Brrrr...it's cold outside!

I think that Winter has arrived in Muskoka.  Today was a beautiful sunny day but mighty cold with a windchill of -25 C.  We got snow yesterday but so did many other areas of Ontario.  I think that the snow is here to stay, at least for a while with more on the way tonight and tomorrow.  That's OK because we prefer snow to mud at this time of year.  It is much cleaner for Cooper and nicer to look at. So, when it's cold, we sit by the fire and stay warm.  It appears that Cooper also likes to do the same.

All is good with us.  This past week was rather quiet.  I am in the process of looking for another gym.   I went to FITT Gym yesterday to check them out.  This week,  I will go to Motivations Fitness.  In the meantime, I continue to go to GoodLife and do my own thing.  It is not as motivating as doing fitness classes but I got some good workouts in anyway.

We are slowly getting ready for the holiday season.  I started my Christmas baking yesterday and got quite a bit done.  I normally don't do it that early but we will be going to Montreal this coming weekend and I want to bring my parents some goodies. We will also visit with Russell's aunt and we want to give her some baking as well.  So, it's a good excuse to bake early.  Funny thing with me, when I bake, I have no desire to taste what I make.  I am grateful that Russell doesn't mind...not that I have to twist his arm or anything but he does enjoy tasting the odd cookie.  As for Cooper, he is never far from me, looking for crumbs on the floor.  Unfortunately for him, I am the ultimate "clean up as I go person" so very few crumbs, if any, hit the floor.

This week is looking up to be busy.  Russell and I have dentist appointments, we also have indoor agility on Thursday in Barrie.  This will be the first of three classes that we will attend during the winter. It is also my mom's birthday on Thursday and we get to see her on Friday.

The wild turkeys have been hanging around our property lately.  Must be a sign that Christmas is around the corner...or as my friend Maggie said, they are probably hiding in anticipation of American Thanksgiving.  I took this picture of them in one of our trees.  Quite the sight.

That's about it for this week's blog.  I hope you all have a great week.

Cooper 'chilling' by the fire...smart boy!

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush...what about turkeys?!

What goes on at night....

Since we live in the forest, we often wonder what goes on at night while we sleep.  More often than not,  we hear noises coming from the forest just outside our bedroom windows.  Sometimes, Cooper will hear things before we do.  After all, his hearing is far better than ours.  Our friend Darlah sent us a link a while ago for a critter cam.  That got the ball rolling and we decided to get one.  It is attached to a tree on the side of the house where our bedroom is.  It's pretty cool.  I attach a couple of pictures that we got from the camera this past week.  I'm afraid the deer were our only visitors but we hope to be able to see more night time critters over time.  The critter cam even caught Russell blowing leaves yesterday.  The pictures are not the best quality but it's kind of fun to be able to see what goes on.

All is good with us.  We had a pretty good week and didn't do a whole lot.  Having said this, the week went by like a flash so we must have been busier than I thought.  I find it very hard to believe that we are more than half way through November.  I have to start my Christmas baking soon.  I did get my outdoor winter pots done and I think they look pretty nice.  We had snow the day after so Russell took a few pictures.  The snow didn't last long but it was pretty for a little while.

I found out on Thursday that the GoodLife gym will be closing in Huntsville on December 20.  I am very disappointed.  I was getting into a nice groove and I really liked my classes, especially Spinning.  Although the gym closes in a few weeks, there are no more fitness classes as of now.  So, I have to figure out what to do next, which gym to go to.  I have a few options and will explore them this coming week.   I feel bad for the staff as this news was totally unexpected.

Russell had his snow tires put on and so far, no snow in the forecast, although very high winds for today.  Yesterday, the weather was beautiful, sunny and mild.  On Tuesday, I went for a nice fitness walk with Terri, our neighbour down the Lane.  It was a bit cold so we bundled up nicely but it was a very good walk.  Russell, Cooper and I also went for a walk on Wednesday.  That was also nice and it was good to get some fresh air.  Cooper went to doggie daycare on Thursday and had his usual fun playing with Brenna.

We continue to hear gun shots throughout the day.  The hunters must be doing well....That's about it for my blog this week. I will spend the rest of the day sitting in front of the fire and try to finish my book.  Russell will alternate between watching football and tending to the fire.  As for Cooper, he will follow us around, play with his chews or sleep.  I wish you all a good week.

Winter posts.....ready and waiting for Winter.

Large leaf blowing critter....

Night time bandits on the septic berm.

Smile you are on the critter cam.

Orange is the colour......

Hunting season is in full swing in Huntsville and the surrounding areas.  How can we tell?  Well, for one, I drove by the local butcher's shop this morning and saw this written in their window:  "Run Bambi run or you are on a bun".  Last week, it was a different tag line:   "You drop them, we chop them".    Those are exciting times for hunters.  It is a very serious sport after all.  The deer that visit us should not be in any danger or at least that is what we hope.  It is illegal to hunt in our neighbourhood but one never knows.  For the past few days, we have been hearing gun shots early in the morning and at dusk.  Sound does travel so I am certain that the hunters are no where near our property.....  Having said this, when on walks, people do wear "orange" so that they are seen.  So, I thought I would play the part and bought myself an orange hat., which has now become Cooper's favorite toy.  As for the Coop, well, he doesn't wear his "rack" outside.....We're just having fun!

This past week was quite busy.  We started the week by going to the Cottage Fall Show last Sunday.  It was a good show and Matt and Ali had a very nice display.  Our house was used as the "poster child" of their booth.  We hope the show generates some good business for them.

Russell washed all the windows, inside and out.  Wow, they are really sparkling. We went to the gym a few times and had a few walks with Cooper.  It took a couple of days for the Coop to adjust to the time change but his sleeping pattern is back to normal now.  Can you believe that it was two years yesterday that Cooper came into our lives.  He has brought us so much joy and love.  Although he is now more mature (somewhat),  we still think of him as a puppy.  As for us, we have become very comfortable in our role as dog owners. It's all good.

We went to Toronto on Thursday to get our hair cut.  We did a bit of shopping and had a nice dinner on Thursday night.  We picked up Cooper at Camp Talemaker on Friday morning and drove back to Huntsville.  Cooper had his usual good time while away from us and played his heart out.  He slept all the way home and then some.

Not much else is going on. The weather hasn't been that bad, a little cool but no snow.  Russell will get his snow tires put on this week so I'm betting snow is in the forecast soon..... I will get the outdoor winter pots done as well as the window box, all decorated with Christmas boughs, boxwood and curly willow branches.

I end this blog by remembering all those who fought for us and sacrificed their lives in the military service.  I wish you all a good week ahead.

Cooper and his 'rack'...Anne in her safety headgear...nice orange!

When not playing retrieve with this cap...Cooper uses it to snooze.

Time to Fall back....

Time to Fall back again.  The good news is that we get one more hour of sleep.  The bad news is that as we are approaching winter, the mornings will get darker and darker, so will the nights.  Oh well, you can't win them all.  So, don't forget to turn your clocks back one hour at 2 AM on Sunday morning.  As per my usual habit, I already turned the clocks back earlier today so that we don't forget.  Not that it matters terribly when you are retired but we do have to get up early tomorrow morning as we are going to the Fall Cottage Life Show in Toronto.

In this week's blog, I thought it would be very timely to post a picture of a special clock that we bought in New York City last August.  It has an important meaning to us.  When we moved to Huntsville, Russell's Mom wanted to buy us a clock for our new house but she didn't know what kind. We told her then that we would look for one and when we found it, she would be the first one to know.  So, time when on and we still hadn't found our clock until we walked back to our hotel on August 27 from the Winter Garden Theatre in NYC.  We walked by this unique store, which was still open at 10:30 at night, and saw a doggie clock in the window.  We knew then that we had found our clock.  So we bought it and brought it back home to Huntsville.  Unfortunately, Russell's Mom never got to see the clock in our house but she saw the picture of it and was happy that we had found the right clock.  It has a special place in our house and in our hearts.

This past week was wild as far the weather goes.  Lots of rain, strong winds, even snow and very little sun. It was actually spooky on Halloween night as the winds were really howling.  We didn't get any kids.  We didn't really expect a whole lot but were hoping for a few.  But, given the weather, we were not surprised that no one came.  So, we are left with our mini chocolate bars and will eat a few here and there.....This past week also brought a tow trip for my Mini Cooper.  On Monday, we had to have it towed to the dealership in Barrie as it had an oil leak.  We picked it up on Tuesday.  A bit of a drag if you ask me to have to drive 1.5 hours to get a car fixed.

So, we are going to the Toronto Fall Cottage Life Show tomorrow.  Matt, our builder, will have a booth and we will be there to support and cheer him up.  He has also lined up interviews with a few magazines, one of them being Cottage Life Magazine, and he asked if we would be part of the interviews.  It should be a fun day.  Cooper will spend a few hours at Camp Talemaker while we are at the show.  He will be having a good time as usual.  He will be returning there on Thursday when we go back to Toronto for our haircuts.  So, a busy week ahead.

That's about it for this week's blog.  I wish you all a good week and hope you make the most of this extra hour of sleep!  I include Cooper's Halloween picture as well as the pumpkin that Russell carved.

Doggie clock....from NYC...it is always treat time!

Cooper - a very spooky dog...wishes everyone a Yappy Howl o ween!

Jack o lantern waiting for goblins...but only a few turkeys showed up.