The end of another Summer month.....

....and there are just a few of those in a year, not even a handful. I can't believe that tomorrow is the last day of July. This has not been the best Summer, weather wise for sure, although today is the 5th consecutive day of pure sunshine. A few more on the way this week. Wow, aren't we lucky people!

All is good with us although the past two months have been a little trying, with my parents' move, my mom's fall and the consequences.  She is still in rehab, for another three weeks probably. My dad is not looking his best and misses my mom. Who can blame him. I visited my mother this morning and we had a little picnic outside by the water. Then I drove back home and my dad came over for lunch. No, I didn't eat lunch twice....my mom enjoyed the little nibbles that I made for her and I enjoyed watching her eat it. Yesterday, I made my friend Diana's Peach Crumb Bars and brought mom a few pieces. She loved them. I also gave dad some to bring home. We are all hoping that she will be home in time for their 60th wedding anniversary on August 24. Fingers crossed on that one!

Russell and I finally started to plan our trip to Iceland, which is coming up in about 6 weeks time. We booked two photography tours: one in the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and one in the Cape Dyrholaey & Vik area. Each tour is about 10-12 hours long. We have a tentative night tour booked to see the aurora, depending on the solar activity. We will have to be on alert for that one as we could get a call at 2:00 am. We hope the weather cooperates so that we can see it. We also have a spot reserved at the Blue Lagoon for a little plunge in the thermal waters. We are getting quite excited. So is our duo....Cooper and Spicy will get to spend time at Talemaker Camp. I bet Darlah and Nathan can't wait to see Spicy...and she will be over the moon happy to see them, so will Cooper.

As we are preparing for our trip, we are also preparing for the wedding of Russell's best friend, which is a few days before our trip. Russell will be the best man. He is working on his speech. He already had his tuxedo fitting so he's good on that front. As for me, I thought I had figured out what to wear but last Friday I changed my mind. So off to Fairview I went and bought myself a little dress, classic, and a pair of shoes. I must admit that I dread having to wear a bit of a heel and my feet are dreading it more than me. I need to start walking around in the house with those shoes to break them in. The last thing I want are blisters before we start hiking in Iceland!

What else is going on with us? Well, our in-home daycare and boarding venture is now a reality. I sent the website to a few friends and we will see where this brings us. I am also about to join the Lakeshore Dog Training Association and register for a training session with the Coop. I already have Obedience booked with Spicy for late Fall. So lots on the go on that front but it's all good. Our VegTrug is doing well and we will get a bigger one for next Summer. I really like the concept and want to plant more veggies and stuff.

That's it for my blog today.  I leave you with another potpourri of photos. I end this blog by sending my best friend prayers for her dad. He is very sick. Difficult times for her and her family. I wish you all a great week and a good start to August.

A great spangled fritillary butterfly on the
purple cone flowers in the backyard!

Dock diving at the K9 fest in Maxville....
lift off for this fellow!

Splash down in the dock diving event for this fellow...
a Bernese Mountain dog....wow!

Go get it.....and have a ball!

The retrieve in the water at the dock diving
competition.

Anne, Spicy and Cooper stroll
the grounds at K9 Fest.

Lure chasing...these guys fly down the
course...like little greyhounds at
K9 Fest!

Spicy says...bark or not...we need treats
Cooper...what do you think?!

Ahhhh...sofa time, this is the life! Those two are best pals!

Cooper says, smell that Spicy....mommy is
cooking beef for our food sprinkles..."Where is the beef?"...woof!

VegTrug keeps growing...tomatoes are looking huge...for
cherry tomatoes....Cooper says who needs veggies, I eat
grain free Fromms!

The language of flowers

Happy Sunday everyone! A beauty of a day just the way I like it. This past week was probably the hottest week of the Summer so far, maybe a tad too hot and humid.  For sure, there were a few days when we couldn't go for a walk with our pooches, just too hot. You will never hear me complain about the heat but I don't like it if it prevents us from walking. Our duo loves going for walks. Cooper is used to our daily walks but Spicy, oh my goodness, she gets so excited when we get the leash ready. She literally jumps up with her tail wagging. But then again, it doesn't take much for Spicy's tail to wag for joy!

All is good with us. We had a good week, which ended with my birthday yesterday.  I had a wonderful day with my three loves.  My day started with lots and lots of Havanese kisses, and lots from my hubby also. We went about with our normal breakfast routine and I went to my 9:30 class at Orange Theory. The Saturday class is usually quite intense and yesterday was no different. It was great and it felt good. I ran a few errands on my way home, so got home at around 11:30. When I walked into the kitchen, I saw a bouquet of roses, still wrapped from the florist, on the counter top. I immediately said to Russell, "who got me flowers"? You see, Russell is not the kind of guy who sends flowers often, like maybe once every few years. That's a good thing because when he does, it is a complete surprise, just like it was yesterday.  I reached for the bouquet and, being the inquisitive person that I am,  I said "you got me a dozen roses and why the orange one in the middle"?

Now comes the story about the language of flowers. For those of you who know Russell well, you know that he never does anything without thinking about it first. So, he researched the language of flowers, particularly the meaning of the number and colour of roses.  Here it comes:  11 roses means "undivided love, forever". Red roses mean deep expression of love. Orange roses are the "wild child of the rose family" and they mean "passion and gratitude".  An orange rose will get the message across with "oomph and elegance" when mixed with another colour.  So, that is the story behind the 11 roses...10 red roses and one orange.  They are on display in our kitchen, I hope they last a long while. Oh, and the florist shop had never heard of the significance of a number and colour of roses in a bouquet.

The day before my birthday, I went to visit my mom with my brother. We had lunch with her outside and it was really nice to spend time with her. She is doing better and hopes to go home in a couple of weeks.  My dad is looking forward to having Mom home with him. Dad came over for dinner on Friday night. It was nice to relax a bit. He is always happy to see us and Cooper and Spicy.

We just got back from K9 Sport Fest in Maxville, Ontario. We spent a few hours watching some dog events such as dock diving and lure racing. It was great. I will post a few pics in my blog next week. It was a wonderful socializing moment for Cooper and Spicy. By the way, those two are getting along so nicely. I wish you all a great week!

My birthday roses...and the story!

A birthday moment in the backyard with our
entire family.

The love-fest that is Havanese.. with Spicy and Cooper.

Me and Mom getting some fresh air and sun.

Backyard antics. Ok...I'll bark says Spicy, Cooper says Ok..
I'll scratch and we can scare that rabbit!

New day lilies.....wonderful.

My brother Frank and Mom...getting a bite to eat outdoors...
nice sun and warmth.

Summer weather on the way....

Here we are, the middle of July already and it looks like this week will bring some Summer type weather, finally. How cool is that!  The small garden centres are almost done with flowers and plants....waiting to receive the Fall Mums.  We haven't watched much TV lately but I bet that the back to school commercials are just about ready to hit the waves. This feels so crazy and yet it's the way it is. I really wish Winter would go by as quickly as Summer.

This past week was good but busy. I spent some time at my parents' new apartment and emptied the last of the boxes.  I also rearranged some of the furniture in the living room. I think their place looks good and it's all ready for my mom's arrival, hopefully early to mid-August. I visited her today and her spirits are good but she is counting the days until she goes home. I can't blame her. Her physio treatments are going well and she is now walking with the help of a walker and an attendant.  Her physiotherapist is impressed with her progress.  My dad's new routine now is to visit her towards the end of the day so that they can have dinner together in her room. Last night, he brought Chinese food, tonight a good club sandwich with fries. All that's missing is a little glass of wine.  Soon mom, soon.

Auntie Lorraine came over for lunch on Thursday. She was so happy to finally meet Spicy. Both pooches were glad to see her and gave her lots of kisses.  It is always nice to see her.

I have been doing some basic training with Spicy. She is a well trained dog already but was trained as a show dog.  Show dogs are not trained to Sit and do a Down in a ring, makes sense. So in anticipation of our Fall Obedience training, I wanted to get the ball rolling and get her to learn the basic commands the way I know how to use them. We are fortunate to know an excellent trainer who has been kind enough to spend time with us and give us good training tips. Thank you Wanda for this! Spicy is an incredibly fast learner and a good student.  We train a little bit every day and it's going really well.  We are continuing training with Cooper also. As a matter of fact, I hope to register for the Fun Obedience class with him in the Fall. So lots of training on the go but it's all good. On the topic of training, there is a small yapper dog that lives one street over, behind our house. I tell you, she is a real yapper. You can just imagine how our duo reacts when the yapping starts. Well, we are training them to be quiet and they are learning. The "good quiet" is coming in very handy.

Before I finish my blog, I have to share with you a little something that we learned the other day. Did you know that dogs, small ones in particular, can be prone to do what is called "reverse sneezing".  It is their attempt to remove irritants from their nasal passages. Well, we found out all about this when Spicy, at 2 am Friday night, decided that she wanted to "reverse sneeze". If you have never heard a dog do this, it is quite alarming. Since we didn't know anything about this, we were very worried and seriously contemplated taking her to the 24/7 animal hospital.  What stopped us from doing so is that we could tell she was not in distress. Her breathing was normal, we checked her mouth, her eyes, she was alert and all she wanted to do was lick us and go back to sleep. We even had her walk and gave her a sip of water. We waited it out and then it stopped. We eventually went back to sleep and all was good. Needless to say we sent Darlah & Nathan a note about it the next morning and to our great relief, we were told that Spicy was simply doing a reverse sneezing. We then Googled it and read all about it, even found videos showing dogs doing it. We knew right away what Spicy was doing. I also touched base with a good friend who has two Havanese and sure enough, she confirmed that her duo also does this from time to time. Why hasn't Cooper ever done this? It seems that because he is larger in size, his nasal passages may be bigger no so need to do this. So, we learned something knew although it was not a good experience for us at the time.

That's it for me this week. I leave you with a potpourri of photos. You will see one of the VegTrug. Not easy to find vegetables to grow at this time of year but we were able to find a few plants of cherry tomatoes, a cucumber plant and some herbs. Have a great week everyone!

Auntie Lorraine with Spicy...while Anne
hugs the Coop!

VegTrug full up and with the micro-mesh cover on the
back deck. Lots of cherry tomato blossoms.

Back flower bed, day lily after early morning rain.

Backyard corner bed in full bloom.

Front porch with Cooper, Spicy and Anne.

Hey...Spicy and Cooper woof...
your food smells good!

Two for the road....shopping cart style at Jasmin
Garden Center.

The new and improved VegTrug dog den...
Spicy approved.

Cooper listening to the music, speaker on the wall

A little to close for comfort?

Hi everyone! What a beautiful Sunday, sunny and breezy. We're not doing much today. Russell and I are a little tired from a day/night out in the Old Montreal yesterday and our duo is also tired from playing with Winston, the Old English Sheepdog, at Chez Winston.

We saw Le Cirque du Soleil's latest show, Volta, yesterday, in the Old Port. It was amazing. Russell bought us VIP tickets which gave us access to the VIP tent and an array of amazing appetizers and some nice wine.  It was a first class event all the way.  Our seats were right smack in the middle, first row. We couldn't have been any closer.....well maybe we were a little too close. During the first half of the show, one of the main characters (his show name is Shood Kood Wood, clown) was doing his routine, disassembling a funky washing machine (you have to see the show to understand) and he threw a part in the air and sure enough, it hit me in the face. Two things played in my favor: one, I wear glasses so my face was somewhat protected and two, the part was made out of rubber so it didn't do any damage but it sure startled me....and you could tell that the performer himself was startled, although he had to carry on with his performance. One of the floor people came over to ask if I was OK. At the end of the show, while the performers were coming around for the final bow,  Shood Kood Wood leaned over to me and said "je suis desole".  No harm done. It was a great show and my glasses and face are intact.

We lucked out with the weather and were able to walk around in the Old Montreal. Such a beautiful place, especially in the Summer. We had dinner at Modavie, a bistro with live jazz music. It was the perfect way to end a perfect day.

Cooper and Spicy spent the night at Chez Winston. This was Spicy's first time there and it went well. We picked them up first thing this morning.  This past week also brought Spicy's first trip to our local groomer for a bath. This was her first bath done by someone other than Darlah. It was a very good experience for her. The Coop and Spicy duo is getting along really well. Each day seems to bring a new closeness between those two. They are never far apart. It is really nice to see. We love them both to pieces!

This past week was busy with my parents' move. It went very well and we unpacked most of the boxes. It was a long and stressful day for my dad but he got through it. As for my mom, she is doing well considering. She started some form of physiotherapy but hasn't walked yet. This week, and the coming weeks, will bring more intense physio treatments and they will get her to walk.  It's too soon to say when mom will be able to come home. We're all hoping soon.

Russell also started getting some osteopathy treatments for his hip/knee. He is hopeful that the treatments will help with the discomfort he's been having for quite some time now. As for me, all is good but I'm on my fourth hairdresser since we moved one year ago. Hopefully I will not fire this one. Time will tell. I'm pretty fussy when it comes to my haircuts .....

The past few weeks have been pretty busy and our flower beds are looking it....I haven't had any time to weed. Our plants are growing but so are the weeds. Hoping for some gardening time next weekend. Oh, and Russell got me the VegTrug for my upcoming birthday. He put it together yesterday. Now, I just have to find the time to fill it with potting soil and start growing stuff. Thanks a bunch Russell! Can't wait to grow some nice lettuce and make you some nice salads.

That's it for my blog today. I'm going to spend the rest of the day on the deck with my hubby and our two pooches. Have a great week everyone!

A field of daisies in our backyard. 

VIP tent at Volta.

Pre-show wine and appetizers in style
at the VIP tent.

The 'dessert lady' with Russell...she had forks of
dessert attached to her....good enough to bite!

The big top for Le Cirque du Soleil....Volta!

Montreal's new ferris wheel, La Grande Roue in the Old
Port, to open end of July

Winston, Spicy and Cooper chilling at Chez Winston.

They love their enzymatic dental chews, for chewing and retrieving

Spicy and Cooper...yin and yang...nap time.

Spicy says you nap Coop...I'll stand watch!

The VegTrug assembled and installed...waiting for
potting soil and plants...let the growing begin!

Happy Birthday Canada!

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you are all enjoying this Summer long weekend.  Ours has been quiet and the weather not so great.  Yesterday, we had rain most of the day. Today is a better day and the sun is now out.  I was thinking earlier today how quickly the Summer is going by even though July has just started. When we have rainy days like yesterday, and we can't be outside, it makes me feel kind of depressed. So, we're on the deck now and we will eat outside tonight.

This past week was a good one for us, not as good for my mom but she is very slowly on the mend. She had surgery on her fractured hip on Monday. It went well. It was done with an epidural so she remembers everything...the surgeon using a saw and some screws to fix the hip. She told me it was a good experience...really mom?  Although the surgery went well, the rehabilitation will take time. She was transferred to a rehab centre on Thursday. With the holiday weekend and all, she will not start physiotherapy until Tuesday. In the meantime, she has been out of bed with the help of an orderly and sits on a chair throughout the day. She has not walked yet.  When I say that Summer is going by quickly, it sure will feel that way for my mother who will miss a good chunk of it while she is at the rehab centre. We wish her speedy recovery.

In the meantime, my parents' move to the retirement home is taking place on Wednesday. My dad is busy with the last minute preparations and we are all helping. I will be at their condo first thing Wednesday morning to make sure the movers do their job properly, then I will spend the afternoon and most of Thursday unpacking. It is my plan to have everything unpacked before end of day Thursday or sooner. I've done this more than once.

As for the four of us, all is good.  Spicy has adapted extremely well to her new home. She is a delight in every way, such a fun and happy dog. Cooper's Kingdom is now hers as well, of that there is no doubt. She has found her favorite spots and is used to our daily routine. Cooper doesn't mind sharing his home with the Spice girl.  They play, they have their quiet moments and they are never far apart. It is quite heartwarming to watch.  We love them both to pieces. When one gets a hug, the other one gets one too. Everything we do is doubled :-) How wonderful is that!

Since it was raining yesterday, I thought I would introduce Spicy to a little bit of agility, specifically the hoop. I set it up at the lowest level and lured her to walk through the hoop.  I always use the word "through" for this piece of equipment and she was starting to get it. At first, she walked around it, but eventually she walked through it. We will eventually work up to a jump. It was a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon. Oh, and we did some basic training too and worked on the "touch" command.

That's it for my blog today. My dad is coming over for dinner and he will stay the night. It will be a nice change for him and he will get to visit with his two favorite Havanese. This coming week will be crazy busy for me with the move, as well as visiting my mom,  and for Russell who will be holding down the fort in my absence. But we will both get some down time together on Saturday....we will be going to the Old Port to see Le Cirque du Soleil's latest show, Volta. We look forward to it. Cooper and Spicy will be spending time at Chez Winston. Tracey can't wait to meet Spicy.

I leave you with some pics of our two pooches and one of our basswood tree in the front of our house. At this time of year, that tree produces a verbena type fragrance. It is simply divine! Have a great week everyone!

Cooper and Spicy...rainy day couch potatoes!

A tangle of Havanese post breakfast napping...
under the kitchen table in case there are crumbs.

Front window vigil....Spicy and Cooper on alert.

Who wants a treat? 

Can I have your attention...seems I have it!!

Cooper flies through the hoop (too low for him) while Spicy
demonstrates 'touch'... coming and
touching your hand when called.

Spicy making her way through the hoop.

Spicy makes it all the way through....good girl!

GOOD girl Spicy!

The very fragrant basswood in bloom...
drive by and have a sniff!