T'was a crappy week

Hello everyone! We're enjoying the last few hours of July. It's a glorious Sunday, the way a Summer day should be. Hoping for at least three more months of this beautiful weather 🌞

This past week was crappy, to say the least. Last Sunday, Russell woke up feeling off. It turns out he had a pretty bad case of salmonella, as diagnosed by his doctor. Monday night into Tuesday were the worse moments. We're not 100% sure where he got it although we suspect the pub that we went to for my birthday. Unlikely it was from our home cooking given my obsession with cleanliness everywhere, especially with food prep. It's a moot point now. We've been to that restaurant many times and never had an issue. It's just one of those things. Needless to say I didn't do much fancy cooking last week. The first few days were basically a liquid diet then upgraded to the good old banana, white toast and rice diet. By Friday night, Russell was almost back to normal and had a small portion of simple pasta. All is good now. My lunch with Lise & Diane was cancelled as a result as I didn't want to leave Russell alone. We will do it some other time. 

I resumed my workouts last week after a six week break. It felt good to get back at it. My faithful workout buddies were by my side, cheering me on. 

Thursday afternoon, we had a strong thunderstorm. We stayed on the deck for a bit until the booms got too loud then went inside.  Cooper & Spicy were on high alert but quickly recovered once I got the snuffling mats out, the perfect distraction. To make things worse, we heard lots of fire trucks and the air was filled with wood burning smell. We found out later that night that a house,  just a few kilometers away, was struck by lightning. According to the news report, the house will most likely have to be demolished. It was built in 1959. It is a very scary thing. The owners are retired and were home at the time, luckily no one was injured.

That's my blog for today. Have a great week everyone! Goodbye July, Hello August!

My faithful workout buddies...
after 6 weeks, now back at it and they
did not miss a beat.

Hey, how is the view from up there!?

Spicy likes to tip toe her way along the flower
bed to get back to the comfort of the deck.

Peek-a-boo....see me now? Spicy loves her
cave bed.

Cooper is a good pillow for Spicy.

Yummy when you got salmonella in your tummy!

Some like it hot...

Happy Sunday everyone! Another hot day in the neighbourhood 🔥We've had a heat warning for almost one week now, however, the humidity level hasn't been that bad and it's been breezy, so somewhat tolerable. Today though seems more humid and we do have a thunderstorm watch in effect for later this afternoon. Our heat is nothing compared to other parts of the world. Hoping for relief soon.

This past week was good. Despite the heat, we've had a few early morning walks with the pooches. We went to the park and they enjoyed the cool grass by the lake. We didn't see our friend Earl. Maybe this week. 

On Friday, we celebrated my birthday. Russell and I had lunch at our local pub. It was nice and we ate on the patio. When we got back home, Cooper & Spicy seemed especially happy to see us...they must have known it was my special day. I put together a simple charcuterie board for dinner and got a couple of fruit tarts for dessert .... always nice to blow a candle or two on birthdays 🎂

Yesterday, despite the heat, Russell cut the grass in the morning. It was getting really long and Miss Spicy doesn't like long grass 😂 We also cut some branches and trimmed a few bushes. It was good to sweat it out!

We didn't walk today. Russell woke up feeling a little off but he's better now. I did a bit of retrieve with the Coop and Spicy outside in the shade. They also got to play in the cool basement for a bit. They're ready for their afternoon nap with their pappy. 

This coming Tuesday, I will have lunch with Lise & Diane in the Old Montreal. It's our yearly get together. It will be nice to catch up.

I leave you with a few pics of my special day. I end this blog by sending special thoughts to a friend who lost one of her Golden Girls this morning. Bailey, a beautiful golden retriever, crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She will be dearly missed by her human parents and her sister Phoebe.

Have a great week everyone, the last full week of July. Yikes!

Making the first of my wishes!

Wish # 2 with Spicy and Cooper supervising.

A special moment to celebrate!

Staying cool while on guard duty.

A hot Summer day

Hello everyone! It's a hot one today! I'm getting the blog done early before the humidity settles in for the day. Russell just finished bathing our pooches, job well done! How did five weeks since their last bath go by so quickly!

This past week was good. It was Russell's turn to have his physical. All went well on that front. Next up will be Cooper & Spicy's wellness exam on August 31. 

We had some wonderful walks at the park last week. We met a nice elderly man that we hadn't seen for a while. His name is Earl, he's a widower. He always sits on the same bench with his newspaper and coffee. It was good to reconnect with him. The timing of our walks seems to coincide with his....or maybe he times his walk with ours. He seems to really enjoy chatting with us and patting our doggies. It doesn't take much to bring joy to someone and we feel that this is exactly what we're doing. During yesterday's walk, we met three other Havanese dogs that we had never seen before, all while we were chatting with Earl. He thought ours were the best looking 😂

Gas prices are down. Our tank was half full so we topped it up. Our daylilies are in full bloom and our daisies are spectacular this year. Our herbs are also doing well and I use them almost daily although our cilantro is basically done. Next year I will plant more. 

Those are my little news for today. I leave you with a few photos that Russell took of our flowers and a few of the dynamic duo. Have a great week everyone!

A pretty daylily in the back bed.

A daisy with morning dew.

This daylily is splendid with some dew drops.

Cooper is the chief BBQ assistant,
 always ready to sample.

Spicy knows when it's time
for dinner and she gets excited!

The dynamic duo chilling while on our 
daily walk at Edgewater Park.

  

Another beauty of a day

Hello everyone and happy Sunday! Today is the perfect Summer day....sunny, warm, a nice breeze, the birds and the cicadas are singing, most of our plants are in full bloom.....wishing that Summer could last forever!

This past week was good. I had my physical on Friday and it went well. I will bite the bullet and get a routine colonoscopy in the Fall. It's been 14 years since my last one, overdue....Russell will have his physical this coming Tuesday followed by a spa pedicure on Wednesday. A nice mid-week treat for those cute feet of his 😚

Our pooches are doing well. We got them new snuffle mats....just for a change, why not! Actually, I wanted to wash the old ones and wasn't sure if they would survive the washing machine so we thought let's get new ones just in case....  they did survive the wash and they look brand new. Now, Cooper & Spicy have a selection to choose from. They sure get excited when it's time to snuffle. I always smile when I tell them to "wait" before giving the go ahead to start snuffling.... Cooper has his eyes on me while Spicy always has her eyes on the prize. Funny girl that she is 💗

Russell will be attending the Beaconsfield Council Meeting tomorrow night. No doubt, he will stir up the pot with his questions. I will be watching the meeting online just to see what happens. It could be very interesting.

Not much else is going on with us. We are toying with the idea of going back to Italy next year, spending a bit of time on the Amalfi Coast as we did four years ago. We love it there. Work in progress for now.

My brother came for lunch today. It was good to catch up with him. Russell is napping with the kids. Soon time for their 3 pm treat. Have a great week everyone!

Relaxing on the deck and a fresh
perspective with a Cana in view.

On rabbit patrol...there has been a bunny
explosion this year.

Early morning visitor, this raccoon
is on the way home after an evening
of foraging....not at our house though

Spicy always looks regal.

New snuffle mats and Spicy has her eye on the
prize, while Cooper waits patiently for the signal.

Cooper like the challenge of the new
snuffle mat.

The perfect picture of relaxation
and feeling very secure. Which
end is which?

Hello July!

Happy Sunday everyone! First Sunday of my favorite month of the year.....my birthday month 🎉It's a good start to the month, weather wise. We've had a good amount of sunshine these past few days and it's not too hot. Very pleasant for sleeping.

We had a good week. My dental appointment went very well. The little gum surgery didn't require any stitches. I'm always a tad anxious about getting any kind of dental treatment due to my locked jaw history. I consider myself lucky to have a dentist that is very skilled, understands my apprehension and has amazing "bed side manners". I go back for my permanent crown on the 13th. 

Our perennials are growing rapidly. Our daisies seem to have bloomed overnight. They have also spread a lot this year....love it! We are very pleased with our Cleopatra Cana Lilies. The combination of red and yellow flowers is quite pretty.  I'm not into gardening like I used to be though. Somehow I lost the passion that I once had. That's OK. 

Russell is doing well. He is still somewhat involved in stirring the pot with regards to the Noise Barrier Project in Beaconsfield. He's having fun while making his opinion heard. Nothing wrong with that.

Our pooches are doing great. They've had some great walks this past week. On Thursday, we met a couple, about our age, with a two year old, very friendly Catalan Sheepdog. A beautiful pup with a full coat. We chatted for a while and exchange tips about grooming. The woman was using this opportunity to train and socialize her dog. I didn't have any treats on me so she gave me a few and I showed off what ours can do. It was fun.

On Canada Day, we took Cooper & Spicy to Pointe-Claire Village for a pup cone at Wild Willy's. It seems to be a yearly tradition. They enjoyed it very much. 

For the past couple of weeks, the Robins have been nesting in the tree by our mud room door. We heard the hatchlings for the first time two days ago, being fed. Noisy little things. This morning, as we took Coop and Spicy out, the parents were flying all around us, being very protective and making a racket. Quite fascinating to watch. Those little babies will soon be ready for their first flight. In the meantime, they are well protected in our tree and leaving nice little poop sacs on our patio 😂

This coming week is a bit busy. Tomorrow morning I go for my blood work. Russell goes Tuesday. I have a pedicure on Thursday and my physical on Friday. 

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

Spicy and Cooper loved their Wild Willy's
pup cone on Canada Day!

Time to chill on the nice cool grass
at Edgewater Park.

Spicy looking elegant as she
roams the backyard.

Cooper always has a big smile.

A new evening ritual, Spicy loves to nest in the
guest room bed with a throw blanket.

No one is leaving the TV room without
me knowing about it!

Three Cleopatra Cana lilies
in a sea of daisies.

A closeup of the Cleopatra Cana Lily...
wonderful colours.