Dog Days of Summer

Happy Sunday everyone! Another hot day in the neighbourhood. A few minutes ago, we had a brief rain shower while the sun was shinning. I didn't see any rainbow but I'm sure there was one somewhere. The past few days have been hot but today is the hottest so far. That's OK, we can deal with it. No walks for the doggies and quick trips outside. As for us crazy humans, we still spend time on our deck, in the shade of course, and enjoy the Summer.

This past week was good. Monday was my birthday and it was a wonderful day. Spicy and I attended a Havanese gathering at Eveline's house in the afternoon. This was the fourth "Havanese Huddle" and it was fun. Spicy got to see her relative Sparky (they share the same dad) and got reacquainted with Blu-Belle, Macey, Jazz, Ella and Bella. It was fun for the humans and canines...and there was a birthday cake for me! Carrot cake, the best, thank you Eveline! We missed Cooper who was home recovering from a nasty bug. Russell took good care of him while we were gone. Spicy and I got home at about 4 pm. I spent the rest of my birthday relaxing with my three loves. There is no better way.

The rest of the week was quiet. We had some lovely walks with the doggies. I went to the gym four times, as usual, and I'm now 2,768 meters short of completing the Rowing Challenge of 14,942 meters, to be done by July 31. I hope to do it in my classes Tuesday and Wednesday. It will truly depend on how the rowing segment of the class is structured. I was considering doing a class tomorrow but I'm not that desperate to complete the challenge. I like to have Monday off, that's just me.

Last week, we also continued our low-carb way of eating.  I tried a few new recipes and Russell loved each one. I'm having fun with cauliflower rice. Today, I made this great cauliflower crust quiche....Russell approved! Having said this, we still enjoy life and have carbs when we feel like it.

Not much else is going on other than our trip to Scotland and Ireland is just six weeks away. Wow, hard to believe, it will be here before we know it. Today I made a list of things to do before we go, things to bring for us on the trip and things to bring for our doggies when they go to Talemaker Camp...Spicy's heart medication, Cooper's daily probiotic, tooth brushes/paste, etc. Lots to think about.

That's my blog for today. I leave you with lots of pics, I hope you enjoy them all. Have a great week everyone!

A herd of Havanese...what could be more fun....Cooper has
a spot up front for next year.

The Havanese Moms and their doggies...back row, Sparky,
Ella, Jazz, Spicy,  front row, Macey, Blu-Belle and Bella.

Sparky and Spicy looking fine.

Spicy says to Mary, did you say you have cake!?

Nothing better than a roll on the cool green lawn...Spicy
loves to roll.

A lovely birthday cake surprise for me!
The cake was delicious.

Spicy loves to snuggle and cuddle with her
Mommy.

First Tongue-out-Tuesday (ToT) pic for
Blu-Belle.

Cooper wondering when Spicy will be
home from the Havanese Huddle

Might as well rest up in my soothing bed till Spicy
comes home...then we get to have our afternoon treat

Daylily in full bloom.

Another beauty

Cauli-flour crust quiche...yummie!

The countdown has begun...

....for those who don't like the heat wave, Winter will be here in five months. Just saying.  On that note, Happy Sunday to all!

The past week was good but hot, like everywhere else in some parts of Canada. The humidity was hard to take at times but we were smart about it and didn't spend a lot of time outside. We didn't walk our dogs, not even on grassy areas. We took them out to do their business and brought them back in the house when they were done. Although we spend as much time as we can on our deck in the Summer months, we found ourselves staying in for the past two days. That's OK, we knew it wouldn't last. Today, although it is 31 celsius, it is dry and we are back outside. There is also a very nice breeze. It's all good.

Our flower beds are in full bloom. The daylilies are very tall and we've had some beautiful flowers. The astilbes are beautiful. Our grass, not so much anymore, but it will come back.

Russell and I are doing good. We are watching our carbs these days, just want to "make some room" for our trip in September.  I introduced Russell to cauliflower rice and he loves it. Very tasty and yummy if you do it right. This week, he will get to try spaghetti squash. I'm used to eating this way, so for Russell it is something new and he likes it. We are not going crazy and still enjoy our Friday night pizza and wine! Life is short after all.

I went to the gym on Tuesday and didn't realize, until I got there, that it was the beginning of the Orange Voyage...a rowing challenge from July 17 to 31....the goal is to row 14, 942 meters during that time. So, Tuesday was kick off day and we had to row for 22 minutes. I asked coach Steven what should be the average meters in that time....he said somewhere between 3,500 and 4,000 meters. Immediately was goal was to reach 5,000...and I did 5,020 meters. Pretty proud of myself....and not bad for someone who will turn 61 tomorrow!

Cooper and Spicy are doing well. Instead of going for walks for the past few days, we had some fun training sessions in the basement. They both love it and it keeps them challenged. We are particularly mindful of the heat since both were diagnosed with Mitral Valve Disease last month. What are the odds of both having this condition? A routine wellness exam indicated that they had a heart murmur so we did an echocardiogram which confirmed it. Cooper & Spicy show no signs of slowing down, we will monitor them yearly. We're just glad to have caught it early. They should live a long and happy life. Those yearly exams are so important, for us and our dogs.

That's my blog for today. This coming week will be quiet other than for tomorrow. Besides celebrating my birthday all day, I will attend a Havanese get together in the afternoon with some friends who also have a Havanese. It will be a fun get together for the dogs and the humans. Sadly, our Cooper will not be able to make it as he's been under the weather for a week now. He will stay home with Russell. I must say that I'm upset about it as he can be quite the play monkey in those gatherings. We will miss him and Russell. Spicy and I will bring back lots of photos.

Have a great week everyone! Think Winter and you'll be cool!

Cooper and Spicy in a Winter wonderland...anyone
wishing for a return to the cold air? Not us!

Front yard astilbes in full bloom.

Cranesbill geraniums...looking lovely in the front bed.

Rudbeckia....in bloom...nice pops of yellow in the
front flower bed.

It is snack time on the back deck...dehydrated chicken
Yappetizers...you should hear the crunch these make
 while being devoured by Spicy and Cooper.
A healthy treat that is100% Canadian.

Spicy and Cooper chilling on the cool kitchen floor.

Astilbes looking like fireworks exploding...lovely bursts of
deep colour.

VegTrug Part Deux

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you all had a good week. Almost mid-July already...as far as our flower pots and VegTrug go, it might as well be August. Today, I replaced all the herbs in the VegTrug. Everything did so well so early in the season that all the herbs, except for the rosemary, went to seed. And that's not from lack of cutting back or using them. On Friday, I was lucky to find beautiful pots of coriander, basil and chives. We now have a supply of fresh herbs for a few months I hope.

Some of our flower pots in the front also were starting to look sad so I replaced them. Our strawberry planter is done and gone....yesterday we caught Mr. Squirrel getting a strawberry or two, the last of them...all this while we were sitting on the deck. Cooper & Spicy were not impressed by this little visitor but they didn't try to chase it, only because the squirrel left the same way it came in...up and down the deck railing, and the gate to the deck was up. There was no escape route for our pooches, this time.

Last Thursday, I had a wonderful lunch with Diane and Lise. It was good to get together again. We had a lot of catching up to do. Although our birthdays are scattered throughout the year, we all share the same birth year. Last year, we joined the sixties club and started this lovely lunch tradition. All three of us go back a long way, having worked for many many years for JTI-Macdonald. We are now happily retired and keep in touch throughout the year. Our lunch took place in the Old Montreal at William-Grey Terrasse, with a beautiful view of the Old Port, including the Cirque du Soleil's Big Top and La Grande Roue. A great reunion it was!

Thursday night, we had quite the rain storm and lots of thunder. We lost power for three hours but, lucky for us, the power went out as I was getting dinner ready. So we ate, then spent the rest of the evening in the living room with candles. At 9:30 we went to bed and the power came back around 10:00 pm. We needed the rain but we could have done without the power failure.

Our pooches are doing well. We had some lovely walks with them last week and met a woman who is thinking about getting a Havanese. She wanted to know all about the breed, their dispositions, etc. We spent some time chatting with her.  She was happy to be able to see, in person, not only one but two Havanese. She thought they were lovely little creatures....of course they are!

Quebec Strawberries are available everywhere now and they are delicious. I bought some last week but I was finding they weren't lasting long. Russell then told me how to keep them longer: soak them in a bath of white vinegar and water for a few minutes, pat them dry and put them in the fridge. I thought he was making that up so I Googled it (sorry Russell) .... sure enough he was right. So, I did just that and so far, our fresh strawberries are lasting much longer than normal. They are crisp, red and very fresh. Thank you Russell! Never too old to learn a new trick.

That's my mid-July blog. I hope you have a great week! Summer is far from over!

VegTrug part deux...freshly planted and looking awesome.

VegTrug pre-replant...looking sad and overgrown.

View of the Old Port from the William-Grey Terrasse.

The Sexygenerians at lunch...good food and even better
conversations and laughter.

Daylillies on full bloom in the back garden.

Who knew that squirrels liked strawberries...
caught in the act...little thief.

A bad hair day for Spicy...she loves to
mess up her topknot...she gets more treats
that way...clever.

Cooper is ever optimistic at meal time and
not far from the action. 

Cooper and Spicy love to dine alfresco on the back deck.

It was a hot one!

Happy Sunday everyone! Today is the perfect Summer day, warm, no humidity, a gorgeous blue sky, a gentle breeze... a nice relief from the past four steaming days. Oh boy, was it hot or what! On Friday, we decided that it was too hot to sit out, even in the shade. So we spent the day indoors. Yesterday morning, we woke up to the same humidity but as the day went on, it dissipated and we were able to sit out comfortably and eat outside. Today is perfect and we resumed our walks with our pooches. They were happy to be out and about again!

So, this past week was good but a tad too hot. We both went to the gym but were glad that we went in the morning. Somehow, even being in a cool air conditioned studio, it would not have felt good to work out in the afternoon. We spent our afternoons just chilling with the pooches. I did some fun training with them, still working on the maze obstacles that I created a few weeks ago.

Our VegTrug is growing out of control. Today, it actually looks like it's the end of August. The coriander is very tall and has some flowers. I cut a lot of it and I'm using it in recipes. Our basil is doing great. The lettuce is at its peak. Our cherry tomato pot is doing well. We have lots of clusters, some are ready to eat and some will be ready in a few days. Our flower beds are doing well also. Our grass didn't get cut this week, I suspect because of the heat so it's quite long. Cooper doesn't mind long grass but Spicy doesn't like it.... she hops like a rabbit in the grass. She's a funny girl.

Last Monday, we took part in some of the local Canada Day festivities and indulged our pooches in a pup cone. They loved it and we enjoyed watching them loving it.

This coming week will be a bit busy for me. Spicy and I will be visiting a seniors home on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, I have a mammogram....not my favorite thing to do but something I do every two years. This will be followed by a lovely lunch in the Old Montreal with Diane and Lise, two former work colleagues...we formed this little "club" last year called "Les Sexygenaires". All three of us turned 60 in 2018...enough said about the age. It will be fun to get together again and share some good laughs.

That's my blog for this week. I leave you, once again, with random pics of our pooches. I also include a pic of Pepper, Spicy's daughter, so much like her mom it's not funny. They both share the same quirks and both love to mess up their hairdo. This photo was taken by Pepper's human mom this past week, I thought it was so cute. I also include two photos that Darlah took years ago of both Cooper and Spicy swimming in their pool. Fitting given that we had such a hot week, I bet they would have loved to swim. Have a great week everyone!

A ripe cluster of cherry tomatoes ready to eat...more coming!

Spicy is a natural swimmer...using her tail as a rudder.

Cooper is no slouch in the pool either...once again -
tail as a rudder...might be a Havanese thing!

Spicy has her morning rituals....she loves to survey from the
top of the sofa....identifying who to bark at.

BFFs...chilling on a hot day!

Spicy and Cooper enjoying a chew in their soothing beds.

Pepper, Spicy's daughter, having a bad hair day,
 messy top knot and all, just like her mommy

Spicy is the queen of messing up top knots...Pepper
learned well.

Nothing like a Wild Willy's pup cone on a hot
Canada Day...Spicy and Cooper enjoyed to the max!