Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! May this day bring you joy, renewal and the warmth of Spring!

All is well with us. This past week was good and busy. First off, we got our taxes filed. Then, on Tuesday, we hopped on the train and went to Montreal....our first "seniors free transit ride". I didn't realize that the last station, Lucien L'allier, is at the Bell Centre! I can see a HABS game or two next season. That station will actually close as of tomorrow for six months for renovations so our next trip to the big city will either be by bus or we will take the train and get off at a different station. Russell will figure it out, I just follow.  Either way, it's an easy and relaxing way to travel.

We had hoped to get a bit of yard work done but that didn't happen. Our grass is starting to green up in spots and we can see where we will need to dethatch. All in good time. 

On Friday, Pauline and I went to Salon Rosie-Lanoi in Pointe-Claire village for "Afternoon Tea" although we went at 11 am. It was fun and we had great conversations. We have quite a bit in common but our talks mostly revolve around doggies. Pauline lost her precious Matisse early November.  She can relate to what we have been going through.

On that note, Russell and I are feeling better emotionally. We still have many moments of sadness but we are now smiling more at the memories of Cooper and Spicy. Easter is the first "holiday" since their passing and they are greatly missed. On a whim, I bought a 10 pound Butterball turkey for dinner tonight. That alone brought some sadness as we have always shared our turkey with our pooches. I don't think I have ever cooked a turkey that small! We will be thinking of them as we eat it 💕 

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is April 1. The first three months of the year have been hard for us. We look forward to the renewal that Spring will bring. 

I leave you with an Easter photo of our duo from 2018 as well as two throwback silly pics of them. Errol dropped off some nice tulips on Thursday. They brightened up our day. Thank you!

Have a Eggcellent Easter! Hoping the Coop and the Spice girl chase bunnies all day 💕

Easter 2018....Spicy and Cooper always willing
to pose for a good cause.

Spicy loved her top knot, this crazy one was from
May 31, 2019

Cooper loved modelling his Tilley rain hat,
this moment was captured April 6th, 2017 in 
Huntsville.

 

Lovely Easter tulips...thank you 
Errol. Happy Easter!

Hello Spring!

Happy Sunday everyone! We are finally getting some much needed sun today. We had some cold weather last week with a bit of snow yesterday, just enough to cover the grass. We are expecting Spring temps this week, just in time for Easter.

This past week was relatively good although Monday and Tuesday were not our best days. Once again, sadness sneaked up on us, with no warning. The weather was not good so that didn't help. On Tuesday, I came across a good article in the Montreal Gazette called Puppy Love. In a nutshell, it described the relationship between pets and humans. Although we didn't learn anything new, this article simply reinforced the fact that "our relationships with pets are often as strong, and sometimes stronger, than those we have with humans". This statement couldn't be more true for Russell and I. So, we take these moments of sadness as they come and let them be. Cooper and Spicy, always in our hearts 💕

Errol came for a bite to eat on Wednesday. He brought us a lovely Easter Lily, which brightened up our day. The flowers are so pretty.  

Russell and I had our monthly pedicure. Once again, I was able to walk out of the salon with flip flops, although it was a tad cold.

Spring might be slow to come but the male goldfinches are turning a bright yellow. The cardinals have also been busy. Lots of action around our bird feeders. It's nice to see.

Yesterday, we watched Oppenheimer. What a great movie! I wasn't sure I could stay put for three hours but it went by so fast. We can see why it dominated the Oscars. 

That's my blog for today. I leave you with two throwback photos of Cooper and Spicy. Since the tick season is upon us, I thought I would include one taken at our vet clinic a few years ago when we were picking up their tick meds. They always loved a visit to the vet. 

Have a great week everyone! I will write again on Easter Sunday!

A wonderful Easter Lily, thank you
Errol!

Cooper and Spicy waiting patiently at the vets, 
April 9th, 2018 - tick med season.

Spicy and Cooper on a Spring
stroll at Edgewater Park,
April 24th, 2021.

Top of the mornin to all!

Happy St-Paddy's Day! "May love and laughter light your days and warm your heart and home".

Our hearts are starting to feel lighter and our days are brighter. Cooper and Spicy are never far from our minds though. We talk about them many times throughout the days and reminisce about their antics. We continue to have moments of sadness every now and then, for no particular reason. When that happens, we just let the tears flow then we smile again.  We find Fridays particularly difficult as they left us on a Friday. That too shall pass.

It is a rainy day for us. There is not one snowflake on our property. The grass is brown and mucky in spots. This is the first time in 12 years that we don't have little paws to clean up at this time of year. We miss that. 

This past week was good. Russell saw his orthopedic surgeon on Monday. He really liked her. He is now officially on the wait list for a total left knee replacement. The wait time is between 9 and 12 months. Not bad at all. If needed, he can have one last cortisone infiltration in June. His surgery will be done as an outpatient. The technique now used provides for a quicker recovery with the least amount of pain medication. So, we wait.

We are now the proud holders of an OPUS card, a smart card for the greater Montreal transit system, which is free for anyone over 65. It works on trains, buses and the REM. We will be going places! 

My brother Francois turned 60 on Friday. Yesterday, we hosted a surprise dinner for him. Our nephews, James and Sean, and Julie, Sean's fiance came. It was a lovely evening. We also found out that Sean & Julie picked a wedding date....January 4, 2025, a destination wedding in Punta Cana. All things being equal, we will go although a lot will depend on the timing of Russell's surgery. We are happy for them. They are a lovely couple.

We have a busy week coming up with a few appointments here and there. The weather forecast is looking blah and on the cool side. 

That's my blog for today.  I will soon get ready to make an Irish stew for Russell. I'm not a big stew person so I will cook myself a piece of salmon with spinach...a little bit of greens.  I'm including a few photos from last night and of our little Leprechauns 💕🍀 Have a great week!

Spicy and Cooper's Irish eyes were smiling as 
they worn their finest on St. Paddy's Day 
March 17th, 2019.

Cooper was a classic poser and loved
St. Paddy's Day. This one captured on
March 17th, 2017 in Huntsville.

Happy Birthday Francois and 
welcome to Club 60! Make a wish!

Me, the Birthday Boy and our 
nephew James. Big smiles all
around!

Our nephew Sean and his lovely fiance, Julie.
Always a treat to see them.

 

Spring forward

Happy Sunday everyone! Well, we all made it to Daylight Saving Time! We just gained more daylight, more warmth, totally worth losing sleep over if you ask me. 

This past week was good and the weather was quite nice. Our snow was all gone until we woke up to a dusting this morning. It will be gone before we know it. We've been walking every day, morning and afternoon. On Tuesday, we walked to St- James Park by the waterfront. It was a balmy 12 celsius at 9:30 am. We sat on a bench and watched the loons having fun in the lake. We haven't gone back to the park where we used to walk Cooper and Spicy. One day we will, not just yet.

Friday marked four weeks since our little angels left us. It was probably one of our toughest days so far. This intense sadness hit us again but we got through it. Our hearts are starting to lighten up, we can feel it. People say that memories will make us smile again. Some memories do and some don't, not yet. Time will heal all wounds. We miss Cooper and Spicy every single day.

Our friends (and neighbours) Paul and Marie became grandparents on Monday. Exciting times for them and the entire family. Congratulations to all! Russell had lunch with his friend Brian on Wednesday. They went to high school together. It was nice for them to catch up. 

I worked out three times again, that's two weeks in a row, impressive LOL! As I was looking for throwback photos for this blog, I thought about how my workouts changed when the pandemic hit us. Up to that point, I was going to a gym, religiously. I then switched to online home workouts. We eventually bought a full set of dumbbells and an upright Schwinn stationary bicycle. Cooper and Spicy were always willing to be my workout partners and often helped with my weighted hip bridge and plank. This is one memory that makes us smile. 

There is not much on the go this week other than Russell seeing his orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. He is looking forward to that appointment. He will hopefully get a good sense of when his knee replacement surgery will be. 

That's my blog for today. Have a great week everyone and enjoy the extra daylight! 

Spring Forward, this doggie clock is a memory
from a visit to New York City.

Cooper provided just the right amount of extra
weight for my plank - March 20th, 2020.

Spicy enjoyed her time helping me do a hip
bridge - March 20th, 2020.

Cooper knew how to fly over the 
hurdles, he was in all his glory 
March 6th, 2021.

Not to be outdone, Spicy easily cleared the 
hurdles in hot pursuit of Cooper 
March 6th, 2021.

Hello March!

Happy Sunday everyone! It's a cloudy and gloomy day. It sure looks like Spring out there. Yesterday, I read that this is one of the mildest Winters in 150 years in Montreal. I found a photo taken on March 1, 2023 in our backyard. I took one in the same spot this year. What a difference a year makes.

Russell and I are still experiencing a whirlwind of emotions following the loss of Cooper and Spicy. Some days are better than others. We are smiling more at their memories but there are still lots of tears and deep sadness.  As the saying goes, this too shall pass, with time. They were an extraordinary duo and one of a kind in every way. They are leaving a void that simply cannot be filled 💕

Our week was somewhat busy. I worked out three times, so I'm happy about that. We went for some walks, even walked to our local Metro to buy a few things. On Wednesday, we had lunch with Pauline and talked trips. Our next adventure will most likely be in Puglia, Italy. The timing will depend on when Russell gets his new knee. He will meet with his surgeon on March 11 and should get a sense of the timing then. 

On Friday, we had lunch with Errol. It was nice to see him again. When we got home, there was a parcel waiting for us at the front door. It was from my good friend Lori, the human mommy of Scruffy and Pepper. She got us the most wonderful, comforting pillows with Cooper and Spicy's face on them, tongue out and all. A very thoughtful gift from someone who's been by my side, even from a distance, for many years.  Her pooches also have serious medical issues. I know all too well what she's going through. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this lovely gift 💝

Yesterday, we met up with Paulette and her husband as they were passing through Montreal. She used to work with Russell and they last saw each other 25 years ago. There was lots of catching up to do. 

We still wake up early. I'm the first one up, usually around 5:30. This morning, I put a pork shoulder in the slow cooker at 5:45. Russell woke up a bit later to the lovely aroma of asian flavours. It will be our dinner tomorrow night. Tonight, we're having meatballs and spaghetti. 

That's my blog for today. It is March break in Quebec this week. I feel sorry for the little kids as there is no snow to speak of, so outdoor activities will be limited. We are expecting some very mild temps this week. Have a great one everyone!

March 9th, 2019 Cooper and Spicy
tongues out giving me some love
on the bench in a snowy backyard.

Russell made it down the steps with
his new knee and the pooches gladly
posed with him - March 9th, 2019.

A lovely tribute to Cooper and Spicy from 
Lori, this will be cherished forever.

Winter March 1, 2023. The pathways
for Cooper and Spicy were very 
high with snowbanks, so tall it
was challenging to throw the snow
up.

Same backyard, same spot
what a difference a year makes,
March 1, 2024....where is the snow?