2021

Good Morning ALL. How are you today? I am well. Everytime I typed “2021” – I feel as though I am living in the far future. But yet here we are and I guess when I was a little girl in the early 1960’s – 2021 would have felt very futuristic. I also cannot believe we are less than four years away from 2025, which is another year that always interested me. Not quite sure why. Anyway. Got slightly sidetracked. This morning I am going into the office. We have quite strict protocols in place when we go to the office. I had to submit an online self assessment which I was finally able to do. At first I get receiving messages that my password or server weren’t something or other. Did not work. After many attempts I was able to complete the self assessment. YAY, me. This not very tech savvy “woman” was able to download the APP if that is the correct terminology and then actually get signed in and do the assessment. Well it is just over thirty minutes before my daughter picked me up. She is in my “bubble” or “pod.” I am not sure which term to use as I have heard both used. Guess it really does not matter. Mr. Alvin is feeling that something is up. It will be a long day for him without his Momma. Thankfully our neighbour Sonja will pop in and check on him. Let him outside and give him a treat or two. Then she will feed him at supper and let him out. He is used to eating around 4:30 p.m. and I won’t make it here by then. So grateful to have such great neighbours. I can smell the coffee perking as I am making some to take to work. I have my snacks or rather my breakfast on the go which consists of almonds and grapes. Usually I have oatmeal with cinnamon and cranberries but I didn’t want to eat this early and I also did not wish to take that to the office where I would have to warm it up in the microwave. Just want to keep my contact down to a minimum.

Well it is Friday and that is a good thing. I am looking forward to the trip to work chatting with my daughter along the way. I am excited to see the handful of staff including my Manager and a gal that is retiring and today is her very last day. I will have an opportunity to personally wish you all the best. We had a virtual Retirement party for her yesterday ….. no food, no card, no gift to hand to her. That part was sad. Some of us including her Management team had lots of nice things to say. She worked for our company for almost 39 years.

Okay time to go and finish getting ready. I am thinking I can get away with only wearing shoes instead of boots. Not much snow. I will be brave.

Have an awesome Friday. Continue to live our lives with kindness, respect and compassion.

Always, Carol & Alvin

Thought for the day ….

Good Morning and Welcome to Saturday the 13th day of February, 2016.

One day before Valentine’s Day.

I am going to start this blog by sharing a great little story from yesterday.

Sometimes you have a day that is well not exactly what you had in mind ….. less than perfect.

Perhaps part of it …. began with me going to empty a glass of water into the sink but instead literally tossed it the opposite direction and onto the countertop.

The countertop that help my electric percolator and electric mix stand, and other stuff ……

But as the water travelled in slow motion through the air …. I realized what I had done. 

I never moved so fast ….. where was my brain at that moment …

During the day I struggled to accomplish what I had planned because I had several unexpected interruptions.

Now I did get several things done but not everything ….. oh well …. before I knew it I was on the bus heading home.

As I unlocked the door my friend “S” was just driving by and stopped for a moment to see how things were and to see if I would be making coffee later and I said “of course, I can.”

She had to carry on as someone drove up behind her ….

When I entered the house  Mr. Alvin was happy as ever to see me, and to go outside to relieve himself …. oh what the hay to go “pee” ….. much better word.

I decided to go straight outside and clean up after him ….. and also finished my conversation with the neighbour who had by now parked her car and was going into her house.

The plan was to feed Alvin, have supper and then make us a cup of coffee.

Originally I had planned to finish up canvassing for the Heart and Stroke Fund but it was snowing and blowing pretty hard making it hard to keep paper dry etc.

So another change in plans.

Oh well.

After I had given Mr. Alvin his supper …. I decided to go upstairs and onto the computer to send a FB message to a friend and to my surprise I had a message from another friend.

It read “GO CHECK YOUR MAILBOX.”

I blinked a few thousand times in utter excitement because when this friend says go check your mailbox …. you just know it is going to be GOOD … no I mean,  GREAT.

So I literally RAN down the stairs …. grabbed my boots and coat from the closet, a bag to put the mail in …. grabbed keys …. locked the house on my way out and carefully WALKED fast to the mailbox.

When I opened the mailbox door I saw the RED tag of the key for one of the PARCEL boxes and lots of flyers.

HEAVEN ….. I knew that I had a parcel ….

I threw the flyers and odd piece of mail into the bag…..

Holding my breath I opened the mailbox with the parcel inside ….

There was a huge box with my NAME and ADDRESS printed on it …..

The return address ….. yes it was from my friend “V” in Regina …..

I quickly closed the door and put the key into the letter slot and was on my way home.

I yelped with excitement and decided to stop and see my neighbour “S” ….. she was the one that I had seen just as I was arriving home.

She came to the door …. I was so excited …… quickly explaining that  there would be some good treats inside for sure.

I told her of the chocolate covered biscotti that this friend had sent me a couple of years ago AND said that we would have a treat with our coffee later.

Then she told me “thank you and to be careful walking down the sidewalk and home.”

I abided by her and in a couple of minutes was safely back home.

Parcel in my hot little hands.

OMG …. I do love receiving packages …..

Alvin was not sure what happened to his Momma.

So I grabbed the letter opener and some scissors and ran upstairs as my computer was on and my camera was upstairs as well.

I placed the parcel on my desk …..

THE PARCEL

THIS IS WHAT GREETED ME WHEN I OPENED THE BOX

THERE WERE DIFFERENT KINDS OF BUNS …. CINNAMON ….. CHEESE AND PLAIN AND THIS HUGE WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A COOKIE BUT TURNED OUT TO BE THE BEST BROWNIE EVER MADE.

The Brownie was/is heart-shaped and decorated with perfection.

I was totally overwhelmed ……

How extraordinarily kind, wonderful and thoughtful is my friend “V”.

My day went from being kind of a disappointment in some ways to being so WONDERFUL …. it felt like winning the lottery.

I had this overwhelming feeling that I was so extra special.

Alvin as I mentioned was not certain was had happened but he knew it all smelled great.

The next thing I did after snapping photos was to post my surprise to Facebook, thanking my friend.

Not only did she send all of the sweet treats but she wrote me a special letter, gave me a Valentine’s card, she put in some napkins with pink hearts and forgot to mention …. she had filled the card full of tiny red hearts that flew all over my desk and the floor when I opened the card.

I know that I am babbling and not using proper punctuation and all of that ….. but this is straight from the heart.

This gal knows that she is very blessed to be surrounded by the most wonderful people on the planet.

I do not take any of them for granted.

This morning I want to thank each and every one of my friends for choosing me to be a part of your life.

I know that without your love and support I would just be Carol.

This morning I want to send a special thank you to my friend “V” back in Regina ….

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

You are so kind and thoughtful.

You lightened my dreary day.

You made me scream with delight.

You made me feel special.

You filled my tummy with the most exquisite treat.

You are talented beyond words.

You are the best …..

Thank you.

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

So now I had better get this day going …. I have massive amounts of towels and bedding to launder as now my dryer is fixed thanks to other friends.

On this Saturday morning I am feeling so blessed to be surrounded by good, honest and caring people.

My friend and my family are the most incredible beings and I am so grateful to have them all in my life.

Thank you

 

Special Hello to:  “V” in Regina …… there are no words ……

Always, Carol and Alvin

 

P.S. ….. “V” …. my neighbour loved the brownie, too.

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day…..

Good Morning and Welcome to Wednesday the 27th day of August, 2014.

Overcast with forecast for rain this afternoon.

Alvin is sitting on our bed looking out the window.

I think that is his favourite spot in the house.

 

Well I had an interesting morning.

One of my co-workers who happens to be a vegan was telling me about a home remedy to clean your sinuses.

It called for equal parts of cinnamon and honey …. one tablespoon each.

So I decided this morning would be the time to try it.

So I mixed it up which is really hard to do and when it would blend decided to heat up some water (which they said you could do) and added the mixture.

I slowly drank it and at the same time I had my oatmeal, blueberries and banana in front of me with ALVIN and Miss PENNY ….

Of course, they wanted some ….. and I complied.

Without even thinking I had a couple of small pieces of banana and a couple of blueberries …..

Then I started sneezing …..

Then all of a sudden I had a weird sensation and headed to the nearby bathroom…..

Good thing because next thing I know it I emptied my stomach ……

I feel great …… still congested …… and despite the fact that I didn’t eat breakfast I do not feel hungry and my stomach feels flat.

Interesting.

Perhaps I should have just done the cinnamon and honey ….. maybe in boiling water ……

I do not know ……

Will keep you posted and let you know if in fact, it does clear my sinuses ……

What a morning …… I am going for peace and quiet for the rest of the day.

I hope that you all have a wonderful Wednesday.

 

Thank you to all the new people reading my blog ….

I was so excited to reach the “500” mark and now I am over it.

Thank you so much.

 

Special Hello to: all those people out there who are trying to live a better life ….. naturally ……

Always, Carol