Tessa

She was called Tess, Tessie, Tessington, TessaDog, Doodle Treasure and The Dog. But her real name was Tessa.

Claims to fame: Therapy dog reject (too bouncy). Loved to wallow in the mud. Awesome swimmer. Relentless ball chaser, and always brought it back for another throw. Sandwich stealer. Cat chaser. Sock thief. Horsey poo lover. Rolled in stinky dead things no matter how miniscule. Cutest golden doodle ever. She loved us and we loved her. She is missed.

Tessa   1 September 2007 - 25 April 2022

Earth Day Poop Rant

It's Earth Day today. We all need to take care of whatever tiny corner of the planet we live in. I try to recycle and reuse everything that I can, but there's still a small bag of garbage to be picked up every couple of weeks. Mostly plastic stuff that can't be recycled which makes me feel very guilty.

I'm looking after my granddog Tessa this weekend. We just went out for a nice walkies, especially enjoyable as the sky is blue and the sun is shining for the first time for a couple of weeks. My pockets always have at least 3 recyclable poop bags tucked away, in case of doggy emergencies. That's the worst thing about dog walking..... picking up that poop! Yuk.

However, I do it, secure the bag, and take it home and put it in the green bin.

But on our walk today, I saw five, YES FIVE!, used squished poop bags, full of you-know-what, tied and thrown in the bushes. Disgusting and nasty! Surely, if you can be bothered to pick up your dog's poop in a recyclable bag, you can find the energy to carry it home and dispose of it responsibly.
Come on dog owners, do your bit to keep our neighbourhood clean!

Rant over.

TessaDog and baby Pandas

Grand-dog golden doodle Tessa came to stay for the weekend while YoungerSon went ice fishing with his mates (at -25C and -40C windchill they all have to have their heads examined IMHO) and the rest of the family went to visit their other grandma overnight. TessaDog loves coming to visit me because I actually have time to play with her and take her for long walkies (but at -25C she just gets enough time for a quick wee on the front grass, 5 minutes at the most before we both freeze).

When YoungerSon and the Bride came home from their honeymoon, they got a sweet new puppy the very next day. Not even one day to enjoy married life without any responsibilities! Hard to believe Tessa will be celebrating her 9th birthday this summer, she looks and acts like a puppy, bringing her squeaky toy to me so I'll wrestle her for it, and always overjoyed to chase a ball if she can find someone silly enough to throw it. She's very lively. Tessa spelled backwards is asset.... hmmm... I wouldn't go that far.

And more cute fur.... the twin Giant Panda cubs that were born at Toronto Zoo in October are getting mobile.

Neeps, Tatties and a Broken? Nose.

Neeps and Tatties
On Friday I spent most of the day in the kitchen of the Presbyterian Church preparing Neeps and Tatties for the next day's Robbie Burns supper. You don't need pictures, I've done this many times before. When I arrived, there was already an army of volunteers peeling the Neeps (turnips) and the Tatties (spuds, potatoes) so I set to by chopping green onions. By the time that job was finished, some of the cooked turnips were ready to mash. Just add a large dollop of butter, a couple of beaten eggs, salt and pepper, and bake in the oven with some grated cheese on top... yummy!

Then in the afternoon it was the turn of the Tatties. Add generous dollops of sour cream, butter, cream cheese, chopped green onion, some salt and pepper and some milk, and mash like mad!

Altogether we prepared 18 large turnips and 70 pounds of potatoes. Enough to feed 160 people. Phew!

A Broken? Nose
I think it might be broken but there's nothing I can do about it.
I was looking after TessaDog while YoungerSon and family had a weekend winter adventure. We were playing chase the ball in the snow. I bent down to get the ball, and Tessa jumped up at the same time, and I heard a mighty CRUNCH! Her hard head and my vulnerable nose collided. Lots of blood dripping onto the snow, but I finally managed to staunch the flow with a crumpled kleenex, while desperately trying not to get blood on my new Olympic mitts, and at the same time Tessa jumping up and down trying to get me to throw the ball again.... total chaos! And did I mention that it was -14C at the time? Brrrr.
Now I have a cute nose bump that wasn't there before. Oh well. Thanks for the nose job, Tessa!

Robbie Burns Night
Burns Night is usually celebrated on Rabbie's birthday, 25 January, but ours was a couple of weeks early, as usual. There was the Address to the Haggis, accompanied by a bagpiper, and followed by a toast to Rabbie Burns. There was Scottish Country dancing, singing of Scottish songs, and quoting Burns poetry. And the best dinner you can get for $20.00. Here's mine......

On looking back at previous Burns blog posts (just click on the Burns label at the end of this post), I see I've taken a pic of my dinner every year. Probably because it's always SOOOO GOOOOD!

Green

After six months of living in a snow covered monochrome grey and white world, green is so pleasing to the eyes. And it all seems to have happened in the last 2 or 3 weeks here in the Great White North. Gradually the bare winter branches of the trees get that pale green fuzzy look, and then we have that first warm sunny day that we have all been waiting for, and everything bursts with new life.

The trilliums are blooming in the forest. White trillium is the official flower of Ontario, and is protected in provincial parks and conservation areas. Apparently, the seeds are dispersed by ants. Nice to know that ants are useful for something!

It was a gorgeous sunny day so I took TessaDog for a romp through Eldred King Tract in York Regional Forest. It has been such a cold icy winter that this was my first visit to the forest since fall. She ran and ran, having a wonderful doggy time. Can you see her on the trail?

We walked all the way to the pond which is a gathering place for both dog walkers and horse riders. At one point I counted 20 dogs tearing about at top speed, and 2 horses. I'm sure there were a lot of happy tired dogs later that day.

New beech leaves have such a lovely pale green against the blue sky. These leaves will turn a golden brown in the fall.

Seasonal Changes

O C T O B E R.
Where did the warm September sunshine go? It's getting colder. The furnace has had it's fall cleaning and maintenance and is already warming the house. And there's a frost warning tonight. Brrrr....
I took Tessa the mad DoodleDog for a gentle walk top speed romp through York Regional Forest, and even though it was a dull day, the fall colours were glowing.

I'm so lucky to be able to enjoy this beautiful public place and it's just a ten minute drive from my house. And Tessa's a lucky dog to get to go there with me! I hope she appreciates it.

There were quite a few walkers with their dogs out enjoying the brisk fall air. Most of the dogs were splashing in the pond. Of course, Tessa didn't want to be left out and she joined in the fun. That water must have been very cold but she didn't care! This pond is home to frogs, fish and turtles. The water is flowing all the time, and it freezes over in the winter.

 

I was just focusing the camera when a jogger suddenly appeared and made me jump.  He must have been hiding in the bushes!!!

I think I'll have to return to this tree with my camera on a sunnier day... the colour was stunning.

 And any amateur mycologists out there, who can ID this mushroom?

No, I didn't pick it, someone else picked it and discarded it. And no, I don't think I'll try it for dinner.... looks a bit dodgy.

Update: after "mushroom picking" through the internet, I think this might be a species of amanita, and definitely poisonous. Pictures here.

Scaredy Cat... er, I mean Dog

I took Tessa the DoodleDog walking along the snowy trails of York Regional Forest this morning. The sun was shining , the sky was blue and the snow was sparkling, it was gorgeous.
We hadn't gone far when a sleigh pulled by two big draught horses pulled out of a side trail, sleigh bells jingling and the horses snorting steam .
Tessa stopped in her tracks, made a couple of half-hearted woofs, then turned tail and ran for her life!

This photo is borrowed from the internet, but shows exactly what Tessa saw coming towards her. VERY SCARY!

I called her but no, she decided she wasn't going anywhere near that scary apparition.
The sleigh driver told me to hop into the sleigh and he'd take me to get her, but when we got to a fork in the trail, Tessa headed right, and the sleigh driver headed left, hoping she would follow, but of course, she didn't.
I knew that both trails led back to the parking area, and I thought she might have gone back to the car, but no luck.
I said goodbye to the sleigh driver, patted the horses, and headed down the trail where I had last seen her, calling her name all the way, and feeling pretty silly.
By this time I was starting to get worried and had visions of trudging along the snowy trails all day looking for a panicking Golden Doodle. And even worse, going home without her and explaining to YoungerSon and The Bride that I'd lost their beloved dog.
When I got close to the place we had first encountered the sleigh, she bounded out of the trees, tongue lolling and totally out of breath. Sensible dog.... she had gone back to where she last saw me. Thank goodness!!
She stuck very close to me for the rest of the walk.
Well, at least I got a horsedrawn sleighride complete with jingle bells through the forest.... I don't have the opportunity to enjoy that very often!

Forest Trail

I've been given the very important job of puppysitting for the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. Tessa is three years old now, but she's convinced that she's still a puppy. It was a perfect blue sky morning so I took Tessa for a walk er, I mean top speed doggy romp, frolic, gallop, run ten times further than anyone else, through York Regional Forest to tire her out. She's less trouble that way!

The colours are glorious with the sun lighting up the leaves. One more wind and rainstorm and they'll all be gone.
A couple of weeks ago EG Wow posted a picture of this strange tipi made of sticks in the middle of the forest. It seems to have more sticks now.... maybe passers by add a stick to it and make a wish to the forest fairies?

I tried to pose Tessa in front of it and asked her to smile nicely for the camera but she wouldn't cooperate.

There were lots of walkers with their dogs, horses and riders, and even a mountain biker taking advantage of the lovely October weather. And lots of people leaving the trails and carrying large buckets. I wondered what they were doing....

.... and then I met a group of Italians who proudly showed me their harvest, courtesy of Mother Nature.
They'll be eating well tonight!

Puppysitting Weekend

The weather has been just like summer all weekend and it's only the first week of April! Last year at this time we were still bundled into winter coats and boots. But for the past few days it's been teeshirts and sandals!

YoungerSon and The Bride and Isaac spent Easter weekend with The Bride's family, so I got to puppysit Tessa for three days. It was perfect this morning for a long walk through York Regional Forest.

We took the main trail through Eldred King Woodlands, heading towards the pond.

It turned out that a lot of other people had the same idea. When we got to the pond there must have been at least 15+ dogs of every imaginable size, shape and colour, all chasing sticks and each other. Tessa willingly joined in all the fun, happily braving the cold water to retrieve as many sticks as I wanted to throw for her.
She made friends with Hamish (golden retriever) and Bruno (black lab) and they played chase for ages, diving into the pond to cool off every time they got too hot.

Then I had to take a stinky wet dog home in my nice clean car.

"What, Nana? We have to go home now? Can't I stay and chase Hamish and Bruno a bit longer? Pleeeeese?"

A Walk on the Wild Side

While YoungerSon and The Bride were getting used to having a brand new baby in their house, Tessa came to stay with me for a week. We took the opportunity to go for some long doggy walks in York Regional Forest. Anything to tire her out.

York Regional Forest comprises over 5000 acres of trees on 20 tracts, all just a short drive from home and open to the public. The Natural Heritage and Forestry Services hosts events for all ages in the forest classroom.

No special events on that day, just time to walk along the trails and enjoy the outdoors. At least, I walked.... Tessa covered at least ten times more ground than I did, mostly at doodle warp speed. Does she ever get tired? She only has a small backyard at home, so this must have seemed like heaven to her.

We walked for almost two hours and only met 3 other walkers with their dogs.
Tessa's coming to stay for a couple of days next weekend too, so perhaps we'll explore the forest a little further, if the weather's good.

Short Back and Sides, Please!

The only way to get all the mud and spiky little green seeds out of Tessa's coat after last week's mudbath was a complete luxurious (and expensive) makeover at the doggy spa...

.... and now look how pretty she is!

What Some Girls Will Do To Look Beautiful!

Storm clouds like these on the horizon have been a familiar sight here in Southern Ontario this summer.

They usually bring sudden heavy downpours accompanied by thunder and lightning, soaking the back yard. There's so much water running off the roof that the eavestrough on my back porch just can't handle the flow. But at least the grass is still green, and not brown and crunchy like last summer.

But not everyone is tired of the wet weather. The creatures that live around the town reservoir really appreciate the extra moisture. Usually by the middle of August, the ponds are pretty dry.

There are other creatures that love this wet weather too. I was puppysitting this weekend so we went walking along the forest path by the reservoir. Tessa found a suitable mud puddle, and before I could stop her.....

It gives a whole new meaning to the expression "facial mud pack".

Travels with Tessa - Part 3

Now that the long weekend has come and gone, the sun is shining again.... it was rainy and cold for most of the time, but we still managed to take some long walks between the showers.
Tessa renewed her acquaintance with the swans, but they sensibly kept their distance.

By the edge of the water there are clumps of Marsh Marigolds growing, also known as Kingcups, bright and sunny even on a dull rainy drippy sort of day.

Here's a rare find... a Yellow Morel. This is one of the best wild mushrooms for eating, commanding a high price if you can find them for sale. I left this one where it is, growing under an ancient apple tree. Someone else might decide to take it home and sample it for dinner, but not me!

And this bracket fungus isn't so rare... Dryad's Saddle. It grows on dead and dying deciduous trees, and can grow up to half a meter across. Edible when young... but again... I'm not going to try it.

Tessa found a little stick house to explore. Perhaps this could be where the dryads live when they're not sitting on their saddles?

YoungerSon and The Bride collected Tessa on their way home from their weekend in NYC yesterday.

Life here will be a lot quieter without having to keep an eye at all times on a naughty, rambunctious, mischevious, garden-digging, early-morning-howling, midnight-barking, flowerpot-chewing, tulip-eating energetic puppy!

For Travels with Tessa - Parts 1 amd 2, see the two previous posts.

Travels with Tessa - Part 2

Dull and showery, but Tessa and I don't care, we go exploring through the woods regardless of the changeable weather. Plus I have the advantage of an umbrella!

Back in the far reaches of the forest path, we came across a fortune from a fortune cookie. Huh? Strange place to find a fortune. "Ability is not something to be shown off." Probably good advice.

The trilliums are still blooming, but I have to admit, they look a lot better on a sunny day.

This young tree is growing right in the middle of the remains of an old tree trunk. Mother Nature is practising her recycling.

She walked in the mud, wallowed in the mud, rolled in the mud, and I think she even ate mud......

....but she had a great time. She loves weekends with her Nana!

For Travels with Tessa - Part 1, see previous post.