July winding down

Happy Sunday everyone! Another hot and humid day, although not too oppressive. There is a nice breeze, albeit hot, but it feels good just the same.  I think this is our fourth "heat warning/wave" this Summer. It's been a hot one for sure.

All is good with us and we had a good week. My birthday came and went in a flash.  It was the most wonderful day, from start to finish. I started the day with a nice 40 minute workout, just for good measure. Then I baked myself a cake...a Lemon Torta Caprese cake, recipe from Giada De Laurentiis. I saved that recipe months ago and vowed to make it for my special day. Made with almond flour and white chocolate. It was delicious and looked very pretty. Russell and the pooches spoiled me silly. A special Canada Post delivery came in the morning....delivering the most beautiful water colour of Cooper & Spicy. Needless to say I cried when I opened the package. The most thoughtful gift I ever received. Russell found this lady in Saskatchewan a few months ago and made it all happen. On Monday, we both went to the framing store and chose the perfect frame/mats. It will be ready in 10 days or so. This water colour will have a special place in our bedroom. I can already sense some very peaceful nights down the road.

Russell also surprised me with a Kindle Oasis.....wow, I am so in love with my Kindle! Such a joy to read books now, and I have lots to read...reading is a hobby I've always enjoyed but even more so since the start of the pandemic. Every day, a few hours of "me time".

So, here we are, the last week of July. This is crazy, really. The Summer is going by way too fast for my liking. Even though we haven't been doing much, it still has been a great Summer and we look forward to a few more months of nice weather.

Today, we had another nice walk by the lake. It was very breezy and the water was a bit choppy. We watched the waves for some time....not quite Barbados waves but these will do for now. As we were getting ready to leave, we heard firetrucks and police sirens. Sure enough, there was a sailboat in distress and the marine unit came to the rescue. They towed the sailboat back to the marina and all was good. During that time though, people were gathering around and getting very curious.....we quickly noticed how easy it can be for some people to forget about social distancing. We didn't....we kept ours and had no issue. Some wanted to get close to us and pat our dogs...we said "no thank you, you can enjoy our dogs at a distance". It's a way of life now, and it will be for quite some time, so we have our rules and are sticking by them.

Today would have been Russell's dad's birthday. He would have been 91. He is always in our thoughts and we miss every day.

That's my blog for today. Enjoy this last week of July!

Making a wish...won't say what it was and it's not what you may think

Spicy can't help herself sometimes and showers me with
kisses...all while taking a good look at my cake!

My homemade Lemon Torta Caprese cake...it was
simply delicious! Happy Birthday to me!

This water colour portrait perfectly captures the spirit and
essence of Spicy and Cooper! A wonderful birthday
gift.

Not quite the waves and shoreline of Barbados but this
is a lovely setting for a dog walk on a hot Summer day.

Spicy and Cooper stop to catch the cooling breeze in a
nice shaded spot.

A little excitement as the Marine Unit launches their boat
to rescue a disabled sailboat in Lake St. Louis.

Mask on!

Happy Sunday everyone! Another hot and humid day, although the humidity has dropped somewhat. When we woke up this morning, it was cloudy. We took the dogs out and as soon as we got back in the house, it got really dark. Shortly after, we had torrential rain and thunder. By late morning, the sun was out in full force but it got really humid. I'm writing my blog outside now but I couldn't have done that an hour ago. I think more thunderstorms soon....

Today marks the second day where masks are mandatory in Quebec in all indoor public places, province wide. This will be our new way of life for quite some time, until possibly a vaccine is found. That's OK, we will do what we have to do to protect others and ourselves. The virus has not diminished, is not on vacation somewhere and is still very much dangerous and can be deadly. Enough said.

We had a good week. We took the dogs out for a walk every day except today. We truly enjoy going to the park in Pointe-Claire, by the water. It is always breezy and we like sitting in the shade and watching the boats. Nothing is more soothing than the sound of crashing waves. For now, we have to make do with those kind of waves, not the Barbados ones. That's OK.

The word "staycation" is used a lot these days, even by us. Since we enjoy life on our deck and plan on spending vacation time at home for the foreseeable future, we decided to install a permanent awning which will allow us to sit out, rain or shine, even maybe on a mild Winter day. Last Monday, we had a representative from Zytco come to our house to give us a quote. The awning will be made out of tempered glass and aluminum, UV resistant and built in shades to manage the light. Once we get the drawings in about one week, we will then have to obtain a permit from City Hall. Needless to say, we are not the only ones wanting to improve our outdoor space so it looks like we will have to wait until late Fall or perhaps early Spring to have the structure installed. Not a problem, we expected this but it will be a nice feature to have. We will at the same time change our deck railing to clear panels. So, a nice project on the go and we very much look forward to it.

On Wednesday, Russell had an outdoor osteopathy treatment with Melissa, his certified athletic therapist and osteopath in training. It was a much needed treatment, the first one since February. Needless to say, it was done in a very safe manner.

Yesterday, despite the heat, I decided to change part of our front flower bed. We had a few plants that were not doing so well and we needed more colour. I found nine daylilies on sale at our local market in Pointe-Claire. I spent a couple of hours digging up the old plants and planting the new ones. I have to admit that, up until now, I haven't felt like gardening much but that all changed yesterday. I am pleased with what I accomplished and it felt good to sweat and get dirty.

Russell and I continue to workout in our basement....not that we feel like it but we just do it. No doubt that working out at a gym is much more motivating but it is what it is. I also continue to have fun with our pooches. Because of the heat, we've been training in the basement. At the moment, I'm working on getting Cooper to jump through my arms, as opposed to a hoop. Work in progress but it's coming along. Thanks to Russell for helping with this process.

This coming week is promising to be a good one. On Tuesday, I will have a pedicure, my first since February. Wednesday is my special day.

That's my blog for today. I wish you all a wonderful week. Stay well and stay safe everyone!

Masks on for us and others, a sign of respect and care in
these COVID-19 times.

Spicy and Cooper taking time to stop and
smell the flowers from the back deck.

Cooper and Spicy in prime spots to smell
and sample last night's BBQ chicken kebab lickings.

Look mom...I messed up my top knot!

Ever present...Cooper is a joy even when he is lounging.

Last night's BBQ S'mores made using a chilli pepper holder with waffle
cones and all the other S'mores fixings! Yum!

The Beast

Happy Sunday to all! How wonderful to finally be able to sit outside in a comfortable 28 celsius, 67% humidity weather. I must admit that the past two days have been terribly hot and humid, even for me, who normally doesn't mind the heat. On Friday, we reached a whopping 94 F, 109 feel. That was a hot day!

This past week was good and it started on the right foot....or rather wheels. On Monday, we drove both our cars to the Hyundai Dealership and picked up a brand new Palisade. This pandemic has given us time to rethink a few things....one of them is that we realized that we didn't need two vehicles. So, we felt the time was right to trade in our two cars and get a new SUV. We call it the Beast as it looks like one but it drives like a dream. Quiet, smooth and powerful. We debated whether we should get a SUV again or a smaller car.....we opted for the SUV in the off chance that we will be travelling again one day and will need space for our luggage. One can always hope. We are very happy with our decision.

On Tuesday, I had my first hair cut since March 17. It felt good and I am happy with the cut. As much as I was thinking of growing my hair, I decided to go short again, but not as short as in the past. I had a photo on my phone to show my hairdresser what I wanted. He made it happen. I felt safe and all was good. The only small issue was that I got a lot of hair clippings in my eyes and couldn't use my hands to make them go away....as I would have done in a pre-COVID life. So I blinked and blinked and endured a bit of eye irritation. When I got home, I had a thorough shower and all was good again.

We had another close encounter with the sunk on Wednesday morning, when we took the dogs out around 7 am. This time the skunk was outside our fence, clearly trying to get back to its den. We each picked up a dog and went back in the house until the skunk left. That night, as Russell had Cooper out for his last business, he spotted two baby skunks, in our backyard, along the fence. Cooper was on leash but was getting excited so in the house he went. Russell stayed out to watch those two little gremlins, he thought they were so cute....although they could have sprayed. No other sightings since, fingers crossed but we are ever so watchful!

Our pooches had a quiet week, a few mid-morning walks, that's all we could handle. We had some fun in the basement to make up for the lack of walks. We also spent a lot of time doing not much. Russell had a few nice afternoon naps while I binged on a few episodes of Suits on Netflix, with the doggies. I must say I hadn't watched any episodes since May but it was fun to catch up. I actually enjoy this series, it's light yet intriguing and it's getting better and better. I'm now at Season 2, episode 7. 

Russell gave both pooches a bath today, with all the "trimmings". He must have been a groomer in a prior life. I feel so blessed and Russell does it with such passion and love. Cooper & Spicy are very grateful.

That's my blog for today. Have a wonderful week. Stay well and safe.

The Beast...not the 45 Beast but our Hyundai...
with all the trimmings...next one is electric.

Daisies never disappoint in the backyard flower bed.

A random Spicy moment at the dinner table.

Cooper is the best TV time
snooze buddy ever!

Mom, do we have to workout again...!?

Two more sleeps

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you all had a nice Canada Day. Ours was good and the weather was hot hot hot! We had wings on the barbecue, cooked on the Weber Kettle using a Vortex as a means to redirect the heat up and around the wings. They were the best homemade wings ever! Crispy and golden, yummy! It was a nice treat, paired with potato skins and, for good measure, celery and carrot sticks with homemade blue cheese dipping sauce. All and all, it was a great celebration.

We had a good week and the weather was quite nice. We enjoyed some wonderful walks with Cooper & Spicy. Lately, we've been walking along the waterfront in Pointe-Claire. It's nice and cool for the dogs, especially in hot weather, and the scenery is quite pleasant.

Two more sleeps...I wish I could say before a trip somewhere but it's the countdown to my hair cut on Tuesday, 9 am, first appointment of the day. It's been a long time coming. Four months since the last cut. It will not be a luxury believe me. I am so ready for a good trim. Washing my hair has become quite the daily process...it takes longer to dry, I've been using three brushes in the hopes that one might work better than the other, I've been experimenting with different products that I have in the house. So, it's high time but I get that it's a small problem to have during these difficult times.

On Thursday, I met up with Lillian at Le Marche de l'Ouest. The indoor part of the market now has tables so we sat for a bit, probably 1.5 meters apart but we both wore a mask. It was nice to catch up. A hug would have been nice, especially since it was her birthday on Saturday. I then bought strawberries...bought way too many. I somehow miscalculated how much I got. When I got home, I gave them a bath of water/vinegar then stored them in the fridge. Friday, I made a nice strawberry crisp, which used up about 7 cups of berries. Another yummy treat!

Our pooches are doing wonderful and have no clue that there is a pandemic going on. Saturday, I washed their soothing beds. We got those beds about one year ago and I have washed them many times. Each time, I am amazed at how well they wash, how quickly they dry and, most importantly, the quality is the same as day one. They love those beds, especially Spicy. She likes everything that is fluffy.

I continue to do some form of training/fun activities with them almost on a daily basis. Today, I set up a course outside for Cooper. We practiced some of the things we learned at class last year. Also on the menu today was one of the enrichment activities that our friend Wanda gave us....hiding tiny treats in an egg carton. Cooper literally shredded the whole carton. That was the idea!

So, another COVID-19 week is behind us. At times, life almost seems normal but we know it is not. This darn virus is still with us. So we keep doing what we've been doing for the past four months. We chill, enjoy life and also reflect on what is truly important in life.

That's my blog for today, I wish you all a great week, another hot one on the horizon. Stay safe, stay well.

Cooper and Spicy, on Canada Day, 
by Lake St. Louis at the park.

Some days are a little breezy contributing to bad hair days.

Cooper enjoys running his course in the
backyard...he is always keen to work.

Spicy did her best to model a cap...a little
too large for her.

Cooper told us he wants a MAGA cap....
maybe...NOT!

Spicy and Cooper enjoy their soothing beds fresh from the
washer/dryer - as fluffy and soothing as day one after
many washes.

Our astilbes in full bloom in the front flower bed.

Spicy was keen to 'egg' Cooper on, in his
quest to shred the carton and get the treat.