The whirlwind

Boy have we had a full week!  It is Spring, and with the change in seasons comes the season of work travel.  Luckily the late March through early May travel is just local to Michigan so I'm gone overnight and then back home the next day, but the prep work leading up to these meetings can be a lot, especially for the first one.  Luckily our meeting this week was in Livonia so it was close to Canine College and close to Nicol.  

I left home early and did my first call of the day while I drove.  Then I dropped the girls off at Canine College for their full day of play and fun before their overnight stay.  Next I headed to a coffee shop close by to join my next meeting and to get some work done.  After a couple hours there,  I had to stop at one of our advisor offices to make a drop off, and by then it was time for lunch.

I stopped at Picasso's Cafe in Novi for a quick bite and then headed to Nicol's house for a visit with Nicol, Fiona, and Picasso.  I got some love from Picasso and then played games, played hide and seek, and played with Play Doh with Fiona.  I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.  But all too soon I had to leave so I could do some final preparations for our Tuesday meeting, finish a little work from my hotel room, and then head out for a work dinner.

I ended the evening by leaving dinner before dessert to drive to Nicol's so that I could read Fiona's bedtime stories and tuck her into bed.  And finally, I headed back to the hotel to head to bed myself.  

Tuesday I was up early and busy with our day training.  Finally after the meeting kicked off, I sat down to get some work done.  Of course I also had to check in on the girls to see how their day was going.

It was a long day with the meeting followed by a social hour, and then finally being able to pick the girls up to head home.  I got home after dark and I was tired, but happy to be back with the girls and done with our first of five meetings.

Wednesday was extra busy, and I didn't slow down all day.  I was happy when 5 O'clock finally arrived so that I could head out to the shelter for our Wednesday night dog walk.

The weather was beautiful and the girls came along for the drive.  They waited patiently while I was on the walk with this really nice group of dogs.  

Then, after all of the shelter dogs were safe and snug in their kennels, I drove to downtown Mason and got the girls out for a nice walk.  I grabbed a slice of pizza from Westside Deli for dinner and then headed home for the night.

Thursday morning was warm with temperatures in the mid-60s.  After a busy start to my work day, I stopped for an early lunch to run a couple of errands.  I was so excited to see the bees gathering pollen from my crocus!

The rest of the work day flew by, and before I knew it, it was 5pm.  I had plans with my nephew Mason after work, and I was excited to see him.

We were originally supposed to take the dogs for a walk at Fenner and then have dinner, but rain had moved into the area late in the afternoon so we skipped the walk.  Temperatures had also fallen into the 40s.  It definitely wasn't the best weather.

We had a nice visit over dinner and then we drove around and I showed him some of the highlights of Lansing before heading back to campus and dropping him off at his dorm.  I had such a nice time with him.  He's really a great kid.

Finally Friday arrived, and with it, another busy day.  I had so much to get done that I just made myself a sandwich and then worked through my lunch.

When I was finally done with work for the day, I knew we had to get out for some excercise.   I debated on what to do, and ultimately, I decided to make the drive to Albion to work on our NCT miles. 

Temperatures were in the 30s and the wind added an extra chill, but this is the ideal weather for walking with Peaches, so we took full advantage of it.  We finished the evening with 3.4 miles on the trail.  It was the perfect way to start our weekend.

Saturday morning was cold, but that didn't deter us from getting the shelter dogs out for a walk.

These three were full of energy, but did a pretty nice job on the walk.  I know that they were all very happy to be out of the shelter for awhile.

When I got home I fed the girls lunch, made myself a sandwich, and watched some of the Michigan vs Louisville women's basketball game.

Then we headed out for some fun in the sun.  

It was 38 degrees when we arrived at the Paul Henry Thornapple Trailhead in Middleville, but the sun was shining , and when the wind wasn't blowing, we stayed pretty comfortable. 

I always forget about this section of the NCT and I don't know why because it is such a nice portion of the trail.  We saw a couple of other people out, but for the most part we had the trail all to ourselves. 

I was pretty excited when I spied several little Trout Lily leaves peaking out through the leaves and grass.  I couldn't get a better picture without Peaches stomping all over them, so this little leaf is the only proof I have that Spring wildflowers are coming soon.  

We walked at a nice pace for some of our walk, and we took a more leisurely pace for portions too, so that Peaches could smell all of the smells.  Mina even joined in on some of the sniffing.

It ended up being a really nice time on the trail and I was so happy that we had gotten out to enjoy it.  We finished with 3.5 more miles on the trail which puts us over 40 miles for the year!  While I decided last year that I would be okay if Peaches couldn't do all 100 miles with us this year,  I am trying hard to get miles done early this year while she is still up for the hikes and enjoying them.  I'll modify hikes, shorten them if necessary, and do what I can to keep allowing her to join us as we move through the year.  While knows, maybe she'll go strong until we finish.   I sure hope so!

On the drive home I did some geocaching, and when we got home, Peaches was so sound asleep that she didn't even move when I opened the door to let them out of the car.  I had to gently wake her up and help her jump out of the car, but she was soon her crazy, silly self again, especially once she saw her dinner was ready.  

After making my own dinner, I did the dishes and a load of laundry, and settled in for a very quiet evening. What a perfect way to spend our Saturday. 

This morning as I write, I  have been thinking about this morning 37 tears ago,, the day that my amazing daughter came into my life.  It is crazy the details I can remember from that day when  sometimes I can't even remember what I did yesterday.  🤣

At this moment on that cold, gray day in 1989, I was at the hospital awaiting her arrival, not knowing how much she would change my life.  She definitely made an impact! 

I'm looking forward to the day because I'll be joining Nicol, Tyler, and Fiona for a trip to the Detroit Opera House to see The Lion King.  I'm excited to celebrate her day with her.

It's been a quiet and lazy day here so far, but it's time for me to get moving soon to head out for the day.  So I'm off to snuggle with the girls a bit before I have to leave them.  Hope you all have an amazing day!

The arrival of Spring

This week we experienced weather the exemplified a typical week in Mid-March.  From gray, cold, and blustery to sunny and warm, sometimes all in the same day, that is part of the magic of this month.  It definitely keeps you guessing!  

In the UP, they received their annual St. Patrick's day weekend storm, but this year it was one for the record books.  Across most of the UP, they received 2 to 4 ft of snow Sunday into Monday with some areas receiving up to 52 inches of snow.  With Monday's blizzard like conditions and winds in the 60 to 80 mph range, the roads were made impassable in many areas.  The weather basically closed down the area for 3 days and the pictures were amazing to see.  

For us,  Monday was cold and windy.  As I worked the day away, I watched it go from sunny to gray, with crazy little squalls of snow flurries and wind. 

As I wrapped up my work for the day, I was feeling tired and unmotivated to go out into the cold.  But I rallied, reminding myself that the girls deserved some excercise after being really good all day.  So I bundled up and headed out for a visit to Preuss Pets and a walk around Old Town.

It was cold and the wind was the kind that cuts through you, but we found a way to stay in areas that blocked the wind as much as we could.  When the dark gray clouds gave way to sunshine, that certainly lifted my spirits, and we had an enjoyable walk with a trip into Preuss squeezed in the middle.  When we got home and I was making dinner, I realized just how glad I was that I had made the effort to get outside. Excercise and fresh air are always the answer after a long, stressful day!

Tuesday's weather was chilly again, although much less windy than Monday.  It was also another exhausting day at work.  As I wrapped up my work for the day, I made the decision to take a drive to Eaton Rapids for our evening walk because we hadn't been there in a while.  But once we got to Eaton Rapids, I changed course and decided we'd continue on to Albion for a walk on the North Country Trail.   We were already half way there, and I'm really trying to hike while its still cooler for Peaches' sake.

We were able to have a nice 2.6 mile walk on the trail before I decided we should head home.  The girls seemed very happy with my choice of locations for the walk and I was happy we are continuing to make good progress toward our 100 miles this year.

On Wednesday, temperatures dropped into the 30s.  More poor little frozen crocuses looked so sad.

After work, I headed out to the shelter for our Wednesday night dog walking club.  We had a small group of walkers and they were some of my best and most competent walkers, so I decided to harness a dog for myself too.

It is a rare occurrence that I actually get to walk a dog with the group and I was pretty excited about it. 

We enjoyed a really nice walk despite the cold and I'm happy to share that all three of these girls, plus Quin who I walked, were all adopted this week.

It was still light out when I got home from the shelter so I was able to take the girls out for a walk around the neighborhood before feeding them dinner.  I think they enjoyed it.

On Thursday, the girls spent quite a bit of time outside throughout the day.  They had lunch in their snufflemats and got an afternoon Kong as well, which has become a regular part of our afternoon routine.  I have discovered that the licking helps Peaches relax and relieves some of her anxiety.  Then they settled in for a nice afternoon nap.

After work, I was struggling to decided where we would go for our evening walk.  I didn't want to stay in the neighborhood, but couldn't decide where else to go, so we headed out for a quick walk around the block.  The weather was beautiful.

When we got back to the house, I had figured out where we could go, and we headed out to Maguire Park for a walk on a less frequented portion of the River Trail where it connects to the South Lansing Pathway.  It isn't the most scenic area, but it was quiet.  Since we don't walk there often, the girls were enjoying all of the new smells.  

When we got home, the girls spent some time outside and I enjoyed watching the sun as it set for the final time this winter.  It was a beautiful end to the season.

Friday arrived and I had a full day at work.  Fridays have become one of my busiest days of the week, and I was so focused on everything that I needed to get done that I completely forgot to eat breakfast.  Mid-morning I decided to get the girls out for a ride to Speedway with me to get a Mt. Dew and before eating an early lunch.

I was wrangling Peaches into the car as winter transitioned to Spring.

It was so nice and the girls were enjoying hanging their heads out of the car windows as I drove.  I decided to make a couple additional stops and spent nearly my entire lunch hour driving.  

When we got home, I fed the girls lunch in their snufflemats while I quickly made a salad and sandwich for my lunch.  Then I gave them each their afternoon Kongs, while I settled in for an afternoon of calls and to-dos 

To celebrate the end of the week, I decided to head to Durand for the Eagle's Friday night fish fry.  Their walleye is delicious and I have been craving it.  It had been a long time since I'd gone.

The trip was a little emotional since I hadn't been in Durand since the last time I saw my dad and I hadn't had this fish fry since the last Friday that I visited him, the week before he died.  

I sat in my car eating with an audience and I even shared some fish with the girls.  I had even bought an extra piece of fish to ensure that they both could have some.  Then we slowly weaved our way home.  

Saturday morning I spent some time cleaning and doing laundry before meeting up with my mom at Mancino's in St. John's for a late lunch.

Then the girls and I took a walk with mom on the Fred Meijer CIS Trail through St. John's.

It was a beautiful day and we had a really nice walk.  I was happy to see the Pussywillow in bloom.  That is a sure sign of spring.  We also enjoyed the artwork on the bridge.

After our walk, we slowly drove the back roads meandering our way home, and picking up some geocaches along the way.  The girls were happy to hang their heads out the windows and watch me as I jumped out of the car for the caches.  Before I knew it, it was 6:30pm so we headed home for dinner.

The girls spent some time outside while I made myself a quick dinner.  I had planned to make braised cabbage with perogies, but I only had two small perogies left so I decided to find something else I could make.  I ended up making  a new recipe I found for smothered cabbage and potatoes and I added a can great northern beans for a little added protein.  It was so good!  I'll be eating leftovers for dinner tonight. 

Then we had a quiet evening while I watched the Big Ten Men's Hockey Tournament Championship game where U of M beat Ohio State.  

We had a quiet and relaxing start to our Sunday and I spent some time writing.  Then we got ready to head out for some fun.  

Temperatures started out in the 60s in the wee hours of the morning but continually fell throughout the day, and I decided to take advantage of the cooler temperatures to get some additional miles on the NCT.   Mid-40s in the afternoon seemed perfect for Peaches. 

We took a leisurely drive to Marshall and when we arrived, it was 57 degrees when we staryed our walk, which was 8 degrees warmer than Lansing.

  

During our drive and walk, we saw dozens of sandhill cranes, two swans, and a number of turtles, as well as several black squirrels.  Everyone was enjoying the spring weather.

We completed 2.6 miles on the trail, which was the perfect length for Peaches today.  Then we got into the car for the drive back to Lansing.

We had one more stop to make for the day to visit the Maple Syrup Festival at Fenner Nature Center. 

It was cooler and there were a few sprinkles,  but that didn't stop us from enjoying our visit.  We walked around, checked out the displays, and got stopped a dozen times for the girls to make some new friends.

As.we we're leaving, we ran into the nice lady who works at Fenner who is also a GSP owner.  She always loves saying hello to the girls and even got them a pancake to share from the pancake breakfast fundraiser.   They were very happy to see her.

On the way home I stopped to pick up a couple things at the grocery store.  We ate a late lunch when we arrived home, and the girls have been sound asleep ever since.  I was going to quickly complete the blog, but opened it only to find that half the work I had done this morning hadn't saved. So I just spent some time rewriting what had disappeared.   

Now I am going to sign off and enjoy the rest of my day snuggled up with a dog and a puzzle book, getting in some rest and relaxation before the busy week ahead.