Welcome May: New friends and more adventures

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  It has been an interesting week here for us with lots of fun and exciting things happening. 

We started our week by bringing in a new foster.  After a busy morning at work, I took the girls out to the shelter on my lunch to meet a couple of the boys who have been there awhile.  My intention was to to meet two dogs to make sure everyone got along and then bring one of them home with me after dog walking on Wednesday night.  We met Donatello first, a 9 month old German Shephard mix, and I knew he'd do fine with the girls.  I thought he'd be the one I would ultimately bring home with me, but in the event that he got adopted before Wednesday, I wanted to make sure we had a back up to bring home.  

Giotto, or Gio for short, came out second to meet the girls.  He responded really well to Peaches' old lady corrections and then they all just started to play.  They were having so much fun and Gio was struggling so much at the shelter that I knew he needed to be the one to come home with us and it needed to be that day.  Honestly, the girls picked him, and I'm glad that they did.  He is a really sweet boy and he and Mina have had so much fun playing together all week long.

Tuesday we continued to adjust to our new friend, and he continued to adjust to our routine.  He has done really well here, and I can't imagine he'll be here very long because he is such a good boy.  He and Mina will spend hours outside wrestling while I work, and Peaches sometimes joins in on some of their games.  On Tuesday morning the youngsters ganged up on the old girl, but she held her own and they are both respectful of her when she tells them she's had enough.

After work on Tuesday, I made a visit to see my dad, the girls came along for the ride.  I joined dad for dinner and we had a nice visit.  The improvements in his strength and ability to get around and do things for himself is so nice to see.  I left that night with the hopes that, if everything went according to plan, that would most likely be my last visit to him at the rehab.  

For their patience, the girls were rewarded with a stop at Magoo's Pet Outlet on our way home.  They had a great time sniffing around the store and I got some good deals on some bone broth for their meals. Gio stayed home for the night, but he did great in his crate.  He had energy to burn after we got home, so there was some fun wrestling with Mina before everyone settled in for the night.   And with that April ended and we were on to May.

Wednesday was a beautiful day and the perfect start to the new month.  The weather was so perfect and the dogs were happy to spend lots of time outside.  I love sitting at my dining room table working and watching them play.  Mina and Gio were having the absolute best time.

Wednesday night the weather was great for our shelter dog walk.  I was happy I got to walk Donatello.  I felt so bad for not bringing him into foster.  He had a great walk with me, and on a happy note, he was finally adopted on Friday.  He's such a nice boy and I hope he has a wonderful life.

The best thing about Wednesday, though, was that after 4 months of hospital and rehab stays, my dad finally went home.  While he still needs to use a walker to get around, he is doing pretty well and I know he is happy to finally be home too.  He'll need one more surgery in a month or so, but should only be in the hospital a few days then, and then I hope he'll be able to recover quickly and get back to normal life again.

After a busy day of work and a very nice and much needed lunch with a friend on Thursday, I decided to take the dogs to campus for our evening walk.  Gio has a fear of getting into the car, and I wanted to work on making him feel more comfortable with cars and understanding that car rides aren't scary, but can lead to lots of fun.  I did have to carry him to the car and force him in, but once he's in the car he rides so nicely.  I made it a positive drive by tossing him treats along the way and the girls thought that was pretty awesome because of course they got treats too.

When I got to campus and parked, I didn't expect difficulties in getting Gio out of the car, but it took a little coaxing before he felt comfortable enough to get out.  And then with all three dogs in hand, we were off for one of the worst walks ever along the Red Cedar.  The squirrels were out in force and Peaches and Mina were acting like complete idiots.  Gio was great, but the number of times I had to stop and untangle leashes or try to convince the girls that they needed to stop pulling me and not act like heathens was ridiculous.  

Luckily the pretty tulips and lilacs and all of the beauty on campus somewhat made up for the terrible behavior, but the best part was watching Gio as he explored the world.

I tried valiantly to get  a picture of the three of them together, but every time I tried, chaos ensued.  I guess the pictures I did get will remind me of this crazy night.

At the end of our walk when we arrived back at the car, Gio walked up to the car door and waited while I opened the it without backing away, and then he got in the car willingly with a little boost from me.  It was a huge success and I celebrated this huge accomplishment with lots of cheering, and I'm sure other people on campus thought I was an idiot.  But it was a big deal and I was so proud and happy.

After the walk debacle of Thursday night, I decided that Friday I would give each of the dogs their own adventure.  First was Gio with another trip to a different part of campus.  He got into the car willingly at my house and even tried to jump up on his own after our walk.  Such great progress in such a short time.

There were more pretty flowers and he enjoyed sniffing and exploring.  He is very interested in people too and nearly tripped me trying to say hello to someone.

But mostly he just walks really nicely and enjoys his time outside.  I keep saying that I can't understand why he hasn't found a home yet.  He is a pretty awesome guy.  I even overheard someone with a group of bike riders that went past us say "That is a really well-behaved dog."  I just had to smile.

After I got home with Gio, I loaded Mina into the car and we headed off for a trip to Soldan's.  She reminded me what a good girl she can be on this walk.  She is an amazingly good walker when she is walking without Peaches.  

She enjoyed the trip to Soldan's and even got to pick out a couple of treats for everyone.   Then we headed out for a walk around the neighborhood next to the store.  She was happy to be out on her walk and she didn't even go completely crazy when we spotted this cat sitting in the middle of the street.

We then headed home so I could get Peaches out for a walk around the neighborhood before sunset.  She loved her one on one time with me and I enjoyed our time together too.  

The evening ended with some time outside so that everyone could play before we settled in for the evening.  I really enjoyed this individual time with each of them and need to remember to do this more often.  I think it's good for all of us.

Saturday morning started with a dog walk at the shelter.  I had two walkers join me and after we got back to the shelter with the first three dogs, we decided to take a second group for a walk as well.  So I had walked just over 4 miles by the time I left.  It was so rewarding to get some of the dogs out who really needed the exercise.  I always love to see their happy faces.

I got home from dog walking and decided it would be a good day to head out for a visit with my parents.  So I fed the dogs lunch and then loaded them into the car for the drive.  I spent some time working with Mina on her recall skills so that some day maybe I'll trust her off leash there.  She struggled a bit with some distractions, but I'm committed to working with her more this summer because I know how much she'd love the freedom to run.  

Gio loved meeting my mom and exploring the woods.  He had a really great time and I was very proud of how good he was again.  

Everyone was pretty happy to be out in the country and Peaches immediately headed out to check out all of her favorites spots.  Unfortunately for Peaches, she made some bad decisions and decided not to listen to me so she ended up losing some of her freedom and got stuck on the long leash.  But she still had fun.

After a nice visit with both mom and dad and lots of fresh air and exercise for the dogs, it was time to head home.  On the way we stopped at a local geocaching event, and Gio got to make friends with a little geocacher.  He was very happy to just sit and get some love.  Finally we headed home in time to watch the Kentucky Derby and have dinner.  There was some after dinner fun outside for the dogs, and then everyone settled in for a quiet night.

We have had a pretty quiet start to our Sunday morning.  I'm working on getting Gio to understand our morning routine which includes some quiet time since I'm normally working in the mornings.  He is getting better at relaxing, but it's still a work in progress.  There have been some rounds of play both inside and out, and now the girls have come in for their mid-day naps.  Gio was trying hard to get Peaches to play with him, but has finally climbed up onto the couch with Mina and is snoring away.  

I'll be leaving shortly to do some clean-up along our dog walking club route with some fellow geocachers and some volunteers from the shelter, and afterward, I'll get everyone out for a walk.  Then I need to do some stuff around the house before the weekend is over.  And of course there will be tacos for dinner!  I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday.  

April showers...and April flowers

Hello and happy Sunday!  Today is a big day at our house because it is Mina's 2nd Birthday.  We started the morning by sleeping in a bit and a good snuggle before the girls headed outside for awhile.  They are now busy with their special birthday Kongs while I write.  It's been a great start to our day.  

This week has been busy, but not terrible, and we found some opportunities to get out for some weekday fun.  Monday and Tuesday were my busiest days at work this week, and Monday we didn't even leave the house until after 6pm.  I've been looking for new places to explore around the Lansing area, or at least trying to explore some pathways and trails that we don't visit as often.  On Monday, we headed off to check out some spots along the Sycamore Trail that we don't normally walk, and I had a few geocaches to find along the way which took us into some interesting and pretty wooded areas.  The girls had a great time dragging me around the woods all evening!

As you can tell from the pictures, Mina was distracted by lots of birds and other critters moving around the woods.  To be fair, they both had a lot of energy to burn that night, so she was extra distracted.  One of these days, I hope I'll convince her to look at me more when I am trying to take her picture.  But for now, this is the best we can do, no matter how hard I try to convince her otherwise.   And we all enjoyed our time in the woods.

On Tuesday, I decided to take the girls for a quick trip to Soldan Dog Park on my lunch.  Lunch was late that day for me since I had several Teams meetings earlier in the day.  It ended up working out great because the timing (we got to the park around 2pm) and the weather which was gray, cool, and windy with stormy-looking skies.  There were a couple of dogs leaving when we arrived, but otherwise we had the park to ourselves for a majority of our visit.  I love those kinds of visits.

The Spring wildflowers are really popping in the park now.  I love seeing all of the flowers on our visits.  This is my favorite time of the year to be in the woods.  

Mina played several rounds of fetch while we were there, but for most of our visit she was just zooming around the park at full speed watching for birds and squirrels.  Peaches enjoyed this visit more than most since she didn't have to worry about any crazy youngsters running up to her while she was busily sniffing away.  She got some peace and quiet, lots of running, and plenty of time to smell every inch of the park to her heart's content.  On the way out of the park, we met Hank, a 1 year old Chocolate lab, and he and the girls really hit it off.  They had a lot of fun playing with him for a little bit, but then we had to head out so I could get back to work.  It was a great visit and I had a quiet afternoon to finish my workday.

On Tuesday night I had hoped to join a North Country Trail group-hike in the Battle Creek area.  It was their Pink Moon hike, and it sounded like a fun way to get in a few miles on the trail.  Unfortunately the forecast showed the possibility for some stronger thunderstorms, so I decided to skip the hike and just stay home.  The hike still happened, and I don't know if they saw any storms, but we had some nice thunder and lightning in Lansing, so I was glad that I had made the decision to stay home.

Wednesday morning, the girls spent a lot of time outside while I worked.  That's what I really like about this time of year-the weather is perfect for them to spend hours outside lounging and sniffing and playing with the neighbor dogs.  By mid-day, Mina was very judgmentally staring at me because she was ready for more fun. So I took another late lunch visit to Soldan Dog Park.

After work, I had my weekly Wednesday night dog walk at the shelter.  We had a nice sized group of walkers and were able to walk eight dogs.  It was a pretty great group of nice dogs.  Adoptions are pretty slow at the shelter right now, and it makes me a little frustrated to see so many great dogs being passed over.  I want nothing more than for all of them to find good homes.  I am so glad that I can give them a little break from the shelter every week while they wait.  

And then I get to come home to my sweet girls.  Peaches is pretty cute when she's sleeping.

Thursday after work, I made a trip to visit my dad.  When I arrived he was sitting up and wheeling himself around his room in his wheelchair.  It has been awhile since he was up when I got there, and it was really nice to see.  Usually by the time I arrive, he has had a full day, and had gotten back into bed because he's tired and ready to settle in for the evening.  Because he was up, he asked if I wanted to go to the cafeteria with him so he could sit in the dining room for his dinner rather than eating in his room.  I decided to order something from the Java Lounge, the snack counter at the facility, so I could have dinner with him.  They have some limited choices, but I really enjoyed my chicken tenders and tater tots.  It was a great visit with him and I have seen huge improvements in his strength and ability to get around in the last week.  He is getting closer to getting home.

I had brought the girls along with me hoping we'd be able to get out for a walk somewhere along the drive home, but my visit was longer then normal, and we didn't have enough time to get out for a walk.  I did make sure that they got their dinner in their treat dispensing balls, and then they each got a chew for the evening.  I think they forgave me for not giving them any real fun.

While I was visiting with dad, Nicol sent me this adorable picture of Fiona enjoying a book outside.  Poor Nicol is now dealing with an independent two-year old who is sometimes quite the challenge.  Gotta love this stage of development!  At least she looks happy here.

Finally Friday arrived.  The weather was nice in the morning, so the girls once again spent a lot of time outside while I worked. 

At the end of the day, I knew we needed to get out for a walk, and I had several ideas in mind, but there was a threat of rain, so I decided the best option was a visit to campus.  I don't think we've taken a walk on campus at all this year, and that just isn't normal for us.  

This time of year is my favorite on campus because it is especially beautiful with the spring flowering trees and all of the other flowers, and I didn't want to miss it. 

Because of the gray, gloomy weather, combined with the fact that students are moving back home for the Summer, it was a pretty quiet Friday evening walk.  I loved it.  

While Mina was once again distracted by birds and critters, Peaches was busily sniffing everything we walked by.  Every time I leaned over to take a picture, there was Peaches' nose right in the way trying to find out what I thought was so interesting.

We had a great walk, and of course I made them pose for some pictures along the way, but my favorite part of the evening was seeing that I hadn't missed the Magnolia trees in bloom.  As a bonus, I got to smell my first lilac of the year as there were a few just starting to bloom nearby.  

After being dragged all over the gardens, it was finally a time for us to head home.  We got into the car and made it almost all of they way home before the rain started.  It had been a really nice night and I will make sure we get back for a few more visits over the next few weeks so we can enjoy all of the beauty.

Saturday morning we headed out early for our Saturday morning shelter dog walk.  We had a small group of walkers, and I got to spend a nice quiet Saturday morning with a fun group of dogs.  I walked Donatello.  

This boy is so sweet and I just don't understand why he hasn't been adopted yet.  He came into the shelter over a month ago as an 8 month old puppy with his two brothers, and I have watched him grow and learn during his time there.  We've taken him on our walks several times, and he such a nice boy.  He is the last of the brothers at the shelter, and I can't understand why no one has chosen him because from my experience, he's the most well-behaved of the three.  I know that there has to be a home out there for this good boy.

After the dog walk, I headed over for a visit with my dad.  My mom was there when I arrived and there was a lot going on, so I felt like we didn't get to visit much.  What I've discovered is that mid-day isn't the best time for a visit if you actually want to have time to talk.  While I was there, Brezlyn showed up for a visit too.  She hadn't seen him for a couple of months(he was in the hospital the last time she visited), so I think she was excited to see him.  Brezlyn loves to take pictures so she was snapping away during the visit.  Before we all left, she wanted to get a picture of my parents together, so I thought I'd get one too.  I think dad looks pretty good in this picture.  It sounds like chances are really good that day will finally be going home sometime this week.  I think he's finally ready.  Boy have we come a long way since January!

Finally we wrapped up our visit.  Mom and Brezlyn headed out for a late lunch, and I got in the car so the girls and I could head home.  We had plans to meet up with Vanessa for a little afternoon geocaching adventure.  We got to Vanessa's house after 3pm and headed out to find our first geocache.

The plan for the day was to find a couple of older, more challenging geocaches in the area that were in some out of the way or rarely visited places, as well as to team up with Vanessa to see if we could find a couple of other caches that I have struggled to find.  There were 5 geocaches on the docket, and we found all 5 of them.  A couple of them were real adventures and we had a great time exploring a marshy area, a couple of small parks, and then ended our searching with a cache in Willoughby Park.  We actually found two ticks on Peaches after leaving the final park, but I squished them before the girls got back into the car.  Then we headed out for ice cream at Dairy Dan's to end our day before dropping Vanessa off at home. 

After leaving Vanessa, we made a quick stop along the Red Cedar River nearby and at a small cemetery along the drive home to pick up a couple final caches for the day.   Then we headed home where I made the dogs get into the bath so we could make sure we all get a good rinse off to ensure I didn't miss any ticks.  I did some laundry, and the girls ate dinner and then headed outside for a little bit.  We then settled in for a quiet evening at home.  It had been a long, busy day, but we had a lot of fun.

Today we celebrated my special girl on her second birthday.  After a slow morning at home, we made the drive out to Vermontville for the Maple Syrup Festival.  We parked along the street and walked down to the festival.  

In addition to making the girls sit for some pictures, we walked around the festival checking out the vendors, food trucks, carnival food, and activities.  There were plenty of fun things to see and lots of people saying hello to the girls.  They also found lots of French fries which had been dropped on the ground.  They were having a blast!

Part way through our walk, we stopped at the Kona Ice truck and the nice ladies working gave me a cup of shaved ice for the girls to share.  They were pretty happy about this special treat.  I had a delicious smoothie from one of the food trucks and bought some maple syrup, maple sugar, and some maple treats from a few of the other vendors.  We spent a couple of hours at the festival before finally heading back to the car to make the drive home.  

On the way home, we stopped for a few geocaches and then picked up a pizza for dinner.  It was a fun little Sunday adventure and a  good end to our week.  The girls are now sound asleep, and Peaches even put herself to bed before 8pm.  We've really tried to make the most of our April and despite the challenges with my dad, I think we succeeded.  I sure do love this month; hard to believe it will be over in just two days.  Now I'm going to enjoy the peace and quiet before the craziness of a new week starts again.