Five weeks and counting

Happy Sunday everyone! It is a very coolish and windy day, almost feels like Fall. Quite a contrast with the hot weather we had last week.

Our province is progressively reopening. Tomorrow will be a big day for many stores, health professionals, groomers and hair/beauty salons (outside of the Montreal region). On Friday, we got the news that beauty salons in the Montreal area will reopen on June 15. Yesterday afternoon, I got a call from my hair dresser asking when I wanted to get my hair cut. I chose July 7, in five weeks. I could have had an appointment sooner but I decided to get a nice cut closer to my birthday. So, five weeks and counting. I normally get my hair cut every four weeks. .July 7 will be the 16th week. It will be high time and I am so excited!

This past week was good although very hot, but I'm not complaining. I truly enjoy the hot weather especially if I can enjoy it in the shade. We didn't walk much with the dogs but we found ways to keep them occupied. On that note, I now find myself with a lot of pokers in the fire as far as dog fun/training goes. I received the Cavaletti that I ordered so we can now do fun stuff in the backyard. I will be combining this with some rally moves. Thanks to Wanda for sending me some ideas! I also have their fitness program to work with as well as the online "Home School the Dog" program that I subscribed too (thank you Scruffy for recommending). Lots to keep them busy and challenged throughout the day, a little bit at a time, rain or shine.

Russell and I are doing good. We seem to be in a groove now with our routine, if I can call it that. Our lives have become much less regimented since the start of COVID. We have no appointments, no gym classes, no dog therapy visits, nothing to keep us on a schedule. Sure we miss a lot of these activities but we don't have them so we are choosing to embrace this relaxing, less stressful time. One of my favorite time of day now is in the afternoon, when I sit on the deck with a good book while Russell, Cooper & Spicy have a nap. It has become something that I really look forward to, some "me time".

We continue to video chat with friends. Last week, I had my bi-weekly chat with Diane & Lise. We start by raising a glass to our good health then we just chat away for an hour or so. Last Thursday, we also had our bi-weekly chat with Roland, our former Mississauga neighbour. These are difficult times for everyone, no matter how each person feels about the situation. It is good to reach out to people.

A quiet day for us today. I spent the better part of the morning watching the docking of Space X Crew Dragon with ISS. I am totally fascinated by everything that has to do with space. I watched the lift off yesterday and was glued to my chair. Maybe I should have been an astronaut.

Today would have been Russell's parents' 68th wedding anniversary. They are always in our hearts and we think of them always.

That's my blog for today. I hope you enjoy the outdoor photos that Russell took. Tomorrow is June 1. Can you believe it! I wish you all a great week. Stay well. Ca va bien aller.

The front garden bed in full bloom, Japanese cut leaf maple
to the left. It's never looked better!

Vibrant pink phlox in the front bed.

The Jack Frost with their tiny blue flowers...stunning.

The backyard crabapple has long suffered from fungus and
yet it still manages a few blossoms...not the full tree but
in these times a splash of colour is a good sign.

Cooper loves a challenge and these Cavaletti are just
the trick...he clears them with ease.

Not to be outdone, Spicy shows her skills and clears the
hurdles with room to spare...higher next time please?

Our backyard refuge complete with dining and lounging areas,
umbrellas and just in case a patio heater.

Gatherings

Happy Sunday everyone! A beautiful day here in Beaconsfield, sunny and quite warm. We've had nothing but sunshine since last Saturday. I heard some rain tomorrow, and it will be welcome. Our plants need it. This rain will be followed by our first heat wave of the season. I think that Summer has arrived!

This past week was good. We did a bit of gardening, I bought our front planters and our VegTrug is thriving. I've used many of the herbs already. I have a feeling that I will have to replenish those herbs half-way through Summer but that's OK. My favorite herb is cilantro, so fresh and delicious. Our grass is growing nicely, so much so that Russell had to cut it twice this past week. He loves his new lawnmower!

My knee continues to improve nicely. I'm so happy I decided to give this "telerehabilitation" a try. I had a follow up session last Tuesday. I'm now able to do step ups and mini squats. We also love our new stationary bike. We've used it four times this past week, nice and smooth on the knees. Cooper & Spicy love watching me ride the bike. At first, they seemed a little puzzled by the sound of the fly wheel. Then they thought, it's OK, so let's just nap while mommy is exercising.

Quebec is now allowing gatherings of up to 10 people, from a maximum of three households. Physical distancing must be respected and those gatherings must be outdoors. We had our first gathering last week with Melissa, our friend and Russell's personal trainer. We had our second one today with my brother, sister and our two nephews....two households. As you can see in the photo, the 2 meter was well respected. Russell, our pooches and I had the best seats in the house, our deck. It worked out just fine. I put all the drinks in a cooler for everyone to help themselves. My sister brought foldable chairs, which we don't have, thankful for that. We kept Cooper & Spicy on the deck with us....easier to manage physical distancing that way. People get excited around dogs, dogs get excited around people, we get that. This excitement can lead to compromised distancing. So we do what we have to do to keep everyone safe. Bottom line, it was nice to see everyone face to face, even at a distance. Oh, and we prefer to use the term "physical" distancing rather than social. We want nothing more than to be social, always respecting the 2 meter distance.

Last Thursday, we had a wonderful video chat with two staff members from our hotel in Barbados. It was really nice to talk to them. We are like family to them. They miss us, we miss them. We will be back one day.

I want to say a huge thank you to my wonderful husband who has been keeping our doggies in tip top shape throughout this pandemic. Both Cooper & Spicy have had two baths so far,  daily teeth brushing and grooming, regular nail, bums, pads and feet trimmings. I am grateful, so are our pooches. On that topic, hair salons will reopen June 1 except in the Montreal area, of which we are part of. I have resorted to wearing a head band. A new style, why not!

That's my blog for today.  I wish you all a great week. Most importantly, I wish you continued strength during this pandemic. We will get through this if we all do our part. Ca va bien aller.

Our backyard family gathering with proper physical
distancing...nice to see everyone.

The VegTrug is in full growth mode and has already
giving us some herbs.

Spicy loves the cool grass under her paws, she doesn't
like it when the grass is too long...such a princess.

Cooper loves the lawn as well...his preference is to
scratch and kick grass everywhere.

My spotters as I use the AirDyne stationary
bike in the basement.

Happy 9th Birthday sweet Cooper

Hello everyone! I hope you're all enjoying a beautiful Sunday. Today is very special, it is our sweet boy Cooper's 9th birthday. It's hard to believe that he's already 9. He is a such a wonderful soul, with a personality larger than life. We are so blessed to have him in our lives.

This past week was good. On Monday, I had a telephone assessment with our physiotherapy clinic in order to determine the course of action for my knee.  It was quickly determined that I was a candidate for an "in person" visit however I chose to give the "telerehabilitation" a try. I was lucky to get an appointment for that same day, with the physiotherapist that took care of my shoulder. It was done using Zoom technology. Easy peasy. It lasted one hour. After a few visual tests, Michael determined that I was most likely suffering from an inflammation of the Medial Collateral Ligament. He gave me some stretching exercises and I have a follow up appointment this coming Tuesday. I was very pleased to be able to deal with this issue in such a timely manner. He also recommended the use of a stationary bicycle as an exercise.....we didn't have one then but we have one now. It came on Friday. As I often say, things happen for a reason. We now have a good exercise machine that we will both be able to use moving forward.

On Wednesday, I went to the garden centre to check out the herbs. I bought some then and the balance on Friday. The Trug is now planted. I also found two nice geranium planters for our deck. This week, I will look for two planters for the front of the house. During these COVID times, going to the garden centre is a bit different. One way in, one way out and they only let so many people in at once. Overall it was not a bad experience. We were not rushed, we could browse and take our time. Most people wore masks. I did and I do all the time now when I go out. The way of life for a while it seems.

Our weather was not too bad last week but this week promises to be beautiful, nothing but sunshine and warmer temperatures. Hopefully this weather is here to stay.

That's my blog for this week. I leave you with a few photos of Cooper's birthday and the cake that I baked, first time ever. It turned out pretty good (and no, Cooper didn't eat the whole cake, hardly any actually). Coop was more than happy to share with his partner in crime Spicy. Have a great week everyone! Stay well, stay safe. Ca va bien aller! Another big shout out for the Coop!

Cooper took the time to pose for this photo...he was
anxious to get into the cake that I baked.

Cooper was quick to give everything a lick, it all met
with his approval!

Cooper always shares with Spicy and she also loved
the cake.

Nothing says Happy Birthday like a
home baked carrot cake with a cream cheese
peanut butter icing.

Do you have tight muscles and stiff tendons...
try a rolling pin - roll the affected areas gently,
as prescribed by my physiotherapist.

The Schwinn AirDyne bike ready to help us get some
cardio and gentle muscle/joint rehab.

Celebrating Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Many of you will not get to see your children or grandchildren today but I hope you can celebrate with them in your own virtual way. I also send my Mother's Day wishes to all the pet moms, a special day for all of us. Russell and I are also thinking about our own mothers who have left us but are always in our hearts.

This past week was a good one. I managed to go to a garden centre and got a few planters filled with beautiful pansies. They are in our VegTrug now, protected from the cold nights that we've been getting. While at the garden centre, I also bought two bags of organic vegetable soil for the Trug. I removed some of the old soil, put in the new one and it's now ready for planting herbs in a few weeks.

It's been rather cold for the past few days. On Friday, we even had a brief period of snow. Yikes! Having said this, last week also brought a few nicer days and we took advantage of it by sitting on the deck almost every afternoon. When I'm out on the deck, I'm not inside watching my new favorite Netflix series, Suits. My rule about Netflix, I only watch it in the house, not outside. Suits is actually quite good, funny with a bit of intrigue. I laugh when I think back about our Scotland train journey, and the fact that we spent five days with "Harvey Specter" and his family...never knew who they were then!

Last Thursday, we had a video chat with Roland, our former neighbour from Mississauga. We kept in touch with him when we moved to Huntsville. He lost his wife two years ago and we have always remained in contact. He so looks forward to our bi-weekly chats. It is rather nice. Russell also had a wonderful telephone call with the very first boss he ever had, Jim, some 39 years ago. They have kept in touch over the years so it was really great for the two to speak live.

Cooper and Spicy are doing well. I am truly enjoying helping them get fit with this doggie fitness program. This past week, they got to work on their balance by standing on their hind legs on the floor, with one front paw on an elevated platform and the other paw sitting in the palm of my hand...for five seconds. Repeat with other leg. Five repetitions, 3 sets, 30 second rest between sets. Good doggies. They must think their mommy is crazy!

Russell and I are doing good. Despite the fact that we don't go anywhere per se, our days go by very quickly.  Like most people, we have our ups and downs, more ups than downs though. Sometimes we just can't help but think about this COVID-19 virus and wonder how it will all unfold in the end. One day at a time I suppose. Today, I had a video chat with my brother and sister. If the weather is nice in June, we may just have a gathering in our backyard, keeping social distancing of course. It would be nice to see them face to face, even at a distance.

My left knee is giving me grief right now. It's been hurting for a few weeks but for some reason, it got incredibly worse during the night Friday. Yesterday morning, I gave in and decided to take an Advil, and I'm not a pill taker. I was even surprised to see that we had some in the house, expired last month but are still providing relief.  I also decided to take advantage of this "telerehabilitation" that our physiotherapy clinic is offering at the moment. I will have a telephone consultation tomorrow morning, which will be followed by virtual physio treatment. I hope it helps. My mobility has been greatly affected by this and I am not a happy camper....neither is my mental health. So, in these COVID days, you gotta do what you gotta do. It's not a big deal compared to what many are going through right now. Having said this, life goes on and we must continue to take care of ourselves and our health.

That's my blog for today. I truly hope that all the moms are having a wonderful day. I know I am,  with my wonderful husband and our two beautiful kids...who happen to have paws. Stay safe, stay well. Ca va bien aller. Hugs to all!

Happy Mothers Day! My kids and a splash of
pansy colour in our backyard.

The pansy pots are well protected from the frosty nights
in the VegTrug!

A calm Lake St. Louis on our morning walk along the
Lakeshore Road in Beaconsfield.

A brief snow squall...that is May weather for you.

Cooper working his core - balancing on
the BOSU with one paw up.

Spicy working her core as well, well done!

Welcome May!

Happy Sunday everyone! May has started off on a good note, weather wise. The past two days have been quite nice, sunny, temperatures in the low 20s. We'll take it. I'm writing my blog outside while listening to good music. Russell is catching up on the latest vaccine developments and our pooches are having a nap by his feet. We have nothing to complain about. Yes, we miss seeing our family and friends, we miss planning a trip or a romantic getaway, we miss having a date lunch out somewhere. But we are healthy and safe and that's what matters. So many are not and our hearts go out to them.

This past week was good. Russell and I have been going out early in the morning for our fitness walk. It's the only time of day where Cooper & Spicy are left alone. They are getting really spoiled having us around all the time. That's OK. We love having them with us all the time too. I did one or maybe two (can't remember) workouts of my own in the basement. This coming week I plan on doing more, maybe, we'll see. I haven't quite felt like it lately and I don't beat myself up for not doing it. I'm being kind to myself. Nothing wrong with that. I have, however, been diligent in getting our doggies in tip top shape. I'm having fun with that doggie fitness program that I started last week. I will move on to week 2 sometime this week. Twenty minutes well spent, in my opinion, and both Spicy and Cooper seem to enjoy it. Why wouldn't they, they get tiny treats for every exercise they do! It's all good and fun.

I was remembering how our April calendar became totally empty of appointments once this COVID-19 thing started. Now I have to laugh as our May calendar is filled with either deliveries, video chats or video cocktail hours with friends and family. How times have changed in a blink of an eye. On that note, I had a lovely video cocktail hour with my friends Diane and Lise last Friday. We plan to make this a bi-weekly affair.

I continue to be pleased with both IGA and Provigo in terms of how they manage their online orders. Their time slots have improved greatly. Metro, not so much. IGA delivers to our house whereas Provigo is curb side pickup. I experienced my first pick-up last Friday, easy peasy. I've got this!

I haven't been to a garden centre yet only because I think it's a bit early but I hope that I can soon get my herbs for the Trug as well as some planters for the front yard and back deck. That is something I plan on doing in person...I will wear one of those artisanal masks that we have and will be good to go.

Russell decided it was time to feed the birds again. We used to feed them when we lived in Mississauga. We found a Nyjer feeder in the basement and ordered the seeds online. We put it up in the crabapple tree so that we can see the birds from either the kitchen window or the deck. It didn't take long for the chickadees and the finches to find it.  A beautiful thing to watch.

That's my blog for today. I hope all of you are doing well and staying safe. Have a good week everyone. Ca va bien aller.

My 'spotters' Cooper and Spicy as I do my workout.

Cooper is learning to pivot on a basket...
while Spicy looks on. Part of the Fun
Fit Canin program

First BBQ of the season and the taste testing
crew lined up and ready to nibble.

Spicy and Cooper know when it's supper time...first alfresco dinner

Peas in a pod....staying home, watching people