A Spring Day

Today is beautiful Spring day.  The sun is shining, it is relatively warm (+12 C) but it feels much warmer in the sun.  I was actually sitting on the deck, in the sun,  and I found myself moving to the shade.....sounds crazy doesn't it?  After such a harsh Winter, I guess I have trouble adjusting to such heat. Can't wait for the +20 temps!  Today was the perfect day to get some yard work done and prune the dead wood on our plants.  We also went for a nice walk with the Coop, after he chased the chipmunks.

Not much is happening these days.  Despite the nice weather today, the true warm days are not here yet and I feel like we are in between seasons.  We had a bit of snow this past week, not enough to stick to the ground, but enough to freak anyone out.  The nights are still quite cool. But we are noticing that the lakes are starting to thaw.  I include pictures that Russell took this morning.  Lake Robinson still had some ice on it then, and now it's gone.

Although it is a bit quiet around here these days, the early mornings have been somewhat noisy....it is mating season for the wild turkeys and they seem to have chosen our septic berm as their mating grounds.  So, almost every morning this past week, at about 5:30 am, we could hear the male turkeys giving loud gobbling calls and heard the females making various clucking sounds in response, all of this outside our bedroom windows.   As you can well imagine, those sounds didn't go unnoticed by Cooper, so, up he was on my night table watching the turkeys do their thing.  He finds them fascinating.  Us, not so much, especially at 5:30 in the morning.

This week will be somewhat busy as we are off to Toronto on Thursday for an overnight stay (hair cuts and stuff).  Cooper will be going to Camp Talemaker and visit his friends. I hear that he wakes up at around 6 am when he is at Nathan and Darlah's.... hmmm...maybe it's because he is used to the early morning Muskoka sounds.

That's it for my blog this week. Tonight, for dinner, we are having our first barbecue of the season. Looking forward to it.  I hope you all have a nice week, which will bring a brand new month.

Ice going out on Lake Vernon.

Ice half out on Lake Robinson this morning.

Ice all gone on Lake Robinson this afternoon.

Anne and Cooper on Fairy Vista Hiking Trail.

The Coop.....post a chipmunk chase....a little messy!

Happy Easter! Joyeuses Paques!

I hope you are all having a nice Sunday, whether you celebrate Easter or not.  It is a sunny, coolish day in Huntsville but it is not snowing.  In my blog last week, I was marvelling at the fact that the snow had pretty well all melted.  On Tuesday morning, we woke up to 10 cm of snow.  It was truly a depressing sight and I really thought that this time, the snow would never melt.  But I am happy to say that there is no more snow to speak of, except a few patches in the woods.

Today, we took advantage of the nice weather and started cleaning the yard.  Russell finished washing all the outside windows.  This coming week, I hope to cut back the plants and clean out the flower beds.  Russell put away the shovels and I put away our Winter gear, including Cooper's booties.  To top it all off, on Tuesday morning, we are having my Summer tires put on.

It's been a quiet but nice week.  I resumed practicing my agility moves with Cooper. Weather permitting, we will start Agility Classes at the beginning of May.  It will be every Wednesday morning for a few months.  I look forward to it.  Well, I can't speak for Cooper but I hope he continues to enjoy it.

Our night critters are back, including Mr. Porcupine. Russell was out with Cooper last night and they both saw the porcupine wobbling along by the carport.  All that we ask of him is that he stays outside of the Coop's backyard.  Not too much to ask, is it?

We spoke to Russell's aunt this morning and she is doing well.  It was nice talking to her.  We hope to visit with her when we go to Montreal next month.  She is such a sweet lady.  We also spoke to my parents and they are continuing their preparations to move and sell their house.  No doubt, it is overwhelming for them but they will get through it with the family's support.

That's about it for this week's blog.  Tonight, we are having a simple Easter dinner:  spiral ham, scalloped potatoes and roasted rainbow carrots.  To top it off, I bought some mini lemon meringues tarts for dessert.  Yum!

I wish you all a great week ahead. Our pictures this week include one of Cooper looking at the last dump of snow and wondering when it will end.  We also took one that we call "Balancing an Easter Egg".  When Russell took this picture, Cooper was practicing his focus, balancing and stay skills.  I would say he is pretty good!  I hope you enjoy.

Hocus, focus...Happy Easter...I found my egg...it is on my head!

The END of a long snowy Winter....

April meltdown

The long awaited meltdown has finally arrived.  The snow is going away very fast.  It is hard to believe that we had about five feet of snow throughout most of the Winter and now it's almost gone.  Each time I look outside, I marvel at the fact that snow does melt eventually.....The pictures in the blog were taken yesterday.  Today, the snow in Cooper's dog run is virtually gone.  After almost 6 months of Winter, we are done with it.

This past Friday, we discovered a new walking trail, still very much covered in snow.  Funny how we want the snow to go away, yet, we still try desperately to find snow covered walking trails.  So much more fun, and clean, to walk on snow, as opposed to walking on muck and sand covered roads, especially with a dog.  Back to the trail, it was very nice and surrounded by beautiful evergreens.  Yesterday, we thought we would go back for another walk, and were amazed to find that the snow on the trail had completely melted.  The trail was not even walkable as it was too wet and covered with leaves and debris.  We ended up walking on the road.  So, this is it for walking on snow covered trails.  No more until...hmm...next November?

We are now looking forward to doing some yard work.  In the areas where the snow is gone, I can see some plants coming back to life.  The front of the house still has quite a bit of snow due to the northern exposure.  But that snow will melt soon.  The deer have returned to our property for their daily visits.  We didn't see much of them throughout the Winter as the snow was too deep for them to walk on.  This past week, we saw them just outside of Coop's dog run and on the septic berm.  Speaking of Cooper, he doesn't care much for the deer anymore, except if he hears them during the night.  On Friday morning, we heard the deer outside our bedroom windows at 3 am.  Cooper didn't bark but he did make a point of checking them out by standing on my night table and looking out. The advantage of being a small dog....

Not much else is going on.  We started some Spring cleaning and we have a bit more to do in the house.  Russell washed a few windows and put the screens back on.  This week, I will put away the Winter gear.  Love the sound of that!

It is a cloudy Sunday although we saw a few sun rays a little while ago.  We had a bit of rain this morning but there is apparently a lot of rain on the way for the next few days.  Russell has a nice fire going.  It will be a relaxing day.

This coming week will be a short one for many people, with Good Friday being a holiday.  I wish you all a great week ahead.  I end this blog by sending positive thoughts to my Dad who has a medical procedure tomorrow morning.  We will be thinking of you!

Snow melting fast...we haven't seen those chairs or fire-pit since November!

Was wondering where that wheel barrow went....was snow covered.

Cooper surveys the meltdown....he doesn't love it.

This snow patch is now gone....Coops will have to do his 'thing' on the grass.

New Wheels on Forest Hill Lane!

Happy Sunday everyone!  I hope you are enjoying the beautiful sunshine and warm weather, at least that is what we have here in Huntsville.  Spring has finally arrived and it shows.  The snow is  melting at a rapid pace.  We still have some but it is going away very fast. Even better, our Springtails seem to have disappeared.  I think this is it:  we are finally done with Old Man Winter....

We got back from our Montreal trip a few hours ago.  Our trip actually started last Thursday, with a first stop in Mississauga, after dropping off the Coop at Camp Talemaker.  In Mississauga is where we picked up our new wheels.  We decided to trade in our Ford F150 for a brand new Ford Explorer.  Although we liked the pick up truck, we always thought that it was a big beast to drive.  Now seemed like a good time to make the change so we did it.  We like it very much and are happy with our decision.

Our trip to Montreal went very well.  Russell and I got to visit my parents' new condo and we were very impressed. It is spacious with lots of windows and nicely laid out.  We measured all the rooms, closets and kitchen cupboards.  We also did a first attempt at trying to figure out what existing furniture will and will not fit in their new place.  I think my parents have a better idea now as to what they will be able to move. There is still lots to do and we will be helping them along the way.  The next step for them is to put their current house up for sell.  This will be done sometime in May.  They are excited and at the same time apprehensive. Moving is a big deal no matter how we look at it.  This will be their first move since they built their house 53 years ago.  Needless to say that the whole process is overwhelming.  But the family will be there to support them every step of the way.  All that we ask of them is not to overdo it.  Mom and Dad, when you read this blog, please remember this!

While in Montreal, we went to the cemetery to pay a visit to Russell's parents.  We brought some nice tulips which added a nice touch of Spring.  Russell did not get to visit his aunt as she was not feeling well.  We hope she gets better soon.

This past week also brought the opening of a brand new Winners Store in Huntsville.  I went to the pre-opening with my friend Terri on Wednesday. I have to say that Winners is not my favorite store, however,  I never realized that it had such a variety of merchandise.  I did find hair product that I use all the time, half price.  I also found some Lamaze toys for the Talemaker puppies.  So, I will probably go back and check out the store once a while, on a rainy day.

That's about it for this week's blog.  As I am writing this, Cooper is sleeping soundly next to me.  He had a great time at Camp Talemaker, played with his favorite gals, and other friends, so he is very tired now.  I will have to wake him up soon for his dinner....I wish you all a great week!

New 2014 Ford Explorer....nice ride and stylish too!