Christmas 2021, all wrapped up in a small bow

Hello everyone and happy Monday! It's a sunny day for us, a bit on the cool side. We jut got back from a nice walk by the lake. The trails are good and our pooches have not had to wear boots so far this season. Despite not having had new snow since last week, we still have a nice layer of packed white stuff in our backyard which is perfect for some fun recall training!

Here we are, another Christmas in the books. For the second year in a row, we ended up cancelling our gathering, even if it would have been a small one. We made the call last Wednesday. We felt terribly bad but we just didn't feel comfortable. On Christmas morning, I drove to my brother's place and dropped off a few goodies for him. We met in the parking lot and wished each other Merry Christmas. Last night, my nephew Sean dropped off a few presents for Russell and I. We chatted for a while in the living room, masked up, at a distance. It was nice to see him and catch up.

Back to our Christmas. It was a quiet one. The highlight of our day was when we took Cooper & Spicy to the basement first thing in the morning. We had a surprise for them...toys scattered all over the place! I got the idea from a heartwarming video that Russell sent me last week from Dogs Trust, Ireland's largest dog rescue and rehoming charity.  It was about dogs that got to pick their own Christmas present. It made me smile and I thought it would be fun to replicate the idea for ours, on a much smaller scale of course. I got everything ready on Christmas Eve. It was so much fun. Needless to say, the Coop and the Spice girl were very excited. I took a few videos (posted on my Facebook page) which we've been watching over and over again...cuteness overload 😍In all my excitement, I forgot to take still photos but Russell was able to do a few screen captures for the blog. A little blurred but you get the idea of the fun that was had by those two munchkins. Memories of Christmas 2021 that we will always cherish. 

This week will be quiet other than my appointment tomorrow for my booster shot. Part of me wants to take all the Christmas decorations down but I will wait until next Sunday. 

That's my last blog for the year. On this day, we are remembering Russell's dad who passed away 20 years ago. Always in our hearts 💗 I hope you all have a great week, leading up to New Year's Eve. I will write again in 2022!

These two are definitely Santa's little helpers!

Christmas stockings in place and doggie toys
placed perfectly, ready for Cooper and Spicy.

Let the fun begin, Cooper and Spicy rushed to
see what they could find!

Predictably, Spicy selected her favorite chew and
headed for her cushion to enjoy.

Cooper found a new squirrel to shake but first
he had to try the rat.

Two in full flight doing a little recall in the
backyard.

A nicely iced Lake St Louis shoreline, last week.

The ice from the lake even coated the trees on this
bright sunny day.

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noel!

Happy Sunday! Well my friends, this is the last blog before Christmas. Looks like it might be a white one at that. We got a bit of snow last night, not enough to shovel paths in the backyard but enough to cover the grass with a nice layer. We hope it stays as we need a layer of snow to keep the grass from icing up...and to keep the little paws clean. 

Our weather today is beautiful, sunny and not cold. We took the pooches out for a nice walk in the neighbourhood before lunch. It was nice to get out and feel the warmth of the sun on our faces. 

This past week was good. Everyday I meant to finish my Christmas baking but it never happened. I got it done this morning. On Thursday, Russell and I had a nice lunch out. It was timely as that night our government announced capacity restrictions in restaurants as of tomorrow. Other restrictions too, as in many other provinces and countries around the world. As people keep saying, the pandemic is not taking a holiday. We still have some hope for our holiday in the sun in early April. I was looking at my sundresses in the closet the other day, they are screaming to be worn 😂On the bright side, Winter solstice is on Tuesday which means brighter days ahead...let's hope in more ways than one. 

We are ready for our small lunch gathering on Christmas day. We will serve smoked ham from La Bernoise, a local European deli, home made scalloped potatoes and a Winter salad made with mixed greens, radicchio, apples, cranberries, maple candied pecans and shaved parmesan. Very yummy and festive for this time of year. Lunch will be simple and delicious. An assortment of my baking will be our dessert. I am still thinking about our Christmas Eve dinner....most likely Coquille St-Jacques, Russell's favorite!

That's my blog for today. Our pooches are waiting for their 3 pm treat, Russell is getting ready to watch football. I will probably read a book or watch something on Netflix. This morning, I made a lasagna so dinner just needs to be reheated. Have a great week! We wish you all a happy and healthy Christmas! 

Cooper and Spicy want to wish everyone a 
very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Cooper and Spicy are always ready
to hit a cushion or the BOSU
for a Fun Fit Canin workout!

All this training can be a little tiring!

Cooper enjoys his evening TV pre-bedtime
nap on a comfy blanket.

It's beginning to feel like Christmas

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope your Christmas preparations are going well. We're basically ready, we don't have much to do really. I did some baking last week, not a lot, just two cookie recipes, mostly for Russell. This week, I will make a batch of Fruitcake Blondies and that will be it. About one quarter of what I normally bake. Thanks Russell for being the official cookie tester 😋

The four of us had a good week. We woke up Monday morning to a dump of super heavy wet snow...heart attack snow as I call it. Miss Spicy wasn't too happy and couldn't figure out where to do her business. With my boots, I quickly cleared a small area and she was good to go. Cooper was hopping across the backyard like a rabbit. The snow was so heavy that we didn't dare push it with a shovel. After my first cup of coffee, I went back outside with my snowshoes and trampled down the snow. It took me about 20 minutes. It was a good workout and the pooches thanked me for it, especially Spicy. Then the rain came in the afternoon and the snow basically melted away. We've had cold nights since so we have icy patches due to the water on the grass. Russell put our crampons on as a safety precaution. 

On Wednesday, the technician came to start up the generator. It was timely as we lost power last night due to the high winds. We were watching TV when it happened. Within less than 10 seconds, our house was powered up. We're not sure how long the power outage lasted but it was still out after midnight. It felt kind of weird, but nice, to be the sole house on our street with lights on. A wise investment coupled with peace of mind, priceless.

While Russell was busy with the technician, Cooper and I made our way to DMV Veterinary Centre for Coop's appointment with Dr. Javard. It was nice for me to finally meet him in person.....a very caring and knowledgeable vet, and kind of cute too 😉Bottom line, Coop's protein blood levels are stable, which is very good news. It essentially means that his Protein Losing Enteropathy disease is not deteriorating. Having said this, Coop also suffers from IBD which is usually managed with diet and sometimes medication. The game plan is to continue antibiotics at a reduced dosage and frequency for the next 28 days. Then we will stop and see what happens. Dr. Javard gave us refills should another flare up occur. He is not concerned about any resistance to the medication. Barring any issues, Coop will have a follow up appointment next Fall. Needless to say, Russell and I feel more relaxed about all of this now. We are taking it one day at a time.  We cannot say enough about the wonderful care we have received from DMV so far. Our appointments are always on time, we are never rushed and the staff loves Cooper to pieces 💓

On the topic of dog health, our duo started their new heart medication last Tuesday and they both seem to have no issues with it. Unlike Vetmedin, which is a capsule, Benazepril is a small tablet which we add to their food. Easy peasy. Our job now is to keep track of which pill to give when. It's all good. 

Friday morning, we made an unplanned trip to the LCBO store in Hawkesbury. SAQ warehouse employees have been on strike for a while so the stores have very little stock. We didn't realize it was that bad until I started checking the inventory on the website. So off we went, us and many other Quebecers!  

That's my blog for today. We don't have much on the go this week other than my monthly pedicure on Friday. Our weather will be sunny and mild so we plan on having some nice walks with our pooches. I wish you all a great week!

Cooper and Spicy, the best gifts anyone could
wish for under the tree!

Patiently waiting for me to return to the vehicle
after shopping at the LCBO in Hawkesbury!

Spicy says...mmm, Coop you smell good!

A little windy and icy in the backyard.

Happy Coop waiting to see Dr. Javard

Cooper and Spicy's medicine bowl... all neatly organized

A beautiful December day

Happy Sunday everyone!  We're having a beauty of a day, sunny, not cold at all, no wind, the perfect weather for a nice walk with the pooches. We did just that before lunch. We also stopped by the ice rink in Pointe-Claire to watch people of all ages skating away. It's very nice to see families out and about, making the most of this beautiful weather.

This past week was good. Last Sunday, I put up our Christmas tree in the living room. As I was getting ready to hang up Cooper and Spicy's ornaments, I realized that they were getting lost in the tree....so we decided to get a tabletop tree just for those wonderful ornaments that we've been collecting for the past years, and there is room for many more. This has now become our most cherished Christmas decoration!

We are slowly getting ready for Christmas although I haven't done any baking yet. This year, we will have my family over for lunch on Christmas day. I haven't quite finalized our menu yet but it will not be turkey. As for Christmas Eve, I will make us a special dinner, still thinking it out. 

Yesterday, we got the results of Coop and Spicy's echocardiograms. We were hoping for a stabilization of the heart disease but that's not quite the case. Having said this, it is progressing at a normal pace, for lack of a better description. In an effort to delay onset of congestive heart failure and optimize their long term prognosis, the cardiologist is recommending continuation of their current medication, Vetmedin, with the addition of an ACE inhibitor, Benazepril. It will help relax the blood vessels, hence the blood will flow more smoothly. We will start this new medication this week.  We will also do a renal blood test in 3-4 weeks and repeat the echo in 10-12 months. Despite the fact that we are terribly upset and sad, we know our pooches are getting the best medical care. We also know that we are doing everything we can to keep them as healthy as possible. So, with the new medication, continuation of their low fat/low sodium diet, a good amount of activity and, most importantly, our endless and unconditional love for them, we count on celebrating their sweet sixteen in 5-6 years from now 💞

This coming week is shaping up to be a bit busy. Russell has a doctor's appointment on Tuesday for a follow up on blood work he had done last week. On Wednesday, our electrician is coming over for the generator start up. Cooper also has an appointment with the internist that day. I will be going with him. We know he will get some blood work done to check his protein levels but beyond that, we're not sure what next steps will be. We will wait for blood results and take it from there.

Those are my little news for today. I wish you all a great week!

The special tree to display the 
Cooper & Spicy Christmas
ornaments we've collected.

Cooper is wondering what will be
going under the tree for him.

Spicy loves her naps near the Christmas tree.

On the lookout for any action on 
the street.

The refrigerated ice rink in Pointe-Claire
Village...everyone having a great time skating on
a bright Winter day.