We had our first chilly morning today. First time in months that I felt myself shivering, I almost had forgotten the feeling. We did have an exceptionally warm summer. My body was soaking up the sun like it would never get enough. I actually have a tan! Really.
But as much as I want it to stay, nature is turning the page again, bringing September and its cozy evenings and colorful landscape.

The Sparrow

Remember I told you we were getting a puppy? Well, the fluffball is here now! Let me introduce Cooper, our 9 week-old  Australian Shepherd puppy.  He’s as gentle as they come.  He has a good dose of energy, it’s a dog that loves to play and that’s exactly what I was looking for.  He adapted really well to our family and routine. So far, so good.

He gives us a massive amount of love, and the boys are in love with him.  I must be honest and admit that the first few days weren’t the “honeymoon” I expected. The constant hovering over the dog to watch if he had peed or pooped, munched on furniture, put something in his mouth he shouldn’t was overwhelming. I think I suffered a bout of Post Puppy depression (as pointed out by a friend).  This is a real thing.  You ask yourself : ” Why did I do this?” I made the biggest mistake of my life, and I’m stuck with that creature who depends on me and feels like a stranger for a good fifteen years. Thankfully, the love comes back after a few days, the strong bond you were wishing for is created and the puppy settles in your own routine, not the other way around.

For our family vacations, we decided, this year, to explore New Brunswick.  I had wanted to see the Bay of Fundy for a long time.  It’s a gorgeous coast.  With its highest tides in the world, it’s a sight one remembers.

We went to Hopewell Rocks, a park where you can walk on the ocean floor at low tide and see the interesting rock formations shaped by the strong tides.  I would have spent a lot more time there.  Only downside to such a place, every tourist has to access it at the same time, before the tide rises again, and that makes it very crowded.  But definitely worth seeing! I loved the brownish tones of the rocks and water, they called one of the rivers there, the chocolate river, when all the water has gone, all is left is warm brown mud.  I wore kayak neoprene shoes, that was a brilliant idea, since you just have to rinse with water, and the mud is gone! Best invention ever those shoes!

Last post, I told you about changes.  Changes I wanted in my life.  One of them was to fulfill a life-long dream of having a dog.  I had dogs in the past, when I was still living with my parents, but then, college, university, work and starting a family left no time to care properly for a dog. But now, the boys have grown, and I’m available. The kids have begged for a dog for the longest time and they promised to help. So, we made a decision to get a dog.

At first, I wanted an adult dog, basically trained and a rescue in need of love.  Turned out it’s not as easy to find as it looks.  Shelters don’t have many dogs, they’re mostly filled with cats.  The dogs left were *special needs* or either too big or too small.  I know it shouldn’t matter, in a perfect world, but it does when you’re the one caring for the dog. We just weren’t the perfect match for these dogs.