March arrives with a bang

This week's weather has been crazy as we moved from February into March.  We've had mid 40s, freezing rain, beautiful sun, and 6 inches of snow over the course of the week, but it is clear that Winter is nearing it's end and Spring is on the way.

Peaches had her annual vet appointment on Tuesday evening so I took the girls to Mason for a walk along the Hayhoe Trail before her appointment.   It was a great evening for a walk there.

Peaches' appointment went well.  She had an excellent check-up and was happy to see all of her friends.  Dr. Gretchen said that she's in great health for her age and her blood work proved that even further.   I'm so glad she's doing so well.  

Our Wednesday night dog walk was fun, and we walked four really nice dogs.  My walking buddy was Swiss Roll.   He was a really nice boy and loved his time out on our walk.

I was happy to see my Crocus are almost ready to bloom.  I love them so much because they are usually the first flower to sprout every year.  I can't wait until they are in full bloom. 

Friday we expected a pretty significant snow storm to move through Lansing starting mid afternoon, so the girls and I got out early for a good walk. 

We hadn't visited Fenner Nature Center in quite awhile and I decided it was time we got back there.  This time of year, the trees are all tapped for Maple Syrup season and I love to see them.

It was an excellent way to spend my lunch and I know we all thoroughly enjoyed our time there.  

We got in another quick mid afternoon walk before the snow started, and then we hunkered down for the night.  Mina was happy to snuggle up in her cozy cave.

We awoke to a beautiful sunny, snow-covered world.  In the end, we got around 6 inches of very heavy, wet snow.

When I went out to shovel, I was happy to see my neighbor, Bill was out with his snowblower working his way toward my house.  I so appreciate how nice it is of him to clean the sidewalks and drive on our block.  

I finished shoveling my driveway while Bill cleared the sidewalks, and then I loaded the girls into the car so we could head out for a fun weekend road trip.

Just a few short hours later, we arrived in downtown Chicago to start our weekend fun.

We picked up with Emmalee and then headed to Lincoln Park for a lovely walk.

The girls LOVED all of the new smells and really enjoyed our time along the lakeshore.  It was nearly 50 degrees and a great day for a walk.  

After our walk, I had a tasty Italian dinner downtown with Emmalee.  What a fun afternoon we had!

We got to our hotel after dark, and after dinner and a little playtime, the girls settled in for the night. 

We were up early on Sunday morning for a fun filled day.  Our first stop of the day was at Fort Sheridan which is about 30 minutes North of downtown. 

There are beautiful views of Lake Michigan.

There are also some really pretty wooded areas as well as grass lands.

While we saw other people there, it wasn't overly crowded.  We ended up a little muddy, but we loved this beautiful spot.

I also enjoyed learning the history of the area.

I forced the girls to stop for a couple of pictures before we headed back to the car.

Our next stop took us for a walk along the Chicago River North of downtown.   This was a nice little trail in an untouristy area.

Finally, we headed downtown to do some more exploring.   We started our adventure at Navy Pier and then took a walk at Milton Olive Park and Jane Addams Memorial by Ohio Beach.

There were great views of the Lake and of the skyline.

The girls were so well-behaved and had a great time.

We then headed back to to Navy Pier for a nice walk before heading back to the car.

We had had a busy day with lots of walking and plenty of adventures.   I think the girls really enjoyed their city adventures. 

We had dinner plans for the evening and the girls got to meet the sweet and beautiful Isabel.  Mina and Isabel had some fun playing and Mina played several rounds of fetch with anyone who would throw the ball for her.  It was a long and busy day for me and the girls, and we were back at our hotel after dark once again. 

After a busy day, it was nice to have a very quiet night.  

We have plans for one more short adventure tomorrow morning before I have to drop the girls off for a night of boarding while I attend some work meetings.  I'm so glad I decided to come into town early and share some adventures with the girls.  

The ice storm

The highlight of this week, if you can call it that, was the ice storm that moved through the area Wednesday.  I know these things are hard to predict, and the forecast was constantly changing for the few days prior.  The amount of ice and where it would be worst as well as the potential for high winds werd unknown variables, but the one thing we knew for certain is that there would be ice.

The storm moved into the area on Wednesday morning, and knowing we'd be stuck inside once it started, I decided to take my "lunch" at work early so that I could ensure the girls would get the outside time they needed.  We were out for a good walk before 9:45, and even then some precipitation had started.  If I walked in the wrong direction, my face was being pelted by little frozen pellets.

After our walk, I took them for a quick ride to Speedway so I could top off the gas tank and grab a Mt. Dew.  Then we made a stop at Soldan's on our way home.  We took a short walk around the parking lot and then spent some time in the store letting them sniff to their hearts content.  One more quick trip around the parking lot got us to our quarter mile we needed for our third walk of the day, and we headed home as the sleet really began to fall.

We had gotten in some good walks and a little adventure, and the rest of the day was spent with me working and the girls napping as the sleet and freezing rain fell on and off throughout the day.

After my work day was done, we had some good rounds of playing with the tennis ball and some fun training time so that everyone would settle in for a quiet evening.  I spent my night hoping for no downed trees and that we wouldn't lose power.  Luckily, the high winds which we thought were likely to happen overnight into Thursday didn't develop.  While we woke to a very icy world, the only damage in my neighborhood was this one tree branch down across the street from me.

I put my new ice cleats to good use on Thursday to take a walk around the yard.  The girls were glad to be able to get outside, although Peaches didn't appreciate the ice.  Mina was unbothered by it...not much seems to phase her.

By mid afternoon, the temperatures had risen to nearly 40 degrees, and the ice began melting from the trees.  We had some light winds that picked up later in the afternoon, and any ice still in the trees began raining down.  Mina had the best time chasing after and licking the pieces of ice.  

We weren't able to walk due to the slippery sidewalks on Thursday, but the girls spent a good amount of time outside and after work, we played brain games and chased tennis balls and I had another quiet evening at home.

By Friday, the mud had returned to my backyard, although colder temperatures had come with it.  Thankfully the warm temperatures Thursday and the sunshine on Friday melted the ice on all of the sidewalks so we were able to get back to our normal walking schedule.  We all needed a good walk after a stressful week of work and ice!

The other highlights of the week were my visit with Nicol, Tyler, and Fiona on Monday, and Mina's final Doggy Do Good class on Tuesday evening.   I can't believe both of these girls are just two months away from their first birthdays.  They have both changed my life in such a positive way in such a short period of time.   

Friday night, I finally attended one of my nephew Mason's basketball games.  It was a big game at Durand with an outright conference title on the line.  It was a good game, but sadly Chesaning lost and will share the conference title this year, but it was nice to see him play.  Hard to believe he's nearing the end of his third year on the varsity team and this is the first time I've seen him play in person since he started high school.  

Yesterday, I had a few errands to run and I wanted to get the girls out for some fun, so we combined the trip into one fun adventure around town.  We had a nice walk along the Lansing River walk from Old Town to Downtown.

We made a stop at the dog-friendly Lansing Shuffle.  The former sight of the Lansing City Market, it now has several restaurants.  The girls shared a pup cup and I got tacos at The Browndog.

While they still have some work to do, I thought they were pretty well behaved and I'm glad there is somewhere like this to take them so we can continue to practice our manners.

After eating, we walked back down the River walk toward Old Town.

I had to make them practice some outdoor listening skills along the way too.

We had a nice walk back to Old Town and then walked around Old Town too.  I'm always fascinated by the juxtaposition of the revitalized areas right next to the areas that haven't received much love.  It is the reality of city life, I think.

We finished our errands and our walks, but I had one more thing I wanted to do before heading home.  Our friend Claire has been in town, visiting from Australia.  While Vanessa and I had big plans for Claire's visit, due to covid and the ice storm, we weren't able to do any of them.  

Last time Claire visited was three years ago, literally just before the world shut down due to the pandemic.  We had to see her before she headed home to Australia today.  The girls and I met her at her hotel and had a wonderful 2 1/4 mile walk and chat.  I was glad Peaches was able to see her again and that she and Mina got to meet each other.  It was wonderful to spend some time with her.  

At the end of the day, i had two pooped girls. We had walked 5 1/2 miles, worked on manners, finished some errands, and met with friends.  It was a wonderful way to spend our Saturday. 

It is a beautiful sunny Sunday and the girls have already spent a lot of time outside enjoying it.  I'm hoping for a quiet but productive day at home today.   I hope you all enjoy your Sunday.  

Is it Spring yet?

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for this Winter to be over.  Not because it's been a hard Winter, but because it has felt much more like a long, extended Fall.  With cool temperatures, but rarely brutally cold, and barely any snow,  the weather has been ideal for walking the dogs, but also has created the ideal conditions for my backyard to turn to mud.  And I am over it!  

I've especially hated the last couple of weeks because as they run and play in the yard, they continue to create more mud, and I have to wipe off muddy paws every time they come inside.  And that is getting old!  This morning, I let them out for a little time in the yard, and when they came back in 10 minutes later, they had mud splattered up and down their legs and all over their bellies.  I then spent the next 20 minutes rinsing them off in the tub to help prevent the spread of mud through the house...but honestly fighting the mud has become a losing battle.  So our weather either needs to get cold enough to freeze the ground for a longer period of time, or start to warm up and dry out so that I have a fighting chance and so, hopefully, some of my lawn will recover from the damage.  

On Monday, the girls and I made a trip to Benjamin Davis Park for our after work walk.  I'm so glad we're reaching the time of year when the sunset is late enough for us to be able to get in a nice walk after a full day of work.  We have walked here often over the years, and I was disappointed to see that some of the work that Consumers is doing along the power lines on the park boundary led to the cutting down of a huge swath of trees... the views from the park have really been ruined because of it, plus I can't help but think of the wildlife habitat that has been lost.  What a shame!

Tuesday was a busy day at work and Mina had her Doggie Do Good Class in the evening, but it was also Valentine's Day.  The girls each got a special treat and a toy to celebrate, but overall it was a pretty uneventful day for us.  

Wednesday night I walked Tootsie Roll during our shelter dog walk.  She was a total sweetheart and we thoroughly enjoyed our walk together.  

Thursday the weather forecast called for rain, and potentially freezing rain as well as a couple of inches of snow.  We took a quick walk before I stated work for the day, and I had hoped to get them out for a nice mid-morning walk while it was still dry and sunny, but my crazy morning of work prevented that from happening.  By the time I was able to take my lunch and get the dogs out, the rain had started.  I was determined to get them out for a nice walk regardless of the weather because I didn't know what the condition of the sidewalks would be on Friday.  So we bundled up and headed out into the sprinkles.  Luckily it wasn't bad for most of our walk and we enjoyed the time outside in the fresh air.  By the end of my work day, the sleet/freezing rain had moved in, so we played lots of fetch and then settled in for a nice quiet evening at home.  

We woke Friday morning to snow on the ground, and although it wasn't much, I welcomed the beautiful white blanket.  It was nice to get a break from the brown muddiness.  I also got a reprieve from muddy paws for almost 24 hours!

Because there was a layer of ice under the snow, the sidewalks in the neighborhood weren't safe for walking so we kept busy with training, brain games, and several rounds of fetch.  Mina seemed very happy with the endless rounds of fetch and crashed for the night earlier than normal.

I started my Saturday morning walking Shortbread at the shelter.  What a darling little girl!  I then joined a geocaching event and ran some errands before heading home.  

After getting home, I decided to load the girls into the car and go for a drive.  We headed out for a nice drive in the country outside of Marshall to do some geocaching.  I spent a few hours just driving around and picked up several caches along the way.  It was a beautiful late afternoon in the farmlands

On our way home, we stopped in Olivet for a walk around the Olivet College campus.  It is a tiny little school, but it was good to get the girls out somewhere new.  They enjoyed all of the new smells and even met a student who gave them lots of love.

It was dark by the time we finished our walk, but I couldn't resist taking this picture of Mina when she jumped up next to the sign.  She was sitting so nicely.  She's such a good girl.

It is has been a quiet Sunday at home and when I wasn't cleaning mud off the girls, I spent a lot of time with either Peaches or Mina in my lap as we watched an interesting series on the History Channel on the history of food entrepreneurs in America.   Indid a little cleaning and there were more brain games and fetch, and I ended the evening with a big bowl of homemade chickpea noodle soup.   Yum!

I've got the day off for President's Day tomorrow and I'm looking forward to a visit with Fiona who is walking now and is officially 10 months old today.  My how time has flown since she was born!