Last Half 2022

Good Morning ALL! Welcome to Friday, July 22, 2022. It is a beautiful morning. A mosquito got into the house earlier and wreaked havoc with the Momma but I survived. Not sure about the mosquito. There is a breeze, dark rain clouds to the south share the sky with the sun. Thankfully it will be a bit cooler today although I am not complaining about our temperatures. I know that all over the world including parts of Canada are experiencing way above normal temperatures. Climate Change! It is real.

I am happy to report that Mr. Alvin is closer to his old self. This morning he drank quite a lot of water from his dish without having it mixed in with his breakfast. He just looks and seems better. Yesterday in the later afternoon Michelle from the Vet clinic called to check on Alvin, she apologized for not calling sooner but they have been very busy. Oh, I get that. I told her all about how he was doing and she made me more confident that he was on the mend. She reminded me that he will not poop that much because he wasn’t eating that much and if he was getting water by way of with his food, that was great. As long as he was not vomiting, life is good. So I relaxed a bit. I will say that it put me in a totally different frame of mind and I felt more positive about how he was doing and this morning, well the proof is sitting not far from me. So happy.

Last night I had a wonderful video chat with my friend Val from Regina. They have had some wild weather as of late. One day they got 3 inches of rain, and the next day her garden was dry. Grateful that they did not have any flooding at their place and I checked on my sister, all good there. I am reminded that I need to chat with my friends and family back “home” a bit more often. Actually a lot more often.

My daughter and grand pup Milo are on their way here. Amanda is dropping off Milo on her way to work, and after work they will spend the night. We are so excited. I cannot wait.

They should be here in a few minutes so I want to be ready.

YAY, starting off to be a great day. It makes a difference in your mindset. I felt that I was slowly slipping to the dark side and now I am back. YAY, me.

Thank you friends and family.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

PS: wow only 18 days till I turn 65. Coming fast. YIKES.

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? We are well. Ready, to begin a new week. The temperatures are warming up and that is so exciting. The possibility of walks at noon break and after work are making me feel wonderful. It has been weeks or likely over a month now since we went for a walk outside. Both Alvin and I are feeling the effects of not much exercise. So this will be good for the both of us, for our bodies and for our minds and souls. What do you do for exercise in the coldest months of the year? Perhaps you live in a place where the coldest months just mean switching sweatpants or some full length pant and a light jacket for going outside OR do you live somewhere with no changes in your weather or very little OR do you live in the Northern Hemisphere where we need to have several different types of outerwear. In Canada, in Western Canada where I live, we actually need multiple winter coats and even sometimes need to wear snowpants (lined outer pants that go on top of your regular pants). We need warm toques to cover our heads with a hood on our coats, warm scarves and warm mitts or gloves in addition to the coats and pants. During our winter months our temperatures can range from plus 10 celsius (not normal but happens) to minus 50 degrees celsius and then there can be the windchill factor. So sometimes the actual temperature outside is minus 20 celsius with the windchill it can feel like minus 30 celsius. We are going from minus 30 temperatures to minus 4 to plus 2-4 this week and into the next week. Now those figures may change. But you see the difference. So obviously you need different outerwear / apparel. I have found that it is a good idea to have your coat a size larger so that when it is so cold outside you can layer sweaters underneath. Not everyone in this country has the means to have so many different pieces of outside clothing so sometimes you have to use common sense or even your imagination. Also winter boots are very important. You have to keep your feet warm. Again, sometimes better that your boots are a little loose to add another layer or socks. Most people have a pair for those cold days and then another pair for those REALLY bitterly cold days. Everything should be waterproof if possible – especially your boots. I have several kinds of mitts and gloves. Another important part of the body to keep warm. The elements in Canada can be brutal in winter and it is easy to get frostbite if you are not careful. Listening to the weather reports before you go outside is also very important. I hope that this does not frighten those folks who read this and are not living in Canada. We have the best country on the planet. Of course, it is not perfect here but pretty darn close. One thing I heard on the weather channel last night that kind of did frighten me a bit was climate change and how much it is affecting Canada. They said two times more than any other country on the planet. I do believe that we are doing serious damage and perhaps even irreparable damage to our beautiful blue planet. On that note, I am going to sign off for today. Food for thought. Do what you can. It is time. If we all work together there is hope that we can save our home, our planet. It is worth the extra work, don’t you think?

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

2021

Good Morning ALL! Well here we are, Saturday morning. What are your plans for this weekend? Maybe you are raking your yard for the last time before winter? Maybe you do not get snow and are just changing up the outside ornaments with Christmas fast approaching? Are you putting up your Christmas Tree yet? When do you put it up? I like to put it up early and enjoy it for as long as possible. Christmas brings me joy. I love the tree, the decorations, the colours of Christmas (the ones we have come to realize as “traditional” ….. the red, the greens, silver and white. I love RED. I do love the overall feelings of love and giving during the holiday season. Some people like to show this with an abundance of gifts. We all do things a bit differently. I think if we are all doing what makes up happy, that no one is being disrespected in the scheme of things and not being hurt or anything of that nature ….. then why not. Although I will say that these days with the state of the “climate” and the overwhelming amount of items that are in our landfills, on the ground, in our oceans and forests and ditches and everywhere ….. that perhaps we need to cut back. Really at the end of the day, most people are happy to be in each other’s company and have a good meal. Splurge on the meal. I know with COVID that we are still not able to have massive amounts of people on our homes during the holidays but celebrate it well with the people that are in our household. Play games, sing, watch your favourite Christmas movies and just talk and of course eat. We all are taken in by the advertisements on television, popping up on social media, in our news feeds and in our emails and in flyers. The thing is most of the advertising is done by the big box stores because they can afford to advertise and the “mom and pop stores or small businesses” cannot so they spread the word mainly by word of mouth. I have for many years either made some of my gifts to others, bought locally from friends and neighbours that have made things or supported their direct sales businesses. I have also cut back the amount of gifts that I give. These days the vast majority of gifts I give to friends and neighbours is homemade boxes/tins of baking. Everyone loves to have a sweet treat and not everyone has the time, the money or likes to do it. I like to do it. As you know my daughter helped me erect the Christmas tree on Thursday after work. Last night I spent a considerable amount of time stringing the lights onto the tree. I will say that is the most “unfun” thing about Christmas for me. I harken back to a time when I bought the tree and it was prelit. Oh, how I miss those years. Just take the tree out of the box, set it up and fluff it. Then decorate. So easy and way more fun. Oh well. Everything cannot be dancing around the room fun, I suppose. Mr. Alvin had me up extra early for a Saturday which is not bad. I have already stripped my bed and gathered all of the laundry. So I am off to a great start. The sun is rising and the sky looks so pretty.

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous. At lunch break I walked over to the Vet to pick up food for Mr. Alvin. Good thing I did not leave for this morning and they are closed on Saturdays once again due to staffing shortages. After work Alvin and I went for a walk. We got just into the park and he turned to go home. I tried to coax him to keep going and a few times it was back and forth but eventually I lost the “battle” so back home we went. It was so gorgeous outside that I just wanted to walk but he did not. Alvin is the boss when we are walking. I cannot tell if something is bothering him with his leg or paws or something else so he drives the distance always.

Well I suppose it is time to get this show on the road. Get dressed and get that coffee brewing. I am grateful that I hauled up all of the storage containers with the Christmas decorations last night and took downstairs the remaining “non Christmas” ornaments and decorations from the main floor. Up and down those basement stairs what a work out. There is laundry to do in between the decorating today and we will go for a nice walk. Hopefully we will have another beautiful day weatherwise and that Mr. Alvin is in the mood for a nice long walk.

Enjoy your Saturday!

Continuing to live with respect, kindness, compassion, patience, understanding, love, laughter and gratitude.

Always, Carol & Alvin

Second Half of the NEW YEAR.

Good Morning Folks,

Well today is September 19th, 2020.

The sun is supposed to be shining but instead the sky is filled with smoke.

I cannot even imagine the smoke as one continues south.

I cannot even imagine all of the loss of animal and plant life.

We hear about the loss of human life but not often is the loss of animal, bird and insect and plant life spoke about or mentioned in a news article.

My heart breaks for every creature and for the plants and trees.

I have been listening more and reading as of late about climate change.

Sadly we are not doing enough to combat these changes ….. is it too late?

I do not know.

I have also been thinking as of late about all of the disposable masks and gloves that are making their ways to the landfills.

I have seen a great many disposable masks lying on the ground in my neighbourhood.

I can only imagine the increase in to go containers from restaurants that are making their way to the landfills.

This pandemic has increased our “carbon footprint” not lessened it.

If we all work together and use less single use plastics.

Buy masks that can be washed ….. take the time and wash them.

If you are going to eat out ensure that the to go containers are made from materials that are biodegradable.

There are lots of things we can do.

Purchase less items wrapped in layers of plastics.

Buy fresh fruits and vegetables and cook instead of using prepackaged meals.

We have to work together.

Now is the time.

Leave the lights off when you leave the room.

All of the little things that we can do will add up.

We can come together and get things done.

It is not totally the responsibility of governments to save the planet although they should be speaking on our behalf and collectively doing what is right.

This is my opinion.

Food for thought.

 

This morning I saw a video about this Vet from the United States that was mentioning about the dry kibble food that we feed our dogs.

He mentioned if your dog has bad breath, joint pain, smelly and or runny poop that it is due to lack of proper nutrition.

About how the process of pressure cooking the food leaves bad things in the food.

He talked about this supplement to sprinkle on the food that gives them vitamins, omegas and more.

One thing he mentioned was that the length of a dogs life has decreased after the 70’s.

Making dog food is big business.

More food for thought.

 

My head spinning …..

I think about the animals and plant life lost and injured in the fires.

I think about all of our dogs that are not living the best lives due to lack of proper nutrition.

 

So much to think about …..

Where do I go from here and where do you go from here?

 

We should be constantly learning new things and benefiting from the knowledge.

We should be working towards a good future for our children, grandchildren and our furbabies (to name a few).

 

I am working on making a difference.

Do not think you are only one person and that you cannot make a difference.

We can all make a difference.

We can all do our part.

Come together …..

 

 

Trying to live our lives with kindness and respect.

I/We shall remain,

As Always, Carol & Alvin