Fall is coming

With the official arrival of Fall leass than a week past, we started the week with plenty of green and temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s.  But as night temperatures dip into the 40s, it signals the inevitable end of the seasons I love most, and we quickly began to notice the slight changes in the look and feel of the trees as they slowly begin to prepare for the coming Winter.  

Soon the world around us will begin converting to it's Fall palette, and my beloved green leaves will begin to disappear along with the later sunsets and warmth of the Spring and Summer seasons.  
Thankfully, I've still been able to wear shorts and my favorite Teva hiking/water sandals most days, but I know that's coming to an end soon, too.

While things are still mostly green, we are starting to see the first early pops of color from the maple trees-the early season reds and oranges are just a small preview of what's to come.

We enjoyed the tinges of orange and yellow in the trees as well as the more bold colors of the maples as we walked the trail in Frances Park and along the Grand River on Monday.  It was a gorgeous evening to be outside.  

I also took a moment to sit and reflect on life a bit and remember my Jake on the 14th anniversary of his death.  The weather Monday was very much like that day 14 years ago when we said our final goodbye to him.  

Both Monday and Tuesday were a little stressful for me at work.  I think the fall season and this week of anniversaries really impacted my feelings and reactions to everything going on around me.  While work can be crazy and busy, it is rare that I feel real stress.   I hate that feeling!  So I was happy that the weather cooperated both days, allowing us to enjoy some really nice evening walks.

On Tuesday,  I had to make a stop at Lett's Community Center, so I thought that would be the perfect opportunity to get the girls out for a walk in an areas that they never go.  

The walk took us through the neighborhood and all they way to the previous site of the Verlinden GM plant and Sexton High School.  

On the way back to the car, we discovered this cute little dog friendly spot that someone has set-up in their front yard.  It included a free little dog supply library, a stick library, poop bags, a container with treats, and a fresh bowl of water.  The girls happily enjoyed the drink and treats.  What a thoughtful gesture by this resident.

Wednesday rained all day and we weren't able to get out for any real fun.  But the girls did join me as I ran a few quick errands, and then we had a quiet evening at home.

Thursday I had a busy morning preparing to be out of the office for some afternoon work travel.  I joined an advisor meeting, then joined the advisors and my team for a happy hour at Hop Cat.  The Meowgarita flight was top notch.   Then David, our new team member, Emma, and I had a little team bonding time over dinner.   Lots of changes this year, but I think our new team is going to be great.

Friday finally arrived and I was definitely ready for it.  The girls and I took a quick drive on my lucnh to get gas and to make a couple other stops, and I was pleasantly surprised by this beautiful set of trees as we rounded a curve on a street I rarely travel.  So of course, I pulled over for a picture. 

After work, I took the girls to Fenner Nature Center for our evening walk.  I know this is a favorite spot of Peaches', and I'm trying to make sure she gets to enjoy all of the places she loves this Fall.

A few of the trees are showing some color, but I cant wait to see what this place looks like in a week.

The river trail through Fenner winds into Evergreen Cemetery,  so we also did a quick loop around the cemetery before circling back into Fenner to finish our walk.

The sunshine was glowly so beautifully on the trees that I wanted to get a picture, but Peaches wasn't very cooperative.  She's got no time to sit still anymore when there are things to sniff.  Life with an old lady is never boring!

Friday was also the 5th anniversary of Maddie's passing, so being able to enjoy some peace and quiet in the woods at Fenner to remember her seemed very fitting.  She always loved our walks there.

We had no weekend plans and nothing requiring us to be anywhere at a specific time for the first time in a while, so we had a quiet and slow start to our Saturday.   Eventually we headed out to work on a to-do list I had put together for myself, starting with a quick stop in Webberville followed by a trip to the shelter to renew Mina's dog license. 

We stopped at Discount Tire to have some air added to my tires, Walgreens for a few household items, and Great Harvest Bread Company for a couple of things.  Then we got out of the car for a nice walk around downtown.

We enjoyed the windows decorated for the spooky season around downtown and had a nice walk on the Capitol grounds.  We even stopped into the Sudsery to look around and got a couple coupons for Preuss Pets.

Before leaving downtown, we stopped at the Lansing Zombie Walk to say hello to some friends.  I couldn't resist getting some pictures with Sasquatch and the monsters.  While Peaches wouldn't cooperate, Mina sat nicely for me.

Before heading home,  I had to do a quick grocery store stop at Aldi to pick up some much needed staples for the week.  Finally, we headed home after a full afternoon of getting things done.  After unpacking the car and putting away the groceries, I went outside with the girls so I could pick the tomatillos from my garden before dinner.

Sadly, this year, my garden was a complete flop. I had spent so much time preparing and planting, only to have it ruined by a combination of dry weather and critters.   For the first time ever, the local deer have found their way into my backyard this year.  Along with a rabbit population that hasn't been deterred by the fact that I have dogs or that several of their bunny relatives were caught and killed by Mina this year, they destroyed my tomato and broccoli plants, while the dry weather kept my zucchini from thriving.  But somehow this one tomatillo plant made it through the crazy summer and finally produced a handful of tomatillos for me to harvest.   These, along with two small basil plants, were all the garden bounty I received this year.  I'm hopeful that next year will be better because I sure do miss all of the fresh goodies I'd normally get...especially the tomatoes.

After another slow and quiet start to our day, we will spend our Sunday at home today.  I'll be mowing the lawn, doing some cleaning, and getting our Halloween decorations up.  Then we'll relax a bit before we enter another busy week.  Thankfully the temperatures and forecast look promising for another week and we'll take full advantage of it!

I wanted to share this picture in memory of my original crew,  Jake, Imke, and Maddie.  The week between September 28 and October 5 is always hard.  Remembering them all with so much love. I'm foever thankful they were mine. ❤️

Tomorrow we remember Imke on her 23rd  birthday.  The little puppy who started it all.  Without her there would have been no Jake, Maddie, Peaches, or Mina in my life.  I owe my love of this breed and so much more to her.  She will forever be my best girl.

Starting Fall off with an Adventure

As Summer came to a close last week and the sunsets continued to get earlier by the day, we continued to find ways to get out for our daily walks by exploring close to home.  Monday's walk started at a new neighborhood park we found a short drive from home and continued around the neighborhood. 

Tuesday I took a late lunch and headed downtown to the final Farmer's Market at the Capitol of the season.  It was a gorgeous day for the Market and the girls were, of course, very popular and got lots of attention. 

Our favorite stop was at Petey's Donuts where we got some fresh cider donuts and a cider slush to enjoy.  It was so delicious.  As is customary, the girls got a plain donut to share, which made them very happy.

After work, I immediately got dinner into the oven and then headed out to mow the backyard.   That darn grass just keeps growing so fast lately!

Then the girls and I took a walk around the neighborhood while my dinner finished cooking.

After our walk, the girls had dinner and I plated my dinner to eat outside on the patio.

We stayed outside to watch the sun set on the Summer season.  It was the perfect end to the season.

We welcomed the Fall with a walk in the woods at Hawk Island Park on Wednesday.  It was a beautiful walk.

We got off the paved path to really enjoy our time in the woods and the girls spent lots of time with their noses to the ground.

We finished the evening with a walk along the dock and then I forced the girls to sit for a picture at sunset.

Thursday we took a trip to the South Lansing Farmer's market to walk around and then continued our walk through the nearby neighborhood. Mina and I were both very interested in the bird we could hear in one of the trees along our walk.  We never saw it, but boy could we hear it, and it wasn't a bird song I recognized at all.

On Friday I had a whole list of things I needed to get done.  The evening started with me mowing the entire yard.   Then I put the girls in the car so that they could join me while I ran errands.

We were driving through downtown about 30 minutes before sunset after finishing some of my errands, so I decided to park in front of the ball park and get the girls out for a walk before it got dark.

We had a nice walk and were back in the car just after sunset to make a couple more quick stops on our drive home.  I was so happy that I was able to finsih my to do list and get in a walk since we were going to be heading out of town for the weekend.

On Saturday morning I packed the car in preparation for our drive North.   We picked up Vanessa and started our drive to Manistique. 

We meandered our way North to our first stop which was to see the Dambo Troll- Benny the Beardfisher- in Germfask.  Vanessa has wanted to visit Benny for a couple of year and she was very happy to finally get there.

After our walk out to see Benny, we got back in the car to make the drive to Seney National Wildlife Refuge.

The weather was beautiful and it was such a nice drive.

We left Seney and finished our drive to Manistique  where we checked into our room for the night and then took the girls down the road for a walk on the beach. 

It was such a perfect evening on the beach with beautiful views over Lake Michigan. 

And then it was time for dinner at Clyde's!  We sat outside and the girls ate their dinner while we waited for our food. After dinner we went back to our room to spend the rest of the night relaxing.

Sunday was another beautiful day.  We started the day with our traditional walk out to the beach before checking out of our room and starting our days adventures.

We made the drive west to spend the day exploring the Garden Peninsula. We made several short stops along the drive checking out some interesting spots, including a little-known waterfall in the woods that we wouldn't have found if it weren't for a geocache bringing us there.

We made a visit to Fayette State Park and had a nice walk enjoying the views and the beautiful day. I always enjoy my visits here.

After exploring Fayette, we continued down the Peninsula to a small county park on Sac Bay.

We had a nice walk through the woods and out to a very rocky beach where we discovered some interesting limestone formations.

Then we walked back through the woods and to the parking lot to enjoy a walk along the more sandy beach.  We had a pretty good little adventure walking through here to get to another geocache.  It was such a quiet, peaceful spot, and I was so glad we had made the visit.  

After a day full of fun, we finally made it back to the car to begin our drive eastward toward home.

Mina is pretty lucky that Vanessa loves her enough to be her chin rest for part of our drive.  She's so spoiled!

When we made it to St. Ignace,  we stopped at Circle K for beverages and to top off the gas tank. Then we stopped at Clyde's for a late lunch, and drove to the Bridge View Rest Area to enjoy the view while we ate.

We finished our meal, and, sadly, it was time to head back over the Bridge and make our journey south.  It was a pretty uneventful drive and we finally arrived home after dark after a fun-filled day full of adventures. 

What a perfect little Fall adventure for our first weekend of the season.  It was a much needed break and a wonderful change of pace.  It think all of us were happy to have made the trip.