Spending time

I was struck today by how meaningful the phrase "spending time" really is.  Yes, it alludes to the "root of all evil" (money) but there's meaning in that.  We all only have so much time, there is a limited amount, and how we choose to spend it, on what we devote it, shows what has meaning and value to us.

  "We noticed every minute we were with her, saying to ourselves "remember this time".  Now that she is gone, we rejoice in our wisdom and in our deliberate memories."  - Molly Fumia

We're so happy we made so many "deliberate memories" with you, Willow.

Willow is gone

 

Willow's obituary as it appeared in the local paper.

All the world should be slightly downhill

I wanted to share this little video when I made it back in March but somehow it never happened.  So here, belated but ever so close to my heart, is Willow using her Walkin Wheels on a trail near here.  Downhill is so much fun!  Zorro makes a fleeting appearance too.  

Dog Days of Hallowe'en

So here's a funny story and I imagine this was a unique experience, resulting from having a dog, a bed and breakfast and two animatronic Hallowe'en skelly dogs in your kitchen.  Earlier this month we went to Guelph's Home Depot and adopted two skeleton dogs, one that howls and one that barks and makes some pretty nasty noises.  Unloading the car, I set the two dogs on the kitchen table and Mom went off to do more errands while I waited for guests to arrive and check-in.  I of course played with my new pups (which Willow didn't exactly like) and was testing their sound activation... when the doorbell rang.  Oops!  This, of course, set off Willow who dutifully announced an arrival which, of course, set off the two mechanical dogs!  They work just fine, thank you.  So I had three barking, snarling and howling dogs to deal with, and needed to get to the door pronto!  Where to turn first?!  The on/off switch for the dogs of course is in their mouths, on the palate behind their snapping jaws.  So I scooted Willow into the bedroom before gingerly inserting my fingers into one dog's mouth turning it off and hurried out to get the door.  
  I was grinning ear-to-ear and was probably quite red when I greeted our guests, and they asked about the commotion in the house.  I had to laugh as I told them, no, we only have one dog and no she's not making all that horrible noise all by herself.  
          

While it's still Summer

July is almost over and time is passing faster than a melting ice cream cone in this heat!  

We are short of rain and it's been a hot week, but before we go any farther I wanted to share some garden photos from June.  August is going to be crazy-busy here at the Flying Leap so before we dive in enjoy these images. 

And here are Willow and Merlin with the iconic painted doors of Elora.  These doors are featured in many photos and paintings... but only this one features two exceptional canines.

Hope you're enjoying a Summer relaxing with ice cream in the cool shade!

October awesome!

Wow, I love this time of year!  It's so vibrant and stunning, your eyes are just dazzled by all the color and intensity... the smells are so sharp and alive too!  

This is on one of our morning walks.

This is the tree in our neighbour's yard, isn't it beautiful!?

These four images are from Bissell Park.

Out and about with Willow -- Bissell Park

I shouldn't neglect to highlight one of Elora's local treasures:  Bissell Park.  Not as gloriously shady as Victoria Park and without the splashy grandeur of the Gorge, Bissell Park sits on the bank of the Grand just as you leave Elora heading towards Fergus.  It's across from the Elora Centre for the Arts and about a 10 minute walk from our B&B.  It's best known as the outdoor location for the Elora Farmers' Market and for the site of Riverfest.  When it's not busy during the week, this is where Willow likes to go for gourmet rabbit poop.  Yup.  

A well-maintained boardwalk loops around the outer edge...

...where you can admire views of the other bank, with its upside-down cedar trees clinging for life.

The dam is often a rush of noise in the Spring, and there are benches and picnic tables scattered about to take a moment and appreciate the beauty, singing birds and flitting butterflies.

One of my favorite spots is the stream or off-shoot of the Grand that runs through what I think was once a mill race.  There are ruins of a stone building nearby, possibly a mill, and various chunky machinery bits scattered about the waterside that indicate a larger waterworks... Anyway, these ruins are lovely.

Here's some history from a site my sister Doris found: "Elora Ontario industrialist T. E. Bissell powered his 1894 farm implement factory beside the Grand River. It became Fleury-Bissell Ltd. (1937- 1954). In 1964, Muriel Bissell donated the site to the GRCA, today's 38 acre Bissell Park." (from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ_1aolCN_Y&feature=youtu.be)

And Willow didn't mind posing.

Continuing along the path, 

you can take a foot bridge over the water (a great spot for photos of the Grand) and walk back along Water Street to to Metcalfe and cross the bridge back into the Village. 

Or stay in the Park to investigate smaller side trails and great views.

If you do stay in the Park and cross the parking area, you'll be treated to one of Elora's most community-minded and unique projects, the Kitchen in the Park Project, or KIPP.  

This outdoor kitchen is for the community to share, whether for fundraisers or private parties.  What a novel idea, I hope to attend the next bake just to see how it all works!  As it says on their website, "There is a great deal of potential with the creation of a gathering place such as a public kitchen."

See you in the Park!

356 days 'til Hallowe'en

Yesterday we put away the last of the Hallowe'en tombstones... it's over.  I also closed down the Online Hallowe'en Artists' Studio Trick or Treat, it's over for another year too.  I did, however, take some photos before and during take-down and here's a few worth sharing.  

Here's a scary Willow emerging from our haunted dining room into our spooky hallway!  I used to put up the fence and silhouettes at the Library but now they have a great spot at home.  See the arms coming up out of the grate and the giant spider on the left?

When I was taking down the spiders that were on the balcony I laid them out on the floor to keep them from getting tangled up.  I then put away the ladder down the hall and walked back... to notice this rather creepy scene!!!  Geesh, I'd be running in the other direction!  Willow, on the other hand, decided to stay out on the balcony where it was safe.  

Thank you, Mother Nature!

An October weekend of incredible weather is a real gift, so thank you Mother Nature for giving us this opportunity to finally visit the Elora Gorge Conservation Area and the Elora Quarry!  Wow!

So this is the Elora Gorge:  well-maintained, easy to walk trails along the racing gorge, sprinkled with autumn leaves... 

Incredibly beautiful cedar root formations...

Isn't this molten root bizarre!?

And there's something definitely feminine about this root.

The Quarry also had fantastic sights:

If we didn't live here we certainly would enjoy visiting!  These sights are only a 10 minute drive from our B&B.

 And Willow was tuckered out!  Do you like her Nightmare Before Christmas collar?

YUCK!!! Ticks!!!

Disgusted?  YUCK!!!  Willow had two of these things on her!!!  I used a Tick Twister to get them off, which worked very well (thank you, Dodo) and put them in a little jar.  Since one was quite large, I decided to bring them to the vet to ID them... yes, they were Deer Ticks and so I asked my vet to send them to be tested for Lyme disease.  

(This isn't Willow but this is what it looked like.)

And f!{%&*k!!!!  The test came back positive for Lyme!  I'm so upset!  And so disappointed that I didn't spot them sooner!  So now she's on 28 days of antibiotics and should be okay but what a scary thing to go through. 


Here's my Willow.

Where did we pick up the ticks?  We were on vacation in Prince Edward County, Ontario, mostly in and around Picton.  We probably got the ticks near the edge of a forest where there was a lot of deer poop.

 There was a lovely cemetery to walk in... where there was a posted sign:  "Dog lovers:  we have already seen ticks in this area, be aware and check your pets."

   The map below is from 2002 and shows Lyme cases in Ontario and things are only getting worse... it's a given that ticks will become more and more apparent this side of the border, all along the warmest parts... cottage country!

Everyone really has to become aware of this nasty issue and be smart about ticks!!!  Prevention is the only good answer, Lyme is such a terrible debilitating disease if it goes unchecked and becomes a chronic problem.