Last Sunday we welcomed November and the end of Daylight Savings Time, and more Fall-like weather came along with the changes.
November 1st is my parent's wedding anniversary, and this day marked one year since we all gathered to bury my dad's ashes. I suspected that the day may be difficult for my mom, so I decided to invite her to join me for lunch and a walk.
Sidnee was in town for the week, too, so I invited her and Brezlyn to join us. We had a nice time at lunch and then headed to DeVries Nature Conservancy for a walk along the Shiawassee River. It was a beautiful Fall day.
After our walk, the girls and I headed home where Mandible was waiting for us. Since he had patiently waited while we were gone, I was happy to be able to get him out for a nice solo walk around the neighborhood before dinner.
On Monday, Mandible had a meet and greet scheduled for late afternoon, so after feeding everyone lunch, we threw him an ice cream party.
Then I took a late lunch to take him to the shelter for his meeting. Things went well, and we made plans to meet again over lunch on Wednesday to send him home with his new family.
Then after work, we got out for a walk around the neighborhood.
The trees around the neighborhood were pretty and the weather was nice, and we all enjoyed this walk. With the time change, the sun set while we were on our walk, and we arrived home while it was getting dark. We definitely aren't used to these early sunsets yet.
Tuesday was election day, and I would be working the election in the afternoon. I worked as usual until noon, then took the dogs for a quick drive and got them out for a short walk around Everett Park. It was a gorgeous, unseasonably warm day.
Then we hurried home for a quick lunch and potty break for the dogs before I had to head out for my election work.
It was a busy day, and time went quickly. It was so busy that I didn't get my normal dinner break, which meant no walk for the dogs and a late dinner.
When I finally got home, I knew, despite the darkness, I had to take the dogs for a walk. So off we went for a walk in the dark. It was a lovely evening with temperatures still in the upper 60s and it felt good to move after a long day of sitting. The dogs had dinner when we got home, went out for their evening potty break, and then we headed to bed.
Wednesday I took an early lunch to take Mandible to the shelter to meet his new family. They are a really nice couple with cattle dog experience, and they were excited to have him join their family. I also learned that he had been an owner surrender and that his name had previously been Sonny, and his new family decided to keep that as his name. I think it fits him perfectly.
When I got home, I worked for a few more hours, then the girls and I got into the car to make the drive to Farmington Hills for the night. I had to be in the Dearborn area for work early on Thursday morning, and the girls would be spending the day at Canine College, so staying close by made the most sense for us.
After we were settled into our room, it was time to head out for a walk. There were some sprinkles, but overall it was a nice evening for a walk.
I had no desire to drive anywhere, so we walked in the area near the hotel. While it may not have been the most scenic walk, we still enjoyed being outside and the pretty colors we saw along the way.
When we got back to the hotel, I ordered a pizza for dinner, fed the girls their dinner, and then settled in for a quiet night.
We were up early Thursday so that we could eat breakfast and get ready for the day. I left the hotel by 7:30am, dropped the girls off for their day of daycare, and then headed to Gleaner's Food Bank for our morning of volunteering for the Amerprise Day of Service. It was a great way to start the day, make a difference, and spend some time with my team.
After we were done, we made the short drive to Dearborn for lunch and our afternoon team meeting. Our meeting finished after 5pm, and then I made the drive to Canine College to pick up the girls. I grabbed a quick dinner and fed the girls their dinner in the car, and then we made the drive home in the rain. It had been a long, exhausting day, and I headed to bed shortly after getting home.
With all of my extra work travel lately, I planned to leave work early on Friday. Somehow, the day was busier than I expected, and despite the fact that I started my day early and only took a quick lunch, I was busy at work until after 4pm. I finally decided to close my laptop and walk away. I immediately got the girls into the car so we could get out for our Friday evening walk. As we pulled out of the driveway, I took a quick picture. The leaves are falling fast now.
We arrived at Fenner Nature Center shortly after 4:30pm for our Friday evening walk. I was surprised to see these little flowers still in bloom.
We started our walk in the grassland prairie. It was 46 degrees with a light breeze.
Next we headed into the woods along the Tamarack Trail. While we were walking, I spotted the buck that we often see when walking here in the Fall. He was closer than usual, and he stood watching us as we watched him. He is a beautiful boy, and I was finally able to determine that he is a six-point. I loved watching him.
While most of the trees have lost their leaves, there are still a few colorful pops here and there. Even the oak trees are losing their leaves now.
The girls thoroughly enjoyed all of the smells and I was happy to just let them sniff.
I have really enjoyed watching as the colors changed this year on our weekly walks here. It's been a wonderful way to start our weekends this Fall.
I was also glad that the girls cooperated for a couple of pictures before we left. It's getting harder to convince Peaches to stay still foe pictures most of the time, so any pictures I can get of her beautiful face make me happy.
I was so excited when Saturday arrived. We had an entire weekend with no plans, and I was ready for it. We slept in and had a slow start to our morning. It was exactly what we needed.
After lunch, I took the dogs out for a walk. It was another gray Fall day with temperatures in the mid-40s.
We started with a 1.5 mile walk on the Lansing River Trail at Maguire Park. We haven't walked this section of the trail in a long time, and it was a nice change.
Then we drove to Hawk Island Park to continue our walk along the River Trail.
We walked the River Trail to Scott Woods, and then we headed onto the trail through the woods.
Finally we circled back onto the trail in Hawk Island Park to finish our walk.
We finished our day having walked 3.6 miles. I was pretty happy with that. This is definitely the best weather for Peaches.
I ran a couple of errands on the way home, and we took a slight detour to drive downtown to see the newly arrived State Christmas tree in front of the Capitol building. I can't believe the holiday season is almost here.
We ended our day watching the Michigan vs Michigan State football game.
Since we had a fairly quiet Saturday, I used our Sunday to get some things done around the house. I had plenty of work to do and I was happy to get quite a lot done.
After a productive morning, we watched the first half of the Lions game and then got out for a walk at Hawk Island Park.
It was a beautiful sunny day which made for a pretty walk through the woods.
We finsihed our walk and headed home in time to watch the end of the Lions game. Then I took advantage of the lovely weather to mow the lawn and mulch all of the leaves that have fallen. The girls spent time out in the yard while I mowed.
I did some meal prep and cooked dinner, fed the girls, and then we all sat down for a relaxing evening. It was the perfect end to our weekend. I can't believe Mina actually got onto the love seat next to Peaches.
The weather has turned to the cooler, rainy, gray days I expect in the Fall, and soon Thanksgiving will be here. Most of the leaves have fallen, and the days are growing shorter. It's time for life to slow down a bit as we move toward Winter. I'm looking forward to resting a bit more and quite evenings at home. I just cant believe how fast this year has gone.
