. How are you? I am doing well for this Monday morning. Well yesterday I finished wrapping gifts. Or at least the gifts that I have as I need to pick up something for my grand pups Aspen & Milo and a few furry friends. I will need to do that soon. One stop shopping for them to the Bone & Biscuit which is over by the Save-On Foods grocery store in my neighbourhood. Very convenient. My house definitely looks like Christmas so I guess my job is done. Success! Does it feel like Christmas? Well that is another matter. It does in a lot of ways but Christmas will be different, very different this year without my Alvin. He loved the lights, the tree, having people over and the gifts. He loved to open presents. I have a lot of videos from over the years of him opening gifts. More since my daughter gave me her old iPhone when she bought a new one and my first phone was in 2019. I believe it was in May of that year or so. At first I treated it like a regular phone and it wasn’t until a least two or maybe even three years that I realized that I had access to a flashlight and it changed my world. Whenever I used to go outside with Alvin and it was dark, I always took a flashlight to see. Not just for safety purposes, but for us both to see where we were walking and to pick up the poop (when there was). Likely at times, once started spent too much time on it but that has changed again. I do not let social media take over my world. It wasn’t for a long period but I regret the times that I did and that I was not fully present with my Alvin. It is a lesson learned too late. Often times in our lives, that is the case. If you are on your phone more than you are present with your family, friends and beloved fur babies, it is time to stop and think about the time you are losing. Really at the end of the day no one is going to care if you liked that post or commented on every photo that people post. Some people just post for the attention! Anyway, just my thought. Be present, we only have one now and wasting it on social media, being on your phone is not the best way to spend your precious time on this earth. Teach your children well. Limit their time! Know what they are watching and how they are spending their time. I am so grateful that cell phones and social media were not a thing when my daughter was growing up. But I see what is happening to myself and to others.

Well time to head downstairs. I have an extra something to do before I leave for work this morning. Cryptic, I know but cannot say. Top secret. Spy stuff. LOL. Not really. Can you see me as a spy? Well, maybe, lol.

Have an extra wonderful day. Remember we only have one life, enjoy it, live it and be present in it.

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

Always, Carol & My Forever Angel Alvin.

The Next Chapter

Good Morning! How are you? I am okay but have a headache. I am surprised by how messy the bed is when I wake up, what is going on? This did not happen with Alvin. I woke up and only had to turn up the sheet and bedspread. Definitely tossing and turning a lot more than I realize. Checked out the bedroom window and saw that it had snowed over night. I think they are forecasting snow off and on today. Winter boots it is.

I have been noticing a lot lately people walking by with their dogs either chatting on the phone by voice or by text. Why would you want to take your lovely, beautiful, amazing dog for a walk and just concentrate on him and the walk? I wonder. In the time since I had my first cell phone, I have only taken it with me a couple of times and that was a reason and that was not for chatting to someone. I wanted to take photos of Alvin and the scenery. I tried to always be present with him, paying attention to him, watching him sniffing and always looking for something he could eat. He was important to me and I certainly did not wish him to eat something that would harm him or make him sick. Occasionally he did ingest something and then threw up later. I was always mad at myself for missing that moment.

I would love to see people walking by and paying attention to their pups instead of making it look like a chore or something that they really do not wish to be doing. Enjoy your time with them. They are not going to outlive you that is for sure. Makes me sad and mad. Dogs live in the moment, they are present. Give them your attention. Enjoy nature, enjoy the walk.

Well time to head downstairs, I cannot say back downstairs. I miss getting up with him and going outside. Have not slept on the sofa since Alvin passed. My life seems strange without him. Sometimes I do not feel like myself but I suppose that is true. I am different without him. My life has changed so much in the past few months.

Be safe and have a good Thursday.

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)

2021

Good Morning ALL! How are you doing on this bright and beautiful Saturday morning? Alvin and I are really good. He slept through until 4:30 this morning and then we hit the sofa and were up and down. He heard the neighbor cat who was sitting on our deck railing and I heard Bogart’s Mom, so we went out and had an early morning “visit” while coaxing Bogart to go back home. That was about 6:00 a.m., I believe. Anyway, I think it could be said that Mr. Alvin is an earlier riser and even though most of my life I have “had” to get up and going early, I am not an earlier riser. Not saying that I could or would sleep till late morning but not a 4:30, 5:00 kind of gal. I think the most perfect time to rise is 6:45 or 7:00 a.m. but on the weekends it usually is 7:30-8:00 a.m.. Some mornings you just want to remain curled up under the blanket even if you are not “sleeping” or even tired. Just a relaxing thing to do. Perhaps planning the day or just letting your mind dreamily wander from topic to topic. Anyway we are up and at it now. After this post, it will be a quick early breakfast and coffee before I give Mr. Alvin another hair cut and bath. I think it will be warmer today than has been forecast as it was nice earlier and I was outside on the deck in my pj’s with no shoes only socks and no jacket. The sky is a brilliant blue and I noticed that there are BUDS on the trees. That is a wonderful sign that in a few weeks or sooner we will wake up one morning and there will be LEAVES on the trees. Because that seems to be how it works. With a snap of one’s fingers! We enjoyed our walk at lunchtime yesterday.

Our evening was quiet. I figured out something with Alvin. We were chilled on the sofa and he was cuddled at my left side. I was kind of watching television and was doing one thing or another on my smartphone when he put his paw on me. I put the phone down and gave him a massage. After a bit I realized that he just wanted me to put the phone down and that it had nothing to do with attention or a massage. Once I put the phone out of reach – he laid down and that was it. When we are on the sofa ….. no phone. I now realized how much I am on that rectangular piece of technology. If I am on it alot what about others with pets OR with small children. It is likely that we all are guilty of spending way too much time on it. After all, at the end of the day, it is a phone that can access the internet. How much time do we have to be on the internet and on social media. Do we really care about everyone’s business? Do we really need to know that you baked a cake, got your COVID vaccine or bought a new pair of shoes? Do we really need to post some that happens in our life immediately as it happens? No, I do not think that we do. I am going to put my phone down and away. After all it is a phone. I let my other phone go to voicemail because that is why I paid for that option. A convenience so that I did not miss important calls. One thing that I don’t do and that is carry the phone with me when I am out for a walk. Our walks are for me and Alvin and a phone is not a part of that time. I do notice folks most especially younger ones out walking with others or with their pet and they are walking looking at the screen, not paying attention to what is around them and definitely not any never mind to their pet. Pay attention folks, pay attention. I am also going to limit my time on social media. I have been keeping posts to a minimum. Social media and smartphones seem to bring out the addictive nature in us all.

Funny how one can go from a beautiful morning to cell phone talk. Anyway, I am pretty sure that everyone can relate to what I am saying. We have to take a step back and put the phone down. If my Alvin is noticing and giving me the nudge to put away the phone …. then clearly I have a problem. Keep the phone out of instant reach.

One more thing. Life slips away quickly ….. put the phone down. No one is going to care at the end of it all that you liked every post or posted that photo! Call someone instead. Go for that walk without your phone.

Well those are my thoughts for this Saturday morning. I had better get the coffee perking and have my breakfast so that I can get Mr. Alvin’s haircut in good time and then move onto housework.

I hope that you have an awesome day.

Remembering to live with kindness, compassion, respect and patience.

Always, Love Carol & Alvin

Thought for the day…..

Good Morning and Welcome to Tuesday the 18th day of March, 2014.

How was your St. Paddy’s Day ( realized the correct spelling )?

Mine was interesting…… all good on the St. Patrick’s side, anyway.

 

Here we are fast approaching the first day of spring, 2014.

Can you believe it is almost the end of March, already.

Wasn’t it just New Year’s Eve?

 

I am so grateful that the sun is warming the earth here and all around us.

I am so grateful that the snow is melting and that the earth is showing once again.

I am so grateful for the smells and sounds of spring.

 

So on this timely Tuesday – I am so grateful to be alive.

I was thinking this morning I wonder what my grandparents would think of what is going on around us if they were alive?

My Grandma Stella would have embraced the internet and all that it brings.

I could see her sending emails as she loved to write letters  …. perhaps in the beginning she might have been a bit reluctant but she would have converted and surfing the world wide “web.”

I am always amazed by how much of our glorious older people have embraced technology with cellphones and email.

 

I hope that you have an amazing Tuesday.

If you happen to find yourself in a situation that starts to remove your positive sunny outlook and peace of mind ….. stop take a deep breath.

If you can remove yourself from the situation.

If not, with your sunniest face ….. just carry on.

Find the right words …. always good to have a “catch word” that can bring you to your best place.

I have found myself as of late stepping off my glorious plane of peace and positive energy to the “dark side.”

It is not something that I am proud of nor to I wish to stay there but it has happened.

So I am going to practice what I “preach.”

After all, we are all human.

I hope that you have a lovely day.

Wish me luck and I, you.

Take care, my friends.

Special Hello to: my cousin “J” and my sister “C” ….. who have always been supportive and loving ….. thank you.

Always, Carol

P.S. very excited that our first Trade Show for our Dear Stella Jewellery is only four sleeps aways…… YAY