The Winter doldrums

We have reached the point in Winter that I am officially ready for Spring.  This week was tough!  I don't know about you, but the weather has made me want to hunker down in the house and hibernate until warmer days arrive.  But when you have GSPs, hibernating is not an option.  So instead, I have to find interesting ways to entertain and exercise them.

I'm glad that we've had some sunshine during the week, and we even had a day where temperatures nearly reached 50 degrees, but the snow and ice and frigid, windy days have been killing me.  Top that off with some long days of work, and I've got the Winter doldrums.  If I could get out into the woods for a nice hike or if the sidewalks in my neighborhood were not unpredictable, I'd probably feel a little better about things, but that just isn't the case.  I think the girls have even been feeling the Winter blahs too because they've been sleeping in and have been pretty lazy during the day.  One morning they didn't even leave bed for breakfast until almost 9am.  That is unheard of in my house!

We have made a point of going somewhere different to get out of the house every day, but many of our adventures have been inside.  On Valentine's day we headed out for a drive after work and made a stop at the Soldan's in Dewitt for a change of pace.  I got the girls each a special treat and tried to get a picture of them...but they weren't willing to cooperate. 

Some busy and exhausting days of work have been made better by lunchtime snuggles.  Ruby is always more likely to relax in the afternoon if she gets some time on my lap, and some days Peaches doesn't want Ruby to get all of the love.  I really enjoy these snuggles and they help me get through the work day.  A good lunch and some puppy love help keep me going when things get busy in the afternoon and when I'm putting in extra hours.

Most nights this week we visited some pet friendly stores, like Home Depot or Lowes, for our nightly walk because by the time I was able to get the girls out for a walk it was nearly dark and the weather was too cold to spend much time outside.  Plus I had errands to run almost every night.  Lucky for us, Home Depot is close by, and we are about half way between two different Lowe's locations, so the smells and experience for the girls is different and they love the attention they get from all of the staff.  They even got to help me pick out and purchase my new washer and dryer one of the nights. 

With a Winter storm moving in on Thursday, we took time over my lunch to head out to our Soldan's for a visit.  I had hoped to get the girls out for a walk, but the sidewalks were slippery, so the visit to the pet store made up for not getting in a real walk.   They each picked out a special treat which they then got to have when we got home.  They then settled in for the snowy evening at home.  

By the time Saturday arrived, I was ready for a lazy morning watching the Olympics.  Peaches was extra snuggly and I enjoyed a nice morning watching the Pairs' Figure Skating competition. I love quiet, relaxing Saturday mornings at home.  It was also a great way to start my long weekend.

More errands, some shopping, and a trip to the Home Depot on the other side of town completed our Saturday afternoon.  We have gotten our visits down to a fine art, walking up and down every single aisle in the store while the girls say hello to employees, look cute for treats, and sniff everything that they can.   While we aren't walking far, we are spending a good hour in the store which offers lots of opportunities for mental stimulation.  But it just isn't the same as getting out in the great outdoors!  I'm just glad that they seem to have been happy with these visits as their main exercise and entertainment each night.

I have some things to do around the house this weekend, but with temperatures promising to be in the 40s on Sunday, I'm hoping to get out for a little bit of fun with the girls too.  We really need to find a way to kick the Winter blues!  I will say that one thing that gives me hope is that it was still light out at 6:35pm tonight and we're just a few weeks away from daylight savings time.  I can't wait until we have more daylight in the evenings!  

We have a busy week ahead of us with doctor's appointments, vet appointments, Ruby's spay surgery, and plenty of work, but the forecast is looking promising for more chances to enjoy some fresh air and maybe even to beat some of our blues!  I hope you all have a happy Sunday and a wonderful week.  Hopefully I'll have more fun to share next week.