Farewell February

After being sick for a week and having very little activity during that time,  I was determined to get out to make the most of every day this week.  So despite the cold temperatures and wind, we headed out the door on Monday after a long and exhausting day of work.

The girls had been so good while I was sick that I wanted to give them a real adventure close to home.   I knew the perfect spot.

They were very excited as we pulled into the parking lot at Fenner Nature Center.  And I was excited when I saw only one other car in the parking lot.  There's nothing better than having the whole place basically to ourselves. 

While I was feeling better, I still had a lingering cough and I didn't want to over do it, so we broke up our walk with a small break.  By the time we left we had walked just about 2 miles.  It was starting to get dark, and I felt really good about what he had done.

On the drive home, we saw this house with the Olympic Rings on their garage door, which I thought was pretty cool.  When we got home, we took a quick walk around the block for another four-tenths of a mile.  Then we headed inside for dinner.  I was pretty happy with just shy of 2.4 miles for the night, and the girls crashed after dinner.  It was a quiet evening, and we all had the best night's sleep we'd gotten in a week.

My Tuesday started off with quite the thrill when I let Mina and Peaches out for their morning potty break.  As soon as I opened the door, Mina ran out and was immediately chasing the poor, unsuspecting rabbit that had made the bad decision to enter my back yard.  While Peaches isn't nearly as fast as Mina she was also in hot pursuit.  

Try as I might, I couldn't distract Mina from the chase, and for the first time in her life, she caught the rabbit.  It died quickly and without a sound, and the girls did not want to walk away.  So I headed outside in my pajamas and flip flops just before sunrise to drag them into the house and dispose of the poor little rabbit. 

There have been many chases like this in my backyard over the years with all of my girls, and rarely do the end this way.  Normally the rabbit is able to escape under my fence and live to see another day.  This is only the second time in 22 years a rabbit has died.  Imke caused the last one and that scene was much worse than this one.  

After dealing with the rabbit, I headed inside to feed the girls and myself breakfast and to get ready for my day.  The girls were happy to eat and then headed right back to bed to nap the day away.

The rest of my day was busy, and the girls were quiet while I worked.  After work, we headed out for a walk around the neighborhood.   It was cold again, especially with the wind, but we had a really nice walk.  Peaches especially loved all of her stops to sniff along the way.  We finsihed at just shy of 3 miles, which I was really pleased about.  And after dinner, we had another quiet evening. 

Wednesday was an extra busy day, and after work, I had to head out to the shelter for our shelter dog walk.  

We haven't walked much this year with the frigid weather we had in early on combined with work conflicts for me and then my cold.  I was looking for to getting back to a more normal schedule again.

We only had three dogs available at the shelter and only two could go on our walk, so I harnessed Subwoofwer, the 10 month old puppy, and Ada, a 7 year old Boxer mix, and prepared for our walk.

One of our volunteers was happy to stay behind to hang out with 11 year old Bug a Boo, who had no interest in going outside.  I don't blame her because it was cold!  She definitely enjoyed her snuggles, though.

After the walk, we got everyone settled back into their kennels for the night, and I headed home to get my girls out for a quick mile walk in the dark.  

Thursday I wasn't feeling very inspired to get outside, but I knew the girls were ready for some fun after being really good all day.  I debated about what to do, and I finally made the decision to head to Old Town.

When we arrived, we headed out along the Lansing River Trail.  I thought that the ice on this fallen tree looked pretty interesting. 

We walked around the Brenke Fish Ladder and down the trail a bit and then detoured off the river trail and to head back into Old Town.  About mid-way through our walk, we made a short detour into Preuss Pets  because the amount of mental stimulation the girls get here is better than any exercise I can give them.  

After our short visit, we continued our walk and eventually reached the car again and headed home.  

After a very long week of work, I was so happy that Friday had finally arrived!  I was so busy that I just took a quick mid-day break and ate my lunch while working.  So when 4pm arrived, I decided to wrap up my work for the day to get the girls out for some fun.

It was 58 degrees with some peaks of sunshine, and I wanted to take full advantage of it.  So I decided we'd head out to Kimball Pines in Battle Creek to get in some North Country Trail miles.

This is the second Friday evening hike we've done this month, and with sunsets getting later, I think it may become a more normal part of our routine.  I love that we can get out and enjoy Friday evening,  make progress toward our NCT goal, and get home in time for dinner.  Plus it frees up the rest of my weekend.  I especially like that I can have two full days over the weekend at home to do projects or to relax, with no other obligations.   And if we want to have an adventure, we can do that too.

The girls had a great time on our walk between Kimball Pines and the Ott Biological Preserve, and so did I.  There were some muddy spots, but it was nice to get into the woods and we enjoyed the paved portion of the trail too.  It was the perfect combination of landscapes and scenery.  The spring-like temperatures were great, too.  

We finsihed the evening with 3.4 miles on the trail, giving us 9.65 miles in February, and 18.15 miles total toward our 100 this year.  I'm really happy with our progress so far. 

On the way home, I decided to grab some takeout for dinner and then we headed home so we could all eat and enjoy a peaceful evening.   It was a great start to our weekend. 

Saturday started slowly as we enjoyed a lazy morning, but by late morning I was busy cleaning.  Dishes, laundry, dusting, organizing followed by preparing Kongs for the freezer and finishing some other odds and ends.  After eating a late lunch, I got cleaned up so we could get out to run some errands.  

I filled up the car, got a car wash, and made a couple other stops before heading to Soldan's to pick up a couple of things for the girls.  When we got there and parked, I knew Peaches needed to take a walk so she could potty before going inside, so we headed out for a walk around the neighborhood behind the store.  It is always quiet there and it's a nice change of scenery from our walks in our own neighborhood.  The girls always enjoy a little change of pace.  We had a nice walk, finished our shopping at Soldan's, made a couple more stops, and then headed home for the night.

We were able to get in another short walk around the neighborhood when we got home as the snow began to fall.  Then the girls ate dinner, went outside for a potty break, and settled in for the evening while I made dinner, ate, and cleaned up.  It had been a pretty perfect day. 

It snowed  throughout the evening and overnight, and we woke on Sunday to a pretty white blanket over everything.  But I don't think it will stay very long.  By Monday temperatures will be near 40 and then stay in the 40s with rain most of the week.  It is slowly starting to feel like winter is wrapping up and spring is on it's way.

It is a beautiful, sunny morning with temperatures currently in the mid-teens.  It is only going to get into the 20s today, but all of that sunshine sure does make me happy.

Our Sunday will be spent doing a little more cleaning, putting up some decorations for St. Patrick's day, and taking some time to relax and refresh before the week starts again.  And I will quietly celebrate the arrival of March, my favorite month of the year.

The yuck!

Unfortunately after being sick over last weekend, I didn't improve on Tuesday, and I spent the next three days blowing my nose, coughing, and sleeping as much as I could.  I took Tuesday off from work because I was in no shape to do anything other than sleep, really.  While the weather was nice and the girls spent a lot of time outside throughout the day, they were restless without their normal walk so I mustered as much energy as I could and took them for a ride in the car. 

I was hopeful Wednesday would be better, but it wasn't really.  I did work for a portion of the day, but didn't overdo it. At the end of the day, I decided to take the girls for another drive around town since they had enjoyed it on Tuesday.  Then I walked outside to 63 degrees and sun.  I saw the mailman walking down the street in shorts and some neighborhood kids riding their bikes, and I felt so bad that the girls hadn't gotten to enjoy it.  So I mustered all the energy I could, got their leashes on, and headed out for a short walk around the block.  It felt nice to be outside, and I probably walked farther than I should have, but they were so happy.

Our walked totaled three-quarters of a mile, so I figured I'd still take the girls for a drive.  

As we drove, we neared Mount Hope Park, and I decided to stop.  I figured one more short walk would be okay.  I was wrong about that and probably shouldn't have taken the walk because it wiped me out, but it was just a half-mile, and the girls loved it.

We headed home for dinner and afterwards, we snuggled for a bit while watching the Olympics.  But that didn't last long before I headed to bed. All that walking had taken a lot out of me.  Lesson learned

Thursday the weather was still warm for February,  and the girls really wanted to spend a lot of the day outside.  I worked most of the day again, trying not to over do it when I felt tired.  I was able to catch part of the Gold Medal Women's Hockey game where the US beat Canada, which was a highlight of the day.

After work, I had no energy to cook dinner, so it was another drive for the girls and I picked up a Chicken bowl from Taco Bell on the way home.  I had DVRd the Women's Figure Skating so we settled in to watch the competition. 

The amount of time I've spent coughing since Wednesday night is unreal.  Plus it is exhausting.

So I went to bed early and watched part of the Women's Curling match against the Swiss team.  

I could tell by mid-morning on Friday that I was feeling a little better, although the coughing continued.  I had a productive work day, but by late afternoon I hit a wall.  I laid down for a little rest, and Mina came to make sure I was okay.  She's not very gentle, but I know she's trying to take care of me.

We took a short drive for our daily entertainment,  and I was pretty excited to see my crocus beginning to peek out through the dirt.   Even though the temperatures have dropped to highs near 30 again and we have snow in the forecast, these little green leaves remind me that spring is just around the corner. 

After a short break, I felt okay enough to finally do a couple of loads of laundry and wash the few dishes in the sink before I fed the girls and heated up some soup for dinner.  Then I sat down for a quiet evening of watching the Olympics.

It was finally the weekend and I was ready for it.

I didn't sleep well Friday night, so I was happy to have a quiet Saturday morning to rest as much as I needed.  While I was feeling slightly better, the sinus congestion and dry hacking cough were very much still going strong.

We spent most of our late morning and early afternoon resting and watching the Olympics.  I was sad to see the US Women's Curling team lose to Canada in the Bronze medal game.  

By mid-afternoon I was feeling like I might be able to take the girls for a short walk before taking them for our daily drive.  Even though it was just a half mile, the girls really enjoyed it and I felt okay at the end.  I considered that a win.

After feeling too exhausted to cook dinner for several days and just picking up something quick  on our daily drives, I finally had the energy to cook myself both lunch and dinner Friday and Saturday.  I also noticed a marked difference in how much better I was feeling by early Saturday evening.  And since I had watched the Olympics all day, I had no reason to stay up to watch the Prime time coverage, so we headed to bed early hoping to get a good night of sleep.

Although I didn't sleep well for the second night in a row, we were up Sunday morning in time to watch the Gold Medal Men's Hockey game. Of course we had to cheer the US on in their game against Canada and the chance for just the second Gold Medal in men's hockey in my lifetime.

What a game it was.  The US came away with the win in overtime to bring home the gold.  It was quite the end to the 2026 Olympics.  

Snow moved into the area overnight.  It looks so pretty.   

Now we're going to have a quiet, snowy, relaxing Sunday at home.  Hopefully I can get some rest and continue to feel better so we can start the new week on a positive note. 

Mid-winter warm-up

For the first time in weeks, our temperatures last week were consistently above 30 degrees.  What a difference from the teens and single digits we had been having.

My Monday was so busy, I barely had time to stop to eat.  I finally got a chance for a late afternoon break, though, so we got into the car and made a trip to the dog park.

Mina was extremely distracted by a squirrel that was dumb enough to run into the dog park right in front of her.  I spent most of our visit trying to get her to ignore the squirrel and listen to me.  I wasn't very successful. 

Peaches enjoyed exploring though, and when I was finally able to convince Mina to leave the squirrel,  she had a good run through the woods before we had to head home.

After work, we got out for a short walk around the neighborhood before dinner.  Then we settled in for a quiet night at home watching the Olympics. 

After a second busy day of work on Tuesday,  I was able to get the girls out for a really nice walk before sunset.  Then it was home for dinner and more Olympics. 

On Wednesday I headed out to the shelter to walk a couple shelter dogs.  The wind made for a chilly walk, but I was happy to be able to get our two longest residents. Cabo and Sleetwood Mac, each out for 1 1/2 mile walks.  They both seemed to enjoy their time outside of the shelter, and I enjoyed the one on one time with each of them.

As I was getting ready to leave, I couldn't resist the cute little face of Doohickey, who was new to the adoption floor.  So I decided to take her for a short walk.  She didn't have any interest in going outside, though, so we just spent a little time hanging out in one of the meet and greet rooms.  What a sweet little wiggly girl!  

When I got home it was dark, but I knew I had to get the girls out for at least a short walk, so we did just that.  They were happy to get out and I enjoyed it too.  

Thursday I took an early lunch and took the girls to the dog park for a run. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was happy to get into the woods with them.

With the warmer temperatures, the paths inside of the dog park were pretty slippery, so we avoided them and got into the snow and less traveled areas to avoid slipping.  For the first time in months, I even brought the Chuck-it so Mina could play ball.  She was pretty happy about that.

We had a great visit to the park and then I headed home to finish my day of work.  Then, after finishing my work day, I headed out to Nicol's to watch Fiona for the evening. 

Fiona and I had so much fun together.  We spent some time playing, made a trip to the park, then drove into Farmington to visit the pet store so she could pick out some treats for Peaches, Mina, and Picasso.  

We ate dinner at a local restaurant and then walked over to watch the people skating at the local outdoor ice rink before heading home.

She got her teeth brushed and pj's on and we watched the Olympics for a little bit.  Then we headed upstairs to read before she went to bed.  We had so much fun together.  I really need to make it a priority to spend more time with her because time is so precious.   

I ended the evening watching the Olympics snuggled up with Picasso until Nicol and Tyler got home.  

Finally Friday arrived and I was ready for it!  The whole week had been busy, and Friday was no different.  When I finally got off of my final call of the day at 4pm, I was ready to be done.  I quickly finished a few more things, and then closed my computer for the weekend. 

As I was trying to figure out where we'd go for our Friday evening walk,  I decided that I wanted to get the girls out for a walk on the NCT.  With the later sunset, I would be able to get to Albion, get in a nice walk, and start the drive home before it got dark. And it would free up the rest of my weekend for other plans closer to home.  So off we went.

The weather was perfect for this early evening walk and we were able to get in a lovely 3.75 miles on the trail before heading home.  I was so glad we had gone and I was really looking forward to a productive weekend around home.

I woke up with a little headache on Saturday morning, so we had a slow start to our day.  I got few things done around the house, and then we headed out mid-afternoon for a little fun.

Preuss Pets was having a fun event for Valentine's day, so we stopped for the girls to get their build your own bowls.  Each girl had yogurt and peanut butter topped with blueberies, strawberries, carrots, peas, tomatoes, and a special treat.  They thoroughly enjoyed their bowls and Mina was convinced she needed more.

We enjoyed a nice walk around Old Town when we left Preuss.   It was a beautiful 50 degree day and people were out around town enjoying it.  I know we loved it.

On the way home from Old Town, we stopped at the Reo Town Marketplace for their Mardi Gras event.  Then we took a nice walk around Reo Town.  We made one more stop on the way home for a quick walk at Poxson Park, and then we headed home for the night.  

Later in the evening, I started to notice that I had a little bit of a scratchy throat.  By Sunday morning, it had turned into a full blown cold which continued to get worse throughout the day.  I spent the day resting as much as I could.  Luckily the weather was beautiful so the girls could spend time outside.  I was sad that I couldn't enjoy it too.

My long weekend became a complete bust when I woke up feeling even worse on Monday.  I missed out on most of our beautiful mid-winter warm up and didn't get a chance to do any of things I had planned for my extra day off.  But I was grateful for the day off to rest.  Hopefully,  I'll start to feel better tomorrow.