Hello, , from sweltering British Columbia!

To be clear - I am not complaining at all about the heat. I love it. I live for it. I can't be hot enough and wish I had a superpower to hold the heat of summer inside my body so when the cold, damp fall, winter and spring come, I won't have to dress for an Arctic adventure when I take the dog around the block.

Speaking of dog... her name is Chilly. She came to us as a rescue—starving, recently having had a litter (and having tried to eat two of her own pups) 😳. She'd been a street dog in Northern Canada. Fortunately, as a husky, she does well outside in the winter. She does not love this heat though.

That said, it doesn't keep her from her nature as a scavenger and opportunist.

With all of our house doors open to try to create a breeze (so the hubster doesn't melt), there are times Chilly sneaks out and, if the gate isn't closed, takes herself on an unsupervised walk-about of our tiny town. The neighbours all know her and will message me that she's out on a jaunt.

We're very lucky to live where we do—a community of about 300 people with quiet streets (so quiet we don't have sidewalks!). Also, more than 60% of the homes here have dogs, so free ranging canines, although not encouraged, is common and accepted.

What is less common or accepted is dog thievery, which our gentle girl is very skilled at.

If a vehicle door is left open, she will investigate and help herself to a bag of chips or sandwich left in a car seat or a lunch bag.

If a child is holding food at her face level, Chilly clearly believes it's being offered to her.

And, if a house door is open... well, dear Chilly believes that's an open invitation to both visit and to eat whatever critter food the owner's have for their free feeding pet.

She's also brought home all manner of groceries for us. Some highlights -

A full, raw, pork roast

A perfect, ripe avocado - no teeth marks, even!

A package of Ramen noodles - chicken flavour

An empty bag of dog treats that I'm certain she was asking us to buy for her by the smile she gave us when we pried the bag from her grasp

Of all the food items she's found and delivered, the roast was the most confounding since I went to every single home in our area of the village to find the owner... nobody claimed it. Nobody posted to Facebook that they'd been robbed.

Not helping matters are the neighbours who think she's cute, showing up and asking to be fed. One has a kitchen window she stands at while doing dishes. When Chilly shows up and looks all cute and "poor starving dog me," this neighbour becomes a canine take-out restaurant. Drive up (on 4-paw drive), bark once, smile, wag a fluffy tail, and be rewarded with treats.

This morning, while on our walk Chilly found what appears to be luncheon meat, dropped on the side of the road, probably by accident. She'd have gotten away with scarfing it down had our resident, wild bandit not decided it was meant for her wee racoon paws and sharp as daggers teeth.

This racoon has taken to entering homes, too, through cat doors.

And the black bear, who has sadly become very adept opening outdoor freezers and feasting on frozen meats, is also competition for Chilly's stolen food fare.

Not sure where this is going!

How about to a great new book recommendation!

From insta-attraction to insta-hate. All that, and a bag of chips.

In a sleepy southern coastal town crowned the Hollywood of the East, worlds collide, and sparks fly when fate has two TV casting directors acting as accidental rivals.

It’s not just that the town isn’t quite big enough for the two of them. Violet Davenport brings deep roots, local allies, and old-fashioned Southern charm to the table. Nate Fowler’s got deep pockets, tech knowhow, and a family that’s been in the biz since the silent film days.

For their business—and their hearts—to survive, they'll have to overcome both a bitter hostility and a sweet insta-temptation.

In this enemies-to-lovers, new-in-town, one-night-stand unlikely love story, a boss lady and a Hollywood bad boy find that you only get as good as you give.

Download it now!

That's all the distraction I have to give you this sunny, Saturday afternoon!

I hope you're well!

love&hotstuff!

Danika

xo