Summer Days are here again

It is hard to believe we're already three weeks into our Summer.  While this Summer certainly hasn't gone like I thought it would for us, we are settling into our daily routine and are trying our best to make the most of it.  The crazy thing about our Summer has been the weather we've had.  After a very dry start to the year, Mother Nature really seems to be trying to make up for it now.  We've had plenty of rainy days and lots of hot and humid days too.  Neither of those are ideal weather for getting out with the dogs, especially since Maddie doesn't tolerate hot and humid days well, but we are doing what we can to make the best of every day.  

Both girls continue to enjoy time out in the yard every day, Maddie rubbing herself in the bushes or wandering around the yard sniffing for new and interesting scents and Peaches on the hunt for our friendly garden toad or barking to chase away the neighborhood squirrels, stray cats, and strangers.  Even on the hot, humid days, we have enjoyed our mornings outside before coming inside for quiet afternoons of the girls napping.

Most of our weekdays are spent the same way, outside in the morning, a mid-day lunch, and afternoon naps followed by dinner time after my workday is complete, more time outside, an early evening car ride, and then home to settle in for the night.  

Occasionally we have a change to our daily routine, like the days that Maddie heads to Patterson's Veterinary Hospital for her weekly laser therapy.  Peaches gets to come along with us as a reward for being such a good girl as we deal with little old Maddie and life's challenges of living with an old dog.  This week after Maddie went inside for her treatment, I got Peaches out of the car to walk around and explore a bit because she needs a change of pace as much as I do.  I was excited to find some yummy berries while we walked around the parking lot and picked a few for a delicious snack.  

Maddie's appointments don't take long, but Peaches was so happy that I had let her explore while we waited.  She really enjoyed herself and I got a very rare smiling picture of her.   

Another favorite pastime for the girls lately has been watching me eat.  Maddie has become a regular beggar and is always hopeful that some food will be tossed her way.  I don't like to encourage this behavior in general, but honestly, I'm happy to see her excited and happy, so I let it slide.  And sometimes I even share a bite or two.   Could you resist those adorable faces?

While we had really been enjoying our time outdoors every evening, that changed suddenly on Thursday with the appearance of swarms of mosquitos.  I hadn't noticed any of those annoying little bugs previously, but now I can't go outside without being swarmed.  They are everywhere and they are relentless.  Even with bug spray, they are swarming around me and the dogs which makes for an unpleasant time, so we have spent much less time outside the last few days.  I hope things get better soon so we can return to more time enjoying our yard because I know that Summer will be over before we know it.  

Whether or not we can spend time outside, there comes a time almost every night that Maddie insists on taking a car ride.  It starts with her pacing in the house which leads Peaches to jump up and insist on going outside, and when I let them out, Maddie immediately walks to the car and stands there, waiting patiently for me to help her up.  And when Maddie demands a car ride, Maddie gets a car ride.  

Some nights those car rides lead to a new park or other place to explore, like the night we ended up in a very flooded park on the Looking Glass River in Dewitt.  Some nights we just drive.  It may be a short ride close to home or it could be a little longer drive, maybe down some dirt roads in the country with the windows rolled down so that Maddie can soak in all of the smells and Peaches can stick her head out the window.  These car rides generally end up somewhere that allows me to find a geocache as well and sometimes they end up with a stop at a local ice cream shop for a peanut butter shake and maybe a doggy sundae for the girls.  I know that both girls enjoy these drives, but it really is the joy on Maddie's face as we drive along that makes me happy and so willing to take these nightly drives.

Even though we are taking nightly drives, we haven't been out on a real adventure recently, and I was starting to feel like we all needed one pretty badly.  The daily grind of caring for someone is exhausting and becomes so consuming of your life sometimes that it's easy to neglect taking care of yourself, and I am guilty of allowing this to happen.  Days can become focused so much on Maddie and her needs that the challenging days can seem completely overwhelming.  You can feel alone, exhausted, and even hopeless at times.  It becomes easy to forget the good moments in each day and to remember what "normal" life is like.  

Since I had a graduation open house to attend on Saturday, and a long drive to get there, I decided we were going to take the opportunity to make this into a little adventure.  The weather was perfect and I found a nice route using back roads with some places to stop along the way.  After packing everything we'd need for the day, the girls new some fun was in store and settled in very quickly for the beginning of the drive.  

Our first stop was a roadside park that honored Austin Blair, Michigan's Civil War governor.  It was an interesting stop for me since we've seen his statue in front of the Capitol building 100s of times.  Maddie waddled along and seemed to enjoy our short stop at this park.  I know Peaches enjoyed the stop too because she was too busy zooming around to sit still for a picture.

We stopped at this cute little park in Addison to explore and once again, Maddie waddled around pretty well.  Peaches was thrilled that I let her run free.  This park was in a very small town with no one else around, so I figured it was safe to give her the chance for a good run.  And boy did she take advantage of the chance!  They were both pooped by the end of our visit and gladly posed for a picture.

We made several other short stops that had historical significance in Michigan.  Maddie had had enough adventure and stayed in the car for most, but Peaches got out for a few more.   We eventually made it to the graduation party, and the girls happily settled down in the car in the shade and a nice breeze to relax while I was there.   Finally it was time for us to start our trip home.  Both girls were awake for most of the drive and I could tell that they were both happy that I had taken them out for some fun.  

After getting home and feeding them dinner, both girls settled in for the night.  For the first time in weeks, we all had a great nights sleep.  We slept soundly through the night and even slept in this morning.  With the cooler temperatures, I was glad to have the windows open and a fan blowing some cool air into the bedroom.  We were so comfy that we snuggled up in bed and enjoyed a peaceful Summer morning lying there reading and doing crossword puzzles.  It was such a nice break and I felt so refreshed.  

It was a gray, rainy Sunday. and after a relaxing morning, I did some cleaning and ran some errands with the girls.  But for the most part, we had a quiet, rainy day at home.  After the week I had, a nice weekend adventure and quiet Sunday were just what we all needed.  Now we can start the week rested and ready for whatever the days bring.