A change of plans and a little February fun

I'm sitting here this Sunday afternoon in a very quiet house.  Maddie is sound asleep in her cozy cave, Peaches has made herself comfortable in the recliner, and Paige and I are sharing 1 and 1/2 cushions on the couch.  As I look out the window, a light snow is beginning to fall.

We've had some really strange weather this week, which has been the trend for the month of February this year.  We've had more rain, freezing rain, and ice than I can ever remember having in any Winter I've experienced.  It makes it hard to get the girls out for much fun or even just a good walk around the neighborhood.  But we're making things work, and thankfully, Peaches and Paige love to run and wrestle and play inside.  It makes for a much less quiet atmosphere at home, but they are pretty fun to watch, and once they have a good bout of playing, they settle down nicely for a good snuggle.

We had originally planned to leave town this weekend for a fun Winter adventure in the U.P. with our friend, Vanessa, but Old Man Winter and Mother Nature had different plans for us!  Unfortunately there are widespread snowstorms, ice, and high winds across the State of Michigan, so our better judgment prevailed, and we decided to stay safe and stay home for the weekend.

Our only real adventure this week happened yesterday.  We were lucky to get some warmer temperatures for the day and it seemed like a great day to get out for a good, long hike.  Vanessa joined us for our fun-filled afternoon and, true to form, she brought us goodies.  The girls were very excited to have someone different tagging along and Paige and Peaches both felt like they should be able to climb into the front seat to ride on her lap.  Sadly for Peaches, Paige's smaller size makes it a lot easier for her to be a lap dog in the car. 

We headed out toward Historic Bridges Park just outside of Battle Creek with three very excited girls.  And boy were they happy when we arrived at the park and started our hike.  The trails were a bit snowy, but melting, and the warmer temperatures made for a nice walk.  We even figured out part of the trail that I had had problems with previously, so the next time we head back we'll have a new portion of trail to walk.

After 5 miles on the trail(and not one picture), we arrived back at the Jeep just as the rain began, and after a special pupcake snack, everyone settled in for the drive home.  It was a nice day out on the trail and I'm glad that Vanessa was able to join us.  I know Paige was happy to have a new friend because on the drive home, she once again settled in on Vanessa's lap for a good nap. 

We had a quiet night at home last night and everyone slept in this Sunday morning.  While we've had a couple of doggie wrestling matches and we've taken a couple of rides in the Jeep, for the most part the girls have been quiet for the day while I try to get caught up on things like bills and taxes and other fun paperwork.    By this time next week, it will officially be March, and we are just weeks away from Spring.  We're hoping that soon Paige will find a family of her own and the girls and I can get out on some more late Winter and early Spring adventures that we can share with you.

I hope you all stay safe, warm, and happy during our little Winter storm. 

Looking for love

It is Sunday afternoon and currently very quiet at my house; the perfect time to sit down and write.  We have had a quiet and fairly uneventful, routine week.  Paige and Peaches continue to start each day with a good wrestling match before I head to work and, when it is safe to do so, I get the girls out for a nice walk each night.  With the icy sidewalks in the neighborhood, this has been more of a challenge lately, but I've found ways to avoid the slippery sidewalks and still get out for a walk. 

Monday night after a long day at work, I was excited to come home, do a little snow removal, and get the girls out for a walk.  As we inch our way closer to Spring, I am so happy for the longer daylight hours because it makes after-work walks so much easier.  I drove home ready to get the girls ready and to go out for our walk right away, but unfortunately I came home to a poor little Paige with diarrhea, which created the need to clean a crate, do a load of laundry, and give a dog a bath.  Thankfully she tried very hard to not to make a mess and the crate cleaning went fairly quickly.  She was not a fan of her bath though!  After the crate clean-up, I still had a driveway and sidewalks to clean of snow before we could get out on our walk. 

By the time we were finally ready for our walk, it was dark and I didn't want to take a chance of slipping on ice in the neighborhood, so I loaded the girls up and headed downtown for a walk around the Capitol.  I was glad I did because it was a beautiful night at the Capitol and the girls had a great walk!  After a busy night, I headed home with three tired girls.

Tuesday, Maddie got a little one on one time with mom and got to go for a visit with our friend Chastity.  She loves going to visit Chastity at work because she always gets special treats, some ice cubes, and a chance to visit with lots of new people.  She made several new friends and got lots of love.  It was a good day for Maddie.

Thursday the temperatures were a bit warmer and the snow and ice on the sidewalks melted which made our walk much easier.  We had a great long walk and enjoyed the warmer temperatures.  The girls did a great job on this walk and were happy to get out for some much needed exercise after a cold and icy Wednesday.

After our walk, we made a trip to the Pet Supplies Plus for a special treat.   We spent the rest of our Valentine's day evening snuggling.  Paige is a master at hogging my lap and Peaches was off pouting somewhere because she believes that my lap belongs to her.  While she hasn't liked sharing her mom, she has been a good girl with Paige and they really are doing well together.  They both love to play and wrestle and it's been great having Paige around to keep Peaches feeling young. 

Friday night the girls were treated to an ice cream party because Paige was scheduled to meet a family on Saturday morning.  I made everyone practice their sitting skills before the ice cream treats and they waited nicely while I took a couple of pictures.  Excitement and chaos ensued shortly after this as I prepared their special treats and everyone enjoyed their ice cream.  We were now ready for Paige's meet and greet the next day.

We were up early on Saturday morning so that Peaches and Paige could get in one good wrestling match before Paige and I headed out the door for our drive to the Detroit area.  We arrived to meet her potential new family and they loved her, but their beagle did not.  We tried to see if we could make things work, but the poor sweet beagle just did not like Paige's in-your-face play style.  So it was back into the Jeep to start the trek home.  On the way home I also did a home visit for the rescue, which worked out perfectly since it was right on the way, and we ran several errands along the way.  Paige was a good co-pilot for the day and I know it won't be long before she has a home of her own.  After a busy day, we were glad to come home and get some quality time with Peaches and Maddie. 

It is President's day weekend and I had plans to try to get out for some Sunday adventures, but after a long and exhausting week, we are enjoying a peaceful day at home instead.  There was our customary morning wrestling match and some time outside, but the girls are all peacefully snoring away right now and I am enjoying the quiet day at home.   Now it's time to do a little cleaning, take a quick trip to the store, and then settle in for the day at home, watching Cash Cab on the Game Show Network and working on planning some future adventures.  Hopefully we'll get out for a short adventure close to home tomorrow, we have some big fun planned for next weekend, and we have a Spring vacation coming up in just about two months that I've been researching.  So much fun to come!  I can't wait to get out on some real adventures to share.
  

Mid-Winter Woes

We have been having some really crazy weather over the last couple of weeks from below zero temps with record setting windchills to 50s with rain, sun, snow, ice, sleet, and freezing rain.  After the really cold temperatures we had, we were fortunate to get a really beautiful and warm Sunday last week so that the girls and I could get out of the house for some fresh air.   And any time we get weather like that on a weekend while we're at home, we head for the North Country Trail.

We were surprised to be the only ones out enjoying the afternoon in Marshall.  The trail was fairly clear at the start, but we did experience some rough spots along the way.  I was just thankful that despite the crazy pulling girls attached to my arm and all the birds we saw along the way, I didn't fall once!  The scenery was beautiful, and I was so happy to be out enjoying the 50 degree temperatures.

After our nice hike, we headed home to watch the Superbowl.  It was a great way to spend the day.

We started our week with Paige's trip to the vet for her check-up. It was a pretty exciting place for her and she loved all of the people!  She had a good report from the vet and can officially be adopted now.   Now we just wait for the perfect family to come along and fall in love!

We have spent time this week working on some obedience skills.  Paige has a little bit of a mischievous side and likes to find ways to get herself in trouble, but she is working hard on learning good behavior.  She's getting better every day.  Our biggest accomplishment this week was learning sit, and she has become quite a pro at it.  We're now working on stay, with much less success.  Life is way too exciting to sit still for long! Maddie and Peaches are enjoying the training sessions because they know all of the tricks and still get to practice and get treats.  It's a good way to exercise all of their minds in the really cold temps when we can't get outside for a walk. 

Even Bentley got involved in the fun one morning.  And Paige is happy to show off her skills any time there is food in my hands, but she is also learning to sit and wait to come in from outside.  She is a pretty quick learner and I'm excited to see what skills she'll learn this week!

 

Most of this week, we haven't been able to get out for many walks, so we are all getting a little stir-crazy.  Even though the temperatures were in the low to mid 20s, the sun was shining Saturday afternoon, so the girls and I headed down to Albion for a hike on the Riverwalk.  The trails were clear, the sun was warm, and the girls were excited to be out exploring.

Everyone was a little extra crazy since we hadn't been out much during the week.  Peaches was not on her best behavior and was especially disappointed with me when I made her sit down and listen to me.  She was showing her stubborn side a lot on this walk!

After our little talk, all the girls cooperated much better on our hike back to the car.  We hiked 3.1 miles and now have nearly 14 miles toward our 100 on the NCT for this year.  

We had a nice drive home, stopping for dinner along the way, and then settled in for the night to watch the Michigan vs. Michigan State hockey game. While I enjoyed the game, the girls preferred to get in a good nap.  Paige was particularly comfy! 

We spent our Sunday at home, spending a quiet day inside.  The girls snuggled in for a good long nap while I kept myself busy doing a whole lot of nothing. 

We don't spend many days like this so it's always nice to get a chance to relax and rejuvenate.  I was surprised at how well Paige settled down for the day.  And Miss Maddie was sound asleep, snoring away for most of the day.  Peaches was off pouting because Paige had stolen her spot on my lap.  Poor Peaches!

We did get out this afternoon for a quick walk around downtown as the snow began to fall.  It was a beautiful afternoon for a snowy winter walk, although Paige isn't much of a fan of snow on her paws.  As I sit here now, two of the three girls are snoring away, so I'd say it was a very successful weekend.  

A special note:  Earlier this week, we had two losses in our circle of friends and family.  

My uncle Jim, who has been married to my Aunt Ellen for 61 years, passed away on Tuesday.  He was a good man with a family who loved him very much and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.  Sending lots of love to my cousins, Becky, Bob, and Julie and especially to my Aunt Ellen.  

In addition, our friends Barb and Tom lost their beloved GSP, Charlie, on Tuesday as well.  He was suffering and in much pain, and they made the difficult decision to let him go.  He was far too young to die and will are very saddened by his loss.  We enjoyed the times that we spent with Charlie and we will definitely miss having him around for our play dates.  It will be strange not having both Imke and Charlie around when we get together again in the Spring.  

God Speed to both Jim and Charlie...heaven gained two amazing angels this week.  

Colds and Cold Weather...and lots of Wrestling!

I am writing this on a Saturday night, not my normal time for sitting down to write, but currently there are three snoring girls at my house and I figured that this might be the only quiet moment I get.  So I'm taking advantage of it.

Maddie, Peaches, and Paige have successfully made it through the extreme weather we had this week. 

As you can tell, Paige is settling in nicely with the girls.  With over 7 inches of snow on Monday and  additional snowfall on Tuesday followed by temperatures staying below zero on Wednesday and Thursday (and windchills reaching more than -30), it was not a good week to be an active dog who likes the outdoors.  You'd also think it probably wasn't the the best week to bring a new youngster into the house.  But I actually believe it may have been one of the best times to bring Paige here. 

Luckily, the weather stayed nice enough for the first day and half that Paige was here that she was potty trained before the snow and frigid weather arrived.  She was not thrilled with all the snow that arrived on Monday, but she would happily follow Peaches and Maddie outside every time that they went, even if she wouldn't leave the patio.

I came down with a nasty cold over the weekend and I was home sick from work on Monday and Tuesday, so this was very regularly my view throughout the day.  While I rested on the couch with Maddie, Paige and Peaches would engage in frequent bouts of wrestling or chase throughout the house.  Eventually the wrestling would slow down and the girls would decide it was time for a nap.  And when that happened, I would inevitably end up with Paige on top of me.  She's lucky she is so cute and so tiny.

She was a pretty good nurse and we took many long naps together before it would be time for another round of pick on Peaches.  Peaches has been amazing with Paige and I'm thankful for her because she was able to keep Paige busy when I couldn't.  They have had a lot of fun this week and I know that Peaches is enjoying having a young, fun-loving friend to play with her.

Whenever Paige got to be too much for her, Peaches would let me know, and then it would be time for a kong or bone full of frozen goodies.  Paige loves to hang out in her crate with a treat and settles down nicely when she's in there and then Peaches was able to relax and enjoy her treat too.  Maddie and I preferred to continue to nap during these quiet moments!

While I was not back to 100%, I was well enough to head back to work on Wednesday.  Every night when I came home, I was exhausted from a long day and still feeling sick, but it was so much fun to watch Peaches and Paige play.  After dinner, there would be toys tossed, wrestling matches, and all other sorts of fun, but when it was time to relax for the night, all of the girls happily joined me on the couch for the night.

I just love how Paige will snuggle right up to Peaches...she has learned that at this point Maddie still isn't ready to snuggle with her.  Maddie takes a little longer to warm up to new fosters and has made that clear to Paige-although it took a lot of Maddie giving her all of the "leave me alone" signals, and me reinforcing it, in order for us to convince Paige that maybe she should back off a bit.  Paige hasn't completely given up on trying to get Maddie to love her, but for now Maddie still isn't ready.  It will happen though and eventually she'll decide Paige is okay to snuggle.  For now, she'll just have to settle for me and Peaches.

Now that warmer weather has arrived and I'm feeling much better, I'm hoping we'll be able to get out for some adventures tomorrow.   Chances are good that Paige won't be here much longer, so we have to show her some fun while we can!  I'm looking forward to getting outside for some fresh air and a good hike before we come home to watch the Superbowl.  I hope you all have a relaxing Sunday and a good week.