Tails from Quarantine:Episode Four: The Saga continues

We continue our lives in quarantine and I've almost forgotten what life was like before it all started.  I am trying to keep our lives from getting monotonous and mundane, but it is hard to change things up much with the current state of the world.  Despite everything, we are still doing well.

We have spent a lot of time at home and in our neighborhood over the last couple of weeks, so I was happy earlier this week to get the Jeep running again.  After 2 weeks without driving at all, I fired her up and just took the dogs for a drive.  We didn't go far from home, but we did drive down some country roads that I hadn't been on before and I really enjoyed the change of scenery.  I think Maddie enjoyed the ride more than any of the rest of us.  I can't tell you the number of times in that two week timeframe that she would go out into the garage and just stand there, looking at the Jeep, waiting for me to help her in so we could go somewhere.  I was glad to finally be able to give her that ride.

We have also kept trying to find new places to walk around the neighborhood.  We are walking a lot and we are all used to exploring some different areas more regularly, so I'm trying to keep the walks fresh for the dogs and give them new things to sniff.  Early in the week we had cooler temperatures, so I was able to go a little farther from home to see different areas with Maddie along for the walk.  She even made it over 3 miles one day.  That's pretty amazing for her.

A couple of days this week, I made it a point to take the girls for their walk during my lunch hour.  I've found that I really prefer those mid-day walks.  It's so much quieter in the neighborhood at that time of day, plus it's a good break from work.  It also gives me more flexibility at the end of my work day to do things other than just walk the dogs.  It's also really interesting to see how many times we walk past the FedEx truck on those lunchtime walks.  One of those days, the FedEx man even stopped to give the girls each a treat.  They were pretty excited for the extra attention from someone new.  I've learned that Piper LOVES new people, especially if they have treats.

As the weather got warmer at the end of the week, we've had to stay a little closer to home so Maddie could still join us, but we've gotten to the point now that it's best for me to take Piper and Peaches for a longer walk without Maddie and then take Maddie out to explore on her own.  This has actually been nice because I can get in a good workout with Peaches and Piper, and then I can take a leisurely stroll with Maddie which also gives me a break from 24 hours a day with all three girls.  It is a chance for Piper to work on relaxing in the crate and for Peaches to remember that she can't always spend all of her time with mom.

I've been enjoying cooking easy and healthy meals at home, but I have been trying to treat myself to delivery each week on Friday night too.  The last two weeks I think a lot of other people have been ordering Friday delivery as well, so it's made it challenging to even get in an order.  I was thankful again to have my Jeep on Friday this week because I was able to load the dogs into the Jeep and head downtown to do curbside pick up for some pizza.  The employees at the Cottage Inn Pizza were so appreciative of my order and I was happy I could help them out too.  I've also enjoyed being able to spend a little time baking some special treats.  This week it was Toll House cookie bars.  Yum!

Saturday I did something I haven't done since we started our isolation; I left all three girls at home and went out all by myself.  I had to pick up a prescription for Piper and decided that I'd get gas and maybe even stop at Walgreen's while I was out.  I haven't purchased gas or been inside a store in over a month, so it was strange to go out like this.  I had no idea how low gas prices were and the fact that I filled up my Jeep for under $20 was pretty amazing.  Such a shame that I can't take a trip North!

I actually donned my homemade mask(sorry there are no pictures of that!) for the first time since making it so that I could go into Walgreen's.  There were only a couple of other people in the store with me, but we are now required by governor's orders to wear a mask in enclosed areas.  It was hot and uncomfortable, but I got some great deals and as a bonus, they actually had toilet paper in stock.  I was so happy to buy a couple of packages and I feel pretty confident that I have supply that will last until the manufactures can hopefully catch up and we can expect to have it regularly stocked again.  That was probably the most exciting thing that happened all week.  It's a strange world we are living in now.

Our stay at home order has been extended until May 15 here in Michigan, but I really expect that it will be extended again.  I honestly don't expect us to get anywhere near normal again for quite awhile.  I think it is going to be a weird summer and I have a feeling that our ability to travel will still be limited through most of, if not all, of it.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.  The girls are perfectly okay with having me home with them all of the the time though, and I'm enjoying the extra time with them too.

I guess that's all I have to share for now.  I hope that all of you are still doing well and making the best of our situation.  The girls and I hope to continue to share with you throughout this time.  Stay safe.

Tails from Quarantine: Episode Three

Hello and happy Sunday!  We've made it through another week of quarantine and are doing well.  I hope that you are all finding some purpose in your daily lives to help get through these times.  It's important to find ways to stay connected to family and friends during this time.  It's also important to remember that this will end and to find ways to make the best of every day.  We are all in this together!

This week has been a bit more challenging than the rest, mainly because of bringing Piper into the house.  While she is sweet and adorable, she is also very anxious and we haven't yet gotten that under control.  No matter how much exercise and mental stimulation she gets, she just doesn't know how to relax.  And while she has shown small amounts of progress, much of the day is spent with her pacing around the house and yard.  We are working with her vet to help her, but in the meantime I've had a lot of anxiety to deal with and it makes it hard to find time to rest or relax and is mentally exhausting.  But we'll get through this eventually.  I'm lucky to have found some parts of our routine have helped her settle, at least for short periods of time, and loves to snuggle on the bed quietly every morning.  I'm using those moments of quiet to keep my own sanity.  On a positive note, she isn't shy, she is inquisitive and a quick learner, she is fairly well behaved, and she is enthusiastic about life.  And I think we've finally mastered potty-training!  She's got some good GSP qualities and she is going to make a great family dog once her anxiety is under control. 

Adding to the craziness, I have found that my Jeep needs some repair work(it won't start currently), and finding ways to get the Jeep and me to a repair shop in the middle of a pandemic is a challenge.  Since I am not doing much driving, I decided to delay the Jeep repair for a short awhile.  That will be a challenge I'll face this week instead.  I realized over the weekend that as much as I am not driving currently, having a working vehicle is important in the event of an emergency.

Of course I discovered that the Jeep wouldn't start as I was leaving to get Piper to her initial vet appointment, so I had to get creative and find an alternate, yet safe, way to get her there.  Lucky for me, the vet office used by the rescue is only 2 miles from my house.  So Peaches, Piper, and I took a walk to get there.  Thankfully that worked out well for us.  We had to walk there a second time this week in order to drop off several urine samples for some additional testing.  I'm just thankful that we were able to make it work and get Piper the vet care she needs.

Meanwhile, the rest of life has continued on in our new normal.  Working from home is going well and I think the girls are happy to have me home all of the time.  I worry how Maddie will handle the change when I go back to work in the office, so I think it's been good that I'm leaving her home alone for short periods while I walk Peaches and Piper.  I feel fairly confident Peaches will be fine, she isn't nearly is needy as Maddie.  We have a good routine for my work day and the girls spend much of the day sleeping..with the exception of Piper, but I have found ways to keep her busy and to relax during the day as well.  It's definitely been a learning curve since she got here. 

I was talking with a friend yesterday and realized I had set a lot of goals for us to complete in the month of April...to keep us busy while in quarantine.  Our first goal was to complete our North Country Trail Hike 100 challenge.  Since the North Country Trail association decided to allow any miles walked during the month of April, no matter where you walk, to count toward our 100, I figured this would be the perfect time to finish for the year. 

We had reached 50 miles on the trail by April 1, and with only 50 more to go, I figured this was the best way to ensure Maddie could complete the challenge this year.  But at the suggestion of another NCT friend, I decided that Peaches and I are going to complete 100 "hike from home" miles this month (Maddie's goal is still just 50 miles) and then, hopefully later this year we'll be able to get back on the NCT and finish our final 50 miles on the trail as well..totalling 100 miles on the trail and 100 miles at home. 

With that goal in mind, we have gotten out almost every day, sometimes twice a day, to make progress toward our 100 miles for the month.  We've only taken one day off and have made pretty good progress.  So far, Maddie has completed 32.5 miles, Peaches has completed 63.5 miles, and I have completed 64.5 miles(Maddie and I took a 1 mile walk by ourselves one day and it was such a nice time).  At this point, Peaches and I need to average 3 miles per day for the remainder of the month and Maddie needs to average 1.67 miles per day, in order to reach our goal.  I'm sure we'll get in another 3-4 miles today and  I see no reason we won't get this done.  Although I realized yesterday that it's getting hard to find new interesting ways to go on our walk and I'll be happy to get the Jeep fixed so that we can at least go to some parks occasionally.  At least this has been a great way to keep us active. 

I'm also part of a plank challenge with a group of friends at work.  It's a great way to stay active and connected with friends during this time. In order to meet the challenge, each of us have to average 3 minutes of planks every day through the end of May.  While this has been a bit more challenging for me, I have been keeping up with my three minute average every day and can now hold my planks longer than when I started.  Since I'm getting better at them, I have decided that I'm going to increase to 4 1/2 minutes 6 days per week with one rest day.  I've enjoyed this challenge more than I thought I would because it's a great way to push myself to get better at something I am not very good at currently.  Maddie is a great cheerleader too!

I'm also on a creative journey, working on the 100 day project which is a way to dedicate time each day for 100 days toward doing something creative.  I've been trying to work on my book...and I'm learning what a challenge that is going to be.  It's scary to push yourself in an area that is so uncomfortable, but I'm doing my best to hold myself accountable to writing every day. I'm on day 13 so far and it's already been tough, but I'm hoping that over time, it gets easier.  I really do want to complete this book.  This is going to be the hardest challenge for sure!

I've been enjoying having the time to cook more meals at home and to be able to eat healthier.  But I've also enjoyed the chance to bake a bit, especially making zucchini bread from the frozen zucchini from last year's garden.

As the weather starts to get nicer, I'm looking forward to getting out to do some yard work and eventually get my garden started for this year.  Plus I have some projects around the house that I'll be starting too. 

While I know that everyone is dealing with our current situation in their own way.  I have found that setting goals for myself and planning for some future activities is the best way for me to continue to move forward through each day.  I'm actually enjoying my new normal, the extra quality time with the girls, the more relaxed way of life...and the ability to not feel guilty for just staying home.  I figure this is a good test for my future move to the U.P. 

Honestly, who wouldn't want to stay home and start every day just like this?  Please stay safe and healthy and know that we will all get through this.  I am hoping that we will come out the other side with a better appreciation for our loved ones, our freedoms, and the simply pleasures of life.  

Tails from Quarantine: Episode 2

I thought I'd take some time today to continue my new "Tails from Quarantine" series.  You may be saying to yourself right now...boy, she used the wrong word there, but I've decided since this is a dog-based blog, why not use a play on words...so tails instead of tales.  And here we go!

Since I last wrote, things have changed around here a bit.  We have welcomed a new foster, my 43rd overall and my 15th with Illinois Shorthair Rescue.  Her name is Piper and she's crazy youngster who was found as a stray.  She's only been here a few days, but she is slowly starting to settle into a routine.  And yes, even though I am working from home and not going anywhere, there is still routine here because the girls really need it to keep them happy and healthy.  So do I.

Piper is a crazy little thing who is always on the move and seems to really love people, from what I can tell.  She always greets me with enthusiasm!

Her first couple of days with us were spent busily moving around the house as well as in and out the door.  She likes to spend time outside, but she's found that she'd prefer to spend most of her time close to me.  Much to Peaches' disappointment, she has to share my lap and my time with someone else when she'd much rather have me all to herself.

The girls are doing well with her here, although Peaches is a little unsure how to handle all of the anxious energy Piper brings to the house.  Piper isn't very interested in playing with Peaches and so far that's been okay with Peaches too.  I hope that eventually they become friends so that I don't have to be Pipers only source of entertainment.  That has been a full-time job!

She has spent a lot of time pacing and has a hard time relaxing, despite some long walks and other fun throughout the day, but I'm hoping that will change after she's here awhile.

Today we spent some time learning that it is not okay to be in the kitchen, especially while I'm cooking.  The training session went pretty well and I think she'll learn pretty quickly.  She seems to be pretty smart. 

She has decided that the office is a puppy playground and she really likes to bring as many toys as she can into the room while I'm in there...and then pull all the stuffing out of them!  My house is the scene of many murders over the last several days and every where I go, I find stuffing or a unstuffed carcass of some poor toy.  This is also very disheartening for Peaches because she LOVES all of her stuffed toys.  I was able to put most of her favorites away for safe keeping until Piper leaves, but it will be tough for Peaches to live without them long.

We are continuing to work on our North Country Trail hike from home challenge which helps get us out of the house.  Piper isn't a fan of cars on the road, so we've been forced to walk in some areas that are places we normally would walk so that we can avoid heavily trafficked ares.  I think Peaches has enjoyed exploring some new spots.

Maddie has been out on shorter walks with us as well.  She is finding it harder to go very far most days, so when she joins we generally stay closer to home and allow for a lot of time to sniff everything around us.  She is such a sweet old girl and has put up with a lot of fosters over the years, so I think she deserves some time to just wander and sniff and take her time...and everyone else can just wait for her.  She also has some really good days when we can walk a little farther and I try to make the most of those.  No matter where we go, Maddie is just happy to be with me.

And despite the extra energy that Piper has brought to the house, we are all happy to slow down and snuggle up for some quiet time every evening. 

Having Piper here hasn't been easy, but she is really a sweet girl, and each day gets a little easier.  Now we're off to get in a walk while our Easter dinner finishes up in the crockpot.  I hope you all enjoy a happy, peaceful, and safe Easter at home.