We love our Michigan Summers

After many rainy, gray days to start our Summer, the warm, sunny, beautiful weekend weather we had this weekend made it feel like Summer had finally arrived in Michigan.  It's really been a tough start to Summer around here because the weather just hasn't been good and all of the cloudy, gray days haven't allowed us to fully take advantage of the longer daylight hours, which are one of my favorite things about Spring and Summer.  Since the long Summer days are getting shorter every day, I felt like we were really missing out on the opportunity we normally get to enjoy the warm, sunny evenings on the patio.  I'm glad to say they are back, although still challenging, since the mosquitoes are now out in full force!  Hopefully with the continued improvement in the weather, we'll see a decrease in those pesky little buggers!

Early last week, the girls were the recipients of a special box of goodies from a follow rescue volunteer who recently lost her dog.  Laurie is always so thoughtful and we appreciate that she is so kind and generous in thinking of us when she has extra treats to send our way after such a great loss.   The girls were thrilled with their special delivery and it was a wonder surprise for them on a rather dreary day.  

As the rain continued early in the week, our adventures were once again relegated to rides in the car.    While these rides make them happy, the inability to get out and do more is wearing on us all, especially on Peaches.  But she's being such a good girl and I appreciate her for that.  

Wednesday is Maddie's weekly appointment for laser therapy.  Maddie loves these appointments and was anxious to get inside to see her friends when we arrived.  She never waits patiently, but this time she walked right up to the door to lie down and wait for someone to take her inside.  She was definitely ready for her appointment!  She is always so happy to be there, I'm sure it's because they spoil her rotten.  I know she's a favorite of much of the staff and that she is well loved by them all.  I'm sure that she gets far more treats than she needs at every one of her appointments too.  But I can't say no to that adorable face either!

Since the vet's office is still doing curbside services, I am able to bring Peaches along with us to these appointments and walk around the parking lot allowing her to sniff and explore while Maddie is in her appointment.   This has been a great way to get Peaches out for some exercise and fun without being slowed down by Maddie.  It may be a short adventure, but it is a change of pace from the rest of our week and I know she enjoys it.

I even got the chance this week to have a little dog-free adventure, which is extremely rare for me these days.  I had the opportunity to help the animal shelter by transporting three ducks and three bunnies to their respective rescues.  This travel took me out of town for a couple of hours and gave me the opportunity to get some volunteer time which is something I have really missed.  It was a good day for a drive and the ducks serenaded me with quacking all the way to the first stop at the Michigan Duck Sanctuary and Rescue.  

After dropping off the ducks, I had a short drive to the rabbit rescue, but a bit of a wait before I could drop them off, so I picked up dinner at one of my favorite Northville area spots, The Rusty Bucket, and paid with a gift card I hadn't had the chance to use yet.  It was a special treat which I truly enjoyed.  The bunnies and I sat in my car in the air conditioning while I ate my dinner and once I finished, I headed over to drop them off at the Rabbit rescue before I headed home alone.

The girls got to ride to the shelter with me the next day when I returned the crates that had carried the ducks and bunnies, and boy was there a sniff-fest in the back of my car.  It was lots of excitement for two little hunting dogs.  I always love to see how excited that get about things like that, but it really made me smile to watch Maddie sniffing away.  Not much else on her works well, but that nose  still works like a charm.  

We had had a rather quiet week followed by a very quiet Friday evening at home.  I made dinner using some fresh veggies and herbs from my garden and we took a quick drive just to get out of the house for a bit, but it was a rather uneventful day to end a pretty uneventful week.  Thankfully we had weekend plans that would change that and get us out for some fun.  

I love Summer and it is always too short, at least in my opinion.  During the last few weeks, it seems that I have continued to find reasons why we can't do things or go places.  The weather hasn't cooperated, Maddie isn't moving around well, we had other things to do.  I have made one excuse after another to justify to myself why we couldn't get out and should just stay home.  But then I remembered something I had said last Summer and that, along with how much I enjoyed our adventure last weekend, was all it took to change my perspective on this Summer.

Last Summer I was sure that I wouldn't get another Summer with Maddie. I was certain she was going to be gone by now.  But she's not.  She's still here and she still loves a good adventure.  And none of us are getting any younger.  Each day arrives with the opportunity to make it the best we can and each day we are given is a blessing.  I was reminded that I need to make the most of these Summer days while we can all enjoy them still.  Life is too short and some of us are nearing the end.  So we're going to have the best Summer we can.  For Maddie, for Peaches, and for me.  And so this weekend that is exactly what we did.

Saturday morning we met Vanessa and headed out on an adventure.  I had an endpoint in mind and a couple of stops along the way, but we were just going to wander down M50 through some Michigan farmlands and small towns, geocaching along the way and getting the girls out here and there for some short adventures.  And that's just what we did.  We made stops at parks and small towns, we let the girls wander, and we had a wonderful time enjoying our day.

We made a special stop at Luna Pier to check out Lake Erie.  The girls weren't allowed on the pier or on the beach, but they got out for a quick sniff and a couple of pictures before we continued on our way.  The best part of all of our stops along the way was watching Peaches get to be her goofy self and seeing Maddie slowly meander around at each stop.  They both got to enjoy themselves and that's exactly what I had wanted to see.

The main attraction and last stop of our day was Sterling State Park.  I had never been there and wanted to check it off our list of State Parks we have visited.  I didn't know what to expect from this park, and frankly, I didn't expect much, but I was pleasantly surprised.

There were some great paved paths through the beautiful Lake Erie Marshes. The scenery was beautiful and we saw some really awesome birds while were were there, including one of the bluest birds I'd ever seen.  I still don't know what kind of bird it was, but it was beautiful.

Vanessa pushed Maddie in her stroller while I got to walk a very crazy Peaches and we all had a very enjoyable time exploring.  We had had a full day of adventures, the girls had gotten to see some new places, they got some love and a special treat(walleye) from Vanessa, and Vanessa and I had found several geocaches for the day.  It had been an excellent day for us and for the adventure dogs!

As we left the park, I stopped for the obligatory picture with the park entry sign, and then we were on our way home.  What an awesome Michigan Summer day it had been.

We all had a great night's sleep on Saturday and woke up ready for our Sunday.  I worked in the garden and around the yard while the girls spent time just enjoying some time outdoors.  By late morning we came inside so I could do a little housework and laundry before leaving the girls so I could run some errands.  When I got home, the girls got to enjoy their licky mats with peanut butter, something they both very much enjoyed. 

Before I knew it, dinner time had arrived, and I decided to use the last of a grubhub gift card I was given to order dinner.  I was excited to see Goodfellas Deli was open on a Sunday evening and allowed pick-up using Grubhub, so I decided to check them out.  I ordered a sandwich, headed out with the girls to pick it up, and then headed down to the Capitol to sit on the grounds on a very quiet Sunday evening enjoying my dinner.  It was the perfect, peaceful Sunday evening.

After I finished eating, we took a short stroll around the grounds and, of course, I made the girls stop for a picture.  

We took the long way home and stopped at Twister's to pick up an extra treat in celebration of National Ice Cream day and had an ice cream party when we got home.  It was a wonderful way to end our weekend and celebrate the Michigan Summer.  

We'll be continuing this trend of getting out for some weekend adventures so we make sure we make the most of our Summer together.  I owe it to Maddie, and I owe it to myself.  Life is short...gotta live it up while we can!