Blooming in Alberta

Interesting day I had.  Wanting a break from the winterscapes of the view from our windows, a dear friend and I went on a plant-outing.  First stop was the Muttart Conservatory where each pyramid provides a unique experience – escapes to tropical, arid, and temperate climates.  Not everything was in bloom but there was still an abundance of greenery and bright colour.  A real day-brightener.  From there, we headed off to a local greenhouse, where I found a lovely cactus/succulent arrangement and my friend picked out some little pots of bright blooms.  A quick way to bring the cheeriness of our day home.

Winter in Alberta?

It struck me at the time that most of the plants we saw, left to their own devices here, would be either dead or dormant.  However, with care, the proper environment and loving attention, anything is possible.  So much can be accomplished when people care enough to make it happen.  Brightly flowering plants in the middle of an Alberta winter are just one example.

So it felt like no real coincidence, that, on the same day, I had a very enjoyable visit from Logan (Erin’s son and Denham’s father) and his owner Laurie Foster.  What an incredible transformation!  Just one year ago, when he arrived at the Fosters, I was stunned to see the skinniest Gordon ever – a darling dog but painful to look at and very, very unsure of himself.  At 8 weeks of age, I’d been in awe of this puppy.  He was just what I hoped the breeding would have produced but, here I was a few years later, cringing at this poor little guy that was a shadow of what I thought he could be.

Now, flash-forward a year and this happy dog was in full, showable, weight and looked magnificent (well, ok, he could have used a show groom) .  A hunky, solid, well-constructed dog with a waggy tail.  Not totally confident in our house, he still was willing to try out a few of his newly learned tricks in this strange surrounding as well as go exploring and he definitely knew that Laurie was “Mom”.  His confidence grew with the length of the visit and it was wonderful to hear how comfortable and secure he feels and acts at his home.  He’s now becoming the dog he was meant to be and it just made me smile.  Here’s a few of the pictures I took (next round we’ll do some groomed ones).

Enjoying the view from the dog perch

I'm the king of my domain

Again, confirming…. With care, the proper environment and loving attention, anything is possible.  You just need to make it happen.  Thank you, Laurie, for taking Logan under your wing and bringing out the dog that was always within him.  He’s now blooming in Alberta.

All's right with my world