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.

Great weekend!

What a beautiful September Monday morning.  I was hoping to post this blog early this morning but we all slept in! The weather for this Labour Day weekend has been wonderful.  I hope you are all enjoying some good times with family and friends.  Russell, Cooper and I had a great weekend.  My good friend Eve spent some time with us this weekend.  It was really nice to see her again.  This was her first trip to our new house and she had a great time.  After a light lunch on Saturday, I took Eve to Huntsville to show her the town and all the little places that I have discovered.  It was fun.  When we got back home, we sat on the deck and just chilled for the rest of the day.  We hadn't seen Eve for a while so we had a lot of catching up to do.  Russell barbecued pork tenderloin and it was delicious.  We finished the meal with a wonderful olive oil lemon cake made by Eve.  She learned how to make that cake while in Tuscany this past July.  It was so yummy.  We stayed up until 11 pm, chatting away and watching the stars.  What a beautiful night it was and the moon was amazing.  There were no bugs or mosquitoes either. Cooper was sleeping on the deck, feeling safe and secure with all of us. I should add that Cooper quite enjoyed Eve's company and it was reciprocal.  I think Cooper has a thing for Eve :-)

What else happened this past week...Russell and I celebrated our 30th anniversary on Tuesday.  We took Cooper to daycare while we enjoyed a nice lunch at Tall Trees restaurant.  We had a very good meal and and it was a nice way to celebrate this special milestone. Cooper seemed to have enjoyed his time at daycare.  When we picked him up, he was actually having a nap with Brenna, the doodle that belongs to the daycare owner.  I think they have become good friends.

On Thursday, Matt, Ali and Axel came by to finish off the few things that needed to be done to our house.  The mantel is now installed and it is beautiful. It is made out of a big chunk of pine.  Matt even put in three pegs for our Christmas stockings.  Before they left, we had a few celebratory beers to toast the end of this big project.  It was indeed a big project and Matt is and should be proud of his work. The only thing left to do is the garage.  We need to finalize the plans and submit the construction permit.  This will be done in a few weeks.  The garage should be built before November.

This week will be a quiet one.  Tomorrow, we will go to Utterson (a little town near Huntsville) to meet with the blacksmith who will do our fireplace screen.  Other than, it will be a normal week for us, probably our first one since we moved here....which means that we will not be waiting around for people to show up to do things.

I attach two pictures of Eve and I taken yesterday morning and a picture of our fireplace mantel. The lithograph of Robert Bateman that was given to me as a retirement gift has finally find its resting place!

Have a great week everyone!