Good Morning. So glad today is Friday. The sky is blue and the sun is shining. We had some well needed rain yesterday so the grass and trees all had a nice boost. I hope that the areas affected by wildfires were blessed to have this moisture as well. I hope.
Yesterday was a good day. I walked with Eddie and Jeanette after supper. So different without Bruno but he is no longer in pain or suffering even though he was a master of not displaying the appearances that something was wrong otherwise than the physical changes. What a dear guy he was. Handsome and regal and well behaved. He would even say “thank you” for the treats in his way. I shall miss him always. We had a good walk bumping into friends along the way including our friends Jaime & Sadie. They were walking with two other sets of friends. So many pups so lovely. Eddie enjoyed playing fetch with the ball. He even “laid down.” Something he did not do very much before that moment. During our walk Jeanette had to take a long distance conference call between her Father’s Doctor and her brothers. When I say long distance it truly was: Venezuela, U.S. and Canada. How is that for distance? During this time we walked and I looked after Eddie. We played fetch and enjoyed our time together. We were playing fetch by my friend Pauline’s house and I noticed that her windows were open so I texted her in the off chance she was home and not busy. Her husband Al noticed me and waved and a few minutes later Pauline was outside and we were in the backyard. It felt so strange being back there without Mr. Alvin. Eddie walked around and smelled everything and looked around which reminded me of Alvin. Pauline and I quickly caught up with all of our news. They are going on a small fishing trip in June to B.C., how lovely. Our friend Lucy turns 65 in a few days and is leaving for a three month visit to family and friends in China at the end of June. Pauline turns 70 in June as well. Lots going on. We are planning a little party for her and I volunteered to bring the cake and I was thinking to myself that we can celebrate Pauline’s 70th with Lucy’s 65. We will invite another neighbour and friend of theirs (and mine).
Photo time once again. I seem to have a lot of photos to share and that is nice. My dry eye is bothering me once again, the burning and then I am obviously allergic to something as my nose is running. Will have to get my eyedrops, they help right away. I have included some photos of Pauline’s yard and my plants from Costco. Yesterday morning before work I went to the garage and brought them all inside to sit upon the kitchen table hoping they would get some sunshine but we did not have much of that yesterday but today is another story. I will plant them tonight or tomorrow morning before Gillian’s birthday party. A busy weekend ahead. I still need to wrap the birthday gift and write up a card for Gillian. Where did the week go? LOL. I gave a few plants to Jeanette as I know how much she loves them and now she has something to plant right away and enjoy. Just in case they are not able to get to a nursery.
Flowers to plantEddieEddie & JeanetteEddieVisiting with PaulineEddie checking for lightFlowersBeautiful yardMy Flowers From Pauline
Well time to hustle downstairs and put on the coffee. My eye is better now without the relief of eyedrops, yay. I hope that your Friday is awesome. Whatever happens today I feel good things are in the air. Our office group won $10.00 from Wednesday’s lottery draw so just adding a few more zero’s and we will be there. We are excited. Retirement is closer than we think.
Feeling so very blessed and fortunate this Friday morning. To be surrounded by such loving friends and neighbours is so wonderful.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Always, Carol & Alvin, My Forever Angel
Thank you Bruno for being my friend ……… I hope that you are out for a stroll with my Alvin!
Good Morning. The early morning sunshine has been replaced by clouds. It would appear that we had some rain through the earlier hours of this morning. The wind is blowing the trees that I can see through my office window.
Last night after supper, I took my last walk with Eddie & Bruno. My heart is breaking once again or perhaps just breaking more. Life is not fair. These beings that touch our hearts and make us better, are lost way too early. Goodbye is never easy. Our last walk started with finishing off the liver treats on the front lawn. The clouds rolled in and Jeanette had not worn a jacket so I grabbed her one from my front entry closet and then we were on our way. Oh how Bruno loved those treats. He loved to eat. So reminded me of a little someone! Shortly after we left the rain started and continued for most of our walk. Not a downpour as this was the one time that the boys did not have on their raincoats. I think it was nice for Bruno to experience the rain gently falling onto him. He went to places in the park that we had not walked to over the last few weeks. Personally I think he was sniffing and taking in every place that he could. He drank two bottles of water within the first minutes of the walk and then with a burst of energy just kept walking. We did not take many breaks. He just wanted to walk. Eddie was quite attentive to this Father and not as playful as usual. They know. I miss him already. Oh our dear Bruno.
The rain did not make for taking many photos. I will post them later. We also saw about six adult geese and a great many goslings near the water’s edge on our walk. I did not get any photos.
I hope that you have a good day.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Good Morning! Well today is Thursday, April 27, 2023. April is zipping by. The sky is a clear blue this morning and I can see pinks on the horizon (my horizon faces south) so I guess that means the sun is rising in the east. Oh, it certainly does. Miss Cookie is running about. She always wants to get downstairs as fast as possible. The three pups had another day together. My son-in-law put in his time and then came home here to be with them. Cookie was not quite as played out last night as the previous evening.
When I got home from work, Steven was thinking of taking Aspen for a walk. I asked if I could take her and a few minutes later with my running shoes and jacket on and Miss Aspen with her harness and leash on and ready, we left the house. She was like a woman on a mission. No dilly dallying a long. We were walking at a good clip. Forty minutes later we were back home. During our walk it was lightly raining and was a bit cool but it felt great. I had spent my day, the whole day, sitting at my desk working as I wanted to get mail done so it was good to get up and stretch my legs. We walked around the park closest to home and then over to the big “park” and around it. I was in heaven.
My daughter arrived a few minutes after Aspen & I returned home from our walk. A few minutes later it was just me and Cookie in the house. Shortly after that it started to rain hard. A good solid spring rain. Glad I had a nice walk.
I had leftover pizza for supper which was great with some raw veggies. No cookie. Now tonight, not sure but I have things to cook. But will be a cooking night.
I had better get downstairs and see what Miss Cookie is up to.
Have a great day. This morning we go out on site. Not my favourite thing to do but I guess it is outside and looks like a nice morning. A bit cool but that is okay.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, patience, compassion, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Always, Carol & Alvin (My Forever Angel) & Miss Cookie.
Good Morning! Rainy night and morning in Edmonton. I can hear the rain drops hitting the sidewalks. Starting to get light out there. Thankfully only rain! According to the forecast for today from yesterday when I last checked it is only to be +3 celsius today, argh. But it will warm up.
Well I am so proud of myself. I decided to google how to move photos from computer to WordPress as something changed in the process since I used my old computer. Anyway, I found the easiest way is to drag and drop. It was so easy and I could pinch myself that I did not know how to do that earlier. Would have saved some time and aggravation. So there are a photos from spring cleaning and a few extras. This post is all about photos. I am so happy that I can do this easily now.
My last day of the four day weekend was great. I cleaned the main bathroom upstairs, figured out the photo thing, Cleaned some of the stair well walls. Ordered groceries and guess what! The delivery guy came hours early as he couldn’t find the other address, so instead of mine coming between 8-10 p.m., they were here before 7:00 p.m. Was great having them early so that I could get to bed on time. Definitely worth the $9.95 delivery charge. I think you actually save money as you are not picking up extra items along the way.
I texted my friend Pauline to see if she wanted to go for a walk and didn’t hear back so later I called her and we arranged to meet up at 4:45 at the entrance to the park. When I was leaving the house, I noticed a container sitting on the bench. As I looked closer I found that it was a container full of cookies from our friends Savannah and Grayson (he is not quite 2) wishing me a Happy Easter. I set them in the house and quickly texted her a thank you. Pauline and I met up and had a great walk. She invited me over for a cup of tea and I graciously accepted. I was home around 5:00 p.m. and had leftover chili for supper. What a great way to end a four day weekend. The willows by the water were budding.
Cleaning and rearranging things feels so good. Feels like a new upstairs except for the guest room, which I will need to get done before my daughter sleeps over next. I hope that I can find a new home(s) for the books. Photos in no apparent timeline.
Pictures hung upFrom our friend Cindy P.Office before ChiliLeft to doWashing wallsSpare room waitingNeighbours burning stuffScary flamesEaster ProjectTreatsMore chocolatey goodiesFirst T/W mealCloset cleanFront Closet Main floorFor AlvinFor AlvinCloset makeoverOffice nowOffice Closet nowWaiting to do this specialOfficeBookcases Books to give awayBathroom doneBedroom Bedroom
The area rug from my bedroom fits perfectly in the office and controls the chairs from rolling. Who knew by moving the shower curtain from the right side to the left would brighten up the room so much. It was a great thought! Still cleaning to do but that is okay. Lots done and feels wonderful.
Have an awesome Tuesday.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and forgiveness.
Alvin was with me the whole way in my spring cleaning. Keeping me company spiritually. I will always think of him and miss him with my whole heart.
Good Morning ALL! What a wonderful morning! We were up at 4:30 to go outside and then back to the sofa until 6:30, I cannot believe that Mr. Alvin slept until 6:30. Then we were up at he had his breakfast and then outside for a few minutes before returning inside. The sky was slightly overcast at that point and the air was cool and refreshing. I could have laid on the deck and just been so comfortable. Once inside the house we “hit” the sofa for some more zzz’s because it is Saturday and I was still tired. Next thing I know it was 8:30 so up we got. The sky still overcast with rain in the forecast for this afternoon, I thought that I would just get dressed and we would head out for a walk. So upstairs, I went to get dressed and afterward happened to look out the window and the pavement was dark, say “what?” Well shortly after that it really started to rain and now it is pouring as the rain bounces off the roof of the garage. We desperately needed some moisture but I worry and wonder about the farmers and their crops. Now the sky is that foreboding gray which makes it appear that the rain is here to stay. So much for getting out for a walk this morning or perhaps it will just stop as quickly as it started. I am concerned about Mr. Alvin as he did not poop since last night and it is not fun going out in pouring rain. I guess we will figure it out as usual, grab that trusty umbrella and hope for the best. It is windy outside. I certainly do not wish to be Alberta’s version of Mary Poppins, lol. Now that would be a sight. Feels like the time for a cup of hot coffee and relaxing. Will be nice to be able to do some cleaning and things with the temperature decreasing in the house. I think that someone is squeaking so likely has to go downstairs so this will be quick.
Last night only one of my friends was able to attend the potluck as the other had fallen ill. I hope that she is feeling better today. We, two had a good time. Way too much food but lots of leftovers so no cooking this weekend or even Monday so that makes me happy. Next week is forecasted to be hot again. So not really looking forward to that. One more thing about the potluck, I should have been clear that I was bringing supper items and not just dessert and beverage. For next time, lol.
Okay, sorry we have to go.
I wish you sunshine and rainbows. Beautiful walks with a friend or your pup.
Happy Day.
I can hear thunder in the distance.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and coffee.
Life is what you make it.
Today is wonderful and I am so happy for the rain. It is still raining.
I guess I should check the main floor windows especially the kitchen one as it opens out.
Always, Carol & Alvin
PS: We are what we want to be. If you slip off that place, then pick yourself back up and try again to be where and what you want to be. We are responsible for what we put out into the universe.
Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? Another overcast cloudy raining morning. Yesterday we had a hair amount of rain. We were able to go for a walk at my lunch break without being rained upon. Of course, we walked to our friend Pauline’s house and admired the garden from the gate. We did not go in as we had stopped to say hello to other neighbours who were out on their porch. Alvin always has to say hello and I follow, apologizing. He leads the way most times. Pauline’s sunflowers are amazing and so many flowers that I do not know their names. Colours of the rainbow. The trees this morning look saturated as they sway in the wind. Cannot even say breeze, it is definitely windy. The sky is actually gray not blue. By noon it is supposed to stop raining and only be cloudy so we should be able to go for a walk. Next week or maybe even this weekend, the temperatures are supposed to take an upward turn. In fact, the day that we are supposed to go and visit the kids for a few days is to be +30 degrees celsius. I am not sure what will happen. Time will tell. I am hopeful that we will be able to go and visit them.
One request that I made of my daughter for my birthday was to have a weiner / marshmallow roast. I am not much for meat and especially not hot dogs however, I have been craving them as of late. So that is my birthday supper request. Simple and easy. I am all about that these days. I have a cake already that my friend Val baked for me in the shape of 6 – 5. I froze the cake so that I could take it with us. I also have a cooler that she gave me for my last birthday, I believe. I am all set.
Well as today is my last day of work, I am going to cut this short. I want to ensure that I am all caught up as I leave for one week plus one day of vacation.
Have a wonderful day. Stay dry and warm. If it is raining where you are!
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and Alvin.
Good Morning ALL! The sky is clear in the distance but at home there are rain clouds hovering as they dropped their precious cargo over us. The colours are more brilliant this morning as a result of the rain and the cooler temperatures a welcome relief for some of us. The wind is very strong this morning much different than yesterday morning. I love weather. Ever changing. The sky is amazing. I cannot wait to be in the country for a few days. One of the things that I love the most about the countryside is the night sky. The sky is filled with brilliant shining stars. So different than in the city where you might see five on a good night. Oh how I love the countryside!
How about some GREAT news? It seems as of late my news has been all over the place. Yesterday I called Alvin’s Vet and the tech answered the phone. She was just the person that I needed to speak with so I was very happy. Yes, the only changes that Alvin needs to do is FOOD. Change the diet. Perhaps a supplement. No more testing. No abdominal ultrasound. I confirmed that for certain. Yes, she just has to contact the reps for the food companies and sort out which is the best food for Alvin and also find out how long it is backordered. That is the problem with human food and pets alike. Backorder. I have come to despise that word. I get the supply chain, I get it. We have so many options and my Alvin does not so I am hoping that we can work something out. He will need to get on it sooner than later. I recently bought a bag of food which has not been opened yet and I was hoping that I could trade it in for the new food. I guess time will tell. Not likely as it is looking as today is Thursday. He can also take a supplement so perhaps that will help in the meantime while we wait for the food to come in. I will have to phone and find out and then pick up the supplement. I wonder how much that will cost? Michelle, also advised that he will need to have bloodwork and urinalysis in six months. We can do that. That will be during his 14th year birthday month.
Anyway, I can breathe a sigh of relief, actually I did and I did a little jig as well. Alvin must have sensed my joy and became playful. He ran into the living room and grabbed one of his toys, his favourite “teddy bear” and brought it to me so that we could play tug-o-war. The look in his eyes brought tears of joy to my eyes.
Wow, it is really raining out there now. Sure am happy that we did get a walk in yesterday. Today may be a raining day with no walking permitted.
Time to head downstairs. Walking on sunshine or perhaps a rainbow!.
Have a wonderful day.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities, coffee and faith.
Always, Carol & Alvin
PS: only 5 days till I turn 65. Will I feel any different?
Good Morning All! How are you this morning? Is it raining where you are? It has been raining here since last night. I think there were breaks in the rainfall but the sky is grey and it appears that it may have set in for the next several hours. Hopefully the Sun breaks through. We have had enough rain for this time around. I did remember to move my one Lavender plant in the shelter of the house but I noticed earlier this morning that she appeared to be wet but not saturated. Thinking sunshine, sunshine, sunshine. I can feel the warm rays of the sun falling down upon my face (oh, I think that was the line in an old song), lol. Anyway, we have a problem. Roger dodger, Mr. Alvin does not want to go outside in the rain. Even with my umbrella up and following him about, he ran out and peed and ran back to the house. I hope there is a break in the rain soon, as I am quite certain he will need to poop shortly. Here we go again, talking about poop. Could be worse, lol. Anyway, when we go back downstairs, we will try again. Looking out the office window it is hard to tell if it is raining at this moment or not.
We were lucky to get in two walks yesterday. At noon we walked to Pauline’s house, that seems to be the furthest he will go these days but if I counted our return from Pauline’s to our house, I think it would be close. Just in a different direction. It certainly takes us as long but Alvin is walking just a bit slower most days. Then again, there are times when he surprises me and seems like a puppy again. We both love being in Pauline’s garden. On the way home, we met this couple with two small dogs. So we gingerly approach, the man said the one can be a bit off, she was a puppy and the other dog was 15 years old. The younger one came up to Alvin, growled and nipped at him. He backed away. She did not bite him. Just looked like she was going to nip him. The other dog just hung out. I am always amazed at the different reactions and actions of dogs we have never met. Alvin was good. I still could not believe that dog was 15. WOW. We enjoyed meeting them nonetheless. As we approached the entrance to our park, we both stopped to smell the roses. I hadn’t really realized before that whenever there are roses blooming he noses around them – getting a sniff of that heavenly fragrance. We are both rose lovers.
Last night Cookie’s Dad texted me and asked if we would like to come one night this week for a visit. So we are going over Thursday after supper. YAY, I am excited to see them again and catch up.
There is not much else new. We are living our lives. I am so grateful to be working from home. There are two days coming up that I will be going to the office and I have made arrangements for friends to come and check in on Mr. Alvin. I am so grateful for them.
Time to head downstairs and see if I can get Mr. Alvin outside before work (hopefully the rain will let up). Sun is shining, repeat after me, sun is shining. Clear blue skies…….
Have a wonderful Tuesday.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus, possibilities and COFFEE.
Good Morning ALL! How are you on this rainy Saturday, July 2, 2022? Both Alvin and I are rested. You are likely wondering about that statement. So here is the story: last night we went to bed well after 10:00 closer to 10:30 and then I read for awhile. I do remember getting up once (me) to go to the bathroom and then back to bed, Mr. Alvin did not stir. The next time I looked at the time, it was 6:52 a.m., wow, can you believe it? I really had to look at the time more than once. It was not until I got up that the boy stirred. Up, he had his food and “medicine” and we went outside, gladly it was only raining lightly. Then back in the house. I was wondering how he managed to sleep for almost 8 hours in a row. Likely it was due to the walking and spending over 1.5 hours outside in Pauline’s garden and then a little while later having a haircut and bath. The haircut and bath are two of his least favorite things to being doing and he was clearly stressed, anxious about having it done. So he may have been exhausted. As of me, well I have not had 8 hours of continuous sleep in likely 8 years or more. Except for the few times that Alvin has slept over at his sister’s house. He doesn’t like car travel so does not happen often. He is quiet this morning but he is not usually loud anyway. It is raining outside now so I guess watering the flowers was not necessary but who knew, it would really rain. They needed a drink of water. Anyway, I did not over water them so all is well. I had watered my plants, too. Yes, I remembered to move the lavender plant so that she will not get even more wet. She is still drying out and I hope that her roots are not rotting from all of the water. The soil is slowly drying out. I guess time will tell. So that is the story. Oh, I remembered to take my phone and snap some photos of my friend’s beautiful flowers but alas I am experiencing technical difficulties and they are not uploading. But I will get them posted. You have to see her gardens, absolutely beautiful. I even snapped some photos of the roses at the entrance to the park. It was a great couple of hours that spent outside yesterday. On top of all of that, I managed to do several loads of laundry, clean out some kitchen drawer, made some small changes with a few pieces of furniture in the living room. I honestly only sat down for the time that I had late breakfast at like noon and then for supper so maybe 30 minutes and we were up at 7:00 so that would account for me being pooped. Even after supper I was running up and down the stairs with laundry. The stress of Alvin’s haircut goes onto me, as well. All in all, it was a wonderful day.
We are happy to live in this house, in this neighbourhood, in this city, in this province and this country. This whole world – every country has a story that they are not proud of and I would hope that in 2022 we are doing better at being kind and respectful to others, not just human beings but all living creatures and the environment but sadly that is not the case. Just remember this, it is not the actions or feelings of the average everyday citizens that are making these decisions it is the so called leaders. I am not the past leaders, political or religious and not the current ones. I am a good person, I treat everyone with respect and kindness. So when people make blanket comments about all of this, it hurts my heart. I try to do the best that I can in my world. My actions reflect who I am. I was not what I would deem to be privileged but perhaps that word is being used with a more broad meaning. I do not blame my upbringing nor do I blame certain people for my lot in life, I can make choices. It is my choices that have brought me to this place. I just wanted to say something and perhaps I am not the most eloquent “speaker” or “writer” in the world. Sorry for the severe change in topic. But yesterday and all the yesterdays for awhile, I have been thinking about Canada and her past. I love my country despite her past. If we gave up on “people” for their pasts, there would be nothing. I am disappointed that in 2022 there are still wars and that we are not working together for the common good.
I hope that you have a great Saturday. There is always food for thought. We can always do better. It is raining harder now. My coffee is ready and I need it this morning.
Photos to follow.
Continuing to live this life with respect, kindness, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus and possibilities.
Good Morning ALL! YAY, today is Friday, June 24, 2022. Yup, it is Friday and I am oh, so very grateful. How are you this morning? Is the sun shining where you are or is it raining or overcast? Well I am happy to say that sometime before we were first up at 3:45 this morning the rain had stopped. It started to fall just after I was finished work and we were just stepping outside to go for a walk. Yes, we were stopped right in our tracks. We turned around and went back into the house without even leaving the shelter of the porch. I am so grateful and happy that we had a walk in at my lunch break and even had a visit with our friend Pauline. I love our visits. It was cool at noon. I had a short-sleeved top, a cardigan and a jacket on and I was still cold, perhaps having flip flops and bare feet did not help. That must have looked cute. Layers on top with pants that were ankle length and then flip flops. Oh well. On our walk to and from Pauline’s house, we made made stops – especially on the return trip. For some, reason, Alvin seems to know when I do not have the time to just walk slow and “smell the roses” and then he stops every few seconds which adds so much time onto our walks. Now if we are walking after work, there is no time constraints but on my 45 minute break there are ….. especially when it takes a couple of minutes to get ready before we leave the house. Anyway, speaking of roses – the rose bushes at the entrance to our park are in full massive bloom. They are absolutely loving the rain. Pink, pink, lovely pink – a sea of pink – with the petals falling off in the wind the rose bushes are comfy on a bed of pink. The fragrance is out of this world. I wished that we could replicate that scent. I could have laid down on the petals and just sniffed all the day long. That is truly one of my happy places. I am thankful to Mr. Alvin for causing me to slow down and take an extra couple of minutes on our walk. We managed to get home with 3 minutes to spare.
As I look out of my upstairs “office” window the sky is mainly filled with rain clouds but there appears to be a hint of sunshine to the south east and the trees are swaying in the wind. Dancing away. Today is supposed to be rainy until later this afternoon. Looks like a nice weekend ahead. Thank goodness. When I am finished work and a quick supper, out to the garage to move a few things around before the girls come at 6:00 to set up their items for the garage sale. Due to other prior engagements there will only be two of us running the “show,” the garage sale which is absolutely fine. I hope that everything sells and that we make some money. That would be nice. I am going to take a little notebook with me to record when Sonja’s items sell and for how much otherwise I will have no way of knowing a number to give her. Signe is looking after Gillian’s items. There is not a huge amount of things so we have this. I have done far larger sales by myself. I hope that Mr. Alvin will stay in the house for the most part. I am looking forward to a visit with the girls tonight as they set up for the garage sale and I put the finishing touches on my stuff. Even though sometimes I complain, I do love garage sales.
Well it would appear that it is time to head back downstairs and turn on the work computer. I am so grateful to be working from home and for it to be Friday. It was a long week. Somehow extra hours seemed to show up.
I hope that you have a great Friday.
Continuing to live this life with kindness, respect, compassion, patience, love, laughter, understanding, gratitude, focus and possibilities and don’t forget coffee.
Always, Carol & Alvin
PS: yes, there are only 46 days until the 65th birthday of mine. Again, one of my poor Lavender plants was over saturated by the rain, alas I forgot to pull it back out of the rain. I have since moved it to the shelter of the house by the back door. Next time, I will remember, I promise, dear Lavender plant.
My New Life @ 51 