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"!

Another Walk, Beautiful Days, Health Updates

                                                        Sunday 11/1/15

This fall allowed us some time to get out and walk, which we had let go all summer, due to many other events.

On this walk we headed west, walking along Lakeshore Rd. Once we got to Whiting Park, we dipped down to the lake.

The lake looks so different with all the docks and boats gone. We were glad we were able to stay longer this year.

Last year we left Oct 13, a week before the trees had reached their peak color.

We left the lake and walked across Lakeshore Rd to the park across the road. By then my feet were going to sleep, so we had to take a 5 minute break.

We were missing the best weather that Gulf Shores, AL, our winter destination, has to offer, but we were really enjoying the cool, colorful, peaceful fall in the Northern woods of Michigan. I have missed the fall season, which has always been one of my favorite times of year.

Mean while , we were still trying to make decisions on cabinets, counter tops and all the rest. It would be a heck of a lot easier to just hire an interior decorator.

During October and November, I had 3 appointments with an urologist to have my bladder checked. I have been having problems with not being able to go to the bathroom if I held it too long ( especially at night) which ended up sending me to the hospital to be catheterized. Yes fun stuff! I wanted to make sure it wasn't my bladder that was giving me the trouble. After two test, I was told I had a good functioning bladder. My bladder was not causing my problems. I didn't suspect it was, but wanted to make sure before having a hysterectomy or abdominal myomectomy. I have a uterine fibroid that is very large which is now confirmed to be the culprit. The fibroid needs to go! I stopped my hormone replacement, which seems to make the fibroid grow, until I can have surgery. Because I can not live without hormones, (can't sleep, and aches and pains) my daughter suggested essential oils. I'm thinking , "How can oils help all my problems?" I got online and ordered some samples. To my surprise they took the edge off. I am not sleeping as good as I do on hormones, but better without anything. For now it is the solution. I had decided to have surgery before we headed south. I made an appointment, but because it was so close to our leaving date, and we had so much unfinished things to do, it was creating a lot of anxiety. A week before the surgery, I canceled. I guess I will do it in the spring, when we come back.

These are the supplements Mallery is taking. I would not recommend anyone who is working, to do what I have with Mallery. I feel like I am her full time nurse. I love Mallery and don't regret my choices, but she does require a lot of time and patience.  With her eye sight almost gone and her kidney's failing, she needs a lot of attention. Most of my day is sleeping in to get caught up on the sleep I didn't get the night before, or taking
Mallery to the potty box (at night) or outside (at day), so she can relieve herself (she goes very frequently) I usually get maybe 3 hours a day to do something else that needs to be done.

The maple and birch trees had lost all their leaves by now, and the weeping willow had turned yellow.

We missed the birch and the weeping willow change colors last year because we left too early. Joe mulched all the leaves with the mower, negating the job of racking.

Beautiful day on Lake Charlevoix this day with the great weather, calm waters and beautiful cloud formations.

A little piece of "Heaven" on earth to us.

Mallery was still enjoying her yard, even though she seemed to have more confusion.

At least she was in a familiar place, which worried us about our upcoming time in Gulf Shores, AL., another new place for her.

I have been giving her daily massages 2 x a day with essential oils that have known properties to shrink tumors and increase her immune system.

She loves the massages, but not crazy about the essential oil smells.

On November 4 we had a gorgeous day for this far north.

A picture of a sunrise after laying in bed for hours awake. This is my Blessing for getting up early.

Ten minutes after the sunrise, this was my view with my cup of tea.
Joe, Mallery and I left Michigan on November 29 for Alabama. Joe had planned to be hitting the road by 10AM. It didn't happen, with everything I need to do for Mallery, besides everything that needs to be done to close up our cottage. We left town at 2PM instead, making it a very short driving day. We stopped just outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and stayed at the Grandvillage Inn, in Grandville. (Sorry for all the details, but I do it for our record keeping). On the 30th we got a much earlier start, at 9AM and drove 9 hours to the Red Roof Inn in Bowling Green, KY. The last hour was in the rain in the dark. Joe wanted to make up some time. On December 1, we left at 9:30 AM and it rained off and on most the morning. Nashville was hectic, like it always is, and we came upon a car / semi accident waiting for the ambulance. On the south side of Biringham, AL., we finally got out of the rain. We arrived in Gulf Shores, AL., after driving the last 1 1/2 hours in the dark. Joe and I don't like night driving anymore, due to aging eyes. Mallery did pretty well for being in motels for 2 nights, considering her situation. We hope she will adjust quickly to our our new home away from home, in Gulf Shores, AL.

Preparing For Winter

                                                       Sunday 10/18/15

We finally found some time to get some exercise, so here we are on a walk. We went down our alley and saw this. Do you know what it is? At first I didn't, but then we realized it was the support of a dock. This is the first time I have seen one of these. Just rolled into the lake, take the wheels off and put on the planks of the dock.

We continued on our walk.

We found a trail behind our house that went deep into the woods. We came upon a small lake. I got my phone out and google mapped the lake, and found the lake is Mud Lake.

Then we came across Dyer Creek that empties into Porter Creek which empties into Lake Charlevoix.

The trail passed by a house, and as we walked by it, the owners of the house drove into the drive. We told them we were walking a trail behind our house, and asked where we would end up if we continue in the direction we were going. The couple was a very nice older couple who owned 80 acres. Some of the trail we walked, was on their property. We told them where we lived and they told us to feel free to walk it when ever we wanted. While visiting, the man told me, he had a cougar just outside his window last fall. That made the cougar just a mile southeast of our home. After walking for 45 minutes, my feet started to fall asleep. I told Joe I had to stop, so we found a place to sit down. After a 5 minute break, I was able to get back home which was just about a block and a half away. It was a gorgeous day for a walk.

Our Birch trees were turning orange at this point.The large Maple was turning orange at the top.

On October 20, our dock and shore station removers arrived. One of the guys drove the boat to the marina, which is a mile away, while Joe drove the trailer to the marina. Because Joe had never backed this trailer up before or any other for many, many years, he was out of practice. To top things off, the boat ramp had steep cement walls, making it more difficult for Joe. While Joe and the other guy were gone, I watched the main guy carry out all the dock sections all by his self. It amazed me. Last year, I watch 2 guys mussel them out together. This guy put the dock on his back, and had the post over his shoulders, as one would carry a person on their back and the arms around his neck, hanging onto the posts like arms. He carried those docks up the boulders rock walls. Normally he would have help from the other guy, but Joe was having trouble getting the trailer into the water, so he took out the dock on his on. Wow, he is strong, but didn't look like it.

Once Joe got back, the two guys pulled the shore station out with a four wheeler.

The dock and shore station  are on the banks, another winter job off the check list! So glad, they were finally removed, cold weather was predicted for the next few days. The next day the boat went to the shop to be winterized and then tucked away in our shed.

On a day trip to Petoskey, I got this picture of Walloon Lake.

Still some color on our drive NE.

At this point Mallery has been having subcutaneous fluid treatments daily as her veterinary requested. Then we started back to every other day. Unfortunately after a few days, we could see her going down hill so we went back to daily to maintain her good appetite.

Our fall has been exceptionally nice, compared to past falls, we have been told.

Still much color in our side neighbors yards.

On this evening, the sun lite up the north side of Lake Charlevoix.

We have never seen it look like this at sunset. It was just spectacular.

We spent our time in October, preparing for winter, doctor appointments, going for walks, and trying to pick out finishes for the renovation of our kitchen, which will begin this winter. Here is a picture of our kitchen now. When we get back next Spring, it will look different.

To go with the yellow cabinets or one of the white chip colors. To go with the almond or blue color for the walls. Decisions, decisions. This is suppose to be fun, but because we have been so busy, it has been stressful instead.

Just a pretty salad Joe made for us for lunch.

Another walk from our house down 2 blocks and up a big, big, big hill, and here we are out in the country.

There's the big hill. This is a picture after we have walked back half way down the hill.

I guess the peak color peaks in different areas. We though it was all over the week before.

Joe continues the close-down duties for winter, draining the hose and unhooking the water pump house in his waders.

Oh to be back to household chores!