Goodbye May

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you're all having a nice weekend, the last one of May. Wow, I can't believe that June is upon us. Our weather is overcast today, warmish, 19 celsius. The past few days have been cooler than normal but sunny. I found myself sitting on the deck wearing my Uggs mini booties with the ever so soft plush lining, still wearing them today. I like my feet to be cozy 😊

We had a good and busy week. We did more work outside. I planted impatients and coleus in our new barrels that now sit on our front bed. They will fill in nicely in a few weeks and give us some nice colour. We really like the neat and tidy look of that area now, with the Riverstones and barrels. Our VegTrug is growing like crazy. I'm using the herbs as often as I can, especially in marinades and salads.

Yesterday, Russell got his second vaccine, 5 weeks sooner than originally booked. He is doing well and had a good night sleep. The government texted his QR code this morning with all the relevant data. I suspect that I might also get my second dose sooner, right now scheduled for July 14. It would be nice to get this out of the way. 

We've been watching the Montreal-Toronto playoff series. We were especially excited that Montreal was able to play at the Bell Centre last night in front of 2,500 fans. From what I read, the atmosphere was incredible, even more so since Montreal won! Go HABS GO! We will be watching game 7 tomorrow night.

Cooper and Spicy are doing well. They both had a bath this morning and are looking and smelling so good. Russell has it down to a science now. Well done honey!

That's my blog for today. Time to watch a couple of episodes of House of Cards. The pooches are napping, I think Russell will do the same soon. Have a great week everyone! Stay well and safe. 

Front bed all spruced up with Riverstones and
3 new whisky barrel planters with splashes of
colour.

Backyard whisky barrel planter, 
one of four, with different flowers

The VegTrug is growing like a weed! It seems to 
like its new location.

The Purple Martins at Edgewater Park - 
a project started in 2017 to bring back a 
species in decline.

The Purple Martin 'housing' project!

Cooper is doing double duty, BBQ assistant and
yard watch - he will be rewarded!

Spicy loves to snuggle and give
kisses!

Russell at Bob Birnie getting his
second COVID vaccine.

Cooper is always on alert and not much
goes on without his OK.

May Two-Four Weekend

Hello everyone and Happy Victoria Day Weekend...or as many people call it, the May 2-4 weekend, which actually falls on May 24 this year. From what I read this morning, the last time this happened was in 2010. Interesting little fact.

Our weather now is beautiful, sunny and much less humid than previous days, although I quite enjoyed the heat last week. We woke up to a bit of rain but not nearly as much as we were hoping for. We need it badly. We also woke up earlier than normal this morning, thanks to the chirping of our smoke detectors following a short power outage at around 6 am. As usual whenever that happens, Cooper was on alert, laying on the bed probably wondering if the chirping was going to lead to something else. Russell & I just laid in bed and told him "it's OK".  You see, Coop had a bad experience in Huntsville. The story goes as follows: at around 3 am one night, our smoke detectors went off for no apparent reason (we were told later by our electrician that it was most likely caused by a spider). The security company called and we said all was good except that we couldn't shut off one of the battery operated detectors. It was in the corner of our 20 foot high ceiling.  Thankfully we had a 12 foot ladder so Russell was able to reach it but with great difficulty...he even had to step on the "Do Not Step" step. Removing the battery was a chore in itself.  During that time, not only was the smoke detector emitting a loud screeching noise, it also had a voice alert.  The sound was deafening for Russell and I, so you can imagine how bad it was for Cooper.  Some 10 minutes later, which seemed like an eternity, all was quiet again. To this day though, Cooper remains leery of any type of screeching alarm sounds but he quickly gets reassured that all is good.... he understands when we say "it's OK".   A little throwback story.

Last week was good and very busy for us. Russell and I continued with our yard work. We seem to be on a roll this year. We decided to change up our front flower bed. I planted lots of Hostas a few years ago but strangely enough, only a few came back this year. We've come to realize that the soil is very poor so nothing is growing. Rather than remove the soil and start fresh, we decided to cover the area with river stone...1,600 pounds of stones to be precise and a few sore arms/backs . We ordered three more whisky barrels, which will come this week, and we will put them on top of the stones, with some colourful annuals. It should look very nice and clean. 

Cooper had a great birthday and was pleased with his gifts....a new Lamb Chop from Spicy and an assortment of fancy ties from his human parents. It was a fun day, filled with treats and happiness all around. The highlight of Coop's birthday was when his daddy played Happy Birthday with his acoustic guitar. It was so sweet 💖

Not much else is new with us. Quebec announced its gradual "re-opening" plan. It won't change much for us other than eating out once in a while and being able to have gatherings with family/friends in our backyard. Towards the end of August, it is expected that masks will no longer be required in public. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. 

That's my blog for this holiday weekend. We're not doing much today. We are still recovering from hauling those river stones! Have a great long weekend everyone! Continue to stay well and safe!

Spicy and Cooper stopped to smell the tulips on
our walk at Edgewater Park.

Cooper looking dapper with his new tie and an
assortment of others plus his Lamb Chop from
Spicy. He had a great birthday.

Nothing better than a birthday romp with a
new toy!

Laying down on the job, watching
the yard is hard work.

Bearded iris.

Front bed blooming with Jack Frost framed by
the cut-leaf Japanese maple.

Close-up on the pretty Jack Frost flowers.

A warm May Sunday

Happy Sunday everyone! What a gorgeous day we're having, hot and sunny. More of the same for this week, even hotter! 

This past week was a good one. My visit to the dentist went well despite the anxiety I felt about my jaw. Funny enough, the night before my appointment, I had one of my best sleeps in a long time. Go figure! 

On Wednesday, I bought all the herbs for the VegTrug. This year, I planted lots of cilantro and basil, some chives, dill, rosemary and Italian parsley. I also bought some mint and planted it in the ground. When we had the awning installed, we had to move the Trug. I quite like where it is now, close to water access and it gets more sun. We also got ourselves four hand-crafted oak whiskey barrels, very large and heavy, which I will fill with lots of colourful annuals. We got those barrels online, from a Canadian company called The County Cooperage, based in Carp. I will post pics when planting is done.

Russell continues to enjoy his electric guitar...so much so that he decided to get himself an acoustic guitar to match. He's becoming quite the musician! I took guitar lessons when I was a teenager so I may just try it out one day. 

I contacted our friend Stephen, the reservation manager at Southern Palms in Barbados, and we booked our hotel for April 2022...room 309, like always. Some things never change and that's a good thing. We are keeping our fingers crossed that our trip will materialize. 

Our crabapple tree was in full bloom last week, with the most flowers it's ever had! It's a good thing that Russell took a photo as most of the petals have already started to fall.....and Cooper & Spicy happily bring them in the house 😊

Yesterday, I went to the market to buy two planters for the front of our house. I met up with my friend Lillian and we walked through the many flower stalls.  It was nice to see her again. Hopefully next time we meet, the food court will be open again so that we can sit down and chat longer. Once I got home, we had a quick lunch. I then put on my work clothes and decided to pull out a crawling juniper that had been invading our patio for the past few years (it came with the house). It was deader than dead and a true eyesore. A couple of hours later, after lots of pulling and cutting, it was all gone. Russell gave me a big help by cleaning up and bagging everything. We then covered the area with lots of river stones. It is very neat now, just the way we like it. 

Our pooches are doing well. We had some nice walks with them last week but we didn't do any fitness or training. Too busy doing other things. Spicy's cave bed was finally delivered. I ordered it on Etsy and it came all the way from Poland. It is very well made and she loves it. Coop had fun with it when he first saw it but hasn't been near it since. 

Tomorrow is a big day...our sweet boy Cooper will be ten. I will post a birthday album on my Facebook page and will include a few photos in my blog next week. I am including in today's blog a photo that I found last week...Cooper when he was just one year old. We lived in Mississauga then and we decided to take him for a ride in the Corvette, for the first time. We vividly recall Coop tossing his cookies somewhere in Oakville....the Vet ride didn't quite agree with him, poor little guy.

Those are my little news. The rest of the day will be spent doing nothing. I am still recovering from yesterday's yard work. Have a great week everyone! Stay well, stay safe!

The backyard crabapple in full blossom after a 
few years of poor performance.

Planters in the two front pots add 
a nice splash of colour.

Spicy all fresh and fluffy post
bath..smells divine too!

Cooper looking regal after his
bath!

Spicy loves her cave bed whether burrowing
or stretching out on top.

Time has flown, Cooper and I in the Corvette 
going for a ride - nine years ago.  

The VegTrug is looking full and healthy, the 
new location seems to be just right.

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello everyone! I hope all mothers out there are having a wonderful day. For the second year in a row, depending on where you live, the pandemic might be in the way of being able to celebrate in person with your loved ones. Nonetheless, I wish you all a beautiful day. I'm wishing the same to all the fur-moms 💖Cooper & Spicy showered me with a good dose of licks and kisses when I got up this morning....I consider myself extremely blessed to have these two in our lives. Russell and I are also thinking about our own mothers who are no longer with us, but always in our hearts. Finally, a special Mother's Day wish to our little Spicy....she is a mom to many beautiful pups, a grand-mother and great grand-mother to many more 💖

Last week was a good one. We didn't do too much, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Our weather is still on the cool side but we are spending a lot of time outside and continue to enjoy our deck. The forecast for this coming week is sunny with warmer temperatures. 

Yesterday, we got more yard work done. Russell cleaned the eavestroughs and I transplanted a bunch of day lilies to another spot. I went to the nursery just to to see what's available. I'm getting a little itchy about planting the herbs in our VegTrug...most likely in a couple of weeks. 

My big news this week:  yesterday, I booked our tickets for Barbados, April 2022. I decided to use up some of my Aeroplan points. Worst case, if we have to cancel, the points will go back in my account. We are, however, hopeful that we will be able to go, all things being equal. We haven't booked our hotel yet but I will send my friend at the Southern Palms reservation desk a note this week to let him know of our plans. Of course, we will request the same room as always...Room 309. This is our forward anchor,  something that we can look forward to.

This week will be a bit busy. On Tuesday, I have a dentist appointment to get fitted for a crown...with  my history of lock jaw and all, I'm not looking forward to this but I have no choice. The existing crown is probably 20 years old, has a small hole in it so it needs to be replaced. On Thursday, I have a much more relaxing appointment....for a pedicure 😊

That's my blog for today. I will spend the rest of the day relaxing, maybe read a book. Cooper & Spicy are with us on the deck, watching the world go by. Russell will do cedar planked salmon for dinner, yum! I wish you all a great week. Stay well, stay safe!

Cooper and Spicy want to wish all the moms 
a Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day tulips from Russell
and the fur babies.

Spicy loves the cool grass and 
fresh Spring breeze.

Cooper getting ready to go for 
a run in the yard.

Cooper in his deck chair on yard watch...
where is that cat!?

Spicy with fashionable tussled hair!

Cooper sporting his comb over a la Donald...
what a handsome fellow!

The Tree of Life

Happy Sunday everyone! What a gorgeous day we're having. Everything is looking so green and the trees are filling out nicely. As I'm writing this blog, my hubby is cutting the grass. Dethatching the lawn last week has really made a difference. Our grass is very green and already quite thick. Our pooches love plush grass, especially Spicy. She doesn't care much for dry blades of grass....she literally jumps over them, silly girl 😚

This past week was good. Our outdoor wall ornament came on Tuesday, the Tree of Life...our little reminder that just as the branches of a tree grow upwards and stronger, we should thrive to move through life the same way. It's not always easy though and the pandemic has made it even more challenging for all of us in some shape or form. Hopefully we will all come out of this somewhat stronger. 

Russell continues to enjoy playing his guitar. He is making good progress with his lessons. Cooper & Spicy seem to enjoy the sound of it too. 

Cooper had a good appointment with the specialist last Tuesday. Overall, the test results show that he is stable. We have increased his gallbladder medication and we will repeat the tests in six months. Until then, we continue what we're doing...strict low fat diet and healthy low fat treats in small quantities. Those treats are not necessarily "high value" but they work. As far as Cooper is concerned, a treat is a treat!

Tomorrow, I start week three of the Fuel your Fitness challenge. The workouts have been great and I'm learning a lot about Intuitive Eating. A fascinating topic actually, one that makes so much sense, to me anyway.

Those are my little news for today. I include some snapshots of our pooches that we took during the course of last week and a pic of our Tree of Life.  The ornament that is on the wall next to it was bought during our visit to San Gimignano years ago. A nice memory from a wonderful trip.

Have a great week everyone! Stay well and safe! 

Tree of Life, a 24 inch in diameter work of 
art in metal, from BC purchased on Etsy.

The Tree of Life shares a special place for us 
as does the metal ornament from San
Gimignano, Italy.

Cooper and Spicy perched on their favorite 
boulder in Edgewater Park, Pointe Claire.

Peek-a-boo I see you says Spicy!

Cooper keeping me motivated 
 during my workout.

Spicy ready to head downstairs for
some fun.

Cooper catching some sunshine
on the deck while having a chew.

Cooper taking a well deserved nap after his 
visit to the vet...it is a dog's life.