Run Rabbit Run!

Happy Sunday everyone! Another glorious Fall day, more of the same all week. Although I'm nostalgic that Summer has ended, Fall has always been my favorite season. I love everything about it....the colours, the smells, the produce that we get at this time of year, the sweaters and leggings and of course Thanksgiving 😍

Our week was good, so was our weather. On Monday, Russell took our SUV in for the estimate. As expected, the whole front bumper will need to be replaced but luckily none of the sensors were damaged. The repair will be done in a week or so and will take a few days. We were reflecting that we've had our Palisade for 17 months now and it only has 5,800 km. It still looks like a brand new car. 

On Wednesday, I had lunch with Lise & Diane at a Thai restaurant in downtown Montreal. It was truly nice to get together again after two years. We had lots of catching up to do. The food was delicious and we each got Take-Out for dinner. Russell was happy 😋

Friday morning, we took Cooper & Spicy out first thing and sure enough there was a rabbit in the backyard. Both ran after it so fast it made our heads spin. While doing so, Spicy pulled a neck muscle. She stopped dead in her tracks, was hunched over with her head down, trembling. It all happened so quickly. Poor little thing, we could tell she was in pain.  After watching her for a while, we decided to call our vet and got an appointment for the afternoon. It didn't take long for our vet to confirm that the Spice girl had indeed pulled a neck muscle. All is good now, the pain killers are helping and she has to avoid jumping for a while (easier said than done).  Otherwise, she is back to her old self. As a result of this incident, I decided not to go to class with Cooper. We will resume next week.

Yesterday, I got quite a bit of yard work done, slowly getting the garden beds ready for the next season. There is more to do but it's a good start. We brought Spicy's bed and blankets on the deck so that she could rest comfortably with her "things". It's the perfect place to keep her from jumping anywhere. Cooper is keeping a close eye on her 😊

Those are my little news. Our pooches are napping with their daddy now. They both had a bath this morning, long overdue. Russell was ever so careful with Spicy. They smell delicious! I finished Downton Abbey last week, so sad. In a few weeks, I will watch the movie. In the meantime, I started Line of Duty, very good. Later this afternoon, Russell and I will have a treat that we've been craving, SmartFood White Cheddar Popcorn, yummy! We haven't had it for the longest time and for some reason, we're craving it. You know what they say...when you crave something, go for it!

Have a great week everyone! 

Cooper standing watch over his pal Spicy
as she rests in her bed 

While Spicy was at the vet to get checked out...
Cooper held vigil in her favorite chair.

Resting comfortably on the deck.

Cooper in full flight

Goodbye Summer

Hello everyone and Happy Sunday! Another beautiful September day, it's been a great month so far. It's hard to believe that Summer is almost over. 

All is good with us. Our week was uneventful...for the most part. Cooper and I went back to school on Friday. It was a fun class and the Coop didn't miss a beat. He heeled properly, did his about turns, figure eights, long stays, all that good stuff that he likes doing. I quite like the fact that there are only 6 dogs in class, it gives us more time to practice each exercise/routine. We're back in the groove and it feels good. In the past years, there were three Havanese in our class: Cooper, Blu-Belle and Macey. This year, it's just Coop and Macey. Blu-Belle and Lillian decided to take a Rally class for a change. We miss them though.

While Cooper and I were in class, in the basement of the church, a crane that was parked in the parking lot backed out and hit our SUV. The driver had no way of knowing where I was so he waited. He must have figured that since I was parked in the church parking lot, I would be showing up eventually. Meanwhile, he called the police to report the accident. Long story short, no fault of my own. I filed the claim as soon as I got home. We have an appointment tomorrow to get an estimate for the repair. From what we can see, the whole front bumper will have to be replaced. It's a nuisance, such is life sometimes, we carry on.

Russell is doing well. On Thursday, he had lunch with a few high school friends that he hadn't seen for a very very long time. It was a nice reunion and the group had lots of catching up to do. This coming week, it's my turn to meet up with two friends, Lise & Diane. We will have lunch at a Thai restaurant downtown Montreal. The last time we got together was in the Summer of 2019. I look forward to it.

We had a pleasant walk this morning by the lake. There were lots of people setting up for a picnic, a beautiful day for that. We met a group of seniors who must have spent a good 10 minutes chatting us up while patting our pooches. It was good therapy for them and we were happy to indulge 💕

That's my blog for today. Spicy and Cooper are napping with their daddy, I will watch a couple of episodes of Downton Abbey, I'm almost done with this series and will be sad when it's over. It's such a "feel good" series. Tonight's dinner is simple...grilled pork tenderloin and a greek salad. Russell was commenting this morning that we used our three barbecues this weekend: on Friday, we grilled chicken wings on the Weber Kettle using the vortex. Last night, we used our Big Green Egg to smoke some trout and tonight we will use the good old Weber propane. A man and his barbecues 😂

Have a great week everyone, enjoy the rest of the Summer!

Always time for a photo with these two by the 
Lake at Park Alexandre-Bourgeau.

A bright sunny near Fall day by the Lake.

Cooper and Macey in fine form in the "stay
down"position.

Cooper is always such a happy boy, 
especially when he's on rabbit patrol.

Spicy's big smile and such
bright eyes, a happy girl.

Havanese Fun at our house

Happy Sunday everyone! What a beautiful day we're having, my kind of September weather...sunny and a warm breeze. Despite the nice weather, we decided not to go for a walk today. Sometimes it's nice to just stay put and relax. I spent a good part of the morning in the kitchen making a pasta dish for tonight, trying a new recipe from Toronto chef Mark McEwan.  I also boiled some lean ground veal and carrots for the pooches to add to their kibbles. I think they will like it 😋

All is good with us. Yesterday, we had the visit of Blu-Belle the Havanese and Lillian. It was nice to see them again. I see Lillian from time to time but I hadn't seen BB since March 2020, which was our last Fun Obedience class before the start of the pandemic. The trio played for a bit, well mainly BB and Cooper. Spicy was observing. We sat on the deck for a while and ate some strawberry gelato. Yummy! It was a very nice visit.

Quebec's COVID numbers are on the rise again, as they are everywhere else in the world. Despite this fourth wave, our Premier is not looking at another lockdown. That's a good thing. 

On Friday, Coop and I start training. It will be nice to get back into it. In the next few days, I will make a batch of low fat treats for the Cooper. He can no longer have high value treats such as cheese and hot dogs so I will have to be creative. He is used to it by now so it shouldn't be an issue. 

Russell is doing well. He is somewhat involved in the upcoming municipal election, in a small way and behind the scenes. He's having fun.

That's my blog for today, short and sweet. I leave you with photos taken yesterday during Blu-Belle's visit.  I will now watch a couple of Downton Abbey episodes on the deck while Russell watches an NFL game...it's that time of year 😁Have a great week everyone!

Blu-Belle, Spicy and Cooper took time for
a photo op, all lined up...sort of!

Cooper is a real lover, here he is
loving up Lillian.

Spicy likes to hang out on her 
human daddy's lap.

Cooper really isn't all that large but
that coat sure makes him seem big.

Blu-Belle is a pretty Havanese and poses so 
well.

Lillian had her hands full with 
these two.

A little focus training for a treat or two.

Look up....way up! Now stay.

BFFs for sure, almost inseparable.

Labour Day Weekend

Happy Sunday to all! I hope everyone is enjoying a nice long weekend. Ours has been good so far and the weather is cooperating for the most part. There is rain though in the forecast for today, the sky is looking very dark now. 

The four of us had a good week. I had a few workouts, Russell had some good guitar practice and our pooches had an excellent wellness exam with Dr. Stiles. She was happy to see them and she was given many kisses! Both are doing well, weights are stable and their teeth are looking good. Thanks to Russell for being so diligent with their daily teeth cleaning. Next up will be Coop's follow-up exam with the internal specialist on October 5.

This month is shaping up to be busy for the two of us. I have a mammogram and bone density in a few weeks. I will also have lunch with my friends Lise & Diane somewhere in Montreal. It's been two years since our last gathering so we're more than overdue. Russell will also meet up with some old friends from school, that he has not seen in almost 50 years. We expect to get our standby generator wired up this month....it's taking a while as our electrician is super busy.  Last but not least, the Coop and I will resume Advanced Fun Obedience training on September 17, with all the proper, strict COVID protocols in place. I look forward to it. Oh, we also have apple picking this month 👏

September has arrived and it already feels like Fall. During one of our walks last week, we noticed some trees that had already dropped some leaves, mostly due to the lack of rain...just the same. It seems too soon. 

That's my blog for today. I will now start season 4 of Downton Abbey. I just love that series! Russell is napping with the kids. Have a great week everyone!

Spicy and Cooper patiently waiting to see
Dr. Stiles...they love her as much as she loves
them.

Sitting in some Fall leaves on our walk this
week at Edgewater Park.

Nothing better than dinner! Cooper and Spicy
clean their bowls every time.