The long, dark, cold days of January

Old man winter has really decided to show up this week.  For the first time in what seems like forever, we are experiencing a real Michigan Winter.   I am happy for the snow on the ground and the chance to experience winter fun.  If you would have told younger me that I would learn to embrace winter, and maybe even enjoy it, I would have thought you were crazy.  Heck, if you had told me this just 10 years ago, I probably wouldn't have believed you.  But I really have been enjoying it this year.

This week, along with the snow, we've been experiencing some seriously cold weather.  On Monday, that cold was accompanied by wind.  I was sure we weren't going to get outside for a walk, but i had to head outside to shovel, so I decided to take the girls for a short walk around the block when I was done.

After that walk, we got into the car for a trip to Kroger and then to Speedway for gas.  I decided while we were out we'd park at Waldo Park and I'd get the girls out for a second walk around the block.  And then we took another short walk when we got home.  By the time we were done, we had walked a total of two miles, and then we settled in to enjoy the rest of my day off quietly inside.

Tuesday morning started quietly.  The girls slept while I worked.  The morning went quickly, and before I knew it, it was noon.  I finished up a couple of things I was working on and then decided I'd get the girls out for some exercise over my lunch.

I decided we would head to Poxson Park for our walk.  The park is well protected from wind making it perfect for our walk, which was comfortable and very enjoyable.  Plus it was nice to get out somewhere different for a change of pace.

After our walk at Poxson Park, we stopped at Everett Park on our way home to take a short walk there.  Then we headed home to finish my work day.

We got in one more short walk around our neighborhood before the end of the day.  Then the girls had dinner in the Kong Wobbler before settling in for another quiet evening. 

We had a little heatwave on Wednesday with temperatures reaching nearly 30 degrees. Along with warmer temperatures, snow moved into the area for the morning.  By noon most of the snow had stopped, so I got out to shovel and then took the girls for a trip to Soldan's to pick up a few things to keep them busy when colder air moved in over the weekend.

They loved their trip to Soldan's and when we got home they enjoyed lunch in some puzzles.  

Before the day ended, we took advantage of the milder temperatures to make a visit to Soldan Dog Park. 

We had the park to ourselves for most of our visit.  Mina spent her visit zooming around at full speed.  Peaches moved a little slower, but was still very happy to be there.

It was so nice to be able to get into the woods and allow the girls the freedom to run and explore.  We all really enjoyed the warmer day and the fresh air.  I think we missed our visits here.

Temperatures on Thursday were colder than Wednesday,  but still in the double digits.  We got more snow overnight and i headed out on my lunch to shovel, again. 

I shoveled quickly and then took the girls for a walk around the block.

While I was walking, I decided that the weather was still warm enough that we could make a visit to the dog park, so off we went.

The weather was a mixture of flurries, sunshine, and gray skies while we were there, but we stayed comfortable.

We didn't have a lot of time for our visit, so we moved quickly.  But Mina got to run and Peaches got to sniff and trot around, and I got to enjoy a brisk walk while watching them enjoy life.  

I was so glad we went before the artic air moved into the area overnight.  Temperatures dropped through the wee morning hours of Friday.  The girls went out for a potty break and then had breakfast around 5:30am. And the temperatures continued to fall. It was zero degrees when Mina thought she wanted to go outside before I started my work day at 8am.  Both girls turned around as soon as they stepped outside.  I knew that was exactly what they were going to do.

By noon, I knew we had to get out for a walk because Peaches needed to poop, but refused to go in the yard.  I made the drive to Speedway for a Mount Dew, and then stopped at Waldo Park for a walk around the block.  

While I had planned to be out for less than 10 minutes, Peaches had other ideas with her need to stop and sniff everything. But we were able to finish in 12 minutes and were successful in our potty break, so it was a good walk.

It was 2 degrees with very little wind, so we took another 10 minute walk when we got home before the girls had lunch in their snufflemats.  I had a busy afternoon of work, but I made sure to get the girls out for one last 10 minute walk at the end of my day.  It was still 2 degrees during our final walk, but the temperatures quickly began to fall after dark.  

By early evening, we moved into bed to snuggle up for the night.  I did some word search puzzles and the girls happily snored the evening away.  It was cozy and the perfect end to our day.

When Mina woke me up at 5:30am on Saturday, it was -16 degrees. Brrr!  She went out for a quick potty break, and then we heard back to bed.  We stayed in bed snuggled up and toasty until almost 8am.  Then we lounged around as the temperatures slowly began to rise.

There was a geocaching event at noon, so I decided to stop by for a quick visit.  After leaving, I found a couple of nearby geocaches.  Then I decided we'd take a drive.

Ultimately,  I decided we'd head to Albion.  I figured we could get out for a few short walks on the North Country Trail while we were there.  Even if we didn't go far, we would be making progress toward our 100 miles for 2026.

It was 8 degrees when we started our first walk through town, and somehow we'd walked three-quarters of a mile in no time.  We were all still comfortable, but I didn't want to go any further away from the car so we turned around and ended walk one with 1.6 miles.

I got the girls into the car and took a little drive to Victory Park so we could park for walk number two.  We headed out and walked three-tenths of a mile then turned around and headed back toward the car.  We continued four-tenths of a mile in the opposite direction and then back to the car to end our second walk with another 1.4 miles.

After a little warm-up, our final walk of the day was a total of six-tenths of a mile, and we ended the day having walked 3.6 miles.  I hadn't planned on walking that far when we first started, but I was really excited that we had been able to stay comfortable the entire time.  It really was a beautiful winter day on the trail.

I made a stop at Aldi for a few groceries on the way home.  When we got home, we had dinner and enjoyed a quiet evening.  While our temperatures overnight into Sunday morning were still cold, at least they stayed above zero.  That really made a big difference over the negative temperatures. 

We woke this morning to fresh snow on the ground.  The snow started to fall in the early hours of this morning and the forecast calls for it to continie to snow all day and a high of just 15 degrees.  

The girls have had their morning potty break and breakfast and they have put themselves back to bed - Mina in her cozy cave, and Peaches snuggled up in bed next to me.  I expect them both to stay put for the next few hours.  My plans for today are to spend a quiet day at home and inside.  I plan to entertain the girls with Kongs and puzzles and maybe a little training mixed in with playtime and hope that they'll be happy to fill the test of the day with lots of naps.  I just need Peaches to cooperates with this plan.  

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Our cold spell will continue this week, but thankfully highs stay in the teens instead of the single digits.   The days are slowly growing noticeably longer, which is a much welcome sign of what's to come.  We have made it through the ten darkest weeks of the year, and, by the time I write next week, February will have arrived.  The long, dark, cold days of January are coming to an end, and we have made it through successfully and have maybe even enjoyed it.  

Now I'm going to cover up and snuggle up with Peaches for a bit to keep warm on this chilly morning.  A perfect way to start a winter day.