The Next Chapter

Good Morning! Yay, we made it to Friday. The sun is shining against a bright blue sky and there does not appear to be a breeze. I sure hope that the areas affected by the wildfires had some rain, some desperately needed moisture. I think of the people affected but most of all the animals, the wildlife, the birds and the bees. My heart hurts for them. Some unable to escape the smoke and fire. Most of these fires were started by someone, a human not an animal. Makes me mad and sad. What is wrong with people? Animals have lost their lives and some people have lost everything. You are all in my thoughts and I hope that “humans” are able to get these fires under control/stopped with no more loss of life.

Last night I walked with Alejandro and the pups Eddie and Bruno. Bruno is the eldest and will be 10 soon and Eddie is 7, I believe. Bruno was not doing well. His Dad was going to take him to the Guardian Hospital (24 hour Emergency) last night after our walk. He has diarrhea and is taking prednisone as had cancer. I think instead of chemo. Not sure of exact details. When Jeanette was telling me, part of my brain shut down as I thought of Alvin. Anyway, poor Bruno is clearly not doing well so his Dad was going to take him to the hospital. Fingers crossed that he will be okay. Poor guy.

The renovations are starting next week so for at least Monday and Tuesday we are working from home, some of the office staff. The ones that are at the office most of the day and I am one of them. YAY, I am so excited to be home again. I don’t mind the office but no distractions will be great. Hopefully I can get caught up or at least make a substantial dent in mail etc.

Well this is short as for some reason I felt the need to hit the snooze button twice. Yes, twice. Not sure why as I went to bed and turned out lights just after 9:30.

Wishing you a wonderful day.

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)

The Next Chapter

Good Morning! Looks like today and following days are cooling off a bit. So we shall have a reprieve from these 30+ days. I think of Mr. Alvin when it is hot and the many ways, I worked to keep him cool. A cool wet towel laid over him, the fans going full blast, opening the windows early in the morning before work and then closing the blinds to keep in the cool air. I cannot believe that it is going to be three months in a couple of weeks since he passed on. Sure miss the little guy and my life certainly is no where near the same without him. He was a good companion and the best little buddy one could ever ask for ever …..

I guess this is May 5th and CINCO DE MAYO.

I am so grateful that today is Friday. One day closer to retirement for some of us. Not rushing my life away or anything.

So yesterday I took the bus to my dental appointment. I really had no idea what was in store for me as I have never had crowns before and the prep work is a bit on the painful side. Well not really painful but lots of pressure as they prepped the two teeth for the crowns. Which is a whole deal, I am finding out. I will be getting two crowns on May 18th, 2023. YAY, me. I am so grateful that I have a good dentist. He really care and is gentle. All of his staff are very nice. There was only one that I had not worked with to this point. Yesterday I had Cheryl. She was wonderful. Explained every step and was so gentle and thoughtful. She helped the process in a huge way. The block that they place on the opposite side of your mouth from the “rubber dam/tent” was so big and my mouth is very small and it was causing me to gag. She realized and said we have a smaller one and got it right away. The assistant from Tuesday, did not pick up on that but she was clearly in training. I am also glad that I have good dental coverage and have a Health Spending Account so all the fees have been covered thus far. I will be paying for one crown come the 18th. On that appointment I will be having two front fillings replaced and two extraction all on the top. This should be fun. Better on the top though. Should heal more easily.

The sun is shining so brightly. I have a long list of things to do come this weekend. Time to get the deck washed, reorganize the garage and work on finishing washing the walls. The upstairs walls. Then will be the main floor. At least the blinds on the main floor were done recently.

The night before last the bargaining committee for my son-in-law’s employer settled. They did not come yesterday. I am grateful that they did not have to travel in the heat. Even with A/C in cars, not much fun for pups.

Well time to fly here. Have a wonderful Friday.

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)

The Next Chapter

Good Morning and Happy Friday. The sky is a little overcast and hopefully will clear over the course of the day. Not to be warm today coming in about 5+ celsius. Thinking of all my friends and family back in Saskatchewan as they relive “winter” all over again. Hopefully the sun will come out and the snow will melt quickly but not that quickly for flooding.

Yesterday when I came home from work. Miss Cookie had been busy. I noticed that she did a bit of climbing as ornaments were tipped over and a photo frame. I had to move the “soft” coffee table as she jumped up and then knocked over some items on the floating glass shelves under the television. She also left me some presents. Thankfully she peed on the pee pad (she is pretty good at that) although she did get excited when I arrived home and peed just at the edge of the entry mat on the floor. There were a few “brown” presents as well most of which did make it to the pee pads but not all. She was happy to see me. My grand pups did not come as my daughter worked from home yesterday so my son-in-law had the car. All good, a bit of poop never did bother me as easy cleanup. However the climbing – not so happy about that. Hopefully she will be more calm today. My kids and grand pups will not be coming today as my daughter can work from home again today so the son-in-law has the car.

I sent photos, an update and video to Cookie’s family. They will be back one week from tomorrow. They are enjoying time in the U.S. with family. But Cookie will be okay. We did try to walk but that is another story. Oh, I hear her upstairs.

Photos will be posted of my little visitor tomorrow when I have time. Time to head downstairs. Oh, she slept really well last night so that is great. I was hoping the first night was just due to missing her family.

Wishing you a very Happy Friday.

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) and our visitor Cookie.

The Next Chapter

Good Morning. How are you this morning? Today is Friday, just a few more hours and it is the weekend. I am happy about that fact. Tonight at 6:00, the repairman is coming to run a diagnostic on my stove. Fingers crossed that it is a quick and inexpensive fix. I just want my oven back. Seems like it has been forever since I baked something in the oven, well almost, I guess at 3 weeks.

Did you sleep well? I am reading a book that is about a serial killer and I am not sure that it is a good fit for me. Most of the story thus far is about one of the victims who was found alive. I might swap it out for something a little less dramatic. I get enough drama at my place of employment. Not continual drama, not like every second or anything but enough that it drains me to the core. New book either a light hearted something or other or a spy one with some drama. I am finding that it is difficult to be positive and upbeat. Have to try harder. I do not wish to slip over to the dark side. All my life I have tried to find the silver lining in everything and now this job, has slowly eaten away at that! I am a stubborn woman and I will conquer this! I like my actual job. Okay, enough about that.

At lunch break yesterday I went for a 20 minute walk and then after work for another 30 minute walk. I was almost home when I heard what sounded like my name being called. I turned around to see one of my neighbours on her porch, asking me if I had a minute. I have known J for many years. Her dog Jasmin passed away one year ago this month, I believe. She needed to talk to someone as someone hit her 2000 Camaro in the parking lot at the nearby mall the day before. Thankfully she got the person’s insurance and should be able to have it fixed. She has always kept that car in immaculate condition. I felt for her. At the time she relayed the story, I did not remember that it was last April that her beloved pup had passed. Only now as I am telling the story. I know it is so hard to lose your little buddy, I miss and think about Alvin every single day. He will always be with me.

We all are going through things and it is easy to only think about yourself. So that was a good reminder to me. My life is pretty sweet for the most part. I am in good health, I live in a beautiful home surrounded by awesome and wonderful neighbours and friends, I was able to rescue and have with me for just over 13 years – my Alvin, I have the best family, I am employed and can pay my bills in full and on time, I have good food to eat and so much more. So all in all, a pretty great life. Just need to remind myself of this, sometimes we all need to take stock of all the good things in our lives!

Time to head downstairs and get that coffee perking. Have breakfast and then chill before heading out to work. Have an awesome day. Thank you so much for reading my posts about my life. I can tell you the sky looks so pretty this morning from my office window. There are streaks of blue and pink lining the horizon. A good day.

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)

A New YEAR 2023

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? We are okay and very happy that today is Friday. The weekend is ahead. Full of promise and hopefully some good surprises. Who knows right? Another busy, long week but that is okay. Almost done. Alvin is waiting patiently outside my office door as I type these words. The air outside this morning and throughout the night has definitely warmed up considerably. Spring around the corner? I love spring. Soon the bunnies will start to turn brown! Am I being overly optimistic at this time as it is February 3rd today? Maybe, but being positive at this time and every day is all that I really have and I mean our thoughts are what we really have. They are all ours and it is up to us to use them properly. I will admit that I have definitely gone down the NEGATIVE path the last while and I aim to change that right here, right now. I am by nature a positive person. I like to give positive feedback and extend positive energy to those I met. So I need to get working on things. Nothing is going to change for me until I change me. So bye bye “bad thoughts” and hello “good thoughts.” I got this. I can do anything that I put my mind to. That I know as I have had to most of my life. Sometimes I procrastinate but I think that is the way most of us handle things that happen out of the blue unless it is life threatening …. then we jump into action. Perhaps it is different for everyone. I just know that I do what I need to do when I need to do it and sometimes I am a bit late starting. I guess something else to work on, right. Okay, I need to get going here.

I look forward to my first cup of coffee. I am grateful to my friends and neighbours for taking such great care of Mr. Alvin through all of this.

Have an awesome day. Happy Friday.

Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee. Thank goodness for that liquid gold.

Always, Carol & Alvin

Last Half 2022 – October

Good Morning ALL! Well we made it, today is Friday, October 14, 2022. So excited for the weekend. What a great way to start with last night my good friend Gillian came over for a visit. We always have such great conversations. I always feel so much better about life in general after we are together. She has good energy. Thank you Gillian. Mr. Alvin was excited to see her…..

We also went for a walk after work. Alvin’s “caregiver” was outside her house with her daughter and a friend as we were going by. Mr. Alvin made a beeline across the grass to see her, tail just a wagging. Safe to say that he loves her very much. Yesterday she brought her pup Cookie for a visit one of the times she came to check on Mr. Alvin. He, we are so blessed to be surrounded by loving, caring and supportive friends and neighbours. My neighbours do not just beside me – they are my friends. I am very grateful for each and every one of them. Alvin had some love and attention while we chatted and then we were on our way. Down the street a little bit we saw other friends out cleaning out their motorhome. We stopped for a quick visit and then headed out to the park. It was such an absolute lovely walk. There was no wind and the temperature was about 21 degrees celsius, perfection. We didn’t make it quite to Pauline’s house before turning around to come home. I always have Alvin decide how far to go and he was ready to go home.

The leaves are so gorgeous now. Reds, oranges, yellows and still a lot of green. My impatiens and other plant out front are still blooming but I will pull the impatiens this weekend. The other plant I will leave out as it is more of a fall plant and I believe is an annual so will wait till we have a good frost and then cut it back / pull the plant. November 7th is the second and last pickup of yard waste. Good to recycle.

This weekend I will put away the patio furniture although next week we are supposed to have temperatures well above seasonal values. But better to get done before something happens! You know what I mean. I really do not want to say the word before it happens. I know that yesterday I mentioned it in my blog.

I am also trying to stop the negative feelings and thoughts that I have been having during this return to the office. Getting used to the earlier rise, the noise levels, being around so many people and so on, has made me a bit cranky and a little anxious. Starting today that stops. I am so grateful to be employed, to have great people to help look after Alvin while I am at the office, I am grateful that we are both in great health, I am grateful for my life. So no complaints. My life is pretty blessed and I do that!

Happy Friday everyone.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

Last Half 2022 – October

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? Alvin and I are well. We slept through till 3:00 a.m. and then at 5:00 a.m. from the sofa, I heard this low noise and jumped up as I realized it was the alarm clock on my phone. When I get to the office I turn the sound for notification and such, all the way down so that I do not disturb anyone should the phone “ring.” I must ask my daughter if there is any other way to do this function. Remember I am not the most tech savvy person on the planet. Not even remotely close! Anyway, I reset the alarm to 5:15 for an extra few minutes and then we were up. Mr. Alvin had his breakfast and then we went outside. Once back into the house, made our bed, brushed my teeth and then hit the shower. That felt good. I stopped showering everyday a while ago as I found that my skin got dry and who likes dry skin. When we were outside around 5:25, I noticed that the stars seemed to be more bright and noticeable than usual. I wonder if there are more satellites in the sky now? Perhaps not even stars but man made objects taking up space above us. The moon did not appear to be anywhere in sight? I scanned the sky with my eagle eyes (lol) – with my glasses on. I did attempt to take a photo with my phone but all I got was black. We are having a great morning thus far.

Yesterday when I arrived home from work, I unlocked the door and called out to Mr. Alvin. He did not come and I called him several times. I thought that I saw him standing at the window but wasn’t sure. My heart sank to my toes for a brief moment or three. Kicking off my shoes, I walked into the living room and over to the chairs by the window and there he was standing looking out the window. I thought he would have saw me or maybe I made it to the door as he was going to the window, not sure. Anyway, I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I saw him standing up and breathing. My mind went to a place that I was scared to even think about at this time. Anyway, all is well. Perhaps the boy’s hearing is going. I noticed that when he was in my bathroom this morning waiting for me to get ready. He was laying on one of the small rugs and when I spoke to him, he did not move. When I lightly touched him he jumped. I walked around him so that he could see me from the front and he did not immediately jump up. Today I am noticing his age. My poor boy. The joys of getting older! We had a good night. I took him outside right away for a pee and then fed him his supper before we head out for a walk. OMG, it was so beautiful outside last night after work. I am getting home by 4:30 which is early. When I carpooled before, it was usually 5:00 or later. Definitely helps catching a ride with someone you directly work with that is for sure. I am grateful that at least at night I am only losing 1/2 hour of personal time. The morning well that is a different story and time away from Alvin a total other story. Yesterday my neighbour Sonja popped by a couple of times to check on him, make sure he goes outside, has something to eat and to drink and then she has snuggle time. I appreciate that. We are like family and she feels like a daughter to me. We both love her very much. She is a kind-hearted lovely human being. I am so grateful that I am surrounded by good people. Very grateful.

Tonight after work, my daughter is picking me up from work. We are going to get some keys cut as I want to ensure that everyone looking after Alvin has a key so that I don’t have to play “chase the key” when the schedule changes. Amanda is sleeping over and I am so excited. Last night I made a huge apple crisp with some of the apples from my friend Pauline. I had to try some even though it was late to eat at 8:07 p.m. Turned out pretty good, I must say.

Well time to head on downstairs so that I can take Mr. Alvin outside again. He will need to poop (yes, I am talking about that subject again, lol) again before I leave for work. Remember p-o-o-p is important to keep track of – it can tell you so much about your health.

I hope that you have a great Friday. Another sunny warm fall day on the way. I am so happy.

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

Thank goodness coffee is free at work especially with the soaring prices.

Always, Carol & Alvin

PS: thank you for this day and I am grateful it is almost the weekend.

Last Half 2022 – September

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? We are doing well. I am going to the office today but my neighbor and friend Sonja will come and check in on Mr. Alvin during the day. I am eternally grateful to have such great friends and neighbors.

I want to share a poem with you that I wrote as I started Grade 12 in the fall of 1974. Wow, that seems like an eternity ago. It was 48 years ago. YIKES. I am getting on in years, lol.

One FALL

To Windthorst I came late in the fall,

With great expectations – or so I recall.

I looked forward to seeing new faces in class,

And taking the subjects I knew I should pass.

……

My impressions are fixed now, it currently seems,

That totally false was each of these dreams.

With all the boys, I’d thought it’d be heaven,

But it hasn’t work out: so back to Glenavon.

……

The girls are prettier than I’d thought they would be;

Though none but a fool would prefer them to me!

(My vanity comes from the pressures of rhyme –

You know that I’m modest all of the time)!

…..

My rhyme is near finished, my brain power low,

My thoughts have diminished, and so I shall go.

Life, bring excitement! Life, bring romance!

Life, bring me something! Windthorst last chance!

….

Written as I entered Grade Twelve in Windthorst, Saskatchewan. Grandma sold the farm in the summer/fall of 1974 and we moved to the village of Windthorst.

Carol Mills in the year of 1974

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

I found something else that I wrote for the school paper that same year.

Looks at our mascot!

He is depressed.

‘Cause we’ve just had exams and

Are not at our best.

……….

Life bring excitement

Life brings change

Life brings cold and arthritic pain.

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

Well I can see that I was not in the most positive of states and that I was into boys.

Things have changed over the years, I am more positive and boys well men, I can take them or leave them. So much to do. Relationships!

Have a wonderful Friday.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

PS: to add some of my dearest girl friends are those I met in High School and my best friend of all time, I have know since we were toddler days. That is a long time. Shout out to Deanna and Carolyn.

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? Alvin and I are well. Happy that today is Friday and that the weekend is almost here. The sunrise is beautiful. Pale colours that give a warmth to the morning. Love them.

Some weeks do seem longer even though each day is the same. Part of being human the ying and the yang of it all. We struggle with the work / life balance. Why is it that we spend more of our days, months and years working to earn money to live our lives, to enjoy those short two days called the weekend? Well obviously I know the answer but it still remains a mystery as to why things have not changed. We are in 2022. Just coming out of a pandemic. Why not work 4 and get 3 off or any combination! Increasing the time off for people to relax and enjoy their “home” life is so important. Especially with the rate of mental health issues rising each year. If you are able to hire more so that your staff can have a better work / home balance, please do so. We used to work a bit of extra time every day and get every second Friday or Monday off and that was great. Then you could do appointments on that day or some of them plus errands and then have your weekend to do maybe some “fun” stuff. Anyway, I am sure that you get the idea. It always amazes me how in 2022 we have not figured it all out. When will we and will we do it in time? I am not sure. I suppose as long as corporations are just looking to make money – then it will not happen. To all those corporations and businesses out there who give your staff extra time and ensure their life / work balance is more equal, I applaud you. Thank you Now we just need to get others on board.

I love looking at the sky. We had a full moon last night. It was so great to be able to actual see the moon and the night sky. Maybe not many stars likely all satellites and such. I am so grateful that I live near the outskirts of this city as it allows me to actually see the sky and some stars.

Time to slide over to the other desk and get things ready for work. Another sip of coffee.

Last night after work, I did some ice chipping out front and behind my house. What an endless job. It is going to take a bit of time before that is gone. The ruts in the back lane are horrendous.

Have a great Friday.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. we even found right after work a place to walk where we did not get soaked. YAY us.

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? We are well and glad that it is the weekend. The sky is white this morning and there is a bit of a breeze. I sure hope that the sun shines today. I think the temperature is supposed to be warmer. Have not checked since late yesterday afternoon. Our weather changes in the blink of an eye. Mr. Alvin is resting in the hallway outside the office door, it seems to be one of his favourite places when I am in the office. He has a comfy bed on the office floor and then our bedroom is a few steps away so lots of choices for places for him to be. Depends on his mood.

I hope that you had a good week. It has been difficult not to think and worry about the people of Ukraine. It would be nice if Russia would just turn around and go home. I feel for the people of Ukraine. For the ones lost in a war that should not have happened. For those who left someone behind to fight in the war. For those who left home with virtually the clothes on their backs not knowing if they will ever be able to return home and if they do, will they have a home still standing? This is 2022 and war should be something we only read about in the history books, not something happening as I type these words.

Hoping and praying for peace and that the Russians just turn around and go home.

To all the Ukrainians living in Alberta, in Canada and all over the world, I hope that your family is safe.

No matter if you are Ukrainian or not, no one other than Putin wants this war.

I can smell my coffee which is waiting for me to take the first sip. It is time to say goodbye for this day.

Have a good Friday.

Thank you for taking the time to read my posts. I appreciate your time.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. I am focusing my thoughts on seeing the Russian soldiers turning around and going back home to Russia.