Week 44

Hello and welcome back as we start a new month.  I like this time of year with clam and cool temps plus all the changes happening in nature before everything goes dormant for winter.  Fall is very pleasant here and peaceful as long as the fires from high winds stay at bay.

Take a look at last week's pictures:

Day 302- Monday, 10/28/24

Starting the week with all the fall feels. The changing leaves provide a great contrast to the blue skies.  We also have some pretty clouds as a small storm system moves in bringing rain mostly for overnight.  This kitchen window gives a nice peek of fall in our side yard, and I like the shadows on the counter created by the filtered afternoon sun shining in.

Day 303- Tuesday, 10/29/24

We have a fun Halloween themed puppy class tonight and all the pups are supposed to dress up.  It took some practice to get Bailey used to her costume and some good distractions to get her to leave it be but she did great along with all the other puppies at the party.  What a cute group with my little witch and her dressed up friends!

Day 304- Wednesday, 10/30/24

Loving how the fall look is shaping up in the neighborhood.  We see different changes daily on our walks.  End of this week with the time change we'll be walking in the dark.  I'm also all prepped and ready to pass out candy tomorrow.

Day 305- Thursday, 10/31/24

Happy Halloween!  It was great having Justin here with us to get through it Bailey.  He hasn't been home for Halloween in over 4 years and he loves to dress up and pass out candy. This helped us keep our cute witch calm and quiet.  He set up a chair out front to pass out candy before the kids could reach the door so no doorbell or knocks tonight.  Those 2 things make Bailey react and bark excessively so instead of a stressful night for her and us it was cool and relaxing.  Cheers to Justin!  He had a lot of fun too frightening the odder kids.

Day 306- Friday, 11/1/24

Happy November!  Time to put away the scary stuff and bring out the turkeys.  No Christmas stuff until after Thanksgiving for us though. For our Friday night movie we saw this serial killer thriller which sounded like it was all about him being trapped in a concert while police were looking for him and it did start that way but there was a lot more to the story that happened outside the concert as the chase continued.

Day 307- Saturday, 11/2/24

After such a full week this weekend was all about decompressing so we did get some chores done but also did a whole lot of nothing which felt nice for a change.  John spent a lot of time watching college ball and Bailey joined him--can you see her feet peeking up?  She fell to the side of him and just stayed that way--silly girl!  Tonight we watched this new Michael Keaton movie and it was good but also sad since he was dealing dementia.

Day 308- Sunday, 11/3/24

The "fall-back" time change happened today and Bailey spent her extra hour of "sleep" this morning collecting leaves from her yard and brining them in through the dog door creating a pile near her crate.  Better that than rocks which she has also been known to collect and move inside. Sunday evenings we usually watch The Penguin series with Justin.  It's so hard to believe that is Colin Farrell as the main character.

All done!  Time to start prepping for Thanksgiving.  The holiday season frenzy has officially started and as usual will fly by fast.

Week 43

Hello, welcome back, and happy Tuesday!  It's crazy to think this week is the last week in October but we'll enjoy the calm of it before the holiday mad dash sets in. I've already seen the stores put out Christmas stuff but I'm not bringing any of that out for us until after Thanksgiving--one holiday at a time.  What I am looking forward to is having Brandon home over the holidays.  We haven't seen him since end of July which is way too long.

 

Until then here are last week's pictures:

Day 295- Monday, 10/21/24

Everyone in this house has voted early with mail-in ballots.  Someone in a another state had a sticker that came with her ballot saying, "I Voted Early." Maybe next year California will update their stickers too.  In other news we are working through a new Netflix series which is fun and should wrap up quickly since episodes are only 30 minutes.  I expect we'll finish before the end of this week.

Day 296- Tuesday, 10/22/24

See my morning shadow back there on the rug?  Rusty likes to keep me company as I get ready for the day and in return I feed him breakfast.  Later in the evening it's time to head to puppy training class with Bailey. She and pretty much all the labs in class have to wear this "Gentle Lead" to help with pulling on the leash. You can tell she's not a fan but it really does help. Class also now goes into dark hours so we have the dogs wear collar lights.

Day 297- Wednesday, 10/23/24

Here's a spooky spider shot for the season.  It made this web from a bush to a tree and was just floating midair in between and caught my eye.  Back inside we had a nice warm penne pasta dinner which was perfect for these cooler days.

Day 298- Thursday, 10/24/24

My roses are also loving the cooler weather and blooming again after being dormant during the excessive heat for the past 2-3 months.

Day 299- Friday, 10/25/24

TGIF!  We went out to dinner with dinner with friends at a Thai place right near our house that I didn't even know about until they suggested it.  It was pretty packed too and all good.

Day 300- Saturday, 10/26/24

Today was a perfect day for some yard play with Bailey.  She loves playing in the grass and is getting really good at catching frisbees.  Not too long after John and I both got our flu and undated COVID shots--love the heart band-aids. We didn't have time last night for a movie so tonight this was a new horror movie on Hulu we watched--werewolf in the house!

Day 301- Sunday, 10/27/24

It's a lazy Sunday with catnaps, cloudy skies and more fall color popping up.

That's all for now.  Hope to see you on the flip side and have a safe and fun Halloween.

Week 42

Happy Tuesday and welcome back! We are fully enjoying fall here since the temperatures have been fantastic. It's nice to be able to think about eating warm comfort foods again and being able to bring out the cozy warm clothes that have been stored away for so long. We can feel the cold crispness of the air especially in mornings and evenings.  Right now wearing layers is a must and that's fine--I'm all for it!

Here's a look at last week's pictures:

Day 288- Monday, 10/14/24

On my morning walk to get coffee at work I noticed a lot more leaves on the ground and the sun was just coming up in the perfect position to shed some light on them.  Later at home as I was feeding Bailey in the garage my hand surprisingly brushed up against this guy. How cool is he?

 

Day 289- Tuesday, 10/15/24

Speaking of Bailey, John signed her up for a monthly Bark Box filled with toys and treats.  Her first one came this week and was Halloween themed.  She is enjoying all the new toys and we like that they keep her busy.  Later it was a beautiful night out at puppy class with the full moon and a comet to view shortly after.  The class and comet ATLAS pictures were shared from the group so not mine but glad they captured the moments for us.

Day 290- Wednesday, 10/16/24

It rained this morning as I made my way to work.  I love how fresh the air smells after a good rain.  I was also able to wear a sweater and a jacket today plus enjoyed the extra warmth of my morning drink.  The rain didn't last long so we had a pleasant fall afternoon and evening.

 

 Day 291- Thursday, 10/17/24

I found me some of those red leaves I've been looking for.  We're expecting some high winds moving in tonight and huge gusts all day tomorrow so it's much chillier today as the new system moves in.  Bailey found the perfect warm spot for a good nap.

 

 

Day 292- Friday, 10/18/24

 TGIF! The wind all day was intense and really did a number on the trees. Look how many fallen leaves we have in the park now--big difference today from yesterday.  John was out this evening having happy hour with old work friends so Justin made us drinks and we enjoyed finger food Friday together.  He was in an extra good mood after having a great interview for a new job.  Fingers crossed something comes of it.

 

 

 

Day 293- Saturday, 10/19/24

There are only a couple more weeks until Halloween so this weekend I really needed to get more decorations out and started with what I had in some cupboards.  That little witches hat was meant to be for Bailey but it's way too small--totally misrepresented online so now it's a just a cute decoration.  Speaking of cuteness Rusty likes his spot in Justin's closet even more since we moved one of his blanket mats there.  Justin calls it his parking spot.  LOL!  Later we watched this new Netflix movie based on a true story about a cringey psychopath predator and how he finally got caught.

Day 294- Sunday, 10/20/24

 

John and Justin pulled down our Halloween boxes and other bigger decorations from attic so I could continue with the decorating.  The front entry is now done and Bailey made sure to thoroughly investigate and approve the new additions after our walk today.  She's not too sure about the door skeleton but really likes the scarecrow. We continued the fall fun by enjoying some hard cider which paired perfectly with dinner tonight.

That wraps up another full fall week.  It's been nice enjoying the great outdoors without the having to avoid excessive heat.

Week 41

Hello and welcome back!  Finally a cool down has started and is expected to last through the next week at least.  Everyone's energy level and mood has change for the better and it now really seems like fall has hit.  Let's hope it lasts.  I'm ready for sweater weather.

Until then here are last week's pictures:

Day 281- Monday, 10/7/24

I change upstairs just before leaving for work in mornings and Bailey patiently waits for me at the bottom of the stairs so we can say our goodbyes.  Mondays with her separation anxiety are the hardest after having me home all day over the weekend but she's getting better as she gets older and now knows I will eventually come back.  Today at work I'm starting the week off with some microbiology.  These plates to be tested were dropped off late Friday so I need to get them set up first thing this morning.  Back at home when there is nothing else to watch on TV we've been working our way through the many seasons of this show now streaming on max--talk about a stressful messed up industry.

 Day 282- Tuesday, 10/8/24

It's still super hot out and these pets are dealing with the heat by laying on their backs to expose their bellies which helps cool them down.  Good news--starting tomorrow the heat wave breaks and a cooling trend starts with temps in the mid 70s to low 80s lasting through next week. That sounds so refreshing and I know the pets will rejoice as well.

Day 283- Wednesday, 10/9/24

Yay for lower temps! More and more leaves are turning pretty colors too.  Lot's of yellow out there but I haven't seen much red yet--maybe next week.  This fall feel also put me in the mood to buy pumpkins for our front entry.

 Day 284- Thursday, 10/10/24

 Time for a cut and color with fall vibes.  I had a couple inches taken off because the tangles with longer hair were driving me crazy.  My stylist also turned me on to a better shampoo brand that will help and I can get it on amazon which is more convenient and cheaper.  Later we finished a show we recorded from Wednesday.  This one is new and comes on after survivor.  It's so intense and cutthroat even just after 2 episodes.  It's good but I hope it didn't replace Amazing Race

 

 

 Day 285- Friday, 10/11/24

I took vacation day today because I'm maxed out on vacation accrual and need to burn a few days here and there.  Rusty was happy to have some extra time with me.  The cooler weather has him wanting to be a lap cat again--stark difference from the beginning of the week.  We totally match the fall colors happening just outside in our entry.  On a different note our Friday night scary movie this week was a throwback 80's classic that John has never seen.  It was a fun one for me to revisit.

 Day 286- Saturday, 10/12/24

Bailey gets a new rawhide bone Saturday mornings to last her through the next week and she looks forward to this first thing even before the sun comes up.  It won't last all week but at least for a good part of it.  Later we headed to San Francisco to picnic on Treasure Island just off the Bay Bridge with friends and watch the Fleet Week air show. Sadly the Blue Angles show got canceled last minute due to cloudy skies and fog affecting viability. Huge bummer but we still had a good time. Tyler, Lupe and Justin came with us this year and it would have been their first air show so I was more sad for them than anything.  There's always next year, right?!

 

 

 

Day 287- Sunday, 10/13/24

Today was a perfect day to bake some pumpkin bread and walk Bailey while it was in the oven.   I'm planning to send a couple mini loaves to Brandon in a fall care package going out tomorrow.  He's been missing home so the timing is perfect.

All done!  Hope everyone else had a great fall week.