Just gotta keep moving

After a very long and difficult week last week, I started this week completely exhausted.  I woke up for work on Monday already ready for a nap.  While I was tired all day, I was also busy which helped the time pass quickly.  

I decided to take the girls to Soldan dog park during my lunch because I knew that would make them happy and get them some much needed exercise, and it would help make my afternoon a little quieter as I finished my work day.

It was a lovely day, and we all really enjoyed our walk in the woods.  Mina played ball, Peaches explored and sniffed, and I enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air.  As we were heading back toward the entrance to leave, we were all happy to meet a beautiful Vizsla and Peaches was excited to spend a little time playing with her new friend.

The rest of my work day was peaceful and quiet while the girls napped and I had a few meetings.  At the end of the day, I had planned to head to the hospital to visit my dad, but I was just so tired that I decided to stay home and rest instead.  I hadn't taken a night off in over a week, and I was happy that I made the decision to relax and catch up on my rest.  It was definitely a much needed night off.

Tuesday was a full day at work.  After a restful Monday evening and a really good night's sleep, I woke up refreshed and feeling extra productive.  The day was busy and went fast, and the girls spent a lot of time outside enjoying the sunshine.  After work, I made the drive to the hospital to visit my dad.  It was cool enough for the girls to ride along.  I had a nice visit and stayed to watch Jeopardy.  I left later than normal so we drove right home without making a stop for the girls to run.  I felt bad for them, but it was a good visit and I was glad that I had stayed.

On Wednesday, I made sure to get the girls out for a trip to the park on my lunch again to make up for the lack of fun on Tuesday.   It was hot and the girls both spent some time splashing in the water in addition to their normal park routines.  It was a fun visit.

Then after work, I spent my evening at the shelter for our Wednesday Dog Walking Club. 

Whiskey and Good Cheer are my two favorite dogs at the shelter right now and I loved getting to spend some time with them.  The weather was beautiful and we were able to get seven dogs out for a walk.  

Also by Wednesday, my dad had improved enough to be discharged from the hospital and he moved to a rehab facility to continue his treatment.  The plan is to work on regaining some of his strength so he can get back home and restart his radiation and chemo.  I don't know what to expect or how long he might be there, but I think this is a move in the right direction.  

On Thursday, I was excited that I was able to make it out to watch Brezlyn pitch in her softball game against Ovid-Elsie.  She pitched a great game and they entered the bottom of the seventh inning tied at 0, but with 2 outs, a full count, and one runner on base,  but a fielding error by the left-fielder allowed OE to score and win the game 1-0.  What a tough loss.

I had planned to visit my dad after the softball game, but he had such a busy day getting settled in at rehab that he told my mom that I didn't need to visit. He was tired and I knew he needed some rest, so  I decided to head home after the game and get the girls out for a trip to Dairy Queen for a geocaching event.  They were happy to see some of their geocaching friends and to eat a doggy sundae.  Then we took a nice walk before heading home.

Late that evening, we had some pretty severe storms move through the area, so the girls and I had to hunker down in the basement through a tornado warning.  Peaches was sound a sleep through it all.  When the storm finally cleared the area, I finally headed off to bed for the night.  It had been a long night, but thankfully, there was no damage here and we didn't lose power.  Many others in the area weren't as lucky.

I woke up a little tired on Friday due to the late night, but I had a really productive day of work.  After work, I visited my dad at rehab for the first time.  Since his rehab facility is in Durand, I took advantage of the opportunity to pick up the Eagles Friday night walleye fish fry, and took it to go so I could sit and eat dinner with my dad.  He had had another busy day at rehab and was pretty tired when I was there, but I was glad to get to spend a couple of hours with him.  

With all of the warm weather and rain recently, my yard has become quite a jungle.  My landscaping has been taken over by weeds and I haven't had time to do much work.  In addition, my lawnmower stopped working and the cost to repair was enough that I decided it would make more sense to buy a new mower, but I haven't had much time to research and find the mower I wanted.  So earlier this week, I decided that I was going to spend Saturday and Sunday at home to start to catch-up on yard work and get some things done around the house.  I was so looking forward to spending the time in the yard.

After a few warm days, the temperatures over the weekend and into the next week are forecast to drop into the 50s and 60s.  Our Saturday morning was cool, but I was excited for the day ahead.  I started my Saturday at the shelter for our morning dog walk.  We got to walk Good Cheer and Whisky again.  I just love them.

We also walked poor, pathetic Flute.  I love her too.  While we were walking, it started to rain.  I hadn't seen any rain in the forecast, but somehow most of the day was gray and drizzly.  Since it was raining, I stopped to pick up some groceries on the way home from the shelter.  Once I got home, I made lunch, and then did some research on mowers and found the perfect one to purchase.

I took the girls with me to pick up the mower, then we headed out to the greenhouse in Eaton Rapids to buy the plants for this year's garden.  After visiting the greenhouse, we made a quick stop at the dog park in Eaton Rapids before heading home.  Then I emptied the car, got the girls into the house, and headed out for a drive to Marshall.

I drove to Marshall to meet Ruth, one of our ISR foster parents, so that I could pick up her current foster, Sadie, who will be staying with us until Thursday.  With everything that is going on, I haven't been able to do much to help with rescue, so I was happy when Ruth asked if I could take Sadie for a few days.  

The drive home was pretty quiet and the introduction to my girls was quick and easy.  I was happy that the weather had cleared up a bit by the time I got home too, so I put the girls out in the backyard and got to work putting together my new lawnmower, doing some repair to a screen door, and getting my new Ryobi trimmer and blower out of the box and put together and the battery charging.  I was able to do some mowing in the backyard, but stopped because the grass was just too damp after the rainy day today.  

While I mowed, the girls were busy playing chase and having a great time.  By the time I brought them in for dinner, everyone was pretty tired.  Mina and Sadie spent some chewing on the antlers and hooves that I have for them, but eventually everyone settled in for an evening nap.  

I started my day leaving home at 8:45am this morning and felt like I was constantly on the move until nearly 7:30pm, but I didn't feel like I got as much done as I had hoped I would.  But I am happy that I was able to check some things off my list.  I am looking forward to a productive Sunday and spending a lot more time out in the yard tomorrow.  Let's hope the rain stays away so the girls can play and I can have a productive day.  

A long, hard week

Today's blog won't be very long because, honestly, I don't have much to share.  It has been a long, hard week.  It's been an emotionally and mentally draining week.  We didn't get out much for fun or even regular walks because time just didn't allow for it.  I did the best I could, and this week, that just had to be enough.

On Monday and Tuesday after work, I spent my evenings at the hospital visiting my dad.  The weather was cool enough to allow the girls to ride along and hang out in the car napping during my visits, which made me happy because I like to have them along for the drive.  Both days I left home immediately after work and visited with dad until Jeopardy was over.  We both like Jeopardy, so I like to stay and watch it with him.  

On Monday, I picked up some Mexican food from a food truck in Owosso on my way to the hospital, stopped at the Owosso dog park to let the girls run while I ate, and before we left the park, I shared a few bites with the girls.  When we got home, they got to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with some new toys.  Mina especially loved the llama, and once I sat down for the evening, we played a little fetch.  

On Tuesday, dad wasn't feeling great and had asked for something to help him relax just before I got there, so he was sleepy for most of my visit, but I didn't regret going.  Before I left, Mason showed up to visit him, so I stayed a little later to visit with Mason, too.  Then I made the drive home without even stopping to let the girls run at the park. 

On Wednesday, I knew that I had to get the girls some exercise after two days of pretty limited activity.  The weather was beautiful, so I decided I'd take them to Soldan Dog Park on my lunch.  It was a much needed break from work and we always enjoy our time in the woods.  

After work, I went to the shelter for our first Wednesday night shelter dog walk in months.  Due to staffing issues, we had to stop our Wednesday walks late last year, but thankfully things are back to normal.  We had 7 of us there to walk the dogs which meant that all but one of the dogs available to walk with us were able to get out with our volunteers.  

The weather was beautiful, and all of the dogs were so happy to be out of the shelter.  I think they all enjoyed the walk immensely.  I also made sure that while I was putting all of the dogs back in their kennels and making sure they all had water for the night, the one dog who didn't join us for the full walk at least got a chance to get out for a short walk with one of our long-time volunteers.  It was such a nice group of dogs and spending time with shelter dogs is always good for the soul.  

On Thursday, I knew I'd be going to the hospital to visit my dad again, so I wanted to make sure to get the girls out for a walk over my lunch.  My morning was busy, and I ended up taking a later lunch than I had planned, so I didn't have a lot of time.  We made the short drive to Frances Park for a quick walk around the one mile paved loop there.  Then I headed back home for a work meeting.  

Unfortunately, my dad had had a really bad night which led to a rough day for him too. My mom was at the hospital alone and very concerned, so I ended up leaving work early to go to the hospital to be with her.

When I arrived, my brother and sister-in-law were already there, and Nicol, Tyler, and Fiona were making the drive to visit him too.  I was glad to see that he seemed stable and talkative.  My brother left before Nicol arrived, and when Nicol got there with Tyler and Fiona, we all ordered dinner from the cafeteria and then had a nice visit.  I know that dad was so happy to see Nicol and Fiona and I'm sure their visit raised his spirits.  It was a very emotional day, full of uncertainty, but we made it through.  I was the last one to leave that evening, and when I left, he promised me he'd still be around the next day.  I'm glad he was right.  I made a short 15 minute stop at the Owosso Dog Park on the way home so the girls could stretch their legs, and Mina made a friend while we were there.  

There is still lots of uncertainty with what next steps are in his care, and the stress and emotions of dealing with it all are a lot.  Especially for my mom.  So on Friday, I worked hard all morning to get things done for work, and then left for the day around 2pm to head to the hospital to spend some time with my mom while she was still there.  She ended up staying longer than she normally does, and we had dinner from the cafeteria in dad's room again.  He was having a much better day, and I was glad we got to watch Jeopardy together again.  I stayed a bit longer after mom left, but dad was getting tired, so I finally decided to head home.  I had left the girls home for this visit, and boy did I get a great greeting when I returned home.

Our Saturday started with a couple of errands before I made the drive to the Padgett Park dog park.  I wanted to give the girls some extra fun after all of their sacrifices throughout the week.  We spent about 40 minutes there with Mina playing ball and Peaches sniffing and occasionally playing with another dog.

After our visit to the park, I made stop in Old Town and got the girls out for about a mile walk before we stopped in for a visit at Preuss Pets.  We haven't been there in awhile, and the girls were happy for the visit.

They got to sniff Fred, the turtle, and to say hello to their friend Sean, and of course, we made a visit to see the fish and ferrets too before we picked out some treats and headed back to the car.  Peaches was pretty excited about the treats!  

I decided to make a stop at the taco truck to get lunch on the way home, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!  After we all had lunch, I sat down to relax for a bit and the girls took a nap.  

They spent a lot of the afternoon outside enjoying the weather, and eventually I joined them to do some yard work.  I was mostly excited to get into the garden to do some work to start preparing it for the plants which will be added very soon.  It's almost garden season!

For our mother's day, Nicol had planned a nice homemade lunch for us, mainly so that we can make sure that my mom is eating something because I'm not sure she's taking care of herself like she should be with everything going on.  While Nicol, Tyler, and Fiona got the house early to start the lunch prep, I stopped to visit my dad at the hospital for a bit before heading to see mom.

Brezlyn and her boyfriend joined us for lunch, which was nice. We had a nice visit before she had to leave for work.  Then we headed outside for some fun with Fiona.

It was a beautiful day and I think it was nice for my mom to get a break from spending all day at the hospital. 

Nicol, Tyler, and Fiona made a visit to see dad on their way home and my mom joined them.  I'm sure he was happy to see Fiona again.  

It was almost 6:30 when I got home, and the poor girls had been home alone a long time.  As soon as they finished their potty break, I got them into the car for a trip to the Soldan dog park.  I was excited to see the Maya pole blooming.

It was a beautiful, peaceful evening at the park.

Mina played ball, and I was sad to see the Trillium slowly fading.  Spring wildflowers season is just too short.

Peaches enjoyed playing with some new friends as well as her normal sniffing.  

We spent a little over an hour at the park before it was time to head home.  By the time we got home and everyone had dinner, it was after 8:30.  Boy was it a long day!

The girls are now sleeping as I finish writing.  I'm hoping for a good night's sleep tonight before I start all over again tomorrow with the grind.  Mostly I'm hoping that next week is better than this week.

Mina is three!

It's been pretty boring and uneventful around here this week.  With work travel early in the week, rainy weather on a few days, and my dad being back in the hospital, we really haven't had much time for fun.  Most of our days, getting the girls our for some exercise became more of the check-the-box activity squeezed in on my lunch or between work and other responsibilities.  Thankfully, the girls are pretty forgiving, and they don't always need a long walk or big adventure to stay happy.  

The most exciting day of the whole week was Monday because on Monday, Mina celebrated her third birthday.  It is hard for me to believe that three whole years have passed since I first learned that the puppies had been born and I saw that picture of the first born little girl puppy.  I had no idea at the time that little puppy would soon become mine.  She is sassy, spunky, and full of attitude, but also sweet, smart, and always ready for an adventure.  I sure do love my little Mina and I'm so happy she's mine.

It was also my first day back at work after a week of vacation, and I had lots to catch-up on plus a day full of meetings.  To top it off, I had to drive to Grand Rapids for the evening for a work meeting the following day.  It was a crazy day, and I left for Grand Rapids later than I had originally planned.  

Since I hadn't even taken a break for lunch, I decided to make a stop along the way and let the girls run. I wanted to give Mina a chance to play with her new squeaky, glow-in-the dark Chuck-it ball.  We stopped at the dog park in Lowell and probably spent about 30 minutes there before getting back into the car to continue our travels to our hotel.  

After settling into the hotel, I headed out for dinner.  I did a little research and found a great European Cafe, Al-Bo's, for dinner.  The Geschnitzel was delicious!  Afterward, we headed out to get ice cream for Mina's birthday celebration, but the line was so long that we skipped ice cream and visited a nearby pet store for a special treat instead.  Then we headed back to the hotel for the night.

I was up early on Tuesday to get the girls out for a short walk before heading out to drop them off for their interview day at Camp Bow Wow.  They have never visited a Camp Bow Wow before, and the interview day is required before the can attend regular doggy daycare and boarding.  With the interview day, they get a full day of doggy daycare at no cost, just to make sure that day care at their facility is a good fit.

The girls had a great time during their stay, and I received several pictures throughout the day.  They had a beach day with special enrichment, got to make lots of friends, and had a great day.  

While they were having fun, I was running around at my work meeting.  It was a crazy day, and around noon, just before our lunch, the power went out in the area.  The hotel staff jumped into action to bring in some battery-operated lights, and we ate lunch, hoping the power might be restored.  Unfortunately that didn't happen, and we decided to end our meeting early.  Several group broke off for drinks, and since the girls had to stay at Camp Bow Wow until 3pm for their interview day, I went out to visit with one of the groups of advisors until I could eventually leave to get the girls.  I'm thankful that my work travel is done for a bit now.

I also received a call from my mom that afternoon that my dad was having issues with low oxygen levels again, and they were heading to the emergency room.  He was eventually admitted to the hospital again for monitoring.  

Wednesday, I had a busy day of work.  The day was crazy, and I didn't get a break for lunch until late in the afternoon, so I decided to get the girls out for a run at the dog park.  I needed a walk in the woods and so did they.  I was so happy that I had made this decision because several of the spring wildflowers were in full bloom-trillium, Dutchmen's Britches, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and more.  I enjoyed the flowers, fresh air, and a nice walk, and the girls had a great time as well.

By the end of the day Wednesday, I was exhausted and dealing with a headache, so we just stayed home resting for  the evening. 

On Thursday, we had rainy weather.  My work day was once again busy, and after work I was planning to visit my dad at the hospital.  I brought the girls along hoping to get out with them after visiting my dad.  Instead, we made a short stop at the Owosso dog park before I got to the hospital, and then, while I was visiting my dad, storms moved into the area.  The girls napped in the car while a spent a couple of hours visiting my dad. We had a great visit and then I made a rainy drive home.

Friday I had really hoped to have a little quieter day at work and maybe to get the girls out for some fun after work.  That did not happen.  I had a quiet morning, but my afternoon was full of meetings, so I took an early lunch and made a trip to the Dewitt dog park so Peaches could run and Mina could play ball.  For most of the visit we were the only ones at the park and the girls had a great time.  The rest of the day was a blur!

Our Saturday started with some decent weather and big plans.  The warmer temperatures and all of the recent rain has caused the grass to grow and the spring weeds to really begin to pop-up.  My grass needed to be mowed and I really needed to do some other yard work, but I also had promised my dad I would visit him.  I had a lot to get done.

I started the morning with a quick stop at a geocaching event at a local park.  I figured this would give the girls the chance to get out for a little fun before the rest of our busy day.  Next, I headed to the hospital to visit my dad.  My mom was at the hospital as well, and we all had a good visit.  Finally, I headed home to get some stuff done.  I was able to get the lawn mowed and a few other things done, but I still have a ton of work to do!  I definitely felt better after mowing the lawn though.  

The day flew by, and before I knew it, it was time for the Kentucky Derby.  The girls and I sat down to watch the Derby and then I made dinner and settled in for the night.  I didn't get as much done has I had planned, but I felt good about what I had gotten done.

I woke up Sunday expecting a rainy day, but after looking at the weather forecast, the rain wasn't going to move in to the area until early afternoon.  That gave us time to get out for some fun before the rain arrived.

We started with a 2 1/2 mile walk along the Bear Lake Pathway.  This is a really pretty area and it's pretty quiet too.  

We don't often walk on this trail because it is paved and too hot when the weather begins to warm-up, but today was the perfect day to take a walk here.

We all really enjoyed our walk here.  I loved the flowering trees, May Apple, and the little leaves starting to unfurl in the woods.   We even found an antler shed while on our walk, so I brought it home to clean up for the girls.  I've never found a shed before, so I was pretty excited about this find!

Afterward, I decided to head to campus for a short walk around the horticultural gardens.  We haven't been to campus for a walk at all this Spring and I wanted to make sure we didn't miss all of it's spring beauty.

We parked and started our walk near where my favorite lilac bushes are located.  I was so excited to see them in bloom.  The smell filled the area and just made me happy.

We walked a little farther, and I was so happy to see that the magnolia trees there still had some blooms.  I love magnolias!  As we continued to walk, I realized we couldn't go any farther because they had the sidewalks blocked because they have torn apart the rose gardens and are doing work on them.  So we went back to the car, and drove to a parking lot on the other side of the gardens to continue our walk.

I had to take the obligatory annual picture of the red bud trees in front of the Plant and Soil Sciences building.  I love them so much.

And not far from there are the dark purple lilac bushes.  Dark purple lilacs are my favorite.

Then we walked through the perennial and annual gardens.  The Lenten rose were in bloom.  So pretty.

The white cherry blossoms are nearing their end, but they smell divine.  I love walking through this part of the garden because the air is just filled with the scent.   

Before heading back to the car, I made Mina pose on the butterfly bench.  She wasn't very happy about it.

Then I got the most adorable picture of Miss Peaches.  She was very excited about the treats I was holding so she stood still long enough to get a really cute picture.

At the end of our one mile walk, we got into the car to make the drive home.  We made a small detour through Spartan Village so I could visit the lilac bush by my first apartment so I could cut a few flowers to bring home.  My house now smells divine.

It's been a quiet, rainy, Sunday afternoon here, and I've really enjoyed it.  Hopefully it will help me feel a little more rested for the week ahead.  I really wish the weekends were longer!