Goodbye February!

Hello everyone and happy Sunday! It's a cloudy day with a few sprinkles of snow. It is warmer than it has been in the past few days. We didn't get the snow storm that we were supposed to get last Thursday, we had colder weather instead. It was nice not to have to shovel for a change.

This past week was good and we didn't do much other than attend to some appointments that Russell and I had. We didn't walk at all with the pooches. It was too cold. We don't handle cold as well as we used to...must be because of this thing called ageism 😂

We leave for Italy in 8 weeks tomorrow. Russell is basically packed...as in he knows what he will bring.  He got himself two new pairs of jeans from Mott & Bow, online. If you haven't heard of Mott & Bow, check them out. Their jeans fit like a glove and are very nice. Excellent quality at a reasonable price. He also has those Merino T-Shirts that I got him for his birthday and two casual linen jackets. Add to that a pair of shorts, one bathing suit, socks and undies, he's good to go! As for me, I haven't got a clue what I will bring. This will not be a beach type vacation so our packing is different. The weather should be sunny and with temps around low to mid 20 C. I did buy myself a cute maxi frilly kind of dress from a boutique in Pointe-Claire village called Artizan. I like it so much that I might get another one in a different colour. Other than, I have to figure out what else to bring. I keep telling Russell that I still have lots of time.....I've always worked best under pressure!

Our pooches are doing wonderful. The other day, they saw a rabbit in our neighbour's backyard. There was a stare down going on between them for quite some time. It was funny to watch. Other than daily grooming, Russell cut their nails last week. I spent a bit of time with Spicy, removing a few tiny knots that she had near her dewclaws and combing her belly. She is so cooperative, lays on her back and doesn't wiggle. Russell took a photo of her after I was done...can't really tell where her head is.

That's my blog for today. I had a busy morning in the kitchen, prepping some meals for the week. After lunch, I will watch all the HABS post game interviews from last night. They lost to Ottawa but won two games last week...good enough for me!

Have a great week everyone! See you again in March!

Cooper and Spicy enjoy a chew and lounging
on our bed this morning!

Be very, very quiet, I think I see a rabbit...I did
see a rabbit, I did see a rabbit!

Cooper says, nope - no rabbits 
over here!

Can you tell where Spicy's 
head is? I just finished combing
her belly while she was on my
lap.

Snuffling in the basement doggie playroom...the 
newly designed maze ready for action.

The pre-dinner stare down...these two have 
built-in timers for events like dinner and treats.

Just another February Sunday

Good morning everyone and happy Sunday! It's cloudy, mild and the snow is evaporating quite fast....making room for what we might get later this week. 

This past week was good. We had a few bright, sunny days, with a bluebird kind of sky, lovely for walks with the pooches. They haven't worn booties yet this year as we tend to walk at the park where the snow is nicely packed. The scenery is quite nice down by the lake.

Russell and I had lunch out on Valentines Day. We went to Le Gourmand Restaurant in Pointe-Claire Village. It is a lovely place with quite a bit of history. It dates back to 1845, at the time just a house. It became a restaurant in 1985. Field stone and rustic wood make this place quite cozy and charming. It was packed with people of all ages. The food was delicious. 

My jaw is slowly getting back to normal. I had another physio treatment last week and I have daily exercises to do. It's a process that takes time. Patience is not in my DNA so I just go with the flow.

It's only 7:50 am. We've been up since 6, along with the cardinals. Cooper had his breakfast, Miss Spicy will get hers after I write my blog. She doesn't like to eat early in the morning but come dinner time, she's the first one to line up for food! My brother is coming for lunch today. I made a carrot and ginger soup yesterday, should be yummy. 

This coming week is a bit busy with appointments. Russell has an osteo treatment tomorrow morning. He will get his second shot of Shingles vaccine on Tuesday. I have a pedicure on Wednesday. Then maybe snow on Thursday. And just like that, February will be almost over!

I leave you with random photos taken this week. Have a great one and Happy Family Day to those who celebrate!

This 70 plus year old weeping willow
at Edgewater Park stands majestically
with a bluebird sky above. 

The Duo patiently supervising me as 
I fill the snuffle matt.

Snuffling in the living room, they are totally
obsessed with this activity.

Who wants a salad, a snuffle salad bowl!

Spicy on the lookout.

The a-mazing Duo on the course!

Happy Birthday Russell!

Happy Sunday everyone! On this day, some 68 years ago, the cutest little boy was born. He had wonderful parents that raised him to be the kind of man that he is today....my wonderful husband and human dad of Cooper & Spicy 💖Happy Birthday to our darling Russell!

It is the first time that Russell's birthday falls on Super Bowl day so we celebrated yesterday, with gifts,  a special dinner and birthday cake. I made his favorite meal, Coquille St-Jacques and for dessert Carrot Cake.  Today, we celebrate with Game Day yummies. I will make crispy oven baked chicken wings and potato skins for dinner. We got Russell some Unbound Merino Wool Crew Neck T-Shirts, an Alex Crane linen jacket and a bluetooth thermometer, the MEATER + (thanks to Paul for helping me with that one). Those T-Shirts are meant to be worn for days and days without washing, perfect for our upcoming trip.

We woke up this morning to the beautiful calling sound of a male cardinal. A few seconds later, we heard his companion. As we took Cooper & Spicy out, we heard them again, all around our backyard. We see them all year long but on this special day, it was particularly nice to hear that lovely mating call. Spring is in the air 🌷

Our weather has been warmer, the snow is evaporating, we've had some rain. This month is half way done, yes, Spring is definitely on the way!

That's my blog for today. In addition to the big game tonight, it is a fabulous weekend for hockey. Our HABS played at noon yesterday, and won in overtime. What an exciting game it was! Today, they play again at 12:30. I have to get all my food prepped before the game. We will settle down in front of the TV for hockey, then Super Bowl pre-game shows. A good day to celebrate a birthday!

Have a good week everyone! Happy Super Bowl, may the best team win! Happy Happy Birthday Russell! We love you to the moon and back!

WOW...everyone is wondering what is in
these boxes!

Nothing better than Spicy's kisses, Cooper's
adoring look and Anne's lovingly selected
birthday gifts - thank you !

Needed help blowing out the birthday cake
candles, the two best helpers ever! Spicy
had her eye on the prize!

Everyone one wanted to taste my delicious 
carrot cake, Coop has his eye on it this time!

Hello February!

Happy Sunday everyone! It's cloudy and relatively mild considering how cold it was the past few days. We should enjoy some pretty mild temps this coming week.

All is good with us. We sailed into the month of February quietly. It is my favorite month of the Winter season as it holds a few special events...Russell's Birthday, Super Bowl and Valentines Day. It is also a short month, Spring is around the corner folks! I can't get over how much longer the days are now. Yesterday morning, we slept in until 6:45 (😂) and didn't have to turn lights on outside when we took Cooper & Spicy out. 

Last week, we started giving more thought to our trip to Italy end of April. We've always wanted to take a cooking class so we booked one with Cantina del Vesuvio. It is located on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, near the town of Trecase. In addition to making some yummy Italian food, we will get to taste the wonderful wines of Lacryma Christi, which we discovered on our last trip to Italy. 

We also booked an evening with the Three Tenors in Sorrento. They will be performing at The Correale Museum of Terranova, an intimate and historical venue just a short walk from our hotel. I suspect it will be an enchanting night!

Not much else is going on with us. My jaw is acting up again, as in cracking very loudly. It hasn't locked yet, hopefully it won't. I went back to see our trusted physiotherapist, who happens to specialize in TMJ issues. I will see him again this week. In between visits, I have some jaw exercises that I do throughout the day. I'm not happy about that but it is what it is. Hopefully it will sort itself out soon.

Russell is doing well. He will get a spa pedicure this week and a 90 minute massage. Some self-care before his birthday 💖

Our pooches are doing well. They haven't had a lot of walks lately due to either snow events or cold temperatures. They don't seem to care. We keep them busy doing other things. I've created a few mazes with cones and they enjoy the challenges. They are always happy no matter what they do.

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

The duo in the 'ready pose' for what comes next...
these two are game for almost anything.

Spicy loves her chew and she
thought it would be good to bring
it outside.

Cooper is in 'his' armchair, humans have no
reserved seating in this home.

The stained glass dreamcatcher 
caught in a snow drift.

Cooper likes posing for photos especially if there
are possible treats involved.