The light at the end of the tunnel

After the busyness of the last couple of weeks, somehow this week seemed pretty slow.  I was still busy, but definitely not as much as i had been.

My boss was on vacation this week which can either mean a much quieter week or a much busier than usual week, depending on what issues may arise.  I was also working as a back up for a colleague who was on vacation this week and helping another team that is currently short-handed.  On top of my normal work load, it all made for a pretty full work week.

After spending Monday evening at Nicol's house helping out with Fiona, I had to make sure the girls got in a a good run on Tuesday.  I also needed to catch up on some yard work and mowing that I had ignored over the weekend.

The girls spent most of Tuesday evening out in the yard while I mowed.  Once I finished the yard work, I decided they deserved some fun, so I loaded them into the car for a trip to the dog park.  They had a great time.  I am I really starting to notice the earlier sunsets that come with mid-August, though. 

On Wednesday,  I worked a half day so that I could take the girls to the day game at the Lansing Lugnuts.  After taking Mina a couple of weeks ago, I had planned to take just Peaches this time, but Mina was so good previously, I decided to bring them both.

Luckily I didn't regret this decision.  Both girls were so well behaved and I had a great time with them.  They made friends, got to share a hot dog, and had the best time.  We even got their picture with Bluey and some princesses.  Just look at how nicely they sat for their picture. 

By the seventh inning, Peaches was hot and tired and clearly ready to leave, so we headed home for a little nap in the air conditioned comfort of home.  They were both exhausted!

I also spent a little time in the garden that afternoon, picking some zucchini, tomatillos, green beans, and one tiny cucumber.

Then I headed out to the shelter for our Wednesday night dog walk. 

Boy were the dogs full of energy when I got to the shelter to harness them for the walk.  I was sweating before we even left the shelter!  They started out on our walk with lots of excitement too,  but by the time we got to the mid-way point where we stop for water, they had all calmed down nicely.

We had a nice time just sitting outside and letting them enjoy the grass for a bit before making the walk back to the shelter. What a wonderful night we had.

Thursday was a long, exhausting day at work.  I had lots to get done and not enough time to do it all.  I also had lots to do around the house after work.   I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, but I reminded myself that sometimes you just have to let some things go because you can't do everything.  That really changed my attitude for the whole evening.

I took the girls for a quick trip to the Farmer's Market and picked up some egg rolls, then came home and made a zucchini and cauliflower stir fry that has become a favorite of mine this Summer.  And I had a very productive evening, completing a lot of the things on my to-do list.

I also talked to Nicol and got an update on Picasso.  He's healing well and starting to feel more like himself.  While its nice to see him up and moving around, it is more challenging for Nicol to keep him calm while he heals.  Here he is with his new donut to keep him from bothering his incision.

My dad also had his post-op appointment with his surgeon to get his staples removed on Thursday.  I'm happy to say that for the first time since January,  he no longer has any food restrictions.  I thought that was pretty amazing news.  Life is really staring to get back to normal!

On Friday, the girls were very unhappy because it was rainy most of the morning.  They tried to spend time outside when the rain stopped for short bits of time, but mostly they were forced to lounge around inside.   

On my lunch we took a quick drive to the gas station, and then we came home and all ate lunch.  The rain finally cleared up so that they could spend some time outside during the afternoon while I worked.  After work, I was busy getting some work done around the house, prepping some veggies for the freezer, and taking care of a few things outside.  Then the girls came with me as I ran some errands before dinner.  I enjoyed a favorite sumertime meal and had a productive evening.  We didn't get out for any adventures because I had plenty to do at home to prepare for the next week.

Now we come to Saturday.  I'm writing early because I'm not sure I'll have time tomorrow because for the first time this year, we're going on vacation!  We will be leaving soon for a full week away from work, home, and responsibility.  

While I can't say we haven't had any fun this year, I've been rushing through life, squeezing some short breaks and bits of fun in where I could, but always with thoughts of responsibilities to others and so many commitments.  But with my dad home and mostly back to normal, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  And now I'm taking some time for me.  

I will be spending my days doing whatever I want, whenever I want, answering to no one(except.the girl, of courae), seeing friends I haven't seen in months, relaxing, resting, and taking a break from the world.   This will be a much needed mental and physical break, and I cant believe it's actually happening after all of my cancellled plans throughout this year.

So I wish you a wonderful week and look forward to sharing all of our fun and adventures with you when we return.  

Running into August

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. There is just so much going on and not enough time in the day.  I feel like all I did the last couple of weeks of July was run around, constantly trying to keep up with everything and never really succeeding.  But I've learned over the years that the busy times will pass, eventually, and it is important in the midst of those crazy times not to forget to slow down and find time for a little fun.  It's not always easy, but sometimes you just have to let go of the list of to-dos, and focus on taking care of yourself.  Not sure I've been very successful at that the last couple of weeks, but at least I can recognize it.

We start way back on July 29, a very hot and humid Monday.  The girls were able to spend some short amounts of time outside while I worked, but definitely needed to burn off a little more energy.  After work, I had to run a couple of quick errands near East Lansing, so I decided to change things up and take them to the dog park close by.  We don't go to the East Lansing dog park often, and it's not my favorite park, but it was a much needed change of pace for the girls.  Storms were moving into the area and the humidity was terrible, so our visit was short, but it gave them a chance to get in a good run and burn off some energy, which made us all happy.  We added a very short walk around the neighborhood when we got home, and then settled in for a rainy evening.

Tuesday was another miserably hot and humid day, so the girls only got a few short visits out in the yard during the work day.  With my dad back in the hospital, I was back to my normal Tuesday afternoon visit with him, and I finished my work day there with him while we also watched some of the Olympics together.  I got home around dinner time to two girls who were ready for some fun.  So I decided we'd head to Eaton Rapids for a visit to the dog park because it was just too hot for the girls to spend much time walking on any paved surface.

As is normal, we were the only one's at the Island City Dog park, and the girls were happy to be able to explore both sides of the park.  I always leave the gate open between the large and small dog parks when we're along to give them more space.  

After a short visit, Peaches was ready to leave, while Mina was happily playing fetch still, so I started walking laps around the park and Peaches decided to follow me.  I continued to throw the ball for Mina and take laps with Peaches until we had walked about 1 1/4 miles.  By then Mina had burned off enough energy that I could convince her it was time to leave.

Before leaving Eaton Rapids, we stopped for a short walk at the tiny little Island Park and around town.

At the end of our walk, we enjoyed the sunset before getting in the car to make the drive home.  It had been a really long day, but it was such a beautiful evening, and I was happy we were able to enjoy it. 

On Wednesday, I worked a half day so I could take some time off to spend with Mina at a Lansing Lugnuts baseball game.  Every Wednesday they have dog days at the park, and I thought an afternoon game might be less busy, and better for us to attend, and since I have plenty of vacation time left to use this year, it was a good excuse to take a break from work and have some fun.

This little girl was so well-behaved and had such a good time.  It was terrible weather with temperatures in the 90s and lots of humidity, and I had almost decided not to go, but I figured we could always leave early if we needed to do that.  I'm so glad we went. 

We shared fries, and she got spoiled by many vendors and other fans.  But just seeing how much fun she was having and how all of my time and money spent training her had paid off was really the best part of the day.

Because of the extreme heat, our normal dog walk at the shelter was cancelled for the evening, but I decided to head out to the shelter and see if I could get all of the dogs out for a short walk and a little fresh air.  I was able to get all of the dogs out for about 10 minutes each and they all seemed very happy to have gotten a little break from shelter life.  I was a sweaty mess by the time I was done, but it was worth it to see their happy faces.

Thursday morning was a busy one for me at work, and I left late for my lunchtime drive to the hospital.  When I got there, I was happy I was able to get a bowl of my favorite Cheesy Chicken Enchilada soup from the deli, and then headed up to visit with dad while I ate and worked.  We had a great visit and he was making really good progress which was awesome to see.  I left the hospital around 5:15pm and drove through storms most of the way home.

When I got home, I quickly loaded the girls into the car and made the short drive over to the South Lansing Farmers Market.  The skies looked ominous, and I knew the girls needed to get out for at least a short adventure before storms moved in, plus their favorite treat lady was going to be at the market that night, and we didn't want to miss that.  I was happy that I was able to get them some treats and pick up my weekly egg rolls before the market closed, and we made it home just as the rain started to fall.  It wasn't a big adventure, but they were definitely happy that they saw all of their friends.

By the time we reached Friday, I was exhausted.  It was still hot and oppressively humid, and I really didn't feel like doing anything when my work day ended.  But I have two girls who needed some exercise, so off we went for a visit to the Dewitt Dog Park.

Because of the weather, the park was pretty quiet, and we had it to ourselves for most of our visit.  Peaches was happy to be able to explore without anyone bothering her, and Mina was just happy to play fetch.  

On the way home, we made a quick stop for a visit at Preuss Pets, just before closing time, and we discovered Jazz Fest just down the street in Old Town.  Of course we had to check it out.  We enjoyed a little music, visited some of the vendors, and ate dinner from the food trucks there.  It was a nice little unexpected visit.  I was glad we had ventured out because it was a nice, relaxing way to start our weekend, and just look at how happy the girls were!

  

On Saturday morning, after a quick stop at the shelter to walk a dog, I headed down to visit Nicol, Tyler. and Fiona.  It seemed like forever since I'd seen them, and while I talk to Nicol all of the time, Fiona is growing up so fast and I felt like I was missing out.  I met them at the Farmington Farmer's Market which is a regular Saturday activity for them, and I had a fun time exploring and visiting new vendors.  I came home with some goodies and enjoyed a few treats while we were there too.  It was a fun morning despite the heat.  Before we left, we picked up sandwiches from a nearby deli to have lunch at their house.  Picasso was so excited to see me, and Fiona was excited to show me her animals and books.  I felt pretty loved.  

After lunch, it was time for me to leave and head to the hospital for another visit with my dad.  He was having another really good day, and we were both happy with his recovery thus far.  The biggest news was that depending on a couple of things, he was told he could be going home as soon as Tuesday.  I left Saturday knowing I might never have to go back for a visit at this hospital.  It was pretty exciting to think that we were really nearing the end of his months of healing.  It was a little sad to leave there too, knowing that I may never again see all of the wonderful nurses and doctors that have been with us through this whole ordeal since day one, way back on January 2.  They have honestly been such a highlight of this long ordeal and I will forever be grateful for all of the care and time they gave to helping my dad.  They are a special group of people.

By the time we reached Sunday, I was ready for a day of rest.  I knew that I had things that I needed to do around the house, but I wanted nothing more than to have a lazy day, and I really committed to it.  But around 3pm, the girls and I were getting a little restless, and I knew that they could use an adventure.  So after some debate with myself, I decided we could make the drive to Albion for a short hike along the North Country Trail.  Along the drive, we made a few stops to pick up some geocaches, and we arrived in Albion around 5pm.  We followed the trail along the river so that the girls could get a drink or jump in to cool off whenever they wanted because it was still pretty hot out, and we had a marvelous time.  It was just a nice stroll in a place we all enjoy visiting and was a nice way to end our weekend. 

After work on Monday, I got the girls out for a quick walk right at 5pm so that I could get them dinner before I left to help set up our polling place for the election on Tuesday.  Set-up is always pretty quick, but I really wanted to make sure we got a walk in, just in case I didn't have time afterward.

When I got home from our set-up time, the girls and I made the drive to the Dewitt Dog park for some fun.  The weather on Tuesday promised lots of rain and I wasn't sure I'd have much time to get them out at all due to the weather and my work schedule, so I wanted to make sure they had plenty of exercise on Monday.  

As I normally do, I worked on Tuesday morning until I had to leave to work the election.  It was pouring rain, so the girls were stuck inside all morning.  Since I live just 1/4 mile from the polling station, I normally walk, but it was raining so hard that I decided to drive instead. 

It was a pretty slow election day, but the time went quickly.  Luckily when I finally got to leave around 6pm for my dinner, the rain had stopped and I was able to get the girls out for a 25 minute walk, feed them dinner, and let them out for a potty break before I had to head back to work.  Since the rain stopped, I was able to walk back after my dinner break, and I had a nice walk home after the polls closed and we finished our evening of work.  I even got the girls out for another walk before it got completely dark, and then we settled in to watch some of the Olympics.

The best news of the day though, was that my dad was released from the hospital!  While he's still got some healing to do and will continue to work on building his strength, it feels good to know that he's nearly back to his normal life again after 7 long months.

Wednesday was a blur, I was so busy I barely remember anything about it.  The girls had a pretty boring day, but were at least able to spend most of it outside.  I went to the shelter to walk dogs on Wednesday night, and after I got home I took the girls for a walk around the block too.  And then, just like Tuesday, we sat down to watch some Olympics before bed.

The beginning of the week really was just a blur, and Thursday was here before I knew it.  Since the girls hadn't been out of the neighborhood all week, I thought I trip to the Island City Dog park was in order.  So after a quick stop at the Farmer's Market, we made the drive to Eaton Rapids.  To my surprise, there were other people there when we arrived, but they stayed in one side of the park and we had the other side to ourselves.  Eventually they left and another couple showed up with a beagle puppy, but they stayed in the other side too.  Peaches was ready to go way before Mina and kept walking over and standing by the gate.  I convinced her to run a bit more, but finally I had to convince Mina it was time to go.  

When Friday arrived, I was once again exhausted, but knew the girls needed to get out for a nice long walk.  I realized it had been quite awhile since we'd made a visit to campus, and with the cooler temperatures that had arrived, I thought a campus visit would be perfect for us. 

With no students around, it was a beautiful, peaceful evening for a walk.  The girls stalked some squirrels and geese, and I enjoyed the beautiful summer flowers.  

We enjoyed a walk along the river, through Pentecost Field, and in the Beal Botanical Garden.  I really do love walking on campus, especially when the students are gone.  

After we got home, I did some cleaning around the house, a load of laundry, and was working on taking out some recycling when the neighbors drove by and pointed out a loose dog running through my yard.  Together we were able to get him into the neighbor's fenced back yard, and luckily a short while later, the family eventually drove by looking for him and he was able to be reunited with them after a little work to convince him to stay still long enough for them to get his collar back on him.  I felt pretty good about my productive evening and was ready for the weekend.

The weekend arrived, and I had two full days with no commitments.  I had decided that while I might do some work in the yard and garden, we were also going to have some real fun.  Earlier in the week, we got invited for a Saturday play date with Ruby and Sherman, and we were happy to be able to visit them.

There were rounds of chase and a little wrestling, and everyone was happy to see each other.  Mina played fetch for 3 1/2 hours straight, bringing her ball to anyone that would throw it for her.  Ruby went from person to person in search of some pets and love, Sherman tried hard to get everyone to play with him, and Peaches sniffed to her hearts content and even got excited about playing a few rounds of Frisbee with Tom.  They all got plenty of treats and ice cream, and it was a wonderful visit.  They are such a fun group!

After our visit, I couldn't leave Lowell without getting the girls out for at least a short walk on the North Country Trail.  

We had a nice walk and had had such a lovely day.  Peaches was so sound asleep from the drive home that she didn't even wake up when I got out of the car.  After eating their dinner, both girls settled in for the evening.  It was a very quiet night at my house.

Sunday morning was spent doing some work around the house, including meal prep for Peaches.  Part of the food she eats requires me to add the protein, so every few weeks I prep several pounds of meat to freeze.  This week I cooked 5lbs ground beef, 3lbs ground turkey, 3lbs venison, and 13 duck eggs, mixed it all together, and put it into several smaller containers to store it in the freezer.  It feels so good to have this meat cooked and ready ahead of time.   After our productive morning, we ate a quick lunch and then headed off for a day of fun with Vanessa. 

We hadn't had a fun adventure with Vanessa in awhile and the girls were so excited to see her.  For our first stop, we made the drive to Henderson for a fun session of Barn Hunt.  Each girl got two sessions in the Barn Hunt course and plenty of time to sniff this rat in a box while we waited.  While Peaches had fun sniffing around the straw, she's not going to win any Barn Hunt titles.  Mina, on the other hand, picked up on the game pretty quickly, and I may have to explore this sport a little more.  It it a great outlet for their hunting instincts and they both seemed pretty happy to be there.

After we were done, we drove around picking up some geocaches, stopped for a walk at McCurdy Park, and made a stop for some ice cream.  Along the way, we spotted a Bald Eagle in a field just outside of Corunna.  We had a great time on our adventure with Vanessa.  Overall, it was a good weekend.

Sadly, on Saturday night, my sweet grand puppy Picasso ended up at the emergency vet.  He was acting unusual and was clearly in a lot of pain.  After a long Saturday night for Tyler at the vet with him, it was determined that he had a needle in his stomach and he would need to spend the night, and would potentially need surgery.  While they had hoped that they might be able to remove the needle endoscopically, that ended up not being an option, and around 9pm on Sunday night he finally went into surgery.  Luckily they were able to remove the needle, and he should be fine.  We are all relieved, but also very concerned how this could have happened to him.  But what is most important now is that he rests and gets better.  

It was a scary 48 hours for all of us, but we were all happy when the doctor said he could come home on Monday afternoon.  I drove down to Nicol and Tyler's house over my lunch and spent my afternoon working there while Fiona napped so that Nicol and Tyler could bring him home.  After my work day was done, Fiona and I watched the Aristocats and then played outside for a bit while Picasso rested in another room.  When he first saw me, this very drugged boy immediately started to wag his tail and tried to pick up his head.  He really wanted to get up to come see me, so I went and sat with him for a bit.  Honestly, I wanted to give him a big old hug, but I know that would have hurt him.  So I just sat next to him, petting his head and telling him how happy I was that he was okay.  After dinner with the kids, it was time for me to head home.  Fiona was sad to see me leave, but I was so glad I was able to help them out for the day.  

I'm hoping for a quieter week this week and that both my dad and Picasso to continue to heal and recover.  I don't want any more abdominal surgeries in the family this year!   Now I'm officially caught up, later than I had planned, but that's just the way life goes sometimes.  I hope you all have a wonderful week.  Thanks for your patience with me!  We appreciate you following along on our journey.