It's June in Michigan

This week I am feeling like we're finally settling back into a regular routine again.  It really felt like the most normal week we've had all year.  It's so nice getting back to a routine.  The weather this week was nice, and it allowed us plenty of opportunities to spend outside.  

On Tuesday after work, I decided that I wanted to take each of the girls on individual adventures.  Mina and Rafa play so much all day that I hadn't had to take them all out for a walk together since bringing Rafa home, and I always dread the first walk with a new foster because we generally end up as a tangled mess.  It is never enjoyable.  So I decided individual walks would be perfect.  

Rafa got a trip to Old Town to visit Preuss Pets.  I wanted to see how she'd do with all of the sounds and people there, and while she was a little nervous around the people, she seemed to enjoy the trip.  We left Preuss and took a nice walk around Old Town.  She did a great job.  

After I got home with Rafa, I loaded Mina into the car for a trip to REO Town.  I needed dinner, so I thought a quick dinner on a patio somewhere would be a great adventure for her.  She was a very good girl.  When I finished dinner, we took a walk around REO town.  She is such a good girl when she is on her own.  I always enjoy my  one on one time with her.

Finally, I headed home to get Peaches out for a walk  She was pretty excited for her walk around the neighborhood with me.  It was a short walk, but she was happy.  When we were back at home, I let Rafa and Mina hang out in the back yard, and Peaches got to stay with me while I did some weeding in one of the landscaped beds in the front yard.  She was an excellent helper.

Wednesday was another nice day for the girls to spend the day outside while I worked.  They had lots of trips inside to wrestle and nap as well, but spent most of the day out in the yard,  The weather forecast called for rain, but it held off all day until I was getting off of the highway on my way to the shelter for our Wednesday night dog walk.  With thunderstorms in the area, I had to cancel our walk, but a couple of volunteers still came out to help me get some dogs out for a little fun.  Somehow we got lucky, and the storms moved out of the area shortly after our walk would normally start, and we were able to get three dogs out for a shortened walk.  I got to walk Rafa's sister, Trace.  She was crazy, but I love this little girl!  I sure wish they'd both get adopted!

On Thursday, I worked a half day because I had to help my mom get to an appointment in the Detroit area in the afternoon.  While she was in her appointment, I took a walk around downtown Birmingham.  It was a beautiful afternoon for a walk, but it sure was strange to be walking without any dogs!  

Her appointment went quickly, and we were back on the road home in no time.  We still had to deal with some rush hour traffic, but luckily it didn't add a lot of time to our drive.  We stopped for dinner in Perry before I made the rest of my drive home.  The girls had been in their kennels for nearly 6 hours by the time I got home, but they did great.  I was really proud of how well Rafa did.  She is proving to be a great little dog, and the family who chooses her will be very lucky to add her to their family.  

They were all definitely ready to burn off some energy, so we headed outside so that Rafa and Mina could run and wrestle.  Peaches was happy to run, sniff, and occasionally bark to let the youngsters know that they were getting too crazy.  They all had fun, and it was nice to spend time outside with them.  Finally, we headed inside so that they could eat dinner, and then we all settled in for a quiet evening. 

Friday finally arrived, and I had a busy day at work.  The girls enjoyed their day of fun both inside and outside and were very good at keeping themselves busy while I worked.  Mina has finally settled into our work from home life, and I can tell she's maturing past those puppy days and learning that I don't have to be her main source of entertainment.  But after a long day of work, I am happy to spend some playing with her.  

Almost every night this week, I spent some time outside trimming bushes, pulling weeds, and cleaning up landscaping.  I thought on Friday I'd be doing the same thing.  But I walked outside, and Mina brought me a toy, so I decided I deserved a night to sit on my patio to enjoy the weather and spend some time playing with the dogs.  We had so much fun!  

Our Saturday morning started early with a drive to Lakeview to complete a home visit for ISR.  The girls came along and got to get out and play with the resident dog.  They loved this huge fenced in yard.

After finishing our home visit, we headed south to Lowell for a visit with Tom, Barb, Sherman, and Ruby.   These four crazies hadn't been together for a playdate in quite awhile, so it was nice to be able to get them together. 

Sherman was extra playful, and he tried hard to get all of the girls to play with him.  Peaches doesn't play as much as she used to, but she and Sherman had a fun time together.  Rafa was so good with making new friends, I knew she'd be okay with the other dogs, but she did even better than I expected.  Mina spent most of her time trying to get someone to throw a ball for her.   And Ruby made it clear that she missed me and that I should visit more often.  I love that girl and I am so happy she was adopted by friends so I can continue to visit her throughout her life.

It is quite a challenge to get a good picture of this group, but somehow we managed to get one.  

Most of our pictures look like this one with dogs on the move or just plain ignoring me.  

After a fun visit, it was time to leave, but I decided I couldn't leave Lowell without getting a stromboli for dinner from Three Brothers, so I placed the order and then headed downtown to take the girls for a quick walk on the North Country Trail along the river while we waited. 

It was the first time I walked all three of them together, and they did great.  Rafa usually walks pretty nicely and Peaches was tired enough to not be completely crazy, so we enjoyed our quick walk.   I just couldn't be that close to the trail without taking a walk, and it was beautiful along the river.

After our walk, we picked up the stromboli and headed home.  Even with food in the front seat, I had a very quiet drive home.  It had been a really good day.

Today, I spent time out in the yard doing some work in the garden while the girls played.  It was a very productive day.  I came inside for a short break mid-afternoon, and the girls crashed.  Rafa spent some time in my lap, and when she got down, Mina jumped up.  I couldn't stand the thought of making her move, so we relaxed and watched some TV for a little while.  We finally got up to run a quick errand.  When I got back home, I had planned to go back outside for some more yard work, but the wind had really picked up so the rest of my work will just wait until tomorrow.

I really hope this upcoming week is as good as the last week.  I love spending time in my yard this time of year and enjoying beautiful weather.  

Here are a couple of cute pictures of Fiona, who got to ride a horse last weekend.  She was so happy! 

I hope you all have a great week!