The Next Chapter

Good Morning! Well it is Wednesday and one more day after today until a four day weekend for me. I am excited to have four days off in a row. Time for a break. Easter sure came quickly this year. How are you this morning? Are you having a good week? Are you working or going to school or perhaps you are retired or in between dreams? After work yesterday, I quickly got changed and grabbed the necessities, my jacket and put on my runners. Yes, the ones that my daughter picked up for me at the thrift store are really comfortable and perfect for my walks. I was heading not just for a walk but to the grocery store. Two reasons. Save-On had 15% off and because my oven is not working – I had to go with plan B for the office “Easter” treats. So I found some little Easter bags and picked up several sweet chocolate treats to fill them. The bags were made of a light canvas like material and had a draw string closure with ribbons and they had sewn fake Bunny ears in the inside of the front so that they would stand up. Very cute. They actually had a couple of different ones. Af first I found blue and pink ones and then I found the ones that I just described. They are better for adults. I also made out of various colours of construction paper egg shaped cards and decorated them with stickers. Oh, yes, I bought a package of Easter stickers and am going to put a sheet of them inside each bag. Happy Easter to my FIVE co-workers. Our Manager is going to “hide” some treats tomorrow morning to celebrate Easter for us. After the last near month of acclamating to the new way of doing our jobs, we need some fun and some chocolate. You are never too old for an Easter Egg hunt. Our office is small so I am thinking it will be an easy one. I like easy (sometimes). So tonight after I go for a walk, I will finish putting together the treat bags for the office. One of these days, I will get the photo thing worked out so that I can share with you all of the photos that I have been snapping. The photos that I have been sharing are ones that I already have in my photo library in word press. I know. Sometimes this technology thing is just too much. Maybe in between spring cleaning I will figure out the photos and why I am not able to upload them from photos on this computer to word press. Likely something very easy but then again my daughter could not figure it out and she is very tech savvy.

Oh, the store was busy last night. I even saw my neighbour Savannah and her little boy Grayson (oh my goodness, cuteness). He would not say hello Carol but he did say bye Carol (he is not quite two). I think he did well. My name is not easy to say.

After I returned home and was putting things away, I happen to see my friend Alyaa and her daughter Donia coming up the walk. I opened the door and she was holding a tray of food. As it turns out she had made too much of this dish and wanted to share with me. I would akin it to “pizza” but a Middle Eastern twist on the Western version. A thin crust with light topping of spiced ground beef with onions and peppers. (Was really good). We had a lovely visit and so many laughs. She is such a wonderful person. Guess what? Miss Cookie will be staying with me later on in April for just over a week while they travel to the United States to see Alyaa’s sister. I am excited to have Cookie with me.

Well bedtime came quickly last night.

Whoops I better get “hopping” here as I want to get my coffee perking and have breakfast. The sky is lightening and the morning is definitely here. I hope that you all have a wonderful day. Be safe, be well and have fun. Laugh with a friend, your spouse, with anyone. Laughter, we did more of …..

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! Well it has been quite the weekend so far. We, me and Alvin had a good sleep last night even with couple of times up. The wind is blowing so hard that it feels like the snow will be swept up from the rooftops and the ground and be a snow storm. Yesterday ended up being quite different than the way that I had planned it to be. I walked over to have my eyeglasses adjusted. Perhaps I should start at the beginning. Maddie, my friend’s daughter who was going to stay with Alvin while I attended the New Year Eve’s Dinner at my friend Lucy’s house – well I asked her if she could come and stay with Alvin while I went to have my glasses adjusted. Things went well so I stopped at the Shoppers Drugstore to pick up a couple of items (deodorant as do not wish to be smelly). Then back home. Alvin and Maddie did well and it was then, that I asked if she would be available to stay with Alvin while I went out for supper. She said yes. I had earlier advised her that I had changed my mind because of Alvin and work, if I am being honest. The week from HELL, I will say. I texted everyone to tell them of my changes to the plan. For sure I wanted the Hostess to know that now she would have four people including herself for supper. As it turns out she had not seen my text saying that I was not going to attend, lol. I guess she was busy with all of the calls/texts coming in from family and friends back home in China.

After Madeline (Maddie) left, I did a couple of quick things and then grabbed Alvin’s harness and some poop bags and with only a sweater (instead of coat), we were on our way for a walk. Alvin did not need a jacket and I was so warm from my walk that I wore a warm sweater. He stopped and sniffed along the way. We both enjoyed the warm air and sunshine. Divine. We went as far as just into the park which is the longest we have walked together in a long time. Then back home. We had some quiet time before I got Alvin his supper and then changed for the dinner party celebrating Chinese New Year’s Eve. Next thing I knew it Maddie was there, Alvin was happy to see her. When she arrived earlier his tail was wagging so much and the same this time. Then I was off with my gifts for Lucy to acknowledge her tradition and the New Year. It was starting to get a bit icy by this time as the sun was going down. So I walked semi slowly and carefully. When I got to Lucy’s house, our friends who live two doors down were also just leaving so we walked over together. We had a great evening. Lucy had her house decorated with red decorations for which I forgot to ask if they said “Happy New Year” or something else. All the food items for supper had a meaning. “Blessings,” “Abundance” and so forth. The dishes were so yummy. There was a noodle dish with mushrooms and beef, fish dish, shrimp, a type of meat ball with carrots, great soup and so much more. We laugh until we cried (almost). We had the best time. Ate way too much but the food was amazing. We took a selfie of the three of us without Pauline’s husband. He took a photo of us gals together earlier. In hindsight I do not think I took one of him. I was home by 8:17 p.m., I think. Pauline drove me home as it was dark and the sidewalks were icy in places. Very grateful for the ride. At home Maddie and Alvin were hanging out. She had been studying and Alvin was “watching” a Disney movie.

Photo by Adi Perets on Pexels.com

Photo by mahe haroutinian on Pexels.com

Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

Happy New YEAR

Photo by Angela Roma on Pexels.com

Photo by Angela Roma on Pexels.com

Wishing you a Happy New Year and a great Sunday.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

My gifts to Lucy were tea and chocolate.

Last Days 2022 – December 30th

Good Morning ALL! We had a great sleep so why I am still tired? Last night I was home and we were in bed by just after 11:00 p.m. and up at 6:30 a.m. I gave Mr. Alvin his glucosamine chew followed by his breakfast, he had a drink of water and then went outside. It was me who was up twice last night having to go pee, okay I will just say it. Why do we think bodily functions that every living creature on this planet does in some way shape or form? No idea. I guess people think it is gross. Once you have a baby or have a pet – all that goes to the wayside. Cleaning up after them is not pretty. You can be chewing on a mouth full of something and then have to go outside with your dog and pick up poop and it is okay. Not that I do that on a regular basis but I have found myself in that situation. Part of life. So we must get over it. As you know, I say the words “poop” and “pee” quite often and why at age 65 would I stop now. LOL. Anyway we are up and I am dressed with my eyebrows on writing this post.

Last night I was invited over to our friends Norbert & Irene’s house for a visit. This was my first real visit since the loss of their son in November. I had previously stopped by to give my sympathies, to drop off an arrangement, to drop off a card and Christmas baking but not long enough to take off my winter boots, and stay awhile. They are doing incredibly well and I am not sure how I would be in their position. We did speak about their son, Darcy throughout the evening. I let the conversation go where it needed to be. We chatted about so many things including Darcy and the accident leading to his passing. There was a Chinese checker game board out so I knew at some point we would be playing games. After much conversation, Irene asked if I would like to have a game of checkers and I said “yes.” I do not remember the last time that I had played this particular game but it did not take long to figure it out although I am not very good at it. Irene won every round we played. Next she brought out a mind teaser game which was interesting followed by another game which I knew “Connect Four.” I love that game. Cannot remember the last time that I played that game, oh yes, I do now. It was at a games day that we had a work a few years ago. Connect Four was one of the games that we played. Irene still won most of the games (she said that she likes to win and she wins) but I managed to score a win here and there. We kept saying “one more game.” Then it was nearing 11:00 p.m. and I knew that Mr. Alvin would wonder where the heck I was and likely needed to go pee. We said our goodnights with Irene handing me a package which contained a thank you card, a copy of the Eulogy, copy of newspaper clipping, the card from the funeral for their son Darcy. I graciously accepted and was on my way.

The once brightly lit bushes were dark as I left their house. They have their lights on timers. The lights were so beautiful when I approached the house. I forgot to mention that in the previous paragraph, I guess I could have added it but why? This is when I thought of it. LOL. The air was filled with fog as I walked the two minute walk home. Very eerie but the air was warm.

When I arrived home Mr. Alvin had been laying on his bed near the window. I deliberately placed it so he could see outside. Happy to see me, he did let me know that I should have been home with him. I pulled off my boots and we walked to the back door so I could let him outside to pee. Yup, he had to pee. A few minutes later we were upstairs and I was getting ready for bed. A great night.

Earlier in the day – I gave Mr. Alvin a haircut and bath followed by a shower for me. His hair clings to my clothing like flies to honey. He looks oh so handsome.

Well on the agenda for today. Do some laundry. A bit of cleaning. Go for a walk. Shovel the neighbour’s driveway. Relax. COFFEE, oh yes, I need to make some coffee.

Well it is time to head back downstairs. The sky looks so amazing with the sun trying to peek through the fog with the frosted tipped trees lining the horizon with the white tops of the houses and garages. That is the view from my office window. Amazing.

Have an awesome day. I guess tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. No real plans but will have to figure out what my post will be so that I have some kind of idea. Maybe some photo highlights of 2022. It has been quite the year for most of us, actually all of us.

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

Have an awesome Friday.

Always, Carol & Alvin

Last Half 2022

Good Morning ALL! It is a gorgeous morning. Another beautiful day, not too hot, just perfect. The sun is shining, there is a cool breeze and the Crows are cawing as they fly around the neighbourhood. My daughter and grand pup Milo are just waking up. My daughter did get up a bit ago to get some food for Milo. Alvin and I were up first about 4:40 and then just after 5:30 (he ate his breakfast then and had some meds). I am so over the moon happy to report that Mr. Alvin seems to have made a full recovery. Definitely close to 100% that is for sure. He has already finished two of the three medicines. Only the probiotics are left. He has a ten day supply of them and just finished day 5. I definitely have found that my thoughts are in fact my future, so I am, I have to change that. Keeping my thoughts focused on my dreams, the way that I want to live my life and away from the opposite. Oh, it is so very easy to say something negative about a situation or about someone but when you put the shoe on the other foot, it seems to be the opposite. Now shouldn’t it be much easier to say nice things, to act in a positive manner all of the time? One would think so, but I have found, not. But I no longer wish to keep dipping into that dark abyss where negativity is the norm. I want to get my JOY back, to speak only kind and happy words, to think only positive thoughts. So here we go. Training my brain to refocus. Please do not think that I have been thinking dark nasty thoughts and running around throwing things, that is not the case. I only want to keep those 60,000 some odd thoughts near to all being positive and good ones.

Today is the 40th birthday of one of my fellow coworkers, Happy Birthday Melanie. Happy Birthday to my great nephew Brandon who turns 18 years today. Wow, I can remember turning 18 and 40. I cannot believe that little boy has graduated High School and is 18 years old. Where does the time go? Happy Birthday to all those celebrating today. Best Wishes.

Last night we girls had a little late supper as Amanda went grocery shopping after work for us both with a quick stop at Value Village. We had black bean burgers on lettuce, oh my, how yummy! The lettuce was from my daughter’s garden which made it all the better. We made an apple crisp for dessert which we ate after 9:00 p.m. There was coffee on the deck in between and she cut my hair. Which I guess is a work in progress as she wants to do more this morning. I want to give Mr. Alvin a trim as now I have the new blade for his electric clipper. Part of my haircut last night was using the new blade, so nice to have a sharp one again. Makes life so much easier. My daughter also would like me to trim her hair in the amount of about two inches. We had so much fun last night with the hair cutting. I almost peed my pants, I laughed so hard. Alvin and Milo just say there – wondering what the heck was going on! It was late when we went to bed but that never stops Mr. Alvin from getting up early to eat. He has an alarm clock sitting in his belly, I think, lol.

I want to take Mr. Alvin for a walk before it gets too late. Temperatures are reasonable all day so I guess we could go later but there is something about the morning air. The smell and the coolness of the breeze. Maybe we will leave the sleepy heads and go ourselves. That would be okay, too. I also need that cup of coffee. I drank coffee minutes before bed and it certainly did not keep me awake.

Well I should get going. There be things to do. Empty the dishwasher. Do some laundry today. Walk. Coffee. Live our life. So happy that my daughter and grand pup are visiting and that they spent the night. I love having them with us.

Have an awesome Saturday.

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

Always coffee.

My favourite beverage.

Always, Carol & Alvin

PS: Now only 17 sleeps until my 65th Birthday. I wonder what that will be like? Great, I would think.

Last Half 2022

Good Morning ALL! I hope that you are well. We are doing well. We were to bed later than usual as we were over visiting at Cookie’s home, the visit lasted over 4 hours and we had the best time. We laughed so hard. Mr. Alvin spent quite a bit of time sniffing about the main floor learning about every nook and cranny and also, I am quite certain looking for food. He is always looking for food. No, he is anything but starving. What a guy? I have known these neighbours for several years and even worked with the Dad for a few years although not in the same department. We became closer friends after looking after Cookie at Christmas time. They are such a lovely family. I always love learning about people. They had so many yummy treats, I felt extra special. We chatted about everything from government to work to family to different cultures as they are originally from Iraq and came to Canada thirteen years ago via Saudi Arabia. Perhaps I will even be able to learn some Arabic. That would be most interesting. It was a great night. Alvin took some time to get used to being in a different house – not his own. He does not visit many other houses except for his best friend Teddy so this was a big deal for him. They love Alvin and were very attentive to him. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful neighbours. Cookie’s Dad has a different job now so I don’t see him at work but then again, I am working from home so I am not seeing work people on a regular basis. I love working from home. I love working from home. I love working from home. Did I say that I love working from home. It is great. More “family” time and I get way more accomplished at home for my job than when I was in the office. Less distractions.

We also watched the weather change from a few clouds with sunny breaks last night to these big bad very eerie clouds. I knew something was coming. We had strong winds and the rain was being blown in sheets temporarily flooding the street. It was incredible to watch but scary to think of what damage it may have caused. I was thankful that I had closed all of our windows before leaving the house. Oh, now with all of the rain, I am being attacked by mosquitos. Yup, they are back. Surprised they have not shown up sooner. I was very happy to arrive back home from our visit to find most of my flowers intact. I had much concern about the ones at the front of the house as the wind and rain were coming in from the north west. Just a few petals were laying on the porch. Same in the back. So they survived. Hardy little things. WE just need some sunshine. I am asking for sunshine and the long range forecast is for 30’s next week or at least for a few days and that may not be the most forecast.

Well it is time to go and plug in the coffee and get to work. I have lots to get done today. That is the one thing about deadlines. So much of my job is about deadlines and timelines that are very tight. Oh well, I can do this and it is Friday. The sun is shining at this moment and the sky is light blue. We are good.

Have a great Friday.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

PS: 32 days till 65.

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! Wow, another Saturday morning! How are you this morning! I hope that you slept well. Alvin did again wake up at like midnight and a couple of times after that but I coaxed him to stay in bed and then he slept until 4:00 a.m. I went outside with him as it was still dark and I wanted to ensure that he had no problems getting down to the grass area of our backyard. Thankfully one deck of the deck is actually lower (isn’t life great, the actual deck is level but because the backyard is graded on such a slope, one end is close to the grass when he jumps off). So happy to see that beautiful powder blue filling the sky with that sun shining so magnificently. We are off to a great start.

Yesterday we lost a great Canadian, Pluto the cutest four-legged pup. She and her Mom Nancie created PLUTOVERSE (PLUTO LIVING). Nancie posted so many videos over the Pandemic of Pluto giving us advice and sharing their lives with the world. Pluto is now known worldwide. She had the best advice, sense of humour, told the best stories. She brought so much joy to us all. Pluto had the cutest laugh and wore the hippest apparel. I was very sad to learn that Pluto had passed away.

To Nancie, Pluto’s Mom: Oh my goodness Nancie, so sorry to hear that your beloved Pluto has passed. I think it is safe to say that we all felt like she was part of each of our families. We will miss her and “her” unique view of the world. You and Pluto will stay in our hearts forever. The sheer joy and laughter you brought to us, to the world, when most of our skies were cloudy and grey. Please accept my deepest sympathies to you and your family on the loss of your beloved Pluto.

Yesterday we went on two walks and although neither were our regular full ones, it was still great to get outside. On the walk after work, we chatted with two neighbours on the way to the park. One neighbour I had not seen in awhile due to their household having COVID twice in since March. I still cannot believe how many people I know are coming down with COVID in the last couple of months. Seems odd why now? Maybe not when I think about it, a vast many people are back to work and not everyone is wearing a mask. I get the mask thing. Not my favourite thing to do but in large crowds, I still wear one and will likely do so for the rest of my life. Pre COVID, I remember people wearing blue masks on the bus (public transportation) going back to my first times catching the bus in Edmonton. So nothing new. I know that in the larger cities in China they were wearing masks for years mainly due to the pollution. Although I am not sure how much they actually helped but even if it gives the wearer a “false” sense of security – that may be enough. You know if we keep telling ourselves the same thing over and over again – that we can convince our brain that it is true. Now is the time to start telling myself all of the time that I have more than enough money to retire, pay off my mortgage and get on with the next chapter of my life.

Talk about being all over the place. That is what lack of or reduced sleep will do to one. That was my week. We had what was supposed to be a 30 minute meeting yesterday which turned into 1.5 hours. I was chatty Carol. Wishing now that I would have kept my mouth closed but I did not. Sometimes being vocal or having the need to share is not a great thing. I just keep rolling the conversations over and over in my head and just gag. Not that I said bad things but just maybe too much. You know those times when you have been in a meeting or with someone that does not seem to “shut up” well I feel that was me yesterday. Although honestly I did not talk continuously but almost. I did tell everyone that I had literally no sleep Thursday night and that I was sorry. Here I go again. I am sorry. Done. I wrote my feelings down – so walk away.

This morning I am invited to Gillian’s for coffee along with our friend Signe. I am excited to get out of the house on my own. I won’t be leaving Alvin for long, only a couple of hours. Good for me and good for him. I love my boy but 24/7 is not healthy for any relationship. So I may just start to go for the odd walk by myself in the evenings. Alvin just cannot walk as far as I can. So will see. Just a thought. Also I can walk to the grocery store and pick up a couple of things. I also am planning to go outside and pick up trash in the neighbourhood today if time allows, I would like to trim our tree and rake the front lawn. So those are things that I will be doing on my own.

Life, is always about some kind of balance. Never even, but if we are happy, joyful, content and in good health – then whatever that balance is – works.

Well time to get cleaned up for my coffee date with the girls. I have gathered up the laundry and changed the bedding on our bed. So at least started some of my chores.

I hope that you have an awesome day.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. I have Miss Pluto in my head and will try to live up to her positive, unique view of the world instead of the direction that I have been finding myself going lately. Even with little or no sleep, I will remain positive, happy and ready to do what needs to be done. To give Mr. Alvin or to continue to give him the best life I can with whatever time he has left. It may be years or not, I do not know. Even Alvin cannot live forever, I know that.

2021

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? Wow, December 30, 2021. Well we slept in but really what does it matter? We are not going anywhere or doing anything special. The sky is clear and the sun is up. The pups are both in the office with me. I caught Cookie a couple of minutes ago carrying something downstairs. It was a Fifth Avenue Jewelry box. One that once held a piece of jewelry but was stored on a moveable cart in the guest room. Perhaps to be used another day. Well Miss Cookie had it in her mouth and was about to make a quick getaway down the stairs. She definitely is getting more brave and confident and inquisitive with each day she spends with us. I am most grateful to have Mr. Alvin as he is more concerned to be right beside me than to be checking things out in other rooms. He never really has inquisitive. He has always been happy to be with me. No matter where I am or what I am doing. So as we go into the New Year we, me and Alvin are with another being who likes to look and sniff and see what everything is. Maybe it is because our home is relatively new to her and not to us. I am not sure but whatever it is I am happy that it is the way it is in this moment. She is lying on her belly scratching at the door. She does not like the door being closed. But she will need to learn patience. After this post, I am going to have a shower so yet again another door will be closed. I do not trust her not to get into things if I am out of the room for more than a couple of minutes. She jumps as though she is flying. What a character she is!

Little Miss Cookie “Monster”

Her fav chair and pillow

She loves to lick me and Alvin. She was just licking Alvin’s face and he put his paw up as if to say “enough.” She is lying by the door on her side and Alvin is whining, for what reason I do not know. Perhaps he is bored being in the office with the door closed. Not an usual scene for us.

I just paid Alvin’s pet license online. Thank goodness for technology.

Alvin & Cookie

Cookie napping with Rudolph

Well the troops are getting restless and I need a shower. I think today will be a pancake day. Time to use up milk and eggs. I always buy too much at Christmas. Even with the extra company we still did not go through as much as I bought grocery wise. Which is okay as I do not need to go to the grocery store any time soon. Except for bananas. We always need bananas. Alvin and I love bananas. I would love one right now.

I forgot to mention that when we went to bed last night. Cookie was playing. Alvin was laying down quietly but she was jumping and rolling and did a backflip right off the bed. Thankfully she landed on the area rug. I couldn’t look at first as I thought for certain she had injured herself. But within a couple of seconds she was back up and fooling around. Whew!!

I wished that I could show you a video of Alvin and Cookie playing together. Chasing one another. Once in awhile they stop and she licks his face. I haven’t seen that much energy coming out of Mr. Alvin in a long time. Clearly they are enjoying each other’s company.

I had pulled the spare bedroom door closed and heard a scratching but it was not Cookie opening the door – it was the Alvin. OMG.

Sometimes there is fireworks!!

Photo by Damir Mijailovic on Pexels.com

Wishing you a great day. I hope that you are able to laugh and are in good health and have plenty to eat.

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

Always, Carol, Alvin and Cookie (Monster).

P.S. I renewed Alvin’s pet license this morning. I had forgot that I did it online last year. So easy to do.

2021

Good Morning ALL! I hope that this Tuesday morning finds you well and rested. We had an okay sleep. I had a great Monday, well actually both Alvin and I had a SUPER Monday. Alvin’s BF Teddy and his little sister Kobi arrived in the late morning and left about 3:30 in the afternoon. Honestly, Alvin was so excited, he skipped. I am so happy that we got to see his Teddy and Kobi. They were equally happy to see us and I cannot wait until the next time they can come for a visit. They spend more time at the farm now so our visits are limited. I snapped some photos and videos. When I took my lunch break Alvin and Kobi were on the chaise part of the sofa and Teddy was snuggled on my lap. I would have snapped a photo but my phone was not nearby. The utter joy these little ones bring to our house makes my heart sing. I was so happy for Alvin. As he gets older having his best bud around is so important. I know that he misses him terribly as whenever we walk by their house he runs up the driveway for the steps. It breaks my heart when they are not home. Anyway, yesterday was a good day for us both.

After work I called our friend Pauline to see if she was able to go for a walk but she was having her granddaughter and her boyfriend over for supper and was not able to go. We chatted for a few minutes but my phone kept going in and out. I am not sure why. Dead air/space without Wifi in the house? I do not know. After our chat we went for a walk. The wind was bitterly cold so we walked close to Pauline’s house which is about halfway and then back home. Garbage day today so we meaning me got it ready and put it out. I must say that I love our new bins. Just wish that we had something for recycling other than blue bags. But it is a start. Then we had supper and after supper my sister called. We had a great chat. Lots of laughter. Catching up. We decided that next summer (hopefully we can get together) we will have Christmas in August. Instead of celebrating some birthday we will have Christmas. I will bake their favourite treats and I will put up my small tree. I would decorate the house but my sister said “too much.” So the little tree it is. Funny thing that my phone did not cut in and out this time, was it because I was on the speaker phone? We chatted for almost two hours. I love my sister. She always makes me laugh so hard and brings joy to my heart. She does for me what Teddy does to Alvin.

Well time to head downstairs. I kept putting on the “SNOOZE” button this morning. I noticed that the frost is quite heavy this morning on the cars so definitely a colder morning. Thankfully when we were putting out the garbage last night, I remembered to put away the new garden house and drain it.

Have a wonderful Tuesday.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

2021

Good Morning ALL! How are you this Thursday morning? I almost typed Friday. Guess I am rushing the weekend just a wee bit. Oh well! It has been one of those weeks. I lost my patience a couple of times but tried to remain composed which is so much better when you are working from home. Some days even though I am very grateful for my job – it drives me around the bend. I guess most people say that. There are many aspects that I enjoy about my job and others not so much. Okay enough of venting first thing in the morning. Not the way that I want to start to my day.

I do want to share something with you. We were up about 3:00 a.m. and outside. The sky was so crystal clear that even though we are in the city, we could see so many stars in the sky. In fact, the sky was so full of stars that I was in awe. First time in the city that I have been able to see so many stars. It reminded me of our trip to see the kids for Thanksgiving and how clear the night sky was and how many billions of stars I could see. I was also reminded of being a child and looking up to the sky and making wishes on the first star and then seeing so many others. I have always throughout my entire life being drawn to the sky. I most especially love the stars. Maybe that is why some of my fav television shows and movies are situated in space. Although they cannot see the stars, one could imagine they were surrounded by them. As I have not been to space, I do not know what you can see or not. The stars took my mind off of being outside at 3:00 a.m., I will tell you.

We enjoyed two walks yesterday. The after work walk was most especially special as we bumped into a neighbor who lives just off the park, she was out walking the puppy. We have spoke before but never had such a conversation and I enjoyed it so much. The puppy for which I have now forgotten her name is so adorable. Not tiny and full of energy. She reminded me of a poodle. We chatted for several minutes admiring each other’s pups. She loved Alvin, too. Rosie was the Mom’s name. We were walking with them back toward their home and to ours when Alvin started to pull big time. I could not see anyone or anything around so wondering why he was pulling forward. So we said goodbye. I thought maybe because he was hungry. As we walked we came across people with a dog and I could see our friend Kelly and her pup Jack and then I knew. He definitely could smell their scent even though they were partially hidden by the trees at the entrance. How cool is that? So we raced over to them. I have not seen Alvin move that fast since before his surgery and not even in recent times. He chased after Jack as though he wanted to play. Running fast. It was funny too watch and also made me a little anxious. But I could not stop him and I wanted him to do something that obviously he really wanted to do. We visited with our friends and then Alvin wanted to go. I think he was getting hungry for supper. By the time we got home it was well after 5:00 p.m. Also on the way, a car pulled up and I could see our friends Ali and Bailey. Bailey spotted us and was yelping and so excited. We quickly said hello and were on our way. Our evening was much more quiet, I will say but we had a great walk. I am so happy that I know so many people in our neighbourhood and that I can get to know some of them even more. It was a great end to a somewhat frustrating day.

I hope that you have an awesome Thursday. Get out and walk. You never know who you will bump into or meet. Even though there still is a pandemic – we can still chat outside and keep apart and safe.

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

Today I choose to laugh more and have more patience.

Always, Carol & Alvin

2021

Good Morning All! Another Tuesday morning.

Wishing a Happy 13th Anniversary to my daughter and son-in-law. I cannot believe it has been thirteen years married for them this year and they have been together for over twenty years now. Well done. Being in a long term relationship is not always easy but they have managed to work things out. I am very proud of them. They are good parents to Miss Aspen and MiMi, their beloved pups, my grandpups. Both of them work hard and are good people. Alvin and I wish you a wonderful day and may the years to follow be filled with good health, great joy, much love and laughter, abundance and seeing dreams fulfilled. Congratulations!

Our Civic Election was held yesterday, we have a new Mayor and Councillors and School Trustees and others. I am anxious to read all of the results.

One of my friends and neighbours is coming over on Sunday for a visit and to play JENGA, I cannot wait. I haven’t played that game in awhile. Perhaps I should brush up on my “skills.”

The temperature is only to be +6 celsius today but warming up the next two or three days and we will gladly accept them. We are not ready for the next season – just yet.

Still a couple of weeks until Halloween. I haven’t decided if I am going to dress up or not. Likely yes. I wonder if there will be a lot of trick & treaters this year! Time will tell. Last year was so different.

Well not much new to share and I don’t have any pearls of wisdom to share this morning.

Have a wonderful Tuesday. Remember to have a laugh.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

Must be the full moon as I have been dreaming like mad…….oh, the stories my brain is generating.