The New Chapter

Good Morning. Monday morning and the official first day of SPRING. Oh, how I long for dry ice free sidewalks and streets. A reminder of life.

Today is also the birthday of Alvin’s Best Friend Teddy. He reminds me of Alvin. They were truly best friends and on our last walk, Alvin wanted to go to see his friend. Wishing our Teddy a very Happy 10th Birthday.

Teddy, Alvin’s Best Friend

BFs together

BF Teddy

BF Teddy

The boys

Alvin & his BF Teddy

Yesterday I wrote this poem about saying goodbye. This post is reflective of how I am feeling both joy and overwhelming sadness.

Saying Goodbye!

No one knows what is coming

There is no way to prepare for that moment

We all know in our hearts that life does not last forever

But we are never prepared !

When that day comes

The blueness and emptiness we feel in our hearts

Weighs down our spirit

The loss is unbearable

The guilt weighs heavily on us.

Nothing will ever be the same again,

More change, how much can a heart take!

The pieces smashing down upon the floor.

Breaking everywhere.

Photos and videos remind us of what was

What will never be again

Life goes on, it must.

We cry at night and weep behind closed doors.

But the memories bring us up

Hard as it is,

Tears will fall, they will dry.

But the memories will remain.

Stories of who they were,

The start and the end and every moment in between.

How they touched our hearts

How they brought so much to our life

How we will remember.

How they reached our soul, in epic proportion.

How they brought so much joy.

The laughter and the tears.

How each memory will be carried in our hearts and minds forever,

For an eternity ……. they will live on ……..

Written by CYLewis on Sunday, March 19, 2023.

My heart is broken with the loss of my beloved Alvin.

*************************

Remember to tell your village, your family, your friends that you love them, that you care and always do whatever you can to be present in their lives. We never know when things will change.

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)

The Next Chapter

Good Morning! How are you this morning? I had a fair sleep last night. So excited that today is Friday. Wishing a dear friend Terry, Happy Birthday on this March 17th, 2023. Also HAPPY ST. PATRICK’s DAY. Part of my ancestors is Irish, so I feel akin to this day. Did you know that St. Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland, of course you did. Did you know that he was kidnapped and enslaved but eventually escaped. He returned to the Emerald Island where he furthered “Christianity” and it is believe that he died on March 17th. The reason why we celebrate him on this day. I just like the idea of celebrating the Irish (we should celebrate everyone). I wear green because it makes me feel alive and happy. Kelly Green is my shade of green. Happy St. Patrick’s Day for any reason, we should celebrate something everyday whether it is for being able to get out of bed in the morning or because spring is close by, Whatever you are grateful for – celebrate.

I am grateful for walks after work. Last night I ran into Allie and Bailey. Bailey saw me from a distance and literally dragged Allie to me. We had a great visit and walk together. We also bumped into Janet with Eddie and Bruno. Wonderful having friends.

I am celebrating my Alvin who remains close to my heart (forever) and always in my thoughts. I know this sounds off but I carry his urn around the house with me. If I go to bed, he comes upstairs with me and when I go back down, I take him down. So he is with me. I miss him, I will always miss him. Last night I received a text from his best friend Teddy’s Mom saying that they are in the city and would like to visit. I am happy to see them but sad. I know that seeing Teddy and his little sister Kobi would have been amazing. He will be with us in spirit and I am sure that they will feel him with us.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day (Green is my favourite colour and well Alvin, my beautiful Angel).

Have a wonderful day.

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).

Last Half 2022 – August

Good Morning ALL! Well we were up at 5:30 Alvin had his glucosamine chew, went outside and then had breakfast before we settled down on the sofa until 7:30. We have been up for awhile now. I am happy to report that we had a full walk. Alvin sniffed happily all round our walk. I had to watch him very carefully to ensure that he did not eat something that he should not. It is foggy and humid this morning but with a cool breeze making it comfortable to be outside. There were a few big rain drops during our way and also our large dog friend name Grizzly whom we met a few weeks ago, I believe. Grizzly is a playful big guy and he reached out with his large paw to pet Alvin and Alvin got scared. I guess I would be scared if a huge paw came down on my head. He is truly a gentle giant our Grizzly friend. I did not freak out so Alvin was okay. Just an initial bark and he was okay after that.

Last night before bed I applied for the Canada Pension Plan for which I have been paying into for over 40 years. I wished that I would have applied for OAS at the same time but I had this voice in my head saying it is automatically paid as I had been listening to a YouTube guy speaking about applying for these benefits. Anyway, I just went to apply for OAS and their Government of Canada website is down. So will have to try later. Just wishing I would have done it last night, woe is me, lol. I will keep trying over the course of the day and tomorrow. I did the hard work last night getting all of the signins worked out. Nothing is straightforward with the government or so it would seem. Anyway, it is what it is.

Yesterday we were happy to have Teddy, his little sis Kobi and Aunt Janine stop by for a visit yesterday afternoon. So nice to have company, we thoroughly enjoyed their visit. Alvin was over the moon. So excited to see his friends. It was a great day. Janine and I had coffee and I shared some of my birthday biscotti with her. By the way, Val if you are reading this post – Janine loved the biscotti.

Last night for dessert, I baked an apple crisp with the remaining apples before they spoiled. For the supper portion I made large chicken stir fry. Both were yummy and I will have leftovers for a few days.

There is such a refreshing breeze coming in through the office window. I appreciate it so much. Looking forward to having a cup of coffee earlier than yesterday.

I am so grateful that Alvin had a good weekend. Today is looking good as well. Tomorrow we take an urine sample. That should be interesting.

Oh, I had a lovely chat with one of my brothers, the older of the two who will be turning 60 in a few days. Two days after mine to be exact. I will be having a video chat with my sister today so I want to get everything done. At least I have leftovers for supper so we can always chat after an early supper.

Now I just need to reach out to my youngest brother and have a chat. Also wonderful to chat with my siblings. I miss seeing them. It has been a long over two years since we were together. I am hoping that next summer we are able to have a get together. Time flies and we need to see each other.

What a busy but yet relaxing weekend. There was plenty of time for snuggling with the Alvin and time for visiting with friends, chatting on the phone and doing a bit of work. The work part – well let’s be serious, my house does not really get dirty. I am always picking up and putting things away as I go. That is the secret to keeping things tidy. A bit of dust can easily be wiped. If you keep things clean as you go – less work in the long run. I have learned that in my almost 65 years on this planet.

Wow, today is August 1st and now only 8 days till my birthday on August 9th. Janine and I made plans to have our “Mexican Supper” on my actual birthday so that will be great. I did not have any plans for my actual birthday and now I do so that is great. She is putting together the meal and I am doing dessert. Not sure what yet but I will figure it out. Maybe it should be cake or cupcakes since it is my birthday. I can always run to the grocery store and pick up a couple of pieces of cake or cheesecake, that would be lovely.

I am enjoying the over a week long celebrations. Why not!

Well time to go and perhaps I will try again to apply for OAS which is Old Age Security here in Canada. It is nice that you can apply for and start these benefits and still be working.

Have a great Monday. I am enjoying this long weekend. So great to have the extra day. This Friday is my last day of work before I begin my vacation. I took one week and one day and will enjoy every moment.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

PS: only 8 sleeps till I turn 65. I cannot wait.

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning and Welcome to Tuesday, June 21st, 2022 – the official first day of SUMMER! Yes, it is finally here. The sun is shining brightly in a blue sky with a slight breeze. The sky just got a bit dark but it will pass. Do you have any plans for the summertime? Are you doing things around the house and yard or are you going camping or away on vacation? I am going to take a few days and go visit my daughter and her family in August but otherwise I will be at home taking care of my house and yard. The flowers need tending as to other plants and the grass. I love being able to go for walks when we chose. If it is going to be an extra warm day we will go early in the morning and then again before bed. There may be those days when we only get one walk in and that is okay. Some days Mr. Alvin gets just inside the park and then wants to go home and that was noon yesterday. It was beautiful and we were not too far into the park and someone stopped and turned around. That is a strong hint that the decision has been made. I have to follow suit. Although there are times when I do try and coax him to keep going. I will tell you that I am not successful much of the time so I simply let him lead the way. After work we did the whole walk going past his BF’s house, Teddy. This time I could not stop him without strong restraint so I just let him go up the driveway and up the front steps to the porch, where he wagged his tail, waiting for his friend to come to the door. Unfortunately, Teddy was not home (he is at the farm with his family, where they spend most of their time these days). They have a doorbell with a camera so I decided to wave and say “that someone wanted to stop and say hello” and then I heard a voice. It was Teddy’s Mum Iris. I explained to her although she knows that some days or most days when we do walk past their house, he has the need to go in or at least try. If you think that it is only people that have feelings and miss their friends, guess again. Alvin truly misses his buddy and his family. It took a lot of coaxing and finally I had to lift him down from the steps to the sidewalk. They are coming home for a few days this week so we shall have a visit and that makes me happy for Mr. Alvin. I guess he had an inkling. ESP! That’s my boy. Very intuitive.

My neighbour gave me some things for the garage sale on this coming up weekend. I am actually excited to see my friends and hoping that we can all sell or give away our items.

Last night I made a “meatless” spaghetti sauce using the Mexican blend of YVES which I love with onions, tomatoes, spices and black beans. I used my hand blender and chopped/blended the tomatoes and beans into a thick sauce. It was delicious.

Well time to head downstairs and have some coffee and start work. Tuesday it is.

Wishing you a great first day of summer. Summer 2022, it has a ring to it! Yes it does.

Happy Day!!

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

PS: only 49 days until my 65th Birthday. YIKES.

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! How are you on this rainy Friday, May 6th morning? We are doing well. Yes, I said rainy and looks like the forecast is for mainly raining days for the next week including this weekend. So that changes my trash pick up tomorrow. Oh well. Once it dries out again, I will get out there and clean up my hood. I can see the buds on the trees out of my office window as they sway back and forth in the morning breeze. The sky is a deep grey with pockets of white clouds. Beautiful.

Yesterday was an odd day as I took the afternoon off for Alvin’s vet appointment. Unfortunately there is no other way other than to take 1/2 day vacation when I have to take him to the vet but that extra time turned into this. Just as I was ending my work day yesterday, my phone rang and I picked up my phone to see it was our friend Iris (Alvin’s best friend Teddy’s Mom). I said hello, she said we are in town and was wondering if we could get together, I literally screamed “YES.” How about your perfect timing. They had not been planning to be back in the city so soon and then Alvin’s appointment was not until 3:30 and it was 12:20 at this time. We decided as she had her lunch in the oven that it would be better if we went over there so that we would have some real time to visit and then she invited me for lunch. Alvin as you know has been in an odd frame of mind. So I finished off what I was working on (work) and shut of the computer and got ready for us to walk to their house. Alvin sniffed and walked along not in any particular hurry which is not him when he knows Teddy is in town. When we got to the park there was a single goose sitting on the grass only a few feet from the sidewalk. Mr. Alvin starting walking toward the goose, the goose hissed and I pulled him back quickly. The last time he walked toward a goose was when he was a puppy. Odd. Who knows what he was thinking or not? When we got to Teddy’s house he did run across the driveway and up the steps and sniffed at the door. I rang the doorbell and could hear Iris tell the pups “wonder who that is at the door, lol.” Door opens and Teddy and Kobi are so excited – Alvin is happy but not as much as usual. Anyway we had a great visit and he settled in and loosened up. I think he has been a bit depressed. We had made plans for the pups to come over after supper and then Iris was free, too. So we had another visit. It was wonderful. Kobi was sitting on her hind legs looking out of our living room and then she put her paws on the window sill and sat on her bum. So cute.

Alvin’s appointment went well, only nail trim. A $25.00 vet visit. I don’t think that I have ever had a bill that low and was very grateful.

It was a great afternoon and evening.

Lots of walking yesterday in the +22 degree celsius weather.

We may not get too many walks in over the next week. I hope that there are breaks in the rain. But it is dry so moisture at this time is well received.

Time to head downstairs. I hope that you have a wonderful day.

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

“Every next minute is filled with possibilities if we focus and have gratitude.”

Always, Carol & Alvin

The New YEAR 2022

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? Well, I hope. Alvin and I are doing great. We had some dear friends pop by for a lovely visit. Alvin’s best friend Teddy and his little sister Kobi and their Momma. It is always wonderful to catch up with them now that they spend most of their time at the farm. Both the pups were scheduled to be groomed yesterday but the groomer had to reschedule. They were very fluffy puppies. Kobi reminded me of a Wookie from Star Wars. Still cuter than cute. We had tea and visited and then it was time for them to leave. They will be in the City for about a week this time so we are going to schedule a sleepover for the pups. Always good for Mr. Alvin to have his BF sleep over. This morning I have a coffee date with my two younger friends and perhaps in the afternoon if weather permits Mr. Alvin and I may stray over to Teddy’s house. Teddy’s Mom said they had no plans and would love if we dropped by.

The sunrise is more subtle this morning and there remain clouds in the sky. Hopefully it is nice out and the sidewalks remain in good shape for us to walk, meaning the snow doesn’t melt so the ice stays covered.

I sure have been dreaming lots as of late. I guess I usually dream a lot. Wonder if that means anything in particular? Usually I do not remember many details but most times I wake up wondering? Perhaps one of these days I will keep a journal of what I remember when I wake up and see what happens from there.

Looks like Friday and Saturday of this weekend will be socializing and then tomorrow will be tax time. I just want to get them done and hopefully a refund. That is a good thing for sure. Last night I washed clothes so just have to wash towels and bedding but then again, I have enough of both – I could wash them next weekend. I also noticed that my laundry supplies are getting low.

Well, it is time to head off to the shower. Want to make sure that I am refreshed for the day.

Looking forward to coffee and visit with the girls and later with Teddy and family.

Maybe this is the day that you take some time to visit with friends or nearby family. Always good to connect and socialize. Especially in these times of such reduced time with other humans – when possible go out and see someone. Be safe as always.

I hope that you have a wonderful Saturday.

I cannot wait for SPRING. Some of my plants are flowering and that brings a special kind of beauty to our surroundings. Love it. I can close my eyes and dream of many flowers on the deck and in my flower beds front and back.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

Photos from a previous visit and sleepover – they were so fluffy this time. Will post photos later.

2021

Good Morning ALL and Welcome to Friday, December 17, 2021. Only SEVEN sleep till Christmas EVE.

It is an extremely cold morning here in Edmonton, minus 30 celsius and I have no idea if there is a windchill factor added to that number. When Alvin went out earlier he was out and back so quickly. Usually he goes out after his breakfast but he just wouldn’t go. I know that he has to go outside so I have to make this short as I will grab my coat and stuff and go outside with him. When it is this COLD you have to watch your pets carefully. DO NOT LEAVE THEM OUTSIDE UNATTENDED. PLEASE. No Animal should be chained up outside at anytime but definitely not now. If you see someone who has left a dog outside please call the authorities. Did you know in Canada it is against the law? $20,000.00 FINE and possible jail time. It is cruelty.

Just a quick more positive note. Guess who popped by last night for a quick visit as they were back in town? Alvin’s Best FRIEND Teddy, his little sister Kobi and his Mom. We had the best visit and lots of laughs. I learned something to help Alvin with his ear problem. Which I will share once I try and see if it works. After tea and a visit, I sent them home with some Christmas Treats. We were not sure if we would see each other before Christmas so this was a pleasant surprise.

Okay, I must go and get the boy outside. I wish you a wonderful Friday. We will be back tomorrow.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. only two sleeps till Cookie comes to stay with us for two weeks. We are so excited.

2021

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? We are well. Alvin was up in middle of night but then slept until 6:00. YAY, Mr. Alvin. Only handful of times where he has eaten breakfast that late. Yesterday was a good day. Good for work. Good because we had Teddy sleepover Sunday night and good because Teddy’s Mom dropped off Kobi and good because of the beautiful weather. Filled with gratitude. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I think that these photos say it all: FRIENDSHIP, LOVE, and CUTENESS IN ABUNDANCE.

What I could not capture in the photos of on my lunch break we were all sitting on the sofa. Everyone where they are in the above photo except Teddy was sitting on my lap. At one point I had my left hand being held by Kobi’s front paws and my right hand resting in between Alvin’s front paws. They bring me joy.

Well time to head on downstairs and get ready for work including putting on coffee.

Wishing you all a great day.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

2021

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? It is still dark looking more like night than morning. But that is what it is at this time of year. I think that is why we have some issues with our sleeping patterns at this time of year. At least I know that I do. It just seems weird to be getting up in the darkness for work and it was even more strange when I physically had to leave the house in the dark. At least my commute is short and I can have the lights on so it does not totally feel like night unless I look out the window, lol. Anyway soon the sun will rise. When we were out earlier the moon appeared to covered partially by clouds. Maybe it will be an overcast kind of day, time will tell. GUESS WHAT? We have a visitor. Alvin’s BFF Teddy spent the night with us. He arrived around 6 p.m. last night and will be here for this morning and part of the afternoon, I think. The boys are so cute. Alvin seems like the “in your face, wants everything now (food)” and Teddy is this “little, quiet, chill little one.” I get such a kick out of watching them interact. You should have caught the arrival. Teddy’s Mom pulled the car up to the sidewalk out front and got out, opened the back passenger door and all I could see was this bolt of black&white and then I realized he wasn’t coming up the steps, he accidentally went up the neighbour’s sidewalks as it was dark and his Mom had pulled up closer to their walk than ours. It was cute. Alvin was waiting on the porch. I called, his Mom called as she approached the steps and he caming running like a lightning bolt, if it could run. Oh what a sight. He ran into the house with his Mom coming in and closing the door. Yes, Alvin and I were already in the house. He made a beeline from the front to the back door and then stopped to jump up and say hi to me and then to Alvin. The boys ran about for a few minutes before settling in. Teddy’s Mom stayed for a quick visit. Afterwards I finished my supper that had been warmed in the oven and was too hot to eat before they arrived. After I got the dishes done and cleaned up and set up my workspace we settled down to watch some television with Alvin snuggling on my right side and Teddy on my lap. I think that Alvin sometimes wishes that he was more of a lap dog. He just is too big. But he does like to snuggle right up against me. At bedtime, well that is another story. Alvin of course lays close to me and then Teddy likes to snuggle by my legs. Sometimes it can get a bit awkward as he snuggles in when I lay down between my legs as I sleep on my back initially as I am reading. So I have to pick him up and move him over a bit and then get comfortable before he does. Usually it takes a little bit to get everyone settled. But they are so cute. At this moment, Mr. Alvin is sleeping outside the office door in the hallway and Teddy is downstairs on the sofa. When we got up earlier and ended up on the sofa, the same thing happens as does on the bed. Teddy wasn’t wanting anything to eat so he will eat later. He did not want supper at home last night and his Mom was a bit worried but when Alvin had his bedtime snack, Teddy had some food as well. So it worked out. Teddy remains snuggled up on the sofa on the red cozy blanket. Well it is time to head on downstairs. Another mild day on the way. It was warm outside earlier when we were out. I can smell the delectable aroma of coffee perking (in my mind) so I better go.

Have an awesome Monday. Be safe and well.

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

Always, Carol, Alvin and Teddy

P.S. I am grateful that Alvin has a good friend who can come by for a sleepover from time to time.

2021

Good Morning ALL! How are you this morning? We are well. Had kind of scary few moments earlier this morning when I let Alvin outside realizing that we had freezing rain earlier and the deck was a sheet of ice except for a smallish pile of snow. Alvin had to go out and I figured he would stand a chance of remaining upright but the poor little guy slipped about trying to go down to the grass area and then trying to go up the steps to the upper deck while I called out to him to “STOP.” I was so scared that he would slip and wrench one or more of his legs and then we would be right back to where we started from or worse. Luckily he ended up over by the snow and of course had to walk into it but in the end he had a pee. It was horrifying for a few minutes before he got safely back to the house. Just after we got up, I quickly went outside stepping onto the mats on the deck just outside the door with ice pick and shovel in hand I got to the snow and starting shovelling and throwing it all over the deck. Hoping then he would have some traction for his next visit outside. It is warm out so unfortunately it will likely melt but with the plus temperatures over the next few days – the snow will likely all melt on the deck anyway. The sun is beginning to rise with the blue night sky slowly starting to dissipate. Well I will have a shower after this post. Followed by some cleaning. I brought up and put away the last of the laundry that was hanging to dry and put away before I started this post. Made the bed and arranged the pillows. Does anyone else make their bed anymore? It seems like most of the younger ones do not but I like it made. A personal preference or perhaps a generational thing, I do not know. But anyway.

I forgot that my friend Gillian’s husband celebrated a birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday.

I received a message from Teddy’s Mom saying that they were coming back into the City and could Teddy spend the night. I hope that this freezing rain stuff does not stop that from happening. Safety first, of course. Not sure what the highway is like. I know that the QE2 (Queen Elizabeth Highway #2) had a major accident yesterday with several tractor-trailer units. I hope everyone is okay, I was scared to check further. Teddy’s Mom also mentioned that perhaps while she ran errands tomorrow that possibly Kobi could stay with us. I said “YES” of course. Alvin will be over the moon to have his best bud sleep over and visit. I cannot wait, fingers crossed that the roads are okay. Coming in from the country you never know.

The Christmas Cards were all done yesterday and then last night I thought of two more, one to post and one to hand deliver. Just two so that is not too bad. I am mailing 33 I believe and hand delivering 16 for a total of 49 which is the least amount that I have ever done. I used to write up cards for my coworkers and some others from work that I know well and that was a big number and I used to mail 75-100 but there are cutbacks everywhere including my Christmas Cards. Besides the ones to the office, I don’t have people’s addresses except for one. So I am mailing her a card. Everyone else will receive a verbal “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year.”

Well I suppose I should go and hit the shower followed by some coffee and breakfast and then do some cleaning.

I hope that you have a wonderful Sunday wherever you may be!

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

Always, Carol

P.S. I am going to put on some Christmas music ……