Happy New Year!

Happy Sunday everyone! Here we are, just a few days before the beginning of a brand new year. We are expecting our first snow storm of the season on New Year's Eve. I must say that I look forward to getting a nice layer of snow in the backyard. With all the rain that we had last week, and the fluctuation in the temperatures, we have a lot of ice build up on the grass. We had to add crampons to our boots. The dog friendly salt will not melt the ice as it is too cold now.  So, here's to hoping we get a fair amount of snow to at least make it safer to walk in the backyard and on trails, for us and the pooches. The parking lots are just as icy, so is our driveway. Crazy weather!

I hope your Christmas was a good one, filled with love and joy. Ours was very nice. The ambiance was just right, the appetizers were a hit, the turkey was super moist and the pooches were a total delight. It was truly a lovely Christmas dinner and I know that both sets of parents were watching from above.

Russell caught a cold before Christmas and I got it too, on Christmas Eve. The worse of mine was actually yesterday and it's still dragging on for both of us. We haven't done much since Christmas. We went for a walk once, same with the gym. It's been quiet but that's the way it should be when you have  a cold. We've had afternoon naps and cuddles with the doggies. I can't think of better medicine.

This is my last blog of 2018. We are ready to ring in the new year and leave behind a year that brought much sadness to our family with the passing of my parents in the first few months of 2018.  I also know many people who have suffered losses this year. To all, I say our loved ones will never be forgotten and will always be in our hearts. I hope that 2019 is kinder to all of us.  On that note, my loving hubby is scheduled to get a new knee in about five weeks. Cheers to something positive that will enhance his quality of life a thousandfold.

Russell and I, and our two darlings Cooper and Spicy, wish you all a very happy New Year, filled with love, happiness and most importantly good health!

From Our Home to Yours....Happy New Year filled with
happiness, health and love.

Christmas day dinner with my nephews (Sean and James)
and Sean's girlfriend Sandrine.

Everyone captured at Christmas dinner; my sister,
brother and nephews with Sandrine - Sean's girlfriend...
Spicy and Cooper are always available for a photo.

The Christmas table set waiting for the feast and the dining
to begin.

Cooper and Spicy loving up my brother Francois...the same
way they used to do with my Father.

Spicy and Cooper think they have spotted
an elf on a shelf and are on their
best behaviour...false alarm...it was Santa on
a shelf.

Crampons on boots to aid traction in an icy backyard....
Cooper is cautious as he has "four paw drive" but it is
slippery for the pooches as well.

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noel!

So, this is it my friends, one more sleep before the big man in the red suit makes his appearance in our homes, all over the world!

We are as ready as we'll ever be. As a matter of fact, for the past three days, I found myself doing next to nothing in the afternoons. I am either really organized or there are things that I'm forgetting to do. I have a list of "things to do" tomorrow for our Christmas dinner but it seems so small....The one thing I didn't forget to do is thaw the bird. It's a big one this year, the biggest I have ever cooked, 22 pounds of yummy Butterball turkey. We will be six for dinner and one of my nephews has a big appetite. We should have lots of leftovers, for us and the pooches. Then, I will start all over again for New Year's Day. What can I say, we love turkey and I love cooking it.

Cooper and Spicy had their Christmas bath today. Our groomer did a wonderful job, as always. They both got a really cute Christmas bow, a first for Coop. Being a male and all, we don't bother with bows but we thought that this one suited him quite nicely. Their stockings are filled with a few toys and I will add a kangaroo tendon at the last minute. The plan is for them to open their stockings on Christmas morning, a tradition that we truly cherish.

Our weather is sunny, although a bit cold. That's OK, I will take sunshine and cold anytime over rain, as we had last week. For sure, it will be a green Christmas. Montreal hasn't had one of those in quite some time. Lots of sunshine for this coming week....and the days are getting longer. It's all good!

That's my blog for today, short and sweet. The four of us wish you a wonderful Christmas. May it be filled with joy, love and laughter.

Cooper and Spicy are wishing everyone a Merry Christmas
and a Happy Healthy New Year...woof...woof!

The pooches Christmas stockings are
placed with care under the downstairs
Christmas tree.

Cooper and Spicy can't wait to get into these...the video
camera will be rolling to capture it all!

Spicy and Cooper...fresh from the groomer
sporting their festive bows...thanks to Spawsys
and Kirsten.

The Duncan family Christmas photo - our tradition. Thanks
to Erika A. Photography for the lovely photo session.
We wish you all a very Merry Christmas
and a very Happy & Healthy New Year!

T'was the week before Christmas

Happy Sunday everyone! A cloudy day for us and our snow is virtually gone. Except for a few really cold days last week, the weather has been quite mild. Yesterday, it felt like Spring as we went for our walk. Just another week to go before Christmas and I do believe that Santa will have to land his sleigh on bare roofs, at least in our area.

This past week was good and busy...what else. It seems that we have a true ability to fill our calendar with stuff...some of it is good like going to the gym and dog therapy visits but lately we seem to have more going on. If I have a 'hole' in my day, I fill it with something. I suppose it has to do with the time of year, getting ready for Christmas and all. There is always something to do or an errand to run. I must say that I skipped the gym all together last week. I didn't quite feel like working out and decided that I could use the free time to do other things. I have four classes booked this coming week and I plan on attending every single one of them. Russell has been diligent with his workouts, good for him.

Spicy and I had a full agenda last week. We visited a college in Lachine and met with many students. Spicy and two other dogs brought much joy and comfort to all prior to their exams. We also visited a retirement home and met with some residents. This time, we shared the visit with Rudy, the Labradoodle. It was fun. I include a couple of photos that I took of the dogs.

Cooper and I had our last Fun Obedience class before the Christmas break. We did a mini "fun match", which we had never done before. It was a fun class. We resume mid-January.

Today, we had Auntie Lorraine over for lunch. It was great to see her again. Cooper and Spicy got all spiffed up, with matching bow and tie. Russell managed to get a photo of the two before she arrived. Cooper didn't mind the tie at all, it was as if he was used to wearing one. Too funny. We wished we had gotten a photo of Auntie Lorraine with them.

So, this is the week before Christmas. The malls will be crazy busy, luckily I don't have to go anywhere near them. I hope this week is a good one for all of you. This time of year can be stressful and emotional, we need to be mindful of that and take time for ourselves. I leave you with a few Christmas photos and a couple from our visit at the retirement residence. The second photo below is a montage of the Christmas decorations that my siblings, nephews and I made when we were kids. My parents would always display them at this time of year. Last year, I put them all together, took a photo and had it framed for my parents. It is now a cherished memento in our home. If you look closely in the upper left corner, you can spot the ornament that I made when I was 5 years old.  That ornament is now hanging on our tree. Precious. Have a great week everyone!

The Christmas stocking are hung with care...Cooper and Spicy
know they are there!

The Christmas teddy and the montage of hand made
ornaments made by me, my siblings and nephews. We
actually love OUR DOGS!

Spicy and Cooper sporting their finest formal wear and
patiently waiting for Auntie Lorraine to arrive for
a little pre-Christmas lunch.

Spicy in her Therapy Dog vest sitting pretty
in front of the Christmas tree at the
Maywood retirement residence.

Spicy gets lavished with attention by
all the residents she meets...and she
loves them back.

Rudy the Labradoodle also visits the Maywood
 to bring happiness to all the residents.

A festive getaway

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope your Christmas preparations are going well. The weather seems to be cooperating so far, although I'm not convinced we will have a white Christmas. We have a thin layer of the white stuff and it's hanging on only because it's been cold the past few days.

Russell and I got back from our pre-Christmas getaway a few hours ago. We had a great time. It started last Wednesday after we dropped off the pooches at Camp Talemaker. To say that they were excited would be an understatement. So, we said good bye and carried on to the Windsor Arms Hotel in Yorkville. It was our first time staying at that hotel and we were not disappointed. It is a boutique hotel, only 28 rooms, very quaint and cozy, not pretentious. After a cocktail at the bar, we had dinner at Sassafraz, a fixture in Yorkville. The food was excellent and on the light side. We both had the sea bass. Yum and Yummer!

On Thursday, we had a leisurely breakfast...an egg white omelet for me. I'm on an egg white kick these days, what can I say. Totally tasty. We then went to Sherway Gardens, just for fun, and then to Sheridan Nurseries. We were looking for copper string Christmas lights and found them. We drove back to Toronto and had lunch at La Societe, another favorite of ours on Bloor Street. A typical French Bistro in the heart of uptown Toronto. That night, we had dinner at Dimmis, our all time fave restaurant, again in Yorkville. We've been going there forever, and although we do not go as frequently as we used to, the staff recognizes us. It is a small Italian trattorria, cozy and incredibly reasonable in terms of prices. We always have the same thing...a bottle of Verdicchio and a pizza (each). Simple but delicious. BUT, before going to Dimmi's, we went to the Toronto Christmas Market to take in the sights, sounds, smells and lights. It was a true feast for the senses!

Friday morning came and we left for Niagara-on-the-Lake. On our way, we made a pit stop in Vineland to have coffee with Pat, a former colleague of Russell's, dating back to the 80's. It was truly nice to get together after all these years. Over time, we have gotten to know each other more through the magic of Facebook. Quite nice actually. After coffee and yummy shortbreads, we made our way to NOTL. Our room was ready and it was as I had requested: on the main floor, no stairs, being conscious of Russell's knee. It was probably the best room we had in a long time, with a fireplace to boot!  We had lunch at the Irish Harp Pub, great lunch, too good actually. We shared a decadent spinach and artichoke dip with homemade kettle chips, to die for. My motto these days, you only live once so it's OK to splurge from time to time. That night, we had a lovely tasting menu paired with wine but on the light side with fish as the main course....so it all balances out in the end.

After a nice breakfast, and a visit from Santa who was getting ready for his parade (I truly was hoping for a pic with him), we drove to Mississauga to have lunch with a good friend and former neighbour who lost his wife in June. It was really nice to get together with Roland. We spend some good quality time catching up and it felt good. Then, we made our way back to Toronto, to the Windsor Arms Hotel for one last night. We saved our last getaway night to have dinner with good friends, George and Diane. George and I go back a long way, having been work colleagues for quite some time. A great night, as always, at Cibo Wine Bar, in Yorkville.

So, that sums up our time away. We got home in record time, a five hour drive including two pit stops for the doggies. The road conditions were perfect. Thank you Russell for driving us home safe.  Before I end this blog, I want to thank Darlah for doing such a wonderful job at shaping and thinning Cooper's legs and chest, and Spicy's feet. We do not trim their coat but at times it becomes necessary to thin and shape, especially for Cooper. She did an amazing job and we are grateful.

That's my blog for today. I may have gone overboard with the details of our trip, you can just skip over them.....or ask for more details. This week is quite busy: tomorrow, Spicy and I will visit a college in Lachine as part of our therapy dog program. Tuesday, Coop and I have our last Fun Obedience class before Christmas. It will be special and I will bring goodies for the humans. Wednesday, Spicy and I have another visit at a seniors home. Then, I have to focus on Christmas...a bit more baking, meal planning, etc. It's all good. I leave you with a few pics of our getaway. Have a great week everyone!

Russell and I in the lobby of the
Prince of Wales Hotel and their lovely
Christmas tree.

Santa Claus made a special visit to the Prince of Wales,
morning breakfast service ahead of his parade in NOTL.

The Prince of Wales Christmas tree
is splendid and fully decorated to the
maximum!

I took a moment to pose with the tree in the lobby of the
Prince of Wales.

The Christmas lights in Yorkville are amazing....Russell
captured this moment.

....more of the Christmas lights in Yorkville!

Some of the bright lights of the Toronto Christmas
Market in the Distillery District.

Cooper and Spicy enjoying quality time at
Camp Talemaker...they love it there!

Cooper sporting his freshly trimmed/shaped feet and chest...
Darlah did and amazing job!

A Christmas orchid in full bloom at Sheridan Nurseries.

Missing the sunshine

Happy Sunday to all! Another cloudy, rainy day, so much rain! I don't remember when we last saw the sun...and I miss it badly. I heard somewhere that we may see Mr. Sunshine on Tuesday. That would be nice.

All is good with us. We are getting ready for Christmas. Our trees are up and I got a good head start on the baking. Most of it is in the freezer and will remain there until a few days before Christmas....otherwise, I would have to start all over again! I still have a few things to bake but I will do so when we return from Toronto. I had forgotten how time consuming baking is...probably more so because I'm a super neat baker....I like to clean up as I go, I can't stand a mess in the kitchen. That's just me, what can I say. Russell graciously tasted a few cookies and gave me the thumbs up. Much appreciated honey!

This past week was good and busy. Last Monday, Spicy and I visited the students at John Abbott College. It was our first time visiting students and it was an amazing and rewarding experience. There were six therapy dogs and I'm guessing over 80 students. Spicy and the other five dogs gave the students much needed love and comfort, ahead of the year end exams. We wished them well and hope to see them again in the Spring. We will be visiting another college on December 10th. We look forward to it.

On Wednesday, I had an unexpected visit at the dentist. Last Sunday night, I lost of small piece of a crown. Lucky for me, my dentist was available for an emergency appointment at 7:20 am Wednesday. As I suspected, I need to have the crown replaced. I was quite anxious about the appointment due to my jaw issues but all went well. I now have a temporary crown for two weeks. It's all good except for the cost LOL!

Russell and I are looking forward to this coming week. We are off to Toronto and Niagara-on-the-Lake, a yearly pre-Christmas getaway. We are looking forward to both some alone time and meeting up with friends. It will be a busy getaway but a good one, filled with new memories that we will make. Our two pooches will be spending their time at Camp Talemaker. Lots of fun!

That's my blog for today. I wish you all a wonderful week!

Doggie corner on the Christmas tree...
ornaments collected since our return
to Montreal.

The Family spot on the tree....love to decorate the tree with
unique and meaningful ornaments.

An old fashioned ceramic Christmas tree graces the
cinema room downstairs.

A festive selection of part of my baking...Russell asked if
this was his portion or Santa's?

Spicy and Cooper, wet from the rain,  keep a keen watch on the baking...
hopeful for a few crumbs...not likely on my watch.

Bye Bye Movember

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you're all having a nice and relaxing day. No doubt many people are starting to get ready for Christmas...just a tad over four weeks away.  Incredible!

This is the last week of November. It's been a dreary month, weather wise. Not much sun, some very cold temperatures and some snow, although it's mostly gone after today's rain. So, Movember is coming to an end and Orange Theory found the perfect way to end it...a fundraising for men's mental health. All we had to do is buy a moustache and the proceeds went towards this great cause. I think I look quite stylish!

This past week was good but some days were too cold for walks, at least for us, humans. Instead, we had some fun training sessions with both Cooper and Spicy. We practiced the weave with cones,  jumps through the hoop and target training. Each session ended with a long "down stay" and "sit stay", which lasted about 75 seconds. Our pooches did very well. It was a fun way to get some energy expelled.

I had lunch with my brother and sister today. It was nice to catch up. They will come over to our house for Christmas. Russell and I will be having a traditional dinner, with turkey and all the trimmings. It will be the first Christmas without my parents but we hope it will be a joyful one just the same. On that note, I put up our Christmas trees today. We're ready, as far as decorations go. I haven't started my baking but will do so next weekend. I have all the ingredients though.....

Not much else is going on. Russell is truly looking forward to having a new knee in February. Walking is becoming quite an ordeal. Having said this, he is a trooper and manages quite well.  As for me, all is good. Tomorrow, Spicy and I will visit John Abbott College and meet with the students. We hope to bring them comfort and help with whatever stress they may experience, especially at this time of year.  On Tuesday, Coop and I have our weekly Fun Obedience training. On Thursday, I will meet with the notary and go over some estate paperwork. It's a process and it takes time, that's all I have to say.

That's my blog for today. The rest of the day will be quiet. Russell is watching football, Cooper & Spicy are napping until dinner time and I'm listening to Christmas music. I leave you with a few pics. Next week, I will have photos of our Christmas tree. Have a great everyone!

Me and my Movember moustache...think I'll keep it!

Cooper and Spicy doing their best long down stay after a
fun filled training session.

Ahhh...the sit stay behind the hurdle...practicing patience
for Cooper and Spicy.

Our growing collection of custom Christmas tree
ornaments for our small family.

Let the Christmas baking begin...all the ingredients under the
watchful eye/nose of Cooper...chief supervisor.

We have a date!

Happy Sunday everyone! It's a beautiful day, sunny, no wind, not too cold. We went for a nice walk by the lake this afternoon. Hardly any snow left on the path, just enough to actually keep the paws clean but not enough to warrant booties. We had some snow on Friday morning. Strangely enough, we only got about five centimetres whereas where my brother lives, in Ile Perrot, they got about 15 cm in total. Our snow has mostly melted now, although we do have some patches left in the backyard. As always with the first snow, our pooches were excited and yet a bit taken aback....Spicy was desperately looking for a patch of grass to do her business, Cooper couldn't have cared less but he was looking for bunny M&Ms under the snow.

Last week, we got a date for Russell's knee surgery, February 7. He is on the cancellation list for an earlier date but either way, we are both happy to know when it will happen as we were hoping for beginning of February. All things being equal, nine weeks later we will be off to Barbados with a good knee to boot. Better yet,  Russell will have a new knee for this birthday. The best gift I say.

We didn't do much last week. The weather was actually quite cold for a few days. On those days, we didn't go for a walk. We need to adapt slowly to the changing temperatures, the cold seems to have come early this year.

Last Wednesday, I had my 6th and last needle treatment for my jaw. I still have some lingering tightness, which should dissipate with time. Depending on how things go, I may get a "tune up" treatment from time to time. We'll see. Tomorrow, I will resume osteopathy treatment which will help. It's been five months since my jaw went into "closed lock" mode.  I hope I never have to go through that again. One thing is for sure: my next visit to the dentist will be on my terms:  I will insist on many breaks in order to give my jaw a rest, whether it's for a cleaning or another procedure. So, this is the end of the jaw saga.

Cooper and Spicy are doing well, as always. Today, we received the proofs of our Christmas family pics and our pooches look wonderful. We are so happy with the photos. Can't wait to share some in my blog!

Christmas is fast approaching. I read somewhere that Santa was busy this weekend, making appearances in many cities, such as Montreal and Toronto. In two weeks, I will put up our trees and all the decorations. I want to get everything done before we go to Toronto. I'm looking forward to it.

That's my blog for this week. I leave you with a few photos that Russell took after Friday's snowfall. It was pretty, now not so much. Have a great week everyone!

Zebra grass dusted with the first snow of the season in our
backyard.

A close-up of the Zebra grass plume encrusted in snow.

Cooper loved the first snow and he took full advantage to
sniff below the snowy surface looking for bunny 'treats'.

Spicy was careful in planning her trek around the snowy
backyard...she is a diva and didn't want her paws to
get any snowballs.

Cooper says don't mind me..."I am having a bad hair day."

Spicy trusts her nose...and she got a good
whiff of the egg white muffins fresh from
the oven. Yummy!

A day to remember

Sunday, November 11, 2018 ... a day to remember all those men and women who fought for us and sacrificed their lives in action. They fought for our freedom, which should never be taken for granted.

The sun is shining beautifully on this Remembrance Day. We got the last of the yard work done this afternoon. All the leaves have fallen and are bagged. We covered the two maple trees that got frost last year. Russell covered the patio table. We're good to go.

This morning, we had our family Christmas photo shoot. This is our third year doing this. We use Erika A. Photography, a well known animal photographer. It's fun for us and the doggies.  Her photos make for nice memories to look back on.

Last week was a good one. Spicy and I visited two seniors homes. Spicy is getting used to her new career as a therapy dog, so am I. Our visits bring such smiles and comfort to the residents. They just love her to pieces. As for the Coop, he had another great Fun Obedience class. Cooper LOVES training and I love training with him. We make a good team. It is particularly nice to be able to bring home some new tricks and practice on a daily basis, with both pooches.

Russell is doing good and continues to strengthen the muscles around the knee that will be replaced, hopefully in February. Sooner would be nice. He also started doing Tai Chi every Friday morning. He quite likes it as it addresses all components of fitness: flexibility, balance and strength. It is not as easy as one would think. I admire him for doing this....me, I wouldn't have the patience to sit through a class.

I guess the countdown to Christmas has started for many.  The holiday season will be somewhat nostalgic for us and my siblings, remembering my parents who left us earlier this year but we will get through it. Life does go on.  I plan on putting up our Christmas tree and all decorations before we go to Toronto. I have always liked Christmas, the lights, the music, the baking, all the things that bring comfort. And today, I bought Cooper and Spicy their second Christmas ornament and one for our little family with our names on it. When the time comes, I will include a photo of them.

That's my blog for today. Keep well and have a wonderful week!

Remembrance Day 2018...Uncle Charlie served proudly and
we thank him and all who served to enable our freedom.

Cooper and Spicy have mastered the "Sit Pretty"
command...what is next?

 Spicy 'digging in' for the night...shenanigans!

Now everyone is settled for a good night sleep.

Ready for a new season!

Happy first Sunday of November! A beauty of a day, what a treat! We haven't seen the sun much in the past week. Lots of rain, wind, cool temperatures. But today, it is sunny and warmish. As I'm writing the blog, I can see how the sun is starting to fade away. With the return of Daylight Saving Time, it is quite noticeable. Having said this, we did get 50 minutes of extra sleep....couldn't quite make it to one hour...my fault. I woke up, started to move and that was the signal for the pooches to make their way up to our faces and lick us silly. I will admit though that this day seems long somehow.

So, we're ready for the next season. Today, we blew and bagged more leaves. We put away the patio chairs and some garden ornaments. Our Fall Mums are done and will soon be replaced with festive planters. On that note, on Halloween Day, I went to Loblaws and sure enough, the Christmas planters were out. Crazy!

Halloween Day came and went. It was raining so we had about 30 kids in total. Not bad for a rainy night. At 7 pm, we turned the lights off and had dinner. It was a good day as we had my childhood friend over for lunch with Brian. It was a very nice get together and we had lots to talk about, catching up on old stuff. Denise brought a homemade apple pie for dessert. Yummy!

Give the rainy weather last week, I spent some time doing tricks with Coop and Spicy. Cooper learned a new one last week at Fun Obedience, it's called Sit Pretty. It didn't take him long to get it. I also taught Spicy the same trick as well as how to spin right....up to now, she would only spin left no matter what we did. So, thanks to a few tips from Wanda, I persevered and yesterday morning, she did a left and right spin. She was over the moon happy to please me! So, the Spice girl now has a few tricks up her sleeve. Next one to teach her will be "weave" through our legs in a figure eight pattern. Cooper has that one down pat. Those fun tricks keep them busy and challenged, especially on rainy days. It's fun for us and for them, a win win... and they get to show off when we have guests over!

Not much else is going on. This month has just begun and I feel like it will be over before we know it. Everything is about Christmas now.....well, almost.... lots will be happening, or not, in the US on Tuesday. Crazy times going on in this world that we live in. On a brighter note, in a month or so, Russell and I will be going to Toronto and Niagara-on-the-Lake for a little getaway. We look forward to it.

That's my blog for today. It's almost dinner time for Cooper & Spicy and it's getting dark....but the mornings are brighter now, it's a good thing. I leave you with a potpourri of photos. Check out my new Havanese socks, thank you Russell! Have a great week everyone!

Spicy and Cooper were quick to investigate my new
havi-socks...apparently they approve.

My new socks with photos of Spicy and Cooper...
how special are these!

Christmas anyone....the seasons collide...on Halloween Day
the Christmas planters are out at Loblaws.

Spicy and Cooper sat patiently for their official
Halloween photo...complete with zombie eyes.

The Japanese cut leaf maple in our front yard in full
Fall colour...a deep red!

Not to be out done by a maple, the larch in the backyard
in brilliant yellow...stunning in full sun.

Found this stray leaf in our backyard...any botanists know
what plant/tree it comes form....looks suspicious?!