More Cold Weather

   As you probably know, it has been very cold here lately, and we've had significantly more snow than usual. Mom and I took the dog for a walk a few days ago, and took some pictures.  Yikes, pretty, but chilly!

We had to buy Molly some new boots, because it was too cold for her to walk with her paws uncovered. She hates them, but it's the only way she can go out at the moment. Everyone's dogs are stir crazy because they haven't been able to get much exercise for the past few weeks. It's supposed to warm up a bit, but that means wind, which isn't always that much fun to walk in either!

When I let Molly off-leash in the park she got all hippity, and jumped straight up in the air, all four feet off the ground, about 4 times in a row. It was funny to watch. Sometimes she doesn't seem like a 12 year old dog, that's for sure.

Updated

So there you have it, the last 2 months of activty, posted in one day! I will try to stay on top of it next semester. I had some trouble finding a balance between school, work, fostering and everything else. Travelling twice in November didn't help, although it was fun. The house sure suffered, because if something had to give, cleaning was it! Thankfully John really pitched it, and did his best to keep things organized. I am going to have to be better at time management next year, that's for sure.

Anyway, we'll have more updates between now and New Year's, I'm sure, and will definitely have pictures from the party to post. Hopefully none will be x-rated!

We hope everyone had a lovely Christmas! Thank you for all the great gifts, as well.

Christmas!!

Christmas finally arrived. We feel bad because Mom has been here since Dec 13, and we did nothing Christmasy for ages. In fact, poor Mom had to decorate the house! I was trying to finish an essay, so I was focused on that and nothing else. We bought a tree, and it sat undecorated for days, until the 23rd when we finally managed to decorate it. By then it was so dry we lost half the needles! Fortunately, it still looks good. We just can't touch it.

On Christmas Eve Sarah & Nicholas came over for dinner. Sarah brought a fabulous salad with blackberries, mandarines, and more, and a raspberry vinagrette. John made 2 types of chili, and a wonderful garlic herb bread. So good!

Today we had a quiet day. We cleaned up from last night, then started opening gifts around 10:30. We all got some fabulous things. I got some great jewellry, some tops, a jacket, and lots more. John got a knife sharpener, lots of work-out clothes, and kitchen gadgets.

Mom got a sweatshirt, a necklace, and a copy of my blog book. Molly got a fancy reindeer toy, lucky dog!

In the afternoon I had to have a nap because I have a cold. Mom did some reading, and John rode his bike on his trainer. Molly wandered around from room to room.
For dinner we had a brined turkey, mashed potatoes, turnip, corn, and gravy. Yummy!

COLD!!

It has been COLD here lately. For almost 2 weeks it has been consistently around -25 to -30, with the wind chill close to -35 to -45. Poor Molly hasn't been able to walk much because it is so cold. We bought her some new boots so she was able to walk far enough to at least poo. Here's Mom dressed for what was about a 3 minute walk.

We've also had a lot more snow than we usually do. It was interesting because for ages we had no snow, and the ski hills nearby didn't open until well into December. We've more than made up for that now though.

Jewel

Jewel was a little foster dog we had for a very short period of time. I found my allergies were really acting up with her. I blame it on the fact that I was always holding or carrying her. The proximity seemed to cause the problems. So although she was very cute, she had to go to a different foster home.

Gatineau/Ottawa

Later in November Carly & I went to present at the Sport Canada conference in Gatineau. The conference was all about sport policy, and it brings together academics and policy makers. I found it quite neat.

Carly & I also took some time to shop and tour around Ottawa, and to walk along the waterfront in Gatineau. We also checked out the 2 sides of Gatineau. One is the new, hip area with lots of restaurants and shops. Many of the buildings have been renovated.


The other side is the older area, where few of the buildings have been changed. It's like a tiny little town. It's like the two sides aren't part of the same city at all, they were so different.

I had forgotten how cold Ottawa is too. We decided it was the dampness. We were lucky though, because we had no snow to deal with while we were there.