Running into August

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. There is just so much going on and not enough time in the day.  I feel like all I did the last couple of weeks of July was run around, constantly trying to keep up with everything and never really succeeding.  But I've learned over the years that the busy times will pass, eventually, and it is important in the midst of those crazy times not to forget to slow down and find time for a little fun.  It's not always easy, but sometimes you just have to let go of the list of to-dos, and focus on taking care of yourself.  Not sure I've been very successful at that the last couple of weeks, but at least I can recognize it.

We start way back on July 29, a very hot and humid Monday.  The girls were able to spend some short amounts of time outside while I worked, but definitely needed to burn off a little more energy.  After work, I had to run a couple of quick errands near East Lansing, so I decided to change things up and take them to the dog park close by.  We don't go to the East Lansing dog park often, and it's not my favorite park, but it was a much needed change of pace for the girls.  Storms were moving into the area and the humidity was terrible, so our visit was short, but it gave them a chance to get in a good run and burn off some energy, which made us all happy.  We added a very short walk around the neighborhood when we got home, and then settled in for a rainy evening.

Tuesday was another miserably hot and humid day, so the girls only got a few short visits out in the yard during the work day.  With my dad back in the hospital, I was back to my normal Tuesday afternoon visit with him, and I finished my work day there with him while we also watched some of the Olympics together.  I got home around dinner time to two girls who were ready for some fun.  So I decided we'd head to Eaton Rapids for a visit to the dog park because it was just too hot for the girls to spend much time walking on any paved surface.

As is normal, we were the only one's at the Island City Dog park, and the girls were happy to be able to explore both sides of the park.  I always leave the gate open between the large and small dog parks when we're along to give them more space.  

After a short visit, Peaches was ready to leave, while Mina was happily playing fetch still, so I started walking laps around the park and Peaches decided to follow me.  I continued to throw the ball for Mina and take laps with Peaches until we had walked about 1 1/4 miles.  By then Mina had burned off enough energy that I could convince her it was time to leave.

Before leaving Eaton Rapids, we stopped for a short walk at the tiny little Island Park and around town.

At the end of our walk, we enjoyed the sunset before getting in the car to make the drive home.  It had been a really long day, but it was such a beautiful evening, and I was happy we were able to enjoy it. 

On Wednesday, I worked a half day so I could take some time off to spend with Mina at a Lansing Lugnuts baseball game.  Every Wednesday they have dog days at the park, and I thought an afternoon game might be less busy, and better for us to attend, and since I have plenty of vacation time left to use this year, it was a good excuse to take a break from work and have some fun.

This little girl was so well-behaved and had such a good time.  It was terrible weather with temperatures in the 90s and lots of humidity, and I had almost decided not to go, but I figured we could always leave early if we needed to do that.  I'm so glad we went. 

We shared fries, and she got spoiled by many vendors and other fans.  But just seeing how much fun she was having and how all of my time and money spent training her had paid off was really the best part of the day.

Because of the extreme heat, our normal dog walk at the shelter was cancelled for the evening, but I decided to head out to the shelter and see if I could get all of the dogs out for a short walk and a little fresh air.  I was able to get all of the dogs out for about 10 minutes each and they all seemed very happy to have gotten a little break from shelter life.  I was a sweaty mess by the time I was done, but it was worth it to see their happy faces.

Thursday morning was a busy one for me at work, and I left late for my lunchtime drive to the hospital.  When I got there, I was happy I was able to get a bowl of my favorite Cheesy Chicken Enchilada soup from the deli, and then headed up to visit with dad while I ate and worked.  We had a great visit and he was making really good progress which was awesome to see.  I left the hospital around 5:15pm and drove through storms most of the way home.

When I got home, I quickly loaded the girls into the car and made the short drive over to the South Lansing Farmers Market.  The skies looked ominous, and I knew the girls needed to get out for at least a short adventure before storms moved in, plus their favorite treat lady was going to be at the market that night, and we didn't want to miss that.  I was happy that I was able to get them some treats and pick up my weekly egg rolls before the market closed, and we made it home just as the rain started to fall.  It wasn't a big adventure, but they were definitely happy that they saw all of their friends.

By the time we reached Friday, I was exhausted.  It was still hot and oppressively humid, and I really didn't feel like doing anything when my work day ended.  But I have two girls who needed some exercise, so off we went for a visit to the Dewitt Dog Park.

Because of the weather, the park was pretty quiet, and we had it to ourselves for most of our visit.  Peaches was happy to be able to explore without anyone bothering her, and Mina was just happy to play fetch.  

On the way home, we made a quick stop for a visit at Preuss Pets, just before closing time, and we discovered Jazz Fest just down the street in Old Town.  Of course we had to check it out.  We enjoyed a little music, visited some of the vendors, and ate dinner from the food trucks there.  It was a nice little unexpected visit.  I was glad we had ventured out because it was a nice, relaxing way to start our weekend, and just look at how happy the girls were!

  

On Saturday morning, after a quick stop at the shelter to walk a dog, I headed down to visit Nicol, Tyler. and Fiona.  It seemed like forever since I'd seen them, and while I talk to Nicol all of the time, Fiona is growing up so fast and I felt like I was missing out.  I met them at the Farmington Farmer's Market which is a regular Saturday activity for them, and I had a fun time exploring and visiting new vendors.  I came home with some goodies and enjoyed a few treats while we were there too.  It was a fun morning despite the heat.  Before we left, we picked up sandwiches from a nearby deli to have lunch at their house.  Picasso was so excited to see me, and Fiona was excited to show me her animals and books.  I felt pretty loved.  

After lunch, it was time for me to leave and head to the hospital for another visit with my dad.  He was having another really good day, and we were both happy with his recovery thus far.  The biggest news was that depending on a couple of things, he was told he could be going home as soon as Tuesday.  I left Saturday knowing I might never have to go back for a visit at this hospital.  It was pretty exciting to think that we were really nearing the end of his months of healing.  It was a little sad to leave there too, knowing that I may never again see all of the wonderful nurses and doctors that have been with us through this whole ordeal since day one, way back on January 2.  They have honestly been such a highlight of this long ordeal and I will forever be grateful for all of the care and time they gave to helping my dad.  They are a special group of people.

By the time we reached Sunday, I was ready for a day of rest.  I knew that I had things that I needed to do around the house, but I wanted nothing more than to have a lazy day, and I really committed to it.  But around 3pm, the girls and I were getting a little restless, and I knew that they could use an adventure.  So after some debate with myself, I decided we could make the drive to Albion for a short hike along the North Country Trail.  Along the drive, we made a few stops to pick up some geocaches, and we arrived in Albion around 5pm.  We followed the trail along the river so that the girls could get a drink or jump in to cool off whenever they wanted because it was still pretty hot out, and we had a marvelous time.  It was just a nice stroll in a place we all enjoy visiting and was a nice way to end our weekend. 

After work on Monday, I got the girls out for a quick walk right at 5pm so that I could get them dinner before I left to help set up our polling place for the election on Tuesday.  Set-up is always pretty quick, but I really wanted to make sure we got a walk in, just in case I didn't have time afterward.

When I got home from our set-up time, the girls and I made the drive to the Dewitt Dog park for some fun.  The weather on Tuesday promised lots of rain and I wasn't sure I'd have much time to get them out at all due to the weather and my work schedule, so I wanted to make sure they had plenty of exercise on Monday.  

As I normally do, I worked on Tuesday morning until I had to leave to work the election.  It was pouring rain, so the girls were stuck inside all morning.  Since I live just 1/4 mile from the polling station, I normally walk, but it was raining so hard that I decided to drive instead. 

It was a pretty slow election day, but the time went quickly.  Luckily when I finally got to leave around 6pm for my dinner, the rain had stopped and I was able to get the girls out for a 25 minute walk, feed them dinner, and let them out for a potty break before I had to head back to work.  Since the rain stopped, I was able to walk back after my dinner break, and I had a nice walk home after the polls closed and we finished our evening of work.  I even got the girls out for another walk before it got completely dark, and then we settled in to watch some of the Olympics.

The best news of the day though, was that my dad was released from the hospital!  While he's still got some healing to do and will continue to work on building his strength, it feels good to know that he's nearly back to his normal life again after 7 long months.

Wednesday was a blur, I was so busy I barely remember anything about it.  The girls had a pretty boring day, but were at least able to spend most of it outside.  I went to the shelter to walk dogs on Wednesday night, and after I got home I took the girls for a walk around the block too.  And then, just like Tuesday, we sat down to watch some Olympics before bed.

The beginning of the week really was just a blur, and Thursday was here before I knew it.  Since the girls hadn't been out of the neighborhood all week, I thought I trip to the Island City Dog park was in order.  So after a quick stop at the Farmer's Market, we made the drive to Eaton Rapids.  To my surprise, there were other people there when we arrived, but they stayed in one side of the park and we had the other side to ourselves.  Eventually they left and another couple showed up with a beagle puppy, but they stayed in the other side too.  Peaches was ready to go way before Mina and kept walking over and standing by the gate.  I convinced her to run a bit more, but finally I had to convince Mina it was time to go.  

When Friday arrived, I was once again exhausted, but knew the girls needed to get out for a nice long walk.  I realized it had been quite awhile since we'd made a visit to campus, and with the cooler temperatures that had arrived, I thought a campus visit would be perfect for us. 

With no students around, it was a beautiful, peaceful evening for a walk.  The girls stalked some squirrels and geese, and I enjoyed the beautiful summer flowers.  

We enjoyed a walk along the river, through Pentecost Field, and in the Beal Botanical Garden.  I really do love walking on campus, especially when the students are gone.  

After we got home, I did some cleaning around the house, a load of laundry, and was working on taking out some recycling when the neighbors drove by and pointed out a loose dog running through my yard.  Together we were able to get him into the neighbor's fenced back yard, and luckily a short while later, the family eventually drove by looking for him and he was able to be reunited with them after a little work to convince him to stay still long enough for them to get his collar back on him.  I felt pretty good about my productive evening and was ready for the weekend.

The weekend arrived, and I had two full days with no commitments.  I had decided that while I might do some work in the yard and garden, we were also going to have some real fun.  Earlier in the week, we got invited for a Saturday play date with Ruby and Sherman, and we were happy to be able to visit them.

There were rounds of chase and a little wrestling, and everyone was happy to see each other.  Mina played fetch for 3 1/2 hours straight, bringing her ball to anyone that would throw it for her.  Ruby went from person to person in search of some pets and love, Sherman tried hard to get everyone to play with him, and Peaches sniffed to her hearts content and even got excited about playing a few rounds of Frisbee with Tom.  They all got plenty of treats and ice cream, and it was a wonderful visit.  They are such a fun group!

After our visit, I couldn't leave Lowell without getting the girls out for at least a short walk on the North Country Trail.  

We had a nice walk and had had such a lovely day.  Peaches was so sound asleep from the drive home that she didn't even wake up when I got out of the car.  After eating their dinner, both girls settled in for the evening.  It was a very quiet night at my house.

Sunday morning was spent doing some work around the house, including meal prep for Peaches.  Part of the food she eats requires me to add the protein, so every few weeks I prep several pounds of meat to freeze.  This week I cooked 5lbs ground beef, 3lbs ground turkey, 3lbs venison, and 13 duck eggs, mixed it all together, and put it into several smaller containers to store it in the freezer.  It feels so good to have this meat cooked and ready ahead of time.   After our productive morning, we ate a quick lunch and then headed off for a day of fun with Vanessa. 

We hadn't had a fun adventure with Vanessa in awhile and the girls were so excited to see her.  For our first stop, we made the drive to Henderson for a fun session of Barn Hunt.  Each girl got two sessions in the Barn Hunt course and plenty of time to sniff this rat in a box while we waited.  While Peaches had fun sniffing around the straw, she's not going to win any Barn Hunt titles.  Mina, on the other hand, picked up on the game pretty quickly, and I may have to explore this sport a little more.  It it a great outlet for their hunting instincts and they both seemed pretty happy to be there.

After we were done, we drove around picking up some geocaches, stopped for a walk at McCurdy Park, and made a stop for some ice cream.  Along the way, we spotted a Bald Eagle in a field just outside of Corunna.  We had a great time on our adventure with Vanessa.  Overall, it was a good weekend.

Sadly, on Saturday night, my sweet grand puppy Picasso ended up at the emergency vet.  He was acting unusual and was clearly in a lot of pain.  After a long Saturday night for Tyler at the vet with him, it was determined that he had a needle in his stomach and he would need to spend the night, and would potentially need surgery.  While they had hoped that they might be able to remove the needle endoscopically, that ended up not being an option, and around 9pm on Sunday night he finally went into surgery.  Luckily they were able to remove the needle, and he should be fine.  We are all relieved, but also very concerned how this could have happened to him.  But what is most important now is that he rests and gets better.  

It was a scary 48 hours for all of us, but we were all happy when the doctor said he could come home on Monday afternoon.  I drove down to Nicol and Tyler's house over my lunch and spent my afternoon working there while Fiona napped so that Nicol and Tyler could bring him home.  After my work day was done, Fiona and I watched the Aristocats and then played outside for a bit while Picasso rested in another room.  When he first saw me, this very drugged boy immediately started to wag his tail and tried to pick up his head.  He really wanted to get up to come see me, so I went and sat with him for a bit.  Honestly, I wanted to give him a big old hug, but I know that would have hurt him.  So I just sat next to him, petting his head and telling him how happy I was that he was okay.  After dinner with the kids, it was time for me to head home.  Fiona was sad to see me leave, but I was so glad I was able to help them out for the day.  

I'm hoping for a quieter week this week and that both my dad and Picasso to continue to heal and recover.  I don't want any more abdominal surgeries in the family this year!   Now I'm officially caught up, later than I had planned, but that's just the way life goes sometimes.  I hope you all have a wonderful week.  Thanks for your patience with me!  We appreciate you following along on our journey.

The week of early mornings-a busy week in July

It has been a crazy few weeks between work commitments and other responsibilities.  I started the blog  two weeks ago, but didn't get it finished before I had to stop writing, and I just haven't been able to find the time to finish.  I thought I might finish it last Sunday, but I needed a break.  I tried again on Monday night with no luck, but today I'm going to try to get caught up.  I'm going to finish this blog from the end of July which should have been done 2 weeks ago, and then we'll get to part 2, which will cover the last two weeks later today.  Thanks for your patience with me.  I'm juggling commitments to work and family, my volunteer time, and most importantly, the girls.  So here we go, back to July 21...

Because I knew we had a very busy week ahead of us, on Sunday, I planned for us to have a quiet day.  After hanging around the house most of the day, I decided to get the girls out for a a little walk.  It was warmer than I realized, but luckily it was cloudy, so we could take a walk along the Sycamore Trail.

After 1 1/2 miles, we made it back to the car.  When it's as humid as it was on Sunday, I like to break our walks up and give Peaches a little chance to rest and recover a bit since she doesn't tolerate the heat like she used to.  She enjoyed a good drink of water and the air-conditioned comfort of the car.  

After our break, I headed over to take a short walk along the Bear Lake Pathway.  We haven't really explored this area, so I thought we'd check it out.  Unfortunately it isn't very shaded and the sun came out about midway through our walk, so I turned to head back to the car because I didn't want to risk the girls burning their paws on the pavement.  But we enjoyed getting outside and enjoying some fresh air and exercise.

Monday arrived, and my long busy week began.  It was a busy day of work as I finished last minute prep for an event we would be holding in Detroit on Tuesday.  After an exhausting day, I finished my work and took the girls out to Dewitt for some fun at the dog park.  

We took full advantage of the agility equipment and Mina played lots of fetch while Peaches explored every corner of the park.  Mina just wants to play fetch the whole time we're at the park, so I made her really work for it by adding in challenges in between throws.   She'll do almost anything if it means I'll eventually throw the ball for her.

Peaches really just loves to sniff and explore using her nose and thoroughly enjoys our dog park trips.    She can usually be found off in some corner of the park all by herself.  She is always so happy for our dog park visits.  

After our dog park visit, I stopped at the airport on our way home to pick up a rental car for my travel to Detroit on Tuesday.  My car was scheduled for a little work later in the week, and while I was perfectly fine to drive around town, driving a longer distance at higher speeds wasn't going to work.  Somehow, when I arrived to pick up my rental, I was told that they didn't have a rental available for me and they wouldn't have one before they closed.  With all of the rentals closing, I headed home to reset and see if I could find a rental to pick up in the morning.

Tuesday morning I was up early and out the door before 7:45 to pick up a rental from Enterprise.  I arrived as they opened, only to find that they didn't have a car available for me and wouldn't have one until later in the morning.  I made several calls and tried to find a rental car anywhere in town, but had no luck.  So it was decided that I'd just stay home for my work day.  

While I was disappointed to miss the meeting that I had worked hard to plan, it was nice not having to drive to Detroit.  It also gave me the chance to take advantage of the beautiful day and take the girls to the first Farmer's Market at the Capitol of the season on my lunch.  We walked around, picked up a couple of snacks, and the girls got lots of love and attention.  It was hot, so we tried to stay in the shade as much as possible.  It was an excellent way to spend my lunch.

On Wednesday, my work day was busy.  You'd have thought that missing being at our event in person would have freed up time and made me feel less busy, but it actually ended up creating more work.  After a very busy day at work, I was happy to get out for our Dog Walk at the shelter.  While it can be chaotic and busy to get several dogs ready to safely go for a group walk outside of the shelter, it is also so rewarding to be able to give them this time.  

On Thursday morning, the girls and I were up and out of the house before 8am again, this time to drop my car off for a little repair to what we thought was a bad wheel bearing.  Lucky for me, it's only a couple miles from the mechanic to our house, so I dropped the car off and the girls and I had a beautiful morning walk home.  

I didn't expect that the car would be ready until the afternoon, so I was surprised when I got a call mid-morning letting me know that my car was ready.  They had found no issues with the suspension on the car, just some debris in the tire which was causing the front end to shake when I drove over 45 mph.  They cleaned out the debris, and my car was as good as new.  The girls and I took the walk back to pick up the car and I must say I was happy to not have to spend a penny on a repair.  

On Thursday afternoon, I had to attend a three hour training for my work at the upcoming election primary.  Thankfully we ended early, and I headed home to get the girls out for a trip to the Farmer's Market.  It was a hot and humid afternoon, but  we were able to make a quick trip right as it opened.  Mina was happy to visit her friend at Sweets and Treats by Tangie because she's been baking some special treats just for them the last few weeks.  

While we had had a busy day, I still had one more thing I had to do, and along the way I decided to make a stop at Legg Park for a short adventure in the woods to pick up a few geocaches.  The mosquitoes were horrible, and we couldn't stop moving for long without getting swarmed, but the girls were especially happy to be out for a walk in the woods. 

Our final stop of the night was to visit Buddy, the tiny panther.  His mom was out of town for a few days and needed some help making sure he was getting fed, so I helped her out Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  The girls stayed in the air conditioned comfort of the car while I visited with Buddy.  He is a very sweet kitty.  

Friday morning, I was up early because it was finally the day my dad would have his final surgery to reverse his ostomy.  I made a quick visit to Buddy on my way to the hospital, and arrived in time to go back into Pre-op with my mom so we could stay with dad until he would go back for his surgery.  He was nervous, but in good spirits and definitely ready to get put back together.  It was a long surgery, and I was lucky to be able to work while mom and I waited.  Finally, around 2:30pm the surgeon came out to let us know everything had gone well and that they were finishing up the surgery.  I waited with mom until almost 4pm as they finished up and finally moved him to recovery, but we didn't know when he'd actually get to his room and I needed to stop by for another visit with Buddy and then get home to the girls, so I left.  Mom got to see him in recovery for a few minutes around 5pm, and then she went home too.  He finally made it to a room about 3 hours later, exhausted from surgery and ready to rest.

The girls were so happy to see me after a long day.  I was exhausted, but knew that they needed to run, so off we went to visit the Dewitt Dog Park.  After a good run for Peaches and lots of rounds of fetch with Mina, we headed home for the night.  

I was up early again on Saturday morning, but this time it was for a fun reason  One of our Petoskey area advisors has a band that regularly plays on the patio at a Winery/Vineyard owned by one of our local advisors who I've known for nearly 25 years.  I've been trying to find a time to make the trip up to see them, and had finally made plans to do so this Saturday.  My original plan involved spending the weekend in the area, but when dad's surgery got scheduled, I changed my plans and turned this into a day trip.

Since the North Country Trail runs through the area just a few miles away, I wanted to make sure we got up North in time to take the girls for a little hike in the woods after our drive, so maybe they'd relax on the patio.  We hiked just under 3 miles in a very warm and humid wooded area.  It was beautiful, and thankfully the bugs weren't bad, 

After our hike, I fed them lunch in the car and stopped for a quick sandwich before we arrived at Crooked Vine.  We got settled into a spot on the patio on a beautiful day.  The girls were so well behaved all afternoon and made lots of new friends while we were there.  

In addition to enjoying to enjoying some good music and beverages, we were able to take a lovely walk around the vineyard.  What a beautiful spot. 

I was so proud of the girls for being so very good.  Mina is always a good patio dog, but Peaches doesn't relax as easily, so when she finally laid down, I had to get a picture.

After a lovely afternoon, it was time for us to head out for the rest of our fun for the day.  I had promised the girls a trip to a Great Lake if they were good.  So off we went to find some more fun.  

As I looked at the map to find the perfect spot to go, I realized that I could make the drive North to St. Ignace for a burger at Clyde's, some time at the lake, and another walk along the North Country Trail.

After I picked up my burger, we headed off to find a beautiful, quiet spot to sit and eat. 

And then we headed downtown for a walk along the St. Ignace boardwalk.  It was a beautiful afternoon to be on the trail along Lake Huron.

We had a great walk, but sadly our day of fun had come to an end and we headed back to the car for our journey home.  It was dark when we got home, but we had had a wonderful and much needed day of fun.

After our long day away, I was happy to have a quiet morning at home doing some work around the house and in the garden.  I was very pleased with how nice the garden looked after my morning's work.

After a productive morning at home, I headed out to Grand Blanc to visit my dad at the hospital.  Just two days after his surgery, he was up in the chair in his room and looking really good.  He was tired, but in good spirits.  We had a great visit and even watched some of the Olympics together.  After a few hours, he got back into bed and I headed home for the evening.  My long, busy week had finally come to an end.

As we prepared for the arrival for August later in the week, I took a moment to reflect on the Summer so far.  Boy is it going fast, and I'm not ready for it to end.  I never am.  We have so much more to do.  I had hoped that things would slow down in the coming week, but as I'll share in the next blog, that wasn't necessarily the case.  But at least I remembered to take a break and have some fun.