The "In-Between"

Happy Sunday everyone! We woke up to another cold morning. We don't have much snow on the ground but there is some bad weather on the way starting tonight with lots of freezing rain. Not a good thing.

Christmas day came and went. Our nephews and Julie got the flu so only my brother came over. We had a nice time just the same, relaxing and very casual. Needless to say that my 19 pound turkey was too much for the three of us LOL! It was delicious though, very moist and cooked to perfection. 

We are "in-between" holidays now and we seem to be losing track of which day it is. Even though New Year's Eve and Day are quiet for us, I like to make yummy appetizers and meals so I'm planning for the next round of "special days". For Christmas, I made for the first time a pimento cheese dip served with Ritz Crackers, such a retro appetizer.  It was such a hit that I will make it again for New Year's Eve. I wasn't sure if Russell would like it...he loved it! 

Merlot & Sherlock are doing well and had a good Christmas. I include a short video of them with their stockings. They each got a new toy, lucky boys. I continue working with them daily and building on the many activities that we learned from the Advent Calendar. Some of you may recall that I used to create mazes with cones for Cooper. I'm not there yet with the boys but I'm working on it.  

I am itching to take down the Christmas decorations so today I will put everything away except the Christmas tree. I will also make a big batch of turkey stock. It will be the base for some healthy and cozy soups in the upcoming months. 

Russell has some football to watch today and I have a Habs game at 5 pm tonight. A busy day on the horizon. Our pooches will get a day off from a learning activity. Instead, I will give them a treat ball that they will push around. They love that 💕

That's my last blog for 2025. I leave you with some photos from last week and a few short videos of the boys. One is from crazy Merlot who loves to fling his toys in the air and one of crazy Sherlock who loves to run and spin. Such funny boys! Cheers to a new year filled with health, happiness and love!

Merlot and Sherlock want to wish
all their fur buddies and hoomans
a Happy New Year.

A Family photo of all of us, thanks
for the photo Francois.

A Christmas tradition continues, Merlot and
Sherlock were featured on the Global TV News.

Merlot looking very spunky as
he strikes a pose on his chair.

Sherlock always makes himself
at home at the kitchen table.

Inseparable in life and in the thereafter
Cooper & Spicy always looked forward to the
 New Year, this one captured January 2021.

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël!

Happy Winter Solstice Sunday! Longer and brighter days are ahead of us! We woke up to mild temperatures and a brief but strong snow squall. It's been a weird week weather wise, we had snow on the ground last Sunday then it all went away with the rain.

This past week went by quickly. We had a few self care appointments (pedis and haircut) and our boys also got their nails and pads done. They will get a bath tomorrow. Everybody is getting cleaned up for Christmas LOL!

We're getting ready for Christmas Day. We are hosting my brother, nephews and Julie. It will be nice to get together again. I will be cooking a turkey, a 19 pounder. The house will smell delicious!

Merlot & Sherlock are doing well. Merlot continues to nap under the Christmas tree. It seems to be his calm and cozy spot to rest up . Sherlock, on the other hand, hasn't been near the tree, not once. They both continue to enjoy the many learning activities from the FitFun Advent Calendar. I have come up with my own variations of some of the exercises and we're having fun. 

Last night, we had a Greek dinner. I made a moussaka and keftedes. It was delicious. It's a bit of a process to make but totally worth the effort 😋 

Today will be quiet with another HABS game tonight. Last night's game was solid. A great win for the team and for Jacob Fowler.

I leave you with a few photos taken last week, a short video of "snow spins" and our last Christmas photo with our Cooper & Spicy. We wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a Joyeux Noël! 

Merlot and Sherlock 
want to wish everyone
Merry Christmas!

Merlot in his new favourite spot...
under the Christmas tree, the perfect
nap zone.

Sherlock - Santa - Merlot, ready for the
Christmas games and more FunFit activities!

The stockings have been hung with care!

It must be dinner time somewhere...these two
have built in timers for meals.

Our last Family Christmas photo...Spicy and
Cooper are forever in our hearts...this 
moment, December 2023.

Past and Present

Happy Sunday everyone! It's a calm morning, not too cold and the sun might make an appearance later on. We had a snow event on Wednesday but it wasn't as bad as it was predicted, at least where we live. Our boys were happy with the fresh coat of snow. Sherlock's new thing is to burrow his face deep in the snow as if he's hunting for truffles. Crazy puppy!

Other than being snowy and cold, we had a good week. It ended with having friends over for lunch on Friday. We had a great time and shared some good laughs. Merlot & Sherlock were exceptionally excited to see them LOL!

The boys and I continue to enjoy the various activities of the Fun Fit Advent Calendar. They are becoming quite good at thinking for themselves without any luring or verbal cues from me.  I include two small clips of the "go from bowl to bowl while going around the cones" activity (the blog only supports 10-12 second videos, the reason for such short clips). The possibilities to increase the complexity of this game are endless. I see loads of fun on the horizon!

I am truly grateful for these new mental activities as I was starting to run out of ideas.  I bought small liver treats that I cut in 6 pieces so the reward might be tiny but it is tasty and that's all the boys need to get motivated. I say this because I have this thing about keeping their weight in check....I always look forward to their "Monday morning weigh in" LOL!

Russell is doing good. We were reflecting that a year ago, he was recovering from his second knee replacement surgery. He has recovered very well and gets his many thousand steps in every day. 

I leave you with some photos taken last week. We call the main photo Past & Present. It is of Cooper & Spicy's tree ornaments collected over the years and a new tree that we started last year with the arrival of Merlot & Sherlock. Our most precious Christmas decorations 💕 

Have a great week everyone! 

The tree of life links Christmas ornaments
carefully selected for Cooper and Spicy and
now for Merlot and Sherlock.

Fresh snow means new discoveries buried under
the snow...these two love to sniff for
hidden treasure.

Merlot and Sherlock at their posts
on watch...not much escapes their
attention - silently too, no barking!

Paws up comfort keeping me
company on the living room sofa.

Sitting calmly at their 'place' 
waiting for 'bowl to bowl' to
begin.

This thoughtful ornament came yesterday,
a surprise gift from our Havanese friend
Tinker and her human mommy Valerie, 
thank you!

A precious moment from
a Christmas passed, Spicy and 
Cooper - December 10th, 2022.

A cold December morning

Happy Sunday everyone! We woke up to a chilly -15 Celsius. Sherlock was on three paws for the better part of his first outing this morning.  No wonder, it takes him forever to find just the perfect spot to do his business LOL! Merlot, on the other hand, is not too fussy....he just needs to be against a fence. Both are such characters 😍

This past week was good and cold. We don't have much snow, although we got a few centimetres yesterday. I haven't had to shovel paths yet but we keep the patio clear of snow. Russell used our electric shovel and our silly dogs were going nuts. It's as if they hadn't seen it before. 

Yesterday, I finished my baking. It's all safely tucked away in the freezer. A huge thank you to Russell for stepping up as the official taste tester. I have one thing left to make and it's my favorite...salted caramel pretzel bark. I have a thing for salted caramel goodies. It will be my holiday treat! 

Our boys and I are having a good time with the Fun Fit Advent Calendar.  Day 2 so far has been our favorite and we are perfecting it every day. The idea is to go from bowl to bowl while going around the cone without being lured. They get rewarded when they do. It's a very good mental stimulation exercise. The hard part is for me to just wait for them to make a move.  While one works, the other waits his turn. That in itself requires a lot of self control LOL! They are such good boys 💕

We watched the Habs game last night. What an exciting win! There is another game tonight. Last week, I started to watch the Netflix series The Beast in Me but I had to stop after episode 5. It is very well done and the acting is superb but it got too heavy. I read the synopsis of the last three episodes just to see how it would end. Then I couldn't help myself and watched the last episode just for the heck of it. 

I leave you with some photos and two videos. One I call the "stand off", they often play that game of who will charge first. It's usually Merlot. The other video is self explanatory.

Have a great week everyone! 

Sherlock, Merlot, Santa Claus and 
the Christmas tree, a great start
to the Holiday Season.

Merlot on his human perch while 
intently watching the Habs game.

An early morning outing in the frigid cold.

Merlot enjoying a well deserved nap
after training.

Sherlock also napping, all this mental
activity makes me tired.

The set up to the Fun Fit Advent routine of the
day, the Boys have to wait calmly until
it is their turn - patience is a virtue.

Spicy and Cooper in full flight on a snowy
day...their spirited romp captured 
on December 16th, 2022.