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!

One last Winter Adventure

This week has been a busy one at work.  The end of the quarter and all of the prep work I had to complete for an advisor training meeting next week, our first of three this spring, has kept me busier than normal.  Add in my annual eye exam and a couple of other meetings, and it made for full days.  

Lucky for me, the girls are mostly happy to nap the mornings away while I'm working.  But by the time we reach the afternoon, they sometimes can get a little antsy.  For the most part, the weather this week has cooperated and they have been able to spend some time outside in the yard during the day when they get bored inside.  However, it would really help if we could get on a better schedule of exercise and brain games again to ensure that they are getting all that they need in both physical and mental stimulation.

We were able to get out for a nice long visit to Soldan dog park on Monday right after work.  We hadn't planned on quite such a long visit, but I got stuck in a conversation with one of the other dog owners there, and while I was talking, Mina decided that she could explore on her own and didn't need me to entertain her by playing fetch the entire visit.  Then a couple of dogs showed up that Peaches quickly befriended and started playing chase with like she was half her age.  They were both having such a good time, and the weather was so nice, I was glad that we had gotten stuck for a longer visit. 

On Tuesday, I worked late and then was busy on a phone call, so instead of getting out for an evening walk, I headed back for a later than usual visit to the dog park.  When we arrived, there was only one other dog there on the opposite side of the pond, and soon after, they left the park, leaving us all alone in this beautiful 15 acre park.  It was so peaceful and it was such a beautiful evening.  Mina explored on her own for a while, but eventually she brought me a ball to play with her.  She was intently playing fetch, and she didn't even notice that she had broken one of her nails on her back paw.  She was bleeding profusely, but remained unphased as she continued to play.  Thankfully, the bleeding had nearly stopped by the time we left just after sunset.  I had thoroughly enjoyed this visit, and so had both girls.  

Mid-week, I got this adorable picture of Fiona from Nicol.  We're just five weeks away from her third birthday, and she officially no longer looks like a baby.  She's growing up and changing so fast!  

On Wednesday, the weather was gorgeous, and I decided we all needed a change of pace from all of our dog park trips.  So when I finally finished my work day, we headed out to explore.  

We ended up at Delta Mills Park and had a lovely walk along the paved trail nearby as well as in the park itself.  There were lots of other people out enjoying the weather, and Mina was especially intrigued by the groups of people playing pickleball.  When we finished our walk, I made the girls pose for a few pictures along the river before we got back into the car to head home.  

Thursday was my busiest day of the week, and by the time I had a chance to get the dogs out for some exercise, the dog park made the most sense.  I knew that I had some fun weekend plans, so I was okay with another dog park visit.  At least I know that after a good run at the dog park, Peaches is more likely to relax for the evening, so it is always a good option, even if I get sick of the same views every day.

I was so happy when we finally reach Friday.  I still had some final preparations to make for our meeting next week, but I felt much more relaxed than I had the rest of the week.  The work day went smoothly, and I was able to get out of the office by mid-afternoon to start our drive North for the weekend.  The roads were clear, the sun was shining, and the temperatures for most of our drive in the Lower Peninsula were in the mid-60s to low 70s.  But by the time I reached the Bridge, temperatures had dropped to near 40.

When we got into the UP, the smooth travel continued.  Peaches had happily napped most of our drive, and Mina was either napping or sitting with me as my co-pilot.  We arrived at our motel in Manistique around 6:30, unpacked the car, and then headed out for a short walk so the girls could potty and stretch their legs.  They were so happy to head out to the beach on the motel property.  We've stayed here enough over the last couple of years that they are very familiar with the property and couldn't wait for their beach walk.  I think they were a bit surprised by the amount of ice and snow, but also very happy about it.

After our walk, I headed over to Clyde's to pick up a burger for dinner.  I couldn't believe I was the only one there.  That never happens!

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped along the way at one of the beachside parks so we could take a nice walk on the beach and enjoy the sunset.

We were all very happy to be on the beach and in the sand.  I was really enjoying the beauty of all of this ice and the girls were loving all of the smells.

We had picked the perfect time to enjoy the beach and had it all to ourselves.  We had a nice mile walk on the beach and boardwalk before we got into the car to head back to the hotel.

When we got to the hotel, I fed the girls dinner and then sat down finally to eat my burger.  It was delicious as always. 

The girls watched every bite I took, hoping that they would be rewarded with a bit too.  Of course, I couldn't disappoint them.  What a wonderful travel day we had!

We woke up Saturday morning with no specific plans.  I just wanted to be able to relax and get out for a few walks and short adventures.  After a slow start to our morning, we finally got ready to leave around 11am.  First I made a stop to pick up some lunch, and then we were off for some fun.

We spent the first part of our day traveling to sites around Indian Lake, the first of which was the Bishop Baraga Shrine-the site of his first church in the UP.  

While we were there, the girls sniffed around, we found a geocache, and we checked out the buildings and the lake.

Then we visited the Raney Wildlife area. There is a short walk to a wildlife viewing platform and it is a very pretty area.  I love Cedar forests.

We walked out to the platform, enjoyed the views, and then turned around to head back to the car.

I was really happy that I had my ice cleats because a couple of spots along the trail were pretty icy.

Next we headed to Palms Book State Park to visit Kitch-iti-kippi.  We've been here many times before, but it's always worth a visit when we're in the area, especially this time of year when there are far fewer people.

After picking up a few more geocaches, we headed south down the Garden Peninsula.  This is an area I haven't explored much, although I have driven the peninsula in the past. 

I made the drive to the Sac Bay County park at the southern end of the peninsula and had hoped to get out for a little walk, but the trails were flooded and muddy and the wind was brutally cold.  So after a quick stop, we started our journey north again.

I was excited to discover this lovely little cemetery with beautiful views of Big Bay de Noc.  One of the benefits of geocaching is that it brings me to spots like this that I wouldn't have otherwise found.

This little Fisherman's cemetery was fascinating and I really enjoyed this stop.  When I die, I'd love to be buried somewhere just like this.  What a view!

We made a quick stop at Fayette, but the grounds are currently closed for some construction, so other than a quick walk from the campground to the boat dock we couldn't explore any farther.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Thompson Fish Hatchery for a little self-guided tour.

The path had several informative signs and I loved following the yellow fish road from stop to stop.

We finally made it back to our hotel in time to watch the end of the Michigan/Maryland men's basketball game and take a little break.  By the time the game was over, the girls were ready for dinner, but I had plans for one more walk before they ate.  So we headed to downtown Manistique and took a nice 1.5 mile walk.  Then I ordered a pizza from Main Street Pizza, and we drove over to the beach for a quick round of ball on the beach for Mina.  She loves ball on the beach.  I took them back to the room for their dinner, and then ran back into town to pick up my pizza to end our day.  It had been another great day in the UP.

On Sunday we were up early to make the drive to Marquette to meet up with my nephew, Mason, for a little more winter fun.  Peaches refused to eat her breakfast with her medication in it, and I had to dig the pills out of her dish just so she would eat, and I couldn't convince her to take the pills any other way, so she started the day a little more anxious, but I figured we would manage.

It was a blustery, frigid day with temperatures never getting above the mid-20s and wind chills in the single digits.  

After picking Mason up on campus at NMU, we headed out to visit the Eben Ice Caves.   Luckily this area is wooded and well protected from the wind, so we had a comfortable walk out to the caves.

It was a slippery walk, even with cleats, but we made it safely,  although I may regret my decision to slide down the final hill on my butt.  With the recent thaw, rain, and refreezing, it was a bit of a bumpy ride!  I may be a little sore tomorrow.

For the first time ever we were the only people at the caves for a brief period of time, and we only saw a total of 10 people the entire visit- 4 leaving the caves when we arrived, 2 who came shortly after we arrived, and 4 near the beginning of the trail as we were leaving.   It was pretty amazing to see all of this beauty without the crowds.

The walk back to the car went way more quickly than the walk out because climbing up all of the icy hills is so much easier than going down.  

Mina enjoyed her walk with Mason, while I got some quality time with Peaches.  I even worked up a sweat on the return trip.  It was such a fun time, and I was so happy to get to spend some time with Mason.

When we got back to Marquette, we stopped at Border Grill for lunch before dropping Mason off at his dorm.  It was time to start our drive home.

But when I realized the North Country Trail was less than a half mile from Mason's dorm, you know I had to make a stop before leaving town. 

The wind was brutal and this section of the trail wasn't very scenic due to construction along the route.  Due to the cold and wind, we only walked about one mile, but that gets us one mile closer to our 100.

While the girls settled in for our drive home, I had to make a quick stop in Au Train to marvel at the beauty of the frozen Lake Superior and the amazing power of the wind.  I also quickly stopped for a look at Scott Falls.

We continued our drive through the UP which was mostly uneventful until we reached the Brevort area where apparently some winter weather has passed through earlier in the day.   There were near whiteout conditions along US2 and Lake Michigan, and the conditions crossing the Mackinac Bridge were some of the worst I had traveled on it.  The outside lane was icy and there were high wind warnings, so it was slow going, but we made it safely across.

When we reached Mackinaw City, I stopped to get a Pastie from Mackinaw Pastie and Cookie Company for the drive home, made a potty stop, and filled up the gas tank.  I was not planning to stop for the rest of the drive home.

Because of the winter weather that had moved through the Northern Michigan snowbelt, the drive was dicey at points, but for the most part I felt we could safely make it home by just slowing down and taking our time.  There were a few miles north of Gaylord that several cars had gone off the highway due to icy conditions,  and I had told myself I would stop if I felt the roads weren't safe, but by the time we got to an exit with hotels, the roads had cleared enough that I didn't feel we needed to stop.  Finally, about 90 minutes from home everything cleared up and the rest of our drive was smooth sailing.  We made the last hour of our drive after sunset, getting home about an hour later than originally projected,  but we had experienced a gorgeous bright red sky immediately after sunset and are now happily safe and sound at home.

After our weekend adventures and the weather today, I'm officially finished with Winter.  We've had our Winter fun.  Bring on  Spring!