Kicking off Fall with a bang

What a week we've had!  We kicked off the first day of Fall last Sunday by heading out to Hawk Island Park to cheer on Vanessa as she ran the Capitol City Run Half Marathon

We arrived at the park about 30 minutes before Vanessa did, so the girls and I got to watch several other runners as they passed by and we talked to some of the other people there supporting their family and friends.  Of course the girls got lots of love and attention from everyone, and they were so well behaved.  I was pretty proud of how patient they were as we waited.

When Vanessa arrived, she stopped to say hello to the girls and get some puppy love, before continuing on.  The girls were pretty happy to see her, and I almost forgot to get a picture.  I was lucky to get one as she ran away from us.  

As a reward for their patience, I took the girls for a walk down the River Walk at the park, and we continued to cheer on other runners as they passed by us.

After our walk, we got into the car and drove downtown to Rotary Park to cheer Vanessa on at the finish line.  The girls sat nicely while we waited.  

After watching Vanessa finish, we took a short walk around downtown and then headed home.  

I spent the afternoon doing some work around the house including some veggie prep while watching the Lions game.  The foster puppies were so good all day and happily spent the day chewing on toys and snuggling with each other.  I was surprised at how easy the day was with three puppies in the house.  They were so cute together.  We all had a good day and everyone settled in for a quiet night.

Monday morning arrived, and with it the beginning of a very busy week.  While I worked, the puppies all snuggled together quietly in the crate.  They were pretty adorable and I tried to get a picture, but of course they moved as soon as I tried.  My morning of work went by quickly, and before I knew it, it was time to load the boys into the car to head to the shelter so that they could each head off to new foster homes.  I was a little sad for all of the puppies as we got ready to leave because this was potentially the last time they'd all be together.  

I had the whole afternoon off from work, and after dropping the boys at the shelter, I headed off with the girls to meet with a potential owner relinquish for ISR.  This step in the rescue process is to meet the dog and make sure there are no issues or red flags to cause the rescue not to take the dog in to a foster home.  Since the girls are always so good with other dogs, it is helpful to bring them along to see how the new dog does with other dogs.  The visit went well, and hopefully this sweet dog will be able to make the move to the rescue soon.

After the meeting, I took the girls home and got them settled in for the afternoon.  Then I made the drive to Byron to watch Brezlyn play golf.  

This is her first year playing golf, and I had never actually watched a golf game before, so it was a fun experience.  She golfed a personal best and I was glad I had gotten a chance to watch her.  

The golf game ended early enough that I was able to make the drive and arrive home before sunset.  The girls got out for a little time in the yard before I fed them dinner and then they settled in for the night.  Poor little Mae was a little lost without her brothers, but finally she got brave enough to climb up on the couch with the girls.  It was pretty cute.

It was a busy day of work for me Tuesday, and the girls spent a lot of time outside while I worked.  At the end of the day, I had errands to run, so I loaded the girls into the car to come along for the drive.  

We were expecting rain for the evening, and I knew I didn't have time to get the girls out for a walk, so since we were close to the East Lansing dog park, we headed that way for a quick visit.  As a foster dog, Mae wasn't allowed to go to the dog park, so I left her in the car for our quick visit.  She happily settled herself into the front seat.  

We spent about 20 minutes at the park before Peaches decided she was ready to go to the car, so I put her in the car and then threw the ball a couple more times for Mina.  We left when an idiot showed up who thought it was a good idea to bring two packages of hot dogs into the dog park because it was his dog's birthday.  

Wednesday, I had to travel for work.  Since I had to be in Livonia for a lunch meeting, I drove down a little early so that I could see Nicol and Fiona.  I spent some time working while I was there, and got to spend some time with Fiona while Nicol went grocery shopping.  I sure do love spending time with her.  We read books, played with blocks, and spent some time outside.  Before I left, she showed me all of their fun Halloween decorations.  This girl loves Halloween!

Time flew by, and before I knew it, I had to head out to for my work lunch meeting.  We had a good meeting with an interesting speaker, and I got to see several of our advisors.  After lunch, I had to make the drive to Troy for an early happy hour meeting that we were hosting.  

After our happy hour meeting, I made the long drive home.  It was so nice to come home to the girls after a long, exhausting day.

The weather was so beautiful,  that I decided to spend the evening out in the yard with the girls.  

We had such a wonderful time.  Mina played fetch and Peaches sniffed and explored.  Mae was the bravest I'd seen here since she arrived at my house.  She was playing with toys, exploring the yard, and even played with Mina a bit, and then she just relaxed in the grass.  

Our time outside was way too short because of the 7:29pm sunset.  I really wish we would have had more daylight.  But as the sunset, the girls and I ran a quick errand and then I picked up ice cream on the way home for Mae's ice cream party because on Thursday morning, her stray hold would end, and she would be available for adoption at the shelter.  Everyone enjoyed their ice cream treat.

Thursday I had another day of work travel, but before I had to leave for Grand Rapids, first I had to drop Mae off at the shelter.  I let the girls come along for the drive, and I wished Mae luck as I dropped her off.  Then I drove home, gave each of the girls a Kong, and continued on to Grand Rapids for the day.  It was a long day, and I didn't get home until after sunset.  The girls were happy to see me, but settled down pretty quickly and we had a quiet night.  The best part of the day was learning that Mae had gone to a foster to adopt home.  She'll officially be adopted once she has her spay surgery early in the week.

While, thankfully, I didn't have leave home on Friday, it was a crazy busy work day for me since I had been out of the office Wednesday and Thursday.  By the end of the work day, I was ready to get out with the girls for some fun.  I knew both girls could really use some space to run, so we went to the Dewitt dog park.  There were several other dogs there, including a beautiful Irish Setter.  

Before we left, Kobe, a 5 month old GSP, showed up, and it was so much fun to watch him run after Mina when she chased the ball.  He even tried to get Peaches to play with him.  While he and Mina spent time running and playing, the park slowly got more and more empty, until finally Kobe had to leave as well, leaving the whole park to us.  We stayed a bit longer, and finally left as the wind picked up and the rain started as we drove home.

We originally had plans for a Saturday adventure with Vanessa, but the forecast called for rain all day, so we made the decision to delay our plans until next week.  That freed up my Saturday to get to my long list of to-dos.  Saturday morning I ran a few errands, stopped at the Holt Farmer's Market, and stopped for a visit with Chastity.

Then we drove downtown to pick up a pickle bucket from Firehouse subs, which i need for the the new food scrap recycling prrogram the cuty if Lansing is piloting.  I decided since it wasn't raining that I'd get the girls out for a walk while we were there.  We enjoyed some of the Fall themed murals that have recently been painted on some of the downtown businesses.  We even happened to discover a Pow Wow at Adado Riverfront Park.  

The girls had a great walk and found so many new smells.  I hadn't realized just how long it had been since we took a walk downtown.  I'm glad we were able to get in a good walk before heading home.  We all really enjoyed it.

When we got home from our walk, I went outside to work in the garden.  Mina helped me by eating any of the pear tomatoes that I dropped.  She and Peaches were both pretty happy to have me out in the yard with them.

I went inside to take in some veggies, and when I came back out, I found Mina in the Willow tree.  I don't know what caused her to jump up there, but it made me smile.  Imke and Maddie spent so much time in this tree over the years, and it's been a long time since I've had a dog in my tree.  

Finally we headed inside to watch football and to start working on processing, freezing, and storing all of my garden goodies.

By the end of the evening I had processed a few dozen years of corn, roasted some tomatoes, and made a couple of batches of pesto.  I also finished up working on the basil I had dried.   It had been a very productive day.

We've had a bit of a rough start to our morning dealing with some old dog issues, but I'm hoping to be able work on more veggies today, including the celery from the garden.  I will also be making applesauce from the half peck of apples Nicol got for me at the Farmer's Market in Farmington.  In addition, I'm planning to make a couple of soups to add to the freezer to use later and a taco casserole for dinner tonight.  This afternoon, the girls and I will be joining a geocaching event, and then I'm volunteering for a special event with the shelter dogs at Biggby for a couple of hours.  It should be a nice break from all of the work I've got planned.  

We're entering a very dark week for me, starting with the 12th anniversary of losing Jake yesterday and the 3rd anniversary of saying goodbye to Maddie coming up on Wednesday,  so I thought I'd share a couple of pictures of them this week.  I have to say that Peaches having issues this morning gave me an extra scare because of the history of this week.  Sometimes I forget that she's nearly 13, but she finds ways to remind me.  She is okay and resting comfortably right now, but we may need to make a visit to the vet just to make sure everything is okay.  If anything important happens, I will keep everyone updated. 

It is hard to believe that we've reached the end of September, and by the time a write next week, it will be October.  I'm thankful that the weather has remained warm, and that it hasn't really started to feel like Fall quite yet, but I'm sure that is coming.  The next week we'll continue to have above average temperatures, and I'll happily continue to wear shorts and sandals.  Thankfully, this week should be less crazy for me than the past week, and I'm looking forward to getting lots of stuff done around the house and spending a some quality time with the girls.   I hope you all have a great week!

Goodbye Summer

As I begin the blog today, we are in the final hours of Summer.  Very soon the Autumnal Equinox will bring in Fall.  This week we still enjoyed warmer than average temperatures as Summer hung on as long as it could, and the girls and I took full advantage of the waning days of this beautiful Summer season.

Last Sunday we started our day with the Big Babies 5K on campus at MSU.  We arrived on campus just before the event started and as I paid for parking and Peaches took a poop break, the line of everyone participating streamed past us.  But we were near the start line, and quickly joined the group.

While we started probably about 1/4 mile behind everyone else, it didn't take long before we caught up and started passing people.  Peaches was full of sass and was on a mission to get as far ahead as she could, so we spent most of the 5k zooming past people.

We reached the finish line at about 53 minutes,  after averaging about a 16 minute mile pace.  The old girl went strong until the end!  After we finished, the girls were getting a drink when we were approached by a woman, who I quickly realized was Dr. Peterson, the MSU dermatology vet who had helped Imke with her ear infection over 7 years ago.  I was touched that she remembered me and sought me out, and she was curious to know if we had successfully completed our travels to all 50 States.  We were in the thick of our travels when we were visiting her way back then.

When I told her that we made it to 49 Capitols together and that Imke's ashes had traveled to Hawaii with me, she smiled and said "she made it."  It was so nice catching up with her and knowing that she remembers Imke fondly.   She is a wonderful veterinarian and Imke and I both loved her for all she did for us.

After getting home from the walk, I had big plans for the day.  I had lots of veggies to prep for Winter storage and I was excited to start working on them.  First I picked one of my three basil plants.

Then I started working on roasting corn to freeze.  Earlier in the week, I had purchased a bushel of corn at the farm to split with Vanessa.  This is the best way to get corn, and freezing it allows me to enjoy it all Winter long.  I decided to try oven roasting versus blanching this year and now I'll never go back! It was so much easier and delicious.

After a few hours of work, I decided to take the girls for a quick trip to Preuss Pets because they were having an event to support a local cat Cafe and we are always up for supporting our community.   It was a quick trip and we bought a few goodies before heading back home.  They both enjoyed this extra little bit of fun for the day.

Then it was back home to work on more corn.

And to roast some tomatoes for sauce.

And finally after what seemed like hours of picking leaves off of the basil plant, I made a few batches of pesto to throw in the freezer for use this Winter too.  It had been an busy and very productive day.

Monday was a busy day of work meetings.  After work, I got out to mow the lawn and do a little yard work, then I had to drop off my bucket of food scrapes at Eastside Composting and pick up another bucket.  

By the time we finished with the errands, it was nearly 7:30.  Since we were close to the East Lansing dog park,  I decided to take the girls there for a run.  I knew we wouldn't have a lot of time before dark, but they needed a chance to burn some energy. 

When we arrived we met Moose a 7 month old Chocolate lab.  He loved chasing Mina and even got Peaches to play with him.  After talking with his parents,  I learned that Moose had had cancer when he was just 15 weeks old, but that he was now thriving.  He was such a sweet and fun boy.  I hope we run into them again.  

Shortly after 8pm, we left the park and made the drive home in the dark.  While it had been a busy night, I felt great about all we had accomplished...and we even had some fun.

After work on Tuesday,  I took the girls for an early evening trip to the Dewitt dog park.   There were a ton of people there and  both girls had a blast.  I hadn't planned on being there as long as we were, but the girls were having so much fun, it was hard to leave.  

Wednesday we took it easy.   The girls enjoyed time in the yard while I worked.  When Mina came in for lunch, she thought my lap looked like a good spot for a nap, so I spent part of my lunch just sitting with her.

Wednesday evening for our shelter dog walk, I got to walk Jules, a 1 year old lab/pointer mix.  She was sweet and adorable and we had a great walk with her and two other youngsters.  It was such a nice night for a walk and the dogs had a wonderful time.

And I even made it home in time to.get the girls out for a short walk before it got dark.  That is getting harder to do now that the sun sets so early.  

On Thursday after work we made our weekly trip to the Farmer's Market, although I didnt really need anything.  The girls like to socialize with the vendors, and they seem to give as much joy to the vendors as they get so I love to take them.   It was a quick visit and then we headed home for dinner.

After dinner, I spent  time working in the garden.  The weather was perfect for it and I can't believe just how many goodies I picked this late into September.   Guess what I'll be working on this weekend?!?

When I was done in the garden, I decided to spend some time outside enjoying the weather.   The girls were happy to be outside and so was I.  Mina and I played several rounds of fetch while Peaches was busily sniffing and scanning the yard for critters.

We enjoyed a peaceful evening and a beautiful sunset together.  I love these kinds of evenings at home.

On Friday I woke to gray skies and a little cooler weather.  The forecast was calling for afternoon rain, which we actually really need.   It even felt a little like Fall for the first time.

I had 3 1/2 hours of back to back meetings in the middle of my day, so just aftet 10am, I ran out to get a Mt. Dew, and I took the girls along so I could get them out for a quick walk.  Since this isn't an area we walk normally, they were loving all the new smells.  We got in just over a mile in under 20 minutes, and then headed home so I could get back to work. 

When we got an unexpected short 15 minute break after one call, I took the girls out for a 10 minute loop around the neighborhood, fed them lunch, let them potty, and then got them settled in before my next meeting started.  After our long day of meetings, I really wanted to get out after work, but the radar didn't look promising.  So we took a quick trip to the Eaton Rapids dog park.  We stayed through light sprinkles and left as the rain began to pick up.  By the time I got home it was sunny and beautiful out, but too late to go anywhere fun, so we picked up dinner and spent the evening out in the yard.

Saturday morning arrived and we had some fun plans for the day.  We started the morning at a geocaching event helping to clean up a local car pool lot. It was a beautiful foggy morning.

Then we headed to campus to meet up with Katelyn, Sean, Arlo, and Brooks for the Parkinson's Hero Walk.

The girls patiently waited for the walk to start.

And they walked so nicely during the walk that we actually got to walk with Katelyn this year.   It was a much slower pace than last weeks 5k, and we enjoyed our time with friends.

When we finished the walk, we took another short loop to get in a little more excercise. 

And then both girls crashed at the finish line.

We stopped for a visit with Chastity on our way home, then had lunch, and headed outside for a bit.

I took our last Saturday of Summer pictures on the patio.and then left the girls home to make a trip out to the shelter.

I took Sienna for a walk to the Family Farm and Home to give her a break from her kennel.  She walked great and was a very nice girl.  Before I left the shelter, a family came to meet her, and she was adopted!

Meanwhile, i brought home three little monsters.  These three siblings, Hans, Roy, and Mae,.were brought in as strays on Saturday.  Because of their age, the shelter wanted to get them into foster homes ASAP to prevent them from getting sick.  I planned to take one, maybe two, but no one else had stepped up to help them by the time I got there, so I brought them all home to keep them safe.

Thankfully two other foster homes have stepped up to help, so on Monday, two of them will move on to other foster homes.

They are all shy, nervous, under-socialized youngsters, which makes having all three a challenge.   They don't currently want to play with Mina and they run away from me if I approach them.  They are most comfortable together, hiding under my dining room table or in their crate, but that's better than being terrors!  Hopefully our Sunday goes smoothly and we make.it through the day without too much stress.

After our busy day, I got everyone outside for a bit in the evening and spent a little time in the garden.  Only got tomatoes this time, but in a few days I'll have more zucchini and tomatillos.  I love garden season.

After a busy day, the puppies settled into their crate nicely for the night.  They do best all in one big crate together, so that's what we'll use while they are here.  They slept quietly from about 10pm until 7am.  We all headed outside for a potty break immediately after getting them out of the crate, which went surprisingly well.  The bonus of wandering around the yard before sunrise is that I saw the beautiful start to our day.  The picture doesn't do justice to the beauty of it.

I fed everyone breakfast, and then Mina tried really hard to get the puppies to come out into the yard to play.  Hans and Roy were still very shy about it, although getting better, but Mae at least sniffed her a bit before turning into a pancake.

Now I've got to get ready for the day.  The girls and I are going to find a spot to cheer on Vanessa as she runs the Capital City Half Marathon this morning.  We'll get in a good walk too, so hopefully the rest of the day isn't too crazy.

We're expecting a rainy Sunday and I'm hopeful that the puppies will be good and I can have another productive day processing my veggies.  It is currently very quiet in my house, which I see as a good sign.

Our first week of Fall promises to be busy, mainly because of my work schedule this week.  But I'm looking forward to next weekend already because we have some fun planned.

Farewell to Summer.  I sure will miss it.