Christmas Post

Scapa got a great toy from my assistant at the office. It has four squeakers! Christopher got a magnifying glass… Yes we’re getting older. And the handsome sweater you see him wearing in the photos.

I had the camera until it was turkey time when Christopher got a picture or two of me.

Exercise

With Scapa having her third and final shots she is now protected from parvo... something much worse for pups than Covid is for humans. This means she is safe to go nearly anywhere in our city. We recently walked downtown for Sarah's eye appointment along the Yukon river... a place where we could not take her safely before because of the high volume of dog traffic.

Getting Spoiled by Uncle Dave

New Puppy Friends

Quite a number of friends and acquaintances have gotten puppies this year. Which works out to some fun times in puppy play dates. Here’s Scapa‘s latest puppy friend, Finnegan. 

A good time was had! 

Christmas Eve Ski

In anticipation of a day of feasting Christopher and I went for a ski on Christmas Eve. It was lovely.

Spoiled Puppy

After the trauma of losing Isla so catastrophically early this year... Christopher is now cooking for Scapa in addition to some quality puppy kibble. We would like to give thanks to our many friends and acquaintances who are saving and freezer diving for wonderful wild and natural foods for our little girl. Christopher's fabulous electrician Shannon recently got a bison and he brought by a lower leg for Scapa.

Christopher has to remove the hide and Scapa will be able to enjoy this for months to come. We have two huge bags of smoke dried fish backbones from fish camp that our wonderful adopted First Nation family saved for Scapa this summer while we were in quarantine after travelling to BC to help Christopher's brother Drew. Other wonderful friends have picked up bulk rice and oatmeal from grocery stores in town. We are so lucky and thankful to have many wonderful and generous people in out lives.

Smart Birds?

Though the Bohemian Waxwings are still around Whitehorse... they are mostly found in huge flocks. This guy or gal seems to be the only bird that found our mock orange outside our kitchen window this year. Usually, once it is found, the tree is stripped of berries in a matter of minutes. Not so this year. This bird shows up every few/couple days for some variety in thier diet...

Food Motivation

Yesterday Scapa decided she needed to guard her dinner for an hour while it was soaking. Dad took photos throughout and even added some festive cheer.

Christmas Puppy

Which calm demeanour was a result of a walk and socialization at my office and our little mall. 

Another Christmas Trail Tree

2 Date Day

I’ve found our puppy to be a bit of an orangutan lately, so I arranged two play dates for her this morning. 

Her first play date was with our neighbour’s corgi, Henry. They get in like a house on fire. 

It is dark and cold even at 11 am here on Yukon Time. 

Her next play date is with an old friend, Lola. 

Scapa was feeling a bit worn out and played in our friend Dave’s heartstrings. 

She cuddled right in. Leaving Lola out in the cold. 

Scapa is ‘colourist’ and really likes black dogs, so we were surprised to see her five Lola the cold shoulder. I think next time we need more time in between dates. Our Scapa isn’t up for speed dating. 

Christmas Trees

This year we got our tree(s) exceptionally early. Because Christopher and I are both December babies we have in the past gotten our tree after Christopher‘s birthday. Which was the tradition in his childhood home as well. This year I have felt the need for more joy. And shockingly was able to get a beautiful tree on our way back from a ski as blog readers will have seen in an earlier post. Christopher was kind enough to help me put them up. Normally we only have one tree, but working from home I decided I wanted to have a decorated tree in my home office. For that tree we had to improvise a bucket.

The main tree

The office tree. 

I discovered after we had poured rocks into the bucket I chose that it wasn’t sealed and it was leaking. So it’s a bucket and a bowl. 

I’ve been on a Pom Pom making kick and have put them on my office tree. 

I have to decorating both of these trees I still had ornaments left over. So I decorated a tree that is beside one of the trails I often walk. In a way I hope people take the ornaments home for their trees. 

Making Bacon

For the love of bacon... and Christopher... Sarah has been making our own bacon using beautiful Yukon Grown pork belly from our favourite Yukon farmers Scott and Jackie Dickson at Takhini River Ranch. We are making our own bacon without PINK SALT or CELERY SALT preservatives which contribute to cancers below the belt. As many of you know, Christopher's Mom died of Colon Cancer and his Dad is now suffering from the same malady. We brine the belly chunks... sometimes for days... then smoke them. And voila! Our own great tasting bacon!

The Weird Year of 2020 - Christmas Card Edition

OK... Sarah was doing her Yukon Christmas cards on the bar top while I was cleaning up the kitchen this AM. She made some weird noise... so I turned and looked at her... and she's crying! My wife gets all emotional doing Christmas cards to our friends!?! In case you are wondering... yes... I made fun of her suckiness!