Week 27

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a good and safe 4th of July.  Ours was pretty quiet trying to keep our pup calm.  She's not a fan of fireworks.  Other than that all is well.

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

Day 181- Monday, 6/30/25

 It was very pleasant out today and not too hot so we took a nice long walk through the park.  One of the trees had a new interesting bloom and along one side of the park the trees are getting so big they are starting to grow together over the sidewalk and form a tree tunnel which is kind of cool to go through plus provides great shade.

Day 182- Tuesday, 7/1/25

Welcome to July!  Today is not as cool as yesterday was and when I'm home for lunch this is my go-to hot summer mid-day meal--cool and refreshing.

Day 183- Wednesday, 7/2/25

Wednesday at work from Davis to Colombia!  As I entered the building today I noticed these interesting clouds off to the side.  I think we have a chance of thunderstorms developing for this evening.  Later I received a text with an this image of our team in Colombia transferring some disease testing technology there.  Two of them are our vet students visiting on a summer internship, one is our faculty member giving a workshop there and the other is a Colombian faculty member hosting them who was here with us last summer.  I trained them all on the lab techniques they will setting up down there to collect data for a collaborative research project and hopefully next year I get to go on a similar trip there to help wrap up the project. The background in their picture is very fitting too since the disease they are testing for is spread by those critters.

Day 184- Thursday, 7/3/25

Rusty and Bailey still don't really get along very well since she wants to chase him but she is getting better at just watching him from a far when he is brave enough to come downstairs in the gated area.  Rusty also doesn't like it when Justin give Bailey attention and will protest vocally but safely from the stairs.  LOL!

  

Day 185- Friday, 7/4/25

 Happy 4th of July!  It's a weird one.  Seems odd to be celebrating our independence in a time when that very thing is being quickly taken away from us.  We love our country but do not love they way it is being managed right now.  Cheers to better times for us getting back to being a united and not divided nation.  Like I said before we kept things low key tonight comforting Bailey through the firework noise.  We watched this movie as she hid between some pillows and me while wearing a comfort/stress reducing vest.

Day 186- Saturday, 7/5/25

4th of July festivities continue.  The boys were working yesterday so we had dinner with our traditional cake tonight so they could join and watched a movie after.

Day 187- Sunday, 7/6/25

It's a chill Sunday.  Justin took this picture of Rusty just before heading out on a sunrise hike where he got these other cool neighborhood pictures.  Later we had some friends from the bay area come up here fore an A's vs Giants baseball game and we met up with them to have drinks before the game.  John and I went to college with Deb well over 30 years ago and we've managed to keep in touch through the years which has been great.

 

That's wraps up another week and hope to see you all in the next one as we wiz through a new month.

Week 26

Hello, happy Tuesday, and welcome to July!  Yikes--there is a lot happening in July every single week so I'm not sure I'm ready for all of it, but I will try to take one day at a time.

Until then, see how we ended our last full week in June:

Day 174- Monday, 6/23/25

Since we had a lot of left overs the past few days it was time to change things up a bit. I made tortellini and John make bacon wrapped shrimp for dinner paired with a nice cool salad and some cheesy bread.  It was a great way to kick of the week.

Day 174- Tuesday, 6/24/25

After doing some remote computer work today I had an afternoon annual eye exam to get my prescription updated and pick out some new frames.  They should be here next week and can't wait because I lost my current pair and am trying to survive with just readers now. I need my progressive lens back!  Later at dog training we worked on a "down stay" in the cool grass.  They had to stay for at least 2 minutes and actually all did pretty well.  They look so relaxed here.

Day 176- Wednesday, 6/25/25

Wed at work we only had one lonely sample to run today but that's ok because then there is more time to catch up on other things like fixing and boxing the slides we made last week.  Back at home we started watching season 3 of The Bear which just dropped.

Day 177- Thursday, 6/26/25

Today after work I checked out another dog boarding place that is a similar to Wag in what they offer but on a smaller scale which is more Bailey's style and at a Vet Clinic which adds an extra layer care if needed. Plus it's 1/2 the price.  I liked what I saw and the staff was great so we booked the dates for her to stay here during our Maui trip in August.  For dinner tonight it was too hot to turn on the oven but there was a nice breeze outside so John gilled some burgers for us.  Thank goodness our backyard is shaded in afternoon and evenings 

 

Day 178- Friday, 6/27/25

TGIF!  It was a super hot one today hitting triple digits and when Bailey is hot this is how she likes to lay or "splay" on the cool floors.  I also got some new flipflops delivered today that will be perfect for summer and on the beaches in Maui. 🌴

Day 179- Saturday, 6/28/25

Today I ventured out to Nugget Market so I could stock up on groceries for the week as well as 4th of July potential menu items.  Later I had some bills to pay while in the office and Rusty came to visit me.  I know he really wants me to join him on the couch but I need to get some work done first and then we can chill together.

Day 180- Sunday, 6/29/25

Today was a chore day in the morning while it was still cool out and then later it was all about pet time. Bailey and I went for a walk in the shaded park and played some ball inside under the ceiling fan while Rusty found a cool spot in a closet where he could hang with Justin.  Justin calls this Rusty's parking spot and it fits him perfectly.

That's pretty much wraps up June. Check back next week to see how we kick off July and have a happy and safe 4th!

Week 25

Welcome back and happy Tuesday! I'm getting caught up and back on track.  What a start to our summer and now we're looking at 4th of July right around the corner.  Every week in July is already booked with stuff too.  It's a lot but also a lot of good and fun things to come.

Until then here are the pictures from last week:

Day 167- Monday, 6/16/25

 I didn't have time to make it to the store over the weekend so after work today I tried to kick off the week with a shopping trip to stock up on items for meal plan options that will get us through the rest of the days.  Ideally I like avoid multiple trips to the store throughout the work week.

Day 168- Tuesday, 6/17/25

Today we are at a different type of store after work.  The Ace Hardware store in Woodland welcomed our dog training class back.  The dogs love it here and it really is a great way to help teach them to behave even with detractions.  Bailey loves the garden area and the of course the pet aisles.  Her least favorite part is the automatic door but she's getting the hang of it.

Day 169- Wednesday, 6/18/25

Wednesday at work one of my international grad students stopped by to give me a thank you gift for helping him complete his MPVM (Master of Preventative Veterinary Medicine) program.  It's a beautiful hand painted plate from his home country of Costa Rica.  That was very nice and thoughtful of him.  Then later I got to demo a new toy for the lab that has the potential to make our slide production process more efficient while helping improve ergonomics by reducing strain from repetitive motions while pipetting. 

Day 170- Thursday, 6/19/25

I was off today for the Juneteenth holiday and thankfully Rusty was adamant about helping me relax.  I also had the time to book an upcoming vacation to Maui for end of August.  We'll be staying in the Wailea area but will of course venture out to explore other parts of the island.  We've been to Oahu and Kauai but not Maui before.  Super excited!  This will be our first real vacation trip in 3 years.

  

Day 171- Friday, 6/20/25

Having yesterday off was a nice break but made for a long work day today.  We had to mass produce more slides, and because the weekend is up next, something we would normally do in 2 days had to get done all today.  First step was spinning down our antigen and now the rest is history with over 800 slides made using our new toy which took some getting used to but did help a lot once we got the hang of it.  After all that it was nice to get outside to see and feel the gorgeous day.  On my walk to the car I was able to capture a few good shots of these beautiful wild sunflowers that are now seen all over the valley--they're a sure sign of summer around here.

Day 172- Saturday, 6/21/25

This week we also got a work trip booked for end of July.  I get to present a poster for one of my grad students who has been advised not to travel out of the country (sad sign of the times), but I'm more than happy to help because this will be a fun conference to attend with a lot of our colleagues going and in an amazing cooler place to be instead of stuck here in the hot valley.  In other news, Bailey is hoping I have some leftover chicken from my lunch to share with her, but sorry pup, this bowl is empty.

Day 173- Sunday, 6/22/25

Today we were at Lafayette Reservoir for a picnic with our bay area friends.  It was a nice cooler day and we had a good spot with lots of shade right by the water.  This place is hopping on the weekends.  There is a nice paved 3 mile loop trail around the lake that a lot of people take advantage of.  It was great to see so many people of all ages out walking with their dogs, kids and friends.  We on the other hand mostly ate and drank--LOL!

That's it for now and hope to see you back next week.

Week 24

Hello!  Busy, busy times so running late with the latest post.

Here are the last week's pictures:

Day 160- Monday, 6/9/25

 It's the dawn of a new week and as I pulled into my parking spot at work the rising sun shining through the leaves caught my eye.  Later, back at home, I found Rusty napping in the office on top of the back couch cushions.  He usually naps upstairs on Justin's bed, but it's hot out this week so napping downstairs is cooler for him.

Day 161- Tuesday, 6/10/25

Today was a really long work day. I'm usually working remote Tuesdays but there is just too many things going on in person that I need to be there for and now I usually have to stay later in the day as well. At least our shipment of Babesia blood went out on time and I will get a break from that project for a few weeks anyway.  Since today was so much and so long already we had to skip puppy class in the evening but over the weekend Bailey did receive another BARK Box (someone missed the cancel date) so I opened that for her to make up for not being able to see her friends. 

Day 162- Wednesday, 6/11/25

Wednesday at work I'm back on the microscope, moving from one project to the next, and bulking up to produce antigen slides.

Day 163- Thursday, 6/12/25

Ice-cream cones are perfect for hot summer nights.  We're enjoying them while wrapping up the second season of Andor on Disney+.  Bailey quietly napping nearby being a good girl and not begging for our treats.

Day 164- Friday, 6/13/25

TGIF!  This was a long and brutal week so I'm glad it's over.  Thankfully there was a good cool breeze so I was able to Take Bailey on a nice long walk where we came across this plant in a new pretty bloom.  Justin also shared these cute pictures of Rusty with me.

Day 165- Saturday, 6/14/25

We're making the most of Father's Day weekend by taking John out to a movie today and having homemade pizza for dinner tonight.  It was great that Tyler and Lupe could join us for the movie and will be back tomorrow for a Father's Day brunch.

Day 166- Sunday, 6/15/25

Happy Father's Day!  We are so grateful for John and all he does as a dad. The boys made pancakes and sausage for a special brunch and then one had to head to work and the other was headed off to his in-laws to join their Father's Day celebration. Later, when Justin returned from work, we ended the day with a special cake for dessert.  I hope everyone else also had a great family day or weekend.

That's all and see you in a few days as we head into the the final weeks of June.