The tradition continues

Happy Sunday everyone! The skies were clear when we took our pooches out this morning and we could see Mars, way up there and so bright. 

We had another good and busy week. Just when we thought our yard work was done, we ended up filling up two more bags with the last of our back door neighbour's leaves. 

On Monday morning, I had my physical and all is good. I spent a good hour with my doctor and we covered a lot of ground. That afternoon, I had my bone density and knees x-rayed. Still waiting on the bone density results but my knees show a mild progression of osteoarthritis.  There is not much that can be done at this point other than managing the discomfort when it gets bad. I have a number of options depending on the severity of the pain so I'm good for now. If need be, I will get a cortisone injection before our trip to Italy in May.

Our pooches are doing well. They enjoy their daily trips to the basement for either a little training or some fun chasing a treat ball. I use the trampoline as their "waiting station". They know what it's for and get on it as soon as they go downstairs. It's too funny. 

Tuesday brought a lot of sadness as we learned of the passing of Sparky, another Havanese friend. He was 14. Sparky was Spicy's cousin. Both shared the same dad and were born three days apart. We had the pleasure of taking care of Sparky back in 2018. He was a wonderful dog and faithful companion to Mary and Terry. He will be greatly missed. Run free little one and enjoy frolicking around with your pals Cooper & Spicy 💞

As the holiday season approaches, we are continuing our tradition with our personalized doggy ornaments. They will have a special place in our home. It's hard to believe that Christmas is a little over four weeks away. By then, Russell should be well into recovery mode from TKR surgery. A little over one week for that to happen. While we're on the countdown mode, our trip to Italy is less than six months away. Yay!

That's my blog for today. I have a few things to do in the kitchen then I will decorate our Christmas tree. I brought it up yesterday. Merlot & Sherlock sniffed it and walked away. Let's see how they like it once it's all decorated!

Have a great week everyone! 

The Duncan Family traditional
Christmas ornaments 2024 edition.

Three amigos on a walk at Edgewater Park 
August 18, 2018...Sparky, Spicy and Cooper.

Sherlock and 'his' hedgehog...a 
special stuffed toy only available at
specific times of the day. He knows 
when!

Merlot and Sherlock waiting on the
trampoline before treat ball play.
Such patience and self control.

Rolling balls of treat fun.

It is a good tired...Merlot napping in the living
room on his favorite chair post training.

The Boys basking in the afternoon sunshine 
on the sofa in the living room...such a life!

November sunshine

Hello everyone and happy Sunday! It's a beautiful sunny morning for us. It's been a pretty good November so far. We found ourselves sitting on the deck again the past two days.

This past week was good. The yard work is all done. The hoses are unplugged. The propane tank for the generator got filled up. Today we will cover our Japanese Maple now that the leaves have all dropped. The shovels are by the garage door. We're ready for Winter!

We enjoyed a few walks with our pooches. The weather was gorgeous. We sat on a bench and took it all in. Merlot and Sherlock are doing wonderful. They are such good boys. They play well together and know how to entertain themselves. It is quite nice to watch. Now that we spend more time inside, they have had to adapt their puppy play...no running around in the living room please LOL! 

Aside from the backyard, our deck became their playground of sorts since we got them. They are now getting used to playing in the basement. No birds or squirrels to watch but there is plenty to do and lots of space. I have a number of enrichment activities planned for them for the Winter months.  And yes, the giraffe will also make its way to the basement 😊

Russell is just about two weeks away from his TKR surgery. He is ready. It will be good to have this behind us as we enter the holiday season.  Due to his surgery, we will not be able to attend our nephew's destination wedding in Punta Cana on January 4. Sean is hoping to arrange for a video stream so we can maybe watch it live. We will have our own little celebration with them at Christmas.

Those are my little news for today's blog. It is Grey Cup day. Not sure if we will watch the game but I hope to stay awake for the half time show...The Jonas Brothers. I love that group. Our HABS won last night, it was a good game. 

I leave you with some pics that I took last week and one of our Coop & Spicy. Without realizing it, I chose a photo of them that is similar to the one I took of Merlot & Sherlock a few days ago. I only noticed the similarity this morning 💕

Have a great week everyone!

Sherlock and Merlot at the ready (down & stay) to
begin their training session.

These two know how to dance and tussle...
it is all in the name of play.

A beautiful day for a walk at Edgewater Park
and a tender moment with the boys.

Chilling in the living room...Sherlock and 
Merlot have been asking for their own iPad.

Merlot saying "hang in there
Mr. Giraffe, I'll get you down"

Sherlock telling Merlot, "not so fast
buddy, I got him first'.

This November Friday morning sky was on fire.

Cooper and Spicy ready for their training 
session...this moment captured
November 21, 2018.

Back on track!

Happy Sunday everyone! It is a rather cool morning but the sun is shining. We don't care much for the darkness at 5 pm but we love the brightness in the early mornings. 

This past week was good. It only took two days for the boys and us to get back on track following the time change, from a waking up perspective. Meal times were never a problem for our pooches as we kept them normal...although both were singing for their food one hour early. We told them that all good things are worth waiting for.

We got some yard work done but there is still quite a bit to do. We also need to get a number of things done around the house before Russell's surgery, which is now just a little over three weeks away.

Russell continues his pre-op muscle strengthening exercises. It is going well. He purchased a cryo compression therapy device prescribed by his surgeon. It will help reduce the swelling and pain. Things have evolved since his last TKR five years ago. 

I had routine blood work done on Friday for my upcoming physical on the 18th. I also have a bone density test scheduled for that day. I might be able to get my knees x-rayed that day also. I am still bothered by the knee pain which intensifies if I stand on my feet for too long. Not a good scenario for someone who just can't sit still. It will all get sorted out.

Yesterday, we celebrated our little boy Sherlock's first birthday. He is such a wonderful doggie and brings us immense joy...well, both do 💕 He had a good day which included a tug game with his brother. Merlot let him win! 

Merlot and I had our second class yesterday. It went very well. He is by far the smallest dog in the class, the biggest one being a two year old Bernese Mountain.

In the world of sports, our Montreal Canadians are going through a rough patch these days. Some fans are just about ready to give up on them. I am not although it is disappointing to see them lose. Let's see what the next 67 games bring.  

That's my blog for this week. We will attempt to finish our yard work today...attempt being the operative word. Tomorrow we will remember all those who sacrificed so we could live in freedom. Lest we forget. Have a great week everyone!

Chilly on the deck somedays but Merlot
and Sherlock will dance for treats in any
weather.

Happy 1st Birthday Sherlock...enjoy that cake!
We love you so very much.

Sherlock graciously shared his birthday cake
with his best buddy - Merlot.

A little game of tug on Sherlock's birthday...
Merlot knew he had to let Sherlock win.

Eyes on the goings on beyond the fence.

The Habs and the boys...what could be better...
maybe a few wins in a row?

Four paws up for Merlot as he naps
securely against the wall.

Sherlock has found his comfy spot
in the living room on the sofa.

Spicy and Cooper always together and this 
moment captured their togetherness 
November 19, 2022.

We have a date!

Happy Sunday everyone! It is 6:23 am and it is bright outside, thanks to the end of Daylight Saving Time. We've been up for a while, as expected. Merlot and Sherlock didn't get fooled by this time change....their precise internal clocks were set to wake up at 5 am, although we stretched it out until 5:30. In a few days, we will all be back to normal. 

This past week brought some excellent news. On Tuesday, Russell got a call from the Lakeshore Hospital. He will have his TKR surgery on December 4. We were hoping it would be before Christmas so we are really happy about this. Russell also had an appointment with his physiotherapist Michael at Kinatex to get a pre-op muscle strengthening exercise program. Michael will take care of all post op physio as well. It's all good and my hubby will be in tip top shape for our trip to Italy in May 2025.

Until surgery, we are keeping our social activities limited and outside. Russell can't afford to get sick, neither can I. There is a lot of viruses going around at the moment. Case in point, I am recovering from a viral sore throat, which I've had for five days. I saw my doctor last Friday as I wanted to rule out any bacterial infection. I am much better this morning. Russell got his flu shot last week, I get mine on Tuesday. We both have to wait three months for our COVID shot since we got infected in September. 

On Thursday, we had a "meet and greet" with Balou, Pauline's 4 month old Bearded Collie. He is a such a sweetheart. After a few minutes of sniffing each other, all three pooches played their hearts out. They chased each other around the backyard non stop. Eventually, all three crashed from all this fun. I think they will be good friends 😊

Halloween night was not as busy as we had hoped. We had about 40 kids and we watched them from our dining room window. The weather was perfect. 

Merlot and Sherlock are doing well. Yesterday was Merlot's first class. He did well and I might even say that he was ahead of the others as we've been practicing at home. He was prancing like the show dog that he is, beautiful to watch. Sherlock spent some quality time with Russell while we were gone. 

Those are my little news on this first Sunday of November. This week should bring the long awaited US election results. We can only hope for a good and peaceful outcome. On Saturday, we will celebrate our little guy Sherlock's first birthday. I will post pics in next week's blog. 

Have a great week everyone! 

The 'three amigos" 2.0! Balou, Sherlock and
Merlot taking a little break from the chase me
game.

Balou is a handsome fellow with a gentle
personality.

Sherlock in the 'let's play bow'...Balou getting
ready to give chase but not before a ceremonial
sniff - game on!

Timeout...the grass feels so cool. Balou certainly
felt secure and right at home with his new pals.

Arms full of puppy love! Pauline and her 
boy Balou...me with Sherlock and Merlot.

The very scary Halloween set up chez Duncans

Sherlock and his human dad on the 
lookout for trick or treaters.

Merlot wanted in on the action too 
and he enjoyed the Halloween pageant.

A favourite spot for Cooper and Spicy...the
front doorstep - September 8, 2023.