The Rideau Canal, which Ottawa boasts as the longest skating rink in the world, has still not been opened for skating this year. Even if the ice has been groomed, it isn't yet thick enough to satisfy the National Capital Commission that it is entirely safe to allow an official opening and people flocking along with their skates to zip along the iced-over canal. We did that, when our children were young, and it was always a lovely experience to view familiar landmarks from the perspective of a frozen canal, moving smoothly along on ice.

The creek down in the ravine is finally, once again, freezing over. We could see the faint orange-oval traces of the goldfish under the ice in the little pool they favour. It was -19C this morning and the day-time high, -17C. But thankfully no wind to speak of, and a clear sky, so the sun began to warm the atmosphere nicely enough. If the cold continues at this rate, the creek will freeze over completely, and the Rideau Canal will be open for business for the duration of mid-winter. Some people, depending on where they live along the canal route, make it a daily adventure to skate to work in the downtown area.

On the local news this morning on CBC there was a story and a notice that came with the story. On the west side of the city -- we're located on the east side -- coyotes attacked and killed a good-sized dog. A woman had been walking the two family dogs through an open field, the dogs freely roaming when they ran after what the woman realized too late was a coyote. There were two; one to lure the dogs the second to close in from behind. Her frantic calls brought one of her dogs back but the other failed to re-appear. Her husband went out himself when she returned home, and there were the coyotes, one allowing him to approach, and luring  him on, when the man noticed that another was moving closer behind him.

So leashes it shall be and leashes it shall remain, and for how long we've no idea. The misfortune struck the dog at 4:45, when dusk had already arrived. On our hike through the ravine today we bumped into a woman walking her family's two mid-sized dogs. She informed us that two days earlier, at 12:45 p.m., broad daylight, she had seen a coyote in one of the ravine hollows we're quite familiar with. Her dogs responded immediately she recalled them.

Well, today is a glorious, sparkling winter day. Snow from the storm of two nights ago remains on the trees, illuminated by the sun, and the landscape is beyond beautiful. We had a quite lovely hike through the forest, but it was terribly cold. When we'd taken Jackie and Jillie out first thing in the morning we first dressed them in snug little sweaters. When they came back in, their paws and legs were icy feeling and full of snow, but their bodies were toasty-warm.

Jackie kept challenging us to a run-and-tussle while we were out on the trails. He expressed a like invitation to Jillie. They often engage in competitive run-abouts, with Jackie running rings around Jillie, she doing her best to outmanoeuvre him, to little avail. The energy they both expend and the swiftness of their movements is amazing. But this cannot happen on leash.

Just as well that often when we return home from one of our ravine escapades they'll both be seized with an appetite to rip through the house on a running rampage, stopping now and again to rise on hind legs and box with one another....