Happy Sunday, friends! Can you believe that it is already July 21 and we are 1/3 of the way through our Summer months? The last week here in mid-Michigan we experienced a major heat wave with actually temperatures in the 90s and humidity levels as high as 87% causing the heat index to rise to the 105-120 range. While I love Summer, that weather makes it hard to get out and enjoy it! But we did our best to stay cool while still getting out for some short walks around the neighborhood at dusk. The girls are antsy and ready for some adventures, and with cooler temperatures moving in for the next few days, I'm hoping to give them just that.
Earlier this week, while spending some time outside with the girls, I noticed a beautiful male cardinal hanging around the yard. We occasionally have a cardinal sighting, but this guy has been here every night and, after I saw him fly low enough that Peaches could have caught him, I figured out that there must be a nest somewhere close by that he is trying to keep safe. My assumption all week has been that the nest was in the yard at the side of the house in our smoke tree because I know something is nesting there and Peaches has spent many hours at that end of the yard watching all of the action. Imagine my surprise yesterday when he flew out of one of the arborvitae in my backyard, so low that Peaches leapt and almost caught him. And then all #$@% broke loose as a baby bird fell from the nest attempting to fly...and was quickly caught by Peaches. She is now obsessed with that tree and has been too distracted to go out to go potty because she knows there are more birds in there. Sadly, early yesterday evening, a second baby flew out at the wrong time and was killed by Peaches as well. This has happened for years in my yard with the silly robins and sparrows that have made their homes here, but I was very saddened to see these cardinal babies die. I guess that's just life with a bird dog.
We were busy this week with a vet appointment for Maddie, a visit to the News for Carol to be featured as Pet of the Day, and a little car repair for me. Because of the timing of her appointment, Maddie got to spend a whole day at the office with me. We were happy to find out that her full thyroid panel, which we sent to MSU a couple of weeks ago, came back completely normal and that she does not have hypothyroidism. We now believe that all of her issues have been caused by arthritis pain and we will be treating her arthritis and monitoring her to see if she continues to feel better. So far she seems to be improving and I am relieved to know that nothing more serious is wrong with her at this time. Maddie and I still have some adventures to complete together!
Carol was also lucky to spend a morning at my office getting love, attention, and treats from Bonnie and Sharon before heading to the TV station for her 15 minutes of fame as the WLNS Pet of the Day. She did a great job with all of the new people coming to meet her at the station and I'm hoping the extra exposure will help her find her new home.
Yesterday Carol and I spent the afternoon at a mobile adoption event, hoping for her to find a family of her own. While yesterday wasn't her day, I know that the right family is out there for her! We've had some growing pains and learning experiences this week with Carol here, and I now feel like I really understand what she needs in a new home. She is such a sweet girl, but she is so shy at first it's going to take the right person to come along, but they are out there! I'm happy to be her advocate, cheerleader, and biggest fan until that happens.
Before the heatwave moved through the area, we were lucky to be able to get out for a few adventures to hold us over through the bad days. Last Saturday, we headed North to finally meet Dove Day who I had met through a North Country Trail group on Facebook. Dove and her husband, John, live along the trail in Petoskey and are very active with the North Country Trail association, Jordan Valley 45 chapter. They also love to travel and last week reached a goal that they had been working on for 10 years; to visit all of the State Parks in the State of Michigan. They visited their final park last Saturday, and they invited several friends to join them for a hike through the park and a celebration afterward. I was excited to be invited and for the girls and I to be able join the fun. So Saturday morning, I loaded the girls into the Jeep for an adventure.
We made the drive North along Michigan's East Coast through small towns right on Lake Huron until we reached Negwegon State Park, a rustic park with a few hiking trails and 4 walk-in only campsites sitting right on the shores of Lake Huron. While Peaches and Maddie slept or sat quietly for most of the trip, Carol had a great time chasing cars from the front to the back of the Jeep. I've learned that it is one of her favorite things to do in the car. She did relax occasionally and was a quiet traveler, sometimes just sitting in the back of the Jeep watching the cars go by, but the game of chase was much too fun to stop for very long. Silly little cattle dog!
Because Carol can be nervous around new people, I wasn't sure how she'd do, but she was happy and excited to be outside, although walking sticks and men in hats were a bit intimidating. Peaches and Maddie were equally excited to meet new friends and get into the woods for a good hike. The planned hike for the group was a 3.6 mile loop that ran parallel to the Lake. The first half of the hike had lake views and was only about 100 yards from the water. With Maddie's inability to take longer hikes/walks lately, I wasn't sure if we'd be able to make the whole hike, but at least the beach and lake were close by if we needed to stop for a cooling wade in the water or to get a drink, and if she couldn't make the entire hike, we planned to just spend some time at the beach before turning to head back to the trailhead.
The weather was perfect for a hike and, while the bugs were out, a little dog-friendly bug spray helped and we were off for a nice relaxing hike through the woods. We met several other people that day, all of whom are fans of hiking and met through hiking the North Country Trail, so I thought it was funny that we met them hiking a non-North Country Trail site. Everyone was nice and very welcoming of the girls and I, and even willing to help out with walking one occasionally.
A little over a mile into the hike, we stopped for a little time at the beach, and after a quick drink and some splashing around, we rejoined the hiking group. The girls were loving this hike, no one more than Peaches, though. She was having the best time weaving back and forth and searching through the grass at the edge of the trail for any interesting scents she could find. At the half-way point, the group stopped for a break and to get a group picture. Maddie laid down for a little rest, but was still going strong.
We continued on knowing there was no turning back now, we were going to finish this hike and I was so glad to see how well Maddie was doing. She just kept plugging along right beside Carol, while Peaches continued her normal weaving, leaping, crazy hiking style. Soon the end of the trail was in sight and I couldn't believe that Maddie had made it the entire way! With the walking we did before the hike started, our added trip to the water's edge, and the entire trail loop, we had hiked just about 4 miles. The last time she came anywhere near that was when we completed the Woofer Walker 5K in May!
After all of that hiking, we seperated from the group for a bit and headed out to the beach for a swim. I hooked Peaches and Carol up to my long leads to give them each a little more room to roam and to check out the water. I had no idea what to expect from Carol, but wanted to see how she'd do. She absolutely loved the the lake! There were waves to chase and water to splash around and she even did a little swimming. I think she had the best day of her life there at the lake that day!
Peaches enjoyed the water as well, but she was more interested in exploring the marshy little pools of water behind us. I'm sure she was hunting for frogs and any other little critters she could find.
After a cooling wade in the water and a big drink, Maddie laid in the sun and took a nap!
We had so much fun that day and we were so thankful we finally got to meet Dove. She and John have even inspired me to see if I too can visit all of Michigan's State Parks. After I finish my 50 State goal, I'll need another goal to reach, so what would be better than getting to see new areas of Michigan?!? Negwegon State Park was a beautiful place and if it hadn't been for them, I would never have visited it. Boy would I have missed out on a beautiful adventure!
After a fantastic afternoon at the Park, it was time for us to head South toward home, but we added a few adventures along the way. Peaches is working on her Michigan Awesome Summer bucket list and I knew we could check a few things off the list along our travels.
We added a quick stop at a lighthouse and a visit to Ocqueoc Falls, the only waterfall in the Lower Peninsula, to our stops for the day before we headed South toward home. All of the girls were pooped and traveled quietly all the way home, Carol happily chasing cars in the back seat all the way home! It had been a great day adventuring in Northern Michigan!
It's cooler and rainy today, but I'm still hoping we can get out for a little time on the North Country Trail. We haven't been on the trail in a couple of weeks, and we need to make sure we're staying on track to reach our 100 miles. I hope you all have a great week and get out to enjoy some of our amazing Michigan Summer!
*Thanks to Dove for the awesome pictures of the girls at the beach and the pictures that included me...sometimes its okay to actually see that I was on an adventure too!
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