Sophie, March 1 2011-March 11, 2026

 

She who must be obeyed, small but bitey, princess, baby, girl-in-charge, bitchy girl passed at the ripe old age of 15 on March 11, 2026.  

She was the last of her litter to be adopted in May 2011 and the breeder mentioned she was a little bit mouthy.  Apparently her young grandchild had handled her as toddlers do and Sophie had found her teeth useful at an early age.  Grace who was 3 at the time, took over the task of driving Sophie crazy and vice versa.  They were inseparable terrorists.

Sophie's first friend was Bella - a mild mannered and lovable schnauzer - who tolerated Sophie's vigorous nature patiently, would play and chase in the yard all day and rarely battle.  When we lost Bella, Sophie and the rest of her family were devastated.  Bella and Sophie were the team that entertained and protected Lily and Grace.

The day after Bella passed, we spoke with a breeder who was advertising a little boy schnauzer who needed a home.   Our home was so sad that we thought Bella was sending us a message - that a little brother for Sophie was in order.  Sophie was not sure about the plan initially but it didn't take long for her to bond with Ollie - under the condition that Sophie was in charge!  

Sophie had her share of quirks.  She loved escaping out the gate to meet new people.  She loved our kids babysitter Miss Donna, and was thoroughly spoiled by her.  She was afraid of her dinner bowl so her kibble was often served on the kitchen floor.  She would push it around with her nose until she liked its placement, and then would eat dinner.  Sophie pranced when she walked, one ear up and one down and when she wanted to stop and sniff, she was an unmovable force, anchor down.  

This pup had some strange medical issues as well.  She had anaphylactic reactions to immunizations and required emergency care on a couple of occasions.  As she aged, she developed seizures when encountering strong odours.   Sophie was the first to introduce her Mom to a weed dispensary as I searched to find CBD to manage the seizures.  CBD gave Sophie her second wind as her seizures decreased and her arthritic symptoms disappeared!  Soon she was back to taking walks sometimes with the boys but often just a gentle meander around the park with Dad.

Our newest addition to the pack was Jack Jack who attached himself to Sophie as his mother figure.  He would warn us when she seized, would lay beside her until she came around.  Jack and Sophie had regular arguments where they would bark at each other for no apparent reason until an intervention took place.  Sophie always won the argument!

In her last few years, Sophie taught us how to age with grit and courage.  She moved about her domain when and how she wanted, had a great appetite and a quick and forceful response if the boys tried to steal her food.  This old, blind, feeble looking girl could land a quick bite when displeased - especially when getting her nails trimmed.  She never appeared distressed until her last day.

The morning she passed, she had developed labyrinthitis and nystagmus, was unable to stand, eat, and vomited all her medications and fluids.  I bundled her up and carried her around the garden where she took in the sounds and smells of her beloved yard.  Her favourite people, Grace and Dad took her for her final vet visit and after she died, returned home with her so the boys could visit one more time.

The boys spent the next few weeks looking for her, and Ollie would stop eating if I removed Sophie's bed from her spot in the sunroom.  Her ashes were placed in the cabinet in the company of all of our dogs ashes who have passed before her.  We miss her as we do Bella, Lucy, Tasha, Muffer and Lulu.   Happy Tails sweet Sophie.  We will meet again someday.  Love, Dad, Mum, Lily, Grace, Olllie and Jack.

The Pattinson Times 2025

 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to our friends and family around the globe.  

Ours has become a pretty quiet and peaceful home.  Our house guest Hosein moved to his own place in July and we prepared to renovate the second story of the house.  Our kids have not particularly kind to the house so it was time to put new carpet down and gut the bathroom floor after Grace's prolonged showers had steamed the tile off the subfloor and collapsed the door frame.  

 

Around the same time we noted that Lily was not able to keep up with the housekeeping demands of her home given that she works 12 hour shifts almost every day of her life.  The cats threatened to take over and turn the place into a wildcat refuge, something Lily had not noticed given that she is noseblind . 

In an attempt to exert some tough love with hardly any revenge in our hearts we moved Grace into Lily's house.  To be fair, I don't think they realized the move wasn't temporary as we may have suggested it was a trial run, but the reno got delayed and we started grooving the new lifestyle so we've declared our house an offspring free abode.  They also always call before coming over now since we informed them that sometimes old people forget to put their clothes on.

The girls are opposite in every way possible, Grace being a neat freak with a compulsion to organize any room she walks into and Lily a complete slob.  Within a week the house was clean and organized, cats assigned to a new automatic litter box with the two girls negotiating a new world order.  Grace has to follow house rules - no stealing or wild parties - or pay a $500 fine, and Lily gets a clean house.  At last count Lily is 1000 bucks richer but over time they have started adapting to the responsibilities of adulthood and we are enjoying our empty nest.  This is a great opportunity for Grace to experience independence as she will begin studies in engineering next September and is considering a program outside of Windsor.

Retirement is busy with stuff we have to do but a lot more of what we want to do as well.  Tony is really semi retired given that he assists in the OR 1-2 days a week, takes call for C-section assists and does IVF one weekend a month.  He still manages to golf 3 times a week from April to November and in winter once a week at the new indoor course at Beachgrove.  We have both continued weightlifting at the gym 4-5 times a week - more for maintenance than growth - although my shoulders have outgrown my lululemons lately.  At least I don't have to go to work after leg day anymore! We actually have time to sit in the garden and enjoy nature and a beverage on a regular basis -  all of which feels good for the soul.

Gardening/farming has become my new occupation.  The yard has become my lab - fighting diseases and pests, balancing soil, companion planting although I haven't pulled my microscope out yet.  The dogs and I spend most mornings in the garden and through the season preserve the harvest for winter.  The efforts paid off with a wonderful harvest of tariff free, organic, non GMO, gluten free peppers, tomatoes, kale, peas, beans and lettuce.  I don't accept defeat easily but despite injecting stems of my squash plants with BTK this summer, the bugs won and I've decided that squash is overrated.  Critters including racoons, possums and rats indulged  in the fruits of my labour as well and while I don't usually mind, the party animals got a little out of control eating through the garden boxes and the foundation of the shed.  Thanks to Tony, a yard of gravel, a roll of landscape wire and two weeks of backbreaking work fixed their wagons!  I don't even pretend that we ever outsmart nature though and next year will bring new excitement on the farm.

I've fallen into the cliche of being a bird enthusiast in my senior years.  Perhaps it's the first time we've slowed down enough to appreciate the bird song and beauty that birds bring to our environment.  They may also cause the next pandemic - but win some, lose some.

I've had a series of feeders that have been destroyed by squirrels sometimes within a day of hanging them but have found a Canadian Squirrel Buster feeder that works - except for racoons - who are particularly agile at dismantling feeders.  We've arrived at a peace treaty where I take the feeders down at night and they go to the neighbours to snack.  

I've added in many bird and butterfly friendly plants and flowers as well  and have been repaid 10 times over with a variety of butterflies, bees and birds visiting the garden throughout the day.  Some of the bees have burred holes in the pergola and bird poop happens in generous quantities but it's all part of the deal.  

Tony has been assigned to the shop to create affordable housing for the birds over the winter using Canadian lumber of course.

We bought our house 30 years ago because our dogs at the time loved the yard.  Sophie, Ollie and Jack continue to enjoy hours of entertainment outside and although we have briefly considered downsizing, I think we would be outvoted by our canine bosses.  

Sophie who is pushing 15 years of age has seizures about once a month and Jack has become her therapy dog, fussing over her the day before her seizures, warning us when she seizes and lies next to her until she feels better.  CBD seems to have stabilized her and as long as she can eat and go for a walk, she is and will continue to be the boss of the boys.

Ollie continues to be the chief of security, and while Jack runs circles around him, he can regain control of the chaos when he feels the need.  Ollie protects me 24/7 and complains loudly when I go out for any length of time without him.  He wakes me up at night if Dad's c-pap isn't working and saves me from the Amazon delivery guy several times a week.  Ollie has a fascination with balls and has successfully targeted and destroyed all of the soccer balls in the yard.

Jack is just...funny.  He's got a happy friendly clown face but does not tolerate strangers and has the dental weaponry to manage any pant leg that approaches.  His favourite game is chasing squirrels, favourite food is anything on mom's plate, and will do anything for a cookie.  He is a Daddy's dog and is terrified when Dad sneezes maybe thinking it is a bark....but insulting just the same.  He is 2 now and may outlast us but is so in love with Lily that we know he'll always be cared for.

Note from the dogs:

Every morning starts with a walk - although if the temp is below -10C Mom and Dad can't handle it.  On those days we all sit around grumbling and talk about moving to Bermuda.  Then we go watch men chasing balls on TV with Dad while Mom watches the news and talks about the orange man.

Lily is our favourite visitor because she gives us lots of cuddles and tells us that we are better than cats.  She shares her food with us and entertains Mom with stories of life on the streets - as a paramedic of course.  We're hoping Mom and Dad will go to Mexico this spring so Lily can stay with us all week!

We are considering a spring holiday but some of the shine of travelling has worn off given border issues, and flight cancellations from strikes and airline disruptions.  Tony hopes to attend his 50th med school reunion in England next fall and is musing about a golf trip somewhere warm. Right now every day is like a staycation in our wonderful home and I don't have to worry about packing or wiping my social media feed.  Keeping it simple seems to be working for us. 

This week we are having 3 days of celebrations with friends and the girls followed by 3 days of gym to recover.  As fortunate as we feel for all of our blessings, we do worry for the beings on this planet who can't count on a meal, shelter or safety at this time.   This Christmas I hope that we can all do a little for those with less, because a lot of littles can make a really big impact.  Have a wonderful, warm, hopeful and giving holiday season.  Hope to see you in 2026 because we now have 2 extra guest rooms!

Love Tony, Mary, Ollie, Sophie and Jack

Hope for the Future, Apr 22, 2025

 

THE PATTINSON TIMES CHRISTMAS 2024

 Merry Christmas to our friends and family around the globe.  We hope the citizens of our world can experience peace, nourishment and safety as we negotiate our way through 2025.

It's been a transitional year for Tony and I as we wound down our infertility practice and retired together in July.  Some may say that Tony is "faking retirement" having taken up assisting in L&D and doing IVF retrievals but the alternative is golfing every day and who would want that?  On the days when he isn't working/golfing, we are getting through the 30 year old honey-do list of household cleanup.  

There have been a few renovations of course, the first one following a break-in of our shed and destruction of the fence at the back of the yard.  The perps took the bikes but not the helmets (brain health isn't everyones priority) which answered the question "why didn't they just open the gate instead of axing down half the fence?"  They also couldn't figure out how to negotiate the chipper through the hole they made in the fence.  I think our educational system is failing young criminals these days.

Our second reno was modifying our master bath with the intention of aging in place.  Given my klutzy tendencies, our do-it-yourself habits and our insistence on pushing our joints to their capacity at the gym, its just a matter of time before we will need the assistance of a walker or wheelchair to access the facility.  Not so easy in the old bathroom.  We can now do twirls in a wheelchair, can have a total car wash experience in the shower and our bathroom now has a door which keeps the audience out.

I also had a repeat surgery trying to straighten my most important right third digit in August.  It was a more extensive operation this time with a longer recovery requiring tantrums about not getting to weight lift or garden for 6 weeks and an injury to my left hand from doing things I shouldn't have done with only one hand.  Started with a crooked finger, and I still have a crooked finger.  I guess I am not meant to elevate that particular digit.

The gardening season was superb this year as the bees had been creative in their pollination of my plants last season.  The seeds this year produced a number of tomatoes with purple or green stripes and a pretty intense flavour.  Now that we've retired from human fertilization, it would seem that the birds and bees are our new partners in species production, no IVF lab required.

  

Lily has had a great 2024 and is chronically happy despite working almost every day of her life out of a downtown Windsor ambulance base, and rarely getting to make, sit or have a meal aside from the candy she finds in her pockets.  She purchased a small home a block from us in July and we've enjoyed renovating it as we've run out of projects at our house.  She also adopted 2 kittens from the Humane Society who love their grandmother unconditionally and provide her with a little company when she finally gets to spend time at home.  Her yard has needed quite a lot of work, so Dad got a new truck and passed his old truck down to assist the effort.

Lil also took quite a bit of gold at the Masters Swim competitions earlier this year and then again at the Fire-Police-EMS games in July.  She's not been swimming much recently because of a non-existent work-life balance but I'm sure will get back to it when the time is right.  Despite her lack of caloric intake, Lil can still beat the compression pants off me at the gym making a 180 lb deadlift look easy.

Grace's behaviour has continued to be a challenge this year, and we're not sure whether she has a personality disorder or rabies.  She is incredibly bright and pulls off straight A's without much effort.  She fell out of favour with the science teacher last spring when she got a little adventurous with a bunsen burner in lab class and singed some eyebrows.  Her nickname is now Little A, unrelated to her academic success.  

Grace has managed to hang on to her job at our local Chinese Restaurant which is great as they feed her dinner and we get a break until 8 pm every night.  She has also been taking the lifeguard program and hopes to work for the city pools this summer.  She is a strong swimmer having medalled at provincials in March and will most likely save you if you are drowning depending on her mood and whether or not she likes you, 

Grace is thinking a little more seriously about a future in architecture or engineering given how mathematically gifted she is so we figure at the end of the day she will find her way.  If all else fails, she could consider politics.  

We have welcomed a new family member this year - a young man who is an international student at our university and also a trainer at our gym.  Hossain is completing his Masters in Engineering and competing in body building while working as a trainer full time.  His living conditions were suboptimal to say the least so we offered him Lily's old room for shelter and he has quickly become a family favourite.  He and Tony work out together regularly and he is training Grace in our home gym a few times a week.  He has also become the dogs favourite, especially when chicken is on the menu!

We've had some visitors this year - Annie (Mary's sister) and Stewart earlier in the year....

and Teri (Tony's sister) and Neil this summer...

 

We travelled to Utah for my nephew Nick and partner Stacia's baby shower...

And then celebrated the arrival of Kai Paul in December!

Although Stacia is new to our family, we knew she was a keeper when we realized she was a fighter pilot like Nick and more importantly had 2 miniature schnauzers!  And of course because she makes Nick incredibly happy!

Speaking of schnauzers, Jack and Ollie are bonded brothers now and if there is a hole to be dug or a rat//racoon/squirrel to be chased, they are the boys for the job.  They tear around the yard at warp speed and have been known to cut me off at the knees and knock me flat. That is followed up with them standing on me until I determine if I've fractured anything and whether getting vertical is an option.  

Sophie, (she who must be feared), keeps on trucking despite being 14, mostly blind, mostly deaf, arthritic, surviving surgery to remove a cyst and more recently developing seizures when exposed to fumes during our renovation..  Thanks to the magic of CBD, she is now back to fighting with Jack, seizure free, going on walks and begging for chicken with the best of them.  (I might have actually tried the magic tincture myself recently after a particularly brutal leg day)

We really have no plans to travel in the next year (3 dogs and a demonic teen at home) but are looking forward to staycationing for the next 52 weeks!  Having worked like crazy people for the last 48 years we thought it may be fun to visit our home where the bed is comfortable, the food is great, and the company is mostly entertaining.  Any of you are welcome to stop by to share in our wonderful crazy life, have a glass of wine, pick a tomato, play with a dog.  Life is good.  Wishing you all the same in 2025.

The Gift

 

The decision to retire was one of the toughest we made as a couple.  We procrastinated on making a decision for years joking that our goal was freedom 85!  But this year, we were starting to feel our "best before date" sneaking up on us and opportunities for recruiting 2 new docs to take over our practices arose.  We knew that, like having kids, retirement wouldn't make our life better, but it would make it different in that we could focus a little more on self care.

Windsor has represented one of the greatest gifts in our careers and life as a couple.  We "immigrated" to Windsor from Alberta in 1995 having tired of working the politics of the university system, understanding the need for OB's in the Windsor community and having a personal desire to care for Mary's Mom who had developed early Alzheimers.  We had both worked for 20 years in healthcare, Tony in OB-Gyne, research and Reproductive Endocrinology and Mary in ER, paediatrics, psychiatry, genetics. and psychology.  The melting pot of all our experiences, including our personal journey of infertility helped us create a practice in reproductive health where we strived to achieve a holistic and individualized approach respecting the wisdom of each individual that came through our doors.  We were not always successful but continued to strive to provide what the community needed. Our patients were wonderful and welcoming, some became friends, many we followed for the 29 years of practice in Windsor.  We shared many joyful and sometimes tragic moments with them, and developed a deep bond with the people of our community.  During that time, we created a satellite IVF arrangement with ONE Fertility in Burlington so that couples in our community could access most of their IVF care with us, minimizing disruption in their lives.  ONE Fertility remains an excellent clinic that has assisted many couples complete their families and we are grateful for their cooperation over the years.

Aside from the gift of our practice, Windsor has been a place where we could create a home and a family.  We bought a fixer upper with a great yard for the dogs and we've been fixing it up for 30 years now.  During our 50's (having lost our math skills), we adopted Lily and then Grace from China.  We were inspired to adopt by a colleague who had experienced a similar journey to ours, and patients in our practice paid it forward as several couples elected to create their families by following in our footsteps.  We are so grateful to these adopting families for having the courage to think outside of fertility treatments to create their families.

Tony became more active in Windsor Regional Hospital by sitting on the medical staff executive committee for three years and although he was happy to contribute and connect, life was hectic especially with two kids, 3 dogs and a full time practice.  He then took on the chaos of department chief spending 7 years in the role, finally getting paroled in 2013.  He then was involved in the perinatal committee and in his "retirement" continues to assist at C-sections and help out in the IVF unit.  Mary continued to work as a nurse and counsellor in the clinic and also had a small cognitive therapy practice treating anxiety disorders.  

Windsor also gave us the gift of summer in much the same way that Alberta provides the gift of winter.  Given that neither of us were ever inclined to strap boards to our feet and slide down snowy mountains, living here protected us from having to consider shortening our lives in such a fashion.  Tony discovered golf and Mary gardening, and then we started weight lifting so we could continue to golf and garden!  We never tire of the wonderful seasons in our region and are grateful to live in a climate that is kind to us.

Five years ago we blended our practice with Dr. Victory's and helped develop Windsors first IVF unit.  While we maintained our own philosophies and practice patterns, we did enjoy working with Dr. Victory and his team.  We loved working together as a couple and coped with the long hours and intensity of patient concerns by keeping our sense of humour.  We've had a lot of fun over the years and are very grateful to our patients and colleagues for participating in our antics, or at the very least tolerating us.

Our plan was to blend the practices and back away within a couple of years leaving Dr. Victory to take on our patients.  However Covid came along and we didn't feel like it would be honourable to leave healthcare when the community and country was in crisis.  We got our shots and kept trucking along and did great until the mask mandate was lifted.  Tony got covid and continues to be symptomatic 2 years later.  So it was time to bid our precious practice farewell.

In approaching the end of our careers we wondered how we could thank a community that has given so much to us?  

One night we were watching the news with our now paramedic daughter Lily, when a report of a fundraiser for a transport ventilator at WRH aired.  What happens if someone isn't breathing and they have to be transported  I asked Lil.  She made a bagging motion with her hands.  It was mind boggling that our wonderful community lacked this vital piece of equipment.  So we bought one to say thanks to all of you. We hope you will never need it.

That started the discussion about our legacy.  Will our community understand how much they have given us, and how much we appreciate them after we've moved on?  Maybe there was a way that we could remind them of how important they are to us - long after we are gone.  So we sat down with the Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation and discussed the needs of the OB unit in the new hospital.  Money had been promised for building the structure of the new hospital, but not for the equipment required for patient care.  There is so much need and so many options to help, but we decided to provide the equipment for  a C-section room in the new hospital given the time we've spent in reproductive health.  And some day, one of our patients or their child will be wheeled into the Dr, Tony and Mary C-section suite in anticipation of bringing a new baby into the world and will know that we are with them in spirit.

We will never forget or regret the time spent serving our community.  We hope that when a former patient spots us out and about, they will stop and show us pictures of their wonderful families.  Bringing new life into the world has been a privilege and a gift we will never forget.  We wish you joy.

PATTINSON TIMES 2023

 Seasons Greetings to all of our friends and family around the planet.  We begin this greeting with our year end photo - Tony in his new "ugly" Christmas sweater holding Jack Jack - the newest Pattinson -who is not appreciating his reindeer costume.  Note the position of the Christmas tree - sitting proud on the gyne table (yes we have one) in our living room.  Crazy never leaves the building.

Tony's farewell gift from obstetrical call was a covid infection at the beginning of the year.  Despite mild symptoms initially, he's developed chronic headaches apparently common with this nasty bug with no great solutions offered by the specialists.  The good news is that he has had batteries of tests and is not deaf, does not have dementia, is perfectly healthy other than his serum chocolate level being on the high side.  And now he does not have a good excuse for not listening to his spouse or forgetting anything!  

However, he did have an awesome 70th birthday this year complete with a gorilla and blown up condom balloons at the office.  This was followed by a 3 day trip to Bayfield - parents only- to enjoy long walks, meals out and as much ice cream as we could manage.

Tony has managed to stay in stellar shape by weight lifting daily at our favourite gym and staying active on the golf course from spring to fall with his circle of unruly docs.  The man room is well used given his passion for watching all sports accompanied by a little scotch on occasion and it serves as a little escape from the excess of estrogen at our house.

Tony shows no sign of slowing down in the workshop, always looking for the next project and wandering the halls of Home Depot gathering supplies.   He's a great helper in the garden, and fires up the chain saw when I point at a tree limb destined to fall on the house.  I try to keep the honey-do list long so that he doesn't get bored which I am sure that he appreciates.   

While we retired from OB and gyne this summer, we continue to provide infertility services.  This has reduced our work load significantly, and increased our free time to manage home.  This year we put a metal roof on the house, James Hardie siding on the garage, expanded the garage door opening (after its accidental collision with the jag on more than one occasion) and covered the pergola so that we can enjoy our beverages outdoors during a rain storm.  However, most of my time has been taken up with what we now refer to as the farm - producing so many tomatoes that it can now be considered an addiction.  Peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, the ever favourite kale, beans, peas, squash, parsnips all provided bumper crops and insure that we always have enough fibre.  This year I am playing with cold weather gardening under cover in the hopes that I can keep the greens coming through the winter.  

best salad ever

Much to the annoyance of our children, being at home has allowed us to micromanage their lives a little more effectively.  Our strategy of getting Lily a job at a hospital coffee shop earlier in the year seemed to motivate her to hit the books and rocket through her final term of paramedicine.  That combined with a great experience on the ambulance in the spring with wonderful mentors inspired her successful completion of the program, provincial exams and landed her a full time job with Windsor EMS.

Anne and Stewart honoured her efforts by flying out from Wisconsin to attend the grad and a good time was had by all who have witnessed Lily's efforts and growth since she came into our lives.  This has not been a success only journey as she has had to work much harder than many of her peers to get where she wanted to be.  She brings unique talents to her job including a never ending optimistic spirit, a history of being completely nose blind, and the ability to leave yesterday in the dust without dwelling on anything negative.  All of this energy is completely fuelled by carbohydrate.

She has been identified by her employer as being a black cloud magnet as if a shooting or stabbing is in the works, Lily is sure to be on shift.  As long as they are buying the pizza, she just keeps going, unfazed.

We discovered this year that when Lily drinks alcohol, she suffers from the "Asian Flush" and is now unable to partake in anything but a virgin brown cow.  This has increased her popularity as she is now the designated driver for EMS colleagues.  She is coming to the realization that her co workers really like a good time and she may need to invest in a bus.

This year I traded in my beloved Mom Van for a Subaru Soltera all electric vehicle.  I did get quite choked up on the day I handed the keys for the van over as it represented years of raising and feeding the girls on the run from school, swim, track and dive practice and all the activities a family with kids and dogs are involved in.

However my new vehicle, is faster than the jag, doesn't need any gas and requires minimal attention.  It has multiple safety features that will stop the car rather than letting me hit the garage, texts me repeatedly if I forget to lock it, corrects my bad parking and keeps me in what it thinks is an appropriate lane.   It will accommodate 3 dogs, 2 kids, a husband and a trip to Costco and will tattle if seatbelts are undone or the posted speed is exceeded.  What else could a girl ask for?

Grace has entered the: I'm going to learn everything the hard way and I'm going to poke every bear along the way part of her development.  She's also the go to person if your tech is missing,  or you are looking for something inappropriate to wear at a gathering.  Her Dad and I have spent most of the year trying to prevent consequences that a 15 year old can find herself in.  Unfortunately, she is quite bright and creative and sometimes we just can't keep up with the antics.  

We transferred her to the e-steam program at Tecumseh Vista this year as the IB was not giving her enough exposure to Math and Science for her liking and she's having to work a little harder which isn't a bad thing at all.  She's continued on with the high school swim team and works just hard enough to annoy the coach.  Grace has joined our gym this year, primarily because she likes the

workout wear and the boys. Despite eating her weight in carbs every week and moderate efforts in weight lifting she has managed to maintain a good physique and doesn't yet require insulin.

She enjoys her weekend job at our favourite Chinese restaurant - the Pomegranate- and is great at saving her pay checks for that rainy day when she may want to set off on her own.  She is rumoured to have a great work ethic!

She will turn 16 on January 1st and so will begin the next dilemma of whether we can trust her behind the wheel.  The jag is too fast, the truck too big for her to reach the pedals and the Subaru wouldn't let her out of the driveway.  So the consensus for now is a no, but we will watch for cues that she is open to driving instruction and obeying a few inconvenient rules and we may modify our decision in a few years.  We'll also have to consult with our physicians to determine if our coronary arteries are up to the task.  

If there are 2 kids in the universe that are more opposite than Lily and Grace, I challenge you to find them.  We've set Lily up in a basement bedroom so that she can sleep post night shift without Grace unintentionally on-purpose waking her up several times a day.  Waking Lil up from a sound sleep is like waking a bear in January...a skill Grace has perfected.  Shift work has been tough for Lily to adapt to, especially given the amount of overtime she works and there is no negotiating a peace between the two of them to play nicely right now.

Enter Jack...the common denominator in fun.  The one thing our entire family (with the exception of Sophie) can agree on right now is how much fun he

has brought into our lives.  He is a little fluff ball and everyone in the family is his favourite person.

I had been considering a giant schnauzer for a while but Tony and I decided that 120 pounds of spoiled dog would probably be a poor choice.  Ollie is quite protective of me and we had concerns that any puppy that looked like bunny would get eaten.  But he was getting a little bored with life as Sophie, the 13 year old, mostly sleeps all day and hates it when Ollie jumps on her.  I negotiated for a standard but couldn't find a breeder near by so found Jack, a miniature schnauzer at a breeder in Stratford.

We went for a visit and met our pup and noticed the breeder had several well behaved smallish schnauzers that she bred and spoiled and a standard schnauzer in the yard that was a bit louder.  We thought that a 12 pound quiet schnauzer would be a good addition to the family and brought him home with Tony (big dog) carrying him in the house.

Can we taste the puppy?

The first night home Sophie and Ollie stood over him and drooled.  They dared not to challenge "big dog" but we knew that Jack would be dinner for them if we looked away.  We took Jack to the office and he's quickly become the clinic mascot with the added benefit of being a stress buster for the staff. We had many comments about his big paws but decided he was just fluffy.  At his 13 week vet visit he had reached his mother's adult weight.  We suspected that his Daddy might be the big dude in the breeders yard who snuck in for a date night.

Ice cream beards

Now this boy is a force to be reckoned with.  He barks, plays Ollie into exhaustion, can outrun any family member, eats like it's his last meal and behaves just like the big boy standard schnauzer he is likely to become.  And we couldn't be happier.

So our recipe for a wonderful 2024 would be to find a four-legged friend and go outside to play, plant a few vegetables, save the planet, work a little less and hit some balls at the golf course. Have your best year ever.

Love Tony, Mary, Lily, Grace, Sophie, Ollie and Jack-Jack