2021

Good Morning ALL! How are you doing today? Tuesday again. My how the weeks fly by. Interesting how much can happen in the span of one week’s time. Alvin and I had a pretty good sleep last night. As we laid on the sofa as the sun was coming up the beautiful colours seemed to fill the sky or at least most of my window. Absolutely breathtaking. I love those moments. No place to go …. just cuddling with my best companion watching the sun come up. I don’t think Mr. Alvin has as much appreciation for the sunrises but then again I could not say for sure. Perhaps as I was enjoying the moment – he was as well.

Yesterday we had a lovely walk at lunchtime and then again after work. After arriving back home from the later walk, I gave Mr. Alvin his supper and made mine. Once suppers were out of the way, cleaned up the dishes and the kitchen and headed out to the garage. I put out the trash for this morning which consisted of the plants that I had dug up on Sunday. Grabbing my heavy duty gloves and back into the house through the back door, I was out the front door picking up my shovel from the front porch and at the flower bed. I quickly surveyed the situation. After a few shovels full of dirt and rearranging things, I decided it was time to put back the rock/stones. After placing a few I soon realized that I was not getting them placed correctly so I ran into the house to retrieve my phone and check out the photos. That did not really help me, much. I even walked over to the neighbors who have the same stone wall surrounding their front flower bed as they were built by the same person. After a bit of time rearranging and arranging these heavy stones, I decided it was time to go and ask for help. I ran over to ask Humphrey’s Mom if she had a few minutes to help assess things. I just needed her eyes to figure out how the rock needed to be placed as I was getting nowhere fast. She grabbed her shoes and came over. I am only a few steps away, lol. This just seemed like a puzzle that I could not solve as I had stone/rocks laying everywhere.

We went back and forth and I moved the stones for a few minutes before we stopped and brainstormed about how they needed to be before we finally together moved the stones and before you know it had them back in a perfect wall. YAY, girl power. I am so grateful to have the best neighbour and for her to drop what she was doing to help me out was awesome. After she went back into the house, I quickly shovelled the dirt back into the hole that I had dug. Smoothed it over and now already to plant some new flowers/plants. Time to do some plant researching.

Well it is time to head downstairs and put on the coffee. Almost time to start another work day. I am grateful to be working from home and to be with Alvin each and every day. I am grateful to be right where I am.

Continuing to live this day with kindness, respect, compassion and patience for all.

Always, love Carol & Alvin

CANADA – love our beautiful country.

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Thought for the day ….

Good Morning and Welcome to Monday the 8th day of April, 2019.

I can see whispers of clear morning sky to the East as the SUN begins to rise.

I love sunrises.

So beautiful the way the sky changes from the deep dark night to the bright morning light.

The sky appears to be a canvas of brush strokes that have been smeared until there were light undertones.

If I look under the semi closed blind on my office window I can see that more of the night sky has begun to change.

Nature is so glorious.

Happy Monday morning.

 

Well here we are starting a new week.

Alvin and I enjoyed our weekend.

As you know Master Teddy slept over Friday night and went home late Saturday afternoon.

We walked on our own and also with Humphrey the Cat and his Mom.

I would not call it a walk as much as it was a sniff fest for Humphrey.

He looked so cute with his harness and leash.

Even children smiled and said “Oh, wow a cat on a leash.”

Humphrey has a good Momma.

Some folks just let their cats roam without a thought.

In this day and age that is not wise.

We had fun.

Going out with Humphrey is starting to give Alvin some patience, starting anyway.

Humphrey has a couple of favourite bushes that he loves to stop and explore.

Alvin just waits outside with the Moms.

Likely a good idea.

Humphrey seems to navigate the rose bushes but methinks that Mr. Alvin might end up covered with thorns.

Tonight Humphrey will be coming over as his Mom has her dance class.

 

This morning as I was sitting down at the computer and before I placed Mr. Alvin’s blue blanket on the floor beside me.

Alvin “whined.”

His way of telling me that he wants/needs the blanket.

I guess he figures when I sit down – down goes the blanket.

Sorry, buddy.

I am not fast enough.

 

Well almost time to go downstairs and grab the lunch etc.

I love that no boots, big mitts/gloves, heavy coat and scarf are required to go outside.

Just shoes and a light jacket.

YAY, SPRING.

I am so grateful that we have different seasons.

I also noticed in my little garden in the backyard that some of the plants are already up and green.

So happy about that.

 

I hope that you have a wonderful Monday.

Go outside, smell the fresh air and maybe go for a walk.

Enjoy NATURE.

Always a good way to start, take a break or end the day.

Maybe you are retired and can do all three.

I have started to go for a walk on my morning coffee break.

Feels so good.

 

Special Hello to: all those folks who are retired …..

Always, Carol & Alvin

Thought for the day …..

Good Morning and Welcome to Sunday the 9th day of December, 2018.

The sun is now shining and the sky is clear.

What a Saturday I had …..

Master Teddy slept over on Friday night so I had both of the pups here yesterday.

We were up a few times during the night as I mentioned yesterday.

So the baking and laundry got off to a late start but a good start.

I somewhere along the line decided to change up the cookie menu and make the following:

Raisin Nut cookies, Oatmeal Chocolate Coconut cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

After the first two cookies were baked I took a break and we went for a walk.

It was so nice out.

Me and the pups went for the full 1/2 walk and it was great.

Once back to the house after checking and doing more laundry, it was back to the cookie baking.

The time past and then it was time for the boys to eat.

I opened the pantry door which is on the interior wall in the kitchen to fetch the food.

Note: that I had been in and out of the pantry all day long.

The pups did not act any differently than usual BUT when I moved the plastic container which housed Al’s food I saw something move and I freaked screaming so loud that I

almost gave myself an anxiety attack.

The pups stopped in their tracks.

I grabbed the rubbermaid container that is currently housed the excess baking supplies and placed it in front of the pantry door.

Knowing full well that it did not completely block the opening at the bottom of the door.

I need weather stripping.

I grabbed the phone and started calling neighbours and by the fifth one I finally reached someone at home.

It was my friends that helped with the dryer, installing the trap door by the dryer vent on the deck and so on.

My friend “N” came over shortly thereafter.

I wasn’t even sure it was still in the pantry but when he opened the door …. yes it was still there.

It moved.

I screamed.

He tried in vain to catch it with his gloves ( it was very small ) but it ran under the basement door and the chase was on.

I kept the dogs away.

My friend followed it down the stairs and watched it run to the bottom and into the family room.

He asked where the light was and I yelled down where it was …

I got up the courage to go down the stairs not quite to the bottom but I could see over the stairway partial wall what was going on.

I said to close the door to the furnace room as the carpet is so thick he would not be able to run under the door.

There were a few boxes stacked in the corner by the trunk and he gingerly removed each one looking for the little creature.

ARGH.

He said we should try and catch it in the vacuum.

I took the vacuum down and plugged it in removing all of the extensions so it was down to the handle portion.

We did not see it for awhile and then it came out and ran along the wall.

I screamed.

The chase continued.

After several minutes of chasing the mouse from one side of the room to the other.

Under the television stand and around and back, my friend caught the mouse in his big thick gloves.

I ran FAST up the stairs to unlock the back door and back to the living room to keep the dogs away and to be at a safe distant.

My friend, the male friend who is older than me – did not quite get how absolutely terrifying this was for me.

So he went to show me what he had in his gloves – I screamed and he went to the back door and threw it onto the snow bank.

Which in hind sight was likely not the best plan as I watched from the bay window in the kitchen, at a safe distance …. it running down the snowbank toward the house.

I felt coldness fall over my whole body.

My friend had shut the door and was checking the weather stripping to ensure it could not get in that way and determined it likely came in when I had the door open for the dogs.

He determined that it ran under the deck at the house by the garbage can and just told me to leave the door closed and perhaps take the pups out the front if they had to go.

Not really that easy.

Anyway for a moment I calmed down.

By this time, I lost my desire to continue with the baking and felt sick and drained.

I cleaned up the kitchen.

Made sure that the boys had supper.

Made a bit of supper for myself when Teddy’s Mom and Dad arrived to pick him up.

I told her quickly and she said that she could stay with me if I wanted and I gratefully said no, that is okay.

After Teddy left …. I ate supper….. we just left all of the lights on as I heard they do not like bright lights.

I settled down later to watch a movie when the phone rang and it was my friend who was on her way home from Calgary.

He had arrived home and saw that I had called … I had not left a message.

I retold the story and she had some ideas.

After a lengthy conversation I told her that I had been watching a movie (rented one) and it was getting late by then so had to go.

Thanking her for her call.

What a night.

WHEW.

I must get this show on the road as I am once again baking and have a long list of things to do.

 

I know what it is like to be so terrified of something that it stops you literally in your tracks.

So scared that it is hard to think straight.

 

I know in my brain that it is silly to be scared of something so small when I am so big.

Perhaps it is because they are so fast.

Perhaps it is because they can carry disease.

Perhaps it is just because I had two, no actually three bad experiences when I was a child.

Scarred for life.

 

Special Hello to: all those folks who have fear for something …. I know your pain.

Always, Carol & Alvin

 

 

Thought for the day ….

Good Morning and Welcome to Friday the 4th day of May, 2018.

Happy Birthday to one of my dear friends back in Saskatchewan.

She has always treated me like a sister, one of the family.

Truly a great great family so kind, generous and loving.

 

Looks like the sun is beginning to rise in the morning sky.

There are some clouds but perhaps they will dissipate in the next few hours.

I know we need rain but at night would be perfect.

Tomorrow I must get out and do the Neighbourhood TRASH pickup.

It has to get done soon before the street sweepers come out.

Then some of it gets pushed into the storm drains.

Tomorrow morning NO MATTER WHAT, I will be donning my gloves, old jacket and shoes, a supply of garbage bags and my handy dandy trash picker uppers.

 

Alvin has now made lying on the blanket beside me in the office part of the routine.

I drape the blanket over my office chair and just before I sit down I place it beside the chair for Alvin.

Such a cutie pie.

 

Well it appears to be coming up to be busy weekend.

Lots of work to do.

Regular laundry and cleaning.

The TRASH pick up.

 

The weather forecast is nice for tomorrow and Sunday.

Excited for that.

 

With all of my idols writing books, movies and the like – I am inspired to get my head out of the sand and write more.

There are always those old tapes playing over and over in my mind.

Am I good enough?

Can I do it?

Would anyone read my book?

Stuff like that.

Typical.

But sometimes you just have to get off the pot and DO IT.

Right.

You will never know until you try.

This can be said for most of us.

There will always be that dreaded speech, writing project or deadline of any kind that DRIVES US MAD.

Stop playing those tapes, they have been erased.

They have been replaced.

They no longer exist.

You and I are free to DO and BE whatever we chose.

Go forth …. give ’em something to think about.

 

Well almost time to get going … finish up the finishing up.

My tea order arrived last night and I am delivering to my friends/co-workers today.

So grateful to the folks that help support my business.

 

Special Hello to: the Birthday Girl ….. Happy Birthday Sis.

Always, Carol & Alvin

Thought for the day…..

Good Morning and Welcome to Saturday the 31st day of May, 2014.

Well the day is finally here ….

The sun is shining and the sky is that perfect beautiful blue …. just right for …..

This afternoon from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. – is our neighbourhood cleanup.

I have made plans for this day, dreamed about, agonized over, and procrastinated doing some things but in the end I am READY.

The bags, gloves and pickers and water have been purchased.

My daughter helped me with the posters.

One of my friends gave me some coloured paper.

Another friend is lending me her boy’s wagon.

Me and Alvin put up over 20 posters around the neighbourhood.

People have called and volunteered.

I only had to twist a few arms.

I am so excited to meet some new people.

All these volunteers want to have a clean neighbourhood and are not shy about helping.

My biggest goal in all of this was to make people aware.

It would appear that  people do not think when they toss that drink cup or the candy wrapper on the ground.

They just want to get rid of it.

I know part of the answer is having more garbage cans.

But really just carry the cup home …..

Sometimes they are lucky that people like me, and the volunteers, and others come behind them and pick up their trash.

Other places just get bogged down with trash.

Municipalities do not have the means (our tax dollars) to hire people to be out cleaning 24/7.

Not only is it the beauty of the neighbourhood but all this crap laying around brings unwanted “little critters” and is not good for our pets.

Sometimes our dogs and cats find things and eat them before we can get to them.

I just want people to be more responsible.

Okay, I guess I have said my piece ….. how can you tell I am just a “little” passionate about this …..

After five years of being the rep for our City’s volunteer group for this area and spending countless hours picking up a vast array of trash around my neighbourhood, I guess I can be.

I have to make this short so that I can go and get everything together, have breakfast and do some laundry before I head out.  AND COFFEE.

Please remember wherever you live ….. pick up after yourself.

It would be so nice to be able to go for a walk and not see a drink cup or styrofoam block on the ground.

Thank you for listening to my rants and rants.

Have a great Saturday.

Special Hello to: YOU

Always, Carol and Alvin

 

P.S. I do not know how I forgot but there was another very important person who played a key role in this effort and that is my friend “G” …. she laminated every poster so that if it rained they would not be damaged.

Thanks to her the signs are looking good….. 

I am so grateful for all my friends and my daughter who helped me pull this clean-up date together.