Wind in our sails

Happy Sunday everyone! Our weather today is spectacular, bright sunshine and a pleasant 7 degree celsius. The perfect weather to say so long to February and to sit on our deck for the first time this year. We sat there for a while after our walk this morning. There was no need for the tabletop heater. Our new awning is also keeping the snow from the deck so we're ready to start a new season!

All is good with the four of us. I have to say that, for the first time since the pandemic started a year ago, Russell and I can now see a light at the end of this long pandemic tunnel.  Tomorrow, Quebec will start the vaccination process for the general population, starting with the 80+ year old folks. It was originally going to be 85 + but that changed last Friday.  Before we know it, it will be our turn. We are very excited at the prospect of getting our first dose of the vaccine. We fully realize that our lives won't return to normal overnight but it's a good start to getting some normalcy back eventually. 

When we think back to this time last year, little did we know that this pandemic would have such an impact on everyone's lives, let alone kill so many people. We also doubted that a vaccine would be ready by end of 2020. It's been a tough year for everyone, us included. We had our moments like most people. But today, we feel the wind in our sails, it's happening and it feels good.

Tomorrow is the first of March, a month that will bring brighter and longer days. We may have some Winter left but in my book, Spring is just around the corner. Tomorrow is also the start of a new workout program created by Angie (March Mayhem). I have the schedule and it looks like fun! Our pooches will also get to learn new things through the private Facebook group that Wanda and a few others introduced last week. Russell continues his Ancestry search and is adding to his family tree. He is also taking more photos of the outdoors. Winter scenery can be quite beautiful for a photographer, especially after a fresh coat of snow. 

That's my last blog for this month. I leave you with a potpourri of photos. Have a great week everyone! For my friends in Quebec, this week is school break...stay safe and healthy. We're almost at the finish line, we can do this 😊

Deck time has arrived. The awning we had
installed last Fall will be a bonus this season.

Snow Moon rising through light cloud cover on 
the 27th during Blue hour.

Snow Moon setting this morning on the 28th 
with a golden glow from the suns rays.

Ice crystals glow in the last light from the sun, 
on the River Plum beside our house.

A humming bird nest high in the maple in
the front yard...maybe they will return?

The trees on the property of the neighbour
across the street coated in new snow.

A maple 'frosted' in fresh snow
at Edgewater Park.

Cooper is always on the look out 
for icicles...all gone now

A snug path for Cooper and Spicy.

Spicy and Cooper warm up my
mat before my workout with Angie.

Spicy doing her morning yoga stretches.

A busy Sunday in the kitchen

Hello everyone and happy Sunday!

It's been a busy morning. While Russell spent a good two hours bathing and beautifying Cooper and Spicy, I spent that time in the kitchen. I started my morning by throwing a pork shoulder in the slow cooker. It's my first time doing this...not throwing but slow cooking a pork shoulder 😉 There's still a few hours left then I will shred it and mix it with a sauce. It will be good this week in sandwiches or on its own with a nice side of veggies.  I also air fried some chickpeas. OMG, I munched on those all morning long. I then proceeded to make a double batch of granola, which I froze. What else....I cooked some chicken for our pooches and prepped our dinner, simple Asiago Chicken with mushrooms. 

Yesterday was also a busy day in the kitchen, gearing up for a homemade Chinese dinner. I made vegetable fried rice (with brown rice cooked the day before), air fried egg rolls and slow cooked Chinese spareribs. Everything was delicious. I had tried the egg rolls over a month ago and, although they were good, they were not as golden and crispy as I would have liked. This time, thanks to a tip from my friend Patricia, I brushed them with oil.  I also used the recipe she gave me. They turned out really nice. 

Enough about food. This past week was good. We got some snow on Monday. Although we seem to have a lot of it, it is evaporating quite nicely. I can tell just by looking at my snowman in the backyard. It is loosing weight with each passing day. The days are truly longer now, it is so enjoyable.

We both had our dental hygiene appointments. All is good on that front. I had my hair cut and Cooper had his B12 injection. His weight continues to be stable, that's a good thing. I've been having fun learning new dog tricks from the Facebook group that I joined at the beginning of February. On that note, our friend and dog trainer Wanda set up a private FB group entitled Tricks & Training Tips. She will post some fun stuff for us to learn starting March 1. Can't wait! Other trainers from the Lakeshore Dog Training Association have followed suit and I've joined the groups. More doggie fun on the horizon.

Last Wednesday, Russell and I watched the movie Knives Out. If anyone is looking for a great Who Dunnit type movie, we recommend that one. It was very well done and the cast is quite good. 

I finished watching Sweet Magnolias, now waiting for the second season to start later this year. I started Scandal....and I'm in trouble. I'm on Season 2, Episode 7....this afternoon and over the next few days, I will attempt to catch up to my friend Pat and get to episode 14. That's why I'm doing my blog early.....gotta to free up the rest of my afternoon!

Those are my news for this week...the last of February! Hooray! I wish you all a great week. Stay well and safe!

A nice free form snow sculpture on the 
crabapple tree in our backyard.

Russell's first successful attempt at frozen
soap bubbles.

Icicles...Cooper's favorite...
crunchy treat.

Air fryer chickpeas....delicious.

Air fried Chinese egg rolls...yummy.

Spicy loves her comfort, all tucked in for a nap.

Cooper enjoys his snug time.

Peas in a pod on the front room sofa

Love is in the air

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! What a gorgeous day to celebrate love...lots of sunshine, mild temperatures and the birds are happy. We woke up again this morning to the beautiful mating song of the cardinals. They hang out in the apple tree just outside our bedroom window. Such a nice way to start the day. 

This past week was good but on the cold side. We had a few frigid mornings but interestingly enough, the cold didn't bother Cooper & Spicy. We always keep an eye on their paws and so far this year, no lifting of the feet. 

On Friday, we celebrated Russell's birthday. He was overwhelmed by all the loving and sincere birthday greetings he received from his many friends and some family members. Russell was especially touched to hear from his three distant cousins from across the pond. Cooper & Spicy showered their daddy with licks and kisses all day.  I made his favorite dinner...Coquille St-Jacques, a recipe from Ina Garten. The birthday dessert was a pecan pie, chosen especially to be paired with a 14 year old Oban Scotch, The Distillers Edition, that I purchased back in December. The perfect pairing according to Russell. He truly enjoyed it. Another beautiful Scotch added to his collection.

I have a little story to share about pecan pie. Some 39 years ago, Russell invited his boss, Eddie Ting, over for dinner. We lived in Edmonton then and we were newly weds. Eddie's favorite dessert was pecan pie so I decided to make one for him. A couple of weeks before the boss' dinner, I made quite a few of those pies...I wanted to get it just right. From what I remember, it was delicious and Eddie loved it. I wished I had kept the recipe I used then. So, 39 years later, for Russell's birthday, I thought I could do this again. I was all set to make Ina Garten's recipe but after reading the reviews (at the last minute), I changed my mind. I Googled tons of recipes and settled on one. Well, it was a complete bust. Plan B to the rescue...I got a beautiful pie at our Metro, made locally by La Boulangerie St-Donat. It was truly heaven. By the way, Russell is still in touch with Eddie to this day, which is quite nice. Next time he talks to him, he will ask him if he still likes pecan pie.

This coming week is filled with a bunch of appointments, dental hygiene for both of us, my long overdue hair cut and Cooper's B-12 vet appointment. In between these appointments, it looks like I will be shovelling snow....from what I read, we could get quite a bit over the course of the next five days. I may have to redesign that backyard this year after all!

That's my blog for today. We will go back outside in a few minutes and do recall games with our pooches. It's a lot of fun especially with the many paths that we have. Have a great week everyone. Some of my friends will be celebrating Family Day tomorrow. Enjoy, be safe and stay healthy! 

Happy 66th Russell! Cooper and Spicy joined in
and helped blow out the candles on that pecan
pie.

Pecan pie paired with Oban Distillers Edition....
yummy!

Oban Distillers Edition, we visited
the distillery in Oban.

Besties on the path in the backyard.

Cooper says look up Spicy, that is
where they keep the good stuff.

Paws up...Cooper, good boy!

Paws up Spicy, good girl!

The Kid versus the GOAT

Happy Super Bowl Sunday everyone!

Tonight's football game is shaping up to be an epic quarterback matchup between one of the greatest players of all times and one who will likely follow in his footsteps....Brady versus Mahomes. It will be a very exciting game and we can't wait to watch it. 

All is good with us and we had a nice week. We got some snow one day last week, can't remember which day. It was the fluffy stuff and I decided to shovel instead of using the snowshoes. As I was clearing the dog paths, I realized that, a few weeks ago, I created way too many paths so I decided to close off a few. I also started thinking about next year's winter path design....I have some ideas but a little too late to change things now. As much as I don't mind shovelling snow, to a certain extent, I'm not going to move snow around just for the fun of it. So, I'm tucking my ideas for next year in the back of my head.

Our province is reopening gradually this week. As such, I have a hair cut appointment booked for next week. It will be 11 weeks since my last cut, it's high time. 

This past week was the start of a new workout program from Angie for the month of February, called Evolve at Home. I have enjoyed every single workout so far. Our pooches have also had fun learning new tricks from their activity program. I particularly like to see videos that participants post of their dogs. It's very interesting to watch how other dogs do certain things.

We've been using our air fryer quite a bit. It really cooks food nicely. I especially like cooking veggies such as green beans and brussels sprouts. They come out very tasty. I finished watching Netflix's Virgin River. I truly enjoyed it and now I have to wait for Season 3 later this year. I started Little Fires Everywhere but couldn't get into it. I set this one aside for now. I'm still in Season 2 of How to get away with Murder and I will start Sweet Magnolias this week. That's my Netflix/Prime update 😍

Russell is doing well. He has found a few more distant cousins and is in touch with some of them on a regular basis. The Duncan/Watkins family tree keeps growing. On Friday, we will celebrate his birthday 💖 With the reopening of non-essential stores tomorrow, I hope to be able to find a birthday card. We're old-fashioned that way, we don't do e-cards to each other 😉

That's my blog for today. I leave you with a few photos that Russell took while on a walk last week. The town of Pointe-Claire has a beautiful skating rink with picnic tables and benches. It has become a very popular place for people to hang out, while maintaining social distancing and enjoying the outdoors. 

Have a great week everyone! Stay well and healthy. For those who are watching tonight's game, have fun and enjoy! No matter who wins, it will be well deserved and a game to remember. 

The Town of Pointe Claire skating rink at the 
foot of Cartier Avenue and Lakeshore...a 
busy spot.

Cooper and Spicy nose into the stiff breeze on 
our walk by the Lake.

Wild Willys waiting for next season but, they
have just started home delivery of ice cream!

 A fresh dusting of snow over night makes
everything look crisp and clean.

A bench with a view in Edgewater Park over
looking Lake Saint-Louis.

The Pointe-Claire snowman on duty 24/7.

A fiery morning sky one morning last week in 
our backyard.