Party Of One Dinner

So in this crazy time  when we're all supposed to be self-isolating and staying home, not even visiting with close family, I decided to have a fancy Easter dinner.  I saw a post from a friend of mine where he took his wife to dinner; he made dinner then dressed in a mix of Mess Kit and civilian clothes and picked his wife up from the room where she was working by going around to the sliding door.  That gave me the idea to dress in my Mess Kit as well for my fancy Easter dinner.

The Chef

The chef prepared a wonderful menu. Dinner was poached salmon, roasted asparagus and scalloped potatoes au gratin.  The potatoes were amazing, the chef told me it was the first time she had made them from scratch.

Scalloped Potatoes au gratin

Poached Salmon

Easter Dinner

For dessert, the Chef brought in lemon squares from a local bakery and served them with raspberries and lapin au chocolat (chocolate bunny).  The dessert was accompanied by Chocolate Raspberry Truffle wine. The dessert and the wine were extremely good.

I have to say the Maitre D' was very good too. The table setting was elegant and the service was fantastic but unobtrusive.

The Maitre D'

Table setting

The meal was served very quickly after I arrived. I totally enjoyed the meal, the atmosphere and the music that was being played.

Being greeted by the restaurant staff

Dinner attire

Enjoying wine with dinner

Dessert

Chocolate Easter Bunny

I have to say the dinner went rather smoothly. The only little difficulty was getting dressed. I had forgotten how hard the shirt studs are to put on. They are quite small, only have a short pin and the back piece has to be screwed onto the pin. You can see one of them in the picture below. Good thing there are only three of them to do. 

Logistics Shirt Studs

Also the kitchen staff was rather slow in cleaning up; the dishes didn't get done until after 7 pm and then only after they were promised more wine. 

Hope you all enjoyed your Easter (or whatever observance you follow)!

Beckett's Birthday

Yesterday we celebrated Becket's ninth birthday by going on a shopping trip. First, we went to Global Pet Foods where I buy their dry dog food. I was looking for some kind of flying disc but I didn't see one I thought Beckett would like so we bought treats instead.  Keltic picked them out, they must have smelled good as he popped the lids right off the containers.  We also bought Zukes for agility treats and two of the special cookies.

Next we went to Pet Valu, again I looked for some kind of flying disc.  They did have one but I didn't want to pay that much as we had spent more than I wanted at Global so we just bought more treats instead. They put them in a nice little brown bag that you can see in the pictures. They had one of the treats from the little brown bag before going inside.

Love me, Spoil me, Treat Me

Inside, I had some other things for Beckett that I wrapped up so then we did the birthday pictures at the table.  

After the requisite party pictures, the boys got to eat the big cookie.  Don't worry I cut back their dinner so no one would get an upset tummy.

Party Hat Cookies

I think he likes it.

Then it was time  to open the gifts.  Well, Beckett tried but then I had to do it for him.  

Opening the pressies

These presents weren't treats so perhaps that's why there wasn't so much interest; they were a new collar and a little fabric disc to play with indoors.

Beckett's presents

Beckett is in his last year of single digits, I hope we have many more years ahead but you never know. 

Happy Birthday, Beckett!

Throwback Thursday

Tucker - 31 Oct 2000 to 23 Aug 2012

Hope you have a ghoulishly good party at the Bridge, Tucker Boo!

My Birday Pawty

Hey dere everybody, I had my birday pawty today and it was pretty awesome.  If my hair looks kinda messy, that's cuz I was trying to take this stoopid hat off and Mums had to chase me around the table.

Last night when we gots home from Beckett's gility trial, Mums let me open one of my presents. It was a box of Three Dog Bakery cookies, they was real good. Mums eben let me take an extra one right from the box. Today, Mums stayed home with us, well she did go out for a bit. Before she went out she made pupcakes with carrot and carob chips.

After she came back home, she put frosting on them.  The green icing was store bought but Mums made the white stuff.

Before we was loud to have cake, I had to open my pressies. I was hoping for more cookies but I got toys and clothes.

Here I is with my other pressies, a stuffed dragon squeaky toy, a new fur and fleece tug and new collar and leash.

Then it was time for pictures and cake. Boy, I could hardly wait for cake. Beckett, the momma's boy sat at the table real nice while Mums was trying to get me to sit still. After the pictures was taken, Mums took off our hats and told us we could get down from da table. Wait I said "I didn't hab no cake"; so I stole one right from the plate and ate it; cupcake paper and all.  It sure was good; I wished I could hab anudder one but Mums said we could only hab one and she put some away in da freezer.  I tried to see if she left any on da table but nope. Beckett waited for Mums to take the paper off his pupcake and ate it nicely in the kitchen.

Ise not sure what the big deal with being one is all about. I feels the same as I did last week and Mum's still says I'm too young to do gility trials like Beckett. But gettin pressies and havin cake was pretty awesome. How often do you get birday's? I hopes at least two or three times a year. I think Mums is hoping I'll calm down a bit, maybe when I'm as old as Tucker, da old guy that used ta live here or at least as old as Beckett.

Mums showed me the video she made of my first year. I donno why she had ta show all dem embarrasin pictures. Beckett sure was a good big brudda eben if he is a momma's boy.

Mums made a video of me opening my pressies. There's no video of me eating cake cuz I thought Mums was gonna take it back so I ates it real real quick like.

Keltic's Birthday

Well, I guess that's all der is to say about my birday; except to thanks eberyone for der kind birday wishes. Mums said I had to say that.  But really I do thank eberyone.

Luv and licks,

Keltic

Ceilidh Remembered

Today, marks what would have been Ceilidh's 10th birthday. She's been gone over two years now and I still find that I miss her, some days just terribly. Maybe it's because her life was cut short or maybe because I just miss her quiet presence.

As quiet as she was (most of the time anyway), she was a little firecracker in the agility ring. She gave me some of my most memorable runs and not necessarily for the Q's but for the energy she brought to the game. My most memorable run was her first Masters Jumpers run which was her first Masters Q. I felt throughout the run that I was seeing it a split second before it happened, it was like watching a movie, but at the same time I felt we were connected by a band from my chest to hers, every little move I made was reflected in her movement.  The last three jumps of the run were straight down one side of the ring and there this connection ended and I watched her fly away from me to clear those last three jumps. I never told anyone for months about how the run had felt to me, I thought that they would think me crazy or something.  It was the most exhilarating feeling; every run since then has been to see if I could once again be so in sync with my canine partner and feel that way again. Ceilidh's last Q, a fantastic Snooker run gave me very nearly the same feeling; maybe she wanted to leave me with that wonderful feeling once again.

Ceilidh - 2007 AAC Ontario Regionals

Ceilidh - 2009 AAC Nationals

Ceilidh - 2009 AAC Ontario Regionals

Ceilidh and I were lucky enough to qualify for Nationals before she passed away. She even managed a 7th place finish in one event at Nationals, surprisingly in Gamblers the one event in which she never got a Masters Q. There's a lot to be said for no refusals in the Main Gamble.

This year Beckett surpassed her on the AAC Top Dogs list and that made me a little sad, not because he had passed her but because SHE wasn't still running the agility game. I'm sure she would have been an awesome little veteran dog, who may have even finally achieved her ATChC (darn those stupid Gamblers); but in any case she still is the Champion of my Heart.

Ceilidh Dreams

Ceilidh was not one who liked to be picked up and hugged, her idea of a cuddle was to rest her muzzle on my thigh and let me scratch her gently behind the ears, besides running in the agility ring with her, I think I miss that the most. I dreamt of Ceilidh last week but in my dream her name was Joy; that's pretty fitting though as she was a joy to me.

I'm sure she'll be waiting for me at the Bridge but today I hope she's having a wonderful party to celebrate her 10th birthday.