Dove Tales

We have a family of Doves. Okay, maybe their not technically "ours" but they are our tenants. The pair nested in the clematis vines outside our back door in the spring and have been wonderful to watch. They fly in and out of the vines taking turns sitting on the nest. Sadly they have lost a few babies but the two that survived have been coming out of the nest testing their wings. I got some great pictures.

That is the Momma (or Daddy?) sitting by the nest.

Here, let me get closer.

Closer still.



I didn't realize the babies were here until one day.........


You guessed it. Fred and Gloria spotted one behind their...uh..I mean our lounger. So, the hounds went into the house and I got my camera!


This is the first baby that plopped down from the top of the lattice and landed on the bistro table.



This is baby number two that had ventured from the nest.


Going back to the nest.

Peeking out. Apparently this ones a big chicken. I'm guessing it's the male!

The father being a little embarrassed is trying to coax him. "Look at your sister! She did it!"

And now they are both stuck on the patio by the bistro set!

Needless to say Momma(or Daddy?) is never far from site!

Movie Nights

I love it when my Stevie and I have movie nights. We get our p.j.'s on, make our popcorn (or chip and dip!), divide up our chocolate and any other snacks we have, make tea and settle in for a good movie. This past week has been great. Gloria has learned to go up and down the stairs with Fred so we can finally watch our movies on the big screen down in the football room!


I mean, come on, look at that picture!

Gloria is such a sweetie and soooo proud of herself that she can make it up and down the basement stairs now. (It ain't pretty....but she does it!) She has to be everywhere that I am so now she curls up on her bed downstairs at my feet.


Fred, well that's a different story! First he takes my Detroit Lions chair, I'm sure it's just so I won't try and sit there.


Then once I am comfortable on the couch, he whines to get up there and lay on his...uh....I mean Steves' Seattle Seahawks blanket hopefully beside me but usually on my lap.


It's usually a little freaky and there is a lot of slobber involved which can be kind of a downer when your trying to enjoy your snacks! God love him, life is never boring!

We watched three movies on Blue-Ray this week and they were all great! We covered it all.
A western with True Grit.
No replacing John Wayne, but boy was Jeff Bridges great in this movie not to mention Matt Damon and Hailee Steinfeld, holy cow she was terrific!

Then a science fiction with I Am Number Four.
No well known actors here but they all played great parts including Timothy Olyphanx. We were in the mood for an "I Am Number Five, Six etc. right after it was so good.

Last night was a comedy, Just Go With It.
This movie was hilarious! Jennifer Aniston(Katherine) and Adam Sandler(Danny) were awesome together. The two kids Bailee Madison(Maggie) and Griffon Gluck(Michael)played their parts great and were funnier than heck. Not to mention the guy who played Adam Sandlers friend Eddie (Nick Swardson) and the sheep! That's all I'm going to say on that. We laughed our a@&es off!

So, thank God for rainy nights, good movies, great company, junk food and Gloria learning the stairs!

My Lounger

In the summer I love to relax in my lounge chair. Bear used to lay in the lounge chair with me. Barney used to lay in the lounge chair with me. When Freddie was a baby he used to lay in the lounge chair with me. This year as soon as I brought it out and got it set up, I went into the house to get my cup of tea and a Food and Wine magazine to read and came out to this.


Apparently Fred remembers the lounge chair and thinks it's his.(Like everything else around here!) So I quickly corrected him and got in my chair. Well, darn! I forgot my reading glasses so when I went in to get them I came back out to this.


"Is this Florida?"
"No Gloria."
"Well, isn't that where you go to retire?"

Anyway, that Gloria she catches on quick. Well, at least Fred didn't try to get back in it, oh no, that's because ole Freddie is fast asleep in the new patio chair!


So of course I make them get down and go onto their own, god forbid, soft cushy bed on the patio.


Which of course they will not learn to share.

But they have no problem sharing THIS!



And while were at it, they have no problem sharing this either!



Yes, that would be my view when I look down the middle of our bed at night.


"Basset Hounds rule Momma." "Just deal with it!"

Hot Weather, FINALLY!

I've been so busy with the yard and the dogs that I haven't had much time to blog. I actually started this on June the 1st and it is now June the 6th at 2:50 a.m. Tonight I seem to have some insomnia so I thought it would be a perfect time to get some writing done and some pictures posted. So here I am with my Nighty Night Tea (and yes that really is the name of it)with Gloria sleeping at my feet. Fred, well lets just say he couldn't get into my spot fast enough when I got out of bed.

This spring has been a long, tiring, muddy wet haul in Ontario. Nothing like they have experienced in the U.S. though. They've had some devastating tornadoes. Up here it has just been exceptionally wet and cold. But the nice weather is finally upon us! Our tree is down, our sod is in and the mud is gone,yippee!



We had our big old maple tree taken down from the backyard. It was a bittersweet experience to go through. It was a beautiful tree that gave great shade in the summer, but it had over grown its space and was getting brittle and losing alot of large limbs. The last limb to fall during a windy day was about 20 feet long and 3 inches in diameter. It stuck straight in the ground and if anyone had been outside it could have seriously injured or even killed them. So it was time to make the decision to remove the tree.




Oxford Tree Service removed it for us and did a great job. They were very efficient and professional.



They had it down and gone in a day.

Once the tree was gone we were left with a backyard that was a muck hole! We had always had trouble getting the grass to grow around the tree, but this was a real mess.





In the end we decided to sod it. We had it done by Grasscape



This was after they installed the first half.

Now, that our Kentucky Bluegrass is in I'll move on to the hounds of course.


This has been a long haul for them. Freddie, he'll pee and poop anywhere outside. He doesn't care. If ya gotta go, ya gotta go. Right? But poor Gloria had a rough time. Since we had just brought her here to retire April 1st. She had just gotten used to our backyard and then she couldn't go there anymore. We have had to start taking them out front to do their business until the yard is done and the new sod has taken. I could stand out there for hours and Gloria just would not go to the bathroom out front. She would just hold it and hold it then finally go in the house. We didn't know what to do. Then I had an epiphany. I took her out back to a spot that wasn't done yet. Let her do her business. Then not only did I take her poop out to the front lawn, but I scraped up the dirt where she peed and put it on the front lawn and voila! She started going to the bathroom out front!

So, for now Fred and Gloria do there business out front. Our goal is to have the yard opened back up by Father's Day. Then the kids can come for a barbecue and the dogs can romp in the back again.



At least they still get to lounge on the back patio.



When it comes to the big bed, Gloria always wins.

And you know Freddie.

"I'm not laying on that little bed!" "I guess I'll just lay here on the hard patio and get rickets or something." "Then Momma will be sorry!"



Mr. Dramatica. That's what Steve calls him.

All in all Fred and Gloria have become great pals.



"For God's sake Freddie, close your legs!"

You can even find them sleeping together the odd time.



Gloria has been a great addition to our family. She is such a well behaved dog it amazes me. Maybe because Freddie is so wiry, I don't know. Gloria sticks to me like glue. Anywhere I go she has to go to. Fred usually does to but sometimes when he's lounging he just can't be bothered. She loves her morning walks and now she is the one that bugs to go and Fred just waits for her to ask. (Typical male!) They both love to ride in the car and I often take them to pick up Steve after work which they love. Gloria is now the first one on our bed at night and makes herself comfortable in my lounger out back.

She's got.........Betty Davis Eyes and she's living the dream!