Good bye October

Hello everyone! I hope your Sunday is a good one. Ours is quiet and relaxing. Not much to do on a rainy day so we're just chilling. Russell and the doggies had a nap earlier. We just had a retrieve game with Cooper & Spicy. That got them a little tired so they're ready for another nap. It's a dog's life!

This morning, I went to the gym for the fifth workout of Hell Week. I normally don't go on Sunday but I put myself on the waiting list last week, thinking for sure I wouldn't get in. I'm glad I did, got to see some friends that I made since I joined. Always nice. The name of today's workout was "Paranormal Leg Activity".  I can feel my legs seizing up as I'm typing my blog. It's all good and I will get a free Hell Week tank top out of this! Hell Week ends on .... Halloween day. Can't wait for that workout!

This past week was good. Spicy and I had visited two retirement homes. On Tuesday, during our second visit, we got to see Auntie Lorraine. We hadn't seen her for quite some time so it was really nice to see her again. I had my fifth needle treatment on Wednesday. I was hoping it would be my last but I will have another one in three weeks. It is likely that I have reached the maximum jaw opening but the stiffness that I still feel requires a few more needles. So be it, no big deal. On Thursday night, I met up with four former colleagues for dinner to celebrate someone's retirement. It was a fun evening and it was as if we just picked up where we left off when I retired seven years ago. Quite remarkable that the bond between us was just as strong as it was back then. We went to a lovely Portuguese restaurant, Portus 360, with a 360 degree rotation offering panoramic views of the city of Montreal. A lovely, and late, evening.

Saturday was our little girl Spicy's eighth birthday. Russell and I had fun prepping her for the official birthday photos.  Cooper enjoyed being part of the festivities. It was a wonderful day, filled with doggie fun and lots of love. Spicy is a princess in every way and deserves everything that comes her way.

So, here we are, about to end another month. October went by very quickly for us. I hate to say it but Christmas will be here before we know it. We saw our first Christmas commercial on TV last week. Soon, the Christmas music will start but I hope not before Remembrance Day.

This week is another crazy week filled with a few appointments but also filled with fun stuff. On Tuesday, I have my weekly Fun Obedience class with the Coop. On Wednesday, my childhood friend Denise will be coming over for lunch with Brian. We look forward to it. That night, we will be giving out candies to the kiddies. A fun night.

That's my blog for this week. I leave you with birthday photos of the Spice girl and a couple of fall pics that Russell took on Friday. It was a spectacular day. The leaves are now virtually all gone. Have a great week. Good bye October!

Fall colours landed on our doorstep and the leaves fell like
golden shards of glass.

A different point of view of the maple in our front yard....
in full colour.

Spicy sat very patiently for the official photo of her 8th
birthday...after that...all bets were off!

Spicy invited Cooper to join her...then she decided, enough
licking the icing...I want the pup cake!

Spicy and Cooper enjoyed every lick...what is next!

Golden days

Happy Sunday to all! A cloudy and brisk day. As I'm writing my blog, Cooper & Spicy are having a nap and Russell is relaxing. The four of us are in the living room. I was gone for a good part of the day so we are happy to be together and enjoying some quiet time.

Today, my brother, sister and I visited my Aunt Rita, the only living sister my mother had. She is truly in her golden years, 92 years old. We hadn't seen her for a long long time. We had been meaning to visit her since my parents passed away earlier this year but life got in the way. Aunt Rita moved to a seniors residence a few months ago. Her close friend Nicole took care of her move and we are so grateful for that. She is in relatively good health although she has lost some of her cognitive faculties. Despite that, Aunt Rita was visibly happy to see us and recognized us. My uncle JC and his two children also visited. My uncle is Rita's late sister's husband. After seeing my aunt, we all had lunch at St-Hubert nearby. It was truly a wonderful family reunion. It was especially nice to see my aunt's friend, Nicole, who has done so much for her.

This past week was good and the weather was quite nice. We had a few warm, sunny days, and once again, spent time on the deck. I think those "deck times" are coming to an end, sadly. We had some nice walks and enjoyed the beautiful Fall colours. Our maple tree is in its glory, all golden. Beautiful!

This coming week is shaping up to be busy. Spicy and I will visit two seniors home. I have another needle treatment for my jaw. On Wednesday, I start the "Hell week" workouts. On Thursday night, I will have dinner with a few former colleagues of mine to celebrate someone's retirement. I'm looking forward to the reunion. On Saturday, it is the Spice girl's 8th birthday. You know what that means.....birthday cake and all the trimmings. I also have to think about buying Halloween treats for the kiddies. I typically wait until the last minute, not so much because they are on sale...but because we are not tempted to eat them all before the big day. As always, whatever leftover candies we have after October 31 (and we will have some), we will give them to Dennis at Talemaker. He loves chocolate!

I leave you with a few pics of our pooches and our maple tree as well as a photo of my aunt taken today. I also include a photo that Eveline took of the "students" during our Fun Obedience class last Tuesday. The exercise was all about doing a "down stay" in a hula-hoop for a few minutes. As our instructor Wanda said, the idea is to challenge the dogs with new elements in a known exercise, the new element being the hula-loop. They all did very well. Can you spot Cooper and the other two Havanese, Blu-Belle and Macy?

Have a great week everyone!

The down-stay in a hula-hoop...can anyone spot Cooper!?

Spicy and Cooper are trained 'sniffer' dogs...all
groceries must pass their sniff inspection.

Spicy always finds the best spots to nap...
this time is it with all of 'her' chews.

TV room and time for a good chew.

The maple in our front yard in full blaze of color.

Francois, Lynn and I had a great visit with tante Rita.

Beautiful Fall Sunday

Happy Sunday everyone! What a beautiful day, sunny, no wind and not too cold. I'm writing this blog outside, sitting on the deck with the patio heater on and some oldies playing. I'm not sure how many  more days like this we will have so I cherish each one. Russell and the pooches are keeping me company. Cooper & Spicy love the cooler air and are busy watching the squirrels hide their treasures for the Winter.

This past week was good. The weather was not spectacular except for Wednesday. That day was almost like having Summer all over again.  I got a lot of yard work done. I cut back most of our perennials and trimmed some shrubs. The VegTrug is closed for the season. This week, we will bring in the patio umbrellas. We don't need them at this time of year. Next on our list... bring the snow shovels into the backyard LOL!

On Wednesday, I had a needle treatment for my jaw. It was my fifth one and this one ached more than the previous ones. Those needles only stay in the muscle for a minute or so but it's a long minute.....having said this, it is helping tremendously. My jaw opening is now at 42 mm (from 25 mm), the normal range being between 40 and 50. Since we do not know what was my original measurement (darn, I should have measured my jaw opening before it went into a closed lock!), we can only assume that I'm close to what it was. I still feel some tightness in the muscle, the reason why we continue the treatment. I have one more in two weeks, then we'll see. It's all good and it makes for something different to talk about!

Cooper continues to have fun at his weekly training and Spicy continues to give seniors love and smiles. We are blessed to have two wonderful Havanese who give us so much, every single day. Today, we went for a walk and came across two young girls who wanted to take a photo of our doggies. Of course, they were more than happy to oblige, they are such posers!

Russell is doing well and trains with Melissa, his personal trainer, twice a week. Part of his workout now includes doing "prehab" on the knee that will be replaced in order to strengthen the muscles around it. His surgeon approves wholeheartedly. As for me, I still go to Orange Theory four times a week. From October 24 to the 31st, it will be Hell Week.....can't wait for those workouts!

Russell and I don't watch much TV, we prefer listening to the music channels. Last night though, we watched two wonderful concerts on PBS:  Pavlo, a Canadian born guitarist who plays mediterranean music, playing from his parents' home town of Kastoria, Greece and Il Volo, three young tenors who sang, with Placido Domingo as the music conductor, live from Florence. Both concerts were wonderful. Oh, and we have now added Greece to our bucket list.

That's my blog today.  I leave you with a few photos that Russell took of our Fall garden displays. I wish you all a wonderful week.

Zebra grass is full bloom in a special corner of
our backyard. This photo was taken with the Arsenal
(AI) device attached to Russell's camera.

Spicy and Cooper decided they needed to investigate
the picture taking.

Close up of the Zebra grass plumes in full bloom. A
wonderful pinkish hue.

Last tango in the Fall morning sunshine...the Clethra -
Ruby Spice in bloom in the front yard.

The Limelight Hydrangea....slipping into Fall color, a warm
comforting pink... in the front yard.

Cooper and Spicy making themselves at home on the back
deck, on a hot day.... saying,
"Can we get some service around here?"

Thanksgiving Wishes!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I hope you are all having a wonderful day. For us, this holiday is about being grateful for what we have today, despite what curveballs life can throw at us. Living in the moment, one day at a time.

Today, we had my brother, sister and two nephews (James and Sean) and Sean's girlfriend, Sandrine, over for lunch. It was a nice family reunion. My brother got back from Iceland on Friday so he had lots to talk about. Cooper & Spicy were delighted to see everyone. I made lasagna, salad and garlic bread. For dessert, an apple sauce cake and a chocolate oatmeal cake (old family recipe). Everyone enjoyed themselves.

This morning, we went to the cemetery to visit Russell's parents grave. His mom left us five years ago today. She is always in our thoughts. We also visited my parents, same cemetery, just a "block" away. It was nice to just say "hi" to them. As we were looking at their tombstone, I noticed a small lava rock laying against the stone that my brother brought back from Iceland. That was his way to say "hey, mom and dad, I finally went to Iceland". The Fall Mums that my sister bought a while ago were still beautiful.

Last night, I cooked a big turkey just for the two of us....and the doggies. It was delicious and so moist. We have lots of leftovers and I will make a broth with the bones. Cooper & Spicy had a little taste and thought it was quite yummy.

This past week was good and busy. On Tuesday, Russell met with the surgeon and the verdict is in:  he is now on the waitlist for a total knee replacement (TKR). The wait is about four months so the surgeon said February. A new knee for Russell's birthday maybe?  We hope so. All things being equal, he should be good for Barbados mid-April. But, one day at a time.

On Wednesday, I went to a new hairdresser, the one referred to me by Eveline, and I think he's a winner. I was very pleased with the haircut. I will go back to him for sure in about four weeks time.

Other than that, all is good. Tomorrow, Spicy & I will go to the Wellesley to spread our Thanksgiving wishes to the residents. The rest of the week will be relatively quiet. The weather is supposed to be warm. I will start prepping the flower beds for Winter.

That's my Thanksgiving blog. I wish you all a great week!

Cooper and Spicy...always make us smile....thankful for that
Happy Thanksgiving.

Cooper & Spicy caught looking the wrong way...the turkey
is on the counter, silly dogs.

Cooper says to Spicy, look, it's up here...
smells so good!

Our family wishes your family Happy Thanksgiving!