Boxing Day Peace

It's almost 9:30. Honey & I have been up for a couple of hours. The boy is sleeping. We all had a wonderful Christmas. For me it was at times romantic, silly, fun, exasperating and a whole other gamut of things. It was a great time to catch up with family & friends.

There were a nice selction of gifties under the tree. I got $$ for my YMCA membership from my mum. BF gave me a bike roof rack system for my car and a number of other small things as well. He's incredibly thoughtful. We each had done up a stocking for each other - it was so much fun to open them together.

I had the best time with BF - it's been many years since I had a man with me on Christmas morning. We really had a nice Christmas together. :)

Pre-Christmas Cheer

I've been lying low today what with this nasty cold/flu thing I've got - it includes one of the nastiest persistent viral sore throats ever. And a yucky cough.

I've been puttering mostly after a brief foray to Scoop & Save to get stuff for making Christmas treats. The boy went off with his father to get a tree and decorate it. I came back home, made gluten-free chocolate-chip pecan pies and snoozed.

The boy & I made other treats once he got home - I made Festive Cherry Squares (again) and he made Skillet Scrummies which I've made and are also fabulous.

In happy news, when I checked my work email I saw that I got 90% in my Water Treatment I exam! Hooray!

I'm thinking I won't be doing much churching tomorrow. Although I am feeling better, the cough is nasty and I don't want to spread *that* kind of Christmas cheer. BF is going to come and make me supper and we'll have a Christmas Eve sleepover - Hooray! I made him a stocking too and I think he'll enjoy that (he surprised me with a stocking last year so I'm just getting him back so to speak). We can snuggle in bed and open our stockings together - how fun will that be?

Holy sardines batman!

I know a consultant who does work related to my job. I don't give him any work per se and so he can't really bribe me with seasonal gifts. But every now & then, he comes in with "fruits of the sea". He used to work for Brunswick Seafood and he has brought me a variety of sardine products over the past year to try.

I haven't tried them.

Eating little headless fish with all their insides still intact simply hasn't held any water with me. Other people at work love them so I've never had *any* trouble getting rid of them. And I've told "D" that I haven't had the courage to eat them yet.

So today he shows up with a "gift" for me. Not a box of chocolates - no.

A *HUGE* gift pack of little dead fish guys! 15 tins of sardines in a variety of sauces, 5 seafood snacks, 1 baby clams, 1 salad crab meat, 1 Leg Crabmeat 15% leg and 1 "Start a Healthy Habit Recipe Book" You can find the products here.

I didn't know "Crunchy Sardine Pizza" even existed...

God Bless Us Everyone

I went to see the boy in "Bah Humbug" last night, the production at his school. He did so well and I was so proud of him. When he sang his song, I cried. And when they got to the part where Scrooge is watching the future and Tiny Tim is dead, I cried too (silly really since it was only a possible outcome in the future in a story and it really wasn't the boy himself who was dead!)

He's a good little singer but we seldom get to hear him sing solos.

I wonder when his voice will change.

And he bravely endured *GIRLS HUGGING HIM*!!! LOL.

6 more days...

I've never done a meme so here goes nothing...

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Noel Nog - soy eggnog since I can't have milk or cream
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Always wrapped, bagged or otherwise concealed
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? - Multicolored - monocolour just seems wrong to me
4. Do you hang mistletoe? The one person I like to kiss doesn't require mistletoe assistance.
5. When do you put your decorations up? After December 1
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Turkey
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Christmas was a little painful with an alcoholic dad but my mum always made it special. I have memories of special snowfalls and feeling the magic of Christmas
8 . When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I honestly don't remember "learning" and in many ways I still "believe" in the spirit of that magic.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, but this was not a family tradition when I was growing up.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? First the lights (multi-colored), then all the ornaments.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it.
12. Can you ice skate? Not really.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I can't think of anything in particular.
14. What’s your favorite thing about the holidays? The sense of excitement and the magic of all of it.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Either Christmas pudding or a chocolate log.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Singing in the choir on Christmas Eve.
17. What tops your tree? An angel.
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I think I actually prefer giving.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? There are many - I love so many Christmas songs!
20. Candy canes yuck or yum? Non-committal.
21. What’s number one on your Christmas list this year? Peace on Earth, love for all and an end to so many evils.

So long & thanks for all the pigs...

It was a bittersweet parting last evening. We loved the pigs but they really weren't getting the attention they deserved and with the boy only being around every other week, and not paying that much attention to them, I thought it might be nicer for them to find a home where people paid attention to them and brushed them.

So I went to here and posted them and a family from the area have gladly adopted them lock, stock & barrel. I felt sad but also relieved and hopefully they will receive the attention they deserve.

Goodbye Takua & Takanuva.

Honey's best friend

The boyfriend has mastered the art of watching TV from the couch while at the same time rubbing Honey's belly. I had to take a picture of her when I saw the expression on her face!

More puppy envy.

We can hardly wait until we have a little cutie like one of these next summer!

Christmas razberry!

Honey really is great with wearing this sort of garb and normally I can get a good shot but last night was not stellar for either of us. I need to figure out the camera and we all need to relax and enjoy the photo shoot. Tonight I'll try for all of us in the shot.

In the meantime I got this *hilarious* picture!

10 more days folks!

Season of Insanity

STOP THE TRAIN - I NEED TO GET OFF!!!

Holy crazy train! I feel like my life has been switched to some insane pace and I am like the coyote trying to paddle my legs insanely as I run off the cliff.

It all started Friday night when I realized that I had to make the sweets for our sweet plates here at work for Monday. We had so much on if I didn't get them done Friday, it wasn't going to happen.

Saturday the boy had curling. All day. Yay. Actually it was fun and great practice for his team but I didn't need to blow off a whole Saturday this close to Christmas. And then at the end of the day, I somehow managed to get stuck with clean up after the pizza party for the kids. A few people were kind enough to stay & help but it was kind of like moving, you know what I mean? Even after the bulk is done there are still myriad little things to get done to finish the job. I brought the extra 1.5 pizza over to the boyfriend who totally pigged out over the ensuing 18 hours post receipt of said delicacy - I taunted him mercilessly. After pizza delivery, went home, released Honey from the house for a pee/poop and then her supper. Tossed her into car with boy and we went to pick up wreathes to deliver for Scouts. Was supposed to put up Christmas tree Saturday but was so tired & hungry when we finally got home, I forgot.

Sunday. Get up. Get to church for 9:00. Sing. Home by 11:30. Eat lunch. Get boy to school for play rehearsal at 1:00. Take Honey to woodlot. We walked for hour. It was a gorgeous day and it was actually a nice break from all the insanity. Lots of other dogs booting about. I dropped her off at the boyfriend's then went to the boy's Christmas band concert. Once that got out, we booted him over to the Cathedral for *his* choir singing the service. Out by 5:00. We went home and dug out the tree from the shed. Boyfriend arrived with Honey and we all pitched in to make supper.

We put up the tree while boyfriend was there. It is an artificial tree I confess. I bought it when I lived in an apartment and wasn't allowed a real one. Now I kind of like to have it. My place is so small and it is so easy to take care of and it doesn't make a mess. Once I buy a real house, I'll have a real tree again. There is something so fitting about having a fake tree when you live in a trailer park - oops I mean "mini home development". The boy did a great job trimming the tree.

I have to brag because the boyfriend is so wonderful. He made salad and cooked the steaks. After supper, while I was trimming the hair between Honey's toes (it traps the snow and hurts her feet when it is cold & snowy) he cleaned up the post supper debris - loaded my dishwasher, wiped the counters, washed the big stuff and even the burner covers on the stove. I was so touched. He is so wonderful and thoughtful.

We watched Christmas Vacation together. I'd never seen it and it was pretty funny.

Monday comes and it's off to work again. I brought along my Festive Cherry Squares and spent most of the morning putting together sweet plates to sell as a fundraiser for our Christmas family - we raised $350. It was lots of fun and there was a lovely selection of home baked goods. I then bought three plates - one for my mum, one for our party this Saturday and one for the boys to nibble over the holidays.

Monday night is Cubs and we took the boys to Clay Café. What a hoot! I want to go back with older "kids" and have some fun myself some night. The boys are really good but it brought home a quote I made up a while back that hadn't entered my head in a while: "You call it Cubs - I call it contraception." 13 - 8 to11 year olds in a small room doing crafts. Oh yah baby!

Tonight is relatively quiet. Drop boy at Scouts, go visit boyfriend with Honey. Go for a walk and relax.

Honey's foray into literature

Oh boy.

When I got home last night, I observed that Honey had decided to see why her people spend so much time with books. And she found a book she could really sink her teeth into - "Once Upon a more Enlightened Time - More Politically Correct Bedtime Stories" It was shredded. I had noticed that the boy had left it on the stool next to Honey's chair but never thought anything of it. It's sad really - it's a delightful book and now it is gone.

This morning she put sprinkles and a cherry on that particular sundae of pet ownership joy. GROSS ALERT -- She barfed outside my bedroom door just as I was getting up to let her out. And there was a mountainous smelly poop on the carpet in the living room. Either one I could have stomached on its own - I nearly barfed myself cleaning up her barf. Sigh.

Needless to say, the baby gate is back up and she languishes in the kitchen in her shame.

Not a stellar morning - no soy beverage, gluten-free bread or bagels. A wretched breakfast that now sits heavy and icky in my tummy.

One hour of tears

I watched a program last night that brought me to tears early in and I cried pretty much all the way through it.

I knew the HIV/AIDS crisis was proofound but somehow I missed along the way just how bad it is in Africa. Millions affected, so many orphans, so many grandmothers left childless to raise their grandchildren. Poverty beyond comprehension.

I now need to find a way to channel my desire to help. I guess this is as good a place to start as any.

Stephen Lewis is a great man and has accomplished great things. He is a true hero.

If I had known sooner, I would have given more of my Christmas $$ to this cause - I'm sure people would have understood that this is a present that we can all benefit from.

Winter Wonderland

I guess one of the advantages of living next to a River is how beautiful an otherwise nasty-cold morning can be. It was -18 this morning - even Honey was not too keen to go back out after being out for her "morning pee & poop while Mum's in the shower" ritual.

There was a lot of moisture in the air though and the whole world was clad in a glittery white robe. There is nothing so beautiful as hoar frost on a crisp winter morning (oh wait it's not winter yet...) And we still have a few majestic elm trees which hide their illness so prettily when they can dress up in winter's finest robes.

It's so magical. And when I came out of French class, there were a billion flakes swirling around. It was as if Jack Frost and a whole party of winter fairies were dancing about scattering beauty all around.

Combined with my assortment of Christmas CDs in the changer in the car, I feel positively festive.

I'm humming Christmas carols and feeling very cheerful. I am thankful.

20 Days Until Christmas!!

Hooray for Snow!

Well I guess we got our wish. It snowed yesterday, really snowed! I think it snowed more yesterday than it did all last winter. Honey was delighted when I got home - she's worse than a kid in the snow. Runs in circles around the house, bounding like a reindeer, rolling and whuffing. Tossing her Kong into the snow and then pouncing on it. And leaping with great glee upon my piles of snow at the edges of the driveway! She lost her Kong in the snow at the end of the street last night as we walked our "just before bedtime" walk. Hopefully I can find it in the light of day.

It's cooled off a lot too. -9 this morning which isn't cold relative to some places on the continent, but it's the coldest it's been in these parts for a while.

I got my outside Christmas decorations up on Saturday night. I hauled the now-greenish tinged reindeer out from under the deck and stuck him in the ground. I strung up my lights and hung my wreath. I put up lights inside too. I feel like I should have more lights, I should have icicle lights but they are such a PITA to hang so I'll get over it. Maybe lights around the door would be nice. But maybe I can wait until *after* Christmas and get them cheap for next year.

BF is still sick so Honey & I went over for a visit after supper Sunday. I'm pretty sure he had the 'flu - fever, cough, fatigue. He's so grumpy when he's sick. I want him to get better because I miss him!

And when we got home, the reindeer was pulled from the ground and lying on his side a few feet from his original spot. Now it wasn't windy and in fact, even during the windier weather Saurday night, he only got sort of tipped over, not pulled out of the ground. And the clincher is that his side was smushed in too. Begging the question: who stomps on Christmas decorations? :-(

It's off to spinning tonight, a now weekly torture ritual that I need to increase my frequency of somehow. I need to get some weight training in too. Flabby bits starting to appear in waistline region. I saw a delightful term the other day - muffin top. That's that unsightly roll of flesh that spills over the top of a pair of too-tight low-rise jeans. Too funny.

Welcome to Advent!

Tomorrow is the first Sunday in Advent. It's such a wonderful season - liturgically it is a warm, familiar season. Musically it is a wonderful season too - tons of old chestnuts to sing. And with our new choir director Willis noble, things are *wonderful*!

I dressed for the season today - my reindeer sweater, Christmas socks and Christmas Tree belly button ring.

I think BF must have 'flu which is very sad. He's been sick all week and still feels poorly. It doesn't sound much like a cold to me.

So Honey & I will be hanging out together tonight, flying solo. Maybe we'll dig out Christmas lights...

Bandango jam was a success! It is quite tasty. :)

The weather is wrong!

It's the Annual Christmas tree lighting ceremonies at the Legislature and City Hall tonight and it is supposed to be freezing rain! Yuck. We need delicate, romantic flakes of snow dancing down while we witness the magic, sipping hot apple cider and entertaining Honey's legion of fans.

Poop.

BF is sick too, been sick all week. Bummer. No cuddles tonight.

So instead I'm going to stay home with the Boy (since my Ex has something on tonight) and we are going to attempt to make banana mango coconut jam for his "banandango" a breakfast sandwich contest winning idea.

Maybe we'll watch a video too.

I hate exams!

I wrote my Water Treatment certification exam in Saint John today. I remember now how much I hate writing exams. How much I hate the self-doubt, the mild sense of panic. Wondering if I will have studied the right stuff or not.

I think I did fine. There was a whole whack of questions I hadn't studied becuase I didn't realize such specific info would be on the exam but since I had encountered the topic in a previous life, I knew a lot of it. Then there was the stuff I wasn't expecting at all. Crikey.

There were about 19 questions I wasn't sure of, out of 100. I need 70% to pass. I figure I probably got somewhere in the 80's for a grade. I hope so.

If I failed, I will never live it done. Please have let me pass...

Enveloping darkness

This is the time of year when I start to feel like I never get to see much of the daylight because when I leave for work it's dark and when I walk out of City Hall at the end of the day, it's getting dark. And by the time I've been fed and we are ready for a doggy walk, it's dark. Really dark.

Last night BF came over around 7 PM for a walk. It was funny because it was the first time that Honey leaped to the floor off the couch and ran to the door when the doorbell rang. Normally she doesn't respond to the doorbell until I give her a cue. And of course, she gives BF the full happy dog treatment. At one point he was crouched down with her in front of him, paws on his knees and giving him kisses while I was draped over the back of him, encouraging her to give him wet willies. It was too funny. We do love him.

We went for a walk in the darkness. And it is so dark up where we live, few streetlights and not many houses. We went up to the back field and it isn't far off the road that you can't see anything at your feet. And when we got to the top of the hill, we looked back at the twinkling lights and stars, a billion stars, bright and crispy cold. I think stars prefer the winter because they can really twinkle more effectively in the cold air.

We then walked down to the River. And it was once again an exercise in trust. Trust that the road would be just where you expected it to be, trust that you wouldn't stumble in the darkness. Because it is really dark along the trail at night. I suppose some people might be freaked out but somehow it's okay when I've got my boyfriend and my dog with me. I felt safe with the darkness all around me, the crisp air and the crunching of what is that classic crunchy winter frozen ground and leaves underfoot. The smell of woodsmoke drifts in and out of the walk, a gentle reminder that there will be warmth when you get home.

I have a wonderful new coat supplied by work. My very own Carhartt coat. I don't know why but I've wanted one for a while now. It's such a "construction man" sort of coat. But it's toasty warm and fits like a dream. And I am so proud to be a part of this team that is my career.

As we walked in the cold of a November night, I felt my legs and bum getting chilled. It is another classic winter thing isn't it? That sensation on your legs as you walk - it feels cold and it kind of hurts and it tingles. I don't know what else it is like, except what it is.

We spoke of many things as we walked. Of fitting our schedules together as the weekends fill with Christmas parties and planning. Of the challenges I face as a single parent fitting my schedule with my ex's and keeping the Boy's life happy. Hockey games. Work and life. Parents. Christmas.

We met another dog as we walked. Honey doesn't like him for some reason. She wouldn't even come over when I was patting him. She snarled and growled at him. He's a nice dog too. He must swear at her through the window when she is outside - he is a neighbour. Dogs can be so funny.

We arrived back home and cuddled on the couch. We drank green tea and ate stolen Halloween candy. We giggled over silly bits on the TV. Then we found time for one more bit of enveloping darkness together in a much warmer place. And after he had gone and Honey and I were drifting off in the final darkness of another day, I was thankful to God for all the gifts I've been given.

And I surrendered to the last bit of enveloping darkness of my day.

Honey's Future Grandson's Half Sister

Well since it's pretty much official and public knowledge, I have to brag Since there is no way on anyone's green Earth I am ever having another child, we've decided to have a puppy.

Lily, Honey's daughter, has a planned breeding in the spring with Chief (see below).

So we are getting a little boy puppy to round out the asylum.

My friend just sent me a picture of the proposed puppy's half-sister...how cute is she? Three weeks old and just opening her eyes. Awwww.

34 Days Until Christmas!

dogs & bikes & music & friends & food

We wish weekends were three days long, that you could get more sleep and still do so much more fun stuff. That cuddles on couches were longer than doing mundane things that somehow fill our lives.

Friday night was warm and wet and the boyfriend & I went to Asia Beef Noodle for a yummy supper before a concert. I've eaten there many times now but he hadn't so I wanted it to be perfect. And it was! He really liked the food and the service was good. We had spring rolls and rice paper rolls and then the Special Thai Curry served in half a pineapple. It was all so good. And we want to go back for their famous trough o' soup.

The concert was a surprise of sorts. BF's parents gave us the tickets as they had to be out of town. The artist was J.P Cormier and he was really awesome. He plays stringed instruments like nothing I've ever seen. I'm not an admitted fan of bluegrass but I really enjoyed the concert. It was nice. When it was over, we trotted back to my place and BF took Honeydog for a walk. We watched a little tube, football and then some of Showcase's "Friday Without Borders." Resulting then in awkward moment followed by decision to go to bed. :)

Saturday AM dawned clear and cooler. And the planned bike ride was a go. Yikes - November 18 and I'm going to do *what*? I pulled on my warmest biking clothes, pumped up my tires, lubed my chain and took a quick side trip to Radical Edge to get Brian to fix my temperamental rear brakes.

48 km of fun. No really! It was a nice ride, a little chilly but invigorating. There were 6 of us riding too. And I now have 1909 km for the season - I sort of feel like someone should make a bigger deal of this than has been made. I'm pretty impressed that I rode that much in my first season!

We went to Sunshine Diner for breakfast after to counteract any positive effect all that exercise may have had!

I got home around 1:30 and Vince's mum had called & left a message asking us to go to the woodlot and play. Of course we said yes but first I had to bathe. It was a fabulous day for walking too. The pups had a blast. Vince is just the cutest guy-dog - he so wants Honey to play with him. And you can't help but laugh when the two of them get doing the whole tug o'war thing with the Kong. It's so nice to have friends to do stuff with too. I don't think there is anything better for the soul than walking in the woods with your pups talking about stuff and just enjoying life.

After we dropped Vince & his mum off, Honey & I went to visit BF. He gave her a big bowl of water for which she was grateful and made me a cup of tea. We vegged for a while, watching football and just chatting. BF, darling that he is, then offered to make supper for me, one of his divine stir fries. Of course I said yes. I lay on the couch while he was in the kitchen chopping. I provided a play-by-play of the Ohio-Michigan game but then discovered that it is very difficult to follow a football game with your eyes closed! All that fresh air and exercise caught up with me! I was so tired I didn't even finish my supper (this is highly unusual!).

BF plays hockey Saturday nights so Honey & I went home and cuddled on the couch and watched the rest of the football game before going to bed.

Sunday was my first official singing in the choir. I was so tickled to be invited back by Willis and I felt so pleased to be able to worship that way again. It's a busy season for being in a choir though and the music is challenging. I am so psyched!

Sunday afternoon was that lovely combination of lazy and efficient. I went to Scoop & Save, Superstore & Sobey's for groceries and stuff. Then BF, Honey & I went to the Woodlot for a walk. Then back to my place where BF & I made Pad Thai. And amazingly, we are still together! :) Tricky dish and loads of work involved. But we were a great team. We'll have to make it again for sure, maybe even have friends over. It was totally yummy. I also bought ingredients for a Thai curry dish - I'm looking forward to that as well.

Well blabbitty blah blah blah! Loads of words. Happy little babble from my little corner of humanity and the dog park.

The UNB Woodlot ROCKS!!

Last weekend Honey's boyfriend Vince and his people introduced us to the wonders of the UNB woodlot. It's fabulous - loads and loads of roads winding through the woods with little or no motorized vehicle traffic, no hunters and lots of cool, well-trained dogs to meet.



Honey just goes and goes - just like the Energizer Bunny. There's a couple of open water bits good for swimming too. She has so much fun with Vincey - the two of them really seem to enjoy it. And it's great exercise for all of us.



Hopefully Vincey will post some of his pictures from this past Saturday on his dog-blog.



Yesterday afternoon we returned sans Vince (and it simply wasn't the same) but with the human boyfriend and the boy. We had a nice walk albeit a little damp. Honey was beat by the time we got home. She's so cute when she curls up in a little ball like this and goes to sleep. In the top photo I think she looks sort of like a BushBaby too. :)

Red, red wine you make me feel so fine...

Friday night I had a most enjoyable time with our friends A & J, and their faithful companion, Honey's boydog Vince. We consumed some great wines, somewhat appropriately named...well look at the pictures above and see the labels - doncha just love it!

Unfortunately the boyfriend was not in a very sporting mood resulting in a contretemps that did not get resolved until Sunday afternoon. The picture below that says it all...

Thank goodness I love him or I'd have to pummel him senseless. He's stubborn and will remain so. I've asked him not to leave mad again because I can love him when he's stubborn but it's harder when he's angry.

I WANT A PUPPY!!!

Oh damn. I'm having serious puppy cravings. It's all the boyfriend's fault really - he gave me a card telling me I was cuter than a basketful of Golden Retriever puppies. (see photo in blog below) And a friend just got a Nova Scotia Duck Toller puppy.

And Honey's daughter will be having a litter next year! I can reserve one and get a good price.

I WANT A PUPPY!!! :)

Trick or Treating - Pirate or Rasta?

Which suits our Honey-dog more? She's such a good sport about this stuff.

Has it really been a year?

Halloween was sort of an anniversary for our boyfriend making a longterm appearance in our lives. Last year our first real date was a Halloween party. This year we planned a celebration of our own - something quiet and romantic. He's so wonderful. :-)

63 Days Until Christmas!

Happiness is...

snoozing in mum's lap after a long day.

Glamour Shots - Work It Baby.

Last weekend's vacation

Well Vince & Honey finally got their weekend "alone" - well not really alone but a whole wonderful weekend together with two ferry rides, lots of outside play time, running on the beach, hikes and even a good session of WWE-style wrestling. It was great for both of them and Honey got to have some quality "Oh yeah - I'm a dog!" time too.

We headed over to Grand Manan early last Saturday - two couples, two dogs, two cars and lots of good food, good wine and anticiipation of good fun. And we had a ball from watching the dogs frolic on the ferry, to discovering the best little spot to stay on Grand Manan, to a fabulous hike at Hole in the Wall and then a wonderful supper. The meals were spot on, the hikes were great, our "tour-guide" was fantastic and we had a ball with great little walkie talkies. It was sublime.

In the accompanying shot, look at Honey's fangs - she became really jealous of poor old Vincey who took it all in stride and, like most men, simply ignored her moodier moments!

From here to eternity - Honey & Vince on the Beach

I don't see much difference between these two classic romantic shots - do you?

One of those days...

Okay girls - how many of us ever feel this way?

Things to be not so thankful for

Tuesday was not a happy follow-up to a wonderful Monday...things that contribute to feeling less that happy about life:

• kong-shaped, giant dog poop on the living room carpet when you get up in the morning
• alarm clocks that don't wake you up
• losing your sunglasses (or worse knowing that someone must have taken them because you can't imagine where else they could be)
• disagreements with people you care about
• the sound of a dog having diarrhea in the dark on a long walk...
• cold fingers & toes

I hate going from peak to trough - it really sucks.

Things to be thankful for

• Hikes in Fundy National Park. 4 hours total hiking including the Laverty Falls - Moosehorn Loop. Outstanding autumn day - the leaves were beautiful and the temperature perfect.
• Hanging out at home on a Sunday with nothing to do and nowhere to go.
• Thanksgiving Dinner with wonderful people whom you are lucky to know because they are related to your boyfriend who is also exceptional.
• 65 km bike rides on a perfect Indian Summer day. You can't beat 25 degrees C on Thanksgiving Monday with light winds and a nicely rolling ride.
• Asia Beef Noodle - Fredericton's fabulous Vietnamese/Thai restaurant.
• Wonderful friends.
• A charming son who makes us so proud.
• Cuddling the boyfriend on the couch watching hockey and football.

We often take so much for granted and yet it is the little constant things in life, the things that we can count on that truly bring contentment. Our home is blessed with so many things - food and warmth, laughter and love. We are all so lucky.

The boys are back

Well actually technically only one boy is really "back". My boy came back from his dad's yesterday. It's so nice to have the boy back. He is a nice boy, quiet and he loves me and I like to lick him. And he drops food while he is eating.

As previously reported, the boyfriend had a sleepover Saturday night. That was super nice. He even took me for a walk at midnight when he came back from the party he took Mum to. He is so good to me.

I on the other hand, gave him the scare of his life on Saturday night. He took me for a walk up to the big field and threw the Kong a few times. And then I spotted a big deer and the deer ran so I ran and ran and ran and ran. When the boyfriend reached the edge of the field/forest, he stopped to listen and he couldn't hear a thing - no jiggling collar, no thrashing of dog or deer in the woods. I did come back - I don't know what his problem was - I got into big trouble though.

Sunday Mum was moving pretty slowly. She made waffles for breakfast and then we went to fetch the boy. Then the boy had to go to volunteer at the Run for the Cure and mum took me to the racetrack for a run. Then she went home for a nap.

We had sirloin roast beef for supper and our boyfriend came over too.

Peanut butter rice crispie squares with chocolate are supposedly really good - everyone got to eat them but poor Honey - why won't they share with me!

Editor's note: Daily Planet http://www.discoverychannel.ca/dailyplanet/ had a spot on intelligent dogs and gave a couple of tests. We've generally come to the conclusion that Honey is beautiful. This is after multiple attempts at doggy intelligence testing.

We really like Mythbusters too http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/mythbusters.html
Those guys are nuts!

88 Days Until Christmas!

Swimming with the Stars

Woo hoo - Mum was home all night tonight! No Scouts, no appointments, just hanging with the Honey-dog! We got to go for an awesome walk along the River. I almost got to run after a squirrel but Mum clipped that pesky leash back on and kept me close until we got to the riverside. I got a great swim. It was a gorgeous night for late September.



Mum is still getting over that crappy cold. I feel badly for her but she hasn't been out on her bike which sucks for her but it's great for me!

The boy got into the Christmas Carol production at school and he is going to be Tiny Tim! He wanted to be the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come but we think this is a way better role!

Weekend is coming and a good party is planned (for Mum!). There will be the Harvest Jazz & Blues Volunteer appreciation party and mum is going with our boyfriend. And she says he'll be over for a sleepover! Hooray! He's so awesome - she might not get up Sunday morning but *he* will!

Would you like "catch-up" with those fries?

It must be time to "catch-up"! We don't know where the time has gone - well actually we do know. Between the Tour de Grand Lake 138 km bike ride on September 9th and the Harvest Jazz & Blues festival from September 14th to 17th to Cub Camp this past weekend, life has been *crazy*!!

Honey doesn't like September - school is back in session which means life at home is more crazy and stressful than usual. The good news is though that the boy gets home from school on the bus at about 3:45 and lets her out sooner than having to wait for Mum at 5:00.

The boy has started all his after-school stuff - church choir, band, he got into the Christmas Production at school and he is in Scouts. Curling starts in October - no idle time for the boy!

Mum is back at being a Cub Leader but since there is a boy who is afraid of dogs in the Cub Pack, Honey's contact may be limited. This is too bad because she loves doing Scouting things and most of the rest of the kids adore having her there.

We are planning a camping weekend in October with Honey's boyfriend Vince and his people. It should be lots of fun.

We all love the camp

Honey loves the camp and this picture says it all!






It's been a busy week. The boy went to St. Andrews on Tuesday with his friend. Mum worked but then took advantage of absent boy to bike with the Freewheelers - 50 km Burton loop. It was a fabulous evening and a great ride.

Wednesday evening was not great for Honey. Mum was at a Harvest Jazz & Blues http://www.harvestjazzandblues.com/index.php bar services meeting so Honey didn't get out for a good walk and the boy was at his dad's. We did have a good Kong throwing session as the sun was setting though.

Tonight will be another meeting for mum - this time for Rivorton Scouts http://www.scoutsrivorton.com/index.php as Mum is on the Marketing committee. The boy will be home though.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

It's a slow Sunday morning. It started to rain sometime in the night and the forecast says heavy rain today. Thank goodness yesterday was nice - we went to the camp and hung out with the boyfriend and the boy. it was a lovely afternoon. Mum was complaining about being more tired than usual - she biked 70 km in the morning. When she got back home, she made lunch for herself and the boy.

And then she made yummy homemade guacamole - or at least I think it was yummy because they were mean and didn't share. They even offered it to the boy who didn't like it but they never offered any to the attractive and fetching Golden Retriever who is game to try anything...

It was a great day for hanging out and swimming. I was so wiped out that I slept in until 8:00! Mum cuddled with me a bit on the bed and then she let me out.

Not much going on around here today. I guess we'll just lounge around and relax.

Avast you scurvy dog!

Honey is awesome because she is always game for dressing up and acting out new roles.

It's FRIDAY!!

Woo hoo! Nothing we all like better than the weekend. Mum has been biking too much this week though - it really interferes with quality doggy time. Tuesday she biked the Penniac loop with its wicked hill and Thursday she biked the Waasis loop which was easier and pretty fast. 95 km total for those two days - way to go mum!

My boyfriend, or I guess more correctly *our* boyfriend came by for a visit Wednesday evening. He is so good to me - takes me for walks, gives me treats and he has a camp right on a Lake - how awesome is that?

The boy will be coming back to our place tonight. He's been with his dad all week. He's great to have around. I like to show my doggy dominance over him although he is getting bigger and firmer with me. I think maybe I may have to relinquish superiority over him if he keeps this up.

I think mum said she's going biking in the morning with the Fredericton Freewheelers .. Rats - I was looking forward to a nice relaxing morning, maybe a walk or drive to the Market. Oh well - at least the boy will be home with me

Dog-blogging

I thought Honey & I would jump on the bandwagon and start a blog. It's kind of hers really but she'll let me post my boring human stuff too. Stay tuned for exciting pics and posts and news about us. Honey & her alpha human.