A week of change

After our busy long weekend away for Memorial Day, we got right back into the thick of life when we returned. 

Bumble returned from his weekend get away Tuesday, and I had a busy day at work.  When the end of the day arrived, I was feeling exhausted.  While I knew the dogs needed to burn some energy,  I wasn't up for a long walk.  So instead, we spent some time outside in the backyard. 

Wednesday was just another busy day filled with way too much to do at work.  There are lots of changes headed my way (that will be a story for a different day), we're down a team member still, and I was preparing to be the backup for a coworker who was heading out on vacation for a week.  If only there were two of me!

So over my lunch, I went and sat outside with the dogs.  I needed the freah air and to watch them enjoy the day.

Then, after work, I headed out to the shelter for our final Wednesday night dog walk.  Sadly, the shelter leadership made the decision recently to limit when dogs can leave the shelter to their normal business hours only, so our after hours little club can no longer meet.  

It was an emotional evening for me because for most of it's existence, I have been a part of this awesome group.  It is the way I started my volunteer work at the shelter, how I became a foster, and how animal rescue became such a big part of my life and who I am.  

As one of the leaders of the club early on and then the sole leader since Covid, the Dog Walking Club was my baby and such a big part of my life for almost 15 years.  I am proud of everything we did over the years to help make life better for thousands of dogs while they waited for a family of their own.  

I loved spending one on one time with the dogs as I harnessed them, giving them extra love as I took their pictures, and tucking them into their kennels for the night with a little extra love and a couple of treats.  Those moments alone with the dogs are some of my favorite memories.

I have also made so many friends, some who now live across the state, the country, and the globe. People I can't imagine not having in my life.  Who knew that little decision to walk a shelter dog on Wednesday nights would have had such a big impact on my life.  I am so glad it was there for me.

So now, for those of us who work full-time jobs and have other responsibilities outside of work, there are limited opportunities to volunteer at the shelter, and that is a such a big loss.  And while I'm sad for myself, I am most sad for the dogs because they are the ones who really lose out in this decision.  

We had a really nice final walk with some very njce dogs.  After we put the final dog safely back in her kennel, the final group of walkers headed to City Limits for dinner and a little celebration of all we had accomplished.  It was nice to sit down and spend some time with them all.  I will miss our regular time together.  

On Thursday, Bumble was featured as the Empire Motors Pet of the Week, so I took an early lunch to take him over for his special Facebook session with Span from Q106. He did great and was a big hit with Span and the employees at Empire.  Then it was back home for another long, busy day of work.

I ended up working late, then had a call afterward.  When I was done, I decided to take the dogs for a trip to the South Lansing Farmer's Market.   I hadn't paid attention to the time, but we didn't get there until almost 6:40, with only 20 minutes left in the market. 

They stopped for their treat at Fur Real Dog Snacks, and I got some egg rolls to snack on as we walked around.  Then we heaed in for a quick walk around Feeder's because Peaches always demands we go inside.  And then we were in the car heading home.

It was a nice night, so we spent some time outside.  Mina and Bumble played some games of chase with a frisbee, Peaches wandered around sniffing, and i did a little weeding before sitting down to enjoy a few moments of quiet.

Friday started with a trip to the vet for Peaches' monthly appointment for her arthritis management.   She had a good appointment, took her shot well, and was very happy to get out of there quickly.

I spent the rest of the day busy at work again.  I sure can't wait until things start to get back to normal again, but I think it's still going to be a bit before that happens.

The best part of my Friday was a puppy transport for ISR after work.  A little gsp family of mom and 10 puppies was recently found in an abandoned house in the Thumb and brought in to the local shelter.   

Luckily this past week the rescue was able to get five of the puppies out of the shelter and into foster homes, and I was lucky enough to help transport two of them, brother and sister, from Flint back to the Lansing area where I met with their foster who drove up from indiana.   The were good little passengers and I was rewarded with some puppy snuggles before they continued their journey south.

The remaining 5 puppies and their mom will make their way into rescue later this week.  So happy we were able to help make life better for these puppies and especially for their mom.  Rescue work can be hard, but also so rewarding, and this happy new beginning was the perfect way to end my work week.

On Saturday morning, I made the drive to the shelter for one final Saturday morning walk with a dog.  While I hadn't originally planned on a Saturday morning walk, I had to go to the shelter for a refill on Bumble's food, so I figured it just made sense to go early and walk a dog while I still could.  I was happy to be able to get out with Sea Salt Sally, a young girl with a fun amount of energy.

We had a really nice walk, and she happily went back into her kennel for breakfast when we returned.  She was the perfect dog to end my Dog Walking Club era.  And even better, she was adopted later in the day!

On the way home from the shelter, I ran a few errands and stopped for groceries.  When I got home, I fed the dogs lunch while I put things away and made a little lunch for myself.  Then we headed outside to get some work done in the yard.  With the lawn mowed, trimming done, and a few more weeds pulled, I decided it was time for a break.  Bumble agreed!

I rewarded the dogs for being so good this week by taking them on a trip to Preuss Pets to celebrate Hoover the Catfish's birthday. 

They walked around, got lots of love and some treats, and enjoyed the fun hustle and bustle of activity at this fun special event.

We followed up our vist with a nice walk around Old Town.  It was a beautiful late afternoon for a walk.

When we returned to the car, we made another quick stop in at Preuss for some live music and a little informational session on catfish.  The dogs all loved watching the fish in the pond.

Finally we headed home for the evening.  I didn't get much more done that night,  but we did spend some more time outside after dinner.  Then we settled in for a quiet, relaxing night.

We had a slow start to our Sunday morning. Mina and Peacges have spent some time outside,  and then Mina came in to pathetically watch Bumble chew on an antler.  After lots of chewing time, a trip outside for some zoomies, and a little more playtime inside, Bumble has settled in for a late morning nap next to me, while Peaches and Mina  are currently outside lounging in the sun.

I'm now off to do a little cleaning and then I'll be heading outside to continue my work in the yard today.  Hopefully I'll have a successful day and get lots done.

Memorial Day adventures are just what the doctor ordered.

Last week was challenging.  Life felt a little out of my control.  There is so much going on both at work and my life outside of work,  it was a bit overwhelming.  Add to that several changes that are coming soon, and I felt overwhelmed.  More on that to come another time.

I don't like feeling like I don't have control over my own life and choices, and that feeling of being a pawn in someone else's plan is so frustrating.  All of those emotions came to a head last week, and I realized that I just needed to step back, take a deep breath, and know that ultimately everything will be okay.  

Momday and Tuesday were pretty much a blur of activity and craziness.   Busy days of work, weather that wasn't ideal for Peaches, Bumble recovering from his neuter surgery...we didn't even get out for a walk on Monday.  So on Tuesday,  I made sure to get them out for a walk around Old Town with a stop at Preuss Pets.  That ealknwith them really helped my mood.

On Wednesday, I was happy to get out for our Wednesday evening shelter dog walk.  We walked two of the nicest dogs... Sea Salt Sally and Captian Joey.  Walking  with a shelter dog always improves my mood.  It's just nice to feel like you are making some small difference in their lives.

Then I came home to cute little Bumble and my girls.  

On Thursday, I used my lunch hour to get new tires on my car and to get an oil change.  Then, after work, I took Bumble and the girls to the South Lansing Farmer's Market. 

We were all happy to visit our favorite treat lady.  

Then we headed into Feeder's Pet store for a visit, and Mina took part in the trick contest they were holding.  While she didn't win, I was proud of how good she was I the midst of chaos.  Bumble absolutely loved this visit, and he was a big hit with all of the employees.   It was a fun visit for us all.

Friday finally arrived.  I had a half day of work before we would he heading out of town for Memorial day weekend.  Bumble could not join us on our trip, and I was thankful another volunteer had offered to foster him for me for the weekend. 

Before leaving home to take Bumble to the shelter, I decided to throw him a little ice cream party just in case someone showed up to adopt him that afternoon.   He loved his ice cream!

After dropping Bumble off with his foster for the weekend, the girls and I headed to pick up Vanessa, and then we started our journey North for our annual Memorial Day weekend UP trip.

We made a quick stop in Mackinaw City before crossing the Bridge and continuing our drive to our Airbnb in Rudyard.  We got settled in and I fed the girls dinner while Vanessa cooked our dinner.

Then after we ate, we all took an evening walk down the road before settling in for the night.  

We had the perfect lazy start to our Saturday and finally headed out for our day of adventures around 10:30.  Our first stop...lunch at Clyde's!

Then we stopped at Straits State Park for the Bridge view and some geocaches. 

I loved this container made to look like a roasted marshmallow.

I was also happy to finally get the girls' picture with the State Park sign here.

We continued our geocaching fun around town.  Boy oh boy was it windy and chilly!

We also got out for a walk along the St. Ignace boardwalk which is also part of the North Country Trail.   While Vanessa visited the Museum of Ojibwa Culture, the girls and I continued to walk back and forth along the trail while we waited.  When we got back to the car, we had completed 2.1 miles on the trail, putting us over 95 miles for the year.  We're almost done!

Then we continued our journey west of town, starting with a stop to climb the tower for a Mackinac Bridge view.  It was windy and foggy and we couldn't see the Bridge at all, but we were determined to do all the silly touristy things in town that we hadn't done before.

Our next stop was the Mystery Spot.  I hadn't been there in years and it was Vanessa's first trip.  It's a silly, fun stop that everyone should do at least once. Before leaving, we treated ourselves to some ice cream.

Then we continued our drive toward the Fiborn Karst Preserve.   It was an eventful drive after I missed a turn, but that just added a little more fun to our adventure!

I was excited to check out this area because it is part of the UP that was completely new for me.  I was not disappointed by this stop.

We had a great walk around, explored the quarry and old buildings, and found several geocaches along the way.

This was one of the most unique places I've visited in the UP and an unexpected favorite stop.

We picked up a few caches as we made the drive home, and arrived back at the Airbnb before dark, Once again, I fed the dogs dinner while Vanessa made us our late, and very delicious, dinner.

Then the girls went straight to bed!  We had had such a good day, and we all slept well!

Sunday morning we were up and ready to move on to the next part of our adventure.  We packed the car and left our Airbnb behind, and headed to St. Ignace to start our day with breakfast at Java Joe's.  Then we picked up a couple more geocaches before it was time to check in for our ferry ride over to Mackinac Island for the night.

The girls did pretty well on the ferry ride over, although neither of them wanted to sit still for long.

It was rainy and chilly, so we took a short walk around the upper deck and then headed back downstairs and inside.

And in no time at all, we arrived in the Island.

The initial crowds and all of the excitement, noise, and horses, were definitely a little overstimulating for Mina, but I was so proud of how quickly she acclimated. 

We had a couple of hours to fill before we could check into our hotel, so off we went to explore.  Unfortunately,  it was rainy, but we were determined to make the most of our time.

We walked up the hill by the Fort and then took a nice walk to Arch Rock.

Then we headed down the stairs to M-185 to start the walk toward our hotel for the night.

We arrived very soaked and happy to be there.  After we checked in, we were ready to get out of the rain and to relax in our room for a bit.  

Then we headed out for dinner and a post-dinner walk.

Thankfully the rain had stopped for our evening walk and we enjoyed exploring the Island a bit.

Finally, after a busy day of adventures, we headed back to our hotel and settled in for the night.  The girls crashed after all of the day's excitement and slept soundly all night.

On Memorial Day, we woke to warmer temperatures and sunshine for the first time thia trip.

I got the girls out for their morning potty walk while Vanessa got ready.  It was a beautiful morning. 

When we got back to the room, we packed up, dropped our luggage with the Bell Hop, and headed out to enjoy the rest of our time on the Island. 

We enjoyed some more geocaching, enjoyed the pretty views, and the girls even got pup cups from Starbucks when we walked by and a very nice lady asked if she could get them the special treat.

Of course we had to make a stop for a picture in front of the Grand Hotel!

And Peaches was so happy that she was able to roll in the grass!

And before we knew it, our 24 hours on the Island came to an end and we were back on the ferry to St. Ignace. 

The girls were very good on our trip back and several people on the ferry commented on how well behaved they were.  I was such a proud mom!

When we got off the ferry, I got the car while Vanessa got the luggage and called Clyde's with our lunch order, and I fed the girls lunch in the car as we drove away.  Then we stopped at the gas station for a beverage and to top off the gas tank, and picked up our lunch from Clyde's.  We stopped at one of the Bridge view parks nearby to eat and then hit the road toward home.

It's always so strange to leave from St. Ignace because it's such a short drive home for us.  We returned Vanessa safely home before 7pm and then headed home ourselves.   I unpacked, fed the girls dinner, did a load of laundry, and took a nice hot shower before sitting down to relax for the night.  

It had been an excellent weekend and just what I needed to refocus, relax, and recharge for the next few weeks.  

And today on my lunch, Bumble came back home with me.

I think he's happy to be back, and we're glad he's safely with is again too.  Now to get this boy adopted!