Blue Christmas Tree

This year's Christmas tree was done in blue and silver. Though it's a small tree, only 6-7 feet tall, we think it turned out rather nice. We put some nice red Poinsettia plants on the deck and John added some tube lights around some of the posts. The Mums from Thanksgiving are mostly spent and will be put into the ground soon. I've had a hard time getting into decorating and have put off shopping until the last two weeks before Christmas. Still don't know what to get for John. He seems to be doing his own shopping. Just tonight he brought home a new cell phone, one of my ideas for a gift for him. Check that off the list.

Dog show.....

Went to dog shows at the Orange County Fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday. I decorated the dog stroller for Christmas and had a lot of people stopping me so they could snap pictures, mostly with their cell phones. Saturday John went with us, but on Sunday we were on our own. John was Snipe hunting with his friend Loo. Yes, Snipe is a real bird.

Cheerleaders and Pack O' Papillons

This morning we went to the Orange County Convention Center to watch Kierstin and her cheer leading team, the Lake Mary All Stars, compete. It was fun watching them perform. Kierstin has improved so much over the years and looked wonderful in the new uniform. After we returned home we decided to go to Lowe's. After some begging by the pack we were convinced to take them with us. Needless to say the paps drew a lot of attention. Who wouldn't chuckle at the sight of five Papillons riding in a shopping cart. I couldn't resist snapping some pictures.

Happy Thanksgiving to all......

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with tons of food. It was a nice cool day so everyone could enjoy being out on the new deck. And it was cool enough to enjoy some hot coffee after a delicious meal. We had two turkeys, one roasted, compliments of Cindy and Marion, and one fried, compliments of Robert. Also Breanne and Mark provided a nice ham. The side dishes included, broccoli casserole, squash casserole, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole, rutabaga, green beans, deviled eggs, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy and brussel sprouts. The desserts included pumpkin squares, pecan pie, apple pie, key lime pie and chocolate pie. The guests were Sherry, Keith, Kierstin & Haley; Grace (Mema), Tom, Breanne, Mark, Paul, Kevin, Cindy, Marion, Robert, Mary Beth, Austin, Windy, John and me. After dinner the girls gathered to plan their shopping route for Black Friday. Every one went home with a full belly and some left overs. Now for a good nap! The Papillon pack enjoyed the day and especially enjoyed their nap afterwards.

Dog sitting Tiger and Dubi....

We are dog sitting two Papillon boys for the Andersons, for two weeks while they are on vacation in Hawaii. Dubi is the 1.5 yr. old sable and white and Tiger is the 5 yr. old tri color. Tiger reminds me of Icee in looks and temperament. He's kind of laid back and just a sweetheart. Dubi is a busy, clingy boy. Kind of like our Chili in temperament. He's not sure that he likes John yet since John makes a lot of noise mowing and using power tools. John is trying to offer him treats to become Dubi's friend. Today I took Tiger to the vet since I've noticed blood in his urine. It seems he has bladder stones. The vet says that they might be because of an untreated bladder infection. He's now on antibiotics and a special renal diet to see if that takes care of the problem. I pray that it does the trick.

New deck and Pergola

In the beginning, John created a dirt pit...........then, with the help of a couple of pros, created a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the view of the lake.

John has wanted a big deck for a long time, now he has it. Looks like we will have plenty of room for entertaining and family gatherings. He has added wiring for lights and ceiling fans. Also drip lines for watering the plants. We just purchased two sets of patio tables and chairs which were such fun to assemble. We are thinking about adding hedge plants along the front, but may wait until Spring for that project. For now, the lawn needs some help getting over the construction, etc. Thanksgiving is around the corner so some projects will just have to wait.

Boat garage......

Finally finished the boat garage for John's boat. I'm so glad to be rid of that tacky tarp boat cover we were using. This should keep the squirrels from chewing up the carpet, etc. on the boat and should give John some storage room for some of his boating and hunting stuff. We will be adding Hibiscus shrubs and finishing up on the painting, etc. I'm sure that John will be adding lighting too. Another project almost completed. Now to get back to the landscaping.

Improvements

We just finished putting in an extension to our driveway to complete the drive circle in order to get rid of the mulched areas which tend to get washed away with heavy rains. The circle makes for great skating too. The new concrete drive is definitely better than the mulched driveway although it requires a lot more time to blow off the leaves, etc. The next project is re-landscaping the island and to re-sod the areas of the lawn destroyed by chinch bugs and the work done. Then we plan to build a boat garage for John's jon-boat because the squirrels have decided to eat the carpeted areas of his boat.Before the deck and pergola were added. We removed the hedges and sod.

After the deck and pergola were completed.

We decided to add a 15 x 54 foot deck and pergola which adds shade to the enclosed patio which tends to stay warm during the summer months from the sun which comes into that area. The deck makes for a nice sitting area and I'm looking forward to adding plants from my collection. Next we are going to cover the area under the deck to keep the dogs and varmints out, then we will add hedge plants along the front, probably using red and orange blooming Ixora bushes which can be trimmed to just above the deck floor. We can already tell that the pergola shade is cooling down the temps in the patio. Hopefully it will help lower our electric bills as well. We also plan to move our gas grill to this deck since the squirrels are destroying the grill cover when we aren't looking. Of course there is new patio furniture to buy along with plant pots, etc. John has already ordered a palette of sod for this Thursday. The snow-ball effect you know. Oh, my aching back, I'm getting too old for all this work. Oh yes, today was John's first day away from his old job. He is officially retired. Now where is that "honey-dos" list.

Mandy and Mimi's visit to Nana Camp.....

Mandy, the sable Japanese Chin, aka the clown

Mimi, the tri-colored Papillon
Mimi, not sure about boating, hiding behind Mandy
Pet Smart is always a fun trip for the pups. LaLa, Chili, Mimi, Mandy & Icee
Mandy trying to beat LaLa to the ball.

Most times LaLa got to the ball first. She's always up for a game of ball chase.

Mandy, a Japanese Chin, and Mimi, a Papillon, stayed with us this week while their owners went on vacation. Mandy is a clown who loves to talk to you. She will throw her head back, make her mouth into a little O and Roo Roo Roo at you as if she's really got something important to tell you. All I can do is laugh and say "What Lassie, is Timmy in the well?" Mimi loves to run around the yard chasing Mandy and the squirrels. They are a hoot. Sweet dogs and a pleasure to have around. I took Mandy, Mimi and Icee fishing on the Minnow today. At first Mimi didn't want to go and kept pacing along the dock waiting for us to return. I finally convinced her to come with us. She wasn't happy to be out on the water and clung to the seat while keeping an eye on the shore. Mandy on the other hand was happy for the outing and enjoyed cruising along at a whopping 2 mph. They had fun chasing a ball in the yard even though LaLa was possessive of HER ball. They also enjoyed a trip to Pet Smart. Got the whole gang in a shopping cart. Now that was an adventure. And that was Mandy and Mimi's week at, what my daughter calls, "Nana Camp".

Visitor from Tennessee.....

Haley and Kierstin, at 12, are almost as tall as their Aunt Kathy.

Roxy, wasn't so sure about swimming. She much preferred wading in the shallows or riding with Haley on the "Minnow", our mini-pontoon boat.

This is the best Roxie could do. She's an American Eskimo, snow dog, not a water dog. We were surprised to see her go into the water this far on her own.

My sister's Rottweiler, Chelsea, had a great time swimming in the lake (look at her smile) this week during Kathy's visit from TN. I did carry Roxie out for a swim and she was totally insulted at getting so wet. Kathy spent some time with us at the barn giving Haley and Sherry lessons on Canyon. She gave us lots to think about. She even trimmed his hooves for us. Can't believe how tall Kierstin and Haley are getting. Kathy also got to visit some of her horsey friends who were very happy to see her.

It's a Race......

Icee, our little water dog. She's the best swimmer of all three Papillons.Stop splashing Reno!! You're cheating. And the winner is.....Icee!!!!!

Icee went for a swim in the lake with Reno today and they had a race to the dock steps. Reno had the early lead, then cheated when Icee was passing him, by splashing her in the face. Icee won the race to the dock steps though it was quite an effort for her to drag herself with all that wet hair up the steps.

Haley and Canyon

Added note: It's hard to believe that this wonderful horse died on August 12th. He will be missed by all that knew him.

Haley has been having a great time riding Canyon. Cantering was a big hurtle for her, but now she loves it. She needs to concentrate on her leg position, heals down, etc., which is hard, but she's improving with each ride. We're hoping to have a professional instructor come out for a few lessons to help her along. She is really trying and is a good student. Canyon is also a very forgiving horse and will keep working with Haley until she gets it right. He even hopped over a caveletti which Haley was very excited about.

Kierstin is another story. She just isn't into the horse thing. Walking Canyon is as fast as she wants to go. I think she could be a good rider if she would just put forth the time and effort. The interest is just not there and we're not going to force it on her.

Soft Shell Turtles.....

A pair of Soft Shell turtles have been coming in around the dock when we are feeding the fish. Today they were checking out Reno while he was swimming after the minnows. At first I was worried that they might attack him, but, of course, he was too big. They were just interested in his splashing around. After a couple of looks they just ignored him. I'm wondering if this is a mating pair. They always seem to be together.

Reno spent the week with us while Sherry, Keith, Kierstin and Haley were on vacation. He was a busy, busy boy, constantly begging me to take him down to the lake where he would swim for hours. He especially enjoys retrieving toys for me. You should see the gaskin muscles on that dogs hind legs. Looks like a Quarter Horse from the rear. No fat on that little fella. I also took care of Kierstin's two pet rats. They were easy. They slept during the day and played in their cage all night. Wish I had gotten some pictures of them, cause they are actually cute for rats.