April showers and Springtime fun

After a busy but uneventful start to our week on Monday, things have been pretty quiet around here. Thankfully work wasn't too crazy and we were able to get out a few nights for a little fun too.  

Tuesday I took my car in for the repair estimate and the nice guy at the repair shop put crash wrap over the window, which isn't a real fix, but at least it allowed us to get around on some short trips around town.  

After work on Tuesday, we we took advantage of the opportunity to take a trip to the Padgett Park Dog Park in Dewitt on it's opening day of the season.

When we first arrived, there weren't many people at the park and most of them were not the regulars that we know, but that didn't matter to the girls.  After five months of being closed, the girls were happy to be back.  Peaches made the most of the opportunity to sniff and explore every inch of the park.  Mina was content just to play fetch.  Of course, I made her work for some of her fun by doing some tricks/work on the agility equipment at the park.  After successfully completing whatever task I requested, she was rewarded with a toss of the ball.  We'd been there about 45 minutes when some of the regulars started to arrive and the place got a little more crowded.  We stayed for a while longer, but once it starts to get crowded, I'm happy to leave.  So we loaded up into the car to head home.  

I was really glad that we had the chance to get to the park on Tuesday, because the weather forecast for Wednesday promised storms and rain all day long, with the possibility of strong storms starting late in the afternoon through the early evening.  I hoped that our park visit would keep the girls content for the day on Wednesday when I knew we wouldn't be able to get out due to the weather.

We woke to thunderstorms and temperatures barely above freezing, and the girls ran to the back door to go outside for their morning potty break, but once I opened the door to the back yard neither of them had any desire to go outside.  I left them out while I got their breakfast ready, but I'm pretty sure neither of them left the garage while they waited for me.

As the storms continued throughout the day, I moved from the office to the dining room for my workday, and the girls happily slept away the day.  At lunch, I tried once again to get the girls to go out for a potty break, and they refused again.  And back they went to sleep the day away on the couch.  Over my lunch, I made sure we were prepared for any severe weather we might get and moved anything we might need down into the basement.  Then I sat back down with the girls to finish my work day.  

Luckily for us, the temperatures remained in the 30s all day, which helped prevent more severe weather from developing, and we even got a short reprieve from the rain just before dinner.  I was finally able to convince the girls to go outside to potty just before 6pm, but only if I stood outside with them. 

Dinner in puzzle games and a few rounds of fetch were the fun for the day, and as the storms returned for the rest of the night, we settled in for a quiet evening at home.  I was very proud of how good they were all day.

The slow day Wednesday led to a little stir crazy Mina on Thursday, so thankfully they were able to spend some short periods of time out in the yard enjoying the day.  

Then, at the end of my work day, we headed back out to Dewitt for a visit to the dog park.  There were a bunch of dogs there when we arrived, and while Mina just didn't care at all about of all of the new friends, Peaches was pretty excited.  She was in a playful mood, and while she isn't as spry or fast as the younger dogs, she gives it her best.  She was flopping around, barking, and running trying to get them to play with her.  It was adorable.  Try as I might, I wasn't able to get any good video or pictures.  The only picture I got was of this group of Peaches' new friends.  

When we left, I headed out to find a couple of geocaches on our way home, then made a quick stop at the grocery store for a couple of things.  Then I drove home to try this new recipe I had found.  It was a tasty little baked feta and tomato chickpea casserole.  So good!

I was so happy when Friday finally arrived, and while I had a really busy work day, I was looking forward to a relaxing and productive weekend.  After work, I debated on what we should do, and ultimately decided to make the short drive to Dimondale.

Danford Island Park is a pretty little park with a nice wooded trail along the Grand River.  While the trail isn't very long, we made a few trips around the loop, then up the hill into the neighborhood and then took the short walk back to the park.

Of course I made the girls pose for a few pictures along the way.  And I thought this solar powered bench with charging ports and free wi-fi was a nice addition to the park.  

After our walk around the park, we continued our walk along the main street through town and eventually finished back at the park again.  In all, we walked just about 3 miles before we got back into the car to head home.

Before leaving, I stopped at the Village Cafe in town to pick up some dinner.  I have wanted to try their food for a while and this seemed like the perfect time.  We took one last quick walk around the block when we got home and then headed inside for dinner.  It had been a really nice start to our weekend.   

Mina got an extra little burst of energy after dinner, but eventually she passed out in her cozy cave.  The rest of the night was quiet.

Our Saturday started slowly.  Mina tried to get Peaches to play with her, without much success, and then happily settled in to watch the world go by while sitting on me.

Early in the afternoon, we drove to Old Town for our walk for the day.  We had a really nice walk around town.  

The Riverwalk was flooded from all of the rain we've gotten over the last week, and the forsythia are blooming.  That is a sure sign that the temperatures are slowly getting warmer.  We also saw lots of people out and about enjoying the day.  

After a nice three mile walk all around Old Town, we made it back to our car which was parked near Preuss Pets.  The girls got to say hello to some Girl Scouts who were out in front of the store selling cookie before we headed inside the store to pick up a few treats.

Boy oh boy was the store busy!  And despite the three miles of walking we had just completed, the girls were extra crazy for their visit.  So many people asked if they could pet them, but they were not deterred in their mission...to get to the ferrets!  Mina loves watching all of the furry little critters, and Peaches loves barking at the ferrets, but it was so crowded that we didn't stay for long.  

Before leaving, we picked up a few treats, and the girls got some love from their favorite Preuss employee, Sean.  I bought a box of cookies from the Girls Scouts on our way to the car, and then we headed home for dinner.  

I made a nice pot of potato soup for dinner and did some other meal prep while the soup was cooking.  Earlier in the week, I thought I had pulled some pumpkin puree out of the freezer for the dogs, but was surprised when I opened the bowl to find apples.  So I took advantage of this little error and made myself some apple crisp, too.  While I didn't have enough apples to make a big batch, these little muffin sized treats were perfect.  They are delicious!

Our Sunday will be spent doing cleaning, paying bills, and resting and recharging for the week to come.  I'm sure we'll find some time to have a little fun too.  

Tomorrow morning, I drop off my car at the shop for the door repair.  I'm hoping it won't take long, but they did tell me it could take 13 business days.  I have some work travel this week, so I'll have a rental for a couple of days.  We'll see how things go from there. We may get really bored with our walks around our neighborhood, but I know we'll be fine.