Sitting on the dock of Hunters Bay....

We woke up this morning to a beautiful and very cold sunny Sunday.  We thought it would be the perfect day to sit on a dock.  So, we bundled up and off we went to Hunters Bay, about 10 minutes from our house, where slip number 8 is awaiting the arrival of our new boat. Yep, we bought a 20 foot Bennington pontoon boat, with 25 inch pontoons and a 90 HP motor.  Pretty exciting.  It will be delivered to us sometime in May, just in time for the start of the boating season.  Now, all that is left to do is for us to get our boating licence. Oh...and the name of our boat will be....yes, you guessed it:  The Coop!

This past week was uneventful except for buying a boat.  On Wednesday, we woke up to -33 temperatures.  That was the coldest day in Huntsville so far this winter.  Cooper was scheduled to go to doggie day care for the day but we cancelled.  All school buses were cancelled and the roads were very icy.  When we took Cooper outside to do his business, it was just for a few minutes.  When a dog walks on three legs, you know it's cold.  We did go in the hot tub and that was cool.....the tub was at 104 degrees. The hot tub is in the screened porch and just a few steps from our bedroom, so, getting in and out wasn't so bad.

It is hard to believe that the month of January is almost over.  It went by very fast.  It is also hard to believe that my mom has been in the hospital since December 23.  She was transferred to a rehab centre in Montreal this past Thursday and she will be there for about 3 to 4 weeks.  With the help of her rehab team, she will regain enough strength and mobility so that she can return home and be functional.  I spoke to her today and her spirit is very good.  My dad visits her daily.  I look forward to seeing both of them when we go to Montreal early February.

Not much else is happening for us.  Russell is continuously taking beautiful and interesting pictures of our vista.  I attach a couple of winter scenes taken this past week.  We have been in our house for 6 months now.  It feels like we have lived here much longer.  As promised a few weeks ago, I attach the link to Our Homes Magazine, the 2013 Muskoka Winter edition ( the PDF file can be downloaded by clicking the blue link ).  The article about us is in it. The editor also added some interesting notes on page 8.

Anne and Cooper sitting on the dock....slip #8!

Gated entrance to the docks at Avery Beach, Hunters Bay.

Trees dusted with snow and frost.

Sunshine on the snow...icy jewels.

The weather for this coming week will be crazy to say the least.  On Tuesday, the forecast calls for +10 and rain.  That's it for this week's blog.  I will now dream about "sitting on the dock of the bay watching the tide roll away".  I wish you all a great week!

Can turkeys fly?

Ahhh...one of life's little mysteries has been answered.  Yes, wild turkeys can fly and we saw one on our tree this morning.  At first, Russell thought it was a big bird but it definitely was a wild turkey.  I attach a picture that Russell took of the turkey at 7:30 this morning.  He had his camera on the deck and was hoping the turkey would flap its wings but it didn't cooperate.   After doing a little research, I discovered that, although wild turkeys can fly, the turkeys that we eat do not.  Wild turkeys roost in trees.  I never knew that.

Well, last week when I wrote my blog, we had no snow to speak of. What a difference a week makes.  We now have plenty of snow and the forecasted frigid temperatures for the week will not melt it any time soon.  Although it is very cold, it is truly beautiful out there and the sun is shining...bonus!

This past week was rather busy.  We had a few appointments early in the week, then on Thursday we went to Toronto.  We first dropped off Cooper at Nathan and Darlah's then made our way to Oakville.  We had some shopping to do at Ren's Pet Store, then went to Sherway Gardens to buy a few things. We stayed in Yorkville for two nights. It was really nice and the weather cooperated, although a bit cold.  On Friday morning, we met up with our friends and went to the Toronto Boat Show.  We spent a few hours at the show and got some good information.  We are very much interested in buying a pontoon boat and we saw the one that we would like.  We need to do a bit more research and we also have to secure a slip where we could dock the boat. So, perhaps more on that later.

Cooper had a great time at Camp Talemaker.  He not only played with his usual buddies, but he also got to meet and play with 8 week old puppies.  He was not at all intimated by their small size, and it is my understanding that the small pups were not intimidated by his larger size :-)  When we got home, Cooper slept for what seemed like forever.  Fun play for two full days will do that to any dog!

I would be remiss if I didn't give a little of bit of news about my mom.  She continues to improve.  She is now waiting to be transferred to a rehab centre once a bed becomes available.  This will help her regain her strength and mobility.  She will most likely be there for 3 weeks or so.  My dad visits her twice a day and his visits usually coincides with her breakfast and dinner.  This gives her company and my dad has even helped himself to a few of her desserts.....my dad has a sweet tooth, what can I say.  So, things are looking up.  Russell and I will be going back to Montreal in a few weeks.  This will give me a chance to see my mom and dad again, and Russell will visit his mom, who will be celebrating her birthday in February.  

This week is shaping up to be a cold one for most of Quebec and Ontario.  Good to know that we will not be the only ones freezing....Mr. Winter is back.

A turkey roosting in a tree...he is in the middle of the photo!

About 1/2 a foot of snow now sits on the roof of our home...adding to the insulation!

That's about it for this week's blog.  I wish you all a great week.  I attach a wintery picture that Russell took this afternoon.  Stay warm!

Where did the snow go?

When Russell took Cooper out this morning, there was no snow to speak of on the ground.  Cooper was even walking around in circles,  looking for a spot of snow so he could do his business.  Seriously!  He eventually found a tiny bit of snow along the fence and that was good enough for him.  What a meltdown we've had, us and many others in Ontario and Quebec.  I never thought I would say this but I much prefer snow to wet grass at this time of year.  It is so much better for the dog, less mucky and so much cleaner.  Oh well, I must not forget who is in charge of the weather...

This past week came and went in a heartbeat.  I am happy to say that my mom is making amazing progress and is now out of intensive care.  For an 81 year young woman, she is showing incredible will to recover quickly.  I spoke to her many times this week and everyday her voice was stronger.  She now needs to rebuild her strength.  She asked my dad to bring her makeup to the hospital ...that's my mom!  When I reflect on the past few weeks, and how concerned we were about her long term recovery, well, I have to say that she has surprised all of us, including her medical team.  This is not to say that she will be running a marathon next week, but her recovery is going better than expected.  Very encouraging news. As for my dad, he is doing well and can now spend better quality time with my mom while visiting her at the hospital.  I look forward to seeing them again when we go to Montreal at the beginning of February.

As for Russell and I, we are doing well.  We went for a few walks this week with the Coop.  During one of our walks, we ran into a flock of wild turkeys.  They are funny, but ugly birds, and they sure take their sweet time to cross the road.  Cooper is also doing well.  We were actually realizing the other day that he is almost 20 months old. Wow, such a big boy now!  I read somewhere that once dogs reach the age of one year,  they are no longer considered puppies.....hmmm....I still consider Coop a puppy.

This coming week will be busy.  Cooper will be going to Camp Talemaker for a few days while Russell and I spend a few days in Toronto. As usual, Cooper will have a great time with the Talemaker crew.  As for us, we have some errands to run both at Ren's Pet Store and Sherway Gardens. We need  to buy a few items that we can't find in Huntsville.  We will also go to the Toronto Boat Show with some friends.   Who knows, we may consider buying a boat.

That's about it for this week's update. It is a cloudy and rainy Sunday, perfect day for watching football or reading a book.  I wish you all a great week!

Wink Wink, Squeeze Squeeze

A wink, a squeeze of the hand, this is how I communicated with my mom while I visited her at the hospital last week.  And it brought a smile to my face because I knew she was responding to what I was saying.  She is still very sick but there are some very encouraging moments that are now taking place.  After I left yesterday, the doctor removed her breathing tube so she can now talk.  Now, that is what I call good news.  My dad called me today to let me know that the nurses were going to lift her out of bed and sit her on a chair.  More good news.  I am happy to have spent some time with my mom and some good quality time with my dad.  I know that she is receiving the best possible care from the nurses and doctors and that she is making progress.

So, this past week, as well as New Year's Day, came and went in the blink of an eye.  Our New Year's Eve was quiet.  We went to bed early only to be awakened at midnight by fireworks.  Now, that didn't go too well for Cooper.  He doesn't like fireworks at all.  He does not bark or whimper but he becomes very unsettled.  We didn't make a fuss about it, only told him to go back to sleep, which he did eventually.  Our New Year's Day was quiet and busy at the same time.  Since I was leaving for Montreal on January 2, I wanted to make sure that Russell and Cooper had everything they needed in my absence :-)

While I was away, my two guys had a good time.  Russell tells me that Cooper was looking for me on the first day but he settled down eventually.  They came up with a routine of their own.  On Saturday, however,  Cooper decided it was time for a little escapade.  Russell was outside shovelling the front steps and had Cooper on a leash, attached to the bench.  Nothing special about that.  Then, when it was time to go in the house, Russell unleashed Cooper and told him to stay.  This is something we do often when we return from our walks.  We unleash him, ask him to stay and let him walk into the house on his own.  However, yesterday, Cooper decided that it was time to explore the driveway.  So he started running towards the driveway.  Needless to say that Russell almost had a heart attack.  Rather than run after Cooper, which could have turned this escapade into a game for the Coop, he called his name and told him to "come" in the strongest voice possible.  Cooper stopped dead in his tracks and came running to Russell.  This reinforces the importance to always practice the various commands used with dogs, especially "Stay" and "Come".

I returned home late yesterday afternoon.  I flew to Toronto and took a shuttle bus to Huntsville.  Russell and Cooper picked me up at the Holiday Inn.  When I got into the car, Cooper literally showered me kisses and licks all over.  Of course, Russell had to drive or he would have done the same thing :-)  I should add that with all the commotion of coming home, I failed to notice that Russell had shaved his beard until he pointed it out to me after dinner last night.  Ooops!

Today is a relaxing day.  It snowed a bit and the weather is mild.  Our deer are back at eating the outdoor Christmas tree.  Good for them. Not much is happening for us this week other than a few appointments.  I will continue to be in daily contact with my dad.

I wish you all a good week!