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!