This week we experienced weather the exemplified a typical week in Mid-March. From gray, cold, and blustery to sunny and warm, sometimes all in the same day, that is part of the magic of this month. It definitely keeps you guessing!
In the UP, they received their annual St. Patrick's day weekend storm, but this year it was one for the record books. Across most of the UP, they received 2 to 4 ft of snow Sunday into Monday with some areas receiving up to 52 inches of snow. With Monday's blizzard like conditions and winds in the 60 to 80 mph range, the roads were made impassable in many areas. The weather basically closed down the area for 3 days and the pictures were amazing to see.
As I wrapped up my work for the day, I was feeling tired and unmotivated to go out into the cold. But I rallied, reminding myself that the girls deserved some excercise after being really good all day. So I bundled up and headed out for a visit to Preuss Pets and a walk around Old Town.
It was cold and the wind was the kind that cuts through you, but we found a way to stay in areas that blocked the wind as much as we could. When the dark gray clouds gave way to sunshine, that certainly lifted my spirits, and we had an enjoyable walk with a trip into Preuss squeezed in the middle. When we got home and I was making dinner, I realized just how glad I was that I had made the effort to get outside. Excercise and fresh air are always the answer after a long, stressful day!
Tuesday's weather was chilly again, although much less windy than Monday. It was also another exhausting day at work. As I wrapped up my work for the day, I made the decision to take a drive to Eaton Rapids for our evening walk because we hadn't been there in a while. But once we got to Eaton Rapids, I changed course and decided we'd continue on to Albion for a walk on the North Country Trail. We were already half way there, and I'm really trying to hike while its still cooler for Peaches' sake.
We were able to have a nice 2.6 mile walk on the trail before I decided we should head home. The girls seemed very happy with my choice of locations for the walk and I was happy we are continuing to make good progress toward our 100 miles this year.
On Wednesday, temperatures dropped into the 30s. More poor little frozen crocuses looked so sad.
After work, I headed out to the shelter for our Wednesday night dog walking club. We had a small group of walkers and they were some of my best and most competent walkers, so I decided to harness a dog for myself too.
We enjoyed a really nice walk despite the cold and I'm happy to share that all three of these girls, plus Quin who I walked, were all adopted this week.
It was still light out when I got home from the shelter so I was able to take the girls out for a walk around the neighborhood before feeding them dinner. I think they enjoyed it.
On Thursday, the girls spent quite a bit of time outside throughout the day. They had lunch in their snufflemats and got an afternoon Kong as well, which has become a regular part of our afternoon routine. I have discovered that the licking helps Peaches relax and relieves some of her anxiety. Then they settled in for a nice afternoon nap.
After work, I was struggling to decided where we would go for our evening walk. I didn't want to stay in the neighborhood, but couldn't decide where else to go, so we headed out for a quick walk around the block. The weather was beautiful.
When we got home, the girls spent some time outside and I enjoyed watching the sun as it set for the final time this winter. It was a beautiful end to the season.
I was wrangling Peaches into the car as winter transitioned to Spring.
It was so nice and the girls were enjoying hanging their heads out of the car windows as I drove. I decided to make a couple additional stops and spent nearly my entire lunch hour driving.
When we got home, I fed the girls lunch in their snufflemats while I quickly made a salad and sandwich for my lunch. Then I gave them each their afternoon Kongs, while I settled in for an afternoon of calls and to-dos
To celebrate the end of the week, I decided to head to Durand for the Eagle's Friday night fish fry. Their walleye is delicious and I have been craving it. It had been a long time since I'd gone.
Then the girls and I took a walk with mom on the Fred Meijer CIS Trail through St. John's.
It was a beautiful day and we had a really nice walk. I was happy to see the Pussywillow in bloom. That is a sure sign of spring. We also enjoyed the artwork on the bridge.
After our walk, we slowly drove the back roads meandering our way home, and picking up some geocaches along the way. The girls were happy to hang their heads out the windows and watch me as I jumped out of the car for the caches. Before I knew it, it was 6:30pm so we headed home for dinner.
Temperatures started out in the 60s in the wee hours of the morning but continually fell throughout the day, and I decided to take advantage of the cooler temperatures to get some additional miles on the NCT. Mid-40s in the afternoon seemed perfect for Peaches.
We took a leisurely drive to Marshall and when we arrived, it was 57 degrees when we staryed our walk, which was 8 degrees warmer than Lansing.
We had one more stop to make for the day to visit the Maple Syrup Festival at Fenner Nature Center.
As.we we're leaving, we ran into the nice lady who works at Fenner who is also a GSP owner. She always loves saying hello to the girls and even got them a pancake to share from the pancake breakfast fundraiser. They were very happy to see her.
It is a rare occurrence that I actually get to walk a dog with the group and I was pretty excited about it.
When we got back to the house, I had figured out where we could go, and we headed out to Maguire Park for a walk on a less frequented portion of the River Trail where it connects to the South Lansing Pathway. It isn't the most scenic area, but it was quiet. Since we don't walk there often, the girls were enjoying all of the new smells.
Friday arrived and I had a full day at work. Fridays have become one of my busiest days of the week, and I was so focused on everything that I needed to get done that I completely forgot to eat breakfast. Mid-morning I decided to get the girls out for a ride to Speedway with me to get a Mt. Dew and before eating an early lunch.
The trip was a little emotional since I hadn't been in Durand since the last time I saw my dad and I hadn't had this fish fry since the last Friday that I visited him, the week before he died.
I sat in my car eating with an audience and I even shared some fish with the girls. I had even bought an extra piece of fish to ensure that they both could have some. Then we slowly weaved our way home.
Saturday morning I spent some time cleaning and doing laundry before meeting up with my mom at Mancino's in St. John's for a late lunch.
The girls spent some time outside while I made myself a quick dinner. I had planned to make braised cabbage with perogies, but I only had two small perogies left so I decided to find something else I could make. I ended up making a new recipe I found for smothered cabbage and potatoes and I added a can great northern beans for a little added protein. It was so good! I'll be eating leftovers for dinner tonight.
Then we had a quiet evening while I watched the Big Ten Men's Hockey Tournament Championship game where U of M beat Ohio State.
We had a quiet and relaxing start to our Sunday and I spent some time writing. Then we got ready to head out for some fun.
During our drive and walk, we saw dozens of sandhill cranes, two swans, and a number of turtles, as well as several black squirrels. Everyone was enjoying the spring weather.
We completed 2.6 miles on the trail, which was the perfect length for Peaches today. Then we got into the car for the drive back to Lansing.
It was cooler and there were a few sprinkles, but that didn't stop us from enjoying our visit. We walked around, checked out the displays, and got stopped a dozen times for the girls to make some new friends.
On the way home I stopped to pick up a couple things at the grocery store. We ate a late lunch when we arrived home, and the girls have been sound asleep ever since. I was going to quickly complete the blog, but opened it only to find that half the work I had done this morning hadn't saved. So I just spent some time rewriting what had disappeared.
Now I am going to sign off and enjoy the rest of my day snuggled up with a dog and a puzzle book, getting in some rest and relaxation before the busy week ahead.
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