Blu-Belle is in the house!

Happy Sunday everyone! It's a cloudy, warmish day for us. We woke up to the most beautiful sunrise. I grabbed my phone quickly and was able to capture it. I love those pink skies!

All is good with us. Our week started with an incredible amount of rain last Monday. At some point, our weather station was showing rain at the rate of 4.2 inch per hour. It literally was raining cats and dogs.

On Tuesday, Miss Blu-Belle came to our house for a visit while her human mommy is dealing with some health issues. She is still with us and will probably go home sometime this week. I've been sending Lillian numerous daily photos of her princess. Cooper & Spicy have been gracious hosts. We introduced BB to their routine, including the morning grooming, the 3 pm afternoon snack, the alfresco dinners on the deck and some snuffling games. As expected, it's been an adjustment for Blu-Belle. She is very sweet and has been going along with the flow. All three pooches are getting along just fine. 

I got the results of my knee x-rays and they are not bad at all. Bottom line, I have some osteoarthritis in both knees, worse in the left one. The good news is the joint space is preserved in both knees. I will get a consultation with an orthopedic surgeon to determine if I'm a candidate for either a cortisone or Synvisc injection. I will also start doing some physio exercises. I still have access to the exercise portal from our physiotherapy clinic from two years ago when my knee started acting up. It's all good. 

It's a short blog today. We're going to spend the rest of the day chilling. I will watch a few episodes of Pretty Little Liars, season 6. Russell will watch football. It's warm enough for me to be on the deck. I think that Blu-Belle and Cooper will join me. Spicy will stay in the TV room with her daddy. I leave you with some photos of the pooches taken last week, this morning's sunrise and a cool photo that Russell took of a spider web in our backyard.

Have a great week everyone, the last one of September! 

Spectacular Fall sunrise in our backyard 
this morning.

A busy spider tending to its web with some
early morning dew...he is stringing pearls.

Blu-Belle chilling on the back lawn looking
very majestic.

Three pooches ready to settle in and watch
some TV.

All lined up and ready to get snuffling!

Blu-Belle caught on to snuffling very 
quickly and is now a master at it.

I boiled some chicken & carrots for the pooches.
Now to lick the plates clean!

Blu-Belle at her post on backyard
watch...looking for squirrels.

So long Summer 2022!

Happy Sunday everyone! It's a cloudy, rainy, cool day for us. The perfect day to watch a couple of NFL games and read a good book. Cooper & Spicy will have to decide who to spend time with...just kidding, we know how it will turn out....Spicy will cuddle on her blanket in the TV room with Russell. Cooper will be with me either on the deck or in the living room...you know why? Because I'm the treat giver and Cooper always stays close to the treat giver .... he will be waiting for their 3 pm snack 😍Gotta love these two munchkins!

This past week was good. I had my knees x-rayed. I should get the results in a few days and will take it from there. We had a few good walks with the pooches. We noticed how the leaves are starting to change. There is no denying it, Fall is around the corner. We had a great Summer and it went by way too fast. 

On Friday, I went to our local market and bought some delicious Honey Crisp apples. I also bought a new squash, Orangetti, similar to spaghetti squash but apparently sweeter and tastier. I will try it this week. I also got some leeks and broccoli to make soup this week. Yep, 'tis soup time! I like making soup and I make very good ones, most of them without a recipe, using whatever I have in the fridge, pureed or chunky. Russell likes it both ways. 

After weeks of deliberation, we decided to go back to Italy in 2023. What can I say, Italy is close to our hearts. We already have many wonderful Italian memories from previous trips and we look forward to making new ones. Our last visit to Italy was in 2018 for my 60th birthday. We will be going back for another milestone...you can do the math 😂We are planning to go towards the end of April, just 7 months away. Let's get through Fall and Winter first though!

Now that a new season is on our door step, I'm slowly changing my way of cooking. Although there are things that we eat all year long, I am somewhat of a seasonal cook. This morning, I braised a beef blade roast with lots of vegetables for three hours. I then shredded the meat, mixed in all the cooked veggies and topped everything with a parsnip/potato mash...yummy dinner for tonight. You wouldn't get me to make that in the middle of Summer.

That's my blog for today. Have a great week everyone and Happy Fall!

Spicy and Cooper saying goodbye to Summer,
 excited to see the Fall season and all those leaves!

Double deck duty on a slow day.

Spicy and her shenanigans, always good for 
a laugh.

Double chew time...brand new chews.

A festive Fall planter for the back 
deck...nice splash of colour.

Glorious Summer Sunday

Happy Sunday everyone! We woke up to another beautiful morning. We've had such a nice stretch of good and warm weather lately. Let's all enjoy it to the max!

This past week was good. On Tuesday, I had lunch with Lise and Diane in the Old Montreal. We ate outside and it was lovely.  It was nice to catch up on our news. The three of us go back a long way, from our days of working together. Lots of history amongst us!

Russell saw his orthopedic surgeon on Thursday. Although he is a prime candidate for a total knee replacement, he opted for a cortisone shot. So far so good while realizing full well that it is not a permanent fix. For now, it is providing the relief that Russell was looking for. Synvisc-One, a viscosupplement injection, could also be another option down the road.  I am seeing my doctor tomorrow for my knee and plan on getting an x-ray done this week.  Then we'll see what can be done for me.

Our pooches are doing well. They were both happy to get their quarterly delivery of Yappetizers dehydrated chicken breasts.  During one of our walks last week, we ran into our friend Errol. We hadn't seen him since we got back from Toronto. He was happy to see us and said that "our presence was missed". Spicy & Cooper were being very cuddly with Errol. 

Yesterday, we got a lot of work done. Russell washed all the outside windows, front and back, including the glass panels on the deck. When I made the coffee this morning, the sun was shining brightly through those pristine windows. While the window washer was doing his job, I cut back the daisies and some of our daylilies. We still have lots of colours left in the garden from the rudbekias and purple cone flowers. 

We are still thinking about a trip for next year. We thought we had landed on Greece but we're now throwing other ideas in the mix. We're all over the place. There is lots of time to plan something. We will not book anything until late this year or early in the new year. 

My brother is coming over for lunch today. We will have hot dogs on the barbecue....cheese dogs, the best!

In today's blog, I include a photo of the lovely mugs that our neighbour Marie made for us. She dropped them off on Tuesday. It was such an unexpected and very lovely gift. Thank you! 

Enjoy your Sunday and have a great week!

Marie made these lovely mugs for us.
 Spicy and Cooper adorn each.

Cooper and Spicy always on the alert,
not much escapes their attention.

Spicy loves a good snuggle in one of her
many favourite blankets.

Cooper and Spicy inspecting their quarterly
shipment of Yappetizers...yummy dehydrated
chicken breasts.

Fall mums have arrived and they blend nicely
with our other perennials.

Lunch in Old Montreal with good friends
Diane and Lise...great to catch up.

Happy Labour Day Weekend!

This is the last long weekend of Summer...how did this happen? Here's to hoping for nice and warm weather until at least the next long weekend, Thanksgiving!

All is good with us. We got back from our Ontario getaway last Tuesday. It was a whirlwind weekend with time spent in Yorkville, Oakville, Burlington and NOTL...four nights, four hotels.  We visited with some friends that we hadn't seen since before the start of the pandemic. It was really nice to see you all! Russell also got to visit with an "old" high school buddy who happens to live in NOTL. They hadn't seen each other for 50 years. We wished we could have had more opportunities to see other friends but there just wasn't any time. 

We spent our anniversary night at the Prince of Wales Hotel. As usual, it was lovely and we had the best room ever with a nice veranda facing the main street. We enjoyed our time in Yorkville, our old stomping grounds, but somehow it's not like it used to be...or maybe we are the ones who are a little different, a little older. 

On Wednesday, Cooper & Spicy had their wellness exams and all is good. It was just like pre-pandemic times, all four of us in the exam room with Dr. Stiles. It was nice to take the time and chat with her. Our pooches love her to pieces and gave her lots of lickings and kisses. 

Friday, I met Lillian at Le Marche de l'Ouest. It was nice to see her and catch up on life. I bought a few of my favorite Delicata Squash....'tis the season! I also got some nice Fall Mums.

Yesterday,  I started pruning our Weeping Mulberry Tree by the side of the house. Russell noticed that it was leaning towards one side, sure enough the tree had broken at the base. We knocked it down and spent a couple of hours sawing the large branches, then cutting them up for bagging. We were both exhausted by the time we were done. I had planned to do more yard work but that did it for me. 

This coming week is a bit busy. On Tuesday, I will have lunch with Lise & Diane in the Old Montreal. It will be nice to get together again. On Thursday, Russell will get an injection for his knee. He got the results of his X-Ray last week and he has advanced arthritis all over the knee. His doctor is confident that a combination of injection and physio will keep a knee replacement at bay for a few years, maybe forever. I also need to get an x-ray done on my left knee....time to bite the bullet and do something about it. My week will end with a nice pedicure on Friday.

Those are my little news for today.  Enjoy your long weekend and be safe! 

Spicy and Cooper resumed their daily walk 
at Edgewater Park.

Spicy and Cooper know that there
are treats in the exam room. Such
good behaviour, so patient.

Spicy loves rolling in my bath towel, it's her thing

Spicy knows that the water tastes
best from the right side of the bowl...
she ONLY drinks from the right side.

Cooper always keeps watch
on his kingdom.

It is Delicata squash season...yum!