Last Weeks In Northern Michigan

                                                            Saturday 11/21/15

We are in Gulf Shores, AL now but I have one last blog when we were still in Boyne City, MI to post before I start blogging down here. On Saturday we went to our town's Farmers Market. Joe had to try the Food Trucks Philly Cheese sandwich. His only complaint, " Where is the cheese"? It was really good. He gave me a bite. Even if I can't see the cheese.

Our local food produce from our market. Eggs, micro-greens onions, broccoli, watermelon radishes, beets, brussels sprouts, bag of mixed greens, and a bottle of BBQ sauce.

These are the micro-greens that we add to our daily salads. I just love the flavors and crunch they add to salads.

These are the micro-greens that we add to our daily salads. I just love the flavors and crunch they add to salads. They make a great soup or just as is! The ribs are really good and tender, and a course a whole chicken that Mallery gets 1/8 of.

During our last weeks we had colder weather with a day of hail.

But Joe brought some sunshine into our home with this watermelon radish and edible flower salad.

Mallery was not enjoying the colder weather much either.

I don't mind rainy days, as I just stay in and find inside stuff to do, but a dog needs to get out (and about every hour when you are having kidney failure) and neither of us like walking in the rain.

After a Chiropractic appointment in East Jordon and an ultrasound appointment of my female parts at the Charlevoix Hospital in Charlevoix, we found a high end neighborhood on Lake Charlevoix to explore. This house has some pretty neat architecture on the outside,

Joe also bought 15 lbs of Lake Trout in the town of Charlevoix.

At home Joe packed up the fish in preparation to go down south with us. He can't live without his new found love of the waters of the Great Lakes.

Every time we came home from our hour exercise walks, Mallery seemed out of sorts, because we had left her behind. I told Joe I was going to try taking her on our next walk. I got her kangaroo pouch out, and put her in, with two two coats on.

Then I wrapped her blanket around on the outside. I was concerned she would want to get down after 10 minutes and want to walk, which ends up being circle walks, or very slow walks. To our surprise she loved it and never wanted to get down the whole time. She was snug as a bug in a rug and enjoyed all the smells from the pouch.

At this point Mallery had decided she didn't like sleeping with us anymore at night. She seemed much happier in her kennel in our bedroom. I tried many times to get her to stay with us, but she just kept whining and pulling on her leash which was attached to me, until I had to put her down to her kennel. I was the one who didn't want to let her go. While she is in bed with me, I can keep an ear out for her better during the night. I can feel her shiver and pull up a blanket on her. If she starts to pant, I can uncover her. You get the picture. Once a mother, always a mother!  This was really good though, because we could finally sleep without bed rails, and we wouldn't have to bring them with us on our trip to Gulf Shores. (which we really didn't have room for anyway. Funny how things just work out). It took me a while, but I have got use to her sleeping in her own bed.

All the trees had lost their leaves except our weeping willow which was in it's final glory.

It had turned to this beautiful yellow color. We missed all this beauty last fall.

The last Saturday that we went to our Farmers Market, I got this picture. The Farmers Market moves inside on November 1st until the spring and warmer weather. We ordered a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving since we were going to be there alone this year.

We were "Blessed" with one more day of snow before we left. It was only an inch or 2 of snow. I would have love a big one with 10 inches, but Joe was glad because it made packing the car much easier. This is a view out our dining room sliding door.

And a view out our living room window.

Joe spotted the two swans that we had seen off and on this year down at the lake edge.

This picture was taken of Mallery just a few days before we left Northern Michigan. It is a miracle that she was still with us. Joe and I never thought we would be leaving with her. She was very happy at our new cottage cabin on the lake. It was a good summer for all of us.

My daughter sent a Facebook picture of how you could take a man's sock and cut it up and make a hat and sweater for a dog. I cut the hat too short, and the sweater, well lets just say, it was not going over Mallery's head and shoulders, and she wanted nothing of it. How little does the dog have to be, to fit this sock sweater. After all, Mallery is only 5 lbs!

"Mom, come on, stop with the dumb pictures! I look ridiculous"!