'Tis the Season for Ginger....

Happy Sunday everyone!  Today is the last Sunday in October.  Christmas is two months away.  Next Sunday is November 1 and our clocks go back one hour.  But before all of this takes place, we will have Halloween!  We haven't had any trick or treaters yet since we've lived here but we hope that this year will be different, having a family with young children now living on our road.  We are prepared, pumpkins and all.  So are our neighbours.  If we get no kids, then we will have to either eat or dispose of those mini chocolate bars that I bought today.  Why is it that we always buy the things that we like the most!

On that note, I seem to be on a ginger kick these days which is why I titled this blog 'Tis the season for ginger".  Oh, I didn't come up with that. My good friend Terri did, when she commented on my Facebook page yesterday.  I thought, what a great title for this week's blog.   For me, ginger, especially when used in baking, means Fall, Holidays, nice smells and yummy goodies.  Yesterday, I made Triple Ginger Cookies and this morning I baked a Crystallized Ginger Loaf, with a little caramel drizzle.  You see, I've been under the weather the past few days with a cold that just doesn't want to leave me.  I thought that baking something with ginger could be a good remedy..... so, Russell and I are enjoying these little ginger treats hoping that they provide some good medicinal benefits to our bodies.

This past week was good and quiet.  We both went to the gym but I skipped two days. I just wasn't feeling up to it.  Having said this, it seems that Russell and I are having a little "chin up" competition.  His trainer added chin ups as part of his training program.  Can he do one?  Of course he can!   Good for him.  Perhaps, one day, we will both be in the gym at the same time and compare notes....

On the home front, all is quiet for now.  Our last showing was during Thanksgiving weekend. Tomorrow, we will renew our listing for another three months.  Who knows what the next few months will bring.

Today turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day.  More of the same for the next few days.  It's all good.  That's it for this week's blog.  I include a beautiful sunrise photo that Russell took on Friday morning, one that I took late yesterday afternoon, while sitting in front of the fireplace,  and a few pictures of the Cooper.  Look for his Halloween photo in next week's blog!

Have a great week and a safe Halloween!

Fall Potpourri, scary pumpkin and a roaring fire.

Sunrise on the back deck...just after Blue Hour.

Mr Coop lounging with 'his' fav bone nearby.

You want me to be the floor mop/duster....Ok says Coop!

We're ready!

Good day everyone!  Hope you all had a great week.  Ours was good and the weather was pretty decent.  Unlike today, which is dismal and quite cool , but no snow.

Yesterday, like many other places, we had our first dusting of snow.  Cooper was as happy as can be when he first went out in the morning.  He loves the first snow of the season.  I guess the snow prompted us to get ready for Mr. Winter.  I cut back all the perennials that needed cutting back, Russell blew the leaves (again) and put the driveway markers in the ground.  I got all of our Winter gear out for when we need it....including the Coop's booties.  So, we're ready for another season.  All that is left to do is put the snow tires on, in a couple of weeks.

All is good with us.  Thanksgiving Monday was a quiet and very nice day. The weather was spectacular to say the least.  We spent most of the day outside and enjoyed some nice time on the deck, basking in the sunshine. I truly enjoyed the Charity Bootcamp that morning.  We ended up literally pushing a small fire truck to the Salvation Army, about two kilometers from the gym, and delivered lots of canned goods.  It was a fun thing to do for a good cause.

Russell has been taking some very nice photos of the outdoors.  The leaves are almost all gone now but the vista is beautiful to look at.  Soon, his photos will be of snow and ice.....each season brings something beautiful to capture.

The beginning of this week promises to be exciting....at least tomorrow:  the Blue Jays are playing in Toronto tomorrow night and, of course, it is Election Day in Canada.  Fun night on TV for sure.  Oh, and The Voice is also on tomorrow night!  The rest of the week will be quiet and I'm having lunch with Terri on Thursday.  Looking forward to catching up.

Today is a quiet day.  I went to my Bootcamp class this morning, then met with a good friend of mine, Nancy, who was in town for her son's hockey tournament.  It was nice to see her again.  After lunch, we took Mr. Coop for a walk and we are now chilling.  Russell is watching football in the Muskoka room, and I will relax and read a book in the Great Room with candles and music on.  Cooper will be going from room to room, trying to get someone's attention for a treat.  Little bugger that he is.....

Have a great week everyone!

First dusting of snow and Cooper investigates the fire pit.

Snow and Fall colour peaking through as seen from the deck.

Neighbourhood deer just off the driveway in the front yard.

Deep in the woods....Fall colour in front of our house.

All loaded up for the FITT Gym charity food drive.

Gobble 'til you Wobble!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful day.  The weather in Huntsville is spectacular.  We just got back from a walk at the Canada Summit Centre and the place was full of people out and about, looking for the perfect Fall colours.

It's been a good day so far.  I just put our turkey in the oven and I suspect that Cooper will be parking himself in the kitchen area for the rest of the day.  His patience will be rewarded in due time, no worries.

I went to my Bootcamp class this morning and it was the biggest class ever (for me anyway).  People must have wanted to get a good workout in before gobbling down all that good turkey tonight.  Tomorrow, I will get another chance to burn off some calories at a special Thanksgiving Charity Bootcamp.  After the 9 am class, we will all push a fire truck to the local Salvation Army, filled with non perishable food.  It sounds like fun to me!  It is for a good cause and we get a workout from it.  The best of both worlds.

Not much else is going on.  We are enjoying this weather and hope it lasts a little while longer.  Now, that would be nice.  We didn't have a chance to go back to Algonquin Park but Russell was able to capture some nice colours right in our backyard.  The leaves are at their peak now and when the sun shines on them, it is incredibly beautiful.

On that note, I want to take advantage of this nice weather and plan to sit on the deck for a while.  Russell is watching football and Cooper, well, as I said, is now in the kitchen area, pretending to be sleeping while keeping an eye, or a nose, on things......

Everyone of us has something to be thankful for and that's what today is all about.  Oh, and remember, the next big holiday is CHRISTMAS!!!  Have a great week!

Nothing more to say....enjoy with all your senses.

Fall colour out the front door.

Fall colour at Robinson Lake view from our back deck.

Morning sun hits the maples just right, our backyard view.

Limberlost trails in a marshy area.

Anne and Cooper on a bridge on Clear Lake, Limberlost.

Looking for Fall colours

Happy Sunday everyone!  Here, in Huntsville, it is a misty cool day.  Russell has had the fireplace going for a few hours now and it is just the kind of day to chill in front of the fire.  I think I will do just that after I write my blog.

I've been busy cooking today...I made two soups:  celery and leek, and a good old French Canadian ham and pea soup for Russell.  I also made a chicken stew for dinner.  I roasted some chick peas for my lunches (I'm on a chick pea kick these days) and cooked some extra chicken for lunches.  I think I've got our meals covered for the next four days.  In my opinion, that's the only way to eat properly unless you deviate....which can happen.

All is good with us.  We had a good week and the weather was nice but quite cool.  I gave in to Russell and the elements and turned the heat on in our house last Thursday. I must say that it was getting a little cool, especially in the morning.

On Wednesday, we went to Algonquin Park to check on the colours.  The report said that the leaves were near peak but they were about 60% peak at best.  We had a great day just the same and walked many trails but the colours were not at all what they were last year, at exactly the same time.  Yesterday, we went to Burks Falls as we were told that the leaves were nicer up that way.  Some of them were but the colours were not as fiery as we would have thought.  So, we went for another walk, this time right in Huntsville, again in the search of some beautiful colours. Still not what we were looking for.  It looks like we might actually find the best colours in our own backyard.  We have noticed a change since yesterday.  Hopefully Russell will work his magic and capture some good shots this week.

Not much is knew on the house front.  We've had a few showings and they have been very positive.  The market is still good even though it's Fall and we will actually keep our house listed for another few months.  As we often say, we are not in a rush and one day the right buyer will present themself.  Until then, we are quite happy here and life is good.  And, we have enough wood for the Winter!

This coming week will be busy. We have a few things to do then we're off to Toronto on Thursday for hair cuts, followed by lunch at KI Japanese Restaurant.  Yum, looking forward to eating sushi.  Thursday night, we will have dinner at Dimmi Trattoria in Yorkville.  We haven't been there for a while so it will be nice to go back.  The Coop will be at Camp Talemaker during that time.  It's been busy there this past week as a new litter was born a few days ago.  Beautiful five pups.  Another litter is due this coming week, probably while Cooper is there.  If you ever want to see what those pups look like, Google the Talemaker Havanese site and click on Adele's blog.  It is worth seeing!

That's it for my blog this week.  Can you believe that next weekend is Thanksgiving?  Wow, the last holiday before you know what!  I wish you all a great week!

Russell & Cooper taking a break on Lookout Trail, Algonquin Park.

Algonquin Park colour along Highway 60.

More Algonquin Park colour on Lookout Trail.

Looking up at colour in Algonquin Park.

Anne and Cooper relaxing on a boulder in the Park.

An Aster clings to colour on Fairy Vista, Huntsville while on our walk.

Sunrise as seen on our back deck in Huntsville.