Thought for the day ….

Good Morning and Welcome to Saturday the 26th day of May, 2018.

The sun is shining and the air is that morning cool.

There have been mornings where it just seemed hot from the get go.

There is a welcome breeze which helps.

 

Busy weekend ahead.

We are on pet sitting duties beginning today and for a week.

The pets include our energetic Master Teddy who is joining us this morning at 11:30 a.m. until mid evening AND our neighbour’s Humphrey the cat and Cinder the Gekko.

So we will be busy.

In between mowing the grass, watering plants (later on), laundry and a bit of housework.

 

The neighbourhood is beginning to come alive.

Someone close by has a motorcycle running and now has taken off.

Alvin has disappeared from his blue blanket as with all of the windows open he can hear the noises from all around and has gone to investigate.

 

Last night after work my daughter brought me home with a stop at Value Village.

We are doing our best to reuse and recycle whenever possible.

Which is most times.

We both found a couple of items that we were happy to purchase.

Then home for Alvin.

She stayed for a short visit before heading home.

 

I spoke to my neighbour and was able to borrow her vehicle to go for groceries, so check another item off the TO DO LIST for the weekend.

While in the store I struck up a conversation with a nice man.

Actually he spoke first.

I have found most men as soon as anything is said will quickly mention about their wives.

Not sure if they notice that I am not wearing wedding rings or what is the thing.

Anyway he was quite nice. (and cute)

There were so many people in the store all rushing about.

We chatted about that for a minute.

I was alongside the veggies that get sprinkled from time to time and he was coming back to get a bag.

Anyway after our first encounter we bumped into each other during our time in the produce section.

Nice to actually have a conversation with a man that I did not know that did not quickly rush away.

Living the dream.

 

After returning home and putting groceries away which by this time was close to 7:30 p.m.

I got Alvin all ready to go for a walk.

We stopped to see if Presley, Vader and his Momma could go for a walk and they agreed to come along.

We had a nice visit and walk.

By the time got home it was after 8:00 p.m. and time for supper.

Just an easy egg with toast and tea.

Busy few hours but very productive.

After supper watered the flowers.

So nice to be light out until after 9:00.

 

Well the coffee is ready and I have to eat breakfast.

Went to bed late and was up early and then back to the sofa.

ARGH.

I want to go and visit Humphrey before Teddy arrives.

Alvin wants my attention.

Laundry to do.

 

I hope that you are enjoying this day.

Live your life.

Do not let your life live you.

Happy Saturday.

 

Special Hello to: my daughter – I love spending time with you …… happy Saturday my darling.

Always, Carol & Alvin

 

 

Thought for the day ….

Good Morning and Welcome to Sunday the 6th day of May, 2018.

The sun has already been up for a few hours and it is to be +27 degrees celsius today.

Just on our way out for a walk, before coffee and then I am going to pick up trash before the heat sets in for the day.

We had a good Saturday with a later than start day.

Did the laundry, cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed and dusted.

Took some recycling out to the garage.

Enjoyed coffee.

 

My neighbour and I left for the movie at 2:50 p.m. as the start time was 3:25 p.m.

The theatre is about a ten minute drive from home.

We arrived …. handed in our on-line receipts and picked up the movie ticket.

Picked up treats.

Popcorn and drinks.

Went to the theatre and found our seats.

We sat and chatted while the theatre filled up around us.

The popcorn was most tasty.

I enjoyed the “regular coke” as this is the only occasion that I drink pop.

We were in the 3-D theatre with some of the seats that moved to the movie (not sure the name of them).

There were a great deal of children in the theatre and oddly enough they were not noisy.

All of a sudden it was start time 3:25 p.m.

The screen was blank.

A young man came in and said something but we did not hear him.

We remarked at this and a guy in front of us told us that the movie would start in a couple of minutes.

Then it was fifteen minutes past the start time.

Then 20.

Someone else came in and said that they had to change a bulb and it would start in five minutes.

Then it was 40 minutes.

I guess they had to get someone to come in to change the bulb???

A young woman came in and told us that “they were sorry but we would not be able to see the movie.”

LOTS OF GROANING.

One little boy behind us said that he did not want to leave when his Dad tried to explain what had happened.

I guess they did not wish to hold up the next viewing.

Lots of super disappointed people in the audience.

Some will likely not have an opportunity to see it again.

After spending $25.00 on treats and the passes were $19.00 each.

On our way down the steps of the theatre – a woman on crutches slipped.

I was close by and helped her up and gave her my arm as we descended the steps to the bottom.

Thankfully she was okay.

It was funny as we had commented on her before – how she managed to get up those steps in virtually darkness.

Let’s face it the little light on each step does not help that much.

At the landing:

They handed out two movies to each person in the theatre.

I suppose we were compensated fairly but I still mentioned that we all treats and would have to purchase them again.

So disappointing.

The young man that was handing the complimentary passes to me – did not say a word in return to my comments.

So that was that.

So much for a movie.

I only get out to maybe one a year ….. this would have two.

Well time to get going …. Al needs a walk.

So much for seeing the new Avengers movie.

I did however watch an older one last night and then watched the most recent episode of “Agents of Shield.”

Oh well.

Not the end of the world.

But very disappointing.

 

Have an awesome Sunday.

Special Hello to:  all those folks who were able to see the new Avengers Movie.

Always, Carol & Alvin

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day …..

Good Morning and Welcome to Wednesday the 4th day of October, 2017.

Dark outside but will lighten as I travel on the bus to work.

Another gorgeous day on the way.

We are grateful.

This morning I am thinking of those affected by recent tragedies in Edmonton and in Las Vegas.

A reminder.

 

IF I HAD KNOWN

Looking at photos of us when we were kids.

It seems like only yesterday,

but it was a lifetime ago.

Things have changed.

We were five now we’re four.

How I long for those days.

When we were all together.

When playing school, all sitting in a row … I’d be the teacher…

Running about the yard playing in a nearby slough looking for tadpoles …

Playing in the dirt ….

Imagining driving to far off places in that old black car, and eating Mom’s homemade french fries and pumpkin pie.

Playing hide and seek and watching Disney on Sundays.

Was what we did, when we were just kids.

Now we’re grown,

Time has past.

If only I had known,

We would be four and not five.

I would have taken your hand.

I would have told you how much I loved you every day.

I would have loved you better.

I would have visited you more often.

I should have tried.

I would have known your pain.

I would have understood.

I would have known your favourite song.

I would have known your favourite colour.

I would have known you better.

Now we’re four and it’s too late

For me to take your hand.

To share your pain, and to comfort you.

I wished that I had knew you better.

Between the pain and the laughter.

You were a man, and I remember the boy

The little boy with a zest for life.

The little boy that always seemed to find a way ….. now that’s our secret….

That irresistible little guy that made me smile.

The little boy with such a big heart.

That much I did know when the boy became the man.

I feel that I let you down, but it is too late

I wished that I knew your favourite song.

Or what you made you cry late at night.

Why the time passed so fast.

Now we’re four instead of five

What did you think?  Your thoughts?

I wished that I knew.

If I had, I had only known  the man, not just the boy.

Written by Carol Yvonne Lewis, January 8th, 2010

 

Take care on this day and each day to follow.

Hold your loved ones close.

Know them and love them, no matter what.

 

Special Hello to: all my family and friends all over the world.  Stay safe and I love you with all my heart.  Alvin says DITTO for him.

Always, Carol & Alvin

Thought for the day ….

Good Morning and Welcome to Thursday the 6th day of July, 2017.

Hot day ahead and over the few days days projected to be in the 30’s.

Too warm for me.

Thankfully I do not have to work outside in the hot sun.

I wish “cool” thoughts to those who do.

 

Last night on the bus ride home I had a conversation with a young man who is in Canada from Ireland on a work VISA.

I so love the Irish accent.

He is a bricklayer by trade.

Said so hot working outside.

He told me that Ireland has not come back from a recession.

No work or not much so he decided to come to Canada.

Came by himself.

We had a great conversation.

He said there is more to do here than back home.

Ireland he said has only about 3 million people.

Mainly Irish as people do not often immigrate there.

Said it is beautiful there.

I told him of my Irish roots.

Very nice young man.

Made the hot ride from downtown to West Edmonton Mall so much more bearable.

Good company always does …..

 

I was walking down the street heading toward home from the bus last night after work.

When I spotted a beautiful dog off leash going in and out of yards across the street.

I watched him to see if his owner(s) were about and there were no humans to be found.

So I tried to coax him over to see if I could check his tags.

He/She came across the street with me watching for traffic and ready to stop any vehicles.

The dog came across and ran onto a lawn and then up the steps of that house and stood at the door.

I followed him/her but the dog growled at me so I backed off.

He/She was panting so bad as it was mighty hot and I had no idea how long the dog had been outside in the heat.

So I ran to the next door neighbours hoping they were at home.

A man answered the dog and happened to have a similar dog in the house (by coincidence).

He said they had two Golden Retrievers next door but they are never out.

So I finally after a couple of minutes coaxed him to come with me to the house next door.

When we got there the dog was gone.

My heart skipped a beat.

I asked the man if they were at home and then he went to the door and rang the bell.

A woman answered and I relayed my story and she said her dogs were at home and I said “Are you sure?”

She came outside onto the porch.

A dog barked and then came around the corner from the back lane.

The woman recognized the bark and called the dog.

The dog came to the house.

I reminded the woman to give the dog water as “she” was clearly thirsty.

She said that her grandchildren had been over.

I was thinking to myself “So you did not miss this big huge dog?”

No matter – happy ending.

Dog and Human reunited.

She thanked me and I went on my way.

I thanked the man who had helped me.

So happy that it was a happy story.

 

So good conversation on the way home and a rescue.

Great way to end the day after a long day at the office.

 

Special Hello to: Family and Friends.

Always, Carol & Alvin

COUNTDOWN: 60 Days to 60

Today is Monday, June 12, 2017 and it is the 59 day until my 60th Birthday.

I guess at some point one may ask these questions:

1.  What does it mean to be 60?
2. How are you supposed to be feeling as you turn 60?

To me it means that I have lived through six decades.

60 years – some good – some great – others less so.

It means that I have lived through major changes in technology.

It also means that even though the years and decades have come and gone – basically the human race has not changed.

We have not evolved past centuries of torturing and killing one another, and the world around us including other life forms.

The one thing that has changed dramatically over my sixty years on this planet is our less than stellar care and protection of this planet, we call Earth, our home.

Greed and Power remain two of man’s largest downfalls.

It is likely not to change anytime soon.

I think what makes me feel so sad, is, I am about to turn sixty years old, and I can clearly see that things have not changed much at all.

Now I am a pretty positive person and I am not about to spend these next fifty-nine days reflecting on things negative.

Just an observation from my vantage point as I near sixty years living on this amazing planet.

It is never too late to change and one person does make a difference.

 

Always, Carol

 

 

 

Thought for the day …..

Good Morning and Welcome to Monday the 24th day of April, 2017.

WOW, snow, snow and more snow.

The snow is so heavy …. likely shovelling a load of bricks.

It was so heavy that I could not lift it all to one side of the deck so instead I made a mountain in the middle.

Of course, some on the sides as well.

At this very moment it is snowing and it was raining earlier.

Oh, April …… April showers bring May flowers.

I surely hope so.

 

Question?

I had a good conversation with a friend as of late.

With regards to people and who they are.

Life is such a big question mark?

Are we extroverts or introverts?

Are we good or bad?

Are we smart or so not smart?

Do we care or not?

Do we reflect people and their energy or draw them in?

After much consideration I believe that there are two kinds of people.

One being those people who have ENERGY and people are drawn to them.

Others are the ones that feed off of that energy.

If we really think about it ….. you can be both an extrovert or introvert, we all can be good and bad, we all can be happy and mad, smart and not so smart but when it goes to that naturally occurring ENERGY field …

either you are ENERGY and people feed off that energy or you are the feeder, so to speak.

Interesting thought, right?

Remembering that we all have ENERGY ….

I know myself ….. most people think that I am an extrovert because I am talkative, social, I guess not quiet.

But if you really knew me you would know that I love to be away from people ….. sometimes I feel so drained by it all.

Sometimes I feel more on the introvert side of the coin.

People are usually drawn to me and I guess to my energy.

You know when you walk into a room and can literally feel the energy being drained out of your body.

That is the other half of the equation – some people may be extroverts or introverts and any other combination that you can think of ….. they need the energy.

Doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman.

We all can be anything.

Just my thought on the subject.

I am going to research this a bit further and see where it takes me.

There is no right or wrong ……

We are what we are …….

Just some thoughts at 6:15 a.m. here in Edmonton.

Perhaps I could articulate this better if it were a bit later in the day ……

 

Well almost time to don some winter garb and head out for the bus.

I WISH for sunshine.

Have an awesome Monday.

Take care if you are out and about.

Special Hello to: my sister ….. I want to hear all about your trip.

Always, Carol & Alvin

 

 

 

Thought for the day …..

Good Morning and Welcome to Friday the 10th day of February, 2017.

YAY, it is the weekend and the temperatures are warming up.

How perfect.

I spoke to the birthday boy er, I mean man, yesterday and that was nice.

My how time flies ….. still cannot believe my baby boy is 40 years old.

 

So I wonder, how do the milestone birthdays such as 40 of your first born nieces and nephews make you feel?

At first I thought oooh sixty but then I think wow I have a 40 year old nephew.

Actually I have an almost 37 year old daughter, too.

Sometimes I feel old and it has nothing to do with their birthdays.

Just because.

Sometimes your body feels older and some days not.

That is something that will not change – we all age.

Some of us age better than others.

Depends on gene pool and environment.

Perhaps the elixir of eternal life may be found in some future century but not now.

So we do not have to worry about living forever.

Just live your best life now.

If you have a moment where you feel old and truly you are not ….. live it and then carry on.

 

Well almost time to hit the road ….. to the bus.

Have an awesome Friday.

Special Hello to: my Sister, the Mother of my Nephew ….. a great person and I love her very much.

Always, Carol and Alvin

 

Thought for the day ……

Good Morning and Welcome to Thursday the 9th day of February, 2017.

Today is a very, very special day in our family and for me.

On this day  “40” years ago my sister gave birth to my first nephew.

I cannot believe that he is going to be 40 which means I am going to be 60.

We are twenty years apart.

 

He has a very special place in my heart.

We spent a good deal of time together over the years. and it has meant the world to me.

He was this eager, busy-energetic, inquisitive, highly intelligent, bold, adventurous,  kind, loving little boy with the blonde hair and strawberry lips who simply melted your heart.

He did have a bit of a mischievous streak running through him but mostly he was just super busy and full of energy.

Always asking questions – always wanting to know.

But “why Auntie.”

Or he would hear a word that was not something a small child would typically use in a sentence but he did, and used it correctly.

One time when he was about three, I was sitting at the kitchen table working on my budget, and crunching some numbers using the calculator.

He came up to me and said “Auntie, what is that?”

I replied “it is a calculator” and before I could say anything he said “Auntie, I would like to do some calculating.”

He was three.  I will say he was always good with numbers.

I watched him go from that cute little boy into a mature, eager, energetic, inquisitive, highly intelligent, bold, kind, loving husband and father to three little boys.

I am so proud of this boy now grown man.

Go figure that he would have three boys of his own.

 

With my move to Edmonton we have not seen as much of each other as we had over the years but he is always in my thoughts.

He will always be my cute blonde headed strawberry lipped little boy.

 

So on this Thursday the 9th day of February, 2017, I want to wish my first born nephew “T” …. a very Happy 40th Birthday.

Now he will not be likely reading this but I hope that he knows in his heart how much he means to me and always will.

He was the son that I never had ….. (don’t tell Alvin).

 

I also wanted to mention that yesterday was one of the best days of my life.

So many little things …. great moments ….. great day.

I never thought that I would be so happy not to have mail delivered to me (this was at work).

I am so grateful to be me.

 

 

Special Hello to: my nephew “T” …. Happy Happy 40th Birthday.

Always, Carol & Alvin

Thought for the day …..

Good Morning and Welcome to Tuesday the 14th day of June, 2016.

It is a bright and sunny morning here in Edmonton on this 14th day of June.

Alvin and I enjoyed our walk last night.

It was so nice out.

 

Cute story:

Last night on my walk from work to the bus I came across this man walking down the street.

Okay, you say, nothing “cute” about that but wait …..

He was sauntering along smoking on his cigarette like this was the most normal thing in the world.

Or perhaps he was just trying to get a rise out of people.

But no matter.

What did I see perched on his shoulder but a pigeon.

Yup, a bird on someone’s shoulder in sort of downtown Edmonton.

Pretty sure it was a pigeon.

It was a medium size one.

I was walking behind him keeping a normal walking distance.

One man passed us and he said Hello and could barely contain the smile.

He almost made it passed the man.

We came to a trash can and the man pulled in and I passed him.

I wanted to turn around but though that might be a bit tacky so I did not.

But I was smiling all of the way to the bus.

I guess you just never know what/who you are going to meet on the way to the bus after work.

 

Well time to get this show once again on the road.

I hope that this little story made you smile as it did for me.

Have a wonderful Tuesday.

 

Special Hello to: all those people who love and respect animals.

Always, Carol and Alvin

 

Thought for the day ……

Good Morning and Welcome to Wednesday the 3rd day of February, 2016.

Yesterday afternoon when I left work was a surprise weather wise.

I had half expected it to be on the cooler side but much to my surprise it was actually quite nice.

When the bus pulled up it was quite the show.

It was literally packed right to the front …… one of the passengers I knew had this big grin on her face.

When the driver (my favourite) opened the door everyone was laughing as it was so full.

I said “Room for one on the bike rack.”

Everyone giggled at that…..

Always nice to be laughing …..

But he said come on and they managed to let us on …. somehow.

Although I will say that I got to know a young man quite well.

I had to hold onto his arm when we turned corners and stuff.

Likely not too great on the liability front ….. safety issues and all.

But he got us to the mall where the bus quickly emptied.

There was one lady standing facing out the windshield.  (she is my friend)

I had my back to hers …. then there was a man behind me and a woman right up beside the driver and the young man by me.

There were five or six of us in that entrance way of the bus … on the other side of the YELLOW line.

It was so hot on the bus ….. I wore my long coat and had my big scar wrapped about my neck and I thought I was going to pass out.

Thank goodness for good conversation it did not seem like a 20 minute or so ride.

 

Well I somehow managed to take longer getting ready this morning ….. not sure what happened.

Mr. Alvin needs to go out before I leave for work.

I hope that you get a kick out of my little bus story.

 

Special Hello to: my fellow bloggers …. keep up the great work.

Always, Carol and Alvin