Sunday, March 31, 2024

A birthday, a holiday, and fun with Fiona

Happy Easter!  Somehow, we have reached the last day of March.  It is crazy for me to think that we are already a quarter of the way through the year.  Life really needs to slow down!


Monday was a beautiful sunny day.  It was also a typical busy Monday at work.  I took advantage of the nice weather and took the girls to the dog park for a good lunchtime run.  It was the perfect break from my busy day.  It was also the day I found my first tick of the season.  Yuck! I hate those little things.  On a more positive note, it was the day that my dad left the hospital again for a new rehab facility.  Overall it was a good day.


On Tuesday after work, I took the girls with me on the drive to visit my dad at rehab.  On the way there, we stopped at a park near the facility that had a nice 1 mile looped walking trail along the Flint River.  The girls really enjoyed the walk.  


We also made a stop at the Veteran's Memorial at the park before we got back into the car and headed off to see my dad.  I had a really nice visit with him.  It was clear that this rehab facility was better than the last one, and boy was that a relief.  Now we just hope that he stays healthy so that he can get strong enough to get home again.  



On Wednesday, I had a great time at our shelter dog walk.  We had a great group of dogs and they were all happy to be out for our walk  I walked Isabel, a 5 month old hound mix.  She is so cute with a personality to match.  


After I got home from the shelter, I was able to get the girls out for a nice walk too. I love that it stays later this time of year so that I can walk them before the sunsets.  Then after dinner, Mina enjoyed her new carrot treat toy.  She really loves this thing and has used it frequently this week.  


Thursday, work ended up busier than I expected.  When I finally got a mid-afternoon break, I decided we'd visit the dog park so the girls could get in a good run and I could enjoy I little time in the woods before my afternoon calls.  They are always so fun to watch and I always feel better after we get out in the woods.  Because of the time of day we were there, we nearly had the whole park to ourselves.  It was wonderful.


While it was a quick visit, it was a really great break and really helped me get through the end of my workday.


I had planned an afterwork visit to my dad, but before I left town, my mom called to tell me that she had visited him so I could take the day off from visiting him.  We took advantage of this extra found time to explore a couple of parks near Haslett that we had never visited.  I was so happy to see the forsythia in bloom.  That is a sure sign of Spring.  We really enjoyed our free time and the unexpected Thursday adventure. 


Friday was Good Friday and Nicol's birthday, and I had the day off from work.  I was glad to take advantage of the free morning to go into the shelter to take a couple of dogs out for a walk.  Marietta and I had a very nice sunny morning walk.  She is a very sweet, but shy, girl.


Nicol and Tyler had tickets for the Sweet 16 games in Detroit, so Friday afternoon/evening, I got to watch Fiona.  I left home mid-day to drop the girls off for an afternoon of doggy daycare, got checked into my hotel near Nicol's house, and spent about an hour doing a little geocaching before heading to Nicol's house for the rest of the day. 


Fiona and I spent our time reading several books, listening to music, and playing inside.  Then we went outside to play in the yard for a bit before we had to leave to pick the girls up from daycare.


We got the girls and made the drive back to the house.  I spent the rest of the evening juggling dogs, getting everyone dinner, and then getting everyone settled in for a quiet evening.  I followed Fiona's bedtime routine, we read books, sang songs, and rocked until it was time for her to go to bed for the night.  I then spent some one on one time with Picasso before he went upstairs and settled into bed too.  Then the girls and I watched tv until Nicol and Tyler got home...really late!


It was after 1am when we got to our hotel room, and the girls were ready to hog the bed.  When we all finally got settled into bed, it was after 1:30am.  It had been a very long day!


The girls woke me up at 8am on Saturday morning, ready for a potty break and breakfast.  With rain in the forecast after 8:30am, I decided we'd take a nice walk to ensure we burned off some energy before the rain started.  We got back to the hotel, I grabbed breakfast, and then we headed up to the room so I could get the girls their breakfast too.  By 9am, we were settled on the bed with the girls watching me eat my bacon...of course I shared with them.


I decided to take full advantage of the 12pm checkout on a rainy day, and I was glad that the girls were ready to lounge around too.  It was a quiet morning as they napped and I relaxed and watch the rainfall.  We all dozed off for a little nap just after 10am, but I was up by 11:15am to make sure I was packed and ready to go by checkout.  It was a wonderful way to start our day.


The rain had slowed down enough when we left the hotel that we were able to take a quick 1/2 mile walk before getting in the car.  Then we made a few short stops around the Farmington Hills area to pick up a few geocaches and let the girls stretch their legs.


We then made the drive North to visit my dad.  I had a really nice visit with my dad.  While he is still not strong, his strength is improving and he was in good spirits.  I continue to enjoy these visits with him.  While I wish he weren't going through all he has been, I have been blessed to spend so much extra one on one time with him over the last few weeks.  After our visit, I took the girls for one last walk.  While there were a few sprinkles, it was a nice way to end our day.  


We were still catching up on our sleep from our late Friday night and we all slept in a bit this morning.  After the girls had breakfast, they wanted to spend some time out in the yard enjoying the day.  Of course the girls had an Easter visit from the Easter Bunny with lots of fun goodies in their basket. I decided I'd take them outside for a picture. They were so good!  I fed them an early lunch, and then got them settled in for the day with Kongs and their carrot treat toys, and then headed out to spend my day watching Fiona while Tyler and Nicol went to the Elite Eight game in Detroit.


Picasso also got a basket of goodies from me for Easter and he was very excited to see me.  While Fiona played quietly with her kitchen, Picasso and I had a good round of fetch...and I earned several kisses from this handsome boy.


After some play time at home, Fiona and I headed out for some fun adventures around Farmington Hills.


Our first stop was a visit to Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum.  I've heard a lot about this quirky spot and so I thought we'd check it out.  It is a really weird spot with a variety of vintage coin operated machines, arcade games, and other oddities.  There were lots of noises and fun things to see.  


Then we stopped across the street for tacos.  This picky little girl spent all of her time licking sour cream off of one chip.  She's at that fun age where she doesn't really eat much.  But that's ok, we still enjoyed our time together here.


When I asked Fiona what she wanted to do for fun, she kept mentioning going to the Zoo and getting groceries.  She loves animals, and I knew we weren't going to go to the zoo, so I decided to see if we could find a Nature Center nearby.  Looking at the map, Heritage Park was close and had a Nature Center that I thought she'd enjoy.  Sadly when arrived, I discovered that the Nature Center Building is still closed on Sundays(they haven't switched from Winter to Spring hours). but fortune was on our side when Fiona pointed out a painting of owls and was overheard by a lady near us.  The woman proceeded to ask us some questions, and then asked if we wanted to go inside the Nature Center to see more animals.  I didn't realize we had been talking to an employee of the park, and she was so impressed with Fiona's knowledge identifying animals, that she offered us a private visit.  What a fun experience as Fiona saw all of the fish, turtles, snakes, and other fun animals.  We even got to visit the classroom bunny.
  

Afterward, the lady offered to show us a fun nature trail which was perfect for Fiona and led us to the playground.  We had such a nice visit with this woman, and I was so grateful for her hospitality. 
Fiona and I spent quite a bit of time on the playground as she climbed up to several slides over and over, played in the swing, chased a ball, and ran around in the grass. 


On the way back to the car, she insisted on stopping several times along the nature trail to sit and enjoy the sound of the birds and all that nature had to offer.  I wanted to walk the Storybook path before we left, but we had done a lot of walking, and Nicol and Tyler had gotten home, so we decided to leave that for another visit.  I had such a fun day with Fiona.  I can't wait to do it again!


It was after 7:30pm when I got home and I was exhausted from my busy weekend, so I reheated some leftovers for dinner, fed the girls, and then we snuggled up to watch the U of M vs MSU hockey game.  I'm so glad that the girls settled in so well for the night.  It was a quiet night at home, much needed after this crazy weekend.  

Tomorrow we head into April, and hopefully, this month will allow us more opportunities to enjoy some Spring weather and fun adventures that aren't always just side adventures lumped on to other duties or obligations.  I really need a break from everything that's been going on, and I'm hopeful that better days are ahead.  Hope springs eternal.

Have a great week everyone!

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Spring has Sprung.

Hello to you all and happy Wednesday!  I hope your week is going well and that you had a good week last week.  I had had the best intentions of sitting down to write on Sunday, but my day ended up busier than I expected so I am a finally taking some time early this morning to sit down and focus on the blog today.  


Our week last week was a combination of finally starting to feel caught up on life and some crazy busy moments, but overall I'd say it was a good week.  The girls and I have been spending multiple days a week at Soldan Dog Park over the past several weeks because it really is the best way to help them burn more energy in a short period of time.  They have really loved it and I enjoy watching Peaches sniff to her heart's content and especially love it when she gets spunky and decides to run and play.  


Mina spends most of her time her on a full speed run or chasing a tennis ball.  The birds are becoming more prevalent at the park lately and she has also enjoyed chasing them as they flit around through the trees,  I've been pretty proud of her recall work.  Watching her through the trees as she runs off into the distance and then immediately turns when I whistle is pretty rewarding.  She still needs to check in with me more regularly on her own, but she is starting to do that a bit more.  But the best part of last week at the park is noticing that the grass is starting to turn green and the trees are beginning to bud.  


Tuesday after work, I had an appointment in Eaton Rapids, so I took the girls along with me.  This gave us an opportunity to get out for a little Tuesday evening adventure.  After my appointment, I noticed a few new geocaches nearby, so off we went to find them.  The girls were not happy when I made them wait in the car as I looked for a couple of them


After picking up the geocaches, we headed over to Oak Park, a pretty little natural area with a few trails, to enjoy a walk in the woods.  While I have been here before with Peaches, this was Mina's first time at here.  She and Peaches thoroughly enjoyed all of the new smells.  The sky was so blue and the sun was shining.  It was a beautiful day to be in the woods.  


After our walk we headed out for one last stop in Eaton Rapids-the Island City Dog Park.  I had no idea this park even existed until I noticed it that day as we were driving through town.  I saw a fenced area off in the distance and with a little research confirmed my suspicions that it was a dog park.  I knew Mina would appreciate a good round of fetch and this seemed like the perfect ending to our adventure.  We arrived to a completely empty park, which is always my favorite time for a visit, and Mina found a ball almost immediately.  We spent the next 20 minutes there allowing Peaches to sniff every corner and Mina to get in a good run.  And with this fun little weeknight mini adventure, we watched the sun set on Winter.  It had been a good evening.


The Vernal Equinox, and official start of Spring, occurred just after 11pm on Tuesday night, so we awoke to Spring on Wednesday morning, although with high temperatures for the day just above freezing, it certainly didn't feel very spring-like.  I took the girls for a mid-day lunch time visit to the dog park because I knew I wouldn't have time for anything after work due to my shelter dog walk.  They had a great time, as always and came home from their run ready for a nap.


On Wednesday night, we were able to get out five dogs for our dog walk, including Isabel(above) who is an adorable little hound puppy.  I got to walk little Van Gogh (below), an adorable little cattle dog.  It was a really nice group of dogs and walkers and I enjoyed the evening.  Walking a shelter dog is always a good way to make you feel better about life!



Thursday morning started out slow.  The girls happily napped away while I was working.  I think we've finally settled into a pretty good routine and the girls are pretty good at this work from home life.  It's strange to think about how different life was just four years ago and how things changed so much due to Covid.  I can honestly say that working from home is one of the best things that came out of that situation, and I am so glad that I am able to spend the day home with the girls while I work.  I really do think I'm more productive than I ever was in the office. 


I dpent some time working grom the hospital and visiting with my dad, and at the end of the day, I made a drive out to the shelter with the girls so that they could meet Halsey, a shelter dog who was looking for a foster home.  While someone had committed to foster her in a week, the shelter staff were hoping to get her out a little sooner, and I figured if she and the girls got along, we'd happily take her for a few days until her longer-term foster home was available.  The meeting went well, and I agreed that I'd pick her up on Sunday if she didn't get adopted Friday or Saturday.  I was looking forward to having a foster friend for a few days, but it wasn't meant to be since Halsey was adopted on Saturday.  Yay!


We left the shelter and drove across town to Lansing Brewing Company where the Downtown Lansing association was holding a dog-friendly pop-up event.  There were a couple of vendors, including our favorite treat lady from Fur Real Dog Snacks, and the girls even got to go inside.  They made some new friends, got lots of love from the LBC staff, and had a great time.  It would have been nice if the weather would have cooperated for the event to be on the patio, but it was still a fun time for the girls.  I ordered dinner to go, took them for a quick walk around the block, and got some pictures on the patio before we headed home for the night.


All of the sunshine and green grass were replaced overnight by a snow storm, and we awoke to a winter wonderland on Friday.  It was a wet heavy snow, and ultimately we got about 6 inches here in Lansing.  Mina and Peaches both love the snow, so they were happy to get outside while I took some time to shovel.


Then, with a mid-day break in the snow, I decided we'd head to the dog park for a good romp in the snow.


So I spent my lunch watching Mina and Peaches zoom around, Mina flying at top speeds and Peaches strolling, sniffing, and rolling in the snow.  There were a few other hardy dog owners out at the park, all of them with high energy dog breeds.  Mina and Peaches made friends with a beautiful young husky named Outlaw and boy did they have a great time playing.  


We had such a fun time in the snow, but sadly, we had to head home so I could finish my work day as another band of snow moved into the area.  The rest of the day was pretty quiet at my house though.  I'm guessing this will be Winter's final hurrah here in mid-Michigan.  I'm glad we made the most of it.


Saturday morning, we left home bright and early with a full day of fun planned.  Our first stop was in Clarkston, where I had been invited to join a group of geocachers to find a difficult cache.  It was a quick but fun stop.  It is always fun to gather with other geocachers.  The girls and I picked up a few other quick caches in the area before getting on the expressway to head North.


You know we love a good road trip and the girls were excited to see where we were going.  
 

After a two hour drive with a few stops along the way for a few geocaches, we finally arrived at our destination-the Roscommon County Animal Shelter.   They were holding a fun Easter themed event with a Spring photo shoot and Easter Egg hunt for dogs.  I always love to support this awesome shelter that brought Peaches into my life.  Dee Dee, the director at the shelter, is always happy to see Peaches too.  So it is always worth the drive up for a visit. 


After a fun photo shoot, we headed out to start the hunt for the Easter Eggs.  It took a bit for Mina to get the hang of it, but once she did, she was a rockstar.  She sniffed under trees and in brush piles and found several eggs all on her own.


Peaches never quite caught on, but I pointed out a few eggs to her and she'd get excited for her treats.  Those little noses definitely got a great work out searching for the goodies.  What a fun time!


We went back inside to pick up our special prize from finding a golden egg, and Mina was sure that she needed to help with the eggs.  


After a fun event, a nice visit, and leaving our donation for the shelter, we were off to enjoy some sunshine and fun in the woods of Northern Michigan.  What a fun time we had!



We made a handful of stops at several locations around the area for some short walks and a little geocaching.  I particularly liked the Firefighter's Memorial.  What a pretty location.  


Finally, it was time for us to start heading south again.  We made some short stops along the way, picking up a few geocaches and checking out some new areas.  I slipped on a nice muddy hill and ended up with mud all over my pants at one stop...luckily I had packed extra so I could change quickly and get back on the road.  While I had thought we might find a hotel for the night, as we drove, I decided we'd just enjoy the day trip and spend the night at home.  


We made a stop for dinner at Iva's Chicken Dinners in Sterling.  I'd heard great things about this place, but we're never in this area, so I took advantage of being close by to give it a try.  It definitely lived up to it's reputation and is well worth a stop if you're in the area.  The girls ate dinner in the car and got a few pieces of chicken I saved for them from my dinner, and then we hit the road for home.  We had really enjoyed our day trip to beautiful Northern Michigan.  


Both girls crashed when we got home and it was a quiet night at my house.


Sunday, I had plans to visit my dad at the hospital.  When I had last visited on Thursday, we got the good news that they had found a rehab facility willing to take him that is closer to home and will be able to get him the physical therapy he needs to build his strength so that he can safely go home again.  

Before I went to the hospital, though, I decided to make a stop at the Mid-Michigan Pet Expo which was being held at the Dort Financial Center in Flint.  My main goal was to pet the shelter dogs from Genesee County Animal Control, but I was also able to buy a few goodies for the girls and meet a Brittany and another GSP.  I didn't realize this was a pet friendly event in time, or I would have taken the girls with me.  But I really enjoyed just getting to check it out.  


I spent about three hours at the hospital visiting with my dad.  He was in good spirits and continuing to feel better.  It was a nice visit, and what I'm hoping will be my last visit there for a while.  I know we'll have to go back for one more surgery, but that should be minor and only require a short stay.  If we can keep him healthy until then, that would be great!  I know he was excited to make the move the rehab facility and to start his physical therapy again.


On the way home, we stopped at Ted Black Woods in Okemos to meet up with Vanessa for a little geocaching and walk through the woods.  She sadly had to say good bye to her cat, Sully on Sunday, and needed some love from Peaches to help her feel a little better.  Peaches wanted to make sure to take Vanessa on a nice drag through the muddy woods to make Vanessa smile.  It was a nice way to end our busy, but fun, weekend.


Fiona is now 23 months old!  She enjoyed our snow on Friday by making a snowman with her mom.  She is such a sweet girl and just loves being outside.  


I especially love this picture of her reading her book to her stuffed dog.  She's getting so big and I haven't seen her enough lately.  But this weekend that will change.  I can't wait to spend some time with her!


Now I'm off to start my work day.  I can't wait to share more fun adventures with you as we dive into Spring.


Here is a quick teaser of the fun Spring photo session we had at the shelter on Saturday.  Mina always makes me smile.  I'm saving the best picture to share on Easter!  I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week!