Our puppies are seriously concerned. Everything's not quite as it should be. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say they're confused and somewhat troubled by the nasty turn that's been taken. They know to the minute of the day when their breakfast is ready to be gobbled up, when their afternoon snack is expected and certainly when dinnertime rolls around. Their sense of anticipation and entitlement can rival any atomic clock.

Someone, it seems, is tampering with their rights and expectations. They've forgotten that this has happened to them before. Life can be cruel when you're a little dog dependent on your just due, a trusting little fellow who takes it for granted that you and your sister can rely upon the punctual delivery of meals at the appropriate time. Right now, they're living a somewhat confused life.

Come to think of it so are we. Though it's doubtful that knowledge would be greeted with any sympathy by Jackie and Jillie. After all, it's our duty to do certain things at certain times and we've been fairly dependable up to now. And then, suddenly, we dropped our guard and left our puppies confused, disturbed, pensive about whether or not they're as loved as they thought they were.

Meanwhile, we're still trying to get our heads around what the actual time is as compared to the 'new' time imposed on us by switching back to 'standard' time, from daylight saving. We've reset the clocks (most of them) and keep reminding ourselves what the 'real' time is, and that would be the time we've been forced by government diktat to abandon. Oh, I know, give it another day or two and this mental confusion will dissipate.

However, it is irritating and we totally commiserate with Jackie and Jillie. This is a rather passe tradition; we're no longer an agrarian society. And the irony is that here in Canada, the largely agricultural province of Saskatchewan has chosen to remain on standard time year-round. The original purpose of the time change was to allow farming communities to take better advantage of daylight hours. Balderdash!

As though we weren't aghast enough at the close of daylight hours arriving earlier in the evening on 'daylight saving' time. Now, dusk falls at half-past four and speedily turns dark and dismal. Jackie and Jillie aren't concerned about that, just the fact that on the new time schedule waking time and eating time has been affected. Bah, humbug!

We were out a bit late for our afternoon hike through the forest trails today. Both of us were busy with household things; me mostly cleaning the house, he helping, but also starting the process of installing new interior shutters on one of the bedroom windows, with a view to starting new stained glass windows to fit into the shutters.

Today has been a wickedly icy day. Not only the temperature that has held steady at 0C, but blustery winds ranging up to 50klm at times. We did see some sun, but by the time we launched ourselves out to the ravine the sun had retreated and the sky busied itself hoisting white flags. The snow flurries we had earlier in the day were held in temporary abeyance, but they'll be returning overnight. 

We missed our usual daily hike yesterday thanks to unending rain, so Jackie and Jillie were beyond pleased to make up for the lapse in their recreational romp in the woods today. Jackie is so determined not to miss anything, he  veers all over from one side to the other, looping his leash around, under or over Jillie's. You can feel dizzy just watching his busy little legs carrying him hither and yon, back and forth endlessly.

We noted that the thousands of spruce and pine cones that had fallen over the last month have been collected by the diligent squirrel population, padding their cupboards for the guarantee of winter sustenance. And now, with the frost settling into the ground and the -6C night time temperatures, conifers have been shedding their cones anew. The little white carpet rose at the front garden has finally given up the ghost, the lovely white/yellow/pink blossoms that devoutly kept blooming are now shattered; cut-back time.