Thought for the day…….

Good Morning and Welcome to Sunday the 1st day of June, 2014.

WOW, this has been a spectacular weekend.

Starting on Friday, two of us in our office won the “YOU DESERVE A BREAK TODAY AWARD”  …… ( I was one of the two).

Voted on by our peers.

I tell you what a great way to begin the weekend along with working at the store ….. so much fun.

Yesterday was a huge success …… we cleaned around our two neighbourhood lakes/parks and some of our actual residential area.

I know now that in August/September when we do the next one we will be concentrating on the back lanes in our area.

I met so many wonderful people and along with my daughter and some neighbours/friends ….. we were able to chat along the way and clean the neighbourhood …. how lucky am I.

Alvin spent most of the day with my son-in-law …… he is a good one.

I even managed to get some laundry done …… crazy hey.

Last night my grand-puppies spent a few hours with me and Alvin as Mom and Dad had a Silent Auction Fundraiser to attend.

We enjoyed watch it pour outside while they were gone.

It sure came down.

I am happy to see the sun shining now.

Everything is so nice and green.

One thing left to do re the neighbourhood cleanup and that is to take down the posters….. I started.

But after four hours out in the hot sun I figured they could stay up until Alvin and I go for a walk tonight.

So here we are June 1st and I feel that it is going to be a great month.

Sure started out great.

I hope that you all are having a great first day of June.

I wish birds chirping you a merry tune while you enjoy coffee or a cool drink on the patio.

I wish you good health and happiness.

I wish you the best day ever.

Almost time to go to work ……

Special Hello to: my sister, how about next weekend?  Can we SKYPE on Saturday morning?

Always, Carol and 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.

 

Thought for the day…..

Good Morning and Welcome to Friday the 30th and second last day of May, 2014.

WOW, that was May.

Well it was an interesting month to be sure.

Ended in some wonderful showers …..

So nice to see the grass green and the flowers coming up.

I am so looking forward to seeing the baby ducks and geese.

Perhaps tomorrow when we are out and about cleaning the neighbourhood we shall see some.

Maybe it is a tad early but not too long.

Well I am running late and that is not a great excuse ….. just had to have those extra zzz’s this morning.

Not sure if they really helped ……

Have to have more mind over body.

I hope that you have an awesome Friday.

Special Hello to: my sister ….. hope to SKYPE this weekend.

Always, Carol and Alvin

Thought for the day…..

Good Morning and Welcome to Thursday the 29th day of May, 2014.

It is raining here in Edmonton and the grass is beginning to turn that most beautiful green.

The type of green that yells …… I have been moisturized …… I feel great.

I can only imagine what the grass would be saying after a long winter.

The snow melts and the ground is brutally dry.

With spring there is little rain.

How cruel ……

NOW …. it has been raining for a couple of days …..

HAPPY GRASS …..

If I were the grass, I would be doing the “I am green, I am beautiful, I am feeling WONDERFUL dance.

Anyway those are my thoughts for this rainy day.

Just happy that my grass is green, Alvin and I are breathing and it is promising to be a great Thursday.

Happy Thursday.

It is always good to be grateful for the little things ….. after all it is the little things that make the world go round.

Special Hello to: all the folks who have volunteered to help with the neighbourhood cleanup on Saturday.  Now the forecast is for rain showers ….. it is going to be fun.

Always, Carol and Alvin

Thought for the day…..

Good Morning and Welcome to Tuesday the 27th day of May, 2014.

Wow, four glorious days left in May, 2014.

It has been raining here off and on over the past couple of days.

We surely needed the moisture and the smell of rain is glorious.

I am very grateful for the much needed moisture.

Our grass most especially in the back yard is so nice and green.

……………………..     ………………………….

Well this morning has me thinking about the neighbourhood cleanup that I am organizing for this coming Saturday.

My mind is running amuck with things to do and hoping that I have everything in order.

There is a good group and some new faces coming out for the event.

I am drawing the map of the cleanup area this evening so I can assign areas.

At least that way nothing gets missed and I know where everyone is located.

The new faces: these great volunteers are pretty much all new to this area, and isn’t that wonderful that they are the first to volunteer, just as I was when I moved to this neighbourhood.

So exciting ….. meet new people and have the area cleaned …… perfect combination.

My goal in all of this was to make people aware and hopefully we will get noticed on Saturday and bring attention to the garbage that litters our streets and parks.

This is something for everyone to take note of ……

I want people to take pride in their neighbourhoods and if we all help out what a gorgeous planet we will have …..

I keep thinking one drink can, one coffee cup, one cigarette package at a time ……

Maybe you can go out and organize a neighbourhood cleanup in your area.

It is a great way to meet new people and get exercise and keep your “hood” clean.

Even if you are not in an organized cleanup ….. always carry a small bag with you and pick up those unwanted items.

Better yet do not throw anything on the ground …. that is what garbage cans are made for ……

Special Hello to: all those people out there who take the time to make this planet a better place for us, for our pets, for all the flora and fauna.

Always, Carol and Alvin

 

Thought for the day…..

Good Morning and Welcome to Saturday the 17th day of May, 2014.

Last night Alvin slept at his sister’s house as I worked at the store.

So this morning I did not have my “alarm” clock to get me up and mobile early.

So I slept in ……

It is always funny how you will wake up when the body figures it is time but then your mind takes over and goes “well” it is still early I will just stay in bed a bit longer.

So needless to say, I did on all counts.

But I am up now.

My daughter reminded me as any great daughter would ….. “It is okay, Mom to sleep in” …… oh, how I love me daughter.

Now I do not feel that foreboding sense of guilty that if I had got my butt out of bed two hours earlier I could have done this and that …. that and this….

Anyway …. if you are thinking the same thing ….. S-T-O-P ……. if you want to relax in bed for a few minutes, a hour or two extra that is okay.

Now I know if you have small children that may not work.  Maybe your spouse would watch the kiddies in that case.

So on this Saturday morning I am now ready to go ….. I made my bed, washed my face and threw on a bit of makeup, got dressed, gathered the laundry and am writing my blog all before heading downstairs.

I can be quick once I get going….

So have a great Saturday.

I am going to enjoy the sunshine …. we are going to C-O-S-T-C-O ……..

Later we are going to put up the posters for the neighbourhood clean-up that I am organizing with the help of my friends and daughter.

Oops gotta run I am also watching “Aussie” the cat ….. she will need some fresh food and water and ATTENTION…..

Special Hello to: all you folks who slept in ….. it is okay…. the laundry will still be there when you get out of bed ….. so will the rest of your TO DO LIST.

Always, Carol and Alvin

Thought for the day….

Good Morning and Welcome to Wednesday the 14th day of May, 2014.

Okay, really ….. almost the middle of May ….. WOW.

Time ……

I was so surprised when I looked out my bedroom window this morning and low and behold across the street the trees are not just in bud but are in leaves.

WOW, now that certainly appeared to happen over night.

What a glorious surprise.

That makes it official ….. spring and summer are here…..

We have green …. the trees are green …. some of them anyway.

My tree is in the budding phase.

But I am so happy that across the street there be leaves on the trees.

I could just do a happy dance.

Also some of my neighbours have flower basket ( likely from Mother’s Day ) and that makes me happy.

I am so excited to go flower shopping …… plant me some flowers……

Another happy dance.

I love flowers and plants and trees and grass …. green and colour and the smell ….

There is nothing like the fragrance of wild roses.

They will be flowering over the next little while.

So gorgeous …. the pinks.

Can you tell what mood I am in?

Well looks like Mr. Alvin would like to go downstairs and outside.

So the boss has “spoken.”

Have the best day and I sure hope that you are surrounded by colour and delightful fragrances.

Smile …… happy dance ….. smiling ….. grooving to the beat …. of HAPPINESS.

Special Hello to: my friends “G” and “S” who are helping me with the neighbourhood clean-up and also to my daughter.  I am surrounded by the best people.

Always, Carol and Alvin