Last Half 2022 – September

Good Morning ALL! Today is the last day of September, 2022. Wow, how did that happen. We had a reasonably good sleep. Up late but Alvin slept till almost 4:30 and then up again at 6:30 and then a couple of hours later. The first time we were up we felt a few rain drops on our skin as we made our way back to the house and then at 6:30 the ground was wet. The sky remains overcast with the sun peeking through in spots.

Today is a day off from work as we remember and reconcile our Canadian history with our Indigenous peoples. A good place to start and build on a better future for all of our peoples. Each being is important and should be treated with respect and compassion. You never know what is going on with anyone until you walk a mile in their shoes or get to know and to understand them. We all have history.

Today is a day to reflect and of reflection.

Front Porch

Tree trimmed

View of tree from inside

The sky from our deck

a few days ago

I was able to upload a few photos. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of my fall wreath from the front door. This will be the weekend to finish off the fall cleanup. Our tree after my daughter and I trimmed it last Saturday, not even one week ago. This morning the tree is almost all yellow. Will have to have more photos. Mr. Alvin could not wait for me and came upstairs. I was not fast enough. Lately I have been trying to carry him up and down the stairs more often. The photos of the sky and the clouds were taken from our back deck in the morning, if I remember correctly sometime this last week.

Time to head downstairs and have another mug of coffee. Today will be a quiet one for us, perhaps a walk a bit later if it is not raining. I am so grateful to have my own home and to be with Mr. Alvin in his twilight years. We have been together since he was almost one year old. So much history.

Have a wonderful day.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

Thought for the day ….

Good Morning and Welcome to Tuesday the 16th day of October, 2018.

Another beautiful day on the way.

So gorgeous yesterday and tomorrow will take the prize at +18 degrees celsius.

YAY, we have fall, we are so HAPPY.

Doing a little jig ….

Doing a little happy dance…

 

Quick story about Mr. Alvin.

Yesterday my daughter had the day off and stopped by the house to pick up a couple of things.

When Alvin saw her coming I guess he started to quiver and shake.

My daughter said that he was so anxious.

She tried to feed him (as it was later in the afternoon and I was catching the bus home) but no luck.

She picked him up as he would not go outside to pee.

He likely thought that she was taking him in the car.

Without me at home, he panicked.

He does not love the car ride.

He does not like the car ride.

He barely tolerates the car ride.

He loves to be at home.

Poor boy.

When I arrived home a little bit later, he was fine.

I would never had know he had been in that state (unless my daughter told me).

That’s okay Mr. Alvin we will just stay at home.

 

I have been doing a lot of reading as of late.

Back to doing what I love and I love to read.

I came across this line and I think it to be true in a lot of situations.

“Sometimes all you have to do is shift your perspective to see someone else’s truth.”

Is that not the best line ever.

Or one of them anyway.

Love that line.

 

So here in Edmonton, life is pretty great.

Alvin and I are enjoying our walks in the evening.

Work is busy but I am grateful to be employed and able to pay my mortgage.

Always good to have food in the fridge and heat in the house.

I am very grateful to have the best family and friends.

So grateful that I have my life.

 

Have a great Tuesday.

Special Hello to: my sister ….. you are the best sister ever.

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. so grateful to be carpooling most days to work.

COUNTDOWN: 60 Days to 60

Well today is Sunday, June 11, 2017 and is the 60th day until my 60th Birthday.

I would say that this has been on my mind, as of late.

Not that I am stressing over this upcoming date.

Just pondering the path behind and the road ahead.

Over my lifetime to this point;  how I envisioned my life is not exactly how it has turned out.

In the early days I wanted the white picket fence, the house, the husband, the four children-two sons and two daughters, summer vacations and to be a nurse and writer.

However that is not exactly the course that my life has taken.

I do not have the white picket fence.

Fences are not all that necessary.

I finally got the house on my own just months before I turned 52.

I do have have a husband, and that is okay.

I was married and have been divorced for several decades.

I do not have four children.

I do however have ONE amazing, wonderful DAUGHTER and a great SON-IN-LAW and GRAND-PUPPIES.

I adopted my four-legged companion, Alvin in 2010.

He brings great joy to my days.

I am not able to take summer vacations.

I am not a nurse.

But I write ….. this I have done since I was 6 years old.

So life changes as the days and years pass.

Our dreams change over time.

I will say that I never thought that I would be single, take early retirement after 30 years with a company and then start another “career” and am now almost 6 years into it.

Time flies.

I kid with folks and say that I am “OLD” but truth is …. I feel young even though somedays my body reminds me otherwise.

I love to laugh and when I find that I am taking life too seriously I change directions and find the laughter once again.

 

I watched a video last night of James Corden doing an interview with Ed Sheeran in a car.

They were driving along ….. singing and talking ….. talking and singing.

Enjoying life.

I must say I love ED SHEERAN and pleasantly surprised by James Corden’s voice (he easily could have been a singer).

You may wonder what Ed and James have to do with 60 days to 60 but in actuality it is partly the choices we make about music and such that keeps us young.

Think young ….. act young ….. be young.

 

Well I guess if I am to write things for 60 days about turning 60, I should stop now.

Safe to say the next 59 days worth of posts will be shorter.

I hope that my journey to 60 will perhaps inspire you, make you laugh, maybe even bring a tear to your eye but most of all I hope that it brings some joy to your day(s).

Now yikes only 59 days till I turn 60……………

 

Always, Carol

 

Thought for the day…..

Good Morning and Welcome to Friday the 20th day of February, 2015.

Last night after work it was raining ….. someone got stuck in front of my house …. this morning the rain has turned to snow.

P.S. couple of neighbours and myself pushed the young lady out.  YAY.

We had been keeping the storm drain clear of snow and ice and the grader cleaned the streets so a combination …. SNOW, ICE AND SNOW.

Hard to see the storm drain and with wet snow packed around it ….. ruts making it hard to park anywhere.

That is our weather.

CRAZY ……….

Seems like everyone is experiencing there own kind of “weather” this winter.

 

I have been thinking lately about how I have been treating people and how I wish to be treated.

Sometimes we all need to have a reality check and go back to basics.

This is my mantra:

Lead with kindness, integrity and respect.

Be kind to yourself.

Be kind to all others.

Live your life with honesty and truth.

Be respectful of yourself and others.

It is not just a matter of being positive.

You have to live and give and give to live.

So let us all live a more kind, respect life with integrity.

 

I hope that you have a great day.

Be careful walking.

Special Hello to: my friends and family all over the world.

Always, Carol and Alvin