Good bye May!

Happy Sunday everyone! I can't believe that this is the last Sunday of May. Time goes by way too fast. Although we've had some very hot weather this month, we also had some cooler days. May also brought some fierce rain storms. So many people only got their power back just days ago from the latest storm. 

This past week was good for us although marked by this terrible, senseless school massacre. Words cannot express how sad it made us feel. What is this world coming to 😟

Our weather today is sunny and warm. My brother came for coffee this morning and we enjoyed his company on the deck. Despite some cooler days, we've been eating outside. We call it our outdoor kitchen. Even the pooches have been enjoying their alfresco dinners!

Our grass is growing like weeds and is very green.  Our planters are doing well and thriving. The canna lilies that I planted in the barrels are getting huge already. I can't wait to see the flowers. This year, I bought the Cleopatra canna, a yellow and red flower. They should be stunning!

On Tuesday, I will get my second booster. Next up will be the 🐒pox vaccine.....I had to throw this one in, a little humour has never hurt anyone 😊On Thursday, Russell and I have our dental hygiene appointments. Otherwise, it will be a quiet week, just the way we like it. 

Cooper and Spicy are doing well. They've been on walks, have enjoyed some runs in the backyard, some snuffling in the basement and, of course, some naps with their daddy. They have a good life 💗 

It's a short blog today. The rest of our day will be relaxing. Russell will barbecue Caribbean chicken tonight, trying out a new recipe, should be good. We applewood smoked steelhead trout last night. It was delicious. I'm about to have some for lunch...yummy! Have a great week everyone! 

Cooper and Spicy want to know, WHEN will
our dinner be ready!?

Spicy wants to know, how do you
like my curls?

Spicy in full flight while Cooper surveys for
squirrels!

Spicy loves to lounge and sniff the aroma of the 
Big Green Egg (BGE) smoker...hoping for a taste.

Cooper knows that BGE smoker
means he might get a taste, he is the 
perfect grilling buddy.

Cooper loves the deck - he can
survey the entire yard.

The deck planter in all its 
splendour, the colorus are stunning!

A quiet long weekend

Happy Sunday everyone! It's a sunny day, nice and warm, maybe rain later. We just got back from a walk with the pooches. It was lovely and quite breezy by the lake. 

This past week was good. I got my three workouts in, I'm pretty happy about that. For a change, I did the HASfit online workout (free), Tabata style. I got a good sweat. On Tuesday, we celebrated Cooper's 11th birthday. It was a fun day. Both Cooper and Spicy enjoyed a few extra small treats. Our Coop was a happy boy 💗

On Wednesday, I met up with my friend Lillian at Le Marche de l'Ouest. It was nice to see her again and we chatted for quite a while. Although we are in touch by FB messenger on a regular basis, nothing beats the face to face meeting! 

Our flower pots are doing well and the herbs in the VegTrug are thriving. I found a beautiful and very colourful planter for the deck. It adds a nice touch of brightness. Our pooches are enjoying their life on the deck. What's not to like,  they get to watch squirrels come and go in the yard, that is when they're not chasing them 😂

It's a quiet Victoria Day weekend for us. Russell kicked it off by cooking some chicken wings on the Weber Charcoal BBQ on Friday. They were delicious. Last night, we had a lighter meal, Chicken Piccata. It's all about balance 😊

A bad storm hit parts of Quebec and Ontario yesterday. It totally missed us. Many people are still without power today and there was lots of damage. Here's to hoping all returns to normal for those affected.

Thats my blog for today. Enjoy the rest of this holiday weekend and have a great week!

A splash of bright colour for the planter on the 
back deck.

The VegTrug is filling in very nicely, soon
time to harvest a few herbs.

Cooper in his comfy chair and
Spicy on the rug, on alert
for intruders.

Spicy enjoys a nice chin rest on the
Coldest Dog Bed.

The birthday boy with his bounty on his 11th
Birthday.

First we sing Happy Birthday to Cooper,
then we get the treats and they look yummy!
Spicy's eyes are locked on the cookies!

No Mow May

Hello everyone and Happy Sunday! We just got back from our walk, we thought we would get it in early...we may get rain later as well as a thunderstorm. This past week was gorgeous and very hot. It truly felt like Summer in the middle of May. We enjoyed every minute of it!

All is good with us. I got all my planters done last week. I wasn't going to but the weather was so nice, I decided to go for it. The nurseries were not too busy and the flowers hadn't been picked over yet. Perfect time to buy. I will post some pics in a few weeks, once they fill in. The herbs that I planted last week are doing really well.

Like many others, we are participating in the No Mow May initiative, at least when it comes down to our front lawn. We've had to cut the grass in the backyard to make it easier to pick up after Cooper & Spicy 😀 We're watching our front grass grow while supporting pollinators 🐝

I got two workouts done last week. It's a good start, going for three this week. We've had all our meals on our deck. It's been really nice. We got Cooper & Spicy a new doggie bed...the Coldest Cozy Dog Bed. It was their favorite while at Camp Talemaker so we had to get one (not really 😂).   It has a cooling technology that keeps the bed quite cool. I am amazed actually at how cool it feels to the touch. It's perfect for the deck, especially on hot days. We move it around, just to change things up. 

Yesterday, we smoked our first baby back ribs of the season and they were the best ever! Russell was able to maintain the perfect temperature throughout the whole smoking process...a perfect 225 F. We sat outside until dark and lit up the beautiful bottles that I bought from our neighbour, Marie. They add a nice touch to our deck at night. She is very talented! I include two photos, one of them showing the intricate work up close. Very pretty!

This week is shaping up to be a bit busy. Our pooches will get a much needed bath tomorrow, just in time for Coop's birthday on Tuesday. Our little guy will be 11 years young. I will post photos of his birthday celebration in next week's blog. Russell will get a pedicure. He will also attend a public information session on the infamous Beaconsfield Sound Wall Project. As for me, I will meet up with Lillian on Wednesday. Other than that, it will be a quiet week.

That's my blog for today. I wish you all a great week. The first long weekend of Summer 2022 is around the corner!

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

LED string lights in a bottle created by 
Marie....very pretty.

Great ambiance and very festive on our deck.

Spicy enjoying her time in Coldest
Cozy Dog Bed.

Cooper also found an opportunity to chill in the 
Coldest bed while on lookout duty.

Ribbons of aromatic applewood 
smoke float up from the BGE -
maintained at a perfect 225F
for 2.5 hours.

These baby back ribs look amazing 
and tasted even better.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Sunday everyone! We wish all the moms out there the best of day with their loved ones! We just got back from a walk with the pooches then went to the cemetery to visit our moms. We miss them always, more so on this day. I would be remiss if I didn't wish a lovely Mother's Day to all the pet moms. You are all very special 💗

This past week was good. Russell got the snow tires removed and an oil change. I bought soil for the planters and the VegTrug ...  ready to receive flowers and herbs in due time.  I got some nice pansy planters for our front porch and deck. They are so pretty and add a nice touch of colour. I also had a pedicure last Friday. I went with a new funky, bright magenta colour called No Regrets. Love it!

Cooper and Spicy are doing well. They have resumed their morning snuffling games although we now skip a day or two during the week. It's good to change up their routine 😂They've had some good walks and spent quite a bit of time on the deck watching the squirrels. 

We are having some beautiful weather and more on the way this week with very warm temperatures. It will feel like Summer in May by Thursday. 

This coming week will be busy: I plan to resume my workouts tomorrow 😏 Russell is getting his second booster on Wednesday, mine is later this month. I have to renew my health card with a photo on that day. I will make a trip to the garden centres, perhaps buy some herbs and flowers. I will also meet up with my friend Lillian at some point. It's been a while since we've seen each other. Russell plans on cutting the grass tomorrow. It is quite long already.

That's my blog for today. Enjoy your day everyone and have a great week!

Spicy and Cooper showing me some
puppy love for Mother's Day!

Let the snuffling begin...serious nose work.

Snuffling for hidden treats is hard on the hairdo!

A willow at Edgewater Park
budding and swaying in the breeze.

Pansies on the back deck...lovely splash of colour!

Cooper face planting on his favorite chair.

Back Into the Swing of Things

Happy Sunday everyone!  A beautiful day to get the month of May underway. We must have brought back some sunshine and warmth from Barbados...we've had a good stretch of very nice weather. Today is no exception.

Here we are, back home after spending 16 days in beautiful Barbados. It was a great trip and we brought home some wonderful new memories. Our last night was fun. We ate at the hotel, so did this nice German couple and their 16 year old son (a future Olympic swimmer) that we met during our trip. After our respective dinners, we joined them for a farewell drink. Great conversations were had until midnight...yep, we closed the bar, something we haven't done in eons!

Our flight home last Monday was uneventful. We got to Grantley Adams Airport in good time. As were about to check-in, we heard someone call our name. It was Edrick, a former employee at Southern Palms who wanted to see us off. How did he know? From his friend, our cab driver. He is such a nice man and we missed seeing his jolly face at the hotel. He's retired now and looking good. 

Getting through Toronto Customs was relatively easy although the crowd was a tad overwhelming. A COVID super spreader event as we call it 😂We picked up our little darlings first thing Tuesday morning. Needless to say, they were overjoyed to see us and so were we. Kisses and lickings galore! We made it to Montreal in just over 5 hours, in plenty of time for the pooches 3 pm treat. It was a happy reunion all around 💗

It took us about two days to get organized...laundry, banking, groceries, the usual coming home chores. Travelling doesn't get any easier so we needed a full two days to recover. 

We resumed our walks with Cooper & Spicy on Friday. We've been sitting on the deck, enjoying the wonderful Spring weather. Yesterday, I did some yard work and cleaned up the flower beds. Everything is growing nicely. Our grass is quite green, I guess from all the rain that we had during our absence. We do need to seed in some spots. We will get to that soon. 

My brother is coming for lunch today. It will be good to catch up with him.  Russell will grill Chimichurri chicken tonight, with a simple salad on the side. Easy peasy. Back on track on all fronts including waking up early. This morning, 5:45 am! 

I leave you with a few more photos from our trip and a couple of our duo back home. Have a great week everyone and happy May!

A Bajan cotton candy cloud sunset on Dover
Beach at Southern Palms.

Another sunset from the 'pink' wall at the
Southern Palms.

Watermelon mimosa anyone? At QP
Bistro!

Bread pudding dessert for Russell....yummy!

Coconut cheesecake for me...delicious!

A mongoose, there are virtually no
snakes in Barbados due to
these critters. At Tides.

Flight home, bye BGI, till next time.

A breezy day on a walk with the pooches at
Edgewater Park in Pointe Claire.

Deck time, old habits renewed, Cooper and Spicy
are right back into the swing of things.