A New YEAR 2023

Good Morning ALL! My first actual day of vacation. The sky is overcast and it is windy. We were up and down a few times last night and slept in this morning. Alvin would not eat his food. I just gave him his wet food with nothing else hoping that he would eat but he did not. Last night he ate his biscuits and a few small pieces of carrots so I know that it is not his teeth that are bothering him. If I gave him chicken he would eat it. I am thankful that we have an appointment with his Doctor this afternoon and hopefully we can get this sorted out. If I am able to collect a stool sample, I will take it with me. You cannot take it too much in advance so if he does not have one closer to this afternoon, I will collect one tomorrow morning and whisk it over to the vet. Better day but can tomorrow. My daughter reminded me how much her pups do not like their new food. I guess he will eat when he is hungry provided there is nothing else stopping him from doing so. I suppose if he ate carrots (not on his food list but I had to see if he would easily eat them) and biscuits which are the okay for him to have, they are a hypoallergenic treat. He ate the bits of chicken I gave him with his pills tucked inside. The tramadol must have a strong odour as it took a few tries because he kept eating the chicken and spitting out the pill. Thankfully it stayed intact until he consumed it. What a last few days! I was so sure that things were on the upswing. His poop is getting better but unfortunately at the end of the last one there was blood again. That is our update.

Considering he has not eaten much in the last couple of days, yesterday we went for a walk, he kept on walking and before we knew it were had walked our old usual route. The air was warm and the sun was shining so maybe he felt energized. As we approached his BF Teddy’s house his gait quickened and then we were there and he started to walk up their driveway. I had to stop him as they are not at home. He has not forgot his old friend. I sure wished that they would come home so that the pups could get together. Not that I think that Alvin is going anywhere at the moment but I think that seeing Teddy would do him the world of good. He has not seen him in months and I am sure that he misses him. This is the second time that he has walked to Teddy’s house in recent times. The last time he did not even go into the park he just walked straight down our street to his house.

Later this afternoon, our girl is coming over after her dental appointment (that is a good reminder that I have to get my appointment made soon, I just find it hard to think of anything but Alvin and work at this moment, which is not good I suppose). Amanda plans to sleep over tonight, I believe which will be nice.

Well I should go and have a quick shower. Alvin sounds like he is sneezing / coughing. My poor little guy. I wished that he was all better.

Have a wonderful Monday. Fingers crossed for Mr. Alvin’s appointment, please. Positive thoughts.

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

Always, Carol & Alvin

P.S. so grateful that I am on vacation for this week and next. Dreaming that retirement will be close.

Last Half 2022

Good Morning ALL! It is about 20 minutes to 10 this bright and already warm Saturday, July 16, 2022. Happy Birthday to our neighbour and friend Joanna. We celebrated with her on Thursday night. We were up early, well not as early as I mad planned as I kept clicking on that darn SNOOZE button. Why did someone invent that anyway? We were up just before 7:30 and immediately went for a walk. Well not immediately as I went upstairs and changed out of my pj’s first, filled Alvin’s water bottle, put on his harness, leash and my shoes and then we went. It is funny that even by that time, the coolness of the morning had already started to disappear as the sun’s rays heated up the ground below. There is only a slight breeze at the moment. I am upstairs with the oven going downstairs, yup, you read correctly the oven is on at this moment. But I digress, we walked along the sidewalk stopping every so often, actually quite often as Alvin sniffed all the smells around him. We were well inside the park when we saw our friend Lucy out in her yard. She had full length pants, light jacket and a hat on and was spraying herself. Lucy saw us and we both say HELLO. Alvin and I walked over to check on her and to admire her most beautiful roses. Lucy told me that she wanted to give me a bouquet of them. She had been speaking to our friend Pauline who lives a few doors down and they were talking about the roses. Lucy wanted to give some to people and Pauline thought they should stay there for people out walking to admire. There are so many that giving away some, will not make a difference. The rose bushes have been incredible so full of flowers. Lucy told me that she would cut somoses for me and I could pick them up on our way back. So we changed our route and then headed back for the roses. OMG, not only did she give us roses but some fresh garden green onions and lettuce. Well I proclaimed that I was so lucky and grateful, for this amazing gift. So I will have lettuce to have with my black bean burger and green onions to use. Maybe I will make a salad tonight. I can whip up some dressing for the salad. We chatted for a moment after she handed me this huge plastic bag full of roses, onions and lettuce. I still cannot believe how blessed that I am. On our way home, we saw this young couple walking, we exchanged hellos, I was tempted to say something and decided not to. I guess I would not have “taken” them if I had a bag. Closer to the edge of the park we came across a neighbour and friend out walking with her two pups Carter and Leon. We chatted for a couple of minutes before I headed out with my “haul.” Once home, I removed Alvin’s harness and began the process of preparing them for a vase. Oh, those thorns. Quite a lot of the petals came loose and I actually filled a dish with them. I have photos. Once done, I had to grind coffee and made a pot, then made a banana-raspberry loaf as the girls are coming for coffee tomorrow morning and then cleaned up. Upstairs, I turned on the computer, plugged in my phone to upload photos, brushed my teeth, changed bedding, washed up, partial changed clothes, gathered laundry, put out fresh towels and now writing this post. Should not be too long before the loaf is baked so better hustle.

What a morning I have had so far. Pretty great, I would say!!

Geraniums budding

Blooming

MyMy Flowers flowers

From Lucy

Lucy’s Roses

Bowl of Petals

Well the banana-raspberry loaf has finished baking. I have everything done upstairs for now. The roses are incredible. I am a lucky person. Alvin’s appointment was good yesterday except for the ear infection. He seems to get those darn yeast infections quite often. My friend next door lent me her car so we did not have to walk yesterday in the heat to the vet. I also received a $269.50 deposit from the Federal government for the carbon rebate which helped take the sting out of the $367.00 vet bill which I should mention included the $157.00 from last Friday, when the debit machines were down across Canada.

Time to head downstairs. I need to start laundry, wash the baking dishes, have breakfast and more coffee.

Have an awesome Saturday. I wish you all the joy and gratitude that I feel in my heart at this very moment.

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

Always, Carol & Alvn

PS: 24 more sleeps till 65. I am not ready whatever that means,lol.

2021

Good Morning ALL! How are you doing on this bright and beautiful Saturday morning? Alvin and I are really good. He slept through until 4:30 this morning and then we hit the sofa and were up and down. He heard the neighbor cat who was sitting on our deck railing and I heard Bogart’s Mom, so we went out and had an early morning “visit” while coaxing Bogart to go back home. That was about 6:00 a.m., I believe. Anyway, I think it could be said that Mr. Alvin is an earlier riser and even though most of my life I have “had” to get up and going early, I am not an earlier riser. Not saying that I could or would sleep till late morning but not a 4:30, 5:00 kind of gal. I think the most perfect time to rise is 6:45 or 7:00 a.m. but on the weekends it usually is 7:30-8:00 a.m.. Some mornings you just want to remain curled up under the blanket even if you are not “sleeping” or even tired. Just a relaxing thing to do. Perhaps planning the day or just letting your mind dreamily wander from topic to topic. Anyway we are up and at it now. After this post, it will be a quick early breakfast and coffee before I give Mr. Alvin another hair cut and bath. I think it will be warmer today than has been forecast as it was nice earlier and I was outside on the deck in my pj’s with no shoes only socks and no jacket. The sky is a brilliant blue and I noticed that there are BUDS on the trees. That is a wonderful sign that in a few weeks or sooner we will wake up one morning and there will be LEAVES on the trees. Because that seems to be how it works. With a snap of one’s fingers! We enjoyed our walk at lunchtime yesterday.

Our evening was quiet. I figured out something with Alvin. We were chilled on the sofa and he was cuddled at my left side. I was kind of watching television and was doing one thing or another on my smartphone when he put his paw on me. I put the phone down and gave him a massage. After a bit I realized that he just wanted me to put the phone down and that it had nothing to do with attention or a massage. Once I put the phone out of reach – he laid down and that was it. When we are on the sofa ….. no phone. I now realized how much I am on that rectangular piece of technology. If I am on it alot what about others with pets OR with small children. It is likely that we all are guilty of spending way too much time on it. After all, at the end of the day, it is a phone that can access the internet. How much time do we have to be on the internet and on social media. Do we really care about everyone’s business? Do we really need to know that you baked a cake, got your COVID vaccine or bought a new pair of shoes? Do we really need to post some that happens in our life immediately as it happens? No, I do not think that we do. I am going to put my phone down and away. After all it is a phone. I let my other phone go to voicemail because that is why I paid for that option. A convenience so that I did not miss important calls. One thing that I don’t do and that is carry the phone with me when I am out for a walk. Our walks are for me and Alvin and a phone is not a part of that time. I do notice folks most especially younger ones out walking with others or with their pet and they are walking looking at the screen, not paying attention to what is around them and definitely not any never mind to their pet. Pay attention folks, pay attention. I am also going to limit my time on social media. I have been keeping posts to a minimum. Social media and smartphones seem to bring out the addictive nature in us all.

Funny how one can go from a beautiful morning to cell phone talk. Anyway, I am pretty sure that everyone can relate to what I am saying. We have to take a step back and put the phone down. If my Alvin is noticing and giving me the nudge to put away the phone …. then clearly I have a problem. Keep the phone out of instant reach.

One more thing. Life slips away quickly ….. put the phone down. No one is going to care at the end of it all that you liked every post or posted that photo! Call someone instead. Go for that walk without your phone.

Well those are my thoughts for this Saturday morning. I had better get the coffee perking and have my breakfast so that I can get Mr. Alvin’s haircut in good time and then move onto housework.

I hope that you have an awesome day.

Remembering to live with kindness, compassion, respect and patience.

Always, Love Carol & Alvin

Welcome to December 2020

Good Morning ALL. Oh my goodness, cannot believe it is after 9:30 a.m.. I was up baking until almost midnight and then Mr. Alvin who had been sleeping most of the evening was up at 5:00 and then we had to hit the sofa for extra zzz’s, well I did for sure. Yikes surely puts a late start to the date. Yesterday was a great day but very busy. Of course, nothing are always subject to change and change things did. Yesterday it took longer to get things started baking wise, in fact I had wanted to start in the morning but it was closer to noon but I did get a double batch of fudge and unbaked macaroons done by noon, my daughter came, put away groceries, had a snack, visited, she left as another friend was stopped by to pick up her tea order which was at the same time as my Fifth Avenue Collection LIVE was starting (I just was attending), I watched and visited with her (COVID19 protocols in place), she left and I fed Alvin and decided what the hey – order pizza for supper, working on laundry in between and baking and then another Fifth Avenue Collection LIVE at 7:00 p.m. followed by more baking. WHEW …. no periods ….. just one long sentence, I know. Poor Alvin missed a walk so will have to get out today especially with this nice weather. My youngest brother is calling me at noon and the last Fifth Avenue Collection LIVE is today at 3:00 p.m. I can hear Mrs. Krank from CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS speaking in my ear as she repeats the list of what she needs to do as her daughter unexpectedly comes home for Christmas EVE and expects their usual Christmas EVE party. On the upside I suppose I have an extra weekend and could some baking next weekend but really would love to be done so that I can wrap gifts and deliver baking only next weekend. Time will tell. Phone calls and company these days are more important. “18 sleeps till Christmas EVE.” Okay breathe Carol Yvonne breathe, there is lots of time. Remember I am working from home and and am off work at 4:00 – so could easily bake something in the evening, okay that is true. I guess I forget that when I was younger I would bake after work and supper on a Friday night while my daughter was sleeping and then get up and finish on the Saturday. Most extra things had to be done in the evenings. I am certain all you Moms out there can relate. I have walked myself down from the at peak of dread and am good now. Funny how small things can wind you up. I am a perfectionist and when I cannot for whatever reason get things done on the schedule ahead of me, which is usually set by my, I get a bit anxious, okay a lot anxious. But the sun is shining and I can imagine birds singing somewhere and life is good. I guess if not keeping my “baking schedule” is the only thing wrong in my life, well I should consider myself very blessed and do not get me wrong. I am MOST BLESSED. I have a great life. My friends and family are so amazing and wonderful. There is this beautiful house, I call home that I can spend each and every day and night in and then there is Mr. Alvin. My trusty companion. Who is laying on his little bed close to me and the computer at this moment. We are both in good health and I have a good job and am able to work from home. So really I should just be quiet. Out there I am sure that there are folks reading this who think OMG what is she going on about and then there are others who think, I hear you. I am not 20 but 63. I set my schedule as though I was 20 not 63. My mind has not slowed down but my body is thinking although in good condition is not 20 and it takes a bit longer to get things done. Not too much slower mind you but some. Anyway, I hope that you are having a giggle this morning about my silliness. Time to just get on with the day.

When I think of how great it was to see my girl and to have a visit with Maria from work. It was so wonderful. I have not had a chat with Maria for months. Very therapeutic. We both needed that. We plan to have a get together with another girl from work during Christmas holidays. Also I love spending time with my daughter. She brought me back a plush Santa that I had given her years ago and it was funny because I had been thinking of that Santa just the day before ….. funny how life works. I am still looking for a photo. I will find it. Next weekend.

Well it is almost 10:00 a.m. so I had better get hopping and have breakfast and get the cookie dough for the sugar cookies mixed up and get to chilling. At least get one batch on the go. I think the plan will be to get two batches of them done today. Chat with my brother, wash a load of towels, walk with Alvin and the LIVE with Fifth Avenue Jewelry at 3:00 p.m. …… that will be enough.

Well I hope that you are well. Happy Sunday Everyone. Remember living with kindness, respect and compassion starts with ourselves.

I will be kind, respect and compassion to myself and to all others.

Always, Carol & Alvin

Second Half of the NEW YEAR – last quarter

Good Morning ALL. How are you doing on this Tuesday? I hope that life finds you in good health, first and foremost and that you are able to enjoy each and every day including this one. We went to bed later again last night it was almost 10:30 p.m. when I turned off the light. It was 2:00 a.m. when Mr. Alvin woke up and needed to go outside. How can you say “go back to sleep” when someone has to go to to the bathroom? You cannot. Or at least not in good conscious. So downstairs we trotted sleep still thick in my eyes with my cell phone and our sofa special pillow in tow, lights on and unlocked back door so he could outside. With so much snow I don’t have to go out until the sunrises to pick up any little parcels that he leaves behind because I can clearly see them and so can he. Back into the house and onto the sofa. It was 6:30 when the alarm went off that he next woke up. So time for his breakfast and another trip outside. I do know one thing for sure that his bodily function are in fine working order. While he had been eating I prepared the coffee so that I could plug it in when we are “finally up and downstairs for the day.” The coffee will be fresher longer. After that I still wasn’t quite ready to get up to stay up even though it wasn’t super early at this point. Set the microwave timer for 25 minutes which would mean getting up at 7:00 a.m. and that is what happened. It doesn’t take me long to get myself ready on those days when I don’t shower. There is no reason to shower everyday it dries out the skin, most especially in our dry winter season. Anyway, that is a personal preference and I prefer to show every other day. My hair has been healthier as a result, not so drying. So here we are almost ready to begin another day in the life of Carol Lewis.

Yesterday my daughter was running errands. She went to COSTCO first and picked up groceries for them and for me and then dropped them at the house. Just in time to have a short break with me. Then she was off to do more shopping at IKEA and at BATH & BODY WORKS. She phoned the order into IKEA which was a great idea and then just had to pick it up. I so wished that I could have gone with her to BBW. I love that store. I think I have mentioned that once or twice before and that I worked there a few years back. They were the first company to hire this “54” year old woman at the time when I moved here from Saskatchewan. I was so appreciative and even stayed on when I was hired at my current job. It was hard to leave but I could not continue working 7 days a week after the kids moved to a city about 20 minutes away and I could not leave Mr. Alvin alone from early morning till late at night. My girl picked me up some foaming hand soaps in my favourite scents: Tis the Season, Frosted Cranberry and Winter Citrus Wreath. I am so happy. She brought the goodies back including some items I requested for Christmas stockings, on her way back from the second leg of her shopping trip, and then she headed for home. I am so grateful to be the Mother of this beautiful, caring, compassionate, loving and thoughtful woman I call my “daughter.”

So needless to say with working the late shift yesterday and my daughter popping in and out we did not go for a walk. So hopefully the temperature is warm enough for me to go with Alvin at lunchtime. I gave him a short haircut actually shorter than I had planned. Thankfully he has a nice sweater to keep him warm and a great thick winter coat, too.

Well I guess it is time to head back downstairs and get that coffee perking. Life is life. I told my daughter yesterday when she asked me “How were things going?” I replied “great, how can I possibly complain, Alvin and I are in good health, as our our family and friends, we have good food to eat and a roof over our heads and I have a job where I can work from home.” Really how blessed am I, are me and Alvin. I am over the moon grateful for my life. Thank you Universe.

I hope that you are having a great day. Still pretty dark outside here as I quickly glanced out the office window. The sun will shine soon and I hope that it shines where you are. Remember to always, live your life with kindness and respect for all. Your life will be all the better, if you do!

Happy Tuesday.

Living our lives with kindness and respect for all,

I / We remain, as always, Carol & Alvin

Second Half of the NEW YEAR – last quarter

Good Morning ALL. Well I am hoping that today will be clear blue sunny skies with warmer temperatures so that Mr. and I can head out for a walk. He does have a good winter coat and I know that but it is his little paws that I worry about. He is arthritis and walking on the cold sidewalk cannot feel very good. Most of the sidewalks have a bit of snow on them which is actually good for pups when they are out walking. Gives some insulation against that cold cement. I love to walk and so does Alvin so the winter months can sometimes be hard on us. We are both aging (no surprise there) and no one wants to slip and fall and break a hip or arm or some other body part. So we are careful. I can see the sunrise out of my office window as it faces south. I believe it is going to be clear skies today. So happy, doing a little dance on my chair. A “bum” dance. LOL. So grateful that we successful made it through another week well rather I made it through another week. Work wise. Back to the colours of the sunrise, so beautiful. Mother Nature’s paintbox is breathtaking. She certainly knows what she is doing.

I was also thinking at noon when we go for our walk that we would stop and drop off Christmas cards at our neighbours down the street. They have been ready to go for a week or more now. Just wondering how many people out there do Christmas cards? Do you add a letter or perhaps add photos? Do you mail them or just hand deliver or both? I have been doing Christmas cards since I was about 8 years old. I started out making them for my family and then over the years as I had money to buy them, I started to buy cards. Of course, I have made my fair share of them over the years as well. Crafty girl here. I used to mail and deliver between 100-200 years per years and then once the postage was basically a $1.00 per card I had to pull the reins in a little bit. I still mail about 30 cards. Those cards contain the most recent photo taken by my daughter of me and Alvin and some have a letter or at least a note. The art of letter writing has pretty much fallen by the wayside over the years. But I am old fashioned that way and I love to write letters, well I love to write, so I keep up the tradition. I still believe that most folks love to get a card in the mail or post especially these days when most of the mail is flyers and such. Maybe this is the year that you purchase a box of cards (you can do that online, even) and send those relative and friends that live at a distance a nice card and maybe even a photo and a letter. Trust me it gives one a good feeling to do this.

Well Mr. Alvin is doing the whining thing. Likely has to go outside or perhaps he just wants me off of the computer. I know that he does not like me on the phone. Anyway, such as life.

I hope that you have a wonderful Friday. Tonight I am visiting our friends down the street after supper. Looking forward to that. I will be back here tomorrow. Please drop me a line if you mail Christmas cards and letters.

Continuing to live with kindness and respect for all. Are you? Will you?

Always, Carol & Alvin

Second Half of the NEW YEAR …. final quarter

Good Morning All. Some of us set our clocks back one hour last night or this morning. When Alvin woke up several hours ago I looked at my phone that I had charging in the bedroom and it said 1:14 a.m. Alvin is not unlike me and has to go pee in the middle of the night so up we got and outside he went. I watched. He did his business and came into the house and then we hit the sofa for more sleep. I noticed that the clocks on the stove and microwave had said 2:16 when we went downstairs. My phone automatically updated to the correct time. I am always confused for the first few days. Reminding myself to change all of the clocks. Anyway the next time we got up my phone said 6:44 and the stove/microwave said 7:44 a.m. and it feels later not earlier. So up we have stayed at the revised time of 6:44 a.m. Alvin had his breakfast. For the second day I have noted that he has not eaten all of his food. Yesterday he ate his biscuits treats, banana and carrots and his supper with no issues. So perhaps he is beginning to get full on less in the morning. I guess we have been eating at different times lately. So important to get back on a schedule for both of us. Eating at same times at good for us and for digestion.

The sky is begin to lighten as the sun starts to rise in the morning sky. Did you bask in the glory of that Halloween Full Moon last night? How / what did you and your family do? Did the kids go treating? Did you hand out candy? I felt guilty as I did not hand out treats however I did pack up large treat bags and personally delivered them to all of the children that I know well in the neighbourhood. We had little visits with everyone and they showed off their costumes and candy delivery systems. I think that I had almost as much fun as other years. Almost. I kept peaking through the blinds to see if there were kids out and about. I only saw three or four total. Some of my friends reported having about 50 which is about half of normal amount of treaters. These friends said their children received huge amounts of treats as a result. I am happy to see that people took precautions for the safety of the children. Warms my heart that people were smart about Halloween in my neighbourhood. I can not speak for other areas but am happy that we did the right thing. In a little while once I am finished writing and dressed and had a cup of coffee, it will be time to go into the basement and start hauling up the CHRISTMAS decorations. Firstly, I will have to take down all of my Halloween decorations and pack them away. Down and then up. My daughter will come around noon and help put up the tree and I hope that by then, I will have most of the main floor decorated and furniture moved about ready for the tree.

I also entered but not submitted tea orders last night. I am so excited to get some HOT CHOCOLATE. The order will be submitted tonight as advised. Just waiting for a few more orders.

Also am excited that I booked tomorrow off as a vacation day. The temperatures for today and the following three days are to be double digits with warmest day being 15-16 degrees celsius which is very warm for this time of year. Must remember to change the calendar as well. Tomorrow will be a good time to give Mr.Alvin a bath and possible little trim.

Walking with Alvin will mean no sweater in these temperatures and light jacket or sweater for me.

Happy November 1st, 2020.

Well time to get this day going …. lots to do.

Living life with kindness and respect and happy to do so.

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

 

 

 

Second Half of the NEW YEAR

Good Morning,

Another beautiful morning.

Alvin and I headed out for out walk just a tad earlier than usual.

Today is my late start.

I start at 11:00 a.m. and end at 7:00 p.m.

I join three coworkers on our after hours phone line from 4:00 till 7:00 p.m.

Thankfully the high for today is to be 25 degrees celsius.

The house remains a bit warm from yesterday but I have the windows open and some of the fans going to circulate the cool air.

 

I wanted to mention something.

One of my friends and coworkers from many years ago in Regina, lost her husband, he passed suddenly.

He was far too young and she is far too young to be a widow.

Their three children are adults but not older.

I knew her husband and he was a sweet and all round good man and human being.

He will be missed by all who knew him.

My thoughts and heart goes out to his family.

 

Yesterday I was chatting with a current coworker trying to get caught up with changes that occured during my vacation.

We have very busy jobs and often put in extra time to keep our heads above water.

Not just for ourselves but for our team and our clients.

In a time where businesses are laying off employees due to the downturn in the economy and employees in turn, having to pick up the extra work.

It is more important than ever for us to look after our physical and mental selves.

If we do not …. no one else will.

In reflection and from a comment that was made, I have decided that although I like my job and always 150% everyday – that adding hours to some days is not the answer.

I am and have always been a hard worker, I don’t waste time, I seldom chat with coworkers – my head is always down working.

So I will continue to give it my all during the hours for which I was hired and will take my breaks.

Life is too short.

When we pass on …. is your employer going to acknowledge all that extra time you put into the job?

Really is anyone going to care that you worked late to get the work done?

Will your clients notice that you worked on a the weekends and until late in the evenings?

I do not think so.

At the end of the day, I want to and will continue to do the best job that I can do within the confines of the hours that I work.

I want to enjoy my remaining time on this planet.

I have a dream to write a book and be published.

I want to spend time with my friends and family whenever I can.

I want to read books and live my life.

I want to be healthy in body, mind and soul.

I have to let go and realize that sometimes you cannot get everything done.

 

Well it is time for coffee and I want to run to the vet and pick up food for the boy.

I start at 11:00 this morning so have some time to do that.

 

Living each day to the best of my ability.

Trying to be the best human being that I can.

Being respectful and kind to the world.

This is me.

This is who I am.

This is who I will continue to be.

 

Have an awesome Wednesday.

Enjoy that cup of coffee chatting with a neighbour over the fence.

Enjoy that walk with your pup in the early morning.

Enjoy that piece of chocolate cake.

Enjoy your life.

We only have one go at it ….. enjoy it.

 

I/We shall remain,

Always, Carol & Alvin

 

 

 

Second Half of the NEW YEAR

Good Morning and Welcome to Saturday, August 15, 2020.

Two days to enjoy before heading to work on Monday.

Now that being said …. heading to work means moving down the desk to my second chair and workspace.

Seems odd but I do love working from home.

Perhaps this will be my forever set up …. working from home.

I will keep those thoughts.

 

Well yesterday Mr. Alvin and his Momma, Me had the most delightful walking adventure.

We left the house just before 12:30 p.m. and arrived back home about 2:30 p.m.

Two hours of walking and enjoying the scenery.

I apologize for this being posted so late.

I started to download or upload the photos from my computer to this page and it took forever.

Likely as I had so many to do.

Then I joined the second of four, of my Fifth Avenue Jewelry online showings for my jewelry party weekend at just after 10:00 a.m.

That is a mouth full.

So cool that so much can be done online.

Then Laundry happened.

Finally I have all of the photos that I snapped on our 2020 Summer Vacation Hike.

It ended up being warmer than I had anticipated but I took water.

I know that in some of the closeups Alvin looks as though he is going to keel over but trust me I was keeping an eye on him at all times.

We hit the shade often and he drank almost two of his water bottles during our two hours.

We had the best time.

Stopping for snacks along the way.

Bumping into our friends on the way home.

When we were leaving the park and about half way home, Alvin was running out of water.

I happened to see a young man out with his children and was holding a garden hose.

So I politely asked if he would refill Alvin’s water bottle and he said “most certainly.”

We were very grateful and thanked him and then were on our way.

We spent two hours out and about and most of the time slowly walking along.

It was gloriously.

As Mr. Alvin is getting older …. I am not certain how many more long walks he will be able to endure so I was pleased that we had this opportunity.

He especially loved the treat breaks.

The trees and the grass was so green.

I snapped shots of almost everything in our path.

I will say that holding a water bottle and a doggie on a leash and trying to snap photos with the cell was difficult at times.

But we did end up with some nice shots.

I most especially loved the ones in the further park (beginning of the photos) as you feel as though you are walking in a forest.

We came across so many folks out walking their dogs.

Sometimes when the dogs were larger we detoured down a side path.

There was one older dog that we kept bumping into and finally ended up getting quite close.

I offered him some water as he appeared to be hot.

But he did not take any of the water.

Poor old guy was blind in one eye.

He was a larger doggie and was actually younger than Alvin.

Alvin does not have grey hair as yet.

No dye jobs either, lol.

Well here it is almost noon.

I had better get this show on the further road.

Have an awesome day.

I hope that you enjoy seeing our photos from our Summer Vacation 2020 Hike.

I guess we will have to watch the weather and see when okay to go for a walk.

Right now the sky is overcast.

There is a cool breeze.

 

Living life with kindness and respect.

Enjoying each and every moment.

I/We shall remain,

As Always, Carol & Alvin