December 29: Afternoon Prezzies

Having a close-to-Christmas birthday must be hard. People likely get you EITHER birthday OR Christmas presents, but not both. That would be excessive. Well Cedar's a lucky one-year-old, because she got BOTH Christmas AND birthday presents - who could ask for more? (note: ignore the dog hair on the carpet. I'm sure your house looks like that too haha!)

How long do I have to 'wait'? Can I open them now? Puleeeeeeze?

December 29: Morning fun for the Birthday Girl!

Today was Cedar's first birthday - hard to believe she's been with us for 10 months already! We decided to visit a regional park that other dog people have talked about. Of course we chose the day with hurricane force winds and blowing snow on the highway to head up there, very smart of us.

Park Lake is about 20 mins drive north of town, and isn't really a 'lake' by non-Alberta standards. It's an irrigation pond, and a popular (?) hangout in summer. In winter it's completely deserted.

Park Lake in winter. Lots of cattails. Very windy.

December 25: Christmas in Cedar-land

The last two Christmases have been pretty hard for our little family. Last year was the first without Jasper, to whom we said goodbye in June 2011 after a fight with cancer. In November of the same year, Tsuga was diagnosed with lymphoma. He made it through 2011 Christmas, but didn't last long after.

This year was the first without Tsuga - but also Cedar's very exciting first Christmas. Bittersweet, as Tsuga would have been a great mentor for Cedar. Heartbreaking that he passed away only a few weeks before she arrived in our lives.

Cedar, however, has a personality the size of a mammoth. It fills a house - and our hearts, too - and we enjoyed seeing her get completely overstimulated this Christmas morning.

Is Santa coming yet? I think I see something in the sky...nope, just a goose.

December 24: Winter on the Coast

It's been a long time since we've lived on the wet West Coast. The times we've been back to visit at Christmas, the weather's been pretty reasonable. This year, however, has been a pretty wet winter so far. The moss on my mother-in-law's driveway is about a foot deep and the lawns are permanently waterlogged. Lucky for us, we were missing the -30C cold snap at home in Lethbridge!

One of our favourite walks nearby is Todd Inlet, which is close to Butchart Gardens. There are lots of old building foundations that look vaguely like a coastal Angkor Wat.

Saanichton's version of Angkor Wat. About 8 centuries younger...

December 22: Cedar's First Christmas

We were happy to make it out to the Island in what has definitely been the snowiest winter of the past few years. It snowed so much that all the mountain passes pretty much looked the same. Nice to see trees though after being on the baldass prairie for so long!

Paulson Pass

December 9: 10 Days of Blazingstar - And then there was one..

Dec 9th and another Blazingstar Breakfast! I like the way they roll out here, however, I may need to ask Santa for a new liver after this!

Irish cream: Blazingstar Breakfast for two.

December 8: 10 Days of Blazingstar - Ho-ho-ho?

Holy carp it's cold today! Having the dog kennel waaaaay over on the other side of the garage may have been a great idea when originally designed in July or August, but in Dec when it's 20-something below with 2097 km/hr winds of sheer ice and I haven't had coffee yet, that 50m walk to take the dogs out for a pee and put them in the kennel for their breakfast is NOT fun. Perhaps I should wear pants...

Anywho, good thing the Blazingstar Advent Bag #8 looked like this:

Blazingstar Antifreeze...best before 6:30AM

December 7b: 10 Days of Blazingstar - Cliff Rescue!

Well the morning was rather benign being chilly and all, but things sure heated up on our afternoon walk thanks to Cedar 'Evil Knievel' The Wonder Dog. I'm guessing that watching cliff diving on TV in front of your eagerly impressionable puppy is NOT a great idea...


Anyhow, the day started pretty much on cue - Cava dragging Cedar across the prairie landscape by whatever dead 'stuffy' Cedar digs up:

Cava training for the 100 m puppy drag at the next Flat-coat Specialty. Cedar doing her part by playing dead.

December 7a: 10 Days of Blazingstar - Never a dull moment

The prairie looks so peaceful in the early morning (-14°C!) chill. Frost decorates the fall brown of the grasses and leftover seedheads.

December 6: 10 Days of Blazingstar - We're Tired

Everyone was tired again yesterday (kind of like on Dec 4). The pictures were sparse and the antics few and far between - although they kept up the usual cow poo eating and roughhousing in the living room (so that's how the window broke, whoops! Just kidding!)

"I'm such a stud...oh right, I am. Literally!"

December 5: 10 Days of Blazingstar - Posing on the Range

Today we all got out - even the cripple who stuck her foot in a gopher hole last week and twisted her bad knee! Dave was kind enough to make my part of the walk look really long.

The looooooong driveway to Blazingstar

December 4: 10 Days of Blazingstar - Random Day

Everyone (including humans!) was pretty tired after the exertions of the past few days (i.e. dealing with Cedar haha). There was a lot of sleeping going on today, and random playing, looking at Salander, and trying to get Wendy-type photos.

December 3: 10 Days of Blazingstar - The Christmas Collar

Dave has a collar addiction (thanks Christine for that!). So Cedar has three collars: summer is the yellow one, fall is the leaf one, and winter is the snowflake one. In all the hubbub we forgot to bring her winter collar out for Dec 1, but she got it yesterday and showed it off today. And of course it was another toy-crazy free for all!

December 2: 10 Days of Blazingstar - What's in Your Mouth?

One thing the dogs of Blazingstar really aren't short on is toys. They dot the prairie and the house, and occasionally make their way into the kennel area. They looooove their toys!

December 1: 10 Days of Blazingstar - Sunshine!

Sun in the trees

Later in the afternoon the sun came out and melted the mystical frost. The dogs were glad to be outside again.

December 1: 10 Days of Blazingstar - Winter wonderland

Frosted raspberry canes