Here's to a new decade!

Happy Sunday everyone! Our green Winter is about to end tomorrow, according to Environment Canada. I must say that we are looking forward to a nice, thick layer of snow. Following some freezing rain last week, then mild and cold weather, our backyard has become quite treacherous. Funny, as I was looking at last year's blog on this date, we were under the same icy conditions. Grass covered with a layer of ice is not a good thing. Thank goodness for our crampons. Not ideal for our pooches but they are smart and they know better than doing the zoomies in the backyard.

So, Christmas has come and gone in a flash. It was a nice day and a wonderful family gathering. Everyone enjoyed themselves and devoured the turkey.  Our parents were in our thoughts and would have been happy to see us all together. My sister gave us two Havanese ornaments to add to our doggie collection, each picked with Cooper and Spicy in mind. Very thoughtful and they have a special place in our tree.

We haven't done much since Christmas other than go for walks and watch some movies. Russell came down with a bad chest cold two days ago and I now seem to have caught it....for both of us, it seems to be a combination of cold and flu. Body aches, chills and a cough. We'll get over it. We keep telling each other "suck it up buttercup".

Somehow, it doesn't feel like the end of the year, maybe it's because of the weather. Not sure but it's hard to believe that New Year's Eve is just two nights away. Will we stay up until midnight? Time will tell.

Cooper & Spicy are doing good and seem to enjoy the quiet times we've been having. It's all good.

I leave you with some photos from Christmas day and a few taken outside today. By end of day tomorrow, the backyard should be covered with lots of snow.

We wish you all a happy and healthy 2020!

Two new ornaments for our doggie corner on the tree...
thanks Lynn, they look just like Spicy and Cooper.

A traditional Christmas dinner with all the fixings..it was delicious!

Cooper and Spicy were perfect hosts on
Christmas day!

A little "turkey" training to keep Cooper and Spicy in focus.

Spicy loves her 'daddy' time!

Not to be outdone....Cooper found his 'daddy's
lap.

Spicy and Cooper explore the icy backyard....carefully.

Looking for a spot of snow, none to be had.

Spicy surveys her domain...longing for some snow.  Boots and crampons, essential!

Merry Christmas / Joyeux Noel!

Happy Sunday everyone! A beautiful, Spring like day, with just a touch of snow on the ground. It may not be a whitish Christmas after all...some mild temperatures on the way for the next few days.

Here we are, just a few days before the big day. We're ready for Christmas. Tonight, I will take the turkey out of the freezer, leave it in the fridge overnight and start the thawing process tomorrow. It's a big bird, 20 pounds. I will put it in the oven on Wednesday, at noon, it will be ready by 5 pm, will let it rest for one hour, then dinner will be served at 6 pm or so. My sister, her two sons, and my brother are coming over. It will be a nice family dinner. We will miss our parents, mine and Russell's, but they will be in our thoughts, as they always are.

Now that we have Winter Solstice behind us, we can look forward to longer days. Lots of sunshine on the horizon, so the few minutes of sunlight that we gain every day will be noticeable. It's all good.

This past week was relatively quiet. Our weather was nice but very cold for a few days. We didn't walk much. Yesterday, the temperature was -10 celsius, no wind, so we ventured out for a walk. It was beautiful by the lake. It felt good to be out, getting some fresh air, good for the soul. Cooper and Spicy enjoyed it and didn't need to wear booties. Today was another great walk, much warmer than yesterday.

Russell had his last workout of the year last Friday. He's off now until January 3. As for me,  I decided to try out a new fitness studio in the new year. I start on January 6... a new year, a fresh start. It's in Pointe-Claire Village, literally five minutes from our house. I will give it a try and see what happens. The classes will be similar to Orange Theory but on a smaller scale....the workouts will be based on the HIIT concept, High Intensity Interval Training.  I found myself needing a change of scenery so we'll see. I will miss my buddies at OT though.

That's about it for this pre-Christmas blog. Russell is watching football, interesting games at this time of year. Cooper & Spicy are having a nap...more like patiently waiting for dinner. I'm reading a good book and listening to music. We are still playing Christmas music, sporadically.

The four of us wish you all a wonderful Christmas!

Our Family Christmas photo 2019.... we
wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Spicy and Cooper wish all their furry friends a Merry
Christmas filled with lots of love and treats.

The Christmas tree downstairs....
lots of goodies for Spicy and Cooper!

Ice is building up on Lake St. Louis...
nice scenery.

Cooper, Spicy and Russell stop for a
quick photo on our walk in the park.

Wonderful ice patterns on the shoreline
of Lake St. Louis.

Backyard bench nicely draped in fresh fallen snow!

A very quiet December Sunday

Hello everyone! I hope your Christmas preparations are going well. Ours have slowed down for now and will pick up again a few days before the big day.

A very quiet Sunday for us today. It's nice to get those days once in a while. I had planned on running a few errands but decided against it. We had also planned on going for a walk but then the wind picked up and we thought, why not stay home and cozy. Our weather has been a real roller coaster for the past few weeks. No snow to speak of but temperatures have been going up and down. There is a cold front coming later this week with the chance of a few snowflakes.

Last week was good. We had numerous walks by the waterfront in Pointe-Claire. We also used the tennis court at the park as a "dog run" .... it was fun to practice long distance, off-leash, recalls. Cooper and Spicy enjoyed it, so did we.

Coop and I had our last Fun Obedience class last Tuesday. It was a combination of "novice" routines for the pooches and some finger food munching for the humans. Fun was had by all. We resume classes in the new year.

Russell got the results of his blood work and all is good. Ever since he was diagnosed with Hemochromatosis last year, he's been giving blood on a regular basis to help reduce the iron in his blood. His iron level is actually below normal now so he will have to limit his blood donations next year.

I'm doing good and still get a weekly physio treatment for my left bicep. My progress has slowed down, it takes a while to achieve the last 30 degree or so of full range of motion. My only rehab exercises are snow angels on the floor and a hanging stretch done on a beam in the furnace room. I literally have to hang for as long as I can....roughly 15 seconds. Not easy but it should help me reach full range of motion. Gotta do what you gotta do.

Tomorrow, Spicy and I will bring Christmas cheer to the seniors at The Wellesley, our last visit this year. Then on Tuesday, we are doing a one time visit at a palliative care facility in Ile Bizard. The facility recently requested, if possible, the visit of a Havanese.  Spicy is the only Havanese in the Caring Paws Dog Therapy Program. We normally can't do Tuesday visits due to Cooper's Fun Obedience but since we don't have class this week, we will be very happy to bring smiles and comfort to those who are nearing end of life.  I suspect it will be a sad visit in a way but so rewarding.

That's my blog for today. Russell is watching football, the Pats won today! Cooper & Spicy are patiently waiting for their dinner in about 30 minutes. I'm reading a good book....the continuation of a quiet day for all.

Have a great week everyone!

The stockings are hung with care....Cooper and Spicy
know who will be there in a few weeks.

Upstairs Christmas tree in all its glory

Cooper and Spicy hanging out on a quiet Sunday, a prime vantage spot.

Cooper snug as a bug in his soothing bed...what a life.

Not to be outdone....Spicy in her soothing bed....comfy!

Is this all the snow we get...

The three amigos at their Christmas Party...Blu-Belle, Macey and
Cooper.

Prepping for Christmas

Hello everyone and happy Sunday! A cloudy day but it was brightened up by Auntie Lorraine's visit. She came over for lunch and we spent some good quality time with her. Cooper and Spicy were super excited to see her. She has a way with dogs, what can I say.

This past week was good. Our weather has been quite nice. We got a dusting of snow one day last week, that's about it. Rain is on the way for the next two days. Still not sure if we will have a white Christmas but I think yes.

We are slowly getting ready for Christmas. Yesterday, I finished all my baking. A good job done. I baked a little more than I was going to. That's the way it always is. Most of the baking is safely stored away in the freezer. We gave some to Auntie Lorraine today and I will bring a container to our last Fun Obedience Class on Tuesday. Russell's personal trainer also got to try some of the goodies. She loves them all!

Next on my list of "things to do" is to send a few Christmas cards. Then I will start thinking about Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.....prepping the special meals for those two days. What to buy, what to cook, what I can do ahead of time....I'm all about being organized, what can I say. That's why I alway make a list, and always check it twice.

Our pooches are doing well and seem to be excited about Christmas. Last week, I dropped Cooper's stocking stuffer on the floor without realizing it. First thing I knew, I spotted Cooper running around with the toy in his mouth. Naughty boy! We got their Santa pics and are happy with them. They make for wonderful memories.

This coming Tuesday, Cooper and I will attend our last Fun Obedience Class before the Christmas break. It promises to be fun for the doggies and the humans.

Those are my little news. I wish you all a great week!

Spicy and Cooper brought us to visit with Santa at
the Pointe Claire Plaza - it was their first visit with him
 and they loved him!

Cooper and Spicy gave the Christmas tree
a quick inspection..it passed the sniff test.

Spicy and Cooper on the lookout for one of their many
cat friends who visit the backyard.

We love the snow...when will we get some more?!

Spicy and auntie Lorraine with Russell and
Cooper in front of the Christmas tree...
Cooper had his best tie on...Spicy her
festive bow!

Welcome December

Happy Sunday to all! First day of December, crazy isn't it? It doesn't quite feel like Winter yet. It is colder but no snow in the forecast for quite some time it seems. Will it be a white Christmas? I'm betting yes.  We are still going to the park for walks and our pooches haven't had to wear their booties yet. Although they don't mind them, they do prefer to walk bare paws, given a choice.

Last week was good and a bit busy. On Monday, Spicy and I joined five other dogs at a dog therapy visit at John Abbott College. We had a great time and saw over 150 students. All were so grateful to be able to spend time with the pooches and forget about their exams. It is truly a great program and we enjoy it very much. Coop and I had fun at class on Tuesday. We have two more classes this year, then we break for Christmas. The rest of the week was spent doing our normal stuff, including a physio treatment for my arm and some routine blood work for Russell.

On Friday, we put up our Christmas decorations and our two trees. We have one in the basement, a simple one with just lights and some decorative mesh thrown in. The doggies Christmas stockings will be under that tree. The other one is in our living room. It has a "family/doggie" corner, just for our special ornaments. Cooper and Spicy seems to enjoy looking at it.

I got a little head start on my baking today. I made date balls, no baking required. So, maybe I didn't really bake? I also cooked a batch of my Delicata Squash....I discovered that squash a few months ago and I'm totally addicted to it. It is no longer available in stores or special markets.....but there is one place that still sells it.....and I bought 20 pounds of it last week. It sounds like a lot, well it is. It's about 18 squashes in total. Those little gems are taking up precious space in our fridge but so worth it.

That's my blog for today. I wish you all a great week. Let the Christmas preparations begin!

Santa has landed on his perch.

Cooper and Spicy always need to investigate
and sniff things...even Santa got the treatment.

Cooper and Spicy approve...Santa passed the sniff test.

The Christmas tree in our living room...the family/doggie
section of ornaments continues to grow each year!

Winter morning skies can be very special...this morning
the sky was on fire as seen from our kitchen.

And...November is a wrap

Happy Sunday everyone! A dull day for us but on the mild side. The nice layer of snow that we had to keep the paws clean is almost a thing of the past.  Spicy is doing what she would normally do in the Spring...looking for the last patch of snow to do her business. Too funny. The only bit of snow left is from the shovelling that we did, little snow banks here and there. The grass is wet and mucky. I wonder when we will get the next round of the white stuff....not much in the forecast.

This past week was good. We had some nice walks with the pooches, we both went to the gym a number of times and I had my weekly physio treatment. Although my progress is very good,  I still have a little ways to go before I regain full range of motion. That's OK, as long as there is progress, I'll do what I have to do.

On Wednesday, our friends Linda and Bob came over for lunch. It was nice to see them again. We ate some good Montreal smoked meat sandwiches with all the trimmings. Cooper & Spicy were gracious hosts and were more than happy to shower everyone with lots of kisses.

Last week, I went through my Christmas baking magazines and figured out what to bake this year. Some old and some new recipes. I bought all the ingredients so I'm good to go. I will probably start in two weeks. Russell has offered to be my taster again this year.....thank you honey. I truly appreciate this!

Today, I had a lovely lunch with my sister and brother, a belated birthday lunch for Lynn. It was nice to get together again, it doesn't happen often. The whole gang will be coming over for Christmas dinner.

This coming week is shaping up to be a bit busy. Tomorrow, Spicy and I are going back to John Abbott College to visit the students before exams. The dog therapy session has proven to be very popular with the students. We look forward to giving them lots of love. On Tuesday, the Coop and I will have our weekly Fun Obedience Class, just a few more classes before the Christmas break. On Thursday, I have a meeting with the notary to carry on my work as the executor of my parents' estate. It is a long process, that's all I have to say. I will end this coming week on a high note by putting up the Christmas decorations, including the trees. Yesterday, I couldn't resist and put on some Christmas music for a little while. We also got our personalized ornaments for this year. I think they are so cute.

That's my blog for this week. I only have random photos of the doggies to share with you. At this time of year, unless there is snow and ice, the outdoors are not very pretty to look at. Have a great week everyone....will write again in December.

Our 2019 personalized Christmas ornaments!

Cooper isn't having a bad hair day...he is lounging in the sun.

Spicy in her fave chair with her hair tossed.

Russell with his furry posse! TV time.

A bright November day

Happy Sunday everyone! What a beautiful day it is. The sun is shining, the air is crisp and we still have a small layer of snow to make everything look pretty...and to keep the paws clean!

This past week was good. We got some snow on Tuesday, not too much, just enough to make everything look brighter. We did shovel a few paths in the backyard for the pooches though but we didn't go crazy. That will come when we get a bigger dump of the white stuff. The snow is all packed down now and it makes for a nice clean backyard.

The temperatures have been cold though, I would guess colder than normal for this time of year, although today is quite nice and no wind. We went for a walk after lunch by the lake in Pointe-Claire and there were a few people sitting on the benches, soaking up the sun. The frozen mist off the lake on the trees made for beautiful scenery.

Last Friday, my Havanese friends and I attended a Havanese puppy party. A small litter was born seven weeks ago. We spent some time with the pups to help with socialization and played some games with them. I hadn't been near a puppy for quite some time so it was pure joy to be able to hold them. It was a fun few hours of puppy play combined with a wonderful lunch and great chats.

Slowly but surely, we are starting to think about Christmas. To get the ball rolling, we paid Santa a visit yesterday. It was Cooper & Spicy's first time meeting the big guy in the red suit. The proceeds of the event went to Animatch Dog Adpotion. We got a photo of our duo with Santa and a family pic as well. The photos will be sent to us early December. It was a fun time and there were lots and lots of doggies...all breeds with all kinds of temperaments. We had to wait in line 45 minutes and our two were extremely well behaved, no barking, very calm. We were very proud of them.

Today, we had another Christmas photo shoot, this one was private, done by Erika, a pet photographer that we have known for a few years. We went to her house and she took lots of pics of all of us.  Can't wait to see them.

Carrying on with the holiday theme, I bought some boxwood sprigs for a holiday planter that we have near our front door. It looks good and should last well into March.

As I'm writing this blog, I am noticing my Christmas baking magazines on the coffee table, from previous years. I need to look through those and figure out what to bake this year. I will not bake nearly as much as in the previous years though...just enough to last a couple of weeks.

That's my blog for this week. The rest of the day will be spent relaxing and watching football (Go Pats Go). I might just take a peek at those cookie magazines. I have a cottage pie ready to go in the oven later. It's all good.

Have a great week everyone!

Russell, Cooper and Spicy on our walk
by the lake.

The winds and freezing temperatures make some
pretty ice sculptures on the plants at the shoreline. 

Frozen in time....Lake St-Louis

The shoreline encased in shimmering ice.

Spicy and Cooper enjoying the first real snow of the year.

Havanese puppy love...

These puppies sure love to snuggle.

Puppy socialization...

It's all about exposure to new sights, sounds
and textures.

Remembrance Day

Happy Sunday everyone! A quiet day for us. The weather is bleak, a typical November day. We are expecting some snow tomorrow night...perhaps it will had some brightness to the outdoors.

This past week was good and quiet. We didn't do much outside our normal routine. I went to Provigo on Wednesday and, sure enough, the holiday planters had arrived. Same date every year, it never fails. I took a photo just for fun but it's way too early to buy them, in my opinion. I think early December is a better time as the planters can last well into February or March. 

I went to the gym a few times and it was good. My bicep injury is getting better, last week seemed to bring a turning point. One morning, I woke up and felt a difference. I immediately did my snow angels on the floor, one of my rehab exercises, and I could feel that the range of motion had improved. My physiotherapist is pleased with my progress. It's all good. 

Russell is doing well. We had a memory pop up on Facebook the other day and it was about getting a date for his knee replacement surgery. Wow, to think that it will be one year in January. It's been a totally successful surgery and well worth the pain and effort that was put into the rehab process.

Yesterday, we had friends over for lunch. I met this lovely couple at my gym one year ago. It was a fun get together and we shared so many stories and laughs. Cooper & Spicy were the perfect hosts and were more than happy to show off their tricks.

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day, a day to remember all those men and women who fought for us and sacrificed their lives in action. They fought for our freedom, never to be taken for granted.  

It's a short blog today. The rest of our day will be spent relaxing. Russell is watching football, Cooper & Spicy are waiting for their dinner, and I will continue reading a good book. I'm ending this blog by congratulating Lillian and Blu-Belle in getting Rally Novice Title today. Well done both of you! Cooper and I will be sure to congratulate you in person when we go to class on Tuesday.

Have a great week everyone!

Uncle Charlie...he served and we honour him and all
who served - many never returning to loved ones.

Deja vue....Provigo never disappoints...Christmas
baskets, same day, different year!

Cooper is just chilling...it is that kind of day.

Spicy knows where the comfy spots are, also chilling

Cooper and Spicy got a new doggie place mat
for their bowl...they approve!