2026, animals, Family, holidays, home, pets

Memorial Day with McGee

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YA really needed a puppy fix over the weekend, so yesterday we cajoled Jacque into lending McGee to us.  We picked him up in the afternoon and had him for about three hours.

There was a short walk up the block (it was pretty hot and he has little short legs) and then hung out a bunch in the back yard.  He was very well behaved for a puppy – no romping in my plants, no barking, no chewing on my toes.  He did find a good stick:

It was interesting to see him taking in all the new stuff in our city back yard.  Here are the things that McGee was momentarily afraid of:

    • the fire pit
    • birds flying near the bird feeders
    • the birdbath
    • the grill
    • the wind chime

Here are the things that fascinated him:

    • planes
    • the birdseed under the feeders
    • my neighbor Don who was clearing up after grilling
    • the boxer who poked it’s head out the car window and barked (friendly bark)

We pulled out the kiddie pool and lifted McGee into it twice, followed by the application of treats.  He didn’t actually seem to mind the pool but didn’t want to tarry and wouldn’t jump in on his own.  YA thought maybe it was too big a jump for him (until we moved inside and he felt quite at home jumping up on the sofa) but I think maybe the water was too chilly.  There was some tug-of-war and he was very willing to chase a toy when YA tossed it but bringing the toy back is not in his toolbox yet!  We had YA-chasing and some zoomies as well.

He didn’t stop moving the whole time we had him… Jacque, I assume he slept well last night?

How did you spend YOUR Memorial Day?

 

 

29 thoughts on “Memorial Day with McGee”

  1. went to get a workout in, went to daughters house to help her get her garden in order, went home for a family get together. 2 sons and a daughter 5 grandkids my mom and my sister. hit the tub for a good soak and did the crash and burn on the couch in front of the tv. a great day

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  2. Our dogs enjoyed being in the backyard with Chris while he prepared a space to plant dill. He was so tired raking away rocks he had to take a nap when he was done. We went to the Cemetery to visit my parents’ grave. I made Basque bean, kale, and ham stew, and a spanakopita casserole with pasta, greens, and lots of creamy cheeses. Watered the plants in the raised veggie needs, too.

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  3. I had a laid back day. My post-op toes were feeling a bit better – managed a 1 mile walk though it took 30 minutes instead of the usual 20. Watered the indoor and outdoor plants. Spent several hours out on my deck finishing one library book and starting another. Solved a bunch of NYT Thursday crossword puzzles. Did a load of laundry and “enjoyed” a sponge bath (can’t get my feet wet until Thursday when the dressings come off). No TV or radio all day, which is unusual but the quiet was nice.

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  5. As retired folk, our weeks are not really structured around weekends and national holidays. Memorial Day was a typical Monday.
    But on Monday mornings Robin and I volunteer at a soup kitchen/food distribution facility receiving donated groceries. We get large quantities of culled produce and other items from neighboring stores and what we receive on Mondays is used throughout the following week in the soup kitchen and also distributed to people in need.

    We never know what we are going to get, but it’s a lot. Just yesterday, for example, the donations included about 50 whole pineapples. A few weeks ago we got several boxes of zucchini and the week after two large crates of broccoli. Most of what comes in isn’t sorted so we have to go through all the boxes and get the donations in order, at the same time discarding damaged or too far gone produce, then making a determination as to whether items are of use to the kitchen, can be saved for distribution later in the week, or must be put out for distribution immediately. The donations are typically packed in sturdy banana boxes which, when packed with dense produce like apples, can be hefty. At the end of our shift we will have toted perhaps two dozen boxes like that, found room in the refrigerators for those things that need it and, according to the pedometer on my phone, walked about 2 1/2 miles.

    After that, Robin and I went out to choose some flower sets to fill in various empty spots around the yard. Then I read a little. Then I made dinner.

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      1. The kitchen typically makes a fruit salad and a green salad to go with the soup, so some will likely be kept for the fruit salad, especially since the whole pineapples don’t demand refrigeration, but we set aside the greater share for distribution (whether or not the recipients know how to deal with a whole pineapple is another question).

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      1. If not us, it would no doubt be someone else doing the job. I am a little surprised at the number of emails they send out reminding me of my commitment. On the other hand, I know from experience how unreliable volunteers can be.

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  6. We had a visit from a friend in the morning who picked up a couple bales of straw, and then I sprayed weeds around fences and buildings, connected a pump to the water tote and Kelly and I watered the seedling trees. while Kelly finished that I finished mulching the last 20 trees, and then we built another 300 feet of fence to keep the deer off them. Hopefully.
    700’ done, about 700’ to go… and I sure hope it works.

    Supper was leftovers from our Sunday picnic with Kelly’s cousins which was great fun.

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  7. Wow, I’m a slug compared to you guys. I only played in a golf tournament, did my weight training, had spaghetti for dinner, and watched some NHL hockey until I got bored/tired and went to bed.

    Chris in Owatonn

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  8. Rise and Shine, Baboons,

    We had a three hour period in the late afternoon that was eerily quiet around here! Hmmmm. I cooked quite a bit yesterday and cared for husband who seems to have a bug with all the symptoms I had last week that I thought were allergies. He is in bed again this morning with Nurse/Sleep Assistant McGee.

    I picked up an enthusiastic McGee from VS and YA in the early evening yesterday, then took him to PumpHouse Ice Cream for a pup cup which he devoured. When it was gone he whimpered! McGee fell asleep in the back seat on the way home, then came into the house and went to sleep. We did not hear from him the rest of the evening. He seemed to have had a wonderful time as the Guest of Honor.

    I did miss my annual Memorial Day trip to Iowa to decorate graves at the Nevada Iowa Municipal Cemetery where my parents and dad’s family are buried. That has been such a sweet thing over the years. Last weekend we traveled to NE Iowa for a 50 wedding anniversary in husband’s family which exhausted him. So we did not travel again this weekend.

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  9. Did laundry and otherwise lazed around after the big cousins’ day gathering.

    Today it’s back to the construction zone I assume. Haven’t heard from the guys, so we’ll see.

    Seems pretty overcast, which was not what I was expecting.

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  10. On Sunday, I heard for the first time in decades Le Show from Harry Shearer. It was current and just a wry and funny as before.
    On Memorial Day I read the Asimov Foundation series (for the thousandth time) while listening to past podcasts of Le Show.

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  11. Our friend, Ann Walton, died peacefully in her sleep a couple of weeks ago at the age of 91. For many years she had hosted various pot luck “parties” in celebration of Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day on the front porch of her Crocus Hill mansion.

    During the past ten years, attendance at these gatherings – calling them parties is a bit of a stretch – had been dwindling due to the deaths of various participants. This Memorial Day I spent a fair amount of time reflecting on the end of an era, and the cast of characters it has been my privilege to know. My late friend, Philip, was one of them.

    I find it interesting that Ann’s obit makes no mention that she is survived by a son and a daughter and a couple of grandchildren.
    https://legacy.suntimes.com/us/obituaries/name/kay-walton-obituary?id=61522456

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  12. We had a quiet day doing our usual Monday routine, and I even had a haircut scheduled in the afternoon. Dinner was leftovers so prevent having to do any real work on the Holiday, except we did a thorough cleaning of the birdcage.

    We’ll celebrate today, which is discount day at our local theater… We may see Sheep Detectives, even though I’ve read here that it is not “perfect”. At this point, it’s rare to find a movie I’m even remotely interested…

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    2. Sheep Detectives is actually quite cute. You just have let go of the “movies have to be just like the books” mindset and you’ll be fine.

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  13. Learned this. The maintenance man in the Mankato apartment building, Kevin, a sweet guy who went out of his way to take care of people, was fired three weeks ago. They said he was two slow. They found someone cheaper. Incompetent already. Four days after they fired Kevin he dropped dead of a heart attack.
    Clyde

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  14. I guess I sort of decided how to spend Memorial Day by not deciding. I went to a coffee shop to get a fancy coffee, and then went for a walk with my Merlin app recording. After meandering around Raspberry Island and Harriet Island for an hour or so, I had picked up the calls and songs of about twenty-five or thirty different birds. One, the Swainson’s thrush, was one I hadn’t recorded before. There were many warblers, vireos, and warbling vireos.

    Spotted sandpipers don’t live around here year round, but they evidently think Raspberry Island is an excellent spring break vacation spot.

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