The Spruce

While life seemed busy this week, overall we had a  relaxing week full of wonderful Summer evenings  spent outside.  The weather was humid early on, but we had some absolutely spectacular weather later in the week and into the weekend.  I was happy to be able to turn off the AC and open the windows and to be able to get out with the girls to enjoy it.  Somehow we're already two-thirds of the way through July and we still have so much to do to make the most of our Summer.

Our week started with me wondering about the fate of our favorite Spruce tree.  In 2019, the Lansing Boatd of Water and Light did a huge tree removal and trimming campaign throughout the city.  Many trees near the power lines were removed or trimmed, and my Spruce survived that round with just a toppng. Lots of beautiful trees in the neighborhood weren't as lucky.  Since then it has continued to thrive and grow.

This May, they were back surveying the trees in the neighborhood again for another planned trimming and tree removal.  It was strongly recommended that my Spruce be cut down, and I sadly signed a paper authorizing the removal and watched as a big blue X was painted on the tree.  I was told crews would arrive in about three weeks.

I was sure when I returned home from our trip to Minnesota a few weeks ago, the tree would be gone but I was pleasantly surprised to see it still standing when we arrived home.  

Last week, I started to see the tree crews in the neighborhood, and this Monday morning at 7:45am the trucks arrived and parked on the street directly across from my house.  This made for a long day for the girls since they couldn't spend as much time outside as they normally would because I didn't know when the crews might need to enter my yard.  And it made for a long day for me too, sad that I might be saying goodbye to my tree.

Shortly before 5pm, the trucks pulled away after a full day of tree trimming along my street, but with my tree still standing.  It had been a long day, and the girls were happy to be able to get out into the yard again.  It was such a beautiful evening that we just stayed home and, after diner, we enjoyed a relaxing evening out in our own yard.  

Tuesday morning arrived and the tree crews were back bright and early.  When one of the crew members started walking around my yard, I ran out to talk to him and got up the nerve to ask about saving the tree.  I told him I had changed my mind about allowing the tree to be cut down and would prefer that they just top it.  He made no promises, but said he would check to see if that would be an option...and then I waited.

Once again, the girls were stuck inside because the tree crews could show up at any time.  I knew from talking to the employee that they'd be in the yard to trim my Williow tree sometime that morning, so I kept the girls safely inside with just a couple of quick trips out for potty breaks.  Mina was not pleased that I didn't let her stay out to lounge in the sun.

But with brain games and kongs, I kept them happy inside, and they even settled in for a nice nap.  We had another quiet evening at home enjoying the peace and quiet of a beautiful Summer evening.

Wednesday morning the tree was still standing and the crews were back in the neighborhood, but parked further down the street, which is where they spent most of their day.  I let the girls go outside a little more, but had to keep an eye out in case they showed up at our yard again.

Then on Wednesday after work, I made my way out to the shelter for our Wednesday dog walking club.  I didn't walk a dog myself, but we had four wonderful dogs on our walk.  Bejeweled is our longest resident at the shelter and one of my favorite dogs there.  If she could live with other dogs, I'd foster her, but she needs to be an only dog so I just make sure to give her as much love as I can while I'm there.

I saw these cool mushrooms along our walk and had to snap a picture.  They were huge!

Thursday morning arrived, and the girls were up and outside before 7:30.  I wanted them to get some time outside before the tree crews arrived again for the day.  

At 7:40, the first truck arrived and pulled up right beside my yard.  I knew then that the day had arrived when the fate of my Spruce would be decided.  I brought the dogs inside and Mina sat next to me on the bed providing moral support as I worked and waited to see what would happen.  At about 8:30, the tree trimmer got into the bucket and raised himself to the top of the tree, and the cutting began.  In about 10 minutes, he was done, had lowered the bucket, and they were picking up the branches and cleaning up the sidewalk.  Someone was watching over us that day, and my tree survived with just a little trim off the top.

The girls were happy that they were able to spend a lot more time outside throughout the day.  So was I.

We visited the South Lansing Farmer's Market after work to pick up a few things.  Before our visit, I took the girls on a quick walk around the nearby neighborhood.  When we arrived at the  market, the girls were treated to some special treats baked by one of our favorite vendors, Sweets and Treats by Tangie.  

We ended our day with a pre-sunset walk at Frances Park.  It was a beautiful evening for a walk.

Friday I had a crazy day at work.  Luckily the temperatures were comfortable so the girls got to spend a majority of the day outside while I focused on all I had to get done. 

When the day was done, we drove out to the farm to pick up  a few things and then I took the girls to the dog park for a little fun.  

They had a great time running and playing on the agility equipment as well as lounging in the grass.

On the drive home, we stopped in Old Town for a walk and a visit to Preuss Pets.  On our walk we crossed paths with Kirbay Preuss who was out on a walk with her daughter.   The best thing about shopping local is that the business owners tend to know their customers,  and she greeted us by name, said she'd been thinking of us, and then told me that they were planning their remaining ice cream socials for this summer, and asked me if there were dates that would work better for us.  Small gestures like that will keep me shopping at Preuss. 

Saturday morning I was up early to meet a friend who's been fostering Cruel Summer, or Louie.  They had to be out of town for the day, and I agreed to watch him for them while they were gone.  We were only home about an hour before I left to go to the shelter for our Saturday morning dog walk.  Louie came along because he was scheduled to meet with a potential adopter.  He is such a sweet boy, so I there was no doubt in my mind that he'd be adopted.  I was right.

My Saturday morning walking buddy was Cornelia Street.  I love this dog.  She is a gentle giant and just wants to be loved.  We had a great walk.

After dog walking at the shelter and Louie getting adopted, I headed home for a quiet and productive Saturday at home.  Over the last couple of weeks, the weeds have taken over my garden, so I spent the afternoon weeding and trimming plants and I finally picked my first zucchini of the season. I still have a little work to do today, but it looks so much better now.

I have some things to do around the house and yard today, but mostly we're just going to take it easy.  I have a crazy week ahead of me with far too much to do, so we're going to have a nice day at home.  I'm looking forward to it.  More Summer days should be just like today.

Rain and heat and more rain

Happy Sunday, everyone.  It has been a hot week with lots of rain.  So many days this week we had rain in the evenings, making it hard for us to get out for much fun.  Then the heat and humidity arrived late in the week.   Thankfully, we were able to end our week with some fun despite the high temperatures and humidity.  

After posting the blog last weekend, we took a short Sunday adventure in the Webberville area.  I had to meet Nicol at the nearby Park and Ride, and the girls needed some exercise, so it only made sense to visit a park in Webberville for our walk.  The temperatures were high and after a short loop around the park, the girls were ready to get back into the comfort of the air conditioned car 

We then spent a little time picking up a few geocaches in the area.  I was pretty excited to see this little fawn close by when we made one of our stops.

And I thought this was a really pretty view of the Red Cedar River as it winds through the countryside.  

Monday, the heat continued, and other than some time outside during the day while I was working, we didn't take any adventures.  Mina got a little sassy with me that evening when I was just trying to get her to snuggle.

Tuesday brought us a combination of heat and rain most of the day.  We were even under a flood warning here in Lansing.  During the day, the girls spent time out in the yard when it wasn't raining, and they were entertained by a variety of fun brain games throughout the day, each of them got a frozen kong, and they ate dinner in a puzzle game.  But despite my best efforts, neither of them were completely happy about the fact that they didn't get a walk or other adventure.  Peaches kept insisting that I let them outside after dinner, but she wasn't one bit happy about the rain that she encountered.  

We had rain on and off throughout the day on Wednesday, but once again, the girls spent any time that they could out in the yard while I was working.  We had more brain games and food puzzles for lunch and dinner, but they really wanted to get out for more fun.  The weather just wasn't cooperating.

I kept an eye on the weather as the time got closer for our Wednesday night shelter dog walk.  I didn't want to cancel if we didn't have to because I know how much the dogs enjoy their time out of the shelter.  The rain stopped around 4:30, so I decided we were a go for our walk, but when I left home to drive to the shelter the rain was coming down pretty hard.  It cleared up again, and I got 5 dogs harnessed and ready for some fun.

When we left the shelter for our walk at 6pm, it was sprinkling, but by the time we got back the rain had picked up a bit.  Luckily most of the dogs were happy to be out for our walk despite the rain.  

I was pretty soaked when I left the shelter, and I thought I might take the girls for a walk after getting home.  By then the rain had cleared and the sun came out, but it was getting late and I still needed to eat dinner, so we just spent some time outside in the yard. 

While Mina was hanging out in the back yard, Peaches followed me in the house when i went in to make dinner.  She also followed me out front when I went to get something out of the car.  She just kept looking at me and trying to convince me that we should go for a car ride.  She really wanted to go somewhere, but I let the poor old girl down and we stayed home.

Thankfully the rain moved of the area for Thursday, but the temperatures weren't about to cooperate.  It was was warm and humid, but cloudy, after work on Thursday so I was able to take the girls along for my visit to the South Lansing Farmer's Market.  I have to be really careful since this area is all on asphalt and I don't want to burn their paws.  

Sweets and Treats by Tangie had a bowl of cold water out for them, and they got lots of love (and a couple of small bites from my egg roll).  They always love their visits to the Farmer's Market and they always make friends while we're there.  They also dragged me into Soldan's for a quick visit before we left.  It was a good little adventure.

Friday was another hot day, and the girls spent some time outside while I worked, but it was so humid that I limited the time they were out.  After dinner, I decided to take a drive out to Dewitt and let the girls have a good run at the dog park.  They were both so happy to be there.  After a long week without much time for real adventures, it was some much needed fun for all of us.

We spent an hour at the park, and by the time we left, we were the only ones there.  When I was ready to leave, the girls happily jumped in the car and crashed as soon as we got home.  It was a quiet evening at my house.

After all of their fun on Friday, the girls slept in on Saturday morning.  I was up early to get ready to head to the shelter for our Saturday morning dog walk and Mina didn't even get out of bed until after I was out of the shower.

It was a very humid morning which made for a steamy walk with the shelter dogs, so we shortened our walk and spent more time sitting in the shade at our water break spot.  That gave me the opportunity to love on all of the dogs.  When we got back to the shelter, they were all very happy to be back in the cool air conditioning.  I'm sure that they all took a good nap too.

Before I left, I made sure I finally got a chance to visit the two pot-bellied pigs that are currently at the shelter and available for adoption.  They are very sweet and love soft dog treats.  I really want to take them out for a walk!

On the way home, I decided that I wanted to get the girls out early so that we could beat some of the heat.  My intention was to take them for a visit at Preuss Pets and then maybe take a quick walk around the block.  When we arrived, Peaches needed a potty walk, so I changed the plan and decided to take our walk first.  Before I knew it, we had walked the couple of blocks down the street to Turner Avenue which was closed for Scrapfest, and I decided we'd check it out. 

A short section of Turner was blocked off for the festival, and we were able to stay in the shade along the sidewalk and see most of the art.  There was a tent at the far end with a musician and there were vendors and even a couple of food trucks. 

The girls made new friends and they had the best time.  We stayed pretty comfortable the whole time by staying in the shade.

When we started to head back to Preuss, I made a stop for a fresh made lemonade at one vendor and some Greek fries from one of the food trucks, and we took a minute across the street in Turner Park to share the fries.  The girls were pretty excited about their special treat.  

I'm so proud of how well they did.  I get so many comments about how well-behaved they are in situations like this and it really makes me happy to know that the time I spent training Mina has set her up for success in the world.  Peaches isn't as calm and relaxed as Mina, but she is certainly getting better every time we venture to one of these events.  I think the regular visits to the Farmer's Market have helped her too.

After finishing our fries, we walked back to Preuss, took a walk around inside, and then headed back out to the car.  I made a quick stop across the street at Speedway for gas, and then we made the drive out to Dewitt to visit Felzke Farms to pick up some blueberries and a few veggies as I wait for my garden to start producing (we're getting close).  We had to drive by the dog park on our way to the farm, and the girls got so excited as we drove by that I promised them we'd make a quick stop after we finished at the farm.

There was a family with two beagles and two young girls there when we arrived, and Mina learned quickly that the older daughter would throw the ball for her, so she quickly made a new friend.  I didn't want them to over do it with the heat, and the distance a 6-7 year old can throw the ball limited her running, so it was perfect.  Meanwhile, Peaches happily just sniffed and explored.

Finally the family left, and I took a walk around the perimeter of the park with the girls.  Mina took a break under the agility tunnel before we did a quick run through on the jumps and then I went to sit in the shade while the girls watched a squirrel on the other side of the fence.  After about 30 minutes at the park, we loaded up into the car to head home.  After lunch, they settled in for a nice long nap.  The rest of our Saturday was very quiet.

Peaches has had some quirky issues this week, things that are hard to explain unless you're with her and see them.  While physically she is still very active and gets around pretty well for an old lady, I'm a little worried about her mentally.  I think some of the issues may be caused due to the fact that her hearing and eyesight are starting to fail her, and she's learning to navigate the world with these issues.  But she was acting fearful and would try to hide in the basement or the bedroom, or she'd just stand by the door waiting for me to let her outside.  One evening, I had to resort to giving her a Trazadone that I had left from when Mina had her spay surgery just to get her to settle down for the evening.  Luckily she sleeps fine at night, and most of her issues occur from mid-afternoon through early evening, but her inability to relax is stressful for us both.  The last couple of days have been better, and I'm going to credit it to the fact that she got out for some adventures and got plenty of exercise.  She was so happy at the dog park on Friday night, and I was relieved to see her doing better.  I'm keeping an eye on her and will definitely discuss her issues with our vet if they continue.  Hopefully she just had an off week.

Fiona is doing great and got to have her first corn on the cob of the season this week.  She loved it!  Currently she's in a stage where "no" is one of her favorite words, which I'm sure drives Nicol crazy.  But it's kind of cute too.  

We have lots to do today, including mowing the lawn and working in the garden, but of course I went out to start the mower and it won't start.  Looks like the battery for my electric start may be dead and needs replaced, so I guess I'll have to deal with that.  The mowing just may need to wait another day,  but with all of the rain weve gotten this week, the grass is getting pretty tall.  This afternoon, we'll get out for a short adventure to keep the girls happy, which will include a stop at Pet Supplies Plus for their Ice Cream Social.  It should be a good day.

Happy Sunday!

 

Happy Independence Day

I love lazy Summer mornings.  Especially days like today, when the weather was perfect for sleeping with the windows open all night and the morning starts peacefully and slowly.  I'm not a morning person by nature, but I love when I can wake up without an alarm, lounge in bed for a bit, and just enjoy some quiet time to myself.  I've always felt this way.  

Growing up, Summer was always my favorite season because I could sleep in and then start the day at my own speed.  I didn't have to rush around, didn't have to worry about to-dos and commitments.  There was no daily grind, nothing to keep me from just enjoying the day.  I'm definitely that same person today.  There's just something special about how Summer mornings make me feel.  

These days, my alarm has four legs, but I'm thankful that they also enjoy slow mornings.  On Monday, we woke in Eau Claire, WI with only one goal for the day-to get home from our road trip.  The girls woke me up for breakfast and their morning potty break, so we went out for our morning walk.  The girls made friends with a couple and their two grandkids on the elevator, and then we ran into another couple with a beautiful GSP getting off the other elevator when we arrived at the first floor.  We talked to them for a bit before we continued our short morning walk.  Once we were back inside, I fed the girls breakfast and then ran downstairs to grab some oatmeal for myself. 

We took our time that morning, there was no real rush to get on the road.  So I enjoyed a little quiet time while the girls took their post-breakfast nap.  But soon it was time to hit the road.  The drive isn't bad from Eau Claire if you can avoid terrible traffic, and we had decent luck for the start of our trip, making just a couple quick stops for gas or a snack before we made it to the Illinois border and I decided to get the girls out for a walk around the Welcome Center.  

After a quick walk to stretch our legs and take a potty break, we were back in the car, and before we knew it, we were stuck in construction traffic outside of Chicago.  While we sat waiting for traffic to move, I had to grab a couple of pictures of what traveling with Mina looks like.  She never comes into the front seat, but she really wants to be touching me at all times.  This is how we celebrated the second anniversary of her coming home with me.

We finally made it through the Chicago traffic, and continued on through Illinois until we reached the Indiana border.  Nothing says Welcome to Indiana like the picture below.  Thankfully the Indiana traffic cleared pretty quickly, and we made a quick stop just outside of Gary to get gas and food before continuing on toward home.  Due to the traffic delays, we got home quite a bit later than I had expected, but it was still daylight, so I was happy with that.  After 8 days, we were home.

It was a quiet week at work with lots of people out for the July 4th holiday, and it was pretty quiet around Lansing too.  It made for a great week to get caught up from our time out of the office.  The girls spent a lot of time outside enjoying our beautiful weather during the days while I worked.  

On Wednesday after work,  I got to head out to the shelter for our Wednesday night dog walking club.  I walked this little cutie.  He was a sweet boy and a great walker.  It was a little hot, so we shortened our walk, and the group spent time lounging in the shade with the dogs for a little while.  I love when we can spend a little time with the dogs like that because their personalities really shine.  

July 4th arrived on Thursday, and I had decided I was going to make the drive to our annual Hayt Family reunion which is held at one of my uncle's houses.  This reunion has been on July 4th for as long as I can remember, and I haven't been there in a couple of years, so I thought it would be nice to go.  I needed basil for my passing dish, and I was excited to get into the garden and make my first harvest of the season.  It smelled so good!

I made the drive to my Uncle Tom's for the party and stayed for a couple of hours.  It was nice getting to catch up with family, especially with some cousins that I don't see often.  My parents didn't make it to the reunion, so before heading home, I visited them too.  

When I got home, I knew that I needed to get the girls out for some exercise, so we took a quick walk around the neighborhood and then got in the car to make the drive out to Eaton Rapids for some time at the dog park.  As I suspected, there was no one else there when we arrived, so the girls had the whole place to themselves.  Mina and I played with her chuck-it ball while Peaches just sniffed to her heart's content.  It's such a great place because it just feels like we're in our own private yard with no one around to bother us.  I really enjoyed watching them both enjoy themselves and the peacefulness of the evening.  

Before heading home, I made a stop along the way for a bag of cheesy popcorn so that we could continue our Independence Day tradition of eating popcorn during fireworks.  Then we settled in for an uneventful evening at home.  While the war zone of fireworks went off around us outside, we settled inside to watch fireworks on TV and eat our popcorn, and then the girls crashed for the night, unphased by all of the noise going on around us.  

Friday I had a full day at work, so the girls got to spend a lot of time outside enjoying their day.  They both really love to hang out under this spruce tree to watch the world go by, but I think Peaches loves it best.  

I had promised them a trip to the ice cream social at Preuss Pets on Friday after work, so we made the drive there shortly after 5:30pm.  We got our voucher for the ice cream from Preuss and then made the one block walk down to the Artic Freeze which was providing the tasty treats for the dogs.  Then we found a nice spot in the shade for the girls to enjoy their treat.

After they finished their ice cream, we headed inside the store.  It was crazy, but the girls loved it.  We ran into our friend Betsy, and the girls made a few new friends with both two and four legs.  And after I got them into the car, I got to make a new friend too. 

On the way home a storm system moved through the area and we had quite the down pour.  I made dinner and then we settled in for a quiet evening at home.  

After a slow start to our Saturday, I decided I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful mid-70 degree temperatures to get the girls out for some fun.  After a little research, I decided to head slightly Northwest to Montcalm County.   There were some small towns and fun looking spots we could visit that would make for the perfect afternoon adventure.

After a short stop in the town of Sheridan, we headed to Sidney to visit the Montcalm Heritage Village and Kenneth Lehman Nature Trails at Montcalm Community College.  While I didn't expect crowds of people, I was shocked that we had the whole place to ourselves.  The girls were crazy and so happy to be checking out some place new.  Thankfully they eventually settled down and I could enjoy a bit of our walk.   

After our time in Sidney, we made the short drive up to Stanton.  I was surprised to see sunflowers in bloom already.  Our Summer really needs to slow down!

This is such a nice area and we all enjoyed our little adventure.  It was such a peaceful day spent in the country.  While I had hoped to spend time walking the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail which runs right through this area, the sun came out making the pavement too hot for the girls' feet, so I guess we'll just have to go back for another visit.  

Mina has been busy helping me.with my writing this morning, but I think it's time for us to get moving for the day.  But first.I have to share a picture of Fiona from the 4th.  She wasn't happy that her mom was taking "smiles."

Now I'm off to clean and garden and maybe even have a little fun with the girls today.  I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!