All work and no play is just no fun

Last week I shared all of the fun projects I have in store for the next couple of weeks, and as promised, I made progress on lots of things this week.    The weather was beautiful most of the week, perfect for getting outside and getting stuff done.  And even when it rained all day Wednesday, I still made progress.  Hershey was pooped just watching me work!

After finishing my 8 hour workday, every evening I was busy working on something around the house.   Most nights I spent an hour or two outside weeding and spreading mulch.  I should have taken a before picture to compare, but trust me...this looks a lot better!

Every day this week while I worked, Peaches spent hours outside enjoying the weather and obsessing over the willow tree.  I haven't seen a bird's nest, but I'm pretty sure that is what has been keeping her attention all week.

Hershey was also happy to spend time outside during the workday, but he was happier to be out there with me as I worked on the mulch every evening. 

These pictures were taken on different days, but as you can see, Peaches wasn't moving much.  This is how she spent a majority of her week and I was glad did because without even leaving our yard for a walk each day, she was pooped each night.

She even got the the point where she decided maybe she should lie down, but she didn't stray from her spot.

A couple of days I even went outside on my lunch and Hershey was happy to lie down near by.  I also enjoyed a few peaceful moments enjoying each evening after finishing my work for the day.

It was the kind of weather I look forward to all year and I love that Peaches loves Spring as much as I do.  

By the time Friday arrived, we were ready for a little change of pace, so we jumped in the car and headed off to Byron to watch my niece, Brezlyn, pitch in her final game of her 8th grade softball season.

I spent so much of my life watching Nicol play softball that it doesn't seem like Spring if I don't see at least one game. 

Peaches and Hershey were both happy to be out on an adventure.  They got to see grandma and grandpa, plus they made some new friends.  

It was a great night for softball and we all had an enjoyable evening.   It was nice to take a break from all of the work I've been doing too.  We all needed the change of pace!

I spent the day Saturday running errands, shopping, and continuing to work in the yard.  I was finally able to get some of the plants I needed to replace in the landscaping which allowed me to make some good progress on the yardwork later in the day.  I also took the dogs for a trip to Soldan's to do a little shopping. 

Sunday arrived, and while it was a little chilly, we were excited for the day because we had been invited to a birthday party!  

Vanessa joined us for our drive to Lowell where we would be joining the celebration of Sherman and Ruby's birthdays.  Sherman celebrated his sixth birthday earlier this week and Ruby turned four yesterday.  

I was pretty excited to see Ruby since I hadn't seen her since she was adopted in March.  I think she was just as excited to see me.

There were games of chase and lots of treats and of course there were Frosty Paws for the dogs...and presents for Ruby and Sherman. 

There were people treats too.  Tom and Barb provided the sloppy joes, Vanessa brought a yummy 3 bean salad, and we ended the day with my carrot cake.  Overall it was an excellent day.

By the end of the day everyone was happy to just relax.  I'd call that a success!

After a wonderful day celebrating two of my favorite pups, we headed home.  

Hershey was happy to eat dinner and put himself to bed after such an eventful day, so Peaches and I took advantage of the quiet time by getting outside for some more work.  I'm pretty close to having it all done, but boy am I sore!  

I'm hoping I'll finish the mulching tomorrow and move on to preparing the garden for the season.  I want to get the garden in before rain moves in later this week and then I can move on to some indoor projects.   I have lots to get done before the Summer arrives because I want to be able to make the most of our Summer!

Now I'm off to rest up for a busy week! 

Spring, is that you?

After a slow start to our Spring with a cooler than normal April, the Spring weather and flowering trees that I love finally arrived just in time for a beautiful Mother's Day in the country.  We spent the day at my parents, and. as is typical for Peaches, she made the most of her time there  

She has now reached the point in her time with me that she is familiar with the drive, and as soon as we turn off the highway on to Delaney Rd, she knows where we are going.  And once we pull into the driveway and I am parked, I can barely contain her  She leaps out of the car and is ready to go!  From the moment we arrive until the moment I force her in the car to head home, she is on the move, running, sniffing, exploring, hunting, and having the time of her life.  She loves her freedom and all of the space, and especially all of the critters that she knows are hiding all over the yard.

Hershey enjoyed his time in the country as well, and happily followed grandpa and grandma around as they moved around the yard, barking insistently for them to come back any time that they walked away from him.  I put him on the long leash to give him room to explore, and he seemed to enjoy the freedom.  I was able to catch a couple nice shots of him sunning himself, but her really didn't relax much of the time that we were there.  

While you can't see her very well, I especially like this picture of Peaches on the hunt for the chipmunk that she discovered living in this trailer.  She probably spent 90% of the day around this trailer.   By the time we headed home, I had two happy and tired pups who happily ate dinner and then went straight to bed!  

The weather on Monday was beautiful!  While I had to work, Peaches and Hershey made the most of the day.  They spent much of their time outside lounging in the sun with short visits inside to make sure I hadn't made food or planned something fun without them.  It made me smile every time I looked up from my work at the dining room table to see them happily enjoying the day.

After work, I spent time outside with them doing some work in the yard.  Due to all of the fresh air and time outside, we didn't even need to take an evening walk.  They had kept so busy all day they didn't even care about leaving home.  It was really the perfect Spring day.

The weather on Tuesday was beautiful again and I decided that we needed to get out to enjoy it and the beautiful flowering trees that have been blooming around town.  After work, I loaded the dogs into the car and headed off to campus, one of my favorite places to walk in the Spring.   

We walked around the horticultural gardens and I was happy, and surprised, to see both the Magnolia and lilacs in bloom.  They are rarely in bloom like this at the same time.  

While it was a little warm, Peaches and Hershey were enjoying themselves, and they even complied (sort of) when I tried to get their picture.

It was such a wonderful walk with so many beautiful flowers and two very happy dogs.  I couldn't stop taking pictures!  

The rest of our week brought us unseasonably hot weather with temperatures in the mid to upper 80s.  It was as if we went from April to July almost overnight.  Luckily the humidity stayed low, but with the heat, we weren't able to get out for our nightly walks.  Peaches and Hershey spent lots of time outside each day, and also spent plenty of time inside napping.  

We had a visitor on Thursday night.  Our friend Duke came for a play date.  Hershey and Peaches were both excited to see his mom, Bonnie, who brought treats with her, of course. 

Peaches was also happy to have Duke over for a good game of chase and a little wrestling.  They played in short bursts with lots of drinks of water and rest in between.  It was a good night.

Even with the heat, Hershey still loves the cozy cave, and I just had to smile on Friday morning when I woke up to this view.  

I had big plans for this weekend with errands to run and projects to begin both inside and outside.  The dogs stayed home Saturday morning while I ran around town, but were able to get outside for a bit in the afternoon while I mowed and did a little weeding.  

I just love how much Hershey is enjoying his leisurely days in the yard.  

I spent the day today taking down curtain rods, removing nails from the wall and spackling, in preparation for doing some painting and sprucing up around the house.  The bedroom is officially ready to be painted now.  I still need to clean the walls in the hall, dining room/kitchen, and living room before I can start painting them, but I'm hoping to get the ceilings painted in all of those rooms this week.  Once the ceilings are done, it will be on to the bedroom to finish the walls and then put together the new bed frame for a whole new look!  I may not be the fastest painter, but it will be nice to get it done.

I also spent some time today working on spreading some of the mulch I had delivered yesterday.  There is a lot of mulch here and I plan to do some weeding/clean-up in small areas and then add the mulch...and then continue on to the next spot.  The bed next to the garage is finished and I started working in front of the house.  With the nicer weather we'll be having this week, I am looking forward to getting out for an hour or two each night after work to get it done.  Today I did enough so I can get the car  in and out of the garage.  For now, I'm enjoying sitting here with the front door open and the smell of fresh mulch wafting into the house

Peaches and Hershey spent the day doing one of two things: anxiously following me around the house to make sure they weren't missing out on something fun or outside sniffing, barking, and lounging.  Obviously it was a good day for Hershey because he decided to take a nap as soon as I sat down.

It should be a busy, but productive, week around the house this week with lots of time spent in the yard.  In addition to spreading mulch, I have plants to replace, the garden to prep, and a few other things to do in the yard so we will get plenty of outside time.  And on the rainy days, I'll be painting!  I have so much to do to ensure that the house and yard are ready for a new puppy and for visits from Fiona.  I'm just glad the weather over the next couple of weeks is going to be perfect for getting lots done.