The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! Happy Family Day to those places across the world that celebrate “Families” on this day. We had a beautiful sunrise around 7:30 this morning. It was so funny. Alvin woke me up about 4:15 and we went downstairs and he as per usual had his glucosamine chew and then went outside for a pee and then we hit the sofa. The next time we woke up was just before 7:30. He never sleeps that long before having breakfast. He does not seem to be out of sorts, he just slept. Back to the sunrise, it was glorious filled with an array of vibrant colours from the palette of an artist. Absolutely beautiful. The moon was out and that was the first time that I have seen the moon in a long time. Now the sky is a brilliant powder blue and the sun is shining so brightly. What a morning!

I gave Mr. Alvin a haircut yesterday. Definitely not his favourite thing in the world to do. Followed by a bath, his least second favourite thing to do. He was not really a happy little guy. I forgot until a few minutes into his haircut to give him an anxiety pill but it did not really seem to help him at all. It is only a fraction of a whole pill as prescribed by his Vet. I will have to speak to her because it did not help. I was gentle as always with him and praised him when he allowed me to trim his paws. He looks so handsome.

So what to do on this day. I really did not have anything planned. Although I could always clean out a closet or cupboards or even one or both of my pantries. I guess the closet in this room, the office would be a good choice. At this very moment, I have no desire to clean anything but then again I have not had my morning coffee. I can smell the aroma wafting up from the kitchen and perhaps after coffee and breakfast, I will tackle the office closet. I will have to gather up the trash and take out for tomorrow. Have to check the schedule to see if it is a garbage day with recycling OR food scraps with recycling day? I don’t put mine out every Tuesday as I never have enough to bother. But it has been a couple of weeks so I will put out whichever needs to go out. We had some fresh snow last night. Just before the snowfall my neighbour was out with his leaf blower clearing the fresh light snow from our sidewalks. Then a short time later there was another light blanket. There is no keeping the walks clean this winter.

I watched some good movies last night. On PRIME I watched “About Time” which was a heartwarming comedy about love and time travel with Rachel McAdams. It was so good. Even a bit teary eyed at parts. I loved it. Definitely “thumbs up.” The other one I watched was “5 Flights Up” with Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman. It was so good. I do not remember if that was on PRIME or NETFLIX. But definitely another good one to watch. Usually I am into action/drama but comedies seems to be on the menu last night. It is also nice to watch new movies, something that I have not watched before. I do tend to watch movies over and over and over again. Not sure why other than if I like/love them, then it is worth seeing them multiple times.

Well time to go and have that mug of coffee.

Enjoy your day.

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

P.S. I am a money magnet. Money comes to me easily and effortlessly.

Keeping the flow.

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! Another beautiful morning. The sunrise is not as colourful as yesterday but beautiful all the same. How are you this morning? What did you do on Saturday? Well I did mostly the usual like laundry and bit of cleaning. I still have a couple of loads to finish today and to clean the bathrooms. Yesterday I gave the boy a haircut and bath and chipped away the ice from my front walk and out front with thanks to my friend and neighbour who had come and place ice melt and gravel on the walks Friday night and yesterday on the big patch of deep ice in the low spot. We have a storm drain out front so it always pools in one spot and can get ugly quickly. We went for a walk but it was short lived as we had to walk on the side of the road as the sidewalks were either icy or covered with ice melt not conducive for safe walks. Alvin despite being dry he was shivering even with his warm sweater on so a bit of fresh air was better than nothing. We were talking to a newer neighbour who happened to be outside when his neighbour who happens to be a friend of ours saw us and came out on her porch. She introduced us and then started to tell me that she was just getting over the flu. Seems like a lot of the flu going around. We chatted for a few minutes before carrying on and then back home. When we got home I wiped Alvin’s feet and took off his sweater and harness and then carried on outside to clear the ice. My neighbour that I share the lawn with saw me and came out to clear her half. After that, I worked on the laundry and then decided that I wanted shorter hair. I had been tossing around the idea and then decided to just do it. I grabbed the electric clippers that my son-in-law had given us and did the deed. It turned out pretty much how I was planning it to be. A short rough bob. It is not perfectly even and that is what I wanted. Now later I did find the odd extra long strand so of course I snipped it off. But otherwise I had no intentions for it to be perfectly even. Why should I? If someone happens to notice and brings it up, I shall say that I cut it with that intention. It suits me and I LOVE it and really isn’t that all that matters. I am so grateful that I have the tools and can cut my own hair. One less expense and because it is super cool to cut your own hair. Now I know it is taking away work from another human being but really since I moved to Edmonton almost 13 years ago, I have only ever gone to the salon a handful of times and I also had a neighbour cut my hair a few times but she moved away. This is the perfect solution and especially during the pandemic when it is difficult to get out and about. You know actually I really do like to cut my hair. I like doing Alvin’s as well but he is not quite so happy about the process. I had to have a shower immediately after the haircut as the t-shirt that I had put on was covered in hair. So we both had a haircut and bath/shower yesterday. Check.

That was our excitement for the day. I watched a couple of movies on Netflix last night.

In addition to the laundry and housework today, I want to bake some oatmeal raisin cookies. So better get to it. Sometimes I lose my drive and just want to veg. I think a lot of people are finding that these days and most especially once you get older. I always get things done but do it on my own speed and desire. My house always is clean – just might have a fine layer of dust at the worst. Alvin is a neat guy. Only leaves a couple of toys out and about.

Wishing you a great day. Have fun.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. I am excited to have a mug of coffee and watch “ESCAPE to the COUNTRY which is my Sunday thing to do in the mornings.

2021

Good Morning All! I hope this finds you well. We have had incredible highs and lows over the past 24 hours or so. Yesterday in the early afternoon our friend Pauline came over and with her urging we went on our first walk outside of the yard in weeks. I could not believe how excited he was and once harness went on he was ready to go. He loved the walk and likely went faster than should have. I too, enjoyed getting out of the house. Once back home, Pauline watched Alvin so I could have a shower. After she left we spent some time watching a Netflix series called “The Cook of Castamar,” which was recommended by Pauline. Later on we spent some time on the deck relaxing. Another hot night so I covered him with a wet towel and all seemed well until about 2 am and basically we have been up since that time. After several times in the middle of the night going outside and him not wanting to be on the sofa, I put him on one of his beds on the floor. I grabbed a bit of sleep here and there. But he did not go to sleep for more than a few minutes.

I don’t remember the time he had breakfast, I think about 5 am and then meds at 6 am. In and out, up and do. Made coffee at 9 am because that is what you fo when you are tired. At one of the early morning or middle of night trips to the backyard, I misstepped going down steps to grass but managed to make the correction do we did not fall, thank goodness.

At 10 am, with the temperature about 20 degrees Celsius we headed out for another walk. Again Alvin was super excited to get out. We saw a friend who was just heading out to take her dogs to an off leash park ….. she was backing out of the garage …. We stopped and then she saw us and rolled down the passenger window and we had a visit on the driveway. Crystal mentioned that her Daisy (passed) had the same surgery and she remembered how much she loved to walk and run despite the surgery and the importance of doing the range of motion exercises. Well time to go and get things done and perhaps give him a pain med.

I hope you have a great day.

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

Always Carol&Alvin

2021

Good Morning ALL! Happy Sunday and I hope that you are all doing great? We are doing well and will be going for a walk after I write this post and wash off the charcoal mask from my face and get dressed. I guess going for a walk in my pj’s would not likely be a good idea. Someone might think that there is something wrong with me and report me to the authorities, lol. The sky was overcast earlier, it rained overnight and then sun was shining brightly and there are now clouds moving in. I think it is supposed to be another “rainy” day. We need the moisture well actually the ground needs the moisture so that the plants, grass and trees can grow and thrive. Always better when we have rain as opposed to watering them from the tap. I love sitting on my back deck taking in the beauty of the flowers and marvel at how much they grow. They seem to have grown overnight. Actually I think that they prefer the “rain” than water from the tap.

I hope that you had a great Saturday. Ours was quiet. We walked in the morning, did some laundry, I actually did some work with photos on my phone and computer. Trying to delete the duplicates and get both cleaned up. I do not need to have so many of the same shots and also need to delete the bad shots. Will get there. Today after our walk and coffee and breakfast, will work on the photos for a few hours again. One thing about working on the computer the time flies and what feels like ten minutes has been three hours. It is a “good” way to lose time but necessary in this case. I also did some writing ….. just a little….. some ideas ….. oh, that was yesterday. Will have to bring up the laundry from the basement that has been drying since being washed yesterday. Oh, yesterday on our second walk, we stopped at Alvin’s best friend’s house. He always wants to go in and I have to say “not today” as we cannot stop everyday. We had a nice visit and I had tea. When we arrived it was starting to thunder which would have lightning involved so Teddy’s Mom said she would drive us home and she did.

Dreaming, man have I been doing a lot of that lately. Strange dreams. I remembered a bit when I first got up and now have forgotten. I know that Alvin was in them and some folks that I have not seen for many years.

Last night I watched another David Attenborough movie on Netflix. This was about the past, current and future of this planet. Very interesting. I just wished that everyone was on the same page with respect to our planet. Clearly we are not. I am with him.

Here are some statistics from his movie that were interesting and downright scary:

1937 – World Population: 2.3 billion, Carbon in atmosphere: 280 parts per million and remaining wilderness: 66%

1954 – World Population: 2.7 billion, Carbon in atmosphere: 310 parts per million and remaining wilderness: 64%

1960 – World Population: 3.0 billion, Carbon in atmosphere: 315 parts per million and remaining wilderness: 62% –

1978 – World Population: 4.3 billion, Carbon in atmosphere: 335 parts per million and remaining wilderness: 55%

1997 – World Population: 5.9 billion, Carbon in atmosphere: 360 parts per million and remaining wilderness: 46%

2020 – World Population: 7.8 billion, Carbon in atmosphere: 415 parts per million and remaining wilderness: 35%

You should watch these movies they are so interesting and informative. We cannot survive without the biodiversity of the wilderness. Something to think about.

David was 93 years old when he made the movie.

I do hope that you will watch them. We all need to watch them and step up.

Time to wash off this mask and get out for that walk before we have some more rain.

Wishing you a great Sunday.

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

Always, Love Carol & Alvin

2021

Good Morning ALL. How are you today? I am well but certainly could have done with a bit more sleep. Bed early and then up a couple of hours later up and then back to bed upstairs, then up and down from about 4:00 a.m. until I finally gave up and got up for the day. Anyway, that is my life for now. I have to get used to it.

Yesterday when I wrote my post, I had no idea that it was International Women’s Day. Isn’t every day Women’s Day? Should be really. Cheers to the women of this planet, to all the girls, to we females. Thank you for birthing the children of this planet. Thank you for looking after the children. Thank you for preparing meals. Thank you for your contributions to society. Thank you for caring. Thank you for homeschooling the children. Thank you for aiming for the stars. Thank you for every job that you do whether at home or to support your family. Thank you for never giving up. Thank you for everything you do. This list is incomplete as we do so much. But it is early in the morning and I am writing and thinking and also did not get a full night’s sleep. I appreciate everything that the women have done before me, now and in the future. We rock. Some day things will be more equal. I am certain of that.

Also it is Pet Week. Well there is a lot to be said for our beloved pets. They come in all sizes and packages. Some are furry with four legs, some chirp and some have scales. To all those folks out there who hold their pets in high regard, thank you so much. We owe animals so much and often times we push them aside or do horrible things to them. I am grateful, even though I am sleep deprived at the moment for my friend and companion Mr. Alvin. He brings me great joy, comfort, laughter, love, compassion, gratitude and so much more. Cheers Alvin and to all our Pets. Thank you for being you. Please treat your pets with kindness and respect and love. The world would be a much better place if we treated all of its’ inhabitants with kindness, respect, compassion and patience.

The sky is overcast. We had some snow yesterday. I am grateful for snow as it helped me catch that Mr. Alvin had some serious health issues.

Well time to go and plug in the coffee pot. Love that first morning cup of coffee.

Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion and ever working on the patience factor.

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. if you have not watched the series “OUR PLANET” on Netflix, please watch it. I learned so much and it is a reminder about the environment, animals, us and our world. There is drama, love stories, action, comedy included. Check it out. The colours are incredible. The photography was amazing and breathtaking.

2021

Good Morning ALL. How are you doing today? Alvin and I are well and happy that today is Friday. I am excited for his birthday party on Sunday. He will enjoy seeing his best friend Teddy and his little sister Kobi as well as our family. We are having a wee bit of snow this morning. Just a few flurries. Nice to have some white snow. We have so many leaves in the backyard and where they are flying in from I do not know, but they are all over. I guess with those gale force winds that we have been experiencing – they could be blowing in. Can you imagine seeing a cloud of leaves blowing in from miles away? That would be a sight. Yesterday I picked up as many as I was able. So I am hoping for a bit of snow to cover them and freeze them in place for now. Spring clean up is going to be “so much fun.” Oh well that is a few months away. ARGH.

Last night after finding nothing on television to watch and I so wanted to just watch a show, I decided to go to NETFLIX and watch BRIDGERTON. Mainly I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and I can now see why. I watched two episodes before I had to stop to go to bed. I am now addicted. The story is good plus the costumes are amazing. Can only imagine the thousands of dollars spent on dreaming up and creating those dresses. I would highly recommend the show. It is both funny and sad and has some drama, of course. Shonda Rhimes has done it again. The show is based on the novels by Julia Quinn set in the competitive world of Regency era London’s Ton during the season, when debutantes are presented at court. Created by Chris Van Dusen and produced by Shonda Rhimes. Two thumbs up. Narrated by Julie Andrews. The acting is really good, as well. I am really enjoying it. One of my favourite eras. Check it out.

I also have to get back to NETFLIX and continue to watch another favourite of my STAR TREK DISCOVERY. I had started to watch it from the beginning as I missed some of the new episodes so thought why not?

Another good thing about NETFLIX is no commercials.

Well it is time to get this day going. We are going to have a busy weekend as tomorrow will be setting up for the party. Simple but elegant will be the day. I noticed that Mr. Alvin may need a touch up hair trim. Another task to add to my TO DO LIST for tomorrow.

I hope that you have a wonderful Friday. Remember to take some time for you as you deserve it.

As we continue to live our lives with kindness, respect and compassion. I should perhaps add patience as there are some days I really need to work on that.

Always, Carol & Alvin

Second Half of the NEW YEAR – last quarter

Good Morning All.

Earlier this morning when I was outside with Mr. Alvin – I could see my breath. That means only one thing? Temperature dipped to below freezing last night. Surprisingly enough my last two pots of petunias are still blooming. I think they usually make it past below freezing temperatures. Today is the last day of the long weekend for me so I am going to put away my patio / deck furniture. I have the bistro table that is made out of steel/iron with a river rock table top ….. this baby is heavy. I used to be able to move it across the deck, which I still can but it is carrying it up the three steps and into the garage that might be tricky. I may have to enlist some muscle along the way. Anyway the wind has decreased from the gale force that we have had for the last day or so. Thank goodness. Oh, I spoke to soon, the trees that I can see from my office window are swaying in the wind. Looks like raking may be out of the picture for now. This year I decided to leave the leaves on the ground until the trees were bare. Humphrey and Bogart’s Mom and I share the front lawn. Her tree still has a lot of leaves and mine has three or close it. Actually a few more than that.

How was your Thanksgiving thus far? My daughter and son-in-law and grand pups “Aspen” and “Milo” came for supper. We were going to eat at 5:30, then pushed it to 5:00 and then to 4:00 p.m. My daughter remarked about eating at 3:00 next year and that we are getting older. Yes, we are. I came back with how about lunch and we had a good giggle. We had a great time. Supper turned out great. When we were finished eating instead of trying to stuff down fruit pizza and pumpkin pie for dessert we decided to play a game of “Trivia Pursuit.” I made some coffee. There were a lot of laughs during that game. My son-in-law won by a hair. We only played until three wedges. The fruit pizza was a hit. My daughter had suggested a television show that is on NETFLIX called the “DERRY GIRLS.” It is a British sitcom set in Derry, Northern Ireland, in the 1990’s. The first season was broadcast in early winter of 2018, followed by second series in spring of 2019 and now a third series has been commissioned for 2020. It is both funny, the kind of funny that almost makes one “pee their underpants” and series and sad. They have watched this series a few times as they love it so much. We watched the first season, first episode together and then they packed up to go home. I still had their COSTCO order from Friday night and leftovers from supper. I do want to mention something about ordering groceries to be delivered. Watch the prices. Not only is there a charge for the service but the prices are jacked up as well. After we got the family safely packed up and on their way, me and Alvin went back into the house where I ran the water to do the last few items that would not fit into the dishwasher and turned the television to the second episode of DERRY GIRLS. Certainly not a bad way to be entertained while doing dishes. After the dishes were done, I sat down and watched the rest of the first season, first series and then the next couple of episodes from the second season, or series. Of course, we did have a couple of interruptions as Mr. Alvin had to go outside and do some business. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I had so grateful that my kids were able to join me and Alvin. It would not have been the same without them. Plus how could I have ever eaten all that food, I would have had leftovers long after they were proper to eat.

Well what is up for you on this Monday, October 12, 2020. WOW, almost halfway through October, 2020. Oh, I must count how many sleeps until Halloween and putting up the Christmas Tree and decorating the house. 19 sleeps until Halloween and 20 till the TREE goes. I am excited to be at home for both without having to go into the office everyday. Of course, I will have to go in perhaps on or two days every month for now. That is totally okay with me. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to continue to work from home. How about you? Are you working from home? Do you like being at home? It is different that is for sure but once you get settled in, it really is quite nice. No commute. Gotta love that. When you are off at 4:00 you are off at 4:00 (if you stop working at 4:00) and starting at 8:00, no more getting up at 5:00 or sometimes earlier. I am so grateful that I am able to work from home. This has been one of the best things to happen in 2020.

The sun is shining and I had better get moving here. Get dressed, have coffee and some toast and then get out and start putting the furniture into the garage. I also have to break down some cardboard boxes for the garbage. Also I like to go through the garage and reorganize so that is the plan for today. Outside. If the weather permits and no gale force winds we shall go for a walk this afternoon.

Thank you for reading this post. I have to get working on my book. I am only about two chapters in but actually have the material written it is fine tuning it and putting things in proper order. Sometimes I think that is more difficult than putting the words on paper so to speak. Anyway, I am writing each and everyday about this life of mine. A bit of this and a bit of that. Sometimes I read an old post and think “oh, that was silly” and the next time “oh, that was smart, witty and charming.” I will say that when I write this daily post, I do usually plan what I am going to write ahead of time. It is whatever comes to mind and I run with it. Sometimes it is funny, sometimes sad and sometimes a mix. At the end of the day my main goal is twofold. To write daily and to make people pause, think and perhaps even laugh. Is that twofold or fourfold. LOL. Anyway, you know what I mean. I love to write and if people like to read my words then I am even more happy.

On this Monday, October 12, 2020 – I wish you good health, love, joy, much laughter and abundance. May the sun shine down on you and your family and bring lightness to your day. Happy Monday.

Well time to get this load moving. I feel like a load this morning. Definitely ate way too much.

Living my life with love, kindness and respect.

I/We shall remain,

As always, Carol & Alvin

Second Half of the NEW YEAR.

Good Morning and Welcome to Sunday, September 20th, 2020.

Two more days till officially FALL.

The smoke from down south fills our skies this morning.

There is rain in the forecast with the potential to clear the smoke and possibly to help with fires in Oregon.

At the moment I am loading some photos from my phone to the computer so that I am able to share them with you.

I am not sure why I also end up loading ones that loaded before …… makes no sense to me.

I will have to ask my “technical support.”

Earlier I was texting with my brother who was on his way to do some farming helping out friends and neighbours.

Mentioned that they were moving equipment this morning but have been combining the past few days.

Also skies are smoky and no rain.

Fingers crossed that the farms are able to get what they need done without any moisture.

Such a time sensitive period of the year ….. harvest crops.

Wishing them time to bring in the crops.

 

Yesterday we had company.

My daughter who was supposed to come in the afternoon was able to come in the morning.

We had a text from Alvin’s BF Teddy’s Mom who wondered if he could come for a visit.

I texted her back and set up a playdate for 2:30 …… which extended to include Teddy’s little sister Kobi.

Amanda came about 11:30 just as I was finishing up with the LIVE on Facebook Fifth Avenue Show.

She had picked up a few things from the grocery store and bought me a surprise “potted plant” and also gave me some crafting paper.

Lucky me.

The plant matched the one that my friend Pauline gave me for my birthday.

I do not know what kind of plant they are …..

We had such a great visit …… laughing and catching up.

I love having my daughter come to visit.

Perfect touch to the weekend.

Not long after she left …. Teddy and Kobi arrived.

Their Mom was going grocery shopping and asked if I needed anything.

“No” I replied as I already got the few things on my list.

The pups ran around the house …..literally bouncing off of each other and me.

They were so happy to see us.

Kobi has not been over for awhile.

It was good to see her.

Of course, Teddy as well.

When Iris came back she had bought me the same plant that Amanda had given me earlier except this one is pink along with a box of tulip bulbs.

How blessed am I?

Very.

 

Well after a considerable amount of time I have been unsuccessful in downloading the photos from yesterday from my phone to the computer.

I am definitely not tech savvy.

So as I would like to go for a walk.

I will try this again later and perhaps post them tomorrow.

ARGH, ARGH and more ARGH, I say.

Disappointed to say the least.

Not sure why sometimes things go off without a hitch and the next time, not without a hiccup.

 

Wishing you the best Sunday.

Filled with love and laughter.

Maybe you are spending the day finishing that book that you just cannot put down.

Maybe you are on your way out the door to go for a nice long walk with your dog.

Maybe you are spending the day baking some cookies and a banana loaf or three.

Maybe you are doing laundry.

Maybe you are going to spend the day watching movies on NETFLIX by yourself or with family or friend(s).

Maybe you are going to paint a picture or take some photos.

Maybe you are going to clean your closets.

Maybe just maybe you will do something that brings a smile to your face and joy to your heart.

Just maybe …. just maybe.

 

Speaking of NETFLIX, I started to watch this series with Hilary Swank and Josh Charles about first mission to MARS.

I don’t remember the name but it was really good.

So good, that I watched several episodes and did not go to bed until 11:30 p.m.

 

Best day.

Living with kindness and respect.

I will learn this technology soon ….. time for some more lessons, methinks.

I/We shall remain,

As Always, Carol & Alvin

 

 

 

Thought for the day ….

Good Morning and Welcome to Saturday the 3rd day of November, 2018.

The air feels warm this morning and it is later, much later than I usually write but then again it is the weekend, after all.

The sun is already getting high in the sky.

Last night my daughter picked me up after work.

We stopped at the grocery store and picked up some groceries part of which was the fixings to make a chicken stir-fry.

One of our favourite meals.

Surprisingly I cannot remember the last time that I made this for supper.

Oh, during the day it SNOWED and SNOWED and SNOWED some more.

Looking out the window it would appear to be well into winter and not the first BIG snowfall for the season.

We have had a couple of other snowfalls but not quite as much as this one.

So my daughter shovelled the driveway to the garage while I made COFFEE, an absolute must for a Friday evening’s Christmas tree decorating.

Followed by making the stir-fry for our supper.

We picked up a date square for dessert as they were on sale.

Not that we needed it but I thought it would be nice.

After all of the shovelling and supper and dishes were over.

We brought up the tree and ornaments and set to work.

By the time we started it was already 8:00 p.m.

My daughter chose a Christmas Movie from Netflix …. not one that I had seen before.

The movie was filmed in Regina …. my sort of home town ….. I guess I spent a good chunk of my life there.

Was cool to see familiar homes, the shopping mall and other places.

I do not remember the name of the movie at this time.

So by 9:00 p.m. we had the tree up and adjusted the lights.

There appears to be at least one if not two strands of the pre-lit lights burned out.

My daughter brought an extra strand of lights and I had one so we made them work.

I placed a few ornaments on the tree before joining my daughter to watch the remainder of the movie.

Enjoying our coffee before bed.

Those two things do not mix well.

Alvin wanted to have some attention so I made an executive decision to finish the decorating today.

We had a great night.

Putting the tree together and making the lights look nice.

Visiting.

I love having my daughter for a sleepover.

Alvin wasn’t sure at first as he figured this might be a ploy to get him into the car and leave.

He does not like “road trips.”

This morning once again as he has done all week, Mr. Alvin awoke at some super early hour.

I begrudgingly got up and followed him downstairs.

He did go out and went pee so then I only felt a twinge of guilt as I had tried to get him to go back to sleep.

I have to remember he is getting older as well and as I do, sometimes we need to PEE during the wee hours of the morning.

This morning I couldn’t sleep …. decided to just get up.

Emptied the dish washer, did some shovelling, made coffee and made ready the batter for pancakes.

My daughter also decided to get up earlier than we had planned.

While I cooked the pancakes she put some music on the iPod … the newer one that she gave me.

It holds way more music and that is great news.

So the Christmas music is now playing.

We enjoyed pancakes with blueberries and bananas.

A few pieces of banana for Mr. Alvin.

After breakfast she helped bring up (actual most) the rubbermaid containers filled with Christmas decorations.

Then it was time to go.

My son-in-law made a play-date with the pups and forgot about her sleepover.

I went along with her and we stopped at the vet to grab some food for the boy.

Then she dropped me at home.

Such a great night and morning.

One for the gratitude journal and this post and for the memory banks.

I just put on a load of laundry once home from the vet.

Then this post.

The music is playing.

A reminder for me to get going on the decorating.

I wish each and everyone a wonderful Saturday.

Time to start decorating.

I will post photos tomorrow.

 

Have an awesome Saturday.

Live for today and dream about tomorrow.

I try not to get hung up on yesterday as it is over.

We can only change what is ahead of us.

No worries.

Be happy.

 

Special Hello to: my sister, my friend …. thank you for always being there.  Have an awesome day.

Always, Carol & Alvin

 

 

Thought for the day …..

Good Morning and Welcome to Sunday the 26th day of February, 2017.

Another bright sunny morning here in Edmonton.

So far our weekend has been great.

Yesterday morning we started our TO DO LIST with Alvin’s routine visit to the Vet’s Office in our neighbourhood.

One of the part-time helpers was there to help Dr. Karen.

We had not seen her in a long while and it was great to catch up.

She was so happy to see Alvin ….. she calls him “baby Alvin” …. her pet name for him.

We had a good visit and had Alvin’s appointment completed before heading out.

When we got back home I took a coffee break before heading out once again to do my errands.

All on foot …. good exercise.

First stop was the Optometrist to adjust one of my new pairs of glasses.

Once done I crossed the street to go to Shoppers Drug Mart to pick up a bus pass for March.

It crossed my mind as I was approaching the store “Wonder when there next Gala is?” and “Guess what”?

It was then …..

So I purchased a ticket as $5.00 of the $15.00 goes to help Women and the remaining $10.00 is deducted from your purchase so win/win.

Also they have free gifts, goodies to eat and drink and the possibility to win baskets of all sorts of items.

In the past my daughter and I have won on several occasions and that was nice.

I have not heard as yet so perhaps not but that is okay.

I also saw two staff that I have got to know over the years so it was nice to catch up with them.

After winning 1,000. free optimum points and having a visit, some treats and making my purchases including the bus pass, I was on my way.

Next stop the grocery store.

Just had a few items to pick up as long gone are the days when I can carry twenty bags of groceries home (I am not kidding).

When I got home …. Mr. Alvin was happy to see me and me, him.

He had to go outside …. me, too (not outside, though) ….. perhaps too much information.

Here is where you are smiling and perhaps even snickering a bit.

After I had a bit of a break and safely stored away all of the purchases, I grabbed my canvassing materials, of course coat, boots etc. and was on my way.

It was disappointing as I did not receive any donations this year except for my daughter and I will make one.

Some people on my first round said that they would make a donation on-line so that would be nice.

After home I started the laundry and some cleaning.

One item that I had wanted to do for a couple of weeks was to call my internet, cable and telephone provider to change up my cable packages/check about unlimited data plan.

First of all I spoke to a young woman and after being on hold in between her checking she transferred me to another person.

On hold again …. finally this young man came on and introduced himself as “Brandon.”

He said “repeating my name Ms. Louis” …… I politely corrected him and said Lewis and asked him where he was located.

He replied “Guatemala.”

So my Canadian internet, cable and telephone provider uses a Central American Country to serve as Customer Service, interesting.

I guess I had found that out the last time I called.

He was really nice and we had a couple of chuckles.

I asked what the weather was like there and he said “HOT.”

I told him about our minus 30 and snow weather of a short time ago and he almost lost his breathe.

There is no way he could even fathom what that meant as he said of course, they do not get snow, there.

He was very helpful and I even got an extra good deal and am so grateful to that very lovely young man from Guatemala.

I will say this, he was shocked that I knew where his country was …..

After the phone call …. continued with laundry and stuff.

After supper I started watching the Star Trek Voyager series from the first show (on Netflix) …. memories.

Also I was so lucky that it just started to snow as I finished up canvassing for the Heart & Stroke ….. pretty lucky.

There is some shovelling to do this day but not much.

Luckily it is light and not heavy/wet stuff.

Well today is cleaning and later watching the “OSCARS.”

My how time flies.

I hope that you all had a great weekend.

Looks like a clear sailing and a great week will follow.

Well time to get this show on the road.

Shovelling, laundry to finish and some cleaning.

Oh, time with Alvin and a walk.

Special Hello to: my daughter and her family.

Always, Carol and Alvin