The Winter Storm

Hello friends!  I hope that you all had a great week.  For us, things were a little crazy around here this week, but overall it was a good week.  I had a busy work week, so the girls spent a lot of their time in the office with me, mostly napping, but with the occasional wrestling match thrown in whenever I needed to be on a Microsoft Teams meeting.  Honestly, it never fails.  They will be quiet and relaxed almost all day, but suddenly, within 5 minutes of me joining a Teams meeting, World War III will break out behind me.  Thankfully they are pretty quiet, except when Ruby decides to stop playing and Peaches needs to bark at her to get the wrestling match started again.  

We had a great walk Monday after work.  The temperatures were mild for this time of year and the sidewalks were pretty clear, so we made good time.  When we arrived home after 6pm, I had to capture this shot in the backyard which proves that they daylight hours are slowly growing longer.  As we enter February, we have made it through the worst of Winter, in my opinion, because I think the worst part of Winter is all of the darkness.  Today, in Lansing, is our last sunset earlier than 6pm until daylight savings ends in the first week of November this Fall.  I can tolerate snow and cold; I cannot tolerate darkness, so this makes me very happy!

We spent a lot of time cuddling this week every night.  Ruby requires her lap time and she was sure that I ignored her far too much while I was working every day, so this is how I had to make it up to her.

Tuesday was gorgeous with temperatures near 50 degrees.  I couldn't let that beautiful sunshine and warmth go to waste, so I took the girls for a lunchtime walk.  It was the perfect break in my day.  It felt like Spring when I walked out the door, and I even think I could smell a little spring in the air.  But I knew that this was going to be short-lived.  So we took full advantage of the time we had to spend outdoors.  It was amazing!  I even indulged myself with a walk by myself after work to pick up a few snacks from Quality Dairy in preparation for what was to come.  

After the Spring-like weather on Tuesday, we awoke to the beginnings of a major snowstorm on Wednesday.  By the end of the storm, we had received over 13 inches of snow here.  

I got out on my lunch to do some shoveling, and we had already gotten  6 to 7 inches by that time.  It was coming down pretty fast, and I knew I'd be out there again shoveling before the end of the day.

The girls spent some time outside while I was shoveling, but they got cold so I let them inside so they could watch me from the front windows. 

After work, I headed out again to shovel another 3 to 4 inches of snow at that point, but it was still falling.  I had to take some pictures from the backyard, because even though it was cold and all that shoveling was hard, the snow really is beautiful.  We don't often get over a foot of snow in one storm, and for the most part, this amount of snow forces the world to slow down a bit, so I actually enjoy these storms, especially when I don't have to drive!

We continued to get more snow through the night, but before I could get out to finish my shoveling on Thursday, my amazing neighbor was out  with his snow blower clearing the sidewalks on our block...and he even cleared out my driveway!  I was extra happy to not have to go out to shovel because the temperatures were frigid with wind chills in the single digits.  

Thursday evening, I got my car back from being repaired.  It's great to have it fixed so we can take some adventures farther from home.  Friday, we had furnace issues early in the day, and I was pretty concerned that I might have to have the furnace replaced.  I love my furnace.  It's an old workhorse and has been so dependable, but I know that it is aging and will need to be replaced some day.  Luckily it was a minor issue this time and the repair was quick and inexpensive.  Whew!  

Saturday morning, I was up and out the door early to do some volunteer work with the Ingham County Animal Shelter.  The thing I love about the shelter community and rescue work is the desire to help others who are in need of assistance.  So last week, when the Grand Traverse County Animal Control had a seizure of over 160 animals, our local shelter put out the call for help.  Donations of food, towels, blankets, and so much more poured in to the shelter this week.   I was lucky enough to be one of four volunteers to make the drive to the Cherryland Humane Society in Traverse City, where all of these dogs are currently being housed, to drop off the donations from our community.  Luckily the trip there went safely, although we had a slippery start in the Lansing area.  The roads cleared nicely as we got farther North and the sun was shining brightly.

The staff and locals at the shelter were so touched and grateful for all of the support.  It was amazing!  We were able to take a tour of the shelter to see many of these dogs and to talk to the staff there.  They are hard at work medically caring for these animals, bathing and treating for fleas, and just trying to help socialize them as much as possible.  

After our tour, they fed us lunch and then we were back in the vans heading home.  It was a quick trip, and I am bummed that I didn't even get a chance to see the Lake when we were so very close, but it was a good reminder of why I love volunteering.  I hope to get back to helping out more at the shelter this year.  It is always so rewarding.

I arrived home to two girls ready for some fun.  They haven't been left alone that long since Ruby came to me, so I wasn't sure how they'd handle it.  They did well...but they had lots of energy to burn.  We spent some time outside for a bit before loading up the car and heading out for some fun.  Instead of trying to find a trail with less than a foot of snow, we headed out to visit several pet stores in the area.  They were so excited as we walked up and down every aisle.  They got to sniff and explore, and they got to make friends too.  And at the end of the day, we headed home with a few special treats for them too.  All of that sniffing and mental stimulation was pretty exhausting, so after a late dinner for them, they crashed for the night.  

After my crazy week of work, repairs, and volunteering, I was ready for a quiet Sunday at home.  Ruby and I spent the morning snuggling and watching the Olympics while Peaches relaxed on the couch.  It's been pretty quiet most of the day, although when I got up to do some meal prep, the girls decided they'd had enough relaxing.  They now have spent some time outside, had a bone, wrestled, and played fetch, and after a couple hours of activity, are sound asleep again, while I watch Curling.  

The sun is shining and it's above freezing, so we'll probably head out soon for a little late afternoon  adventure before settling in for a quiet evening at home.  I hope you are all enjoying a nice Sunday and have a wonderful week!