April showers and Springtime fun

After a busy but uneventful start to our week on Monday, things have been pretty quiet around here. Thankfully work wasn't too crazy and we were able to get out a few nights for a little fun too.  

Tuesday I took my car in for the repair estimate and the nice guy at the repair shop put crash wrap over the window, which isn't a real fix, but at least it allowed us to get around on some short trips around town.  

After work on Tuesday, we we took advantage of the opportunity to take a trip to the Padgett Park Dog Park in Dewitt on it's opening day of the season.

When we first arrived, there weren't many people at the park and most of them were not the regulars that we know, but that didn't matter to the girls.  After five months of being closed, the girls were happy to be back.  Peaches made the most of the opportunity to sniff and explore every inch of the park.  Mina was content just to play fetch.  Of course, I made her work for some of her fun by doing some tricks/work on the agility equipment at the park.  After successfully completing whatever task I requested, she was rewarded with a toss of the ball.  We'd been there about 45 minutes when some of the regulars started to arrive and the place got a little more crowded.  We stayed for a while longer, but once it starts to get crowded, I'm happy to leave.  So we loaded up into the car to head home.  

I was really glad that we had the chance to get to the park on Tuesday, because the weather forecast for Wednesday promised storms and rain all day long, with the possibility of strong storms starting late in the afternoon through the early evening.  I hoped that our park visit would keep the girls content for the day on Wednesday when I knew we wouldn't be able to get out due to the weather.

We woke to thunderstorms and temperatures barely above freezing, and the girls ran to the back door to go outside for their morning potty break, but once I opened the door to the back yard neither of them had any desire to go outside.  I left them out while I got their breakfast ready, but I'm pretty sure neither of them left the garage while they waited for me.

As the storms continued throughout the day, I moved from the office to the dining room for my workday, and the girls happily slept away the day.  At lunch, I tried once again to get the girls to go out for a potty break, and they refused again.  And back they went to sleep the day away on the couch.  Over my lunch, I made sure we were prepared for any severe weather we might get and moved anything we might need down into the basement.  Then I sat back down with the girls to finish my work day.  

Luckily for us, the temperatures remained in the 30s all day, which helped prevent more severe weather from developing, and we even got a short reprieve from the rain just before dinner.  I was finally able to convince the girls to go outside to potty just before 6pm, but only if I stood outside with them. 

Dinner in puzzle games and a few rounds of fetch were the fun for the day, and as the storms returned for the rest of the night, we settled in for a quiet evening at home.  I was very proud of how good they were all day.

The slow day Wednesday led to a little stir crazy Mina on Thursday, so thankfully they were able to spend some short periods of time out in the yard enjoying the day.  

Then, at the end of my work day, we headed back out to Dewitt for a visit to the dog park.  There were a bunch of dogs there when we arrived, and while Mina just didn't care at all about of all of the new friends, Peaches was pretty excited.  She was in a playful mood, and while she isn't as spry or fast as the younger dogs, she gives it her best.  She was flopping around, barking, and running trying to get them to play with her.  It was adorable.  Try as I might, I wasn't able to get any good video or pictures.  The only picture I got was of this group of Peaches' new friends.  

When we left, I headed out to find a couple of geocaches on our way home, then made a quick stop at the grocery store for a couple of things.  Then I drove home to try this new recipe I had found.  It was a tasty little baked feta and tomato chickpea casserole.  So good!

I was so happy when Friday finally arrived, and while I had a really busy work day, I was looking forward to a relaxing and productive weekend.  After work, I debated on what we should do, and ultimately decided to make the short drive to Dimondale.

Danford Island Park is a pretty little park with a nice wooded trail along the Grand River.  While the trail isn't very long, we made a few trips around the loop, then up the hill into the neighborhood and then took the short walk back to the park.

Of course I made the girls pose for a few pictures along the way.  And I thought this solar powered bench with charging ports and free wi-fi was a nice addition to the park.  

After our walk around the park, we continued our walk along the main street through town and eventually finished back at the park again.  In all, we walked just about 3 miles before we got back into the car to head home.

Before leaving, I stopped at the Village Cafe in town to pick up some dinner.  I have wanted to try their food for a while and this seemed like the perfect time.  We took one last quick walk around the block when we got home and then headed inside for dinner.  It had been a really nice start to our weekend.   

Mina got an extra little burst of energy after dinner, but eventually she passed out in her cozy cave.  The rest of the night was quiet.

Our Saturday started slowly.  Mina tried to get Peaches to play with her, without much success, and then happily settled in to watch the world go by while sitting on me.

Early in the afternoon, we drove to Old Town for our walk for the day.  We had a really nice walk around town.  

The Riverwalk was flooded from all of the rain we've gotten over the last week, and the forsythia are blooming.  That is a sure sign that the temperatures are slowly getting warmer.  We also saw lots of people out and about enjoying the day.  

After a nice three mile walk all around Old Town, we made it back to our car which was parked near Preuss Pets.  The girls got to say hello to some Girl Scouts who were out in front of the store selling cookie before we headed inside the store to pick up a few treats.

Boy oh boy was the store busy!  And despite the three miles of walking we had just completed, the girls were extra crazy for their visit.  So many people asked if they could pet them, but they were not deterred in their mission...to get to the ferrets!  Mina loves watching all of the furry little critters, and Peaches loves barking at the ferrets, but it was so crowded that we didn't stay for long.  

Before leaving, we picked up a few treats, and the girls got some love from their favorite Preuss employee, Sean.  I bought a box of cookies from the Girls Scouts on our way to the car, and then we headed home for dinner.  

I made a nice pot of potato soup for dinner and did some other meal prep while the soup was cooking.  Earlier in the week, I thought I had pulled some pumpkin puree out of the freezer for the dogs, but was surprised when I opened the bowl to find apples.  So I took advantage of this little error and made myself some apple crisp, too.  While I didn't have enough apples to make a big batch, these little muffin sized treats were perfect.  They are delicious!

Our Sunday will be spent doing cleaning, paying bills, and resting and recharging for the week to come.  I'm sure we'll find some time to have a little fun too.  

Tomorrow morning, I drop off my car at the shop for the door repair.  I'm hoping it won't take long, but they did tell me it could take 13 business days.  I have some work travel this week, so I'll have a rental for a couple of days.  We'll see how things go from there. We may get really bored with our walks around our neighborhood, but I know we'll be fine.  

March goes out like a lion

It has been a weird couple of weeks.  While I was planning on writing last weekend, a little bit of a whirlwind of craziness popped up and I just ran out of time.  My days throughout last week were busy and, while I thought I might find time to catch up one evening, that didn't happen either.  Then this past weekend, I once again had some things pop up and by the time I sat down on Sunday, I was just exhausted.  I was hoping to use Monday evening, the final day of March, to catch up on our last couple of weeks, but Monday's are so full during the day, that I'm just spent by then end of the day, so here we are on April first.  Let's get this done!

March is probably my favorite month of the year and the blooming crocuses are one of the reasons.  They are such a beautiful pop of color after a long winter.  They are now fading away as we enter April, and I'm always sad to see them go.  However, we're now coming into the season of tulips and daffodils, flowering trees like forsythia and magnolia and cherry.  The trees are starting to bud and soon the new spring leaves will unfurl to provide us shade as the warmer days approach.  I'm looking forward to all of this coming beauty.

We've spent lots of time at the dog park over the last two weeks.  I've been trying my best to get the girls out over my lunch several days a week, and some time running in the woods always seems like one of the best options.  They are always happy to be there.

Whether or not there are other dogs at the park doesn't matter, and some of our favorite trips have been when we've got the whole park to ourselves.  It's nice to be able to find a little peace in the middle of all of the craziness in the world today.  This is a wonderful little wooded oasis for us all to enjoy.

Peaches loves to spend her time sniffing and running while Mina plays fetch with her Chuck-it.  And Peaches is the first one to make friends with any new dogs and people as they arrive.  She has a few regulars who are some of her favorite friends and it's so fun to watch her play bow and run around barking to get them to play with her.  Many of them are half her age, but that doesn't deter her.  She may not always last long, but she sure does have fun while they are playing with her.

In addition to our dog park visits, we've been getting out for some regular walks when the weather cooperates.  When the weather doesn't cooperate, the girls have been happy to snuggle up with me for  the evening, even on the days they don't get much exercise. 

They weather had been pretty typical for early spring with some cold rainy days, some warm sunny days, a little snow, and a variety of other weather patterns sprinkled in, until this past weekend, but more on that later.  

On the nicer days, we linger a little longer at the park, and although Mina would be happy just to play ball the entire time we're there, I've been putting the ball away and forcing her to spend some time exploring a bit and maybe even posing for some pictures.  

I was especially happy on one of our visits to see the leaves beginning to pop an a few of the bushes in the woods.  Soon everything will be green and the girls will be a bit harder to spot.  

Last weekend, I got out to the shelter for our Saturday morning dog walk.  We had enough people to get all of the dogs that were available out on a walk. 

Shulk(above) and Keldorn(below) were just two of our walking friends. Everyone had a great time and it's always nice to be able to share some of my free time with the shelter dogs.  They are always so appreciative of all of the time and attention.  

We were also able to get out for a visit to the Fenner Nature Center's Maple Syrup Festival.  

The girls were very popular, and any part of our walk that was near the festival activities, we were met with lots of people asking if they could say hello.  The girls enjoy the extra love and attention, so I don't mind.  Honestly, I think it helps tire them out as much as any other activity.  They especially love when kids stop to say hello.

We took a nice walk through the woods, tried many of the activities, and learned all about Maple Syrup and how the whole process works.

Then I had to make sure to take a walk through the short grass prairie because that is Peaches' favorite trail.  She was pretty happy to be able to take a nice roll in the grass along the way. 

Before we left, we went inside the Nature Center building, where dogs aren't normally allowed, to check it out.  And of course I made the girls stop for a picture.

We ended our day with a stop at the all you can eat pancake breakfast which is a major fundraiser for Fenner.  The girls waited impatiently as I got my pancakes and were rewarded with a pancake of their own to share.  It had been a fun day and I had two very happy girls as we headed home for the evening.

Last Sunday, I had the opportunity for one of the most unique experience I've had in my years of volunteering at the shelter when I got to transport a little alligator.  This little girl was found in an abandoned house in Lansing.  She was cold and dehydrated, and the animal control staff worked quickly to get her help.  Luckily our friends at Preuss Pets were able to take her in for the night to help her get warm and hydrated, and they were also able to help get her a placement with Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary near Battle Creek.  She just needed a ride there are Sunday morning, and I was the lucky one that got to take her. 

She rode really nicely in the back of my car and was one of the easiest passengers I've ever had.  When I dropped her off, I knew that she'd be in great hands.  I had never heard of Critchlow before, but I'm definitely going to plan a trip to visit when they reopen for the season.  

Before heading home, I decided to do a little geocaching in the area.  I don't often get away from home without the girls, and I decided to enjoy a little break.  It was nice to explore the area a bit and find some neat little hidden gems along the way.

While I was driving, my mom called to tell me she was taking my dad to the hospital in Owosso because he was having some dizzy spells, and his trip there ultimately got him sent to Lansing for further testing.  So I hurried home, got the girls out for a quick trip to Preuss to expend some energy, and then spent my Sunday evening at the hospital with my parents.  

Dad ended up staying in Lansing at the hospital for a couple of days, so I spent much of my Monday at the hospital again, just so I would be there to know what was going on.  I also visited him Tuesday afternoon and, while I hate that he had to be in the hospital, I always love when I get to have these one on one visits.  We have some pretty great conversations and it just feels like such a special time with him.  Thankfully he was feeling much better.

We continued our visits to Soldan dog park as the week settled in and my dad got to go home from the hospital on Wednesday.

Our Friday evening visit was probably my favorite of the week though because the weather was beautiful and the park was nearly empty.  Mina was not completely ball obsessed and went off on her own for some fun while Peaches did the same, and I got to just sit on one of the benches near the water and enjoy the day.  This was just the end to the week that we needed.

Unfortunately, my plans for Saturday had to change when there was a mishap in the parking lot of one of our local Quality Dairy stores, which led to a broken window and damaged rear passenger door in my car.  It was a silly accident, completely my fault, the only damage was to my car, and no one was hurt by the breaking of the glass in the window.  

Luckily other than a couple of quick stops, I didn't have many plans for Saturday anyway, so other than the time and energy I had to spend dealing with the insurance company, it wasn't a big disruption for our day.  I spent the rest of the day doing laundry and lots of cleaning and other small projects around the house.  With the warmer weather, the girls spent a lot of time outside and we took a nice walk to fill our day.  Overall, it was a productive day.

We had made plans for a little local adventure with Vanessa for Sunday morning so that we could get out before rain and storms moved into the area.  Vanessa picked me up at my house and off we went for a little geocaching fun.  I didn't take many pictures, but I was pretty excited to find the little leaves of some trout lilies starting to poke through the ground as well as what appeared to be Dutchman's Breeches.  We also found this very interesting fungus pictured above.  I don't know what it is, but it sure looked interesting.

We ended up muddy, I slipped on mud and fell on my butt trying to cross a small stream, and we were sometimes convinced we might be a little crazy.  But we had a great time and found 8 geocaches that I've been eyeing for awhile.  It was a successful day!

The girls waited patiently in the car for some of our adventures, but were rewarded with a walk around REO town before we headed home.  They seemed very happy with their day.

We got home before the rain, and I was able to clean up, do a load of laundry, throw dinner in the crockpot, and do some meal prep for the rest of the week, while the girls took a nap following their late lunch.  I was glad that I could have dinner and feed them dinner and then get them outside for a potty break before some severe storms started to move into the area.  I had made sure that we had water, food, and any other necessities in the basement in the event of a real emergency, too.    

The storms that came through moved quickly, and we got lucky because the worst of it passed to our east and south, but there was a tornado warning and I did take the girls into the basement for a short period of time, just to be safe.  IMina was fascinated with the basement because she really hasn't spent any time there.  I was glad we didn't need to hide for long, and I feel very fortunate that our storms weren't too severe, but I know some areas suffered through some pretty damaging winds.  In addition, north of us in the northern Lower Peninsula and eastern UP, they have been devasted by ice storms over the weekend, and the central and western UP was hit with a huge snow storm with some areas getting nearly two feet of snow.  It is going to take a lot of time to restore power and recover from all of the damage.  And the worst part is that they are expecting more ice and high winds again over the next couple of day.  We have a big storm heading our way tomorrow evening, with chances of damaging winds again too, but I'm hoping that our luck holds out and they pass us by without much trouble.  

I've now gotten an estimate for my car repair and I'm just waiting for the parts to come in so that we can schedule the repair.  Hopefully everything will go smoothly and quickly so we can get back to normal.  For now, we are good, and if I have to go a few days without a car, it will be just fine.  

There is our last two weeks in a nutshell.  I hope you are all doing well and enjoying our spring so far.  Welcome to April!