This has been quite a week. It started with a visit from an Air Conditioning repair technician on Monday morning which led to an appointment with a salesperson to discuss replacement of my old A/C unit. Between that and my work day, along with the temperatures in the 90s, it was a long day.
The heat and humidity continued on Tuesday and I had an extremely busy day at work. The dogs were stir crazy, so I took them out for a walk around the block mid-day, and tried to keep them occupied with brain puzzles, Kongs, and chews. But none of it was enough, so I finally took them out for a walk just before sunset. It was so humid! But they were very happy to be out getting some excercise.
Wednesday morning we were up early and out the door for a walk to burn some energy before the heat of the day. While it was humid, it was nice to be outside and getting in a good walk.
We made a drive so I could get a Mt. Dew and then did another loop around our neighborhood. It was awesome to be able to get in just over a 3 mile walk as well as a car ride before 7:45. Once we were home, I fed the pups breakfast, got myself ready for work, let the dogs outside for a bit, and got my work day started before the guys showed up to replace my air conditioner that morning.
Kongs, chews, and a few treats helped keep everyone happy while the repair guys were here. Bumble did bark on several occasions as they came in and out of the house, but for the most part, the A/C repair went smoothly and was finished before the house got too warm
Bumble was pretty happy once the guys left because he got lunch, a quick trip outside, and then could settle in to relax for the afternoon while I continued my day of work.
Despite all of the fun and busyness of the day, everyone got restless after dinner. Mina and Bumble wouldn't stop wrestling, and Peaches kept staring at me, so I took them out for a really quick walk after 8pm. That seemed to make everyone happy, and they settled down after we got home.
Thursday, I had to travel to Livonia for work for a few hours, and we were up early that morning so I could get the dogs out for a walk before I had to leave. Luckily the smoke and bad air from the Minnesota and Canadian wildfires had just started to move into the area, so we were able to get in a quick walk.
I gave the dogs each a Kong before I left for the day, and I was surprised at the amount of smoke I found just outside of Lansing. The rest of the day the smoke and dangerous air quality remained in the area. Once I was home from work, the dogs went out for a potty break, and Mina was so frustrated that I wouldn't let her stay out to lay in the sun. They only got quick trips out for the rest of the afternoon.
After work, we made a trip to Feeder's so the dogs could walk around and sniff all they wanted. Then we made the drive over to Preuss for a walk around the store there too. It was the best I could do to help them burn some energy and work their brains. Mina was not satisfied!
There was a lot of wrestling to end the night. So much wrestling!
Friday morning started with Peaches' monthly vet visit. We are doing what we can to keep her happy and mobile for as long as we can. She is still getting around pretty well for an old lady, but standing still has become more of a challenge for her. Overall, though, I think she's doing well.
She probably hated me Friday because after her vet appointment, we stopped at Amanda's Grooming for a nail trim. The groomer was so sweet and gentle with her...I gave her a 50% tip.
It was a long hard day because of the terrible air quality. But we made it through.
When Saturday arrived with much improved air quality, I knew we had to get out of the house. It was a hot day, so there were no long walks, but we still had a nice little adventure.
We had a nice drive around some fun back roads and I did some geocaching along the way.
Then we found a little park along the Flat River in Greenville where we got out for a short walk.
It was a beautiful spot, and I will definitely go back in cooler weather to enjoy it more.
I tried hard to get a picture of everyone together, but they wouldn't cooperate!
After our walk, I let everyone take a quick dip in the river, which Peaches and Mina really enjoyed.
After our little adventure, we headed toward home, but before we got there, we made a stop in Old Town to check the Chalk of the Town chalk art.
These two were definitely my favorites, although there were lots of amazing pieces of art.
We had a nice walk, and Peaches came home with a colorful reminder that we had been there.
After a late dinner, we went outside to enjoy the cooler temperatures and a nice breeze while the air quality was still okay.
Mina was so happy to just sit in the yard and watch the world. I enjoyed the lightning bugs.
The air quality for our Sunday was still safe enough to get out for some short walks and the temperature was perfect. It was really a beautiful summer day.
With the lovely temperatures, I decided on a walk at Fenner. It was so nice to be able to get into the woods. We had a really nice walk and the dogs were definitely happy to be able to get outside. There were still a few rounds of wrestling this evening, but I think that we did a good job of burning some of the excess energy from the crazy weather we've been having. I'm hopeful that all of the exercise will lead to a quiet start to my work week.
Who knows what the week ahead holds. But I'm hopeful for some better weather and air quality so we can continue to get outside more. I'm alelrady starting to notice the shorter daylight hours with later sunrises and earlier sunsets. It is so hard to believe we're already a third of the way through summer and less than two weeks from August. I'm never ready for the arrival of August.
