Every day is a new experience

It is hard to believe we've reached the middle of July already! I can hardly believe that Mina is already 11 weeks old and that Fiona will be 3 months old this week.  The big news for our week is that Fiona has started rolling over and it now seems to be her favorite thing to do.  I haven't seen her do it yet, but I'm hoping to make a visit this week so I can.  The other big new of the week is that Mina started her first puppy class and we'll be heading off to school every week for the next 6 weeks.  She's a smart little girl and learning quickly.   I'm learning too.

This Summer is flying by and we are busy trying to make the most of it when I'm not working.  We've gotten into a good routine this week, and with Mina's new class, part of that routine is the  homework that we have to do every morning and evening.  The homework routine is Potty-Walk-Train-Play-Eat-Potty and then a quick crate training session.  Other than the crate-training, the rest of the routine is going great  My favorite part of the day is the post-crate training snuggle session we get have each morning.   She is really learning to perfect all of the crazy ways GSPs sleep and snuggle, and I love it.

Mina and Peaches have been enjoying a lot of outdoor time during the days this week. The weather has been really nice so I've had the windows open and have been spending a lot of time outside with them.  It has been wonderful.  

When they aren't outside, the girls like to be close to me when they can, and when they can't, they can usually be found napping on the bed.  

As we went through the week, Peaches became more willing to let Mina snuggle with her.  They are pretty cute when they are snuggling!

Now that Mina is a little older and is getting better walking on a leash, I decided we could start taking some small adventures around town to start exposing her to new things.  Thursday we took a trip to campus for a little geocaching adventure.  We had a nice walk and I was even able to get Mina to sit nicely for a picture.

Friday evening was drizzly and dreary, but the girls were able to get out before the rain started.  Mina was very interested in making friends with the new dog of our new neighbors.  This little black pit bull is a really sweet boy and it's really a shame that they don't have space to play along the fence.  But they do sniff noses and get along well, thankfully.

The drizzly evening meant there would be no adventures, but it led to more snuggles instead.  They just melt my heart.  I know once Mina gets a little bigger, they are going to be really good friends.

Saturday we headed to Lowell for a fun adventure with Vanessa.  We had plans to visit Barb, Tom, Sherman, and Ruby, so we decided that we would add on a short geocaching adventure along a short portion of the NCT we needed to complete.  We are working our way North on the trail in Kent County and this section was one that we needed to complete still.  

It was a combination of wooded path and road walk and was a nice section for Mina's first long hike on the trail.   It was humid, but the bugs weren't bad and Mina did a great job for her first hike being walked by someone fairly new to her.  

We completed a total of three miles and Mina went strong until the very end.  I think Peaches was pretty happy to be out on the trail too.  It was a great start to our day.

After we finished our hike, we headed out to Barb and Tom's for our visit.   Can you tell that Tom had treats?

Mina and Sherman had a great time playing right away and Ruby and Mina had a good round of play later in our visit.  Everyone had a great time and all of the big dogs were so good with Mina.  She had a great time exploring, finding new toys, and playing with her new friends.

By the end of our visit, everyone was ready for a nap.  Peaches and Mina were quiet for the whole trip home so I'd say it was a good day.

I expected a quiet Saturday evening after our busy day, but Mina had other ideas.  After a power nap on the way home, she was ready play.  She eventually climbed into my lap and crashed, and I was sure she'd be down for the night once she ate dinner, but I was wrong.  After dinner she dragged several of the toys out to play.  She had a second, third, fourth, and fifth wind before I decided we would head outside at sunset to watch the lightning bugs.  Apparently that last trip outside was just what was needed.  Peaches put herself to bed and finally Mina climbed up on to the couch for the night.  

Today I had things to get done so after our morning routine and snuggles,  I put Mina in the crate and headed out to run errands.  I came home after my initial errands to get the girls so they could join me for the final couple of things I needed to get done and then I took them for a walk through the Meridian Historical Village.    I can't believe how good Mina is at sitting nicely for a picture.  She's definitely better than Peaches is...at least for now.

I got lots done that needed to get done today, most importantly I got out into the garden to pick the zucchini.  The garden is doing great-basil, zucchini, and kohlrabi is growing well, and I'll have green beans and tomatillos by the end of the week.  I'm anxiously waiting for the tomatoes and broccoli still, but I know they'll come soon.  Garden season is a wonderful time of year!

 In the next week, we'll continue to get out for some local adventures as I continue to introduce Mina to new people, places, things, and experiences.  She has a scavenger hunt list of things to expose her to as part of her class and I want to make sure to introduce her to as many things as I can in these formative weeks so that she'll be a happy, healthy, and well-adjusted adult dog one day.  It is the most important job I have right now.