The Next Chapter

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 The early morning sunshine has been replaced by clouds.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.

Always, Carol & Alvin, My Forever Angel

The Next Chapter

Good Morning! Another beautiful May morning. Hard to believe that there are only two more days left in the month of May. Where does the time go? Feels like sometimes that it is evaporates. There is a coolness wafting into the office this morning. Yes, I opened the window to bring in some cool air. When I go downstairs I will open the windows at each end of the house. One being in the kitchen and the other in the living room. This will bring in some cool air. Gone are the days that I would open them early in the morning so that the main floor would be cool for Mr. Alvin. On the hot days, we would get out for an early morning walk. When Covid struck the planet, we would go in the mornings before work, if it was not too hot at my lunch break we would walk then and then should the temperatures be too hot after work, we would just stay cool by the fans. Sometimes we even went into the basement as it is always a few degrees cooler there. Yesterday morning after I got up and finished my small to do list, I grabbed my mug of coffee and “Alvin” and we sat out under the umbrella. He was in the shade but the umbrella did not quite cover me. There was still a nice cool breeze so I did not mind. We just enjoyed the sunshine with memories flooding my mind. He so loved his walks. His favourite spot on the deck was to lay just under the kitchen window and second was on the love seat next to me. I remember him as a pup and in the more early days how he would lay outside on the nice days soaking up the sunshine. Seems like a lifetime ago. I guess it really was but he will always be here.

Yesterday afternoon just after 4:00 p.m., the wind got up. I quickly brought in all of the houseplants and moved the other plants to the cover of the house or by the fence. I had taken the cushions from the table set and put them into the garage but left the cushions on the love seat and chairs on them. Earlier in the afternoon, my friend Gillian joined me on the deck for a cup of coffee, some sunshine, some laughter and good conversation. She is such a good friend. I am so grateful for her friendship. I was in the house and texting between three friends in two provinces when I noticed that one of the cushions had blown off one of the chairs. First time that has happened. I went out and put them away. All of my small items were moved just in case. If a gust moved the cushion then a little ornament from the table or deck could easily blow away. Not worried about anything get ruined but more of something being air borne and hitting someone or breaking a window. Anyway, after some heavy winds and a bit of rain a couple of hours later, I was out walking with Jeanette, Bruno and Eddie. Bruno, I am not sure how he is doing it, where does the energy come from, but he does a walk. Not a short one either. We take plenty of water and it almost all gets drank mainly by Bruno. We take three pet bottles of water and 500 ml (a lot of water). I will share a few photos of the boys from last night. The grass was “soft” after the rain.

Eddie

Bruno

Bruno

The time is getting late here and I have a few things to do before leaving the house for the day. Tonight I vote in our provincial election. That will be after work. I hope that you are doing well and have a wonderful Monday.

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

Enjoying the sunshine

Alvin

Al

The Next Chapter

Good Morning! Well it looks like we had some rain overnight and the sky is cloudy or smoky – hard to tell without smelling the air, so I am going to hop off my chair and briefly open the window. Smells like smoky rain. This morning I am taking the city bus to work and also tomorrow morning as my carpool has to wait at home with her son while her son goes to the Doctor. Their Day-Home provider has Covid. I had not realized that people were still getting Covid. I guess it will be with us for a long time.

I am very happy that we had some moisture over night. Last night I walked with my friends. Initially I received a text saying that Bruno was not up for a walk. I asked if I could take Eddie for a walk so that she could be with Bruno. As soon as she got Eddie ready – Bruno was up and wanting to go. They have the best raincoats for the boys. They are bright yellow and are more substantial than the little one that I had for Alvin. Alvin did not really like it anyway and we seldom walked if it was raining too much. Sprinkling yes, raining hard, no. Anyway she left Bruno’s raincoat off and Eddie has his on when they arrived. I had not realized that it was raining so I had on shorts, a tank top and three quarter length sleeve sweater. It was warm so I was okay. Shortly after we left my house, Jeanette put on Bruno’s raincoat as it started to rain more and she did not want him to get wet. We set off shortly afterwards. The rain did not really come down too hard for long. It was a nice little rain and then it stopped. On the way we saw a woman and her dog Bruno. Jeanette remembered his name. Two Brunos. I thought that she looked familiar and sure enough when started to speak, she remembered Alvin’s water bottle and him. I was holding the water bottle and she recognized it and when I mentioned Alvin and his colouring etc., she remembered him. We had a good walk and one hour later back home. Nice to get out and as long as he is able to, nice for him to enjoy some fresh air. We never know how long we have so might as well enjoy all that we can, when we can.

I am going to be short here as I have to leave the house half an hour earlier than usual. Looks windy outside so I hope that it does not start to rain as an umbrella will not help. Might have to wear my jacket. Will see when I get downstairs.

Happy Tuesday. Be safe and happy.

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. Another smoky morning and no rain last night or now. The forecast said rain but has not happened yet. Still holding out hope for rain, we desperately need some rain in Alberta. Not massive downpours that will cause flooding and mudslides but a steady nice rain over several days would help so much with the wildfires and possibly clear the smoke from the air that is over our Province and much of Canada and even into the United States. My heart goes out to British Columbia would is having more than their share of wildfires at this time. It is dry and we need some moisture. I was happy to see that the City of Edmonton, Animal Rescues and Private individuals are coming to the aid of animals and are helping to make sure as many as possible are brought to safety. It warms my heart to see there are people who care about animals and are helping. I am so grateful and thankful to these people and organizations. There is a breeze this morning which brings in the smoke. We did have a bit of a reprieve late yesterday afternoon. I saw Jeanette, Eddie and Bruno walking by my house and saw her look back at the house. We had not texted each other about walking yesterday. I watched the last few seconds of a show that I was watching. Then decided I would catch up with them. Quickly put on my runners and grabbed my keys and was out the door. I did catch up but really had to walk fast. The air was starting to clear and we could actually see the sun. So breathing was definitely easier. I had called out to her a couple of times before I got to them but she did not hear me. Finally I was there. She thought that all of the vehicles outside my house meant that I had company so she did not stop by. They were having a drink and resting as Bruno needs to stop multiple times. I found out that the cancer has spread and he has limited time on this earth. They do not know how much time and that will depend on how he does. I won’t kid around here, there were tears and memories of Alvin’s last days on this earth. Poor, poor Bruno. Why oh why can’t these beloved animals live longer. We could do without some humans and have more animals. I want to spend as much time with him as I can. So I will walk whenever they are able to go. Bruno loves to walk. We stopped multiple times for Bruno to lay down and for them to have water. Just as we were coming out of the park we saw our friend Jamie in her backyard and called out to her. She came over to us and we chatted for a minute before she went into the house to bring out Sadie (another beautiful yellow lab). Sadie was eating her supper at the time. She came out and when Jamie opened the gate, Eddie squeezed beside Bruno and almost took me through the fence but I let go out of the leash and then ran to take it off. Bruno did not really play but he was happy to be in the backyard. They have a little splash pool and both dogs cooled off. Sadie has a red frisbee and man is Eddie quick and nimble at grabbing it. He is very strong as I played tug with the frisbee. I did not even come close to getting it from him. Jeanette spoke in Spanish and he realized the frisbee. I have to learn more words. I am working on it. We all had a nice visit. I am happy that we all are friends. Then we were on our way home. I walked them to their house before returning to mine. Lately my life seems to be filled with more deaths than births. Maybe it is because of my age, I don’t know. Very sad.

Eddie

Eddie, Bruno and Sadie. Having some technical difficulties. Well I am having some issues with photos. Seems to be duplicating photos and then some will not upload to this post. You cannot see my beautiful Lavender plant in the photos below. But the Begonias are there and all of my houseplants that I repotted.

Umbrella up

Repotted houseplants

Well it is time to head downstairs and make some coffee and get this day going. My youngest brother is calling me later this morning. I am on package pickup patrol (a neighbour is having something delivered). Will be walking with Jeanette and the pups if they are up for it. I will figure out the photo thing and post the other photos possibly tomorrow. I think I may have an idea what happened.

Wishing you all a wonderful Monday. It is a holiday for me and I am most grateful to have had this extra long weekend.

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. I think of you all the time buddy and miss you more than words can say.

The Next Chapter

Good Morning. Happy Mother’s Day to All the Moms out there. Mother’s Day celebrates all those humans that care, look after and love another living being. If you have children or if you have a pup or a cat or a fish or a bird we celebrate you. I think it is important to celebrate all those people that keep another living breathing being safe, cared for and loved. Happy Mother’s Day.

Yesterday I was lucky to have my daughter, son-in-law and grand-pups Aspen & Milo visit me. We also had a special guest Miss Breeze who is a black lab and will be spending a few days with my kiddos while her parents are away. She is such a sweet doggie and I fell in love with her. We had take out for supper. The kids had ordered some Vietnamese dishes and picked them up on their way over. The food was so yummy. For dessert my son-in-law had his favourite chocolate chip cookies (I baked them) and we gals had a Key Lime Pie from M&M’s (obviously not baked by me, lol). We even had time for a game of Sequence. My family gave me an air fryer (see photo) and I gave my daughter a bag full of Mary Kay products. What girl does not like makeup!

To Amanda

Miss Breeze

Aspen & Milo

Humphrey

Bogart

Gift time

Aspen chilling

Opening gifts

Miss Breeze relaxing

Miss Aspen relaxing

My GIFT

GIFTS

I did snap a couple of photos of Humphrey & Bogart from my earlier visit to them in the afternoon. Their Dad came home early so that ended my responsibilities. Miss Aspen sure loves her spot by the living room window. I made sure that I had set it all up for her before their arrival.

Last night after the kids left for home, I say outside and had some coffee while the sun set. What a beautiful evening. This morning the air is cool with the office window open.

Today will be a quiet day. I will go for a walk with my friends Alejandro, Eddie & Bruno. I hope that Bruno is doing better. Might be later than 6 p.m. if it is too hot then.

Last night I realized that I would like to learn some languages. Perhaps not to be fluent but to be able to converse with someone and to understand. I am thinking Spanish (I already know some words) and Arabic. Perhaps I could do this when I retire.

Time to head downstairs and make some coffee. I wish you all a wonderful Mother’s Day.

Have a great Sunday. Be safe!

I hope that the wildfires are burning out, stopping. I wish moisture to fall upon them and stop further damage. I hope all life is safe and unharmed.

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).

Photo by George Dolgikh on Pexels.com

Photo by Ylanite Koppens on Pexels.com

The Next Chapter

Good Morning. There is such refreshing cool air pouring in through the office window as I key these words on my computer. The sun is shining brightly and the sky is the perfection of blue. There is a breeze which is helping to bring in the cool air. I opened all of the windows earlier. I woke up a bit later than I usually do during the week. There is a dog barking in the distance. Hopefully its’ owners have not left him/her outside. Now that the temperatures are getting warmer and very hot on some days, it is so important to carry water with you when you are walking with your dog(s). They are wearing a fur coat and you have on shorts, a teeshirt and flip flops. Think about it. Also skin is not fur. They need to be hydrated. Also please do not take them when it is hot. Not only is the temperature hard on them but the pavement and sidewalks can burn the bottom of their paws, their pads. I have seen this close up on a poor doggie that we found wondering on our back lane. Please people be responsible. The night before last when I was walking with my friends Alejandro, Eddie & Bruno (they are those handsome yellow labs), we saw this man on a skateboard of sorts, more current and I do not know what it is called. Shorter than the old ones and he had a baby strapped on the front of his baby, a cell phone in one hand and holding the leash for a medium-large dog in the other. I almost lost my breath. How irresponsible. What is wrong with people. Every day we see people out riding bicycles with a poor dog on a leash trying to keep up. Sometimes I have seen this person on a bike with two dogs. You have no control and should not be riding a bike and walking your dogs. Get off the damn bike and do a walk/run with your pet if they like to run a bit. Dogs do not love to run full out with you on your bike. THEY DO NOT! Can you imagine being on a leash trying to keep up with someone on a bike. Also they do not have water with them.

Last night Alejandro had two pet water bottles with him and I took Alvin’s bottle with me. Well it was funny as Eddie saw the reflection from the bottle and starting trying to paw at the light. Finally I figured that my pocked on my pants (cargo pants) would hold the water bottle so that he would not be trying to get at the reflection. Smart guy that Eddie. Poor Bruno. He is doing better than last night but still having a hard time. He has/had cancer. He is on prednisone to stop and hopefully kill the cancerous tumour. Last night his poop was starting to firm up. No where near what regular poop should be but definitely better than the previous night. He has put on weight from the steroid for sure. You know that a pup is in pain or not himself when their tail hangs low. Another reason is when they are hot and thirsty. We walked for one and half hours last night. I love being with Eddie and Bruno and their humans of course. The boys make me happy and I remember when I used to be walking Alvin and would see them.

Today is going to be a busy day so I have to get my poop in a group and get going. I want to go and wash the deck (have to hook up the garden hose first), do some cleaning and have a shower before noon. I am expecting a grocery delivery sometime between noon and 2:00 p.m. (hopefully closer to noon). The kids are dropping off Aspen and Milo and heading over to Costco. One of their friends is dropping off their dog Breeze here as they are watching him/her for a few days. We are ordering in supper for Mother’s Day. Lots going on.

Be safe, make good choices and remember to laugh.

I found out that the $60 million lotto jackpot was won by someone in Alberta. A man from Red Deer. So there is definitely hope for our group or me to win. I know there is a lot of money coming my way.

Happy Mother’s Day early to all you Moms out there. Oh, I better put together a little something for my daughter, she is a Mom. All Moms count. Whether to children, to pups or cats or fish. Oh, I am on pet sitting duties this weekend as well for Humphrey & Bogart. Time is flying by, I have to go.

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)

P.S. I am able to work from home this next week for Monday through Thursday as our office is undergoing the finishing touches on some earlier renovations. We will be going onto two sites for Wednesday morning but otherwise I am at home. So grateful.

The Next Chapter

Good Morning! How are you this morning? Can you believe that it is Thursday? Time is certainly flying. The sky is blue and the sun is shining brightly in the morning sky. Sunrise and sunset are happening earlier and later with each passing day. There does not appear to be wind this morning so that is good. There are still signs of the hail from Tuesday night.

Yesterday morning at work the six of us from our site office went out and inspected two more of our sites. Some picked up trash and others did a visual inspection of yards and other things. It sure got hot early and I had worn warm pants and layers so I was able to take off my jacket but still was very warm. We were back to the office by noon.

I almost missed having a walk with Jeanette, Eddie and Bruno as I was eating and they needed to go earlier. They went ahead and Alejandro (her husband) was with them when I met up with them in the park. There was a love fest happening with three pups when I arrived. Eddie, Bruno and another yellow lab. I found out shortly after arriving that it was Miss Sadie (whom I know) but she was with her Dad and I am used to seeing her with her Mom or the kids. Anyway it was great to see her. After a bit more playing we carried on with our walk. Jeanette was leaving at midnight for Miami, Florida to see her parents who were visiting her brothers. Her parents were coming from South America. I am happy that she was able to go and spend some time with them. She will be home in a week. Meanwhile Alejandro will be walking with Eddie & Bruno. I am going to tag along whenever I am able. I love those dogs, they bring me joy. They are a good reminder of walks with Mr. Alvin.

Bruno taking a rest

Eddie

Eddie & Bruno

The first two photos are from our walk last night and the third is a photo that Jeanette sent to me. They are so handsome, these boys.

Looks like we are fast approaching Mother’s Day weekend. Do you have plans with your Mother? Are you a Mother? My daughter and son-in-law and grand-pups Miss Aspen and Mi-Mi will be coming over on Saturday. We will order in supper as a treat. I cannot wait to see them.

Well after having a shower and putting on some makeup, it would seem that I am running a bit late. Not really late that I have to rush but I am so used to take a slow approach to my mornings at home, that it feels like I am rushing. Not really. Okay, now I am rambling. LOL.

One more week with the temporary crowns and then next Thursday, I will be getting the new crowns. Looking forward to having them but not really to the extractions and fillings. More freezing. Oh well, soon will be caught up in all of the dental stuff.

Have a great Thursday. Sending positive energy and rain to extinguish the flames of the wildfires.

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. Well what an evening we had here in my neighbourhood. The photos will say it all.

We started out with pouring rain a few minutes before I was scheduled to go for a walk with Jeanette and the pups. It came down hard and then started to hail. The sky was so dark and foreboding. Thunder and lightning. These small round balls kept falling and falling and falling. Making lots of noise as they hit the deck, the roof, the windows, the cars. Hopefully they did not cause too much damage. Anyone who planted their flowers and gardens early might have to restart. Depends on progress. In the end it looked like we had two or three inches of snow covering everything. We took the pups for a walk once the hail stopped. We were lucky to get a one hour walk in with the pups with no rain or additional hail. Definitely the temperature had dropped during that time. There was evidence of damage to the new leaves from the trees as pieces were scattered all over the sidewalks and streets. I was attempting to capture with my phone the fog that appeared low to the ground by the trees. It looked ultra cool but did not really come to be in the shots that I snapped. I guess you can see a bit of it in the last two photos.

I hope that you have a great day. Just had to hit the snooze button a couple of times this morning and I definitely need some caffeine this morning before I head out to work. We are out on site this morning noting different things and picking up trash. Another crazy busy week. Thankfully today is Wednesday. Already hard to believe.

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 Everyone! I hope that you had an excellent Saturday.

My Saturday was very good starting out with a great walk and ending with watching a movie. The in between was pretty great as well. I did some cleaning, transplanted a plant, laundry, walked with one of my girl friends to Save-On and back and odds and ends. A productive day.

I also forgot temporarily in the morning that I had recorded King Charles III’s Coronation. The ceremony was spectacular. I can only imagine being in the congregation.

Charles was the 40th Sovereign to be crowned at Westminster Abbey. The first was William the Conquer in 1066. The Stone of Destiny from Scotland was present. St. Edwards Crown which was made back in 1661 was brought out from the vault and is only worn for coronations. This is a heavy crown and likely part of the reason that it is only worn for a short time. Queen Consort Camilla wore Queen Mary’s crown, her first crown. She had the crown remade so that it was lighter using some of Queen Elizabeth II’s personal jewels in the crown and removing 4 of the 8 arches.

The Archbishop of Canterbury administered the oath to the King. There were many prayers. The Coronation Chair was surrounded by Anointing Screens featuring embroidered trees representing the Commonwealth. The Anointing with Holy Oil is central act of the religious ceremony. A long golden coat was placed on King Charles III followed by the Coronation Girdle. The long golden coat is named the Supertunic. He was vested in Columbium Sindonis, Supertunic and Girdle while sitting on the Coronation Throne. Then there was the Investiture of King Charles III which involved presenting him with the SPURS – which symbolize Knighthood and Chivalry. The Exchange of the Jewelled Sword by Lord President of Council Penny Mordant who presented the Sword to the King. This was the first time in history that a woman has carried and presented the sword to the King. The Armies (bracelets) were presented to the King by Lord Kamala. Prince William presented the Royal Robe/Stole to his Father, King Charles III. Followed by the Orb – Sovereign’s power which was made in the 17th century, the Ring which signifies Kingly dignity and the Coronation Glove which signifies authority and gentleness and grace. Ending with the Sceptre & Rod which signifies equity and mercy, power and justice. He was then crowned with St. Edwards crown.

The ceremony for the Queen consisted of presentation of the Ring, the Crown and the Sceptre and Rod. A much shorter ceremony but beautiful all the same.

The King exchanged St. Edward’s Crown for the Imperial State Crown before leaving Westminster Abbey.

The Diamond Jubilee Coach is made of wood but covered in gold and weighs 4 tons. Eight horses pulled the coach.

After leaving the Abbey the new King and Queen stepped into the Diamond Jubilee Coach to make their way to Buckingham Palace. They were followed by the next in line to the thrown Prince William, Princess Catherine and three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in a separate coach. Prince George was a page to the King, his grandfather.

At Buckingham Palace they took to the balcony where they greeted the people who had come to the palace to see them. The working royals were all in attendance along with the pages to the King and attendants to the Queen.

The music was amazing and the sound in the abbey was heavenly.

They are having a concert to celebrate unfortunately it is not televised by any of the major networks so not so easy to watch. I am sure that someone will post clips on the internet.

This morning continues to be windy and the sky is overcast. I am going to my friend Gillian’s for coffee at 1:00 p.m.

Time to head downstairs and make some coffee.

Have an awesome Sunday.

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! I was up in good time just before 7:30. Changed bedding, gathered laundry and then got ready to go for a walk. According to my phone when I checked the temperature it said “10+” so I pulled on a light sweatshirt and my jean shorts and running/walking shoes and was on my way. I will say that one of the best inventions is the little socks that barely cover your foot and that have that non-slip material on the heel. No more having your feet so hot. No more going barefoot and getting blisters and no more wearing shorter socks that fall down. So win/win. I actually bought a few more pairs yesterday at Shoppers Drug Mart when I was taking a stroll on my lunch break. I had to pick up the office winning lotto tickets. I have not checked them but I am feeling good about them. One draw was last night and one is for tonight. Will check later.

The wind is quite strong and there are wind warnings out for later on. My heart goes out to the areas of Alberta and close to Edmonton that have wildfires burning. Most of these fires are caused from careless humans. When will we learn. The loss of wildlife can not be calculated. Insects, birds, small animals and even the large ones. Being spring the babies are at risk. Parents will not leave their babies. Can you imagine? Breaks my heart. If you happen to be a person who smokes, please extinguish your butt into a container that has water in it not on the ground. One spark when it is dry and you have people evacuated from their homes. What about all the domestic farm animals? People have to leave and cannot get all of their animals out? We have to be better. My children are close but not close enough to be evacuated. I have relatives in one of the areas that was recently evacuated. If you ever have to be evacuated from your home for any reason – please take your pets. When people were evacuated from the wildfires in Fort McMurray eight years ago, many of them left their pets behind. They are as important as family. Be prepared. Every life is important. Some of the pets were rescued by different organizations but many died because they were left behind. Another good reason not to leave your cat roaming the neighbourhood. I sure hope that these winds die down soon as this will not help the situation. I pray they calm down, the winds.

I made a detour from my story about the morning walk. It was a brisk walk and was a solid 35 minutes. I feel great. Nature was in her glory. The leaves are starting to come out looking shiny & new. My tree is a bit slow and is just budding. The sunshine glistened off of the water in the park close to my house. So beautiful. The ducks were swimming about and every once in a second one would tip over into the water to grab some food. I love watching them. When Alvin was a puppy he loved just sitting with me on the water’s edge watching the ducks and geese in the water. I remember taking him for walks by the big park/pond and he would stop to look at the water and birds. So I would just sit down on a patch of grass (this was before all of the foliage lined the pond) and he would sit on my lap and watch them swimming back and forth. No barking just intently watching them. We would do this for long periods of time and on many of our walks over the years but mostly when he was young. There were people out riding bikes, walking with and without their beloved pups. I spoke to a couple of people in passing. I saw for the first time a long-haired German Shepherd. Absolutely gorgeous. Glad he was having a walk while it is cooler out. Another gal had a little pup who is 8 and they just found out she has diabetes. My heart goes out to them. I wished the pup a long healthy life. I saw Robins. A male and a female. So great to be outside in nature. A good way to start the day, to start the weekend. Last night after work I went for a walk as well.

Time to head downstairs with my laundry baskets and start that laundry. I can smell the aroma of the freshly perked coffee as I put it on before I came upstairs to write this post.

I hope that you are safe and are having a wonderful day. Remember to go outside and take a walk in nature. Hopefully you have a green space close to your house. Take Care. Thanks for reading my posts. Very appreciated.

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)