In memory of our dear friend, Zi.

Last Thursday my good friend Bryce lost his best friend, Zi.  Zi was a special dog and anyone who ever met him would definitely agree.  While this loss is felt most by Bryce, I know that there are many people who will miss him.  We in my household definitely mourn his loss as well.  He was a special boy and the girls and I always loved our time spent with Zi.  He was a friend to the girls and we were always excited to go on adventures with him.  So tonight, I wanted to take a little time to remember Zi.

Zi came into the shelter just about 9 years ago as a puppy.  He had had a tough start to his life.  He had been thrown out like trash, left for dead in a trash bag in a local park.  But through some miracle he survived and was rescued by one of our wonderful Animal Control Officers.  Thin and frail(his shelter name was Green Bean because he was so thin), he went through many trials and tribulations, but was well loved by all of the shelter volunteers.  

Not long after Zi came into the shelter, Bryce became a volunteer there.  He met Zi during his volunteer time and that is where their story began.  Finally, on June 4, 2011, Bryce made it official.  At the shelter's annual adopt-a-fest, he adopted Zi and took him home to give him a wonderful, love-filled life.  In a wonderful coincidence, that day just happened to be the very first day that I volunteered at the shelter.   While I had not met Bryce or Zi yet, it only seems fitting to me that Zi and I shared that special date-his last day at the shelter and my first.

Later that Summer I became involved with the Dog Walking Club at the shelter and got to know many people, including Bryce.  I heard many stories about Zi and was lucky enough to meet him and to get to know him.  

Bryce and Zi were rarely apart and it was hard for Bryce to leave Zi behind, however, one weekend he had to leave town for a wedding.  I felt blessed to know that he trusted me enough to leave Zi in my care for that weekend.  And what a great doggy slumber party it was.  

Eventually Bryce and Zi moved North to the Keweenaw Peninsula.  Over the years, the girls and I made many trips there to visit our friends.  There were many days after Bryce first moved that he was so busy working on his house that he didn't have time to spend with us, but he always entrusted me with Zi.  Off we would go, Imke, Maddie, and Zi together in the back seat of my Grand Prix, heading out on some grand adventures.  Those are some of my fondest memories of him.

Zi was always happy to see me and always ready for some fun.  I can't tell you how many times, he'd jump in my car or Jeep when I would arrive, or as I was preparing to leave, just to make sure he wouldn't miss out on an adventure with us.  

There were a number of dog parties in my backseat while Bryce and I grabbed dinner after a day of adventure.  There were also plenty of dog parties in my hotel rooms while the dogs hung out together while Bryce and I and friends had lunch or dinner as well.  One of my favorite memories is returning to my room after dinner one night to find the blankets and sheets flung off one of the beds from what I am sure was a grand wrestling match between Zi and Peaches. 

As the girls got older and didn't want to play as much, I always promised Zi that one day I would bring him a new puppy who he could play with and teach to be a good dog.  I'm sad that was not to be.  Sadly, he became sick after only seeing Peaches a few times and was unable to spend more time playing with her.  But I'm thankful that she did get to spend some time with him.

The last time I saw Zi was several months ago.  He was having a good day and we all went for a hike through the woods, Zi running ahead as he always did.  It was a great day and, as I prepared to leave, he tried to jump into the Jeep with the girls, just like he always did.  I gave him a good scratch behind the ears, whispered a special secret into his ears, kissed his nose, and got into the Jeep to drive away.  I can still see him standing there in the driveway next to Bryce as I drove away.  I knew then that I may never see him again, but had hoped that wouldn't be true.  

Zi loved life.  He loved people and dogs.  He loved naps in the sun, his special green toy, and fun times on adventures with friends.  He loved to greet me with a wagging tail full of excitement every time I visited.  Most of all Zi loved his dad and Bryce loved him right back.  

While I am so sad that he is gone, I know that he lived an amazing life and I am thankful that he is no longer in pain.  And I know that when he crossed over to the other side, he was greeted by a happy, barking Imke ready to take her friend for a run on the beach.

Rest peacefully my dear friend, until we meet again.

 

Mid-Winter Routine

Happy Palindrome Day!  02/02/2020-the same forward and backward...and apparently this is the only day in our lifetimes that this will happen.  The last time was 11/11/1111 and the next will be 03/03/3030.  At least it's an interesting little fact.  It is also Groundhogs Day and the mid-point of winter.

At this point most Winters, I am sick of the snow and cold and I am excited to see the sunlight last long enough for me to get home and walk the dogs in something other than pitch-darkness.  But this Winter has been so mild that I have actually been feeling like something has been missing.  Don't get too crazy and think I've turned into a lover of snow and cold, but living in Michigan my whole life, I don't think I've ever experienced a Winter quite like this one...and I have found myself missing the smell of the cold Winter air during a peaceful snowfall. I have also enjoyed the few snowfalls that we have had.  But I've also been thankful that most of the bad weather has happened on the weekend, when I don't have to go anywhere.

This crazy Winter has really seemed more like an extended late Winter/early Spring.  While the rain and mud are about enough to make me crazy, we have all enjoyed the milder temperatures, and, while we haven't really experienced a real Michigan Winter, now as the daylight hours grow longer, I find myself beginning to long for Spring.

We've been taking advantage of the nicer weather and extra daylight to get out of the house a little more during the week and we've been taking some longer nightly walks.  The girls and I have gotten into a nice routine and have found a good route to take to get in a nightly walk of about 2 1/4 miles.  While in the past our walks would have been more along the lines of 3 to 3 1/2 miles, Maddie can no longer make that trek regularly, so we've adjusted our nightly route to accommodate her.  While our nightly route is just about perfect for Maddie and Cricket, I know that Peaches is always left wanting more.  Thankfully she and Cricket find time each day to spend some time running and playing in the backyard. 

On the weekends, we have been getting out for some hiking adventures and I'm thankful that on those days, we can get Maddie to go a little further.  I've found that if we plan things well, she has been able to average right around 3 miles each time we have gotten out on the North Country Trail this year.  I think that the different scenery and new smells give her a little extra incentive to keep going.   I know that Peaches and Cricket have really been enjoying those weekend outings on the trail too.

This weekend we were able to get out on the trail on two occasions, once on Friday night in Marshall and the other, today in Albion.  My current goal is to complete a minimum of 12 miles per month from January-April, hopefully reaching the 50 mile mark by May 1st.  We were able to complete 12.2 miles in January and got a good start today with 3.35 miles for our first February hike.  I'm hoping that by hiking more when the weather is milder, Maddie will be able to get out with us more.  Because I know once the temperatures start to rise, her ability to walk much will go down significantly.  I know she loves to get out on the trail and I want her to enjoy it as much as she can. 

Both of our walks this week were in NCT Trail Towns and in Albion we took the route that goes through town, down the Riverwalk, and then into a neighborhood.  We saw what appeared to be the Albion Cross-Country team out for a training run.  I really would have loved for one of them to take Peaches for a little jog!  She definitely had some extra energy today!

I have no definite plan for the girls to complete all 100 miles with me this year, but I also can't imagine being on the trail without them.  So I'm just going to go with the flow and whatever happens, well, I'll be happy with that. 

With the temperatures near 50 degrees and the sun shining brightly, it was a beautiful day to be outdoors.  We all thoroughly enjoyed our time on the trail.  Fresh air and exercise  is always good for us all, and the walk was a great success.  I always enjoy the quiet ride home after some time on the trail.

Cricket was excited to steal the front seat away from Peaches for the ride home.

Peaches was not very happy about that...and decided to pout!

After a quiet ride back to Lansing and a quick stop to grab a few groceries, we headed home to watch the Superbowl...and I had 3 snoring happy girls.  Overall it was a great day. 

Not many pictures to share this week since my phone camera is currently not working properly and I haven't had it in me to take the time to go to the Verizon store to see if they can fix it, so I had to pull out the faithful old point-and-shoot.  Hopefully I'll get that phone camera fixed this week.

Now off to bed so we can start a fresh week with new adventures!  Hope you all have a great week!