A world in turmoil

Happy last Sunday of February! Yay, we made it through the first two months of the year, with Winter and all that it brings. More to come no doubt but the worst is behind us....at least that's the way I see it. We currently have a snow squall watch in effect, although the weather looks fine now.

All is good with us. Our little girl had her tooth extracted last Monday. It went well and she was back to her old self in no time at all. Unlike Cooper's extraction, Spicy's was much smaller and only required one stitch. A couple more days of soft food and she'll be good to go. The snuffle mats have come in handy during her time of recovery.

Russell and I are slowly getting ready for our Barbados trip in April. We are feeling an excitement that is palpable yet subdued. I suppose we will really be excited once we're on board that plane. Until then, we are being extremely careful while we await the lovely PCR test on April 6.  Nevertheless, we're starting to think about what we want to bring, what we might need to buy, etc. This morning, I made a note to renew the meds and supplements for Cooper & Spicy. It will all come together.

Meanwhile, our world is in turmoil. No words can express the sadness that we feel. Our thoughts and prayers go to all those affected by this terrible war.

That's my blog for today, short and sweet. Below are two close up photos of Cooper & Spicy that Russell took last week. Each truly reflects their individual personality...their eyes say so much about who they are 💖

Have a great week everyone! 

Hoar frost on the backyard maples early one
morning this past week.

Cooper has such assertiveness in his eyes.

Spicy has a dreamy look when she gazes at you.

Spicy resting gently on her snuffle mat 

In prime position for whatever
comes their way.

Cooper at the ready for the next 
round of play.

'Twas a Wintry week

Happy Sunday everyone! We're about to start the last full week of February. I know it's a somewhat shorter month but it went by so quickly! And those brighter days are just so welcome. Yesterday, we were out with Coop & Spicy after their dinner, around 5:15 pm, and we noticed how much brighter it was compared to last week. Despite all this good stuff, we had quite the mix bag of weather last week...warm temps, lots of rain, a meltdown, some snow and yesterday a few short but very intense snow squalls, followed by bright sunshine. Winter is not over yet but each day brings us closer to Spring 🌷

This past week was good. We had a few good walks with the pooches and played some mental stimulation games with them. We also got them a snuffle mat which they seem to enjoy thoroughly. Like most dogs, Cooper & Spicy like their routine. One of the things we do with them in the morning is play retrieve in the basement, before their daily grooming....we do this after we've had our coffee, breakfast, read the news, in other words, in our own time 😂  On Wednesday, we found those two in the basement, in the dark, waiting for us..."you guys are taking your sweet time today, time to play" 😆

We've been eating a lot of chicken lately. It's versatile and can be cooked in so many ways. As I was planning our meals for the weekend, we thought about cooking a roast chicken for a change then Russell said "why not have a simple roast turkey "! So, I bought a PC frozen turkey...Butterballs are hard to find at this time of year. We figured how bad can it be, turkey is turkey. Well, it is very different and not nearly as good as a Butterball.....for our palates anyway. The tenderness was just not there...and it had nothing to do with the way I cooked it. Don't get me wrong, it was edible but we were disappointed. Never again. It's not going to waste though as I ground the white meat for Coop and Spicy and froze it in small packages for future meals. Yummy for them!

Our little girl Spicy is having a tooth extraction tomorrow. It's a small bottom front tooth that has become loose since last Fall. It will be a quick procedure, albeit still requiring full anesthesia.  For the next 7-10 days, just like we did with Cooper, she will be eating soft food and treats and no chews allowed. The tooth fairy will be coming by our house tomorrow night 💟

That's my blog for today. To all my friends who are enjoying Family Day tomorrow, make the most of this special time! Have a great week! 

Cooper and Spicy love their new snuffle mats.

Let the snuffling begin...those noses know where 
the treats are hidden.

Patience is a virtue and these two will wait 
in the play zone until we arrive...a new morning
routine...heading downstairs to wait.

Spicy in the maze...snow banks
taller than her.

Cooper pops up above the banks...
lots of shovelling for the pooches.

Game Day!

Hello everyone and Happy Sunday! It's a gorgeous sunny day but on the chilly side. We had a freeze flash warning yesterday as our temps dropped very quickly during the day.  Luckily, this cold weather will be short lived. 

This past week was a good one, especially since we enjoyed warmer temperatures. We had some nice walks with the pooches. We took the time to sit on a bench to soak up the sun, it felt so good. We were reflecting that, so far, this is a Winter with the least amount of snow since we moved back to Quebec in 2016. As our friend Roland would say, we deserve it!

Cooper and Spicy are doing well. They were both ecstatic to get to play with their chews again, following Coop's tooth extraction. It's funny how they really do not chew on those all that much but they like to be surrounded by them. Having said this, when we leave them alone in the house, those chews get put away.

Yesterday was Russell's birthday. He had a nice day and we spoiled him silly. I got Russell the "Original Rittervest", a vest made with superfine Alpaca and Merino sheep wool. It's made by a company called Ritter based in Boston. I spotted Russell looking at the website before Christmas and made a mental note to get the vest for his birthday. He's been wearing it over a long sleeve top, it keeps his back warm.  I made his favorite dinner,  Coquille St-Jacques, and bought a lemon meringue pie for dessert. All in all, it was a great birthday and Cooper & Spicy were very attentive to their daddy's needs 🎉

Today is Super Bowl. It should be a very exciting game. The Rams are poised to win although it would be nice if the Bengals won since they do not have a Super Bowl title to their name. Good luck to both teams!

We've been watching the Olympics every night. We love the ski events and luge. Canada has some pretty talented athletes. 

Those are my little news for today. Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow!  Have a great week!

Russell making his wish before
blowing out all those candles!

A lovely tart lemon tart!

Spicy and Cooper giving their 
Daddy some love but they really
want to lick that pie.

Cooper loves playing retrieve with
his Christmas toy.

Happy dog days when the pooches can chew
to their hearts content post Cooper's
dental procedure.

The Queen on her throne with her favorite chew.

Catching some lovely sunshine while on our
walk!

Good to see you February!

Happy Sunday everyone! It's a cloudy day for us, not too cold. The perfect day to give Cooper & Spicy a bath. Russell got them both done this morning. A wonderful job as always, they feel very soft and smell delicious 😊

Here we are, at the start of a brand new month. I quite like February....the month where we get to celebrate Russell's special day, the Super Bowl and Valentine's Day. This year, because the big game is one week later than usual, all three events are taking place starting this coming Saturday with Russell's birthday. Three days of festivities in a row 💖

The four of us had a good week. On Thursday, we woke up to very mild temperatures. My first thought was "let's build a snowman"! The snow was ideal, although quite heavy to move around.....which is why Russell suggested that perhaps building a "lying down" snowman would be easier on my lower back. It was a fun morning in the snow and our pooches enjoyed it too. 

Tomorrow will be 10 days since Cooper's tooth extraction. It has healed very nicely. Coop will be able to go back to eating normal kibbles, not softened. It also means a return of the enzymatic chews and their crunchy dehydrated chicken treats. I can hardly wait, they will both be so happy although they have quite enjoyed the way they've been getting their 3 pm treats 😋 They are so adaptable! 

We have friends that arrived in Barbados last Tuesday. All is good. We are really starting to count the days until we go. In a week or so, I will book our PCR tests to be done on April 6, 72 hours before we fly out. We will get the results and travel documents within 24 hours and it will be done in the comfort of our home. 

Not much on the go for this coming week. It will be milder so we plan on taking Coop & Spicy on longer walks. On Friday, Russell has a Spa Pedicure, a Christmas stocking gift from the pooches. He will have pretty feet just in time for his birthday. 

That's my blog for today. The rest of our day will be quiet. Russell will watch the Pro Bowl at 3:00 and we will watch the Olympics tonight. Good luck to our Canadian athletes! Our dinner is prepped....chicken cordon bleu, green beans and we will have millet for the first time (thanks Kim). Have a great week everyone!

Cooper and Spicy liked the 'lying down'
snowman I made.

Always good to inspect the job and give a 
seal of approval.

The snowman had a St Paddy's day cap, Coop
knew it was his and wanted it back.

At full attention waiting for their
3 PM treat...not the usual but as tasty

Treats in a bowl...something different,
these guys adapt very well.

BFFs out for a walk at Edgewater Park, the 
lake has now frozen over.