For a Love Like No Other

Dogs! This month at the public library in Aboyne you can see this display celebrating our canine companions.  It is Dog Bite Prevention Month but more importantly I wanted to share the informative posters I found online and the images that encourage adopting from shelters and rescues.

Of course the library's assortment of books helped bring the display to life, along with lots of "props" from home (with Willow's permission, of course!).  

I particularly wanted to share the Dogs in Need of Space poster as so many dog walkers don't seem to understand that there are dogs that don't associate well with other dogs.  That's okay, they just need some space and the DINOS poster explains this very well. 













For Dog Bite Prevention Month, this poster is a great reminder that children and dogs don't always mix well!  Never leave a young child alone with a dog, even your own. 

And here's How NOT to Greet a Dog, with fun little cartoons pointing out how terrifying meeting a human can be!  

Finally, under the table is Fauler, with a poster that informs children that those woofs and growls, along with other body language, are the dog's way of telling you to back off and stop being so darn scary!

Please click on the images below to read the posters' text:

You can read more about DINOS by clicking here.

These two posters are from Jessica Dolce's sites https://notesfromadogwalker.com/ and https://dogsinneedofspace.com/posters/

While these two are by artist Lili Chin and you can see more of her work by clicking here.

And finally this poster is from http://www.dogingtonpost.com/

Have a moment?

Here's a cold but beautiful "tour" of our Grand River as it flows through Elora and Fergus.  This film is by Tivoli Films Inc., located in Fergus.  Yes, it is this breathtaking here, come and see!

Bowing down to the cookie kings

I love to bake, our guests have applauded our breakfast desserts, and I enjoy using rich ingredients:  real butter, fresh eggs (from a farm where we see the chickens), experimenting with different flours, etc... but I've never made cookies like this!!!  These are Felix and Norton cookies...  Delivered by Purolator from Markham, Ontario, the only reason why I indulged in this extravagant luxury is because I remember these cookies from my days back in Montreal and very important company was coming.  So I ordered 6 dozen and we s-a-v-o-u-r-e-d these cookies.  Yes, they are as good as they look!  

Take a peak at the Felix and Norton website:  http://www.fncookies.com/cookies.html and at the cookies with the rather subdued descriptions...  Rich beyond description, flavourful, generous amounts of all the good stuff:  if you need a real treat, take the plunge!   (Thank you, Michele, for making ordering effortless!)

Deliciously challenged

Doesn't it frustrate you when you try a new recipe and as you're starting to bring the ingredients together the converted measurements don't add up?  That was my experience in the kitchen today, with this yummy Raspberry Peach Cake recipe and weird numbers.  So, what do you do when 6 oz does not equal 1 1/3 cups, and 3/4 cup does not equal 3 3/4 oz?  Which measurement is correct and which is the goof?  Well, this cake looked really good and a nice breakfast option so I winged it, and it turned out great!  If you do try it, I used 1 1/3 cups flour and 6 Tbs butter.  (I also used apricots instead of a peach, and parchment paper all around.)  If you do try it with the 6 oz of flour, let me know how it turned out!  

Also, Elora was in the news again:  https://ontarioculinary.com/perfect-weekends-elora/, mostly about food.  It's always nice to see Elora in print, and this article is a nice addition to the Village's portfolio! 

Easter under ice.

Happy Easter!  Happy Spring!  Mother Nature once again proved she is all powerful as we were walloped with an ice rain that altered all weekend plans. On Friday we were all set to receive our guests, but felt it prudent to warn them of the potential for another blackout: we were dark Thursday night from about 8:40pm to about 1:30am. Others fared much worse and as I type folks are still without hydro.

Across the street, a fairly typical bit of damage:  branches as large as my forearm littered the ground everywhere, with the occasional larger branch and in some cases trees looked like a giant had stepped on them, folding down and snapping most of the branches.  

Here are some photos from our yard:

Along the sidewalk.

Our cedars were not happy (but they all recovered).

Willow was not happy either, the tension in the air and the lights flickering had her hiding under the kitchen table... but on her back so she couldn't have been too upset.

Snowdrops under ice.

Oh happy day!

For the first time in this house and the first time since spring 2014 I quilled!  Yes, we were absolutely determined to take a day and do our version of "nothing" after a hectic March Break at the Library and a Friday-Saturday of renovations.  Sunday was OURS and it started with a lovely walk along the Grand River listening to the chorus of birds... Willow had a lovely time.  Then, after lunch, I went to my studio desk and took out all my quilling supplies and tools.  Mom played with her plants, repotting and helping them out as needed.  Our tired Willow blissfully slept.

I am still very much a beginner so I chose a simple tulip to remind myself of all the options and techniques.  

Here's the start, pinning the basic shape and outline.

I had been dreaming of getting into all the papers I bought at Michaels... a real rainbow!  I get happy just looking at the colors!  While the pre-cut quilling strips you can buy are certainly perfect in width and of a lighter weight stock, you can cut your own strips from regular cardstock.  As a beginner, this is a lot cheaper!   

And, in the end, here is my tulip: 

Happy Spring!

Embrace the light

It was an odd fact, but for some reason one of the ceiling fixtures in our parlour had been removed and the box papered over.  This made the half of the parlour closer to the windows very dim in the evenings and, while our table lamps were good for reading, the area was poorly lit for social gatherings, pleasant chats with wine glasses in hand.  So the hunt was on...

...and the box was found!

Then we travelled to Guelph and Chatelaine Lighting with the hopes of finding an appropriate fixture.  This small but absolutely filled shop was overwhelming with options so we were very fortunate when Mom spotted just the thing!  This is a Wilton Three Light Chandelier by Kichler.









Installed it looks like it has always been there!

A big thanks and round of applause to our electrician Brock Richardson of Fergus Electric (519-843-3560).  Without him, this multi-step job would have taken us days... for him it was a matter of maybe an hour, start to finish.  (Plus he did an awesome job in our basement!)  

  Now, with the new window stops (thank you so much Drew!) installed over Christmas, new quarter rounds in the bay window area and trim paint cleaned-up (as much as we could, there's wall paper under there!), our parlour is elegantly comfy cozy!