Squirrels, go away

Happy Sunday everyone! It's a cloudy morning and not humid. We might get a bit of rain later. We need it badly. Everything is so dry. Our crabapple tree is dropping its leaves. It's been a hot and dry Summer so far.

We had a good week. On Tuesday, Brian and Janie came over for lunch.  Brian and Russell go way back, they went to high school together. It was fun for them to go down memory lane. We had lunch inside as it was much too hot to eat on the deck. Our boys were good and played around while we chatted away. It was a very nice get together. 

The squirrel obsession continues. As I'm writing this blog, Merlot and Sherlock are watching one from the deck. They are squirming and whining. They almost caught one again the other day. When they are fixated on a squirrel that is up on a branch, nothing will break their attention away, not even treats. I wish they would go away, the squirrels that is 😏

Yesterday, as we sat on the deck, we saw a gorgeous sharp-shinned hawk land on the fence. He stayed there for a few minutes then flew away. During that time, there was not one bird around. Smart little ones!

Russell and I decided to go back to Barbados next Spring, after a four year hiatus. We are returning to our favorite hotel, Southern Palms. We contacted Stephen, the reservation manager, and requested our special room. It's time for a relaxing beach vacation. We are looking forward to it. 

Not much else is going on. August is just flying by. Labour Day is in two weeks. How crazy is this.  Hockey and football season will start soon!

Have a great week everyone!

Sherlock and Merlot are wondering
what Paul is cooking, it smells so
good!

The view from the living room sofa
is always entertaining for these 
two buddies.

Cannot get much closer than this -
Merlot and Sherlock's version of
yin yang - ebony and ivory.

Things are looking up...for this 
squirrel the boys have cornered up
in the tree.

Merlot knows when to take the 
time to chill and soak in the view.

Sherlock has deeply penetrating eyes,
he knows what you are thinking.

Brian and Russell...this is what
50 plus years of friendship
looks like -- looking good guys!

Cooper and Spicy like peas in a pod...
this moment of togetherness captured on
August 15th, 2019.

Hot Summer Days

Hello everyone and happy Sunday! It's 6:35 am, we're on the deck with the boys. My favorite time of day, with a little background music and the birds chirping away. It's already 25 Celsius.  We have another heat warning in effect for the next few days although it's not feeling as humid as the last warning we had. 

This past week was good and quiet. The boys had a few walks by the lake. It was nice and breezy. Russell got his usual outdoor chores done. The backyard grass is growing like crazy, thanks to the new sod. Our front grass hasn't been cut in a few weeks. It is looking rather brown due to the lack of rain. Even our perennials are looking a bit sad but they will bounce back, they always do.

I followed the Canadian Tennis Open in Montreal. I'm not a tennis fan by any stretch but was rooting for yet another Canadian athlete. Well done Victoria Mboko! 

Merlot and Sherlock are doing well. It's interesting to watch how their personalities seem to evolve with time. These days, Merlot is the play monkey and Sherlock is the "I'll do anything for treats" kind of guy. They are liking the "find it" game, especially since I'm making it harder and harder for them LOL! It's a good mental enrichment activity and it's something we can do anywhere in the house. Bonus, it only involves a couple of kibbles!

Not much else is going on with us. We will both resume our workouts in September. We took some "time off" since our return from Italy. It will be time for a reset soon. September will also bring the sale of the 2025-2026 tickets for the Montreal Canadians....I'll be on it like white on rice for possibly a game in November with the Boston Bruins.

That's it for today. We have a busy week starting with friends coming over for lunch on Tuesday. The Montreal RibFest is on this coming weekend...I smell ribs on the menu 😋

Have a great week everyone!

Always time to investigate under
the shade of a tree on a hot day!

Merlot says, Sherlock...look the
squirrel is up there!

The boys returning from backyard
gate duty...they love the new
patio stones.

The morning chill...quiet time
on the deck with Daddy.

TV time...snug as bugs in a rug,
these boys love their comfort.

Spicy and Cooper loved to sit on the
bench in the backyard. This moment
captured September 11th, 2021.

Hello August!

Happy Sunday everyone! August is off to a good start, weather wise at least. The past few days have been gorgeous and the long range forecast is looking amazing! 

We had a good week and got a few things done around the house. Russell sanded and stained our Muskoka chairs. We debated for a while whether we would keep them or not. We had them made by a craftsman from Bracebridge Ontario before we moved to Huntsville, back in 2011. They are still serving a good purpose. 

We removed the last of our baby gates from the backyard, except for a tiny corner in the very back of the yard, by the side gate. We will bring them out again in December when I block off half the yard for the Winter months. Less yard, less shovelling LOL! Our sod has taken nicely. We are still watering it once a day, we will do so for another week or so.

We are noticing that it is darker in the morning when we get up. Yikes...I have to turn the backyard lights on. We take Merlot & Sherlock out on a leash for their first and last outings of the day to avoid coming face to face with a wandering skunk. We know they are out there, we can smell them 😏

I have been following the exploits of our Canadian athlete, Summer McIntosh, at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. I will be watching her last event at 8 am this morning.  She will try for her fourth gold. Go Summer Go!

Our boys are doing well. They get a little bit of training daily, they get walks in, they romp around and play with each other. They love eating grass, leaves and twigs. Their days are always filled with something interesting. The squirrel chasing has resumed. We didn't get many the past few months but they are now back, trying to eat the crabapples. 

That's my blog for this first Sunday of August. It is a long weekend for most of Canada except Quebec. Enjoy it with family and friends! Have a great week!

Our sumo wrestlers....loving the 
new sod.

Merlot seems to be telling Sherlock to move 
over and make some room.

A good nap any time of the day is always
on the menu...Merlot does it in style.

Sherlock's eyes penetrate deep into
your soul when he locks his gaze on
to you.

Ready for some fun, patiently waiting on the 
trampoline.

Thursday's sunrise with a warm glow.

Spicy and Cooper a little soggy on a walk at
Edgewater Park, August 14, 2023.

Where did July go?

Happy Sunday everyone! Another beauty of a day on the way although we are dealing with some poor air quality due to the fires from the Prairies. We are still enjoying our deck though.

This past week was good although it seems like a blur right now. This month is virtually done and we don't know where it went. Time is simply going by too quickly. We have a busy August on the horizon with some entertaining, appointments, our anniversary, etc. This morning, I looked at the calendar and realized that Labour Day falls on September 1 this year. It seems early. Soon the Fall Mums will be on sale LOL!

We are thoroughly enjoying our new patio. We find ourselves sitting under the cantilever at times throughout the day while our boys romp around the backyard. Merlot and Sherlock are enjoying the tall grass from the newly established sod. We will not cut it for at least another week. It is growing nicely, thanks to Russell watering it diligently morning and night. The grass is also growing well along the flower beds. Not stepping on it makes a difference. 

Our daylilies are spectacular this year. I love the combination of the purple and yellow. Our rudbekias are not doing so well in the back garden. Not sure why, they simply haven't grown much. We think there is something in the ground that is killing them. We might have to dig up that garden bed one of these days. For now, it is what it is 😏

That's my blog for today, short and sweet. I leave you with photos taken during the week. You will notice a "certificate" that Russell gave me for my birthday...now I have to choose a visiting team, likely one of the original six teams. Exciting!

Have a great week everyone and I will write again in August! 

A Muskoka chair for two! These 
guys know how to make themselves
right at home.

Morning routines on the deck, 
Merlot lounges while Sherlock
parades with the giraffe.

The morning dew and a few sprinkles of water
from the sprinkler sure seem tasty to these boys.

Don't leave your chair at the kitchen 
table unattended or it will be 
claimed by Merlot and Sherlock.

The new sod is getting long and it is nice
and cool to wade through while on patrol.

The side path creates a nice welcome
to the new patio, we love the clean look 

The daylilies are doing nicely in the back 
garden.

My 'certificate' to a HABS home game
with an overnight....can't wait.

Spicy and Cooper taking a small break while
on a walk at Edgewater Park, July 31, 2020.

All done!

Happy Sunday everyone! It's cloudy and a little on the cool side. We had some rain overnight, it's good for the new sod.

Our backyard renovation is all done. All got wrapped up on Wednesday. The finishing crew worked really hard to finish it all that day, despite the high temperatures.  This project was seamless and with no amount of stress. All in, it took about four weeks. Not bad considering that we had some rainy days to slow things down a bit.  

We are very happy with the way it all turned out. Bronson and his team did an amazing job. Now we can fully enjoy the rest of the outdoor season. It felt good to put away most of our baby gates although we will be keeping the area along the flower borders blocked off for a while as we seeded. Our boys are happy to have their full yard again.

We spent the past few days reorganizing a few things. Russell set up his barbecues strategically. For the time being, the Big Green Egg is where the old VegTrug used to be, which we gave to one of the workers.  I haven't decided yet on how I will grow my herbs next year. On Friday, we set up our cantilever umbrella. It looks nice. We also found a new spot for our bench. Things are coming together.

We planted two cedar trees on the side of the house. As they get taller, they will block off the view from the street. We also planted a Limelight Hydrangea which acts as a focal point as we enter the backyard. It is those little details that make a difference. 

Merlot and Sherlock are doing well. They got to see Errol yesterday, who came for a visit. After he left, I did some retrieve in the backyard. We hadn't done that for a while and it was a good way for them to expel some energy.

That's my blog for this Sunday. It will be a quiet day although our boys are getting a much needed bath. They don't know it yet LOL!

Have a great week everyone!

Sherlock and Merlot tethered to the
post of the front door...calmly 
keeping an eye on the comings and 
goings on the street.

Backyard aerial photo taken in the Fall of 2024
before the reno.

Backyard aerial photo taken July 19, 2025
after the reno, the patio is now about 480
square feet.

A delightful Limelight Hydrangea
is a focal point on the way into
the backyard.

The teak bench has found a new resting 
place under the shade of the Japanese maple.

The boys enjoy a good tussle on the 
new sod.

Airing out the new patio umbrellas.

Merlot and Sherlock love to cuddle
with Russell in the morning.

Sherlock and Merlot decided to 
mob me! It was a true love fest!

Cooper and Spicy had a very special
bond and they enjoyed surveying
the backyard from the deck...
July 30, 2022.

Mid July heat wave

Happy Sunday everyone! It's 6:45 am, we're on the deck enjoying a quiet Sunday morning. It's very peaceful, a little background music and the sound of the birds. Our boys are side by side, pretending to sleep but they are keeping their eyes out for either squirrels or birds. 

This past week was very productive. The stone work was completed on Friday. Tomorrow, Bronson (the boss) will come by and we will do a walkthrough to finalize details that need attention... river stones/mulch here and there, weeding the flower beds, some planting and sodding. Then the finishing crew will show up. It is expected that they will be here for 2-3 days.  The excavator will be brought back to remove most of the grass at the base of the patio. There is lots of levelling that needs to be done before sodding. It's all coming together very nicely.

We ordered a large cantilever umbrella along with a matching BBQ umbrella, which were delivered on Friday. We got them from Midtown Umbrellas, 100% Canadian company from Mount-Royal. We are still thinking about what patio furniture we will need. We are also rethinking whether we will use the VegTrug again. A more refined herb planter might look nicer. So much to think about LOL!

Despite the care taken to minimize the dust, we hosed down everything once the stone crew left on Friday. Yesterday, Russell washed all the windows, including the deck glass panels, which were due for a wash anyway. They are spotless. Russell is the best window washer going! 

Merlot and Sherlock are doing well. They will soon regain full access to their backyard. We still don't let them out loose in the patio area as there is a lot of debris and crushed stones.  We take them out on a leash until they reach the safe zone.  Both have baptized the new patio, well done boys 😍 

Last week brought some very sad news. Our friend Roland lost his son at the young age of 49. He died of a heart attack. He leaves behind a wife and two twin daughters. Roland was our next door neighbour in Mississauga. He lost his wife seven years ago. We have stayed in touch with him ever since we moved away and do a video chat every few weeks. Terribly sad.

This coming week should bring the end of our backyard project. It's good to have it all done by mid July. We still have many months of enjoyment until the snow flies.

That's my blog for today. It will be another hot one. We just had a brief sun shower.  Have a great week everyone!

Merlot and Sherlock on deck doing backyard
surveillance...nothing escapes their attention.

Aerial view of the completed stone work, the 
patio is now about 20 wide by 24 feet in
depth.

The little nook where the VegTrug
or planter will reside...

This photos shows the nice dry
laid stone border, the new deck
skirt and a few weeds (they will 
soon be gone).

Russell like his 'new' BBQ station, 
it is very secluded.

Nothing better than chilling with me
inside when it is 34C outside.

We are considering changing Merlot's name to
"Flopper", he loves to flop on his back.

Sherlock has his routines and here
he is in post breakfast lounge mode.

It is the stand-off with the boys and
the carrot is the tug toy. No one
gave in.

BFFs, they shared almost everything including 
this chair...Cooper and Spicy, August 1, 2021.