So long November!

Happy Sunday everyone! A beautiful sunny day here in Beaconsfield, a bit on the cold side but much less damp than the weather we had last week. A nice way to end November. On Friday, we had a little dusting of snow which is still on the ground due to the colder temperatures. Our pooches are loving it, so are we...the little paws stay clean 😍

This past week was kind of blah. On Sunday night, Cooper's GI issues acted up again so we had a few sleepless nights as a result. We were able to get a refill for his antibiotics and Coop was back to his old self rather quickly. Needless to say, this relapse was a bit upsetting so we decided to get in touch with the internist. We were able to have a conference call with Dr. Javard on Thursday. We will see him on December 8, then we will take it from there.  

On Wednesday, the electricians showed up promptly at 6:45 am to begin the wiring of our generator. It took most of the day and we were without power for a few hours during that time. Next and last step will be the actual start up of the generator, hopefully in a week or two. It's quite the process.

I bought our holiday planters for outside. I was going to wait a bit but they are selling like hot cakes so I decided to go for it. After I write my blog, I will put up our Christmas tree. It's time to get into the spirit. I got Cooper & Spicy's 2021 ornaments a few weeks ago. They will have a special place on our tree 🎄

Yesterday, our duo had their follow up echocardiogram to determine the progression, if any, of their Mitral Valve disease. We should get the results in a week or so. Fingers crossed all is stable.

Russell will be getting his booster shot tomorrow. I'm not eligible yet but hoping sometime in the new year. 

I'm ending this blog with special thoughts to my mom, she would have been 90 today. She's always in our hearts 💗

Have a great week!

The tradition continues, the Spicy and Cooper
Christmas ornament 2021 edition.

A frosty morning on the back deck...this is the
glass railing.

Mornings this time of year can have very
spectacular sunrises...no exception 
yesterday morning.

Christmas arrived early, Cooper and Spicy had
to inspect the treats that arrived from BioPaw,
dehydrated chicken - their favorite!

Spicy is all smiles as she helps
me with my workout.

Cooper seems to be saying, OK I
brought the chew here...now toss it
so I can go fetch.

Ready for Mr. Winter

Happy Sunday everyone! It's a sunny and coolish day for us. Our yard work for the season is now complete. Yesterday, we covered the VegTrug, disconnected the hose, raked and bagged the last of the leaves, covered our cut leaf Japanese maple and put the snow shovels near the garage door. We also put up baby gates in one very mucky area of our backyard. We will leave those up until the ground freezes. On Wednesday, Russell took our Palisade in for an oil change and snow tires . We're ready for Mr. Winter to make an appearance one of these days.....no rush, we can wait 😏

This past week was good. For the second year in a row, Cooper & Spicy signed up for the Fitness Advent Calendar with Fun Fit Canin, starting December 1. We look forward to new exercise modules that will keep us occupied until Christmas. On Thursday, Coop and I had our last Fun Obedience class for the year. We will resume in January. Our instructor, Wanda, is getting a new knee this week. We wish her the very best and a speedy recovery. 

As we are slowly starting to think about Christmas, we can't help but think about all the people in British Columbia who are going through such a difficult time following the mudslides and flooding. Our hearts go out to everyone. 

Our pooches are doing well. They are napping with their daddy now...at around 2:45, Coop will get up, then Spicy will follow. They will join me in the living room and give me the stare down: time for our 3 pm treat mommy! Who needs a clock when you have doggies in the house 💖

I'm making a Dublin Coddle for dinner tonight. I just put it in the oven, it takes about 4 hours to cook, low and slow. I used to make this meal only on St-Patrick's Day but I now make it a few times a year. It's delicious and we get lots of leftovers for freezing. I also made for the first time an Irish soda bread to soak up the delicious broth. Can't wait to see how it turns out. 

My brother came over for lunch today. It was nice to see him again and catch up on things. 

This coming Wednesday, the electrician will finally come and connect our generator. He's been waiting on a part that took forever to get to Canada. It will be a 5-6 hours job and we will be without power for part of that time. He will arrive at 7 am. Better get that coffee ready before his arrival!

That's my blog for today. I wish you all a great week!

Ready for the 2021 Fitness Advent Calendar

Spicy and Cooper love to 'help' change the bed
sheets...excellent little helpers.

Spicy doing her best play bow during
a vigorous game of retrieve.

Cooper ready for action...what am I 
retrieving today?

Front door guardians while we do
the final pre-Winter clean up.

A sunny November day

Hello everyone and happy Sunday! We're half way through the month already, can't believe it. This morning I looked at the calendar and realized that Christmas is six weeks away. In a few weeks, I will put up our tree and get the ball rolling with some holiday baking...."some" being the operative word. I don't plan on baking much this year, only a few of Russell's favorites. 

This past week was good. Our weather was a mix bag of everything except snow. We had some strong winds one day and the larch in our backyard lost almost all of its needles. Because of the way the wind blew, the needles ended up on the patio near our back door....the perfect place for Cooper & Spicy to drag them in the house 😂

I got my fill of space events this week with the splashdown of Dragon Crew 2 and the liftoff of Dragon Crew 3. I always find this stuff so fascinating and never get tired of watching it. 

On Thursday, I had an eye exam. All is good, no cataracts, no glaucoma and I got myself a new pair of Tom Ford glasses, similar to the ones I have but a bigger frame. Big is in this year so I thought why not. It will be a nice change.

Russell is doing well. His new glasses came in and he is getting used to the progressive lenses.  He is not legally required to wear them but so far he's noticed that they really help especially when reading and using the computer. 

Cooper & Spicy are as happy as can be. They don't ask for much and yet give us so much 💖Yesterday, I took a photo of them on the couch, side by side, looking out the window, watching the rain. They are so sweet 😗

Not much else is going on with us. Our weather is gorgeous today, a little brisk but very pleasant. We had a nice walk before lunch and noticed how busy the new Pointe-Claire refrigerated ice rink was. The photo below was taken last week. The blue planters are now filled with Christmas trees. There are also lots of picnic tables between each planter. I will have to take a photo next time we're out that way.  Truly a wonderful set up.

That's my blog for today. I leave you with random photos that we took last week. Friday morning, Russell captured our cutleaf Japanese maple in all its glory. Today, the leaves have almost all dropped. 

Have a great week!

Japanese cutleaf maple in full crimson red in
the front yard.

A single raindrop on a brilliant red maple
leaf in the backyard.

Cooper enjoys face planting in 
his doggie bed.

Spicy relaxing on the freshly mowed
grass.

Hey, what is going on up there? These two
never miss a beat.

Neighbourhood Watch dog 
style on a comfy sofa.

The newly installed refrigerated skating rink
in Pointe Claire.

Glorious weather, brighter mornings

Happy Sunday everyone! We are enjoying a glorious day, nothing but sunshine and double digit temperatures. Not bad for November. This stretch of nice weather has been with us since last week, more to come this week. With the time change, we will also have brighter mornings, at least for a while until Winter settles in for good.  

This past week was good and quiet. On Tuesday, we took Cooper to the vet as he was not getting much better. It might have been a bacteria of some sort or a flare up of his chronic GI condition. He's been on antibiotics since with another week to go. The Coop is basically back to his old self now and we are back at having full uninterrupted nights. I will be updating his health record daily for the next little while just to keep track of things.

On Friday, my friend Lillian and I did something different...we went to Salon Rosie-Lanoi in Pointe-Claire Village, a tea salon. It was a lovely way to spend a few hours while sipping tea and nibbling on cucumber and egg finger sandwiches, squash fritters, scones and a few sweets. A very pleasant and relaxing lunch with great company and food. Now to convince Russell that he should go with me 😂

The holiday planters at our local Provigo are out. It never fails, every year, same timing. I didn't buy any, much too soon I think. On the topic of Christmas though, this morning we went to St-Lazarre for our annual family Christmas photo shoot. Spicy and Cooper were all decked out with pretty red bows and a holiday tie. Can't wait to see how they turn out. 

Our leaves have basically all fallen. Yesterday, we filled about 12 bags, Russell cut the grass for the last time and he also washed the windows. It was the perfect day to do outdoor chores. I also sat on the deck with our pooches for a couple of hours. I'm actually sitting outside now, quite lovely I must say.

Quebec municipal elections are being held today and Russell will be a scrutineer at our local polling station tonight as of 7:30 pm. It is the perfect role for him!

Those are our little news. Have a great week everyone! 

The larch in our backyard is a 
brilliant yellow, ready to drop its
needles.

Spicy in her chair and as 
always...on alert.

Cooper looking for uninvited guests.

Tea time at Salon Rosie-Lanoi with 
Lillian. Delicious!

Holiday planters at Provigo...same time 
every year. Some things are so predictable!