Week 49

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  This past week was all about getting ready for Christmas and enjoying the new season.

Take a look at how week 49 went down: 

Day 336- Monday, 12/1/25

We're starting a new month today so welcome to December.  Otherwise it's still super cold out but at least the sun made an appearance and we got to watch it set on our late afternoon walk which was super nice and mood lifting. 

Day 337- Tuesday, 12/2/25

 

We started out the day foggy which seems to be a new normal for us but again the afternoon was sunny and the sky was actually very blue which we have not seen in awhile.  Sadly the news says it will not last.

Day 338- Wednesday, 12/3/25

 

Today at work we were making antigen slides and a few of the slides had some wells that were causing our solution to ball up and not spread out to fill the well.  So weird--I have not seen that before.  It looks cool but not optimal for our purpose.  Later I was invited to another theater outing with my retired boss and we saw this amazing interpretive dance performance MOMIX Alice at the Mondovi Center on campus.  It was fantastic and very creative especially with the use of costumes and sets incorporated into the dance and their abstract way of telling the story of Alice in Wonderland. I wasn't sure what to expect exactly but was pleasantly surprised and very much enjoyed it.

Day 339- Thursday, 11/4/25

This girl and her chew toys--they keep her busy and happy but they still can't keep her out of the kitchen.  Look at her little white chin too.  That's from being such an aggressive eater and chewer.  She'll be 2 years old at the end of this month.  Time flies when you're having fun.

 

 

 

Day 340- Friday, 12/5/25

 TGIF!  I picked up a few things for dinner at the store after work and also grabbed a poinsettia to help with my Christmas decorating that will finally be happening this weekend. Turns out the festive flowering plant was on a secrete sale at checkout--score!  No Friday night movie since we watched Survivor and Amazing Race episodes I missed Wednesday while out at the theater.

Day 341- Saturday, 11/6/25

 

After getting some weekend cores and a few errands ran I managed to get Christmas mostly put up. So far Bailey has left the tree and hung stockings alone.  She was curious at first but just needed a quick sniff and then was good. Later we watched the movie HIM which started out fine but in true Jordan Peele fashion ended up taking a really bazar turn.

Day 342- Sunday, 12/7/25

All is calm and quiet but still VERY cold and dreary out.  At least the holiday cheer will help with the depressive mood the weather is putting everyone in.  Maybe a good Christmas movie would help too but right now we're working our way through this suspenseful short series with Claire Danes which also has a grey and dreary feel.  Regardless it's still a good watch.  Next week--more upbeat fun things to watch and hopefully more sunshine.

That does it!  See you all next week.

Week 48

Welcome back and happy Tuesday! Last week we had a wonderful Thanksgiving week. I took the whole week off so I could spend more time with the boys while they were home.  The only downside was the weather. We didn't really see the sun all week. It was foggy and grey and dreary which also made it super cold--highs in the 40's.

On to the pictures from week 48: 

Day 329- Monday, 11/24/25

We crossed the river into the capitol area to take in a movie with the boys which was actually better than I expected and also a good way to get out of the house.

Day 330- Tuesday, 11/25/25

 

After Justin and Rusty got up for the day I took the boys out to pick up our traditional See's Turkeys for the season and also do some more shopping for other items needed to prepare our upcoming feast.  Both the boys and pets are really enjoying each others company especially since the boys like to really play a lot more than their parents.

Day 331- Wednesday, 11/26/25

 

Today was mostly spent in the kitchen doing prep work for items needed to help complete the meal tomorrow.  I made the cornbread that will be used in our stuffing and the brine we'll use to soak the turkey plus Justin helped me bake some pies and breakfast muffins.  It smelled really good in here and having the oven and stove on helped keep the house warm on this super cold day.  Thankfully Bailey's new winter jacket just arrived so we tried it out on our late afternoon walk and even though she was reluctant about putting it on at first she quickly realized it's warming value and is now happy and eager to have it put on for her walks.

Day 332- Thursday, 11/27/25

Happy Thanksgiving and I hope everyone had a great day sharing it with family and friends.  Mine started nice and slow with a cranberry orange muffin and coffee.  Most of the rest of the day involved preparing the meal in-between watching the parade and dog show that followed.  Later we enjoyed our feast of turkey and ham plus a bunch of great traditional sides followed by pie.  Bailey picture sums up everyone's after dinner vibe perfectly. 

 

Day 333- Friday, 11/28/25

Tyler and Lupe were at her family's for dinner yesterday but they came here today to have brunch with us and spend more time with the other two boys before they need to leave.  It's so nice having all 3 under the same roof again. Tyler is super grateful this season to have found a new job he just started a couple weeks ago working for the state as an analyst for the department of transportation.  It was fun to hear how it's going and how excited he is. He's been wanting to get out of health the care realm and try something new--this gives him more of a ladder to climb without needing to invest more money into additional education, much better pay, benefits and a pension plan so its a win-win.  Later, we actually had to say goodbye and send Brandon off to fly back to LA.  It's crazy to think he really only has one more semester of college left.  Otherwise TGIF!  Our Friday night movie was one we wanted to watch in October but the streaming price was way too high and now it's available for free. Can't beat that.  It was worth the wait too--great end to the series.

 

Day 334- Saturday, 11/29/25

 

Time to send Justin off on the train so he can head back to Humboldt and continue to look for a job.  The job market for young adults is really not that great right now but he's happy to keep trying and hopefully he'll catch a break like Tyler did.  It took him applying to countless jobs for the past couple years to finally find something new.  You know who will miss Justin the most?  Rusty! All day he refused to leave Justin's bed.  At least he'll be back for Christmas in a few short week's.

Day 335- Sunday, 11/30/25

This whole past week was all about football aside from family for John.  Today the Niner's are playing and he just can't get enough.  Otherwise we're done with one holiday and ready to tackle the next.  Before the boys left I had them help pack away the fall decorations and bring the Christmas boxes down from the attic. So far all I have up is the door wreath but at least it's a start!

That wraps up another week and another month!  Let the holiday games begin.

Week 47

Welcome back an happy Tuesday! It's Thanksgiving week and the boys are back in town  It's nice to have a full house again.

Take a peek at how we led into that from last week's pictures: 

Day 321- Monday, 11/17/25

It all started with rain again but this time not until the afternoon as I was leaving from work.  Later on our walk this tree caught my eye since it's still full of leaves on one side but pretty much not on the other--interesting way for it to lose leaves.

Day 322- Tuesday, 11/18/25

 

Most of today was spent at a surgery center waiting while John got his routine colonoscopy.  I also have one scheduled but not until February.  At least I came prepared with a few fun puzzle books to keep me busy during the wait for his to get done. The surgery center fell behind before they got to him so there was an especially long wait.  I finished 3 of theses detailed sticker pages as a result

Day 323- Wednesday, 11/19/25

 

It's been foggy in the mornings but nice and clear in the afternoons.  There aren't too many leaves left though and the ones that are look a bit tired and beat up.  Pretty soon we'll just have bare winter trees to look at which is kind of depressing.  Until then we'll enjoy the rest of fall while it lasts.  In other news we're currently watching the new season of Landman after finishing a few other shows.

Day 325- Thursday, 11/20/25

Today was a long but fun day in Davis.  It started as a normal work day and then in the early afternoon we had a work-group outing (AKA Sunshine Event) at the new campus museum honoring Native American art which was really interesting and inspiring.  Then not long after that I met up with some of my past coworkers for drinks and a small bit to eat at the Davis Wine Bar.  It was great to catch up.  2 are retired and the other 2 of us are looking forward to those day.  Turns out John also was meeting olf friends for drinks back in Sacramento so it was nice how that worked out.

 

 

Day 326- Friday, 11/21/25

Today a was travel day for the boys coming home.  Right after work this afternoon I picked Justin up from the train station in Davis before heading home and then after dinner I picked Brandon up at the airport to bring him home.  Bailey was super happy to see them both especially since they love to play and can match her energy level.

 

Day 327- Saturday, 11/22/25

 

John took Justin to get donuts for everyone this morning as a welcome back treat and then later we all worked together to make a good taco meal for dinner.  They love having all their favorite homecooked meals anytime they are home.

Day 328- Sunday, 11/23/25

I've also been waiting to make pumpkin bread until they returned because it's another fall favorite for them.  Justin helped me do that today.  We made 3 loaves--2 for us and gave one to Tyler and Lupe when they came for dinner. Justin also joined Bailey and I for a nice fall sunset walk this evening.  It was a great way to end the week having a full house full of love.

Now it's time to start prepping for Thanksgiving and savor the rest of the visit with the boys before they need to leave again.  

Week 46

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  Things have slowed down a bit so it's easier to stay on track.  Last week was pretty chill but of course it's the calm before the storm. This current week is pretty crazy as we build up to Thanksgiving week.  Best part is that the 2 younger boys will be home Friday.  We haven't seen them since July or Aug.

Until then here are the pictures from week 46: 

Day 314- Monday, 11/10/25

It's the dawn of a new week and the sunrise was pretty this morning as I headed out to work.

Day 315- Tuesday, 11/11/25

 

  No work today because of the Veteran's Day holiday.  Bailey was happy to have me home and we got to spend a nice quiet morning together.  Later her dog training class was at a new shopping center in Davis.  There was a lot of activity and a very busy parking lot to navigate so she was nervous at first until we found the her pack of dogs.  They make her feel more at ease in new situations so it ended up being a great evening with some good focus training in the presence of many distractions..

Day 316- Wednesday, 11/12/25

 

Lately Rusty has been napping in this chair.  He'll often hop up on the chair when I'm in the room but rarely actually settles down and naps here.  Meanwhile, downstairs, John and Bailey were having a good time playing together.  When she is full of energy and it's too early for her walk a good 15 min play session usually involving tug-of-war with some fetching will do the trick to calm her down and settle in for a nap.

Day 317- Thursday, 11/13/25

We had a pretty wet storm blow in overnight that lasted most of today.  It was also a free give away for the reusable red cup at Starbucks today so I swung by to pick one up on my way to work.  Back at home, in the afternoon, our walk was still a bit wet but the sun did peek out enough to grace us with a rainbow at the end.

  

Day 318- Friday, 11/14/25

TGIF!  Time to settle down., relax and watch a movie while enjoying drinks and finger food for dinner. This new adaptation of Frankenstein was worth the watch and seeing the different perspectives of how things played out was interesting.  Also our cold gloomy night was the perfect setting to watch it in.

 

Day 319- Saturday, 11/15/25

 

The weekends are for doing chores and catching up on quality pet time.  Baily knows that Saturday mornings are the mornings where she gets a rawhide bone and won't let us forget it!  It's one of her favorite days because of this.  Rusty knows that I have more free time to spend with him especially when Bailey is put out for lunch followed by her quiet alone time.  Look at how Rusty's fur has spread out in a cool pattern on his hip.  Can't say I've ever seen it quite like that before.  He's currently shedding his longer more ventilated summer coat and growing in a shorter more dense and insulated coat for winter.

Day 320- Sunday, 11/16/25

With all the recent rain everyone's lawn is looking a lot more green and we're happy not to have to use the sprinklers which helps reduce our water bill.  Also the rain forces more interesting things to drop to the ground and then the wind blows it all around.  Found this winter berry twig in our front entry area that had to have come from someone else's tree or plant because we don't have anything like this growing in our yard.  Otherwise a pretty slow and gloomy day. More heavy rain expected tomorrow.  Later we continued to watch this new series and are getting close to the end.  It's a fascinating watch but sad that it's based on true events and  just another example of one of the many things currently wrong with our society today.

Done with another week and on to the next.