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!

Brighter mornings

Happy first Sunday of November! With that day brings the end of Daylight Saving Time...our mornings will be brighter for a while and our nights will get darker sooner. There's no way around it....Remembrance Day is around the corner and Christmas is next month. Yep, full steam ahead for retailers and all.  Last night, we were looking for something to watch on TV and noticed that the W Network is now featuring Christmas movies every day until January 1, 2020.  Crazy but for those who love Christmas movies, they're in for a treat. We actually don't watch much TV and we don't have Netflix, but we didn't realize that there is a such a thing as a TV channel that runs all the festive flicks imaginable. We opted to watch Forrest Gump, a classic and such an incredible movie.

On the topic of holidays, if you live outside Quebec, you may have heard or read about Halloween being postponed in many municipalities until November 1 due to the bad rain/wind storm that was going to hit most of Quebec on the 31st.  I am happy to report that the city we live in, Beaconsfield, did not postpone Halloween and we had a good amount of kids trick or treating. The rain was not as bad as anticipated, no different than any other rainy Halloween we've had in the past. Russell was at the door, greeting the kids and I was behind the gate with Cooper & Spicy enjoying it. I used the opportunity to do a bit of training..."no bark" command came in handy. Both our dogs are used to Halloween and they do not mind it. If they did, we wouldn't subject them to the event.

On the topic of wind storm, we did have quite the wind storm on Friday, November 1..... Halloween #2 for some. One of our larch trees in the backyard broke and, lucky for our back door neighbours, it fell on the Bell lines and stayed there until a tree company came later in the afternoon to take it down. It turned out to be quite an expensive proposition but we were glad to have it done before we went to bed that night. Eventually the tree would have broken the Bell lines and would have fallen on our neighbour's shed. All ended well for all parties involved.

Last Tuesday, we had the pleasure of having Cindy and Mikey over. I met Cindy a while ago, through Facebook and a friend. It was nice to finally meet her face to face as well as her lovely Havanese Mikey. The weather that day was so nice and warm that we sat on the deck.  It was a fun get together for all. Those deck days are now done for the year. Yesterday, we put away our chairs. We just need to cover the table and we're done. Where did the year go, I often ask myself!

Our trees are now bare following the wind storm. I was able to take a few pics of our maple trees just before the storm. Yesterday, we raked the last of the leaves.  The rakes have been put away and the shovels are close by....at this point in the season, we wouldn't mind a nice layer of snow. It would keep our pooches cleaner.

That's my blog for this week. Dinner is soon for the pooches. They don't seem to mind the time change. We woke up at the normal time, it just seems like a long day somehow. I leave you with various photos of the doggies and the maple trees. I wish you all a wonderful week!

The brilliant scarlet Japanese maple
in the backyard.

The Japanese cut leaf maple in full ruby red
in the front yard.

A wonderful morning sky the day after the wind storm.

Cooper and Spicy doing some trick or treat training!

Russell on a treat and training break between
trick or treaters.

Cooper doing a "through the arms" hoop jump with Russell.

Cooper doing a totally relaxed 3 minute
down stay in his hoop, during class, with me outside the room

Spicy in fine form on her Caring Paws
visit to the Wellesley residence.