Happy Canada Day! Bonne Fete du Canada!

I hope you are all having a nice and relaxing long weekend.  As for us, all is good.  To say that Huntsville gets busy during the long weekends would be an understatement.  It is crazy busy with the tourists and the cottagers.  On Thursday, I went to Robinson's Independent grocery store in the morning and I could not believe the line ups.  But I will say this, that store is extremely customer focused so in the end, the line ups were not so bad as all the cashiers were working and they are very efficient.  While I was waiting in line, I had fun looking at what people were buying:  all the necessary goodies for the long weekend.

We had a busy week with all kinds of running around and appointments.  Cooper had his agility class on Wednesday and, for the first time, the Coop and I ran the course while we were timed.  Cooper had 16 obstacles to go through and he did it in 41 seconds.  The maximum allowable time in agility trials for that particular course would be 45 seconds.  So, we were pretty happy with our first run.  It was supposed to be our last class but we decided to extend it for 5 more classes.

On Tuesday, although the weather was not perfect, we decided to venture out on the boat.  It was quite windy so the water was very choppy, especially in the middle of Vernon Lake.  It didn't seem to bother Cooper, or us for that matter, but we came back to shore after 45 minutes.  Today, however, we went out and it was a beautiful day with lots of boats on the water.

It is hard to believe that tomorrow is the first of July.  On the 26th, we will be celebrating our first year in Huntsville.  Wow, where did the time go? We often think about what we were doing this time last year, getting ready for the move and all.  The people that bought the lot next to ours are now building their house.  They should move in sometime next year.  As for our neighbours down the road, John & Terri, they moved in April and are now settled in. Terri and I will be "beautifying" the entrance garden to our private road.  A small project that we will start in the next few weeks.

That's about it for this week. We are now relaxing on the deck and enjoying a nice summer day.  Russell, Cooper and I wish you all a great holiday tomorrow and a great week ahead.

The "Coop" chilling on 'his' Muskoka chair!

Cooper sporting his Canada Day bandana...courtesy of his groomer  girlfriends.

Wishing you all a nice summer!

The first day of Summer was on Friday and we have had glorious weather since, despite a few drops of rain early Saturday morning.  It was supposed to rain today but it has been the perfect Summer day so far.  It is sunny, very warm, with a nice breeze.  Russell did some work outside and I sat on the deck with the Coop for a few hours.  We played some retrieve with his favorite toy and we had some quiet time.

We didn't go on the boat today as the weather person was calling for some rain and thunderstorms.  Although the sky was clear, since we are still "newbies" when it comes to boating, we thought it would be best to stay ashore rather than risk being on the water and face a sudden, unexpected storm.  The forecast still calls for rain and thunder.  We did go for a nice boat ride last Wednesday.

We had fun at agility this past week although we didn't get timed running the course as we thought we would.  I think this will happen this week.  Cooper did well, so did I, although I still need to work on my "footwork".  The front and rear crosses still confuse me.  If I'm confused, then so is Cooper.....but we are coming along nicely.  We will be extending our classes to the middle of August so this will give us a chance to get even better at it.

As the expression goes, we live in a small world.  While walking at Fairy Vista Trail one day this past week, we came across a retired couple on bicycles.  When they saw Cooper, they stopped and wanted to know if he was a Havanese. It is not often that people can tell what breed he is.  It turns out they have a Havanese of their own...and what's more, the two Havs share the same sire.  Now, what are the odds of running into some people who have a Havanese who is actually Cooper's half brother!  Maybe one day the two siblings will run into each other in Huntsville.  It is a small world after all!

Last Friday, we went to Novar to have lunch with Heather.  We met her 9 year old dog, Regina.  Her and Cooper got along really well.  She has a beautiful house and very nice property.  We went for a walk with our dogs.  It was quite nice.

All is good for Russell and I.  Russell now works out with a personal trainer twice a week and really enjoys it.  I continue with my fitness classes and I even use the indoor rowing machine as an additional cardio workout. Thank you to Russell for suggesting this as he uses the rowing machine as his gym and thought it was a nice change to the elliptical machine.

All of our plants are starting to grow nicely and haven't been touched by the deer except for one or two.  I am quite pleased with how things look and cannot wait for everything to double and triple in size.  I attach a few pictures that Russell took this past week.  As for the little fawn that we saw last week, we haven't seen it since although the deer is still protecting her turf so we assume that the baby deer is still around somewhere.

That's it for this week's blog.  I hope you've all had a great start to Summer.  As for us, our dinner tonight will reflect the taste of the new season:  Caribbean chicken on the BBQ.  Have a greet week everyone!

Side yard....old fashion wooden wheel barrow.

Anne' s perennial garden in process!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Fathers Day to all dads out there, including fathers to loving pets!  A special Father's Day wish to my dad and to Russell's dad who is watching us from up above.  Today, we had the pleasure of having George and Marietta over to our house for lunch.  They arrived from Geneva last night and made the long trip out to Huntsville just to see us.  It was truly nice to see them again.  It was a very nice afternoon.  We also lucked out at it was pouring rain when we woke up but the sun came out just before they arrived.  We wish both of them a great week in the GTA!

This past week was a great one, as always.  We had a good agility class with Cooper on Wednesday.  He continues to do well and I am getting the hang of it also.  During this coming week's class, Cooper and I will be timed as we run the agility course.  Pressure is on me! Cooper will do well only if I do well :-)

We went for a nice boat ride on Friday.  The weather was perfect and the water was relatively calm.  I attach a couple of pictures that I took of Russell and the Coop.  Cooper seems to really enjoy the boat. When we came back from the boat ride, we went to Cathy and Larry's Huntsville guesthouse for a late afternoon drink.  I used to work with Cathy and I ran into her at Home Depot a few weeks ago.  I knew she lived up North but didn't realize she lived so close to us.  It was nice to see her and Larry again, as well as meet their beautiful Newfounland dog Sola.  Cooper and Sola got along really well.  I attach the link to Cathy's guesthouse.  It is a beautiful house, which they renovated themselves. The perfect place to rent for anyone wanting to spend a few days in Huntsville.

Last week, I wrote about the various critters that we have been seeing.  Russell saw a martin the other day, going across our septic berm.  It is not as big and dangerous as a fisher.  Yesterday morning, we got treated to a deer and her newly born fawn.  They were both just outside our back deck and Russell managed to take a few pictures.  Later on in the afternoon, as Russell was walking around the back deck, he noticed that the fawn was actually laying down under our deck.  We can only assume that the mommy deer put her baby there so it would be protected while she roamed around during the day.  We patiently waited to see what would happen next.  Sure enough, the deer came back around 4 pm, and her baby came out of its hiding place to follow her. They left together and went into the forest.  We haven't seen them since. What a beautiful sight it was. That is truly nature at its best.

That's it for this week's blog.  I hope you enjoy the pictures. Have a great week everyone!

Doe and her fawn navigate the berm.

Mother and child dash off into the woods.

Russell and Cooper...enjoying the ride.

Cooper at the helm.

George and Marietta visiting from Geneva...nice!

Wild week

Since we live in Huntsville, I might as well talk about the wild life that we see from time to time. Not that it's a big deal but it's something to talk about.....This past week, we saw a number of critters. I saw my first fisher about 50 yards away from Cooper's dog run, down in the valley.  We knew they were around but to actually see one made my skin crawl....Cooper would be a great appetizer for the fisher.  So, as usual, we are extremely vigilant when we are out with him, always keeping an eye out for those critters.  Then, on our way to Port Carling, we went through Bracebridge and saw a big black bear right downtown, peering into an RV parked in someone's driveway.  On Thursday morning, as we were about to leave for Toronto, Russell was out on the front deck and saw a big porcupine, slowly making its way to the forest, outside of Cooper's dog run.  Again, my skin crawls just thinking about Cooper coming head to head with a porcupine.  Finally, yesterday, I went to a local garden center (Sandhill Nursery) and as I was driving back home, I saw another black bear about to cross the road but he changed his mind when he saw me coming.  I guess I was driving too fast.....

Other than that, we had a busy week.  We went to Toronto to get our hair cut and stayed overnight.  We had a nice dinner at Dimmi's in Yorkville. We did a bit of shopping but didn't find the things we were looking for.  While we were away, Cooper stayed with Darlah and Nathan and had a great time, as usual.  Aside from playing like a fool with all the dogs, he became acquainted with Abigail's litter, her 5 week old pups.  He was very gentle with them and wasn't afraid of their small size.

The weather has been somewhat crappy lately, cold and rainy.  Today, however, was a sunny and warm day.  We went for a boat ride and I put my new boating license to test.....not for long as I don't care much about piloting a boat (do you drive or pilot a boat...not sure).  Cooper seemed to be enjoying himself.  We had lunch on the boat and had a few treats for the Coop also.

I finished all my planting, for now anyway.  I am quite happy with the result.  We will take pictures later this week, didn't have time for this blog.  The deer seem to stay away from my plants, at least for now.  We know they are around as we see them every day on our septic berm.  Time will tell if our plants are truly deer-resistant.  We are not about to put chicken wire all over our property just to keep the deer away.

My dad turned 80 yesterday, a big milestone.  My mom gave him some fancy coloured bermuda shorts which he really likes.  I didn't ask for their permission but I am posting a picture that my brother took of them yesterday. They both look good.  I hope they don't mind.....

That's it for this week's news.  Have a great week everyone!

Anne takes the helm on Lake Vernon!

Denise and Larry on his 80th birthday !

Deer Resistant Garden....

Apparently there is such a thing as a deer-resistant garden, or so we're told.  Sure, the deer are pretty and fun to watch but, as someone we know said, this is not a Disney movie and if Bambi wants dinner,  our garden is a free buffet and no reservations are required.  So, we are planting 'deer-resistant' plants, keeping in mind that the deer haven't read the list.  If they are ravenous, they may become less picky about what they eat.  Having said this, I have spent the past few days planting perennials that are considered deer-resistant because of their fuzzy leaves, intense fragrance or nasty taste.  Here's what I planted, most of it in the rain: 3 Bleeding Hearts, 9 Cranesbill Geraniums, 9 Potentillas, 3 Yarrows, 3 Lavenders and 6 Astilbes.  I have 30 plants of Sweet Woodruff  and 30 plants of Vinca Vine to plant tomorrow.  Last week, I planted 9 Ornamental Grasses, 9 Purple Leaf Sand Cherry trees and 60 Black Eyed Susan Plants.  Do you see a pattern here?  Everything is a multiple of 3...... crazy isn't it?  So far, the deer have nibbled on 3 of the Purple Leaf Sand Cherry and on a few of the Black Eyed Susans.  Time will tell if what I planted is truly deer-resistant. I am not done planting.  We have a lot of ground to cover still.  Matt will be building us, or rather Russell, a fancy woodshed/toolshed in the next month or so.  Once that is done, I will continue the planting in that area.

This past week went by quickly.  We went to Montreal to visit our parents.  I spent some good quality time with my mom and dad. I took my mom shopping for some new clothes.  She has lost a lot of weight so she needed new pants and tops.  My brother made a lobster dinner on Sunday night.  I hadn't had lobster in probably 15 years or so.  It was very good.  Russell also spent good quality time with his mom.  He is helping her get organized for her July move.  She will be moving to a one bedroom apartment.  While we were gone, Cooper was at Camp Talemaker and was having a grand time.  He played non stop and was tired when we brought him home.  For the first time, he slept in until 7:45 am the next morning.

Russell emptied our hot tub and refilled it with fresh water.  It is always good to do that once in a while.  He also cut the grass in Cooper's dog run for the first time this year.  The grass is actually very thick and very green. And, Cooper ran like hell in the wet green grass and his feet were very bright green....thank gawd he was going to the groomer and whitening shampoo that same day!

Cooper's agility class went well this week and he truly impressed the trainers.  It was hot and muggy, and it rained for some of it.  Cooper went up the A Frame and the teeter totter with no fear.  That class was actually a lot of work for both Cooper and us, non stop from the beginning.

We didn't go on the boat this week due to the weather.  It is supposed to be sunny for the next few days so hopefully we will go.  We are going to Toronto later this week for our haircut.  Cooper will be going to Nathan and Darlah's again for one night. He is looking forward to it :-)

That's about it for this week's blog.  It is now 5 pm, and the temperature has dropped to 12 Celsius.  It is quite cool and very windy, but at least it is not raining or humid. I'm including two pictures that we took today of the planting.  We will take more when the weather is better. I wish you all a great week ahead.

Front porch planter!

Planting along the path to the backyard area.