Glorious start to Autumn

Happy Sunday to all.  What a beautiful start to Autumn we're having.  A little on the cool side but so much sunshine.  The air is crisp just like the Honey Crisp Apples I bought today from the local market. My favorite apples at this time of year.  The afternoons are getting cool though and we find ourselves sitting on the deck with our fleeces on and I even started wearing my Ugg slippers.  We haven't been able to find a good patio heater, will have to wait until Spring.

All is good with us.  We had a good week.  Our landscaping work started on Tuesday and should be done by tomorrow.  It is already looking good both in the back and front.  I will take photos when we're done.  It will be simple but will add a little je ne sais quoi to the exterior of the house.  I also started a gardening project of my own on Thursday and finished today.  We had a big flower bed in the back that was overgrown with shrubs.  I took them all out.  Russell had to use his pickaxe to remove some of the bigger roots.  I spent the past few days turning the soil over, removing all the roots and added peat moss.  I then transplanted a few plants that we had elsewhere and it is looking much better, open and airy.  We will continue planting in the Spring.  Needless to say that my hands are hurting from pulling all the roots but it's a good feeling nonetheless.  I really enjoy gardening.

Our blinds were also installed as promised...this morning.  Better late than never.  We've been here three months now and we've pretty well done all the things that we wanted to do, except for the shutters, which have been ordered.  It's all good.

Russell is doing well and continues to be happy with his athletic therapist/trainer.  He is noticing a difference in his joints.  He also started seeing a physiotherapist and he's doing his stretches like he's supposed to.  Good for him.  Coop is also doing well, happy as ever.  He loves chasing the squirrels. I swear one day he will catch one.  He is funny though, he sometimes reacts to something as silly as a leaf bag.  I had one in the back yard yesterday and in his mind, it was an unusual tall "thing"and he had to sniff it.

The Fall TV shows have started.  We don't watch much TV and follow just a few shows but we are getting real excited about the show tomorrow night....the Presidential Debate.  I can't help myself, I had to throw that in.....we will have the popcorn ready.

That's it for this week's blog.  This coming week is busy, we leave Wednesday for Toronto.  We will drop off the Coop at Camp Talemaker, spend the night in Toronto then we fly to NYC Thursday morning for a three day getaway.  We look forward to it.

I wish you all a great week.  Enjoy this beautiful Fall weather.

Placing the boulders with the Kubota!

Cooper investigating the 'strange' leaf bag!

It is a little chilly now...Uggs time and fleeces for sure.

Cooper and his 'chew'...he says
what you looking at?!

Last days of Summer

Happy Sunday everyone!  Here we are, about to start another season in just a few days.  Fall may be around the corner but the weather continues to be very nice.  What a Summer it's been.  I don't want it to end.  We try to sit on our deck every chance we get, even though we now need a little sweater towards the end of the afternoon.  The sun no longer hits our deck late in the day so it's a tad cool but who's complaining.  We're thinking that maybe we need a patio heater.....

We had a good week.  Our friend Denise visited us on Tuesday.  It was so nice to see her again after 35 years.  We spent the afternoon reminiscing about the good old days.  We had a lot of catching up to do!

On Thursday, we decided to go to Oka.  For my blog readers who don't know where Oka is, it is across from Hudson on the Lake of Two Mountains.  We took the ferry to get there.  We drove around for a little while then went to the Oka National Park.  It so happens that this park is one of three national parks in Quebec which allows dogs, as a pilot project.  We went on Le Calvaire Trail, a 4.4 km walk in the woods.  It was a nice, easy walk although the Coop must have picked up all the briars and leaves that were on the trail.  We had fun getting those out of his hair but we had a great day just the same.  We didn't buy any OKA cheese but we know that cheese very well, it is delicious!

We're getting ready to go to NYC later this month and have booked our dinners.  We look forward to a little getaway.  During that time, Coop will be vacationing at Camp Talemaker.  He can't wait.  It will be nice to see Darlah & Nathan again.  We miss them a lot.

Our landscaping is scheduled to start tomorrow. We haven't heard from them so we shall see.  We are still waiting for our basement window blinds.  They were back ordered and we are told they should arrive this week.  We shall see about that too.

Although it is still officially Summer, I started cooking some Fall meals.....Last night, I made an old favorite of Russell's, a meatloaf.  Tonight, Cottage Pie is on the menu (made with a secret ingredient that my friend Eve gave me).  Oh, and I made The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies ever yesterday, recipe courtesy of my good friend Terri. They were so yummy.  I gave some to my parents this morning.  I hope they like them.

Not much else is going on with us.  We are still discovering places to walk with Cooper.  Today, we went to the Terra Cotta park, a nice wooded park just 10 minutes from our house.  An easy walk but it was nice to be in a forest setting.  Yesterday, we took Cooper to the new Beaconsfield Dog Park. They have an area for big and small dogs.  It was something different and it gave him a chance to play with a few dogs.

That's it for this week's blog.  I wish you all a great week, enjoy the last days of Summer.

Cabin in the woods on the trail in Oka Park.

On the ferry looking toward Oka.

Anne, Russell and Cooper on the ferry to Oka...
a nice cyclist took this photo for us.

Cooper and Anne ready to leave the ferry ride.

Russell and Coop catching 40 winks on the back deck.

Denise, Anne and Cooper....a very nice visit!

Sweater weather!

Happy Sunday to all!  A cool and sunny day, kind of feels like Fall.  We went for a walk after lunch and both wore a fleece for the first time in months.  It actually felt good to wear something cozy and comfy. Warmer temperatures are forecasted for this week though.

Today is a day that all of us remembers, no matter what we did fifteen years ago.  I had just checked into my hotel room in Divonne, France, for a Human Resources conference.  It was 9 am, local time, and I turned on CNN  as I always did whenever I checked into a hotel.  I couldn't believe what I was seeing on TV.  All I wanted was to be back home with Russell.  Some of my former colleagues who read my blog were with me that day.  It was a somber conference to say the least.  Russell and I will actually visit the 9/11 Museum during our upcoming trip to NYC at the end of the month.  I'm sure it will be breathtaking but also very emotional.

All is good with us and we had a good week.  On Labour Day Monday, we had my family over for lunch.  It was nice to get together.  The rest of the week was quiet.  I registered for the Obedience class which will start at the end of October.  It will be for seven weeks, on a Saturday morning.  I look forward to it.  As for Russell, he will attend his first meeting at the Lakeshore Photography Club tomorrow night. He is already thinking about Fall colour photography.

Yesterday, we attended the Beaconsfield Pet Fair.  It was a lot of fun to walk around and meet all kinds of dogs and their owners.  We ran into Blu-Belle and her human mommy.  Cooper met Blu-Belle when she visited us a few weeks ago.  Another pretty Havanese. Winston, from Chez Winston, was also there but we missed him somehow.  I got to meet some instructors from the Lakeshore Dog Training Association and asked a lot of questions about our upcoming training.  As fate would have it, one of the instructors is our neighbour from across the street.  Small world.  There was also a Minister who was blessing the dogs.  Needless to say that we got the Coop blessed.  Here's to many many more years of pure joy and happiness with our Cooper!

All is quiet in our neighbourhood except that we have racoons that live in a big willow tree in the neighbour's backyard.  A family of 5 in total. Every day, around 4 pm, they start their descent and Cooper, who doesn't miss a beat, runs off the deck in the hopes that he can catch them.  No chance, they run away the minute Coop starts barking. So, we may not see the deer anymore but we see lots of racoons.  We haven't seen skunks yet but we smell them from time to time, we know they're around.  I don't mind smelling them, I just don't want to run into one of them, especially with the Coop in tow.

This coming week will bring the visit of a friend of ours that we haven't seen in ages.  She was my babysitter when I was a kid and she introduced me to Russell some 37 years ago.  It will be nice to see Denise again.

That's it for this week's blog.  I leave you with a number of photos, some taken at the Pet Fair.  I wish you all a great week. Stay cozy. Racoon time soon.....

Anne and Cooper patiently waiting to see the Minister to
receive a Blessing.

Cooper and Anne meeting the Minister.

Cooper receives his Blessing from the Minister for many more
years of health, happiness and joy!

Thanks and Amen says Cooper...I'm on my way,  there is
lots more to sniff at the Fair.

Large crowds of dog lovers and large people in
dog outfits at the Pet Fair, and there's Blu-Belle in the background!

Anne and Cooper meeting an instructor from
Lakeshore Dog Training Association.

At our house a few weeks ago, Coop asks Blu-Belle if she is done with her chew?

Cooper and Winston playing on the deck at
Chez Winston.

Cooper on alert for the racoons...and barking up a storm

Two of the partners in crime descent the ancient
willow tree.

Labour Day Feast

Happy Labour Day to all!  What a glorious weekend we're having.  This is the Summer that just keeps on going.  Simply beautiful.

As per our long standing Labour Day tradition, we are smoking ribs for dinner tonight.  Russell started the fire on the Big Green Egg at noon and put the ribs on at 1 pm.  They will be ready by 6 pm, then we will put them on the barbecue and baste them until we're ready to eat.  Needless to say that the smell is making us feel hungry and the Coop keeps hanging around the smoker wondering when he will have a piece of whatever is cooking.  His patience will be rewarded in due time.

All is good with us. We had a good week and it went by very quickly, as always.  We've been living here for over two months now and we have found our groove, so has Cooper.  He now truly has his favorite places in the house, goes in his crate just like he used to and feels totally at home.  We can just tell by watching him.  Yesterday, we were sitting on the deck, then I went in the house to get something.  I came out a few seconds later to find him in my chair.  Little rascal that he is.  What did I do? I sat in another chair of course.

Russell enjoys going to the gym and working out with his trainer.  She has really helped him with his joint issues and he notices a difference in his knee when he walks.  I'm happy about that.  This coming week, he will join the local photography club.  It's time to resume this hobby that he loves so much. As for me, although I like Gold Gym, I've been disappointed as they have cancelled a number of classes lately.  I tried to cancel my membership but I couldn't.  Despite that, I decided to join another gym, Energie Cardio, also close to home, which also offers a lot of classes and they are never cancelled.   I got the Senior's Discount, so a pretty good deal.  So, I alternate between the two gyms, I know, kind of crazy.  Aside from the gym, I am looking into doing some Obedience Training with Cooper offered by the Lakeshore Dog Training Association. It's always good to reload some skills and I think that the Coop would enjoy it.  If we take (and pass) two levels of Obedience Training, I can then become a member of the Association, which is something I would really like to do.  So, more about this in the weeks to come.

That's about it for this week's blog.  We are sitting on the deck now, salivating at the thought of eating those ribs in about three hours.  Yum yum!

Have a greet week everyone and enjoy the long weekend!

Coops says, nothing like curling up in my favorite chair...
Anne's muskoka chair, when she leaves it.

Cooper loves his dental chew snack, it is his version of
high tea!

That squirrel just won't come down...so, Cooper waits. 

Cooper takes his seat at the dinner table, 2 placemats, 3 chairs!