Oh Deer.....

Not sure if this means that the holidays are almost over, but our friendly neighbours, the deer, have been eating away at our outdoor Christmas tree.  They have been coming everyday, many times throughout the day and even at night, and they take chunks of our Douglas Fir tree and just eat it up!  I must say it is fascinating to watch from our kitchen window.  We've even had Cooper sitting on the counter top so he could watch. He is also fascinated by the sight and doesn't make a peep.  I attach four pictures that Russell took yesterday. He has appropriately captioned them.....

I hope you all had a great Christmas and that Santa was good to all of you.  As for us, we had a quiet Christmas, not as "merry" as I was hoping for.  My Mom took sick on December 23 and has been in the hospital ever since.  She is quite ill.  Needless to say that Christmas was emotional for all of us, especially for my Dad.  I will be travelling to Montreal this week to see my Mom and give support to my Dad.  I do not know what the prognosis looks like but I do know that she has a long road ahead of her. I pray that she recovers and that the new year brings her and our family brighter days.

During my absence, Russell and Cooper will hold fort in Huntsville.  The "boys" will hang out and keep each other company.  Despite these difficult times, Cooper always manages to bring a smile to our faces and for that, we are grateful.

I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year!

Not me....I didn't eat a thing...seriously...it was the other two!

The 'tree' amigos......

Not M&M's...not Glossettes...yep, deer processed Douglas Fir!

A relaxing nap on the berm chewing their cud post the Christmas tree feast.

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noel!

Here we are, just a few days before Christmas.  In Huntsville, it will be a white one for sure!  We  got about 10 centimetres of snow on Friday, a few more to come today.  It is truly a winter wonderland outside, the trees are covered with snow and the deer continue to slowly nibble at our outdoor Christmas tree.  As for the indoor tree, Cooper has lost complete interest in it.  He doesn't even try to nibble at the ornaments.  Good for the Coop!

Yesterday, we went for a nice walk in the neighbourhood.  It was sunny and cold but we were dressed for it.  Cooper had his fleece lined Muttluks on and was comfortable.  There was no need to put his coat on.  I am saving this for the -20 temperatures!

This past week was uneventful.  Like everyone else, we had errands to run and things to do.  We watched a few Christmas movies on TV and I baked a few more cookies.  Last Sunday, we had some neighbours over for drinks and nibbles.  It was very nice and Cooper was a good host.  Yesterday, the Winter 2013 edition of Our Homes Magazine, Muskoka, came out and we got to read the article about our house.  Once I have the link, I will include it in a future blog. It is kind of fun to read about ourselves in a magazine!

It will be a quiet Christmas, just the three of us, our first Christmas in our new home.  As I am writing this blog, I can't help but think of the families who have lost some loved ones or who are going through some difficult times.  Christmas is not always a happy time for many and can also be emotional even at the best of times. Having said this, I wish you all the very best for Christmas.

Anne and Cooper stroll down Forest Hill Lane...everyone has boots on and fur trimmings!

I include a picture of the Coop and I taken yesterday during our walk.  I also include a video that Russell put together yesterday.  Enjoy!

Life is precious

Just as we are all getting ready for the festive season, so many lives have been turned up side down. The senseless tragedy that took place last Friday is making us realize, once more, how precious life is.

So, here we are, just a little over a week to Christmas.  We are as ready as we can be.  The house is nicely decorated and the holiday music is playing non stop.  We do have some snow, although I suspect that it may be gone in a few days.  We have freezing rain at the moment, and it will rain later today and tomorrow.  So far, winter has been kind in terms of temperatures and precipitations but I do prefer snow to rain at this time of year.  So, let's hope for a white Christmas.

Our inside Christmas tree has been up for almost a week now and we haven't had to take down any ornaments.  Cooper has been tempted a few times to sniff them but we have quickly stopped him.  Kuddos for the Coop.  I can't say the same about our outdoor tree.  The deer have been around it,  eating away the branches ever so slowly.  We do not mind as it is such a pretty sight to see them "rocking around the Christmas tree" from our kitchen window.

Other than the deer, we have been granted the visit of a flock of wild turkeys this week.  As we were coming up our driveway, right in front of our house, there were about 24 turkeys, parked and gobbling away.  We literally had to wait for them to walk away before we could park our car.  Needless to say that Cooper was intrigued.  He didn't bark but was rumbling away at them.  When you see two dozen turkeys or so, all in one pack, they are quite impressive.  Of course, we didn't have our camera with us.

Russell and I had our first visit with our new dentist and we were impressed.  The staff is very nice and the office is well appointed with the latest dental equipment, and it is 10 minutes from our house.

This blog is a little short this week.  I feel somewhat subdued by the events that took place in Connecticut. Having said this, I have to get my act together as we are having some neighbours over this afternoon for a little festive gathering.

Cooper 'posing' in front of the Christmas tree...wishing he could run with an ornament or two!

I wish you all a very good week.

Choosing our perfect Christmas Tree

When we woke up this morning, Russell said "let's go get our Christmas Tree".  It was the perfect day for that since we had fresh snow on the ground, the sun was out and the roads were fairly good.  Russell had already found a place, Copeman Tree Farm in Sundridge, about 45 minutes North of Huntsville. So all three of us got in the truck and headed for Sundridge, with our saw.  It was actually a nice drive on Highway 11 North, although the road was partially covered with snow that fell yesterday.  This is our first natural Christmas Tree ever so, when we got to the farm, we weren't sure how to go about getting our tree.  First, we found out that dogs are not allowed at the farm.  At first, we were surprised since this is an outdoor place but we quickly understood why:  if dogs start doing their "business" against the trees, those trees become "marked territory" and you can imagine what can happen once you bring the tree home.....  all this to say that we promised Rick, the Christmas Tree cutter, that Cooper would be a good dog, and he was.  We walked amongst many rows of trees just to find the perfect tree.  We didn't need the saw after all as Rick had a chainsaw.  So, today, we bought our perfect Christmas Tree.  It is outside at the moment, in a bucket of water.  We will wait until Cooper is at day care tomorrow to bring it in and put the lights on.  It will be fascinating to see how he reacts to the tree.  Something to write about in my blog next week, in addition to a video that I will put together.

This past week was rather busy.  I wrapped up my Christmas baking on Tuesday. It took me longer than I thought.  I got a little carried away but I enjoy it. Then, we went to Montreal for a few days to visit our families while Cooper was at Camp Talemaker.  It was a short but very nice visit.  I spent quality time with my parents and Russell did the same with his mom.  We flew back yesterday and picked up Cooper at Nathan and Darlah's.  We were happy to see him.  As usual, he was exhausted from playing almost non stop for two days.  He slept all the way home, and then some more.  When we left Toronto, it was raining and plus 5.  As we were getting closer to Huntsville, it started to snow and was 1 degree.  We got about 5 cm of snow.  It was so pretty to see the snow on the trees.  I attach a picture that we took this morning when we woke up.

This coming week will be busy.  Russell and I have dentist appointments, hair cuts, Cooper has grooming and day care.  In between those appointments, we want to buy another Christmas tree for outside.  I also have to start stocking the pantry and fridge with Christmas "nibbles".  We will have friends coming over throughout the holiday period so I want to make sure that we are properly "stocked".

That's about it for this week's blog.  It is now 4:30.  Cooper is patiently waiting for his dinner, Russell is watching football and I have a pot roast in the oven.  As I am writing this, I look at our view and it is truly spectacular with the snow covered trees.  I really hope that the snow is here to stay, although we are expecting freezing rain tonight.

Rick cuts while Anne and Cooper give 'direction'.

Rick ensured the tree was 'perfect' before cutting.

Sunrise and freshly fallen snow....perfect combination.

Until next week, have a great week everyone!

It's beginning to smell like Christmas...

I do not consider myself a baker, as a matter of fact I can't say that I like baking that much but I do enjoy baking at Christmas time.  I especially like sharing my baking with friends and family.  As always, Russell makes himself available to try the cookies when they come out of the oven.  As for Cooper, well, what can I say, he watches me in the hopes that I will drop some crumbs on the floor.....no chance of that happening my friend!  I am ever so careful, especially if I bake with chocolate, which is a big no no for dogs.  All this to say that I started my Christmas baking today. A little bit of Christmas music has helped put me in the mood.  So, it's been a good Sunday, although a rainy one.  The snow that we had has all melted.  I never thought I would say this but I much prefer snow to wet and soggy grass.  Cooper has been out a few times despite the rain but not for long.  He doesn't care much for the rain.  I do hope that we will get snow again before Christmas.

This past week was uneventful.  For the most part, it was cold and cloudy but we did get quite a bit of snow.  The plow came twice in one week.  We went for a few walks and Cooper got to wear his Muttluks.  He has not forgotten about them since last year.  When it was time to put them on, he simply got on the couch and we put them on.  He was, however, hopping and prancing all over the house with his boots on.  He is truly a funny dog with such an amazing personality!

We started decorating our house for Christmas.  We bought a few wreaths for the outside doors and one for inside.  Our stockings are up, waiting to be filled......I had a few Christmas teddy bears and wasn't sure where to put them so that they were out of Coop's reach. Russell found the perfect place for them:  in the nook of one of our beams.  They look down on us and Cooper cannot reach them, although he thinks he can.  I will take some pictures in the next few weeks.

As promised, I attach a mug shot of Russell taken with his "Moustache".  He went a little over board and  grew a full beard.  He then trimmed it to what you see in the picture.  He will keep it until his Mom sees it then it will come off, so he says.  I don't mind either way.

This week will be busy.  We will be visiting with our family and Cooper is off to Camp Talemaker.  Last night, I was reading Darlah's blog and some of the comments that people have posted.  Lori, who owns Scruffy, referred to Nathan and Darlah's place as Camp Talemaker.  I quite like that.  It is a fun place for our dogs to go to and have lots of fun, in addition to being so well taken care of.   So that is where Cooper will be for a few days this week.

That's about it for this week's blog.  Russell is watching football, Cooper is having a nap before his dinner, and I may start a new book.  I wish you all a good week and hope your holiday preparations are going well.

Christmas cookies anyone?!

A Huntsville chin warmer.....grown for Movember!

Wintery window box

It's a start....I took advantage of the beautiful warm weather last week to fill the window box that Matt made me with wintery greens.  It looks as nice from the outside as it does from the inside.  That's about all I've done in terms of Christmas decorations so far.  Not quite in the mood yet but that will come.

Kind of a slow Sunday today. We didn't sleep very well last night:  the colder weather is making the logs crack at night and it keeps us awake.  Thankfully, it doesn't seem to bother Cooper.  He sleeps like a log most nights :-)  I am a light sleeper so it doesn't take much for me to wake up.  So this morning, we took it easy and even had a little nap before lunch.   We also went in the hot tub for about 30 minutes and I now feel somewhat revived.

This past week was relatively quiet. We went for a few nice walks with the Coop.  We also finished raking the last of the leaves and split more fire wood. Cooper had a great time playing outside.  I ran after him during one of his plays and I wiped out on the stone patio around the fire pit.  I hurt both knees and my right wrist.  My knees are now purple and yellow, my wrist is hurting a bit but it's not so bad.

Russell and I had our "meet and greet" meeting at the Nurse Practitioner Clinic.  We spent one hour with the nurse who took note of our medical history.  It is quite a nice clinic and is only 10 minutes from our house. We also got our flu shot. That is where will go for our basic medical needs such as annual physicals and prescription renewals.

The grading of our private road was done and what a difference it makes. The road is much smoother to drive on.  Our driveway didn't get rebuilt as planned, we hope it will be done this week.

I really don't have much more to report this week.  I guess this past week was one of those ordinary weeks for us, with nothing special happening.  Nothing wrong with that.  But I can't say it was the same for our breeders, Nathan and Darlah.  One of their Havanese, Spice, had her first litter and gave birth to 9 puppies.  All are doing well except for one who is fighting for her life.  We have been following her progress daily. As of this morning, the tiny pup was still hanging on, thanks to the amazing care provided to her by Darlah and Nathan.  As with all the people that acquire a Havanese dog from them, we have become close to them and follow their tales daily.  We hope the little one pulls through.

So, this is Grey Cup night.  Russell will watch it,  I will read my book and Cooper will do whatever he wants to do.  Although we had nothing special planned for this coming week, it is shaping up to be a bit busy.  Tomorrow, we will have a screen door installed in our basement.  We have visitors coming on Tuesday and I need to start my Christmas baking.

Christmas greenery in the kitchen window box.

I wish you all a good week and may the best team win tonight!

Carport or Gazebo?

The more I look at our newly constructed carport, the more I agree with Darlah:  it is a great gazebo!  Johnny K, Casey and Ali worked on the carport all week and finished installing the shingles yesterday.  All that is left to do is the pine T&G and the lighting.  So, for now, we are using the carport to store our cars and Russell's tools (lawn mower, wood splitter, ladder, etc) but who knows, we may have a party in there one day!  This carport has 8 white pine log posts, which have been adzed.  It is solid.

This past week was quiet.  The weather was very nice and relatively mild for this time of year.  We didn't do much other than a bit of shopping, went for a few walks and I bought the ingredients for my Christmas baking.  Tuesday was especially quiet.  I made the mistake of spending a bit of time reading my book in the morning.  I ended up finishing the book at the end of the day.  I couldn't put it down.  It was one of those days where doing nothing but read a book was the only thing on the agenda.  It was nice.

On Thursday, we had lunch with Linda and Peter, our neighbours down the road.  They are the co-developers of the lots in this area and we bought our property from them.  They are very nice people and they know the ins and outs of Huntsville.  Linda knows all the neighbours right down to their middle name.

Friday, we had the visit of Heather, the realtor that we used when we bought our property.  She hadn't seen our house yet.  She was very impressed with the craftsmanship.  To quote her, "there is so much to see, it's hard to take it all in".  She is very nice.  She has built more than once so she knows many of the trades people and has a lot of contacts.  She also has a dog and takes her dog to the same doggie day care that we do.  Heather confirmed what many people had already told us:  never take your dog to a certain doggie day care, which is the place we originally thought we would used when we first moved to Huntsville.  We cringe when we hear the stories about that place. Enough said about that.

This week will be a bit busy.  Russell and I will have our "meet and greet" meeting with the Nurse Practitioner Clinic tomorrow.  We found a new dentist, 10 minutes from our house, so we will be making our appointments for the end of the year cleaning and check up. The grading of our private road will also be done this week, as well as the rebuilding of our own driveway.  It will be good to get this done before the frost sets in for good.  We have also finalized our snow contract, both for the private road and our driveway.  We will take advantage of the nice weather to split more wood and clean up the remaining leaves.  I also want to buy some boughs and twigs and fill up our window box.

That's about it for this week's blog.  We will be going to Port Carling this afternoon to check out the Christmas store as well as a few other little shops.  We are starting to think about Christmas decorations and Christmas trees for our new house.

The gaz-port or is it the car-e-b o?

Have a great week everyone!

A Year in the Life of Cooper, the Havanese

November 9, 2011.  I remember Russell and I waking up very early that day.  We felt like kids on Christmas morning. We were excited yet anxious in a good way.  It was the day that we picked up Cooper at Nathan and Darlah's house.  We had arranged to pick him up at 10 am.  I remember getting there early so we drove around a bit.  We didn't want to seem too anxious....That day was the beginning of a new journey for Russell and I.

This past year with Cooper has taught us a lot about ourselves and about having a dog - kudos to Cooper for those lessons.  I want to start by saying that it is a serious long term commitment and it should not be underestimated.  We knew from the start that it would require a lot of work and patience to raise Cooper, otherwise we would not have made the decision to get a dog.  So we prepared ourselves as much as we could but the learning curve was a little steeper than we anticipated. We relied on Nathan and Darlah's expertise on more than one occasion, and for that we were grateful.  We read books, took all of his training and obedience classes very seriously and did all the things we were supposed to do.  I can honestly say that, in the end, all of this hard work has paid off and we find ourselves today feeling very comfortable in our role as dog owners.  But it was an adjustment, in more ways than one, and our patience and endurance were tested more than once in the past year. I could tell every new dog owner that it is not always a walk in the park (pun intended) at the beginning, but the end result is worth the time and effort in getting there.

So, what did we do with Cooper this past year?  When we got him, he was 6 months old so we missed the early stages of the puppy phase and he was house trained.  We did have to retrain him once he got to our house until he got used to his new home.  It took Russell and I a little while to anticipate his needs as Cooper was not very vocal when it came to wanting to go outside to do his business.  He would just stand by the door and if we didn't see him, oops...only a couple of 'oops'!

Over the course of 7 months, Cooper completed four levels of Obedience and graduated with Honours.  We started his schooling at Who's Walking Who in Ajax and carried on at Scholars in Collars in Burlington. During that time, in between classes, we invested a lot of time at home practicing his commands (sit, stay, down, come, drop, heel, etc).  We also spent a lot of time playing retrieve and all sorts of games which involved the use of commands also.  Russell and I have both become quite good at training and playing with the Coop. I have learned a lot from Russell on that front.  I remember writing, in my November 20, 2011 blog, how important it is to sound enthusiastic and animated when calling commands and that I had to work on it.  It is something that I didn't have in me, unlike Russell.  But I am happy to report that this is not the case today.  I am actually quite crazy when it comes to playing with Cooper and I use a strong and commanding voice when calling commands.

This past year also brought Cooper's neutering.  That in itself was an experience which we would rather not go through again.  It was far worse for Russell and I than for Coop.  Again, this was a first for us and we were quite the doting parents.

In the spring, we started taking Cooper to doggie day care and took him to a grooming salon.  We felt it was time to give him some space and allow him to be separated from us.  He enjoyed his time away from us and was always a happy dog when we picked him up.

Then, came the preparation for the big move to Huntsville.  The weeks leading to the move were busy and somewhat stressful for Russell and I.  They say that dogs can sense how we feel, and this was no different for Cooper.  He could sense that we were up to something, his house was beginning to look different, boxes were in his way and we didn't have as much time to play with him.  When we physically moved, Cooper stayed at Nathan and Darlah's for four nights.  And it was a good thing.  First, it kept him safe and away from the chaos of moving in, and it gave us a chance to get his new house in order.  Remember, this blog is called Huntsville Log Home, Cooper's Kingdom.

So, what has changed for Cooper since we moved to Huntsville?  Well, first, he had to get used to a new house, find his way around.  Unlike our previous home, Cooper now has the full run of the house. It has been designed, not only with us in mind, but with Cooper in mind also.  It is dog friendly with lots of open space and a few dutch doors to keep him from escaping to the outside when the front doors are open.  The move to Huntsville has also meant that Cooper had to get used to different sounds.  Huntsville lacks typical city noises such as airplanes, sirens and ordinary traffic.  It has different noises, and because there are few of those, they seem louder.  For instance, since we are on a private road, and since we are the only ones living here for now, there is no traffic to speak of.  So, the sound of a car coming up our gravel road becomes more noticeable to Cooper and he will alert us to it. He is "the Muskoka doorbell'.  The sounds of wolves or coyotes are also something to get used to, even the sounds of chipmunks, which drive Cooper crazy because he wants to chase them.  The sound of the rain or the wind at night is something to get used to, especially for a dog.  Somehow, those sounds, when all is quiet around us, seem louder.

Cooper also had to get used to the wildlife.  We have deer living on our property all year long.  There are at least seven of them.  At first, Cooper would bark at them and they would go away.  We have taught him not to bark and he now simply watches them as if they were his new found friends.  For us, the wildlife also means that we have to keep Cooper away from the bad critters such as porcupines and fishers.  We have not seen fishers yet but Russell saw two porcupines while taking Cooper out at night a few weeks ago.  Thankfully, they were on the other side of the fence but we have to be extremely vigilant when taking him out at night. Sure we have lights on but we know that those critters can be fast and they will not hesitate one second to attack a small dog like Cooper.  Having said this, we are not overly paranoid and we have to give Cooper the space he needs.  But we are careful.  He is never outside on his own without one of us being there to keep an eye on him. That is life in the country for a small dog.  It is also about getting mucky sometimes and god knows what the winter will bring!

Having said this, I think that Cooper has adapted well to Huntsville and to the country life.  He loves the outdoors, we have discovered many nice trails with him, he loves his groomer Teresa and his daycare buddy Brennan.  He is welcome to all the stores in Huntsville.  This gives us the opportunity to practice various commands and work on his manners when greeting people.  While on walks, he gets to meet other dogs and he no longer barks when meeting a new dog.

Our first year with Cooper has been an absolute joy.  I mentioned above that Russell and I are now comfortable in our roles as dog owners.  This does not mean that our job is done. On the contrary. We believe that Cooper is a well balanced dog and we want to keep him that way. We continue to train him, day in and day out.  Sometimes, we have to "reload" and work on a specific command. We have added agility exercises to his repertoire and this keeps his body and mind in good shape.  A typical day in Cooper's life means playing, training, napping, eating, and most importantly being loved.

I have enjoyed writing this blog and going back in time (fitting for a Remembrance Day).  We look forward to many more years of happiness with the Coop. I will end by sharing with you what we enjoy doing the most with Cooper:  it is called "The Three Way".  Russell gives me a hug, Cooper's tail starts wagging, Russell asks Cooper if he wants a "Three Way".  His tails wags even more. Russell picks him up and the three of us hug and kiss.

Ready to retrieve...am I concentrating or what...woooof!

Got it..on my way back...woof...woof!

Ready to make the drop for the next round!

Come on throw it...I'm not tired..woof...woof!

I attach a few pictures taken this morning of Cooper playing with his favorite toy:  the famous empty plastic Perrier bottle.  Enjoy!

A time to remember

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day, a day to remember the thousands of men and women who sacrificed their lives in military service.  Many events will be going on tomorrow as a result and the weather forecast is promising.

For those of you who like to read my weekly blog, you are in for a treat:  I am doing two blogs this weekend.  A short one tonight, to recap the week, and another tomorrow, which will be all about Cooper.  You may recall that I mentioned last week that Cooper has now been with us for one year.  My second blog tomorrow will be all about the absolute joy and trials and tribulations of that first year with the Coop.

This past week went by very fast.  We got the professional pictures that were taken of our house in early October. They are very nice.  I attach two pictures of the front and back of the house, courtesy of Sandy McKay.  We also reviewed the article to appear in Our Homes Magazine in December.  It will be a good article.

Good progress was made on our carport thanks to Johnny K and the heavy timber posts are ready.  Matt will continue the work this coming week.

Well, hunting season is now in full force in the Muskoka.  This week and next week is prime hunting time for deer and bear.  You would not believe how many people we saw on the road, trucks and hunting equipment in tow.  Today, on our way to and from Mactier, we saw two men dressed with an orange jacket and equipped with their riffles, going in to the forest to hunt something.....I had never actually seen hunters with their gear on so I was quite impressed.  I wasn't so impressed when we saw, on our way home, a deer carcass gutted and hung to dry on the front porch of a house.  Now, that is totally gross if you ask me.  I can still picture that poor deer hanging dry from that house on highway 141.

Now, you will want to know where is Mactier and why we were going there.  Mactier is about 100 km  from Huntsville, on Healey Lake. It is one of many communities in the Township of Georgian Bay.  We went there to visit Martin and Dawn and their little dog Rylee.  I used to work with Martin and we have kept in touch since I retired.  They have a beautiful cottage, on the lake, and a lot of the work has been done by Martin himself, with the great help of Dawn.  We had a nice lunch and it was really nice to see them again.  Cooper and Rylee had a ball and no doubt they will sleep well tonight.

That's about it for this blog.   Have a nice weekend everyone!

First Movember post.....

As you can tell by the title of my blog, Russell is helping change the face of men's health by growing a moustache this month.  Good for you Russell and I can't wait for the end of the month :-)  I will post a picture once the moustache is fully grown if ever!

This new month has also brought our first snow fall of the season.  On November 1, we woke up to a beautiful outdoor scenery of white snow.  Needless to say that Cooper was absolutely crazy when we took him out first thing in the morning.  He didn't care so much about doing "his business" but more about running in the snow.  There is something about snow that dogs just love and Cooper is no different.  He especially loves eating the snow.  So, this appears to be the start of winter in Huntsville.  Although we have been expecting this kind of weather, I must say that we were not quite prepared.  We had to go buy snow shovels and our snow contract has not been finalized yet.  We also need to get better organized in terms of the best way to bring Cooper into the house without dragging in too much snow....but we have a plan.

This past week was a good one, although the weather was terrible, as it was in many parts of the country.  It was dark and rainy most days and I must admit that I now look forward to the sunshine that is in the forecast this coming week. Our treadmill was delivered and we have already made good use of it.  We are not training for a marathon, we simply want to be able to get some cardio exercise in, especially when the weather is not good for outdoor walking.  We also put together our infrared sauna.

On Wednesday, the editor of Our Homes Magazine came over to interview us for an upcoming article. The interview took two hours.  It was fun to talk about the whole process that we went through to build our house. The article should be in the December edition of the magazine. I will post the article when it is published.

On Thursday, Matt and Johnny K started building our carport.  It should be ready in about 4 weeks.

This coming week is shaping up to be a bit busy.  We have a few appointments lined up and Cooper will go to daycare tomorrow.  On Friday, we will mark the first year anniversary of having Cooper with us.  It will be a special day.  It is hard to believe that he came into our lives one year ago.  I will write more about this next week.

Today will be quiet day although we will be going to a little town called Baysville this afternoon to check out a few stores.  There is one store in particular that may have some interesting Christmas decorations.  The rest of the day will be spent in front of the fireplace with a good book.  Russell will probably watch football.  As for the Coop, he will be roaming around the house having a good time.

That's about it for this week's blog.  I include two pictures:  one taken one year ago when the foundation was being prepared and a picture that Russell took when it snowed this past week. Amazing how much has changed in one year! I also include the link to a video that was done using photos by Sandy McKay, the photographer who took pictures of our house a few weeks ago.  This video will be part of Matt's revamped website.

A deer having breakfast in the freshly fallen snow.

Our home 1 year ago today...

Have a great week and I hope you enjoyed the extra hour of sleep!

Cooper's Boneyard.....Spooky..

They say that dogs bring out the best in people.  Dogs also bring out the kids in us, at least Cooper does, and we had fun taking a few pictures in the spirit of Halloween!  I hope you enjoy them.

It is a quiet and rainy Saturday afternoon so I thought I would write my blog now.  This is one of the first weekends since we moved to Huntsville that we have nothing to do.  I mean nothing.  The weather is not helping as it is far too wet to go for walks and play outside with the Coop.  We are cocooning and it is kind of nice.  Russell is building a fire and Cooper is having a nap while I'm blogging.

This past week was a good one.  Russell and I went to Toronto on Wednesday for an overnight stay at the Park Hyatt Hotel.  We first dropped off Cooper at Darlah and Nathan's place for a visit.   It was nice to see them again and Cooper was in his element playing with the Talemaker crew.  He even got to play with Jeannie, the newest addition to the Talemaker Family.  A 13 week old Havanese who came to Canada just a few weeks ago from the Germany.  She is an amazing little puppie and she played well with Cooper.  As for Russell and I, we had a good time in Toronto.  We had a nice lunch at Sassafraz then went shopping.  Amongst other things, we were looking for some decorative pillows for our leather couches and found them at Pottery Barn.  It was important that those pillows be soft enough for Cooper to sleep on...... it took us a while to find the right ones. So far, he seems to like them.  Have I mentioned lately that he is a little spoiled?  It was a nice getaway for Russell and I.  We even indulged ourselves in a manicure then had a nice, informal dinner at Dimmis in Yorkville.  We really like that restaurant.  It is not pretentious and the food is good.  We could not believe how busy it was for a Wednesday night.

We woke up early on Thursday morning and picked up Cooper at 9:30.  The traffic out of Toronto has not changed, it is just as crazy at is used to be.  On our way home, we stopped in Barrie and bought our treadmill.  It will be delivered later this week.  We look forward to using it, especially during inclement weather.

On Friday, we received approval from the Town of Huntsville to begin the construction of our carport.  The work will start in two weeks.  Matt will be building it.  It will be an informal carport, which we may turn into an enclosed garage next year. But for now, the carport will be useful to store some fire wood and other items, as well as protect our cars from the snow.

This coming week will be uneventful except for Wednesday.  The editor of Our Homes Magazine will be coming to our house to interview us. The article will focus on our log home and life in Huntsville.  We do not know when the article will be published but I will be sure to attach a copy to my blog.  Wednesday is also Halloween and since we are the only house on this new private road,  it is unlikely that we will have any trick or treaters.  But we are ready if we do get some. If we get none, then I guess we will have to eat the mini chocolate bars...

Cooper exploring the Goblin!

Seems he is saying, "Woof, this isn't so scary"!

That's about it for this week's blog.  I will now settle in front of the fire and browse the few Christmas magazines that I bought today.  This will be our first Christmas in our new house so we look forward to decorating it and getting our first real Christmas tree ever.  I wish you all a good and safe Halloween!

Family and Friends

This past week started with the visit of my brother last Sunday and ended with the visit of some good friends yesterday. Francois spent two nights with us.  Despite the cloudy and sometime rainy weather, we had a great time and we were able to even go on the deck on Sunday night and breathe in some fresh Muskoka air.  We showed him the Town and had a nice lunch at a restaurant by the water, while Cooper was at day care. We also did a bit of shopping.  I bought myself a nice little plaid Woolrich duffle coat and a throw blanket for the Muskoka room. As you can see from the picture below, it didn't take long for the Coop to get comfortable underneath the blanket....So, my brother's visit was a good one and I look forward to his return next year.

The rest of the week was relatively quiet.  Russell had our snow tires put on, I raked some leaves and  went for a few fitness walks.  I also made a batch of some butternut squash soup which was delicious.

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of having Nelson & Maggie and Paisley & Steve over for lunch (Nelson, Paisley and I were colleagues when I worked at JTI).  We had a great time and it was really nice to see them again.  We talked about all kinds of things and shared some good jokes.  I am tempted to share one funny topic of discussion that the guys indulged us in but since this blog is available for anyone to read, I will restrain myself.  Needless to say that we shared some good laughs.  The weather was not the best but we were able to walk around our property before they left.  Russell had a nice fire going all afternoon, Cooper was on his best behaviour and I enjoyed having everyone in our home.  Although Russell took a few pictures, most of the pics were taken by Maggie and Steve.  I look forward to seeing those when they are available.  For now, I include one picture although it is not of the whole group.

This week will be a busy one.  Russell and I are going to Toronto, or as my friend would say, "down South", for an overnight stay.  We will be staying in Yorkville. There are a few things that we want to purchase and can only get those items in Toronto.  While we're away, Cooper will be having a great time at Nathan's and Darlah's.  It's been a while since he has been there and he misses his Talemaker friends.  We are looking forward to also seeing the Talemaker crew.

Today is a quiet day.  The sun is out for the most part. This morning, we had some good play sessions with Cooper.  He loves his new playroom and plays retrieve like he never has before. We continue to practice his agility skills.  I went for my walk a little while ago while Russell gave Cooper a good brushing and line combing.  The rest of the day will be spent relaxing although I have to figure out what to wear when we go away this week. The dress code in Huntsville is slightly different than in Yorkville.......

Anne and Francois....

From the left, Nelson, Steve and Anne.

Cooper 'nesting' in the new blanket in the Muskoka room.

I wish you all a good week!

Cranberries make me jumpy!

Did you know that there are three commercial cranberry farms in Ontario and two of them are on the outskirts of Bala, a little town of about 500 full time residents located 60 minutes from Huntsville.  Bala is well known for its Fall Cranberry Festival, which attracts over 20,000 tourists every year.  The festival is always held after Thanksgiving weekend, which coincides with the start of the cranberry harvest.  So, on Friday, we went to the Bala Cranberry Festival.  It was packed with people and the weather cooperated for the opening of the Festival.  The sun was out and it was not too cold.  We walked the streets and visited the outdoor vendors.  Cooper had a great time, and as usual, he was stopped by people who wanted to pat him.  Two ladies were actually following us and then stopped to ask what kind of dog we had.  They both thought he was so well behaved and just loved his coat.

So, it goes without saying that there are lots of cranberry foods to be had at the Festival......tarts, loaves, sausages, candied apples, popcorn, cheeses, wine and of course juices. We brought home a few cranberry tarts which were delicious.  Bala is truly a small town..... we ran into our former neighbours from Mississauga, who have a cottage near Huntsville.  They were at the Festival with their great dane, Willow.  You may recall that they visited us a few weeks ago.  It was nice to see them again.

This past week was uneventful.  Cooper had his Lepto vaccine booster on Wednesday.  Again, as with the first shot, we were anxious to see if he would have a reaction but he did not.  So, a good job done and we feel good about it.  Russell's back is better, following his fall last Sunday.  We had a lot of rain this week so the leaves are almost gone.  The weather has been quite rainy lately except for a couple of sunny days here and there.  We hope the sun will be shining more as we approach the winter.

A few weeks ago, we ordered an agility set for Cooper and it arrived on Tuesday. It didn't take long for the Coop to get the hang of it.  He really enjoys it and it is good exercise for him physically and mentally. This morning, we had carpet installed in our basement so we now have a nice area for play and training.  I attach a couple of pictures taken a few minutes ago of Cooper in action in his newly carpeted play room.  I plan on doing a video of his agility skills soon.  We also moved his grooming station to the basement for the winter.  He will still have a nice view while being groomed.

On Friday, our new wine fridge was delivered.  The one that we moved from Mississauga stopped working and the broken part was no longer available.  Cavavin, the maker of the wine cellar, made us a replacement offer, as such, we now have a brand new wine fridge.  It came from St-Hubert , Quebec, and was delivered to our front door.  Yep, even in Huntsville things can be delivered to our house!

Not much going on this coming week other than getting our snow tires put on.  However, the week is starting on a good note, with my brother arriving later this afternoon.  He will be spending two nights with us.  The weather is not too good but we will have a good time just the same.  This will be his first visit to Huntsville.  Tomorrow, Cooper will go to day care for a few hours while we show Francois the town and have lunch somewhere.  We look forward to seeing him. Cooper can't wait to wake him up in the morning!

That's about it for this week's blog.  I wish you all a good week.

Thanksgiving wishes!

Russell, Cooper and I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.  We hope you will spend it anyway you want and have a good time.

As for us, it is our first Thanksgiving in Huntsville.  It is a beautiful day and the air is crisp.  The bird is in the oven, Russell is building a fire and Cooper is napping.  He had a busy day, running outside in the piles of leaves that I made and we played retrieve with his new favorite toy, an empty plastic bottle of Perrier with just enough water in it to make it easier for us to throw. Simple but effective!

Our day started at the usual time, around 7:30.  The weatherman was calling for -3 Celsius overnight and he was right.  When we woke up, it was, shall I say, a little cool outside and the deck was icy.  This took Russell completely by surprise and sure enough he fell on his left side while taking Cooper out.  He hurt his back and bruised his arm.  He will be stiff tomorrow.  I hope it doesn't get worse.  This morning,  I went for my first walk all by myself in our neighbourhood.  This was more of a fitness walk than a stroll so I decided to walk to our mail box.  No big deal, only 2 km each way.  It felt weird though to walk with hardly any traffic around, except for two cars that passed me and three deers.  With no traffic to speak of, you can really hear the noises in the woods so I was mindful of my surroundings. I had my bear bell with me just in case.  I do need to buy a proper walking stick for protection in case I come face to face with some unwanted species... It was a good walk just the same and I plan on picking up our mail every day, whether permitting.

Earlier this afternoon, we spent 30 minutes in our hot tub.  It helped loosen the muscles in Russell's back and it felt good overall.  Cooper just sat patiently on the sitting area around the hot tub, either licking Russell's head, which he loves doing because it is so fuzzy, or just watching the outdoors through the screened porch.

This past week went by really fast, not sure why. On Monday, we went back to Algonquin Park.  We are glad we did as it was the perfect day for it and the leaves were truly at their peak.  Russell took many beautiful pictures.  I attach one of Peck Lake and one that I took of Russell and Cooper.  Tuesday, we went to Limberlost Forest and Wild Life Reserve.  It is about 20 minutes away from where we live and it offers many trails to choose from.  We went on the Turtle and Solitaire trails.  We were the only people there and the trails, although they run along a lake, are completely in the woods but the paths are amazing, wide and covered with pine needles which makes it cushiony to walk on.  Cooper was leading us and had a great time.

Thursday, we took Cooper to day care for a good part of the day.  While he was gone, we ran a few errands and I reorganized our closets.  When we picked him, he was happy but so dirty.  It had rained so the backyard at the day care was a bit mucky.  He ran and played in the muck with two other dogs.  When we got home, we took a few pictures of our dirty dog and then we gave him a bath.  He was back to his old self in no time.

That's about it for this week's blog. This coming week will be busy.  Russell and I will get our hair cut, Cooper gets a vaccine booster, we will sign off on the construction permit for our carport and I will get ready for my brother's visit next weekend, which we look forward to.  I must sign off now and baste the bird.....

Peck Lake, Algonquin Park in glorious color.

Russell and Coop on the trail.

The "Coop"...we love him clean or DIRTY!

Have a great week everyone!

Cooking up a storm!

Retired life means that you are not on a schedule.   My life used to be about schedules and doing things when they were supposed to be done. Not so much now.  So, I'm late writing my Sunday blog.  No big deal.  I know that my "readers" patiently wait for the Sunday post even if it's posted late.....at least I like to think so.

I've been cooking up a storm since about 9 am this morning.  I made a Beef Bourguignon for dinner and a batch of Italian Wedding Soup.  I had actually planned on making the beef dish for dinner last night but I got sidetracked. Although yesterday was a cloudy day, we decided to go for a short walk into Town just to get some fresh air. I figured I would cook the beef after our walk and lunch.  It takes about 3 hours to cook so it would be ready in plenty of time for dinner.   On our way back home, we picked up our mail from Friday and this is why I got sidetracked: there was a bill from Bell Canada or rather a notice that our payment was past due.  Well, that really got me going because we had paid our bill on time. I couldn't help myself, I decided to call Bell to find out what was going on.  You see, we asked Bell two weeks ago to combine our phone, internet and satellite bills into one.  Simple request one would say.  Not so much when it comes to Bell.  It seems that the left hand doesn't talk to the right hand.  The payment we made did not get transferred to the new account.  It took three phone calls, three different people, and 78 minutes of my precious time to finally resolve the issue.  Needless to say that after that phone call, I wasn't in the mood for cooking and my plan to make a nice slow roasted Beef Bourguignon didn't materialize until today.

So, here I am writing my blog on a late Sunday afternoon after I did all my cooking, made lunch and went for a nice walk with Russell and Cooper to look at the Fall colours. On our way home, we ran into some of our friendly neighbours, the deers, and Cooper did his usual rumble.  We are teaching him not to bark at the deer as we are, after all, sharing our property with them! Cooper is now having a well deserved nap and Russell is building a fire using the wood that he split this morning.  He got himself a wood splitter which makes it easier to cut the wood.

This past week was very nice.  Cooper went to daycare on Tuesday for a good part of the day.  We used that time to clean up the brush around our house.  We made a few piles and we plan on renting a chipper to chip away the brush.  It looks much cleaner now but we still have some work to do.  On Wednesday, we went to Algonquin Park and walked two of the 19 trails.  It was a very nice day and the colours were almost at their peak.  I include a few nice pictures that Russell took.  We wanted to go back today but it looked like it was going to rain so we may go tomorrow instead.  The trails are very well maintained and the degree of difficulty of our trails was moderate (as opposed to easy and difficult).  The trails are quite narrow and lots of little hills.  Cooper seemed to enjoy it very much and, of course, his little paws got somewhat dirty.  He is such a country dog!

On Friday, a professional photographer hired by Matt came to our house to take pictures and do a video.  It took him a little over 5 hours to take the pictures.  In a few weeks, the editor of a magazine will most likely come to our house to interview us for an upcoming article.  I will write more about this when I have more details.

This coming week will be quiet. Cooper goes back to daycare on Thursday and he gets a bath on Friday. Russell and I will continue to clear up the brush, weather permitting.

So, that's about it for this week's blog.  I will post this shortly and then read Darlah's Talemaker Havanese blog.  I now not only read her blog but all the comments that various Talemaker Havanese owners write.  I must say that I truly enjoy reading those and at times I even throw in my two cents worth.

Whiskey River rapids

Splash of green in the pine forest.

Algonquin 'fire'.

Anne and the Coop on the trail!

I wish you all a good week, leading up to Thanksgiving weekend.

One year ago today.....

September 23, 2011 was my last day at work.  I can't believe it's been one year since I retired.  Wow! So much has happened in one year:  we got our little Cooper, we built a house, we sold a house and moved to Huntsville and lots happened in between these events.  It's all been good, with some ups and downs but mostly ups and with no regrets.

This past week was good.  We had our "meet and greet" appointment with Dr. Jason, Cooper's vet.  What a nice doctor.  We spent 40 minutes with him and chatted away.  He took the time to examine Cooper, listened to his heart, felt his joints and thought he was a healthy little dog. He also checked his teeth and was impressed.  Cooper still weighs 17 pounds and that is a good weight for him.  Dr. Jason thought he was lean and really liked his coat.  One of the things we wanted to talk to Dr. Jason about was whether we should give Cooper the Leptospirosis vaccine.  There is a lot of pros and cons with the vaccine especially for small dogs.  We have done a lot of research so we were well prepared for a discussion with the vet.  In the end, we made the decision to give him the vaccine and it was done on the spot.  The decision was made not because we live in Huntsville, if anything we should have had it done while we lived in Mississauga. Leptospirosis is more often than not due to exposure to racoons and what they leave behind....and we know that the racoon population is actually very high in Mississauga.  All this to say, that we feel good about our decision.  It goes without saying that we were concerned about a possible reaction as it can happen but Cooper had none. After the vet visit, we actually went for a walk on a trail that happens to be close to  Dr. Jason's office so that if something happened we wouldn't have far to go.  When we got home, there was a phone message from Dr. Jason who wanted to know how Cooper was.  We thought it was very nice of him to take the time to call.

Cooper went to day care on Tuesday.  He spent 4 hours playing with his new found friend Brenna.  It poured rain that day so they played mostly in the house. Russell and I had planned on doing some work outside but the rain stopped us.  Instead, we went shopping and I made some soup. When we picked up Cooper in the afternoon,  he was happy to see us and slept for a few hours once he got home.  He will go back to daycare this week.  It is good for him to be with other dogs and we plan on doing this on a regular basis.

The rest of the week was quiet.  It rained quite a bit so we did not go on many walks. On Wednesday, Alex, the blacksmith, delivered the screen, grate and tools for our fireplace.  They are beautiful.  We had our first fire and it was nice.  We had a gas fireplace in Mississauga so we had forgotten what it was like to have a real fire.  The smell of burning wood is so nice.  Russell bought an axe so we can now split the wood that is piled up in front of our house.

On Friday morning, the phone rang, and it was my good friend Diane calling all the way from Geneva. It was so nice to talk to her.  We miss seeing Diane and George.  Hopefully, during one of their trips to Canada in 2013, we can have a visit.

We ended the week with a visit from Gord and Karen yesterday.  The weather was rainy and windy but we had a fire going so it was toasty in the house.

Today will be a quiet day. It is a beautiful Sunday morning, sunny and 2 Celsius.  When the temperature warms up, we will go for a nice walk and enjoy the fall colours.  The leaves are starting to change quite quickly now.

First fire in the fireplace John Davidson made....very impressive design/construction and super efficient..thanks John!

Alex Otto, master blacksmith - delivers our screen, grate and tools...awesome workmanship!

Have a good week everyone!

They made it all happen!

Yesterday, we hosted a get together for Matt, his family and all those that helped Matt built our beautiful house.  It was fun, informal and the weather cooperated.  Russell barbecued and we spent most of our time on the deck while the kids (the oldest "kid" being 16) played hide and seek in the house.  Cooper was a good host and played his favorite game:  running away with someone's shoe.....The group picture was a nice way to end the gathering.

This past week went by fast.  Alex Otto, master blacksmith, came to our house on Monday to measure the fireplace.  He is making our screen, grate and tools.  They will be beautiful.  Like Matt, he is a true artisan in his own trade.

The construction on the lot next to ours started last week so there's been a lot of activity around our neighbourhood.  There is also a house being built on a lot further down our private road.  We will have neighbours probably in the spring.

Other than that, not much else to report.  We try to take advantage of the nice weather and spent time outdoors as much as possible.  We bought a small little book which lists all the trails in the Muskoka area.  We have tried a few already. This week, we will buy a treadmill so that Russell and I can keep up our walking during the winter months.  From what people are telling us, the winters in Huntsville can be somewhat "interesting".  We shall see.......

Last week, in my blog, I said that our lives were back to normal.  It is true but I should have said that our lives are back to a "new normal" as Russell describes it, and rightly so.  Daily things that used to be done in a certain way are now done in a different way.  Our routine has somewhat changed and there is nothing wrong with that.  We get up no earlier than 7:30, sometimes 8 am.  We even wake up before Cooper sometimes.  It must be the Muskoka air.  Of course, being retired, means that we are not on a schedule so it really doesn't matter what time our day starts. One thing that is not normal is to be recognized by name when we go to town.  Last Thursday, as we were picking up Cooper from the groomer, Dave, the person that delivers the mail to our super box, was in his Canada Post red car and called us by name!  Then, when Russell went to Home Hardware, he was greeted by Brian, the sales associate, and he even asked how Cooper was.  Now, this only happens in a small town!

That's about it for today's blog.  It is a beautiful, but cool, Sunday morning.  When we woke up, it was only 5 celsius but the sun is warm and it is nice to sit on the deck all bundled up.  Not much going on this week.  Tomorrow, we will take Cooper to our new vet, for a "meet and greet".  On Tuesday,  Cooper will go to doggie daycare for a few hours just to give him a chance to play with other dogs.  During that time, weather permitting, Russell and I will start cleaning the brush outside our house and get the fire wood piled up properly.

I wish you all a good week.  Enjoy the fall weather!

The ladies lounging.

Matt's Team

Sitting by the fire.....

Last Monday night, we had our first camp fire.  It was truly nice to be able to do this.  Thanks to Russell for giving the idea of a fire pit to our landscapers.  We roasted some marshmallows (what else!).  Next on my grocery list are graham crackers and a chocolate bar, all the makings for some good s'mores!

We had a quiet week and I truly believe that our lives are back to normal now.  It was nice to be able to go about our days without having to wait for a trade or repair person to show up.  The weather was nice for the most part.  We went for a few walks, one of them on a trail in the woods.  We expected to see people walking but we were the only ones.  I must say that I was a little skittish at first and kept looking around for bears or other critters.  Cooper, on the other hand, was happily walking the trail and went about his business as if he was walking the streets of Mississauga.

On Monday, we went to Sandhill Nursery, about 20 minutes from Huntsville.  It is quite a large nursery and they have an amazing gift store.  For our anniversary gift, we bought ourselves a pub style table and high chairs for our deck. It is red and adds some nice colour to our deck.  I cannot wait to see what that store has for Christmas.  Speaking of Christmas, we have found the perfect spot in our house for a Christmas tree.....

On Tuesday, we went to Utterson to meet with Alex Otto from Stoneridge Ironworks. He is a master blacksmith and he will make our fireplace screen, grate and tools.  He does amazing work.  While we were there, Cooper played with his dog, Buster, a golden lab.  Buster is two years old and seemed a tad intimidated by Cooper.  Cooper may be a small dog but he can be quite dominant when he wants to!

On Thursday afternoon, our former neighbours from Mississauga, Steve and Tanya, came for a visit with their great dane Willow.  They have a cottage about 25 minutes from where we live. It was really nice to see them.  We got to know them from walking our dogs in Mississauga.  They actually have a second great dane, Wilson, but he was visiting his own friends in Burlington.  It was quite something to see Willow walk around in our house, along side Cooper. She is such a big dog and yet she walks with a lot of grace.  We were very impressed by Cooper and how he was behaving with Willow.  He was being playful with her in a very mature way.  He certainly was not intimidated by Willow's size.  I wish we had taken a picture of the two of them.

On Friday, we went for a nice walk in the area where the G8 summit took place a few years ago. It goes without saying that a lot of money was spent outdoors to make the place look nice and we get to take advantage of it when we walk. Lots of plants, flowers, grass and nice sidewalks.

Yesterday, it rained almost the whole day, as I believe it did in most parts of Ontario.  Despite the rain, we decided to go to Port Carling for a drive and check out a few antique stores.  We were actually lucky as it stopped raining while we were there.  We were able to walk up and down the streets and check out many little stores. It was a very nice and enjoyable day.  I stopped at one little store that sells things like preserves, jams, cookies, etc.  I bought a small bag of fancy little one-bite shortbread cookies.  When I got home, at looked at the label and, sure enough, they are made in Oakville, on Kerr Street, Elm Hill Cookies.  Here I thought I was buying something unique to Port Carling!  Nevertheless, I had never heard of these cookies while we lived in Mississauga so I can almost say that they are from Port Carling....

It is sunny this morning and the forecast for the week looks very nice, although the nights will be somewhat cool (as in 5 celsius).  That's OK.  It will be nice to wake up to radiant heated floors....  Patricia and her husband Ken are coming over for lunch today.  We look forward to seeing them.  Patricia was instrumental in helping us choose many of our light fixtures and the furniture for our Muskoka room.  She will get to see our house for the first time.

This coming week will be a bit busy. All three of us have "grooming" appointments, hair cuts for Russell and I and a bath for the Coop.  Saturday, we are having a "you helped build our house" get together for Matt and his family and all those who worked closely with him.  They are invited with their spouse and children. It will be informal and fun and we look forward to hosting them all.

I wish you all a good week! I attach two pictures:  one of me by the fire pit and the other taken on Tuesday morning, from our kitchen window. Nothing beats looking out a kitchen window and seeing a beautiful deer.