What a wonderful, relaxing week we have had. We spent most of it at home with no commitments and no agenda. It was pretty perfect.
While I was sad that we weren't going to be able to head North for our annual June vacation, I was excited to be able to stay home to get some things done here. I still feel like we're playing catch-up from the last two years and all of the things we let go while we dealt with everything we had to do when dad was sick. After all, when things fall by the wayside for two springs/summers in a row, it just takes time to get them back to where they should be...and that's okay.
With beautiful weather in the forecast for the week, I knew we'd be able to get outside and get a lot done. But I'm also about balance, and I know the importance of taking time to enjoy a walk with the dogs, some quiet time to rest, and finding time to spend with those you love.
On Monday, we took advantage of our day off to go for a mid-afternoon walk at Fenner Nature Center. We eneded up following the Rivertrail as is winds out of Fenner, through Evergreen Cemetery, and on toward Maquire Park.
It was the perfect spot because it wasn't very busy, it was shady, and the scenery was nice, plus we had some wildlife sightings. It was a really nice walk.
We did spend some time in the yard, too, and I got a little yard work done. But mostly we relaxed and enjoyed the peaceful end to our lovely day.
Tuesday and Wednesday, we spent a significant amount of time outside working in the yard. My landscaping was in desperate need of some weeding, and that's just what I spent the days doing. The girls and Bumble loved spending the days outside with me.
Because I haven't gotten mulch the last couple of years and a younger crazier Mina thought my landscape fabric was there for her entertainment, I had a lot of work to do. And while I'm not done, I have made significant progress and I'm really pleased with how things are looking. Next step is to purchase landscape fabric and get it in place so I can then get mulch. There is still a lot of work to do just to get the backyard finsihed, but slowly but surely it will get there. I still have some work to do in the front yard too, but that should come together much faster.
I also spent time trimming bushes, mowing the lawn, and doing several other smaller tasks. I was grateful for the lovely temperatures in the low 70s with little to no humidity. It was the perfect weather for getting things done.
While we spent some time in the yard on Thursday too, we also enjoyed some quiet time inside reading, did some meal prep, and took a late afternoon drive in the country when a little rain moved through the area. Sometimes it's nice to get a change of scenery, and the dogs always enjoy a good car ride, even Bumble, which is a definite improvement since he came home with me.
After our drive, we took a walk through a nearby neighborhood before heading to the Farmer's Market.
The pups got their customary special treats from our friends at Fur Real Dog snacks, I got some egg rolls to have with the leftover Chinese food I had at home, and we ended our trip with a treat from Sweets and Treats by Tangie. Her peanut butter cookies are so good!
Friday we were out early for a morning walk in a little drizzle. Then I gave everyone a couple of treats and a Kong to keep them busy while I left for a visit with Nicol and Fiona.
I had such a good day with Fiona filled with reading, a trip to the park, and all of the games her little mind could imagine. She's growing, changing, and learning so quickly now. She is also in a new phase of loving chapter books, and we finished all 10 chapters of "Dragon Girls: Azmina the Golden Glitter Dragon." I look forward to reading more of the books in this series with her.
She has such a vivid imagination. We were on quests to gather ingredients for a potion to explode the hearts of the Earth Giants who were coming to create storms and wreak havoc. She also put on a dance show for me so she could show me all of her Riverdance moves, played dress-up, and told me stories of her time living on Jupiter.
And the whole time I didn't take one picture.
Eventually it was time for me to head home after a very fun, but exhausting day. I had hoped for a little quiet time when I got home, but instead, I was greeted by energy and chaos!
So after feeding the pups dinner and making my own dinner, we finally headed out for a visit to REO Town. Peaches and Bumble happily sniffed everything we walked by as Mina waited impatiently.
Overall we had a really nice 1.5 mile walk before heading home to enjoy some time outside, take in the sunset, and watch as the lightning bugs began to twinkle. It was the perfect end to the day.
On Saturday I had planned for a little adventure.
It started with a visit to the Michigan War Dog Memorial which was hosting a ceremony to honor three K9s who were being buried there.
It was quite the sight to see, from the bagpipes and honor guide leading the processional to start the ceremony to the 21 howl salute and Taps at the end. What an experience.
Onr reason we were there because I wanted to meet K9 Ari and his handler Keith. They were there because his former K9 partner, Ttirado, was being honored. While was also interested in the ceremony, I had know idea how special it would be.
The ceremony was moving, and hearing the three handlers talk about their partners and all that they had meant to them was special. I was in tears on several occasions.
I was so proud of how well Bumble did at this event, and of course the girls were great too.
And I was so excited that I got to meet K9 Ari and Keith. I even got to pet those amazing, soft ears. What a treat!
Including the time we were there before and after the ceremony, we had spent about three hours outside walking around with all the excitement, people, and dogs. By the time we left, the dogs were exhausted, so instead of continuing on with some other fun plans I had for the day, we just headed home for a lunch.
The ride home was quiet and we enjoyed a little down time after lunch, too. But by late afternoon, everyone had gotten a second wind. So we headed to Old Town for a visit to Preuss Pets and a walk around town. Pride Fest was going on in Old Town, so there were lots of people which means lots of people asking to pet the dogs. They happily obliged and came home three happy, tired pups ready for dinner and a nap.
I love Summer mornings, and I've especially enjoyed the last week of being able to sleep with the windows open, but I knew that we'd be turning the air conditioner on to start our Sunday. But before that happened, the dogs spent some time outside while I did a little cleaning and laundry. Both Mina and bumble have been enjoying lounging in the morning sun on the back porch. I can never sneak a picture of Bumblel, though.
By 10am, it was time to close all of the windows and turn on the air conditioner in preparation for our upcoming heat wave.
Then we all jumped into the car to make a drive to Speedway to fill up with gas. While we were out, we did something new that I thought I'd try. We parked on a random street and took a walk in a new neighborhood. I figure that this will keep the dogs happy because they'll get to experience new smells in a new spot when we can't get out for longer walks due to the heat. Today we were able to get in a whole mile before Peaches was ready to be done.
When we got home, the dogs spent time outside while I mowed. I'm trying to make sure anything the requires me to be outside for any length of time is done before the oppressive heat moves in tomorrow.
Earlier this week I prepped several meals that will make eating lunch and dinner easier without having to cook much in the heat, and I have done lots inside, too, to ensure we can all stay safe and comfortable in the dangerous heat. Kongs are stuffed and frozen for the dogs too, so that they can stay safe and entertained inside. The heat and humidity that we are expecting is crazy, and I'm not looking forward to it!
I just got back in from spending a little time outside with the dogs before we have to spend the next 4 days mostly inside. At least Bumble and Mina enjoyed it. I think Peaches is ready for Winter to return!
Now bring on week two of vacation! We're ready for it. Maybe this week, we'll just relax and rest. If only I can get the pups to cooperate!
Stay safe everyone!
