Last Half 2022

Good Morning ALL! I hope this finds you doing very well on this Monday morning. Both Alvin and I are doing great. For now the second day we had 7 hours of consecutive sleep.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian Family & Friends here in Edmonton, back home in Regina and all over the world. The sunrise was so beautiful this morning. We hope that you have a wonderful day surrounded by family and friends with good food.

Flowers still blooming

Our Door

Surnise this morning

Beautiful colours

The sky was amazing

Clouds rolling in

OUR TREE

Earlier this morning the sunrise was amazing chalked full of oranges, pinks and yellows. Absolutely breathtaking.

Yesterday when Alvin and I were out for our walk we came across Jamie and Sadie. We chatted for quite a long time before heading back towards home together. I had planned to put away the patio furniture today but will wait until next weekend. The remaining outside work to do is putting away the furniture (will honestly will take about 15 minutes), clean our the remaining three plant pots, and that is it. Today I am going to give Mr. Alvin a trim and a bath, put away laundry that is air drying in the basement, wash one load of laundry, sweep where BOBI (robot vac does not go) and then later make my own Thanksgiving Dinner with roasted sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, stove top stuffing with cranberries with pumpkin pie for dessert. I walked to the store yesterday at noon and cashed in my winning lotto tickets (free plays), picked up a pumpkin pie, cucumbers and strawberries.

I am grateful for this day at home with Mr. Alvin. I guess tomorrow is garbage day as well.

I hope that you have a great day.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

PS: also have to drop off house key to my friends who will be watching Mr. Alvin on Wednesday-Friday.

Last Half 2022 – October

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? We are doing great. Best news – we turned out the lights at just after 10:30 p.m. last night and Alvin did not wake up until 5:46 a.m., feeling on top of the world. We were up and did our early morning thing including feeding Mr. Alvin and going outside. So great to actually get more than 3-5 hours in a row. We had about 7 hours of continuous sleep. So happy.

So today is Sunday. We had a great Saturday. I did laundry, we went for a walk and I took photos with my new phone. My daughter and her husband upgraded their phones and she gave me her old one which is the equivalent of an iPhone 10. The new phone sure did the upload of photos quickly. Amanda did the transfer from my old phone to the new one yesterday morning before she left for home. So I have a new phone. Costs a bit more but that is okay. Everything has gone up – I do not expect things to be less expensive or perhaps I should give that more thought, lol. I also moved the “spring/summer” ornaments to the basement (store until next year) and brought up my fall/Thanksgiving/Halloween ornaments. More Halloween than anything but it looks good and my opinion is really the only one that matters. Not like there are others in the household that care, do you care Mr. Alvin? He says “nope.”

Playing with my new phone. Photos from our walk yesterday. On the way home we stopped, well Alvin stopped when he noticed that Humphrey looking out of the front door. They are so cute. Nose to nose and I did not react quickly enough to take photos. Next best thing, Humphrey came over for a visit.

Alvin

Humphrey

Front yard

My attempt at a selfie

Oh, the colours of fall

Fav shot

Love the background

We had a great walk. The weather has been glorious. If I could have held Mr. Alvin in my arms and taken a photo of us, I would have. Perhaps I should have placed him on one of the benches or sat down beside him. Next time.

Well time to head downstairs as I have been working on these photos for some time now and I need a cup of coffee. Alvin is patiently waiting or me outside the office.

Have a wonderful Sunday. Tomorrow is officially Thanksgiving Day but for most of Canada the whole weekend is celebrated. Family time and lots of food. Which reminds me I have not had pumpkin pie. Oh, how I wished that I had some pumpkin pie with whipped cream.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

Living … One day at a time.

Wow, welcome to Monday and the actual calendar date of Thanksgiving.

We celebrate yesterday with our family.

The wind is blowing and the sky is grey.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

I was chatting with my friend G yesterday morning.

Catching up.

She mentioned about going to COSTCO, so I asked her to keep any eye out for casual, around the house, sweatpants.

G said that she would.

She texted me from COSTCO as she found sweatpants for $14.99.

G picked me up two pair one charcoal grey and one black.

I must say they are the most comfortable pants that I have had in a long time.

Wished I could wear them to work.

Will be great for walking with Alvin.

My other pants will be tossed with a small ceremony.

They served me well.

So appreciated them but the holes can no longer be sewn, time for them to go.

These dear old pants are over 10 years old.

Wore them everyday.

YAY, thank you my friend for the new pants.

 

 

My four charges from yesterday.

The kids had to make a trip to COSTCO so dropped pups off.

Miss Aspen, Baby Milo, Master Teddy and Rockstar Alvin

How I managed to get them all looking to the camera was an achievement.

Oh my babies.

Thanksgiving

I forgot to take a photo when the food was served but the buns that my friend made were under the tee towel.

The turkey platter was filled with desserts.

One would think we were feeding twenty people, nope just three of us.

I provided my friend’s homemade apple pie and I bought a pumpkin pie (cut into wedges).

The kids brought some cake that one of their friends had made.

So we were surrounded by loving hands.

We had a great time.

Well we went to bed late and got up at 5:00 and then back to the sofa for a few hours.

So it is now after 9:00 a.m. ……

Guess it will be a quiet day.

I might have to work on the photos.

Just noticed that the total of photos I have on the computer is now over 33,000 and almost 1,000 videos.

ARGH.

OR may be a project during Christmas holidays.

 

I hope that you all have an awesome day.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

 

Always, Carol & Alvin

 

Living … One day at a time.

Hello, good morning.

It is a beautiful morning here in Edmonton.

The sun is shining and as I look out of my office window at home, I can see the sun shining through the golden leaves of a neighbour’s tree to the south.

So beautiful.

This is our Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend.

I am thankful for all of the things in my life.

Even the “cold sore” that seems to have landed on my upper lip.

I have so much to be thankful for.

Even the messy stuff is all good.

Every bit of life good or bad is to be thankful for.

My life is certainly not perfection and I sometimes might choose to see life through rose coloured glasses but …

It is my life ….

I am surrounded by the best people and while they are fantastic even those relationships are sometimes not 100% rosey.

But that is life.

Right?

Perfection is sloppy.

Perfection is messy.

Perfection is your perfect.

Different for everyone.

We had a great night with Humphrey over for a visit.

I am always amazed at how well they get on.

The first moment he arrives …. Alvin runs to the door and they touch noses.

I guess that is their way of saying hello.

If one goes outside they both go outside.

If one comes in most times they both come in.

Tonight Teddy comes for a sleepover.

He will spend Sunday with us.

Tomorrow my daughter, son-in-law and grand pups comes for our Thanksgiving meal.

Life is good.

 

Well time to get that life is good thing going …. there is laundry to do and coffee to drink.

Time to change from pj’s into day time clothes.

 

With kindness and respect I shall live my life.

Remembering how blessed I am.

 

Always, Carol & Alvin

Happy Thanksgiving …

 

 

 

Living … One day at a time.

Good Morning and WELCOME to Friday ….

Not an ordinary Friday.

But the Friday before a long weekend.

The Friday before we celebrate THANKSGIVING.

One of my most favourite times of year.

The weather …. the people …. the FOOD.

Who does not like PUMPKIN?

Pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin cookies.

Pumpkin cake.

Pumpkin Lattes.

Pumpkin tea.

Pumpkin soup.

Pumpkin muffins.

Pumpkins carved for Halloween.

Another fun time of the year.

There is always the contest for the largest PUMPKIN.

Charlie Brown and the gang.

Leaves turning such a vast variety of colours.

Leaves laying on the sidewalks and lawns.

Walking through the leaves …. crunching them.

The smell of the air.

Birds leaving for the winter.

 

We call the day THANKSGIVING but really we should be thankful all year round.

I am so grateful to have good health.

I am so grateful to be surrounded by the most wonderful people on the planet.

They are all family.

I am so grateful to Alvin in my life.

Although there are times that he drives me a little crazy and I’m quite certain that I do the same to him.

I love the little guy.

I am so grateful to have this beautiful house that we can call home.

I am so grateful to live in this great Country.

Life may not be perfect in all eyes.

But it is perfect for me.

 

Life is filled with many rainbows.

They come and go.

Latch on and have the time of your life.

 

Well almost time to leave for work.

I am so excited to have this weekend.

Teddy is coming for a sleepover on Saturday.

My kids and grandpups are coming for supper on Sunday.

 

I wish and hope that you have a life filled with great joy, good health,

much laughter and abundance.

Happy Friday.

Respectfully and filled with kindness just for you.

 

Always, Carol & Alvin

 

 

 

Thought for the day …..

Good Morning and Welcome to Sunday the 7th day of October, 2018.

One week into October.

The sun is rising in he morning sky and it is light but not sunny bright.

 

THANKSGIVING

This is the weekend that we give thanks.

We get together with family and friends.

Sharing a meal or two or three.

Sometimes we share a meal of turkey, sometimes ham or sometimes even lasagne.

Cannot forget the pumpkin pie.

It is not about what we eat.

It is about spending the time with family and friends, with loved ones.

Catching up on their latest news.

Being grateful for having them in our lives.

Being thankful for our lives.

Being thankful for the food that we share.

Being thankful for where we live, for this beautiful country – Canada.

 

It is also about giving back.

It is about sharing that meal with a neighbour who does not have family or loved ones nearby.

It is about opening your home to a friend of a friend who has no where to go.

 

Thanksgiving is about sharing what you have with someone else.

Thanksgiving is being thankful and being grateful.

 

Often times we go about our lives complaining about not having this or not having that.

But in the deepest of realities we have more than we NEED.

 

On this Thanksgiving Day I am grateful to be surrounded by loved ones.

To have more than enough good food to eat.

To live in my own house, the home I am providing for me and Alvin.

To be in good health.

To be able to watch the leaves falling from the trees.

To hear the songs playing on the radio.

To sleep in my own bed at night.

For all of this and much more; I am truly thankful.

 

Happy Thanksgiving from me and Alvin to You and Yours.

 

Special Hello to: ALL of my FAMILY AND FRIENDS – two legged and four – Happy Thanksgiving.

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