Week 13

Welcome back, happy Tuesday, and welcome to April!  My April calendar is already full which means time will fly.  Last week was pretty full too with a lot of appointments, fun times with the pets, and Brandon's return for spring break.

Here's a look at how it all played out:

 Day 83- Monday, 3/24/25

This morning at work I marked all my up-coming appointments on the calendar so I can plan my work hours accordingly.  Hopefully that will be it for at least 6 more months.  Today was warm--in the 80's! So when we settled in for the night to watch some TV Bailey was sleeping on my lab as usual but was hot so she slept belly up to cool a bit.  While she slept we worked our way through the first few episodes of Suits LA that were recorded, and it's ok, but so far I like the original characters and storylines better. 

 

 

 

Day 84- Tuesday, 3/25/25

It's so nice out with another 80 degree day before the next set of storms blow in.  Puppy class today was held on campus walking through the arboretum.  It was nicely shaded and very pleasant out.  We had 10 pups and they all did great posing for group pictures, practicing friendly greetings of passing strangers. and not letting distractions get to them.  This is a fun pack of dogs and they are all super excited to see each other week after week. 

 Day 85- Wednesday, 3/26/25

Wednesday at work I was gifted with a snake plant by a coworker that has too many new sprouts growing in her yard.  Happy to add this to my collection of house plants for now while it grows.

 

 Day 86- Thursday, 3/27/25

Not only did I have a dentist appointment today but also a vet visit for Bailey.  I had a deep cleaning and she had a shot that needed to be updated and a heartworm test.  I was also able to weigh her and she's 55 lbs now at almost 15 months old.  She should be close to her final size by around 18 months.

 

Day 87- Friday, 3/28/25

TGIF!  I actually had the day off for a California state holiday-- Caesar Chavez Day.  I mostly used the time to prep for a couple upcoming birthdays and to play with the pets.  Rusty likes to play laser mouse tag especially if the mouse hides under or behind things where he can paw at it.  Bailey enjoys long walks and has her internal clock set for those walks to take place around 4:30 pm.  She won't let you get forget!  Yesterday was really windy so on our walk today we came across all the flower confetti that was blown to the ground.  Later our Friday night streaming movie was the Oscar's Best Picture and Best Leading Actress winner. It was billed as a Cinderella/Pretty Woman story which is misleading as it was more hard core and not with a happily ever after ending.

 

 

 

Day 88- Saturday, 3/29/25

I just picked Brandon up from the airport so he can spend his spring break with us and of course he immediately drops his bags and starts playing with Bailey who was super happy to see him and have a new play buddy.  Tonight's movie was another movie that was highlighted a lot at the Academy Awards and a good portrayal of Bob Dylan's musical journey.

 

 

 

 Day 89- Sunday, 3/30/25

Early morning rain means I woke up to a soaked pup who likes to be out in her run playing in the rain. It's so cute how it makes the fur on her ears spike up.  She also likes to be toweled off thinking it's a game. Mid-day I worked on making a pineapple upside down cake for Justin's birthday tomorrow per his request. The first and last time I made one of these was in high school so it was fun to try again and thankfully it came out great as you will see in tomorrow's pictures. As for now we ended the day enjoying Sunday dinner with all 3 boys around the table.  John fried up some crowd-pleasing chicken tenders and they grubbed hard.

 

That wraps up another week and almost another month.  Hope to see you on the flip side.

Week 12

Welcome back and happy Tuesday. Last week was a full week and John was away for a few days so Justin and I tag teamed on pet duty. The weather was great but work was crazy so I had some longer than normal days that really drained me. Anytime you're working with biological systems you just never really know what they will throw at you next.

Take a peek at last week's pictures:

Day 76- Monday, 3/17/25

Happy St Patrick's Day! 🍀 I wore some green for my work day and John made us green apple martinis as an after dinner drink to celebrate. 

Day 77- Tuesday, 3/18/25

They passed out service awards today for our department and I almost didn't make it to the meeting because we had a hamster emergency that had to be dealt with first which is why I included the cage cards in my picture.  So crazy to think it's been 30 years and what a journey it's been.  I can honestly say I really enjoy my work and am proud that our team's research efforts and services we provide to fight the spread of infectious disease have greatly improved the lives of so many different species of animals.

Day 78- Wednesday, 3/19/25

My boss surprised me with these beautiful flowers today thanking me for my 30 years with her, first as a mentor when she was a student and now as the manager/supervisor of her research program and the OHI Lab.  Back at home we are happy to have our new and improved drip system in.  Next up we need to replace some plants that didn't make it through the heat with the faulty watering system last year.

Day 79- Thursday, 3/20/25

John and Raul left yesterday afternoon for a few days of March Madness basketball in Reno.  It's nice to see they are having fun and so great they can continue the tradition.  They have been going together for probably as many years as I have been working for the university. Here at home all is peaceful and quiet.  Rusty is enjoying some time in the family room as Bailey sleeps.  It's a rare sight to see him relax here when she is in the house but he knows that when she sleep she sleep hard so he can let his guard down for bit then.

 Day 80- Friday, 3/21/25

 Bailey has outgrown her 1st collar and the new one arrived today- same color and pattern but wider and longer.  TGIF!  What a week it has been. Justin made us some espresso martinis to kick off the weekend.  No movie tonight.  I just tried to catch up on home improvement shows I've fallen behind on.

Day 81- Saturday, 3/22/25

Ten years ago Justin asked to visit the UC Davis Raptor Center for his birthday and now he works as a volunteer plus just started collecting data this for his senior research project there.  He spent 4 days including today there this week and will do that again for the next 2 weeks before analyzing results, writing up findings and working up a poster to present in early May.  A cool thing he got to witness this week aside from his project stuff was the adoption of these two fluffy baby owls by a mating pair of owls who just had an egg they've been caring for fail to hatch. So far the adoption is going really well and the adults are being great about protecting of their new fledglings.  Back at home it was a gorgeous day so Bailey and I went on a nice long walk.  There are so many fields in our neighborhood sporting beautiful mustard blooms right now.

Day 82- Sunday, 3/23/25

This morning I pulled together a lasagna I can pop in the oven for dinner later today.  Sundays after dinner we have been watching new episodes for the 2nd season of 1923 which started off a little slow but is definitely picking up some good momentum.

 

That wraps up another week. Only 1 more left in March.  See you in April!

Week 11

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  We're all just plugging along as usual trying to pivot as the weather shifts around and throws us curve balls here an there.  This is such a busy month it feels like it should be over already but we still have a couple weeks to go. 

Until then, here are last week's pictures:

Day 69- Monday, 3/10/25

I started my day out playing with Rusty before heading to work and then at work we are dealing with a bacterial contamination in what should be or "clean" culture room. For now everyone using this room has now switched these lovely disposable lab coats until it gets resolved and they are a bit stiff for my liking but necessary.  We are pretty sure the source was from a student bringing in environmental "dirty" samples in that should have been processed out in our larger main room with dedicated bench space for that kind of work.  Live and learn!

Day 70- Tuesday, 3/11/25

I put in an work order today to have our pool's water-feature wall/jumping ledge repaired.  The mortar holding the stone is failing and we're starting to lose pieces come off.  Now is the perfect time to secure it before  prepping for swim season.

 

Day 71- Wednesday, 3/12/25

Wednesday at work we have big thunder style clouds moving in that will bring another rain system through.  They looked very pretty on campus against the nice blue sky.  Then speaking of failing mortar, I'll be spending some time at multiple dental appointments here to have old fillings replaced that are crumbling.  Apparently they are not meant to last forever. *sigh*

Day 72- Thursday, 3/13/25

Today was a very stormy day and Justin was dealing with the crazy weather while working outside at his rec center job.  Later Bailey and I took advantage of a break in the storm to head out on a walk but still managed to get a little wet towards the end when the rain started up again.  It was also very windy out and made it hard to sleep at night.

 Day 73- Friday, 3/14/25

Happy Pi day!  To celebrate I picked up a couple mini pies for dessert.  It was also Bark Box day for Bailey so she got some fun spring toys and treats.  Tonight's Friday night movie was one I didn't know much about until the Oscars and it was better than I expected.  Kieran Culkin won for best supporting actor in this film.

Day 74- Saturday, 3/15/25

No more rain for now so we had a nice weekend after the mountains got dumped on by snow overnight which is rare for March here but also nice for avoiding a drought this year.  Here in the valley we enjoyed a couple days of nice spring weather which meant I could get more yard work done.  I love seeing all the trees in bloom with so many different colors in my yard and around the neighborhood.  Bailey herself is really enjoying this hard plastic flower chew toy that came from her Bark Box.  It's great that it keeps her so entertained.

Day 75- Sunday, 3/16/25

Lazy Sunday vibes here in between loads of laundry.  Rusty is great at always squeezing in his catnaps usually in Justin's room but today he's back in the office where I'm working on the computer to edit some pictures.  I also started this Netfix series today and so far it's pretty good and based on a true story.

 

Another week come and gone.  Thanks for stopping by and see you in the next one.  

Week 10

Happy Tuesday! The weather last week was so nice and spring like again, but sadly this week will being more rain with flooding.  At least things are in bloom and trees are budding so even with the rain we still get a spring vibe that lifts everyone's mood.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 62- Monday, 3/3/25

Justin and I were chatting when Rusty decided to join the party.  It's peaceful and quiet here in the home office so it seems like a good spot to hang out.

Day 63- Tuesday, 3/4/25

Bailey and I are here at puppy class and are really glad it stays light longer because the drive to get here and back through the winter months was too dark.  Hopefully soon it will also be warm enough to hold class outside again.

Day 64- Wednesday, 3/5/25

I'm baking a tropical carrot cake this afternoon for a birthday celebration at work tomorrow.  It turned out so good I think I'll make another for us at home to enjoy after Easter dinner this year.  Later Survivor was on and then we were excited to start watching a new season of The Amazing Race.  It's been too long and love that their first stop was in Hong Kong.

Day 65- Thursday, 3/6/25

With the longer days now I have light coming into work and today was able to see the front tree lit up with the sun shining through it's paper thin baby leaves. It's great to see the outdoors come alive again.  Inside this is not so great and a sad sign of the times. One of our centers at the One Health Institute got it's contract termination notice this week from USAID and all my colleagues that work for the center signed a farewell shirt to display on their promotional banner. They were doing such great work all over the world and this just so sudden and unnecessary. Thankfully most of the money for our laboratory comes from clinical work in the private sector with just a few research grants here and there which means we're safe for now, but in actuality all the colleges and universities are in danger of not being able to stay open with the loss of so much federal funding.

 Day 66- Friday, 3/7/25

Wanna play mom? Huh, huh, huh?!  She misses me so much during my work day that she just can't get enough of me when I get home.  Such a sweet girl and I don't mind unwinding from my day or week with some puppy snuggles and a few rounds of fetch.  TGIF!  Our Friday night movie was an older one from 2023 I had never heard of until it was released recently for streaming and it was a good watch.

Day 67- Saturday, 3/8/25

John decided it was warm enough to give Bailey a bath today and it was indeed warm in the mid 70's so she could dry nicely outside in the sunshine.  I'm telling you that lick mat with peanut butter on it is like gold in helping to get her stay put and enjoy the process.  Otherwise, today we spent time in the yard again. This time we were pruning bushes and checking out all the new leaf buds on our trees.

Day 68- Sunday, 3/9/25

Only another week until St. Patrick's day so I made sure to get my wreath hung on the door and later, after more yard work. John made chicken wings for Sunday dinner with the 2 local boys.  Brandon will be home on spring break in a few weeks.  Can't wait to have them all home together for a bit.

 

That wraps up another full week.  Thanks for stopping by.