Snow day! First snow of the year. I managed to sneak in a walk with Yoshi at the park before any errands needed to be done. It was nice. There were lots of other people out, and lots of other dogs too. The weather was actually nice out. It was nippy, but not too cold, and the wind hadn’t picked up yet.
Yoshi loves snow too. It wasn’t deep enough for him to do his high speed run and snow scoop, but he did stop to take a few nibbles of the white stuff.
Poor dog. He is definitely getting shafted when it comes to exercise.
Yesterday he and I ended up at Thetis. Bad day to go to Thetis. There was a running race on, so we had to park in the main lot with all the runners. It was mayhem. Thankfully the race didn’t start for a while, so that allowed Yoshi and I to get our walk in without having to dodge racers.
Today we headed to Colquitz Park. There were lots of other doggies there, and we had a great time. Yoshi ran around quite a bit, but a couple times I had to call him to get him to follow. Our dog walker has been having some problems with Yoshi doing this too. More on that at a later date.
Both walks were pretty good from my perspective, and I think Yoshi enjoyed them. He always romps around in the bush chasing things, and having fun. I love to see his tongue hanging out and the ears flapping around. I can tell he is having fun then.
Thetis pictures and Colquitz pictures are available.
Sox and I don’t use it very much, and her office was thinking about getting one, sooo, we sold our table. Our sunroom looks very empty now, but c’est la vie.
The sad part for me is that I can’t remember the last game Sox and I played on it. It also means that there will be no February Foosball Frenzy. At least the table will get some use from now on though.
Last week I got a glimpse of why I support this organization.
I was driving home from a friends place, and it was dark. Along Boleskine I passed a dark shaggy figure that was on the side of the road. After passing it I realized it was a dog and it wasn’t moving. As I drove, I debated on what I should do.
I decided that I couldn’t live with myself if I drove home. After turning around I headed back to the scene, but as I pulled up I could see the dog was now sitting up. I also saw another car stopping, and the SPCA ambulance was also stopping.
At this point there were a few other people on the scene, and there really wasn’t anything I could offer, so I ended up going home.
I was left feeling pretty crappy about this. I always imagined what I would do in a situation like this, and in my thoughts I wouldn’t hesitate. And yet, there I was presented with such a situation, and I did hesitate. I feel bad for the dog, but he will get patched up. I still feel like crap over my hesitation though.
Now I just hope that if something similar happens again, I won’t even hesitate.
Well, I think I have this coffee thing figured out now. The beans are still a little hit and miss, but with good beans, I can make the most delicious double shot Americano, or a delicious latte (as seen here).
The key I found, and sort of knew previously, is the tamping of the grounds. Once I got a tamper, the flavour really started to come out.
Beans play an important role too. So far Kicking Horse Coffee Cliff Hanger Espresso have been amazing. Fair trade, shade grown coffee from a BC company. This past week I have been using some been I grabbed in Maui. 10% Kona blend with Maui beans. Mmmm, fresh and tasty.
The last thing I’d like to change in my grinder. I have a burr grinder, but I’d like a better one that doesn’t get clogged up quite so often. And it must have a timer switch, not a button that I have to hold.
The boys (both around the same age) are really good friends. It is so much fun to watch them play together and do things together. Both of them have incredible vocab, and it was really cute to see them each pointing out different parks of the park, or objects in the park.
The great thing about dog walking with boys this age is that they want to get out and walk. The boys get exercise, the dogs get exercise, and the parents get a relatively leisurely walk in the park. It allows us to relax and catch up with each other.
The upside to the ban was a distinct drop in firecracker noises. In fact I didn’t hear any until Halloween night, and then I heard less than half a dozen I would say. Great news for Yoshi.
Without the neighbourhood gathering to attend, Sox, Sprout and I headed to the Rec Centre for the bonfire, hot chocolate and hot dogs (Sox only). It was pretty neat as always. Sprout was pretty quiet but he stared at the flames quite a bit. We had promised him a firetruck, and boy were we all disappointed. Thankfully there were a couple police cars for Sprouts entertainment.
The sunset wasn’t as brilliant as I had hoped, but I still managed to get some good shots.
The rest of the pics are here.
We headed out to Galey Farms today for a little hay ride/pumpkin gathering.
Sprout enjoyed the hay ride, and particularly enjoyed the old firetruck parked on the far side of the field. He spotted that from a long way away. Once in the field he and his buddy L roamed about a little and sort of helped pick out a pumpkin.
As I was taking pictures, suddenly my camera stopped focusing. I was very confused until I realized the battery was kaput. Ooops. I had thought about charging too.
I missed some pictures of the boys on the return hay ride, and in the petting zoo.
Yoshi had a great run in the park, and I got lots of nice sunset pictures. Sprout insisted on walking a large loop, so he also had a great walk. It was a little chilly, and arriving home to a warm house that smelled like freshly cooked stew was a treat.
