Good Morning ALL! How are you on this rainy Saturday morning? Perhaps the sun is beaming down upon you? Not at the moment here. It was raining when we were up earlier and we were up early. I decided to go to bed a bit early and read so when the lights went out it was likely about 10:00. Mr. Alvin was up at Midnight and I took him outside. We settled on the sofa and he was up on the hour after that starting about 2:00 a.m., very restless. Last night before bed, he seemed like his old self. Not quite as anxious and not whiny. Perhaps this cooler weather is playing havoc with his paws. I can imagine arthritis is not much fun. He seems to be okay this morning. I was wide awake at 6:00 so stayed up for a bit doing a few things and then decided to come back upstairs and just rest on the bed. We both fell asleep until a little while ago. Okay not such good sleep routine, our patterns are definitely bordering on the “off” side but it is what it is. If we don’t get 8 hours or close to it, we lay back down. Sometimes it is funny how a couple of solid hours of sleep can make or break the day. Anyway, all is well.
The trees are really coming out. Th leaves I mean, so green and beautiful. The grass with this added moisture is starting to turn green. Our poor grass/lawn out front has finally got some patches that are alive and not dead/dormant. Looks like the sun may shine after all. The clouds are breaking up and I see some clear patches.
Well you are likely wondering how we did yesterday with me going to the office. In addition to Gillian coming over at noon, our neighbour Sonja popped by about 3:00 p.m.. He ate, drank water and went outside at noon and did the same at 3:00 p.m. The girls did notice that he was a bit more anxious than usual. I can see that. Going into work is against our routine and as we get older, as dogs get older, routine plays a very important role. So I get that. He was having an off week. Hopefully he will continue to feel his old self. Oh my gosh, I pray for his old self. Anxiety and all. So the office. One of our group had hurt her knee and is unable to do much walking so we were down another body and our Manager was ill and did not attend the office. So no meeting. We did our mailouts as per schedule and then worked on mail etc. Our cubicles and desks are set up in squares with two desks and staff facing each other with dividers in between. The group that are the most vocal are all together, the gal that I came to work with faces one of them and then I am in another group where there is no one at present. My back faces them. So two of us found it very distracting. But I get that they wanted to catch up and some are more chatty than others of us. Not to say that I do not like to talk because that is so far from the truth. But at work, I like to do my job and not “visit.” With these low rise dividers and open air, it can get loud. We are not the only ones on this floor and it can get very loud and distracting at times. So I just tried to tune out the noise and get some work done. I did manage to get a few days worth of mail completed which was great. I still have more to do but getting closer to being current. Although where I am at is acceptable in our job. I am one of those old school bodies that just needs to have everything done and I do not like having things undone. Anyway, it was nice to see the team in person but other than that, I would have liked to have been at home at my kitchen table. I did notice that my chair did not feel comfortable and the lights were annoying. I am very grateful that for the most part I can continue to work from home. I am very grateful for that.
So today, I am thinking of working on the basement. I started going through things during the last two weekends and need to finish before the garage sale in June. It would appear that the forecast is not looking great for planting my flowers, tomatoes and oregano. So will keep inside for another week. My kitchen table looks amazing.
My girl friends are coming for coffee tomorrow morning. So I will pull the leaves out on each end and push the plants to the far end so we have room for our coffee. It will look like we are in a flower garden. How lovely! Today I want to bake something. I am thinking of a banana loaf with pumpkin? Not sure.
So a few things to do. Working on that book in my head. I do have lots of notes and stories already written down so really it would be just a matter of putting them together. So I am getting my mind wrapped about that. I think we need some good stories. We have stories about dogs and people but how many about an older woman and a dog. Not many. I have often joked that there should be a movie about Mr. Alvin as he is just so charming, sociable and magnetic. He has had that effect on people since I brought him home. Just something about him and his name always brings a smile to people’s faces. No one forgets his name. I am and will all remains Alvin’s Mum and I am good with that.
Okay, time for coffee and I definitely need that this morning.
Have an awesome day. Hug your family and pets if you have them. If you are on your own, look in the mirror and say “hello you awesome human being.” Be kind to yourself and to all living creatures.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus and possibilties.
Always, Carol & Alvin
P.S. sometimes a mirror is a good friend …… look at your reflection ….. you are your own best friend. We need to treat ourselves like we are our own best friend. Start with you and see what a difference your other relationships will be. Love thyself and then you will love others.
My New Life @ 51 