Happy Labor day and Happy 906 day to my fellow lovers of the U.P. I don't know about you, but I can't believe that it is September and that we only have two weeks remaining in this Summer. Where in the world has our Summer gone? I am never ready for Summer to end, but this year I'm even less ready. Thankfully the weather the last week had been perfect for getting outside and enjoying what remains of Summer 2021.
Since returning from our vacation last weekend, Maddie's mobility has gotten noticeably worse. After watching her waddle around our motel rooms and cabin and the good days she had on the beach at Great Sand Bay, it has been hard to see her struggling to get around more since we got home. Some days are better than others and even though her legs don't always want to work well for her, she is still ready for our daily adventures, whatever they may be. I know things will continue to get more challenging for us as time goes on, but we're making the best of the situation now and focusing on the things that we can control.
She still enjoys her three meals each day and any snacks or special treats that I will share with her. She lets me know when she needs to potty or when she just wants to go outside for some fresh air and I happily help her along the way. She is still able to take some slow, short walks around the yard with a little helping hand and she loves her walks in her stroller. She is definitely sleeping more each day, but most days she wakes up with bright eyes and perky ears, happy to greet the day...just a little later than a younger Maddie would have.
So while we still have time and the weather is nice, we are getting out as much as we can for adventures near and far. We had a really beautiful walk around downtown early in the week just before sunset. Peaches is getting pretty good at walking with the stroller and Maddie is great about letting me arrange her just right so that we have a smooth ride, so I am really able to enjoy our walks more and more. The early sunsets are really becoming more obvious this week too. I'm definitely not ready for the early sunsets.
On Wednesday, I took the afternoon off from work to take the girls on a little longer adventure as I've been doing for the last several weeks. I have really enjoyed these mid-week afternoons with the girls. This week we loaded up the car, headed out to grab lunch from Gump's BBQ, and then hit the road for a little geocaching fun. We slowly weaved our way along through some small towns and country roads picking up a few caches along the way as we made our way to Fenton.
I had never been to Fenton before and was pleasantly surprised with this very dog-friendly little town. We had a great walk around town, checking out some cute pieces of art (like Grateful Fred below), and chatting with a few people along the way. Every where we go, Maddie and Peaches draw attention, mainly because of Maddie in her stroller. So we are spending a lot more time chatting with people when we're out and the girls seem to enjoy the extra attention. Peaches was having the best time sniffing and exploring too. She wasn't very happy that I made her work on her listening skills so that I could take some pictures though.
After we finished exploring around town, I decided a stop for ice cream was warranted and conveniently we were parked right by one of the ice cream shops in town. I got an extreme shake for me and a bark bowl for the girls and we sat outside enjoying out special treat before loading up the car to head home. We had had a really nice little afternoon adventure. Fenton is definitely worth a visit.
With the more comfortable temperatures, I was happy to spend some time working outside on Thursday so that the girls could enjoy the nice weather and fresh air. Peaches has really enjoyed spending time out in the yard this Summer and I think we may have had some visitors in the backyard because she was sniffing and searching high and low for something. Maddie was just happy to get comfy on her bed and watch the world around her.
We got out of the car and headed out for our walk, and I was nearly eaten alive by all of the mosquitoes despite the fact that I had bug spray. Peaches was unphased by the mosquitoes and Maddie was so excited to be at Fenner that she kept trying to get out of the stroller, so our walk was extra challenging. The girls were having a great time... I was not. But I was happy to see just how happy they were to be there, so it was definitely worth the stop.
Friday was a challenging day for Maddie and therefore for me as well. She was really struggling with getting around even with help and it made for a difficult day for us both. Because she was struggling so much, I decided to stay home after work and start to work on processing all of the apples I had brought home to make applesauce. I parked Maddie's dog bed close by and started to work on coring and slicing apples. Boy did she perk up when she realized there might be some special treats coming her way, and of course I shared some apple pieces with her. I made a few batches of applesauce Friday night and was happy to have a little after dinner snack to finish the day. But my applesauce making days were not over, though.
Saturday morning we got up and moving because I had a full day of work ahead of me. We started the day with a walk on campus, one of the last quiet campus walks will have for awhile now since the students are back. It was a wonderful walk and the girls were very happy with our morning adventure. I then picked up some Mexican from my favorite taco truck and headed home to watch some football and continue to work on apples. It was a long day spent making applesauce and roasted tomatoes, but I felt pretty accomplished, and very tired, at the end of the day.
Sunday morning we woke up ready for another fun day of adventures. We continue to work on geocaching in every county in Michigan with a goal of finishing this year and we were headed out with Vanessa for a day of geocaching in Midland. The great thing about geocaching is that it takes you to places you may never have visited otherwise, and Dahlia Hill in Midland is one of those places. This spot was amazing and the dahlias were beautiful. We were there at the perfect time to see everything in bloom and to really enjoy all of the different varieties of dahlias.
I was excited to visit the Tridge. It is one place I've wanted to visit for quite some time and I was happy to get there finally.
It is a really cool and unique structure. We spent some time walking around the Tridge and the parks nearby and then took a walk around downtown Midland to pick up some more caches.
I loved the downtown area and the Midland County Courthouse was a highlight. It was such an interesting building. We had had a nice walk around town, and we were ready to head back to the car so the girls could get a drink and Vanessa and I could get some lunch.
I had lots of plans for Monday, but we were all dragging a bit and had a slow start to the day so I decided a quiet morning at home would be good for us all. Early afternoon arrived and I decided we should get outside to enjoy the day, so out we went. I spent a couple of hours out in the garden while Maddie enjoyed her time on the patio and Peaches explored the yard and eventually took a nap in the sun.
We got out for a short walk nearby and splurged with a little ice cream from Twisters to celebrate Labor Day. We had had a busy weekend full of adventures as well as getting some things done around the house. I really enjoyed this long weekend. It was exactly what we needed.
As Summer begins to wind down, we are going to go full steam ahead on as many adventures as we can. I need to make sure that I am giving Maddie and Peaches the best life possible and we're going to make sure this Summer goes out with a bang! I've got some fun plans for the next couple of weeks and I can't wait to share our adventures with you. Remember, every day is a blessing...make the most of all of your moments. That's exactly what we'll be doing!
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