It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks. While I feel like the world has been pretty crazy, our weekdays have been pretty long and uneventful, and our weekends have given us a chance to step back, take a break, and have a little fun. I don't see much changing for the foreseeable future.
I was happy we were able to agree to take in a temporary foster for a few days two weeks ago. It definitely brought a little normalcy to our lives. With everything going on right now, a long-term foster just isn't possible, and I sometimes feel like I'm failing as a volunteer since I can't help more, but I know that right now I need to focus on Peaches and my dad and a foster just doesn't fit into that equation, and that's okay.
It's crazy for me to believe that it's been more than two weeks since Sadie came to stay with us for a few days. She was such a fun little temporary guest. She joined us for a geocaching event one day of her visit and made several new friends. Everyone there loved her and she loved them right back.
I was so happy to have her here when I didn't have time to entertain the girls. She and Mina hit it off and spent lots of time playing, both inside and outside, and then they would crash hard for a nice long nap. I loved turning around in the middle of a Teams meeting at work to see them both snoring away on the floor.
Peaches was okay with her being here for the first few days, but then she was just over it. She kept looking at me like she was pleading with me to make the craziness stop. But then she'd, get herself right in the middle of the fun. With all of her anxiety, any foster here more than a short stay just seems to add to it, and that's not good for either of us.
Of course, while Sadie was here we had to make a trip to Preuss for a visit one evening. She loved all of the fun smells and especially loved the extra special treats that she got for being such a good girl.
She also joined the girls for a good run at the park on my lunch one afternoon. She spent most of the time there chasing Mina as Mina chased her ball.
Before we left for the weekend, I made a visit to my dad at rehab on Friday morning. I got to join him during his group therapy class and then we went to sit in the cafeteria to wait for his lunch to be served. I sat and visited him during lunch, which I enjoyed, and then when my mom arrived, I headed out to pick up Vanessa for our drive North.
Because we got a started on our trip later than I had originally planned and had a short delay at the Mackinac Bridge, we immediately headed to Clyde's in the Soo for dinner to make sure we got their before they closed. Then we took our dinner over to Rotary Park to eat and enjoy the view. When we were done eating, we took a walk around the park, and then we spent some time picking up some geocaches around town before checking in to our hotel and getting settled in for the night. We had a good first day of our trip and were all ready to rest up for day two.
After grabbing breakfast from the hotel breakfast bar, we had a nice relaxing start to our morning before heading out for our day's adventures.
We checked out a couple of spots in the Soo and found some beautiful spring wildflowers and a few geocaches along the way. We all really enjoyed our hike at the Methodist Mission Reserve.
After our hike, we headed over to the Sugar Island Ferry dock to get in line to take the ferry to Sugar Island. This was the first of three ferry trips we'd make over the course of the weekend.
We drove around Sugar Island checking out some of the highlights, doing some geocaching, and of course, getting out for a stop at the beach.
In addition to the spring wildflowers and ferns that we saw, we also found some really interesting fungi while we were out exploring the woods.
Our next stop was Neebish Island. While there isn't much to do on the Island, we couldn't pass on checking it out, so we jumped on the ferry for the short trip. Peaches and Mina were spoiled by the nice lady working on the ferry on our trip.
Once on the island, we drove out to take a short hike to the public beach. It was a nice walk out to the beach, and the beach was beautiful. At the end of our walk, we were also rewarded by finding the only geocache on the entire island. We were pretty happy about that.
We drove the main roads of the island to make sure we visited the farthest points we could go North, South, and West, and then we drove back to the East side of the island to get in line for the ferry ride back to the main land. While we waited, we had to get a picture to prove we were there too. Chances are pretty good that I'll never travel to Neebish Island again, but I'm happy that I can say I've been there. Thankfully there was a really nice lady that offered to get a picture with all of us in it. I'm really glad we got this picture.
The girls enjoyed the short ferry ride. Once we were back on the mainland again, we headed out to drive around and check out the area nearby and do a little more geocaching.
I loved this lovely little spot with a nearby campground. It was such a pretty area.
As we started our trek back to the Soo after a full day of fun, we picked up a few last geocaches along the way. Peaches made herself comfortable in Vanessa's lap while waiting for me to jump in and out of the car.
Since we had had a late lunch, neither of us were hungry enough to eat dinner, but we knew we'd need some snacks, so on our travels north toward the Soo, we made a quick stop at the Dollar General in Pickford for a few goodies.
After the girls ate their dinner, they both crashed pretty quickly. Clearly it had been a great day of adventures for them. I think Vanessa and I enjoyed our adventures too.
Day three of our trip arrived and after another relaxing start to our morning, we were off for another day of exploring.
As we headed south and east out of the Soo, we made a few stops along the way to check out some sights and to take a nice hike.
I really enjoyed this hike out to Lake Huron. It was a gray day and the I love the dark clouds over the lake.
After our hike, we were off to catch the ferry to Drummond Island. I was really excited about this trip because I had always wanted to visit the island, but had never made it there before. We got loaded onto the ferry and I was all settled in for the ride, when the ferry worker told us we could get out of the car.
It was great to be able to walk around a bit and get a few pictures. There was a freighter in the distance, one of the few we saw over the weekend.
I also bribed the girls to ensure that I could get a good picture of them on the ferry.
We arrived on the island, and our plan was to get lunch before exploring. We were pleasantly surprised to see Esther's was open since she is normally closed on Sunday. So of course we had to stop because everyone says it's the best place on the island to eat.
We sat on the patio to enjoy the sunshine on a beautiful UP afternoon. The food arrived quickly and we enjoyed our lunch. Esther's is definitely a fun spot to check out if you're on the island.
We found a beautiful beach and spent a little time letting Mina play ball. We did walk around a bit as well, and then we were back in the car to check out some other beaches on the island. We had a great afternoon exploring and found some geocaches along the way, and we made it back just in time to catch the 6:40pm ferry back to Detour.
Monday arrived far too quickly. With a much shorter than normal travel time to get home, we had lots of time to do some exploring for the day, so after packing up the car and checking out of the hotel, we headed out for some more fun.
It was the warmest day of the weekend and the sun was shining brightly. We did a little geocaching around the west side of town and then headed out for a hike nearby. We found a great trail system and had a really nice hike, but for the first time all weekend, we also found the mosquitoes. Luckily they only swarmed us in a few parts of the trail and we were able to avoid them for the most part making for a good hike.
After our hike, we were ready for some lunch, and off we went to grab a burger from Clyde's. We arrived only to find it closed. Then we headed to West Pier, which was closed for the day as well. We weren't have much luck finding a spot to eat in the Soo, so we changed our plans and headed west of town toward Brimely.
After a couple more quick stops, we were heading south toward the Bridge and home. With a full tank of gas and full stomachs, we didn't need to make any stops once we were back in the Lower Peninsula, although we did make one quick stop for a geocache along the way. I had been so sure we'd be home early, but I dropped Vanessa off at home at about 8:45pm and finally made it home shortly after 9pm. I unpacked the car, started a load of laundry, and sat down to rest after another full day of fun. I'm so glad we got to make this trip because I really needed a break from life.
This was our 8th annual Memorial day weekend trip to the UP (in 2020 our trip was delayed to July 4th but I still count it), and we have now covered pretty much the entire UP. This trip allowed me to cross several highlights off my list of Michigan must-sees and I'm already excited for next year's trip when we'll check one more thing off my list-taking the girls to Mackinac Island and spending a night on the island.
Tuesday morning, it was back to the grind again. I had a busy day of work, and I worked through my lunch so that I could leave a little early so the girls and I could make it to Brezlyn's softball game. This was the first game of Districts and they played Ovid-Elsie.
The girls really wanted to visit the dugout, but after a short walk, I was finally able to get them to settle in to watch the game. It was a good game, but unfortunately, the Indians lost, ending their season. Hard to believe that Brez will be a Senior next year.
After the game, I stopped to visit my dad since it was right on my way home. The girls were happy to take a nap in the car during my visit. He was pretty tired when I arrived and he was in a bad mood to top it off, so it wasn't a great visit. But I will never regret visiting him, and he had good reason to be in a bad mood since we're now fighting with insurance about continuing to cover his rehab costs.
Wednesday was a long, exhausting day. I was supposed to walk shelter dogs that evening, but we cancelled the walk due to rain in the area.
On Thursday I left work early so that I could get to the rehab to visit with my dad earlier and see if there was anything I could do to help my mom. I arrived in time to join dad when he went to do his occupational therapy, and after he finished therapy, I convinced him to stay in the wheelchair for some of my visit. He decided he wanted to spend some time outside, so we went out to sit on the patio and we had a nice visit out there. He was tired and wanted back in bed before dinner, so we headed inside and got him settled in for the evening. I stayed to visit him for a while longer, but he began to drift off to sleep, so after nearly 3 1/2 hours, I finally headed home. Since the weather has remained cool, the girls were able to ride along with me, which seems to keep them happy when not much else is going on in their lives. We made a stop at Dairy Queen for a geocaching event on our way home and two of nice older ladies who are long time geocachers bought the girls doggy sundaes. I thought it was very sweet of them.
Friday arrive, and once again I had a full day at work. It was another day where I was too busy to stop for lunch, but that allowed me to leave a little early so that I could make the drive to visit my dad again. I picked up the walleye fish fry from the Durand Eagles before driving to the rehab in time to have dinner with dad. He was tired when I arrived because he had spent most of the day up and about in his wheelchair, and Nicol and Fiona had visited him earlier in the day for a few hours. But he was more talkative than normal which was nice. I visited for a couple of hours, but left when he started to drift off mid-sentence. I knew he needed his sleep so it was the perfect time for me to leave.
Saturday morning we slept in. I never need an alarm with the girls, but I was happy that they decided that a little extra rest would be okay on this particular day. I needed a day to sleep until I felt well rested, then get up with no where to be and no commitments. And that's exactly what I got.
I combined a trip to run errands with a chance to get the girls out for some adventures. We had a stop at Washington Park for a geocaching event, then took a quick walk in REO Town at the Sunken Gardens. Then we made our weekly visit to Preuss so the girls could visit their friends, see the ferrets, and get some treats.
We drove out to Dewitt to make a stop at the farm. I was hoping for fresh doughnuts, but had no luck with that. I did get some eggs and maple syrup though.
We were outside for several hours before heading inside to clean up for the evening before dinner. It was a very quiet evening here after a fun-filled and very productive day. It was just the day that I needed.
On Sunday, I had decided I'd try to make a morning visit to my dad for a change. I got up and did a few things around the house, got ready, and we were out the door around 9:30. After a couple of short stops, we arrived at the rehab around 10:30am. I had a nice visit with dad for a bit talking about his busy Saturday of visitors, and shortly after 11:30am both Brezlyn and my mom arrived to visit too. We visited for a bit before heading down to the cafeteria for dad to have lunch. Then Brezlyn headed off to work and mom and I stayed to visit for awhile longer.
We eventually made our way outside to enjoy the sun on the patio. It was quite the happening place! I had the girls with me, so we got them out of the car and we all took a little walk around the property before heading back to the patio. Before I left, mom got a picture of me and dad together. He wasn't happy about the oxygen being in the picture, but it is the reality of our lives right now, so I don't mind. While I hadn't planned on visiting as long as I did, I'm glad I got to spend some quality time with him.
Finally, I headed toward home where I had planned to spend a lot of this beautiful afternoon out in the yard and garden. By the time I got home, it was nearly 4pm, and I headed outside around 4:30pm to start pulling weeds. Unfortunately, Peaches was having a rough day, and just kept pacing the whole time we were outside. She'd pace and then stand at the back door howling for me to let her inside, but I knew if I did that and didn't stay inside with her, she'd just want right back out. So for about an hour and a half, I kept working while she paced, until finally I just couldn't take it anymore. I did get a nice section of landscaping weeded and cleaned up, but not nearly as much as I had hoped. But any progress feels pretty good these days!
I was pretty sure that Peaches thought she was starving and wouldn't settle down once I fed her dinner, but before I even had her dinner ready, she had climbed onto the couch and fell fast asleep. She and Mina both napped for about an hour before I made them get up and eat dinner. After dinner, Peaches was back to her pacing for about 45 minutes more, but finally she has put herself to bed and I have a little peace. Looks like I'll be making a vet appointment to discuss some new options to help control her anxiety.
The last couple of weeks have been hard. The mental and emotional exhaustion that comes along with everything that is going on is hard to explain, but it is a lot. Every day is so tiring, even when I don't feel like I'm doing anything. But I know that what my dad is going through is even harder. There is so much uncertainty, so many decisions to be made, and lots of discussions to be had. While my mom is the one dealing with the rehab facility and the insurance issues the most, we are all doing what we can to help where we can. There is just so much red tape and bureaucracy to deal with nearly daily. Seeing my dad struggle is probably the hardest thing for me, though. It's not just the physical struggles, but the mental and emotional struggles he is dealing with too that make it so much harder. And he is facing his mortality which makes me really reflect on my life and my own mortality too. Life is just too short.
The reality is that no matter what we do, some day, we'll lose him. Maybe not this year or event next, but it will happen. While we all know that it will happen some day, this situation really brings that to the forefront. And it makes me realize just how little time we all have, and how fragile life is, and how much jobs and responsibilities get in the way when all I want is to spend quality time with my dad and find the best way to help him get strong enough to get home. I will continue to move forward the best I can and enjoy the times that I get to spend with him. Because that is all I can really control.
I'm feeling better after a restful weekend. Quality time with the girls, the nice weather, and the fact that I could get some things done around the house helped too, but I know when we get into the thick of things during the week, it will get hard again. But we're all still here and for now, that's what I'm going to focus on because that's what matters most.
Now go hug your loved ones!
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