A farewell and fun in the sun

Happy Tuesday to you all!  I know I am late in writing this week, but my Sunday didn't go as originally planned, and frankly, neither did my Monday.  So here we are sitting inside to avoid the heat after my day of work, which I thought would be the perfect time to get caught up on last week's happenings.

Last week started with Rafa still here in foster with us, and after a good day of rough-housing with Mina all day Monday, we didn't need much of an adventure.  I still wanted to get out for a walk to enjoy the beautiful sunny day, so we took a nice walk around downtown Mason to fill our evening.  

Then on Tuesday morning, I got the call that there was a family interested in meeting Rafa.  Thankfully, I had stocked up on Frosty Paws on my recent trip to Aldi, so we threw an impromptu lunchtime ice cream party in the backyard.  All of the girls enjoyed this mid-day surprise.  

Then I took a late lunch and drove out to the shelter with Rafa to meet the prospective adopters.  She was a little nervous being back at the shelter, but overall she did great.  She was happy to see her shelter friends, she just wanted to be sure I wasn't going to leave her there.

After spending a lot of time just sitting in a meet and greet room, and lots of discussions about her needs and personality, the family decided that they couldn't leave without her.  She was unsure at first, but I've since heard from them and she is starting to settle in to her new home and getting more comfortable every day.  They kept her name, so she will be Rafa forever.  They all just thought it fit her well and they all adore her.

She was a hard one to let go, and I did get a little choked up as they drove away with her, but I'm happy that a family was willing to give this shy little girl a chance.  Just a month earlier she was too nervous to even walk out of the shelter, so she really came a long way in a short time, and I know that she'll continue to be brave and will learn that the world isn't such a bad place and that there are more good people than there are bad ones.  

Without a puppy to keep her busy, Mina was back to her normal work from home routine on Wednesday morning.  The weather was great, and the girls were happy to be outside.  I just had to chuckle when I looked out the window to find them both happily lounging in the middle of the garden.  

Then, after a morning of outdoor fun, they came inside for lunch and and afternoon nap.  Mina has a rough life!

The weather Wednesday was a little warm, but we were still able to get four dogs out of the shelter for a nice walk.  We did shorten our walk a bit due to the heat, and Oyster was happy to get back to the shelter and make himself comfortable on the cool lobby floor.  

Thunderstorms were forecasted for mid-day on Thursday, so I took an early lunch so that I could get the girls out for a nice walk.  I decided to drive into REO Town and jump on the River Trail for a little added adventure since we don't walk here often.  

It was cloudy when we started, but the clouds quickly cleared and we had sunshine and beautiful blue skies for our walk.  Boy did that sun make things heat up quickly!  We had a great walk, though, and then we headed home so we could eat lunch and I could get back to my work day.  

By the end of my day of work, storms still hadn't started, so I headed out for our Thursday visit to the South Lansing Farmer's Market.  Luckily the cloudy skies kept the pavement cool enough for the dogs to join me.  After I grabbed my egg rolls, Peaches dragged me into Soldan's for a quick visit before I could finish the rest of my shopping.  I grabbed a few goodies and some fresh produce just as the rain started, and we made it back to the car before we even got wet.

The rain moved through the area quickly, which allowed us to join a group of fellow geocachers at a geocaching event at our local Dairy Queen.  Of course I got the girls a treat.  They even waited nicely while I got their picture.  

When we were finished with our treat, we headed home to spend some time outside doing some yard work.  It had been a really great day.

Friday was a long day, so I was happy to just take the girls to the dog park in Dewitt for a good run.  It was surprisingly empty when we got there, and before we left we had the whole place to ourselves.  Both girls enjoyed this time to just stretch their legs and explore.  Peaches found plenty of chances to roll in the grass, and of course, Mina had to play ball.  It was a good start to our weekend.

Saturday morning I spent some time doing some stuff around the house before loading the girls into the car for a visit to Joey's Pet Outfitters.  One of my fellow shelter volunteers reserved the dog park there for the shelter volunteers and staff so that we could bring our own dogs for  a little fun.  Peaches wasn't quite herself Saturday morning, so she didn't explore as much as she normally would, but I think she was still glad I brought her along.

Mina ran around chasing birds and exploring the pond and grassy areas, and of course she played several rounds of fetch, bringing her ball to anyone who would throw it for her.  She had a blast.

After our fun at the park, I ran a few errands and picked up a late lunch, and then we headed home for the day.  We enjoyed some time outside working in the yard and garden, and also took some time to relax.  Overall it was a really good day.

On Sunday morning, we were up early so we could get out and enjoy the day before it got too hot.  I was finally able to get the fence up around the garden to keep Mina out so that maybe all my plants will have a chance to grow.  

While I had plans to visit my dad for Father's Day, I also had other plans to get some things done around the house and yard, but that all changed when I got a call from Nicol around 9am asking if I could take Fiona for the day because both she and Tyler weren't feeling well.  So I finished what I was doing, and jumped in the car to go get Fiona.  

After the hour drive to pick her up, we made the hour and forty minute drive to my parents where we arrived just in time for pizza.  After eating lunch, Fiona headed outside with my dad to explore.  I joined them soon after and off we went to explore the ditch for crocodiles.  Along the way, we picked up lots of tiny flowers and even some small apples that had fallen off the tree.  She proudly carried her finds with her until my mom put a blanket out on the ground and all of her treasures found their way to the blanket.

We had a special treat of strawberry shortcake that Fiona was very frustrated that she couldn't eat outside, so she finished quickly and we headed back for more time in the yard.  Before we left, we got a picture of Fiona and my parents.  And then it was back in the car for the long drive back to drop Fiona off at home and then continue on to my own home where the girls were patiently waiting after a long day of napping. 

While Mina and Peaches didn't get to have much fun on Sunday, I was proud of how well they settled in for the night when I got home, exhausted from over 5 hours of driving.  But all of the driving was worth it because I got to spend a nice day with family.

This week we are experiencing some pretty extreme temperatures, so it is going to be pretty uneventful around here, but you know we'll still find some fun.  Our Spring will officially come to an end, and we will welcome Summer and hopefully the new season will bring with it plenty of adventures.  Now I'm off to visit with a friend.  Wishing you all a happy Summer Solstice!