Thankful

We started our week ready for the short work week ahead.  Mina happily slept in and enjoyed a lazy Monday morning while I worked.  

The weather was beautiful and I took advantage of it by spending my lunch outside with the dogs.  I had a few perennials that my mom had given me that I needed to plant and a few other odds and ends to wrap up in the yard before the weather changed and winter arrived.  It was such a nice break from my work day.

After work, I took the girls and Sanford for a walk around the neighborhood and then put them back outside while I finished putting the last of the Christmas lights up.  Then, after I finished the lights, we went for another walk around the neighborhood before heading inside for dinner.  

While the temperatures were still mild, Tuesday brought us rain all day.  Somehow I got lucky and all three dogs were happy to nap most of the day.  It was a quiet day of work and watching the rain fall.  

It was still drizzling when my day of work ended, but I knew that I had to get out for some exercise with the dogs.  I wasn't sure where we were going to go, but I knew I wanted the ability to go inside a store for at least part of our trip.  I had thought about a trip to Lowe's or Home Depot, but ultimately I decided to head to Old Town and Preuss Pets.  

I got each dog out for a solo trip into the store followed by a walk around the block in the sprinkles.  By the time I had finished the last trip with Mina, the rain had mostly stopped, so I got everyone out for a walk in Old Town.  It was such a nice night, especially knowing what would soon be heading our way.

On the way home, we stopped downtown at the Capitol for a visit to the State Christmas tree.  I think this year's tree is one of my favorite in recent years.  

Of course we had to walk down to the Christmas ornaments too.  It was a nice night to enjoy the holiday season in downtown.  I love how pretty it is at the holidays. 

Wednesday arrived with strong winds, much colder temperatures, and the promise of snow.  I had decided earlier in the week that we wouldn't be holding our normal Wednesday night walk due to the holiday because many people are unavailable and we don't always have many dogs.  Instead, I had planned to work through my lunch so that I could head to the shelter around 4pm to walk any of the dogs that were still there.  It's kind of a favorite tradition of mine to actually be able to walk the dogs myself on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Due to the threat of bad roads later in the day, I changed my plans and decided to head to the shelter for my lunch instead.  The wind was brutal, but I was ready for it.  When I arrived, there were only two dogs available to walk and another volunteer had Brussel Sprout out for a walk, so I just needed to walk Jackson.  He's my favorite, so I was happy to take him.  We had a really nice walk with a stop at Family Farm and Home and he did such a good job.  It was a nice two miles and I was really glad I was able to get him out of the shelter for a break. 

I had taken Sanford and the girls along for the drive to the shelter to gwt them out of the house for a bit.  Sanford hung out in the shelter and the girls napped in the car while I walked Jackson.  When I was done, the girls got to go into the shelter to say hello to their shelter friends while I grabbed Sanford.  Then I took them for a little walk before we made the drive back home.  We took one last walk around the block when we got home before I headed back to work.

The dogs were happy to have had an adventure and eventually everyone settled in for a quiet afternoon while I worked. 

I was so happy that I had been able to get out before the snow moved into to the area.  And I was happy to settle in to enjoy the peace of a snowy day while I finished my work and then spent the evening relaxing with the dogs.

I awoke on Thanksgiving morning to windchills in the teens and two dogs ready for an adventure.  I wasn't so sure that I wanted to go out into the cold, but these faces convinced me that I needed to get out of bed, bundle up, and head downtown for the Turkey Trot.  

I never used to be able to participate in this 5K, but with changes to my Thanksgiving schedule over the last few years, the Turkey Trot has become a new holiday Tradition for us, and I love it. 

We always start at the back of the pack and then Peaches drags me trying to pass as many people as we can.  This year she dragged me a little less, but we were able to keep a nice pace.  All three dogs did such a good job with the cold and the crowds and they got lots of compliments along the way.

We finished at 59 minutes and 44 seconds which is slower than previous years, but I was just happy that we had gotten out and finished!  

After finishing the Turkey Trot, I headed home to make the mashed potatoes and dressing for our Thanksgiving feast.  The dogs had an early lunch and then laid down for a nap while I cooked.  When everything was ready, I got the dogs settled in for the day and then I headed out the door to spend Thanksgiving at Nicol's.

We spent the afternoon watching the Lions game and then enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving feast.  Plus there was lots of quality time with Fiona.  One of the best parts of the day was when she insisted we all go around the table and say what we are thankful for this year.  Her answer was Picasso, which made me smile.  I'm thankful for so many things, but mostly for everyone that was around that table with me, and, of course, my girls too.

I started Friday morning with a trip down the street to the Christmas tree lot on the corner to pick up my Christmas tree for this year.  Then I came home to get the dogs for the ride to the shelter to meet Sanford's foster mom who had returned home a couple of days early.  While we waited for her we walked around in the grassy area along the parking lot and the girls got in lots of sniffs with all of the new smells.  

Once Sanford was on his way with his foster mom, we headed home where I put some veggies in the oven to roast while I got the girls out for a walk around the neighborhood.  When we got home, I fed the girls lunch, loaded my car, and then got the girls settled in for the afternoon while I headed to my cousin Josh's house for a family Thanksgiving with my dad's family.  We haven't all gotten together for Thanksgiving in such a long time and it was so nice to all be together again.

Fiona especially liked the fact that there were other kids around her age there and lots of new toys to play with too.  She had a great time.  I'm really glad we were all able to spend some quality time together. 

Saturday morning, I got out early to run some errands and to get the girls out for a walk.  Since I was heading to the mall for the South Lansing Farmer's Market's Holiday market, we were able to get out for a nice walk at Sharp Park.  It was a beautiful morning for a walk.

After my visit to the Holiday market, I headed out to Eaton Rapids to meet up with my friend Chuck who had some meat to give me for Peaches.  It's been forever since I've seen Chuck and we had a nice visit.  I made a couple more stops along the way, filled up the gas tank, got a few snacks, and then headed home to watch the big Michigan vs. Ohio State rivalry game.

The girls and I ate lunch then we snuggled up as we watched the game.  Sadly we didn't win this year, but I guess you can't win them all.

During the game, snow moved into the area and I was happy to be hunkered down in the house.  I finally got the tree into the tree stand after the game was over and got the lights on the tree, then I sat down to enjoy the pretty glow of the lights.  

Before I went to bed, I got a quick picture of the Christmas lights in the freshly fallen snow.  It is just so magical.

The snow continued through the night and I was happy to have no plans to leave home this Sunday.  We've spent a quiet morning relaxing and watching some cheesy Hallmark holiday movies.

I got outside to shovel the sidewalk before lunch, and then I spent a little time playing with the dkgs in the snowy backyard.  

I've got some more decorating and cleaning to do today and I'll be starting that soon.  I'm really looking forward to a nice day at home filled with holiday spirit, snow, and sunshine.  And the bonus is that I have a vacation day tomorrow, so the fun and relaxation can continue!

Tomorrow we welcome December and the final month of 2025.  Time sure is going fast.  I really hope that things slow down a bit this month so that we can take full advantage of holiday season.

Plodding through November

I don't know about you, but we've really been feeling the long dark nights of November with the early sunsets this week.   What I've realized is the pre-5:15 pm sunsets are tough for us.  For those of us, like me, who work until 5pm, the sunset comes so quickly that it feels like there just isn't any time to get our evening exercise.  And don't get me started on how late it feels so early every night.

Despite the early darkness and the colder temperatures (and my desire some days to just hunker down for the cold season), two brown-spotty girls need excercise and mental stimulation, and I must keep my promise to ensure that they live happy and fulfilling lives. So we find ways to ensure that we all get the fresh air, exercise, and fun that we need.  

On Monday that meant shortening my lunch hour so that we could leave the house by 4:30 pm to take a drive to Old Town for a nice walk.  We arrived by 4:45pm, giving us about 30 minutes before sunset and the 15 minutes post sunset for a walk before it was completely dark.  And then we finished off our evening with a walk around Preuss Pets and a couple of treats for the girls.  

On Tuesday I had to leave home before sunrise to drive to Livonia for a team meeting at work.  I was gone a full nine hours, which was a long day for me, and the girls were ready for some fun when I got home.

It had been raining on my drive home, but that had mostly stopped by the time I got home, and I knew that this would be the perfect day for a trip to Soldan Dog Park.  We had nearly an hour until sunset when we arrived, and we ended up with the entire park to ourselves for our entire stay.  We finally left around 5:25, before it was too dark to see anything. 

We had a great time with the girls zooming around the whole time.  Mina didn't even care that I didn't bring her Chuck-it.  It was a really fun visit.

After dinner, we had a quiet evening and Mina snuggled up next to me.  I think she missed me while I was gone all day.

On Wednesday, I would normally take the girls out for a walk on my lunch, but I had lunch with friends that day.  When I got ready to head to the shelter for Dog Walking Club after work, I just loaded the girls into the car for the drive. 

Falafel and Jackson were my two favorite dogs for our walk that night.  They are both pretty cute, too!

After we finished walking the shelter dogs, I stopped at Family Farm and Home in Mason for a visit with the girls.  We also took a short walk in Mason before we headed home.  While they only got about 1 1/2 miles of walking that day, I finished the night with almost 5 miles.

On Thursday, we made another trip to the dog park, arriving at 4:45 again, and once again,  we had the park to ourselves. We spent about 30 minutes in the park and did a quick 7 minute walk outside of the dog park that evening.  Then we made the short drive to Slice pizza for a Friendsgiving geocaching event before heading home for the night.

After a gray, dismal week of weather, the sun came out and the temperatures warmed up a bit on Friday.  It was so beautiful that I had to take advantage of the weather to get the girls out for another run at the dog park on my lunch.  We had about 40 minutes there, and we made the most of it!  It was a nice way to spend my lunch.

Then, Friday evening, we headed downtown for Silver Bells in the City to watch the electric light parade.

The weather was comfortable and the girls were so well behaved.   

We had a great spot to watch the parade and enjoyed it very much.  Of course the girls got lots of compliments and plenty of love, too.  They were exceptionally good the whole night.

As the parade ended, we made the walk back to our car to head home before the drone show and fireworks.  While we didn't stay to see the tree lighting  we'll definitely go downtown this week to see the tree now that it is lit for the holidays.  

Saturday morning I was up early for our planned adventure for the day.  We picked up Vanessa shortly after 9am and then started our drive North to our first stop, the Roscommon County Animal Shelter, for their annual pictures with Santa.  This is a fundraising event for the shelter, and I love to make the trip to help them out and to give everyone a chance to see Miss Peaches, especially our friend Dee Dee who is the reason Peaches is alive today.  

We had great weather for traveling and made really good time with just one quick stop in Clare along the way to stretch our legs and do a little geocaching.

We had a nice visit at the shelter and the girls got their pictures with Santa, and then we headed out for lunch.  I can't wait to see their pictures!

After stopping for lunch, we spent the afternoon on a fun geocaching adventure.   The weather was so perfect for it and it was a great way to spend our day.  It was peaceful out in the woods. We saw an Osprey nest and stopped to chat with a couple of old deer hunters along the way.

Finally our fun little Northern adventure came to an end, and we grabbed some snacks before hitting the road to head home.  It had been an excellent day.

We had a lazy Sunday morning before I had to drive out to the shelter to pick up Sanford, our foster guest for the week.  His current foster is going out of town for Thanksgiving and I was happy to be able to help out while she is gone.

His introduction to the girls went smoothly, and, once they all seemed happily acquainted. I headed outside with them to take advantage of this beautiful late fall day.  I started with poop clean-up and lawn mowing in the backyard, then moved out front to clean the leaves from the curb and to mow the front yard. 

I finished with the front yard and headed back into the backyard with the dogs where I got an earful from Sanford for leaving him for so long. 

It was wonderful to be able to spend so much time outside in the fresh air.  Plus I feel like I accomplished so much that needed to get done.  I still have a little garden clean-up and a couple of perennials to plant, but I think I'll do that on my lunch tomorrow.  Then the yard should be winter-ready.  

I still need to vacuum and dust today, but for now Sanford, the girls, and I are just going to relax and enjoy watching some football. 

After several weeks of feeling busy constantly, this week was quiet and relaxing.  The early sunsets definitely help with forcing us to slow down and rest, too.  While I don't love how early it gets dark, I do appreciate the reset it forces, reminding us that slowing down and resting is as important as food, water, fresh air, and exercise.   

This week will be a short week at work with Thanksgiving upon us.  By the end of the week, we'll make the switch to the Christmas season with sparkling lights, Christmas trees, and the joy that the season brings.  And you know that we'll make the most of the season.

Until then, I'm just going to enjoy getting to know Sanford and spending some quality time with the girls.  I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving with family, too.  I hope you all have a wonderful, safe, and very happy Thanksgiving.