2021

Good Morning ALL! Welcome to the last day of 2021, Friday, December 31st. 2021 was not much different from 2020 in that it was filled with financial hardship, heartbreak, sadness, stress and a longing for good things to come. The new year is on our doorstep and is filled with possibilities. I was reading my daughter’s Instagram post yesterday. She posted one of her latest creations a collage celebrating “possibilities.” She wrote: “To Possibilities. Ah the possibilities of a new year, a clean slate on which to dream. Do you set intentions or resolutions or choose a word to live by for the year? Or are you like me and sorta run around in all the possibilities, making a creative mess but having fun along the way (I might try the word “focus” this year)? I wish you all a 2022 filled with good health, love, creativity and all those delicious possibilities.”

What will our thoughts, our intentions, our resolutions be for the New YEAR? Do we remain focused and diligent during the New YEAR OR do those resolutions fall by the wayside a few weeks in? We mean well but sometimes we make unrealistic goals and resolutions.

My daughter’s post gave me the idea that maybe if we set out intentions, our resolutions if you will by a word or a handful of words that have great meaning and direction for us, that perhaps we will remain focused and keep them for the days of the coming year.

What are you words? What is your MANTRA? Do you have one?

I have been closing this post for months with the following: Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding and gratitude. I am going to add two words possibilities and focus.

My new mantra for 2022:

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

Write your words, say your words aloud, make them a part of your day, an important part of your life and they will become your every day, your life.

I wish for the New YEAR to bring you and your family good health, a sense of renewal, but most of all, I hope the New YEAR brings you possibilities. We, you, me and the world need possibilities now, more than ever.

Happy New YEAR to my family and friends and to all of you who take your precious time to read this post each and every day. I so appreciate each one of you. May your lives be filled with good health, great joy, much love and laughter and abundance and a clean slate on which to dream.

A special thank you to my daughter for her words who inspired this post and who gives me inspiration every day of my life. You are my dream, you are my possibility and I love you very much.

Thank you to Mr. Alvin who in a few short weeks will turn 13. My constant companion and who brings me joy and laughter and stories. I love you buddy!

So on that note, HAPPY NEW YEAR. The best is yet to come. 2022. A year filled with possibilities, of dreams yet to be realized.

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

Always, Carol, Alvin and Cookie

P.S. I think that we are going to miss the Cookie Monster. She is lovingly nicknamed CM for her boisterous, active nature. She is a good girl. Just super busy. LOL. H

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Where anything is possible!!

Photo by Anna-Louise on Pexels.com

Photo by Sebastian Hietsch on Pexels.com

It is a NEW YEAR.

Good Morning and Welcome to Monday the 23rd of March, 2020.

We had a great weekend.

No cell, no FACEBOOK, no other social media, no internet except for writing this post.

It definitely took my anxiety down several notches to almost nil, I would say.

I started to put together a little mantra to repeat throughout the day.

Hopefully it will help keep me settled down.

It all comes back to bringing work home.

I like my job but home is home.

I understand these times and I am grateful that I have a job and am able to work from home.

But it does not change the facts that I am invading my home with work.

Something that I will have to work on …. through this time.

 

I love being home with Alvin.

Yesterday I gave him his regular haircut followed by a bath.

As always, he cringed and balked at having his paws trimmed.

I somehow managed to get them trimmed.

Back ones always look better than the front.

I have started to keep the scissors close by at bedtime.

When he has settled down and just before I brush his teeth, I give a couple quick snips.

It helps.

The sun is beginning to rise as I can see the beginnings of beautiful colours to the east.

Those colours make me happy …..

We had a nice walk yesterday.

Changed up our route once again.

Mainly due to the ice on the sidewalks.

 

I love the morning sky.

Back to the sunrise.

It is 7:09 a.m. and the sky is beginning to grow light as the darkness dissipates into the day.

I love the whispers of pink, oranges and blues as they fill the morning sky.

The colour pallette brings joy to my heart and a calmness to my mind.

Both great things for sure.

 

I hope that you had a wonderful weekend.

I wish you a day filled with kindness and respect.

If you are feeling anxious …. try to step away from that which is making you feel that way.

I hope that you are able to do so.

If not, write down a simple mantra.

Words that bring you to a state of gratitude and joy.

Words that will reduce your anxiety.

This is one of my mantras.

 

“I am grateful to have more time with my Alvin.”

“I am grateful to have a beautiful home.”

“I am grateful to be surrounded by considerate and supportive people.”

“I am grateful to have freshly perked coffee each morning made in my kitchen.”

 

Take care out of your day for yourself.

It is the little things that will get us all through these days.

Go for a walk.

Get away from where you are whether you are at home or at work.

Being outside makes a huge difference.

Try to go near some water and trees, nature is a wonderful healing force.

 

With heartfelt feelings of kindness and respect to everyone including myself,

and to Alvin,

 

We remain, Always,

Carol & Alvin

My geranium is blooming, I cannot wait to transplant it outside.

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day …..

Good Morning and Welcome to Wednesday the 23rd day of August, 2017.

The air is cool this morning and Alvin was enjoying some extra time on the deck earlier.

Inside the house is a bit warm but with the furnace fan and the table top fan going it is bearable.

Temperatures to be plus 26 today and it was at least that yesterday.

 

Well back to work yesterday was what I expected.

I had hoped it might be different but perhaps I kept those other thoughts too much in my mind.

You can only do what you can do.

I would like to think that I am superwoman but I am not.

Just have to retrain the brain again.

 

If you ever have problems keeping your mind to positive thoughts and your retaining positive energy ….

Just surround yourself with positive influences.

I am so blessed to have many positive minded friends and that helps on those days like yesterday when you are not where you need or want to be.

Today even though I could not shut my brain down and likely only had a couple of hours sleeps and 45 minutes of that was on the sofa after getting up to feed Mr. Alvin ….

I have to remember that not everyone thinks the way I do and I should know that by now after reaching 60 years.

People are more concerned to have things their way and do not think of others.

For my friends and family who are reading this ….. does not apply to you …. work wise.

So patience is what I am concentrating on this day.

It is likely the hardest thing to do but the most rewarding.

 

You know you have a great friend when you have to change plans due to unexpected company and said friend, says not to worry as that day is better

for the family to celebrate her Father’s Birthday.  She would have spent time with me and changed the party date.

I am so blessed to have such an understanding friend, thanks “K.”

 

Well almost time to hit the road.

Remember patience.

Remember patience.

Perhaps if I make this my mantra today, it will help.

Patience is a virtue.

Patience is good.

Patience makes you feel better…..

 

Have an awesome Wednesday.

Special Hello to: all those folks who struggle to be patient, I hear you.

Always, Carol & Alvin

 

Thought for the day …..

Good Morning and Welcome to Friday the 9th day of June, 2017.

YAY, it is almost the weekend.

Looking forward to seeing my girls (my daughter & Miss Aspen) tomorrow.

The sky is blanketed in dark blue clouds to the south as I look out of my office window.

A few moments ago in my bedroom which faces north the sun was shining and the sky was clear blue.

Funny how that works.

Seems like for some reason I am running late once again.

No particular reason but alas I am.

Do you sometimes have this problem or situation?

Not really a problem, I guess.

Just timing.

Last night after a long day between work and the bus ride home, we just had a quiet night at home.

Alvin and I enjoyed some quiet time in the back yard.

I mowed the grass and dug out some dandelions from Alvin’s little area.

The dandelions seem to come out of nowhere.

It was nice to sip on a cup of tea on the deck.

I must do that more …..

I hope that you have a glorious weekend.

I have been thinking about the things we say, I say and have come up with the following mantra:

I will think for a longer time before I speak.

 

There is more but I see by my watch that I have to go.

Have a great day.

 

Special Hello to: you and you and you.

Always, Carol & Alvin

 

 

Thought for the day …..

Good Morning and Welcome to Monday the 8th day of May, 2017.

What an awesome weekend I had …..

A sense of accomplishment for all of the jobs around the house and yard that were finished.

A visit with my daughter, son-in-law and grand-pups yesterday.

While my son-in-law ran a quick errand, my daughter and I took the pups for a wonderful walk.

It was a bit cooler to start but by the time we got home it had warmer up considerably.

Nothing like a good cup of coffee with loved ones to end your weekend.

Thank you for the early Mother’s Day gift …..

So full …..

I am so grateful that I am surrounded by love, respect and kindness.

 

The ground was wet yesterday morning so I decided to do the trash pick-up another day ….

With rain Saturday night ….. the trash would be wet.

Lugging around wet cardboard and stuff is not fun.

 

Well this morning the sun has risen and the sky is blue.

Great start.

Monday morning here I come.

Guess I will be taking the next bus as I just needed that extra 15 minutes on the sofa.

Sunday nights are not the best for sleeping sometimes.

Will have to change my Sunday night mantra.

Anyway I will arrive at work on-time.

 

Have an awesome Monday everyone.

 

Special Hello to: friends and family.

Always, Carol & Alvin

 

Thought for the day…..

Good Morning and Welcome to Friday the 20th day of February, 2015.

Last night after work it was raining ….. someone got stuck in front of my house …. this morning the rain has turned to snow.

P.S. couple of neighbours and myself pushed the young lady out.  YAY.

We had been keeping the storm drain clear of snow and ice and the grader cleaned the streets so a combination …. SNOW, ICE AND SNOW.

Hard to see the storm drain and with wet snow packed around it ….. ruts making it hard to park anywhere.

That is our weather.

CRAZY ……….

Seems like everyone is experiencing there own kind of “weather” this winter.

 

I have been thinking lately about how I have been treating people and how I wish to be treated.

Sometimes we all need to have a reality check and go back to basics.

This is my mantra:

Lead with kindness, integrity and respect.

Be kind to yourself.

Be kind to all others.

Live your life with honesty and truth.

Be respectful of yourself and others.

It is not just a matter of being positive.

You have to live and give and give to live.

So let us all live a more kind, respect life with integrity.

 

I hope that you have a great day.

Be careful walking.

Special Hello to: my friends and family all over the world.

Always, Carol and Alvin

Thought for the day……

Good Morning and Welcome to Wednesday the 19th day of November, 2014.

Tonight I work my first Wednesday night at the store.

Now begins the schedule of working Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights and then Sundays.

I wonder how many people shop on a Wednesday night ….. guess I will find out this evening.

With it being the start of the holiday shopping season ….. I am sure there will be people out and about.

Our weather is still mild here in Edmonton which has been great.

My daughter and I had a great walk with the puppies last night.

They ran and ran …… so cute.

Oh what a life they have …….

Has this been a good week?

I started with conflicting feelings and trying to pull myself back to the light …..

I managed on Tuesday to change things around and everything worked out.

It makes a huge difference if you are feeling good and keeping your thoughts and actions going in a positive direction.

Now I know we are human and humans for some reason cannot seem to stay positive and happy at all times.

We are drawn in by our “ego self” and surroundings.

Perhaps things may not always work out perfectly but they sure can be close.

It is all a mindset.

Change your mind and change your life.

I remember a famous person stating that mantra.

It is so true.

I am so grateful to be living the life that I do.

Filled with love and laughter and so much more.

So on this Wednesday I hope that you find kindness and joy all around and if not create it.

Smile ….. open a door ….. buy someone a coffee …… help a neighbour …… LET US DO SOME GOOD THINGS ….. NO, LET US DO SOME GREAT THINGS TODAY.

Special Hello to: my friends who always stand beside me ….. not ahead or aback.

Always, Carol and Alvin

Thought for the day…..

Good Morning and Welcome to Wednesday the 25th day of September, 2013.

Well we had another gorgeous day yesterday.

This morning early on, ( about 5:00 a.m.) the sky popped with the brightest view of the moon and stars, I was so in awe “I said, “WOW.”

It was truly magnificent.

Making me feel so grateful to live on this planet with this incredible view.

Thank you.

ALSO:

I made an even more conscious effort to be extra kind to everyone that I came in contact with throughout the day.

That was yesterday.

It worked I felt so good.

Like I had just conquered the world or went to the moon or better yet “won the lottery” (actually I think going to the moon would be pretty spectacular).

So let us try this again tomorrow and the day after that and so on.

Can you imagine what a great place this world would be …. if we were all kind and respectful …. warm and generous.

Well that is going to be my mantra …..

“KIND and RESPECTFUL … WARM AND GENEROUS” to everyone that I meet.

Special Hello to: all those people who follow the SECRET ……. it is a great thing to be in your company.

Always, Carol and Alvin