September and I have a complicated relationship

It's Sunday again and all I can think is how fast the days are going by lately.  This first week of September started with Labor Day on the first.  The girls and I had had a busy couple last days of August, so I thought we may start September with a quiet day at home.  

After a quiet start to our day, I decided to run to Speedway for a Mt. Dew and maybe get the girls out for a walk nearby.  Somehow, we ended up in St. John's, and once we were there, I thought it would be fun to make a trip to Uncle John's since we were so close.

This time of year, the sunflower fields are in full bloom and the apple trees are full of ripe apples, making it a beautiful time for a walk on the Farm Trail.  We really enjoyed our 2.5 mile walk around the farm on this beautiful, sunny day.

After 2.5 miles in the sun, Peaches was ready to call it a day, so I gave the girls a drink and then loaded them into the car.   Then I drove the half-mile down the road to Phillps Orchard for a cider slush and a monster cookie.  

I decided i did not want to get back onto US127 with all of the holiday traffic for the drive home, and instead, I decided to make a slow back road drive home, picking up some geocaches along the way.  We were enjoying our drive until suddenly my tire pressure light came on in my car, and I could tell that the tire was losing air.

Luckily, I made it to a nearby gas station before the tire went completely flat, but I could hear the air coming out of the tire and knew I'd need the spare in order to make the drive home.  

It was quite an ordeal working with AAA to get a tow truck to come out and help with the spare replacement, but I was somewhere safe and the girls were excellent while we waited.  I finally got the spare on after quite a long wait, and we made it home safely much later than I ever thought we would.  My quick trip turned into a really long day, but ultimately, all that matters is that we made it home safe and sound.  But it seemed a fitting start to September.   I really don't like this month.

I had taken the day off Tuesday with the original plan of going somewhere fun, but after our crazy Monday, I decided staying home was a much better decision.  I started my morning with a tire repair and an excellent experience at Discount Tire.  Then I ran several errands, picked up some lunch, and headed home for the day.   I did get the girls out for a short walk around Dewitt and a quick trip to Padgett Dog Park before dinner, but otherwise, we had a pretty lazy day.

The weather forecast for Wednesday had the day starting out nice, but with cooler, rainy weather moving in for the afternoon.   I decided to take advantage of the nice weather while it lasted, and got the girls out for a very nice lunchtime walk around Benjamin Davis Park.   It was sunny and beautiful when we started, but by the time we finished, gray cloudy skies had moved into the area.  Boy was I glad I got them out when I did.

The radar didn't look promising for our Wednesday night shelter dog walk, and we didn't have many dogs to walk either, but I decided to head out to the shelter after work and hope for the best. 

While it was raining when I arrived at the shelter,  by the time I got the dogs ready and our walkers arrived, the rain had nearly stopped.  We had three under socialized puppies that we just couldn't get to walk, so a couple of volunteers stayed behind to play with them.  That left us two dogs to go out for our walk, and they were both very happy to be outside enjoying the fresh air.   I was so glad all of the dogs got out of their kennels and got a little exercise and some time with our volunteers.   

Thursday morning was chilly and required pants, socks, shoes, and a jacket.  Ugh!  I'm not ready for this weather yet.  I started my morning by taking the girls to the East Lansing Dog Park following an early morning doctor's appointment nearby.  Then it was back home for work.  

It was a big day in our family as Fiona started preschool that afternoon.   In true Fiona form, she was a little shy at first, but she went off with her teachers without one look back at mom and dad.  And when it was time for pick-up after school, she was the slowest kid to leave.  She is going to love her Nature pre-school this year.  I just cant believe how grown up she's getting already!

After my work day, I made the drive to Langsburg to watch Brezlyn's golf game.  It is her second year playing on the Varsity Golf Team, and I want to be there to support her as much as I can since the poor kid lost both of her grandpas this year.  My dad would have been there if he were still alive, and I know that she misses having him there watching her.  While I know I am not a real substitute for him, I want her to know I'm here for her.  I can't believe the baby of the family is a Senior!  

Our evening adventure after work on Friday took us to Old Town for a walk.   Of course, that also meant a visit to Preuss Pets.  The girls were extra interested in the Koi ponds on this visit and loved their time at the store. 

Just look at how happy Peaches was after our visit to Preuss and her walk around Old Town!

Saturday I met my mom at Mancino's in Owosso for lunch before heading to her house for a visit.  It was a cool, cloudy day, but overall it was still a nice day to be outside.  We walked around the yard with the girls while we chatted.

Then I tied the girls to nearby trees while we picked apples.  I got a good workout shaking the tree and we got almost all of the apples that were remaining in the tree. The girls were not happy that they weren't allowed to help us! Now I just have to find a little time to core and cut apples to make applesauce.   

We walked around the yard another time before we finally got into the car to start the drive home.  The sky over the farm fields were pretty spectacular on our drive. 

We slowly wandered our way home enjoying the farm fields and big cloudy skies.  We got home in time for dinner and spent the rest of the evening watching football.

We all must have been exhausted after our long weekend because we all slept in Sunday morning. 

After getting up and around and eating breakfast,  I debated on what we should do today.  We have a lot of progress to make this month toward our 100 miles on the NCT, but I also kind of just wanted to stay home.  

Ultimately, I started a load of laundry and then decided to make the drive to Battle Creek to hike.

We started with a hike between Kimble Pines and Historic Bridge Park.   It was a beautiful day and I have always loved this section of the trail. The late summer flowers are blooming and the bees and grasshoppers were abundant.

I forced the girls to stop for a picture on the bridge and Mina was not happy about it.  She definitely enjoyed this hike though.  We all did.

We arrived back at the trailhead after completing 5 miles on the trail, and of course, I made the girls stop for another picture. 

Peaches didn't stand still for long because she was ready to get back to the car.

Since the weather was so nice and we still had a little time, we made the short drive to Historic Bridge Park to get in a little more time on the trail.

We finished the day with another 1.5 miles at Historic Bridge Park for a total of 6.5 miles for the day.   We made really good progress today, and we only need to get another 14.5 miles this month to get us back on track and reach 75 miles by the end of the month.  If we can get there, I'll feel much more confident that we'll get our 100 miles before the year ends.  I really just don't want to have a lot of miles to hike when we reach December.   

We got home in time for an early dinner and then watched the Lions lose to the Packers.  Now we'll enjoy a quiet evening at home.  

Sadly after tonight, we only have one more 8pm sunset, and the cooler temperatures the last few days have made it clear that fall is on it's way. Thankfully,  the weather this week will climb back into more summer-like temperatures and we will make sure we enjoy it.  But those earlier sunsets are really making me sad.  I'm just never ready for September.