September's Summer Days

We are quickly approaching the end of Summer, with less than two weeks until the first day of Fall.  That means we've reached the shorter days and cooler nights of September.   These September days of Summer can give us a beautiful 80 degree day followed immediately by a cool and rain 60 degree day that really feels more like Fall.  

That is exactly what has happened to us overnight last night.  With the change in temperature and the rainy day, I was happy to cook up a big pot of potatoes and green beans, a staple in my family growing up, and my favorite way to use the fresh garden green beans and potatoes.  I even added a little fresh corn to add a little sweetness.  Boy was it tasty!

While Labor Day weekend usually signals the end of Summer fun for a lot of people, I am never ready for Summer to end and try my best to make the most of these end of Summer days.

After coming home from vacation to storm clean-up, I decided that we wouldn't make any big plans for the Labor Day weekend, but instead would stay home to run errands and take care of things around home.  Of course that didn't mean we wouldn't get out some fun adventures close to home.

On Saturday morning, I stopped by the shelter to take a dog out for a walk to start my day.  It was cool enough in the morning that I brought the girls along so that as soon as I was done at the shelter, I could get them out for some fun.  

We visited the Mason Farmer's Market and had a nice walk around town.  I had some great finds and came home with lots of goodies.  

We made a couple other quick stops as we headed toward home and I couldn't believe how much color there was on the trees by the Kroger in Holt.

I spent a lot the afternoon working in the yard and garden.  I am so excited that I'm still getting green beans and I have lots of tomatoes ripening still, but sadly the zucchini is done for the season.  

It was a productive yet relaxing day and a great Saturday spent at home.  The garden looked so good when I was done. 

Sunday we were expecting temperatures in the 90s and I wanted to get the girls out before it got too hot.  

Since I had to drop off my composting and run a couple of other quick errands in the East Lansing area, I decided to take the girls along and stop to let them get in a good run and some fun at the dogs park there.  They spent about 30 minutes at the park before we took a nice short walk on the Northern Tier Trail.

We got home, and after lunch, the girls were happy to nap while I worked on prepping my garden and Farmer's Market bounty for freezing.

We met Vanessa, Katelyn, Sean, Arlo, and Brooks for ice cream at Twisters in Williamston late in the afternoon.  I wish I would have gotten a picture of Arlo with the girls.  They were pretty cute together.

Before heading home, we stopped for a visit at Tractor Supply and took a walk around the area.   I swear the trees are going to lose their leaves so much earlier than normal this year.

On Labor Day, I was able to do more work on prepping veggies for the Winter.  I love when I have lots of tomatoes and basil to roast.  

These beauties are going to be so tasty in the middle of this Winter.

After a busy day at home, I loaded the girls into the car and headed out to Charlotte for a little walk and some geocaching. 

It had been a great weekend and I accomplished so much, and even though it had been hot, we had gotten out for some fun.  I sure do love long weekends. 

After a long weekend, Tuesday seemed like an extra long day of work.  The girls and I really needed to get out for an evening adventure so we took a drive to Grand Ledge for a walk and some geocaching.  It was humid, but we had a really nice walk around town and at Island Park.

Wednesday's weather forecast showed storms moving into the area in the afternoon so on my lunch, I spent time in the garden and picked some more goodies.

I also got the girls out for a walk since I knew I'd be at the shelter that night and it would most likely be rainy by the time I got home.   I had a little mishap on our walk and stepped on a bone in the middle of the sidewalk causing me to twist my ankle.  Luckily I was able to finish our walk and still get out for a walk with the Dog Walking Club at the shelter. 

The rain held off just long enough for me to take the girls for another quick walk when I got home.  And then the storms moved in for the night.  Mina wasn't happy about the rain!

After work on Thursday I took the girls out for a visit to the South Lansing Farmer's Market where I got some awesome goodies!

Then we headed to Preuss Pets for a visit.  Peaches loves it there and was extra crazy that night.  She even tried to jump into the Koi pond!

Friday was a busy day at work plus Peaches had a check up over my lunch.  By the end of the day I was exhausted, but the girls were ready for some fun so I took them to the Dewitt dog park for a good run.  

Since we had had several days of extremely hot weather followed by a couple of rainy days, the girls had a lot of pent up energy and the dog park was the perfect way to get rid of some of it.  Mina and Peaches both had a great time playing, exploring, and making friends.  

Saturday morning started with a good dog walk at the shelter followed by a visit to the Mason Farmer's and a walk around Mason with the girls.  We picked up a few goodies before heading to the Holt Farmer's Market to pick up some dog treats for a raffle basket I was putting together for the ISR reunion. 

Saturday night I attended a wedding for my cousins  daughter and had a great time visiting with family. 

Sunday morning the girls and I headed out for a day of fun at the ISR reunion.  While it makes for a long day, we always have so much fun seeing everyone. 

There were some really fun activities for the girls, including this fun puppy Picasso activity.  Each of the girls created their own painting,

and then they worked together to create another masterpiece. 

I think they did a pretty good job.

Then they had the chance to bob for hot dogs.  This may have been Peaches' favorite activity of the day.   She kept dragging me back to the bucket long after we were done. 

We were also there as volunteers. I helped by selling 50/50 tickets and Peaches was working hard at soliciting donations in her cute donation vest.

And of course the girls had to get pictures taken with the cute props.

After a fun afternoon, we helped with clean-up at the end of the day, picked up an early dinner, and then hit the road to head home.

We couldn't drive all the way home without a stop to stretch our legs at the beach and headed to Warren Dunes State Park as soon as we crossed the border into Michigan.  

Peaches enjoyed watching the birds. Mina played several rounds of fetch and chased the waves.  

And I enjoyed what is most likely our final Great Lakes Sunset of the Summer.

We left the beach before the sun had fully set and with one final quick stop to top off the gas tank, we were back on the road home.  While our weekend was full and we were very busy, we had really enjoy it.   

Our forecast for the next week looks pretty nice so I'm looking forward to getting the girls out for some longer walks and more fun.  We still have 11 days of Summer and we're going to make the most of them!