Good Morning! I am a little late writing this morning as I ran over to look after the boys, Humphrey & Bogart and then on my way home I realized that I should water the grass/fertilizer seed that I planted yesterday out front and in the back. So I water everything. Then I thought I should put the houseplants outside and then I made coffee (have not drank yet) and then decided to haul up the clothes that were drying in the basement and then change the bedding and now I am here. Whew. Still no coffee but I will have some soon. What a gorgeous morning! Perfect time to be outside. I definitely will be drinking my coffee on the deck once I am finished with this post and after I have popped the sheets into the laundry. I have more Eddie, Bruno, Humphrey & Bogart photos to share. Who does not like to see photos of cuteness quadrupled? Despite the cancer and the pain that he must be in, Bruno loves his walk. Bruno leads the way – wherever he leads us that is the way that we go. Last night he wanted to go his old path and so we followed. I love these pups so much. I am so grateful to have had the absolute pleasure to have them all in my life.
For AlvinFor AlvinFor AlvinFor AlvinBlinds & baseboards washedSome rearrangingIn Memory of AlvinEddieEddieEddieThe boysEddie & BrunoThe boysEddie looking for lightsEddie BrunoBrunoMy GuysBruno & EddieBrunoBrunoHumphreyBogartHumphrey
Yesterday I washed the blinds on the main floor, washed baseboards, looked after Humphrey & Bogart, did some cleaning. laundry, walked with Jeanette and the boys Eddie & Bruno and miscellaneous things. It was a full day from beginning to end. I would not change a thing. My kitchen looked so bare in the photos as I had taken the plants all except for the aloe plant outside. I brought them in last night just to ensure their well being. If the sun decides to shine all day with no clouds, I will bring them in when it gets too hot. Too much of a good thing is not a good thing. The boys are doing well next door and their parents will be home in a few hours. I framed Alvin’s nose print and paw print yesterday and also put his memory card with the photo side up in a frame. I have him with me in every room of this house. Looking out of the office window at this moment, the sky appears to be a bit on the hazy side. Smoke? Everyday I pray for rain to extinguish all of the fires burning at this time. I do know that Mother Nature creates fires naturally to burn. Nature is so much more intelligent than we will ever be.
Tomorrow after work I have to slip over to one of the nearby schools and cast my vote in the provincial election. Should have, would have, could have voted in the advance voting but here we are! Oh well.
Well today is going to be a quiet one. Going to finish up here and put the sheets in the wash and then have a cup of coffee on the deck. Just chilling on this Sunday now that I almost have everything done that needs to be done. Of course, there is always something. Oh, I had better vacuum upstairs and give the bathrooms a quick going over but that won’t take long after the coffee “break.” I clean regularly so nothing gets too dirty. So much easier to keep on top of.
I hope that you have a wonderful day. Time to relax after the work is done. Time with family & friends. Go for a walk. Enjoy!
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
Look in the photos above and you will see where I finally hung the whirly gift from Jessica.
Good Morning. Looks like another beautiful day ahead of us here in Edmonton on the planet Earth. The sky is that gorgeous powder blue shade of perfection and the sun is shining and there appears to be no breeze. I think the forecast is for +17 degrees celsius today, sounds like summer to me.
Yesterday was a great day as I started out with a coffee date at my friend Gillian’s house. We drank coffee and ate coffee cake and laughed and talked about work (never a laughing matter) and enjoyed each other’s company. We are going shopping on Wednesday to West Edmonton Mall after work. I want to pick up a new dress for my nephew’s wedding at the end of June. I haven’t been to the MALL in years, will be nice to get out again. My family came for a visit shortly after I got home. My son-in-law had an appointment so my daughter and the grand pups Aspen & Milo stayed with me and we even had the time for a walk around the park like old times. Felt strange without Mr. Alvin but he was with us in spirit. My daughter helped me with some computer things and we had coffee. The pups and I hung out for a few hours while the kids went to visit a friend nearby. Perfect day. I did some work and had some fun. Used to oven to cook supper. I am learning more and more about the computer. Managed to get some more photos. I airdropped some photos but they did not go to my photos so I have to figure out how to move them to PHOTOS. In time.
This is the whirly that my friend Jessica from next door had created as a memory gift of Alvin. Isn’t it gorgeous. There may be a better name for it but it is what it is. I have included some photos of Aspen and Milo. Aspen loves to sit and look out the window. My living room window is close to the floor so while laying on one of Alvin’s many beds, she can rest her head on the window ledge and look out. I turned off the register temporarily so that it would not cause any issues. Both the pups like to look out of the window and I guess they are no different from us. I love to look out the window at the world in my neighbourhood as well. I am so grateful that I was able to spend the time with them.
Gift from JessicaAspen & Milo visitingKeeping an eagle eye on thingsAspen & MiloCutenessAspen loves looking out
Little story about our walk. When we arrived home, I noticed some garbage out front so I gave Aspen over to her Mom and I grabbed a tissue out of my pocket to pick up the trash with (was piece of styrofoam) and noticed some green and as I went to pick it up, I realized it was a $20.00 bill, intact. So I scooped it up. My son-in-law told me that it was payback for my efforts in picking up trash in the neighbourhood. I like that sentiment. Still wondering who dropped it and if someone actually came to the door and asked about it, I would give it to them in a heart beat.
Aspen & Milo do not especially love their food but I managed with some trickery to get them to eat. Aspen ate all of her food and Milo about half, Grandma scored. I was grateful to have some treats (healthy treats) in the house. After supper I watched “Top Gun Maverick” and loved it. The kids picked up the pups just after 8:00 p.m. and I decided to watch another movie. I had watched the trailer for PLANE and decided to watch it. I really like Gerard Butler. It was a great movie. Not that I usually rent two movies in one night but felt like a movie night minus the popcorn.
Then it was bedtime. I am so grateful for all the blessings in my life. I even put out some of the patio furniture so the deck looks like summer is coming. I figured if it rains it will wash off the dust from being in the garage. Also hooked up the downspout to the front of the house again. Maybe not called downspout, it is attached to the downspout so that the water will run out onto the grass and not into the foundation.
Time to fly here. Lots to do. I need to wash a load of towels, at some point go out and pick up trash in the neighbourhood, have coffee and wash main floor. Likely there are a few more items on the list but time will tell. Also walk. I want to walk although being out for a couple of hours or so picking up trash will likely suffice.
I hope that you have an awesome day. Cannot wait to have some coffee.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Good Morning! Beautiful sky and another “holiday” for me. I am so grateful for this extra long weekend. Well my plan to have the whole upstairs done by now has not come to fruition. Oh well, I did put a great dent into it. The office was a whole day all by itself and I just realized that I did not wash the blinds in here. So I will do that this morning and then I will need to reorganize the bulletin board and do the guest bedroom. At the moment it is filled with books, not completely but there are a lot. On the bed and on a table that was previously in the office closet. I, in essence downsized my books by one whole bookcase, I almost said book shelf which is not the case. The last couple of days, I am aching from anywhere that I have muscles and even my butt is not without some aching. Using muscles that I have not used in a long time. Climbing up and down the ladder and stretching to wash the walls, well that would do it. But I am so glad it is done. I also found a new home for the area rug that had been in my bedroom and that is in the office. It fits perfectly and no longer will the office chairs slide out from underneath me. There are still projects to do but I put a large dent in the spring clean up. Even the basement which I had not planned to do has been almost completed thanks to the change in plan on Good Friday. I just made a change to the few older books that I had on the top of one bookcase and laid them flat instead of upright so that I could set two of Amanda’s childhood books on top. One of her books is a Golden Book with her name “Amanda’s First Day of School” and the other “Nursery Rhymes” which I gave to her in 1981 (she was born 1980). I loved looking at the titles of books. There are school readers from my day and many decades before that and I have kept quite a few, half of a book case of my daughter’s books. Hard to give away someone’s history. Each book brings back memories. I can see her at that age and it makes me smile. Books have always been so important to both my daughter and I. When she was growing up she had hundreds of books. In school when the students could order books from the book club, I always made sure she could order as many as she wanted. I remember ordering from Scholastic when I was child. It was a huge deal and I wished that I had those books today. Somehow this post changed course from spring cleaning to books and reading. Well both are important. Oh and last night not long before bed, I chopped off my hair. Yes, I pulled out Alvin’s electric clippers and went to town. I actually cut the back quite short. Never have I been able to do it this way and I am happy for it. The sides are still long in comparison and I have found after showering and drying my hair the odd long piece so had to snip them off. I also for supper last night made a pot of Chili using my Tupperware Pressure Cooker. It definitely is easy. Just throw in the ingredients and put on the lid in the correct manner and pop into the microwave for just minutes. Very easy except I still struggle with removing the lid which I will manage in time.
There was also a couple of loads of laundry done yesterday as well. A full day. Lots of stairs and steps up and down.
I wished that I was able to show you all some photos of the changes that I have made in my office. Looks pretty great. Definitely some major changes. Still couple of things to do but most of it is done. I guess the spring cleaning will pour over to another weekend and likely another one after that, but that is okay. Keeps me busy and from sitting on the sofa watching television.
My friends Pauline & Al are back from Hawaii where their eldest daughter was married. I can only imagine going to Hawaii. My grandparents visited there decades ago and I still have the pearl shell broach that they brought back from their trip. I was about 10 when they went on the trip so it is about 55 years old. One of the tiny pearls came loose but I managed to keep it. When you consider all of the moves that I made over my lifetime between three Canadian Provinces and from a young age, I managed to hang onto it it is staggering. I treasured that broach and still do. It is one thing that wherever I go, it will go with me. Over the years, I have considered wearing it but am afraid that the pearls may come loose or I may lose it. Other than a couple of cards that I gave to my grandparents and my grandma kept and my Baby Book (record of birth, baby gifts, birthdays etc, the broach is the only item from my early years. Somehow I got sidetracked once again, I meant to say that Pauline replied to my Happy Easter text and we set up a walk for today. So I should get going and get the coffee brewing followed by washing the office blinds and some other items. Another friend is going to come over and pick out some books. I will likely put the books on the Community Board and see if someone would like them. They are all in perfect condition.
I hope that you have a wonderful Monday whether you are at home or at work or at school. Happy Monday.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Alvin was surely with me this whole weekend as I kept his Urn close by – he always liked to be wherever I was so I do that now when I am at home, keep him close. He is always in my thoughts, always and forever. I so miss the little guy. Everything in the house reminds me of him.
Good Morning and Happy Easter 2023. Day three of four day long weekend for me. How are you on this Sunday? Do you have plans to go somewhere or perhaps you are somewhere? Is someone cooking an Easter feast? Company or just for You? Or perhaps you are like me and just spending the weekend doing spring cleaning. The weekend did not start out the way that I had planned or has it continued the way the I was hoping that it would but it is unfurling as it should. All things happen for a reason. The upstairs washing of the walls, blinds, fans, light fixtures and all of that is taking a bit longer than planned. Yesterday I completed my bathroom and bedroom and I did empty the office closet. There was also a load of laundry down in between. Today the plan is to wash the office closet and reorganize, also wash as much of the office walls as I am able to – reason is I have the wall size bulletin boards hanging up and if I take them down, they will be ruined as they are not hanging on hooks. I also would like to take down all of the items on the boards and put up some new things. There are Christmas Cards and others to go through. Books to decide on what to keep. This is the room where it is more going through things than actually cleaning. Although one could say that going through things is cleaning of sorts. Just not with a bucket of water, lol. Anyway, I will finish off the upstairs today. I am making Chili in my handy dandy Tupperware pressure cooker. I realize that I have far too many “things” for one person and I am going to go through each room and be “frugal” on what I keep. I keep things based on emotions. Like keeping cards. I used to have every card that ever was given to me since an adult until in the 1990’s and then I downsized to a couple of storage containers. Christmases, Birthdays, Thank you and on and on. Life. Movie tickets. Concert tickets. You see what I mean. Time to get tough. Keeping a few things only will be hard but must be done. Another sunny day ahead.
Yesterday was a tough day emotionally for me thinking of my Alvin. He would have been trying to find a place to lay down to be near me as I cleaned. We would have gone for a walk as it was so beautiful out. I just miss him. So many memories…….
I just spent a few minutes trying to upload some photos from my photo library to this post with no luck. Time to get going as I have a full day ahead of me and it is already after 8:30 a.m.
I hope that the Easter Bunny made it to your home with some chocolatey treats and maybe a new outfit or something that you need.
Have a wonderful Easter Sunday.
I look forward to taking a walk down memory lane in between washing and cleaning!
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Good Morning. How are you on this long weekend? I hope that it is a long weekend for you. I am grateful to have four days off. The sun is shining brightly. YAY, it is Saturday. OMG, the sky is the most perfect blue. Last night one of the neighbours to the south of me was burning stuff just as I was going to bed. I saw the flames shooting upwards with sparks flying everywhere. I am not sure what they were burning but it made me very nervous. Why do people need to have fires in cities where the house are so close together? I watched until I was confident that we were safe. I was xx this close to calling the Non-Emergency phone number for Fire/Police. A few years back I called the Fire Department because the last person in that house had a fire going and the flames were so high and it felt wrong and I am glad that I did. They came out and went over and with the darkness of night, the people did not see them coming. Hopefully that made them think twice about fires in their future. Anyway, I just want people to think about what they are doing and the consequences of their actions.
Yesterday was a friend of mine’s birthday. I remembered her during the day but forgot to mention her on my post. Happy Birthday Lisa. Wishing you Best Wishes.
So the never-ending saga of my OVEN ELEMENT replacement continues. My neighbour Steven drove me and the old element firstly to Lowe’s, they do not carry oven elements (surprised), then to Canadian Tire (did not have the right one) and then to Home Depot (where my daughter picked up the new one that was sitting at home because they do not take them back without the actual receipt, I did have a copy on my phone which they could have seen all of the information). Home Depot did not have the right one either. Appears that it all came down to the connectors, the place where the wire are hooked onto. Steven googled Amazon and found one so when we got back home (they live next door), he measured my old element and found the exact one. So he ordered one for me. Now it ended up costing me about $25.00 more but what can you do. Better than a new stove at this point. I texted my daughter and she will return the other one. Thankfully we have 90 days, well a few days less now but still gives her enough time. So I remain oven less. Thankfully I was not planning to have company and that I can still use the burners, have a microwave and my handy dandy Tupperware pressure cooker. I believe that it is due to arrive about the 13th which is near the end of next week.
So this changed the trajectory of my day. I ended up doing laundry and cleaned up the basement. I pulled out the storage containers that I want to go through and set them aside, vacuumed and cleaned. By the time I was done it was almost time for supper so I decided to something that I never do and that was go out for supper and to the most unlikely place. Firstly, I went to Shoppers to cash in my winning lotto tickets (before we get too excited my winning tickets were for free plays which I am most grateful for) and I found some black mini gloves that were $5.00 but ended up costing $3.49 (bonus) and some bandaids. After my shopping trip – I walked over to Dairy Queen and had chicken strips and french fries. I even ate inside. Yes, I did. No drink and I bought frozen treats to take home for future cravings. I do not even remember the last time that I went there and ate. Have I ever since I moved to Edmonton, do not even remember for sure. I have bought an ice cream cake and other frozen treats but to actually eat inside. Anyway, it was as good as fast food can be and it will likely be at least another ten or fifteen years before I do that again. The restaurant was virtually empty as I was there before the supper rush. Is there a supper rush? I think most people get their food to go? Also to mention that I bought the Dilly Bars for which they have two kinds now, the regular ones and ones made with non-dairy milk (coconut milk, I think). Anyway I paid for my treats with my meal and then took the receipt to the staff when I was done eating and had grabbed the frozen items out of the fridges. I decided after checking the receipt to see the price and when I saw the price noted for: Dilly Bars $10.99 and no other price for the non-dairy one, that I would pick up the non-dairy one. Well the clerk shut that done right away. She told me that they were priced more. Did not ask if I wanted to purchase them or anything – just that they were not the same price. I did point out that the pricing stated Dilly Bars $10.99 and my receipt said the same. I packed my items in the bag that I had the drugstore purchases in and as I was leaving “said perhaps you should have the correct pricing displayed.” I think that I would have had a good argument and should have really been able to take the non-dairy ones. If perhaps I would have pressed the matter but I chose not to. There is a law in Canada regarding pricing. I really should have pressed it but hopefully they change their display and show the correct price for the next customer. Not a big deal but it was a big deal.
Well time to get this day going. I see washing walls, window sills, baseboards, blinds in my future and the dreaded office closet. Oh, it really is not too bad. Just stuff to go through. My plan is to do the upstairs today. Wish me luck. I better get the coffee going as I stayed in bed a bit longer than I should have, 8:00 a.m. I was awake at 6:00 but just did not have the get up and go to get up and get going, lol. Will need to gather my supplies being a bucket, fill with hot soapy water, microfibre cloth, ladder, stool and whatever else I may need. A mug of coffee and turn on the tunes. Let’s get this party started. Did I really just say that? Yikes. A cleaning party.
Have an awesome Saturday. Be well and take care.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Good Morning! The sky is blue and the sun is shining. I got up early for a day off and had a shower already. Last night after work I struggled to change out the new oven element for the new one. The first parts were easy of course, unplug from the electrical receptacle (of course), remove the oven racks and set side, undo the two screens that hold the element in place, done. BUT then it came to remove the element from the wire connectors. Nope they would not budge. I must have watched 20 videos and some of them twice and in all of them, the moderator easily pulled/disconnected the wires. There were some texts to friends and to my daughter. Not for me an easy task, I did not want to pull too hard on the wire connectors and wreck them. I was able to finally to get in touch with my neighbour who came over right away. Steven said that they were really tight (so I did not feel so helpless ). I then found out that I had the wrong replacement element. The one that my daughter had picked up had different way of connecting the wires. So this morning we are off to Home Depot to hopefully exchange. I have the receipt on my phone. Hopefully they can do a straight exchange and I am glad that I did not throw away the bit of light cardboard that was wrapped around part of the element with the brand name and instructions. No one’s fault, I had no idea it was different. My oven story. So instead of something that took supposedly a few minutes ended up being almost two hours ( I had to stop in between and have supper, lucky for me I had leftovers to be warmed in the microwave). My ride just said morning and I know they are early risers so I wanted to make sure that I was up early – just in case he calls and said “ready to go.” I should have asked the time but in all the shambles of the situation, I simply forgot. Oh well, definitely not the end of the world. I could likely do without the use of the oven for awhile but I like to bake or roast things more than anything. I did realize that my oven needed to be cleaned. Not my favourite job that is for sure. I spent part of the evening cleaning the oven and stove. I had to be careful because the wire connectors are exposed and I did not wish to get them covered in anything (the stove remains unplugged). Certainly a lot easier to clean without the element in place. I am so grateful to have such great neighbours. I wish that I was better at fixing things and technology. Cookie baking I got.
The Easter bags with my coworkers were a hit. Our Manager hid some chocolate eggs for us to find. Mostly around our desks. It was a nice early morning distraction from the coming day. Remember I do love the commute.
Well I have lots to do this weekend. This morning an unplanned trip to Home Depot. Then finish with the stove and then start washing walls and baseboards and light fixtures etc. I will start with the upstairs. Big job on my list is the office closet. It needs an overhauling. Also time to redo my wall size bulletin boards. Rearrange and put up some new things ….. cards for Alvin ……. Perhaps one of the boards will be for me and one in memory of him, of me “Alvin.” I sure miss him. Feels quiet and lonely in the house by myself. He is looking out of the bedroom window with his favourite Teddy Bear & Gnome by his side wrapped in his blue blanket. Life is always changing.
I look forward to coffee this morning. Wishing you a wonderful Good Friday and Happy Easter Weekend. Be safe, be well and have fun. Remember to laugh, to smile. Sometimes we forget in all of the stuff we call “life.”
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)
P.S. I hope that the Easter Bunny does not forget me this year. Not sure when the cut off is for home delivery, lol.
Good Morning! Dark outside at this moment. I am up, bed made and had a shower, bit of makeup on and dressed. Yesterday was another productive and even had time to relax. Taxes done for another year. I did some cleaning and went for a nice walk about mid afternoon. Looking forward to this long weekend. Planning to get some “major spring cleaning” accomplished. Washing walls, baseboards, blinds etc. and going through the office/library and reorganizing and going through that closet. Lots to do but I would like to have it all done so that I have time for other things. It will not be too much long and I can start figuring out what to plant. Picking out flowers is so much fun especially if I am with my girl, my daughter. I always have a hard time deciding on which flowers and usually buy a lot. I am sure that they love to see me coming. Planting flowers is so much fun and I love to see them grow and fill out the pots and the flower beds. The front flower bed has always been a bit of concern for me. Some years the flower choices are good and others not so much. I have from time to time had perennials until the lilies had those dreadful red bugs and I ended up pulling them out although if you do not take out the bulb, they will come back. Last fall I thought of getting small ornamental bushes and I may this year. Depends on the quality and pricing. Time will tell.
Seeing as though we are talking flowers, I am going to post some of my favourite flower pictures from over the years. Oh, I can see it beginning to get light outside my office window.
For MomFlowersMore FlowersA proper GentlemanPhoto ShootMy FlowersFlowersImpatiens – for you AlvinTemporary bedroomPerfection
I just had to add some photos of my boy. He loved the flowers and to be out in the middle of me planting. Sniffing and watching my every move. I shall miss him dearly this planting season.
I hope that you have a wonderful Monday. Be safe and be well.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Good Morning! How are you this Monday morning? Yes, it is Monday already. Don’t you think that the weekends go far too quickly? I had a fairly good sleep but woke up around 4:00 and then dozed off and on until the alarm went off.
Yesterday a flock of medium sized birds of which I did not recognize flew into my tree. There must have been well over one hundred of them. They dangled and say for a moment while I struggled to take a photo or video. By the time I was ready most of them had flown away and to a neighbouring tree (I did get a short video there). It was like a beautifully orchestrated dance. Safe to say that spring is here. Oh, I hope so.
I had been thinking of reading up on the external hard drive and finishing off my taxes but after spending most of Saturday on the computer, I thought “no.” Instead I cleaned. The upstairs. Cleaned the bathrooms. Washed the cabinets, the sinks, the toilets, went through the cabinets (spring clean) and vacuumed. I vacuumed the stairs and the main floor. Just did some cleaning which is good for the soul.
Oh and big news. I had decided to bake a banana pumpkin loaf. Likely should have turned the oven on first to preheat but instead I put together the loaf and then turned on the oven. It did not warm up. I reached out to my neighbour but she did not get back to me and found out a bit later that they had gone out. By that time, I had googled two things. How long can you keep batter in the fridge and can you use the microwave to bake this type of loaf. Surprisingly enough positive searches for both. I ended up popping it into the microwave and after about 12 minutes off and on, it was done. Knife came out without batter. I let it sit for a minute before taking the knife and going around the outside edges to loosen it before turning it over onto a tray to cool. A little while later, I gave it a slice. Voile, it was cooked. Then to taste, well not the same consistency as baking in the oven but it was done and edible. So in case your oven stops working – you can use the microwave and not waste the batter. I had taken chicken out of the freezer so had to pan fry it. Not my favourite way of cooking chicken that is for sure but it works. Now I am oven less until I am able to get it fixed. I think it is the heating element, I had it replaced several years ago. Hopefully that is all.
Time to head downstairs. Have a wonderful Monday.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Good Morning All! I am writing this post from my smart phone, not sure how smart it is. Alvin is laying on the sofa beside me. I apologize for the font size, not sure why the default is not a bit larger. Break out your magnifying glasses, lol.
Last night it was late when we went to bed. Lights were out at 10:30 and next time we were up was 4:30. To be honest I got up once but Alvin did not. Then outside at 4:30 to pee and then it was 7:22 when we got up. I wanted to try something different with Alvin’s breakfast so I only gave him his wet food. He sniffed it and walked away. So clearly with no chicken, he won’t eat. I felt badly as he hasn’t eaten much the last day so I added chicken and he pulled out the chicken leaving his wet food in the dish. I have created a monster, a spoiled one. Yesterday I took an unplanned trip with my friend Gillian to Costco and upon arriving at home found a pile of semi digested food in the middle of the living room floor. That was the little bit of hard food that I have him a bit before I left the house. He still does his “downward dog stretches” morning. Okay, not sure how that means anything. Just to mention.
So not sure what to think. He does not seem to be in pain or uncomfortable.
Baking in the oven is an Epicure Lemon Cranberry loaf. Smells good.
We walked over to Gillian’s to take some lemons as I bought a bag at Costco. Too many for me. I bought them to make the glaze for this loaf and to clean my glass stovetop. I saw a video on Instagram to use baking soda and lemons. Worked pretty well even removing some cooked on stains. Hsppy about that.
Once back home I thought that I would try to download some photos from my old computer to the external hard drive but ended up just looking at about 1500 photos, some I don’t remember even taking. So many memories.
Then it was tome to make supper. I baked a chicken breast and some root vegetables (sweet potatoes, carrots & onions) snd boiled a chicken breast for Alvin. Again for second day in a row, he picked out the chicken. I also whipped some cream to top my chocolate pudding. So good.
Then it was cleanup followed by movie watching. I, we watched Ant Man & The Wasp. I have seen before but always enjoyed.
Now I am drinking coffee and writing this post while curled up on my comfy sofa with Alvin resting beside me.
I am going to get some photos onto that hard drive.
Happy Sunday.
The homemade chocolate pudding and Mr. Alvin, such cuteness.
Time to go. Have a great day.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee.
Good Morning ALL! Happy Chinese New Year’s Eve to all my friends who celebrate this day. How exciting. The sky is clear with some happy clouds as the sun begins to rise in the morning sky. Thank goodness today is Saturday.
I am sorry that I did not get a post done yesterday but I was feeling under the weather and took a sick day. Partway through the afternoon, I felt very good, with a calm and with energy so I started some laundry, vacuumed and washed the main floor. Not long later, Alvin had to go outside and, I noticed that he once again had blood in his poop. This is the third time stopped and started over the past few weeks. My heart crashed to my the ground and those feelings of goodness and calm melted away. So I made a quick phone call to his Doctor for advice knowing that he will need likely “poop tests” and perhaps even blood tests. She suggested the first so we have an appointment for Monday morning. Another perfect way to begin the work week. Some of you may know that last Monday my employer made an announcement that shattered my plane of existence, literally. So there is a lot going on in my life and most of it crappy, very crappy. I will and am having to make some very major life decisions which is never fun. Tonight I had been planning to go to my friend Lucy’s house for supper/dinner celebrating Chinese’s New Year’s Eve but honestly now after Alvin’s change once again, the wind that was remaining in my sails that left and I feel very deflated. I know that he would be okay with Maddie for a few hours but I just cannot leave him so I have to confirm that I will not be attending which means that Maddie will not be required to come over to stay with Alvin. I know it meant some extra money for her and she will be disappointed. I should likely just give her the money. I wished that I could stay wrapped up in the cocoon of this weekend and that our life would be perfect but alas it is not realistic to dig one’s head in the sand. I know in my head what I need to know but honestly I have no energy to what I need to do. I have no idea what will happen on Monday and I am scheduled to go to the office Wednesday through Friday. The gal that was helping with Alvin the most is now working a lot. Oh in addition to the big announcement we are back to work five days per week starting March 13, 2023. So big question, what happens with Alvin. What? I have no answers.
I am going to have a shower and perhaps the warm water will wash away some of my despair and energize me again. I have been up and down all week. Just when I think that I have made a decision, another thought or comment comes rolling in and I am at a loss again.
Alvin was alone on his birthday, this 14th except for the neighbour that stopped in to check on him. I was not home until almost 5:00 p.m. and we had a little “party” between the two of us. A quiet night.
I must note on the upside that I did not see blood in his poop last night or this morning. But it is back to being very loose once again. I know not the news you may want to be reading.
When we were outside earlier the air was so warm and we both could have stayed out there forever. I would like to take him for a walk but will have to see what the poop situation is …..
My new eyeglasses are causing me some discomfort so I will need to run over to the Optomotrist as luckily they are open from now until 4:00 p.m. It will be a quick walk and Alvin should be okay while I am away.
Time to hit the shower. The bedding has been changed.
I hope that you have an awesome Saturday. I do know that things will work out for us, they usually do but like anything it usually takes time.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee.
My New Life @ 51 