Week 13

Happy Tuesday and welcome back! I hope you and yours are all safe. My heart goes out to New York, all medical staff, and others hit hard by this pandemic. We're bracing here in California for the worst and hoping LA doesn't soon look like New York. Makes me nervous having a kid still in LA. Just breathe, stay home, love your family and let's beat this thing.  

Here are last week's pictures as we continue to spend the majority of our time at home:

Day 83- Monday, 3/23/20

I'm trying to only go to the store once a week and continue to eat healthy but the fresh items can be hard to find.  Sadly Target where I usually shop was almost completely out of produce and milk today.  The only thing I found there were the grapes but thankfully Nugget was fully stocked with even better quality produce so I loaded up.

Day 84- Tuesday, 3/24/20

I'm working at home today answering emails, sorting out sample delivery logistics, attending zoom meetings and updating safety and training books for inspections that will happen after all this is over. At least it's a nice day and I can retreat to my backyard when I need a break, fresh air, and change of scenery.  I like how these flowers ready to bloom just pop as white floating dots against the leaves. 

Day 85- Wednesday, 3/25/20

It's a bit cold and windy out today plus I need something besides computer work to help engage my housebound teen--making cookies did the trick.  He's always eager to help in the kitchen when baked goods are involved.  The store only had these enlarged dark chocolate chips which I've never seen before so we went with them and they worked perfectly--I'd say even better than the originals. 

Day 86- Thursday, 3/26/20

I had to work in the lab so was gone most of the day and this guy missed me.  He's getting used to us being home more.  It's not quite cold enough for him to sit on my lap but he found his way behind me to get as close as he could and if he gets any closer he'll be falling off.  LOL- social distancing is not his thing.

Day 87- Friday, 3/27/20

It's been a stressful week for John back at work troubleshooting how to function under current conditions, but now it's Friday so he can cut loose and unwind by playing some tunes and then binge watching the new season of Ozark with me.

Day 88- Saturday, 3/28/20

It rained earlier today but the sun is shining right now and it feels good to be able to get outside when we can.  Outside at home I've got many pretty flowers blooming around the beautiful blue of the pool and outside where Justin is he's got these grand redwoods with easily accessed hiking trails right off campus. Nature sure helps calm and heal all.  I'm grateful for that!

Day 89- Sunday, 3/29/20

Since I'm stuck at home I might as well bang through the laundry.  Bella is my helper keeping me company.  She likes resting in this home-office room since it's the only room left downstairs with comfortable carpet to lay on.  I like to fold laundry in here so I can easily watch Netflix shows while I work through it.

That's it!  See you next week and continue to stay home so we can flatten the curve.  I know it's hard but we can do this and will get through it stronger than ever.

Week 12

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  It is Tuesday, right?  With so many day-to-day changes and schedules turned upside down it's hard to keep track.  I hope you all are safe and finding creative way get through and maybe even enjoy this shelter-in-place time.  We had a full week last week adjusting to different levels of confinement.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 76- Monday, 3/16/20

It's a rainy, cold, and dark start to my work week.  Campus is pretty much closed expect for non-essential employees.  It's like a ghost town here but that is ok because I need to go into the lab at least 2 days a week to care for cultures and set up any critical clinical samples so the less people I run into the better. Thankfully I can work from home on neglected computer related efforts the rest of the week.  After work while checking mail it appears the 2020 census has arrived and it was super easy to log on and bang that out.

Day 77- Tuesday, 3/17/20

I did have to run into the lab today as well in prep for consolidating lab work.  There were just a few loose ends to tie up.  On my way back home I stopped by McDonald's for Shamrock shakes on this St. Patty's Day.  It was all done by drive thru as now our restaurants have been converted to take-out only.  It's so strange to see all the tables pushed aside and chairs pulled up in an effort to keep people from staying--grab and go only!

Day 78- Wednesday, 3/18/20

Thankfully Brandon's teachers are on it and have lessons planned for him all organized through google classroom which his school has been using for a few years now making this transition easy for students and teachers alike.  The art page to go with the book his English class just finished was due at midnight last night and I'm grateful for the daily workouts and worksheets his PE teacher has provided.  No word from the Math teacher about work though which seems odd.  In other news: UCLA just announced cancelled graduation that will now be virtual--exactly how does that work?  Ugh!

Day 79- Thursday, 3/19/20

When nothing seems normal right now might as well go with the flow and have breakfast for dinner plus Neapolitan ice-cream cake for dessert.  Haha!  Justin's choice as we are doing an early celebration for his upcoming birthday before he heads back to Humboldt. In other news: as things change quickly--UCLA students petition for alternatives to the virtual graduation ceremonies and the school listened so they are now polling students and asking for suggestions.  Looks like they may just postpone in person graduation to a later date.  Fingers crossed!

Day 80- Friday, 3/20/20

This is my second day working from home getting used to what I can and cannot do and what I need to look into to make it a bit easier.  We're all on shelter-in-place orders now for the whole state and not just locally by city or county as before. I sure hope this helps.  Luckily it was a beautiful day out so I did get some fresh air as I took Bella on a nice long isolated walk. In other news: Brandon's first official driving lesson was cancelled along with his dentist appointment.  Both of which will be a nightmare to find a new date for.  At least his neuro appointment was switched to a phone appointment.

Day 81- Saturday, 3/21/20

Justin is saying good-bye to Bella and us as he heads back to Humboldt where he will keep himself isolated while doing online classes and working by fielding calls and emails about IT questions.  The train and bus were mostly empty so he arrived 2 hours ahead of schedule.  It was nice to hear he was able to travel while still social distancing.  His dorm roommate is not returning so he has the room to himself and felt he could focus and be most productive there.  I get that and agree even though it's hard to see him go.  Tyler is doing that same thing in his apartment at UCLA but was just informed yesterday that his campus job is suspended until further notice.  He too is the only one left in the living space so he has a nice big apartment all to himself where he can focus and study not only for classes but also for MCATs that we are hoping don't get cancelled as well.  Ugh!  so many things up in the air.  Makes your mind race.  In other news: still working with travel insurance to get Tyler's cancelled flights to Ecuador refunded.

Day 82- Sunday, 3/22/20

I'm taking a break from cleaning and enjoying the last of the banana bread Justin made for us while he was home.  Of course I've got my beggar boy chattering below and trying to make himself seen.  Not sure exactly why he's begging for banana bread.  He usually only begs for meat. In other news: we all now have our taxes done.  The boys of course get refunds and we of course must pay out.

Wait!  One more:

March's Family Photo

We're happy to be able to include Justin this month right before he leaves us again.




OK!  All done.  Continue to isolate and stay safe.  We all hope the end to this pandemic happens soon.

Week 11

Hello and welcome back! What a crazy week last week was with things changing day-to-day regarding this dang virus. So many plans cancelled and things up in the air about kid's at school--college and primary. Even local businesses and our jobs are trying to adjust to these drastic measures we must take to prevent the spread of disease. I hope all of you are safe. That is the most important thing. We are also trying to keep light hearted and just enjoy our time together.

Here's a peek at how last week went down:

Day 69- Monday, 3/9/20

The dog and I had a wonderful fresh-air afternoon walk.  The mustard fields around here are in full bloom--one of my favorite things about March.

Day 70- Tuesday, 3/10/20

Things with this virus are getting real.  Tyler found out today classes will start to be on-line then his spring break medical service trip to Ecuador got cancelled, but he and his roomies have this cute pup to help them keep their spirits up.  "Rocky" beat Parvo virus last month and now he'll help these boys survive Corona virus.  Back at home it was a perfect day for a Booster's fundraiser that allowed us to have dinner delivered as we processed all the new changes that were happening in our lives.

Day 71- Wednesday, 3/11/20

When the world has turned upside down sometimes you just have to take over the dogs bed and enjoy a nice long nap to process it all.  At least someone is getting some sleep.

Day 72- Thursday, 3/12/20

These new baby leaves are so green and pretty in the sunlight.  I'm glad the trees out back are sprouting leaves again.  I'm tired of looking at sticks.

Day 73- Friday, 3/13/20

TGIF!  It's super windy and cold out because a huge storm is coming in.  I missed my morning coffee so I'm having afternoon tea to warm me up.  I hit the store on the way home and the shelves are bare.  These are the items everyone is hoarding plus hand sanitizer, rice, bread, water, and canned goods. Thankfully I have what I need at home already.  Let's not all panic people.  You don't need to stockpile toilet paper of all things.  Just buy what you need for about a month so everyone can also have what they need.  Now the latest breaking news for us--Justin's college is moving to on-line instructions as well and Brandon's school is shut down for 3 or more weeks.  Plus John is super sad all pro sports are cancelled and there will no March Madness this year.

Day 74- Saturday, 3/14/20

Look who's home!  Justin made it just in time for the end of Pi Day.  We picked him up from the train station and he'll be home for a week on spring break before returning to school to do his on-line classes there.

Day 75- Sunday, 3/15/20

We've had rain the past 2 days which has made it easy to stay home and social distance like suggested.  We did go out to get Justin a haircut and stopped by the store to buy him some socks.  I also thought it might be nice to pick up a couple cans of soup but of course many shelves are still empty.  This of course is the TP aisle--why?  This is not a diarrheal disease.  There is no need to stock pile toilet paper people.  *sigh*

That's it!  See you next week as we navigate the world in a more cautious and reclusive way.

Week 10

Welcome back and happy Tuesday! I still can't believe it's March already but that means spring breaks are coming up and Justin gets to come home in a few days which will be fun. Of course all 3 kids have 3 different breaks so we can't all be off together but we'll still make the most of each.  Hopefully the Coronavirus COVID-19 won't ruin too many of our plans or schooling especially for the college kids. Wash your hands often and stay safe but don't panic and create hysteria.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 62- Monday, 3/2/20

How about we start the week by making a wish? These beauties really light up during the golden hour and are just begging to be picked for a wish or two.

Day 63- Tuesday, 3/3/20

It's Super Tuesday and I voted! -- by mail two weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised to find a sticker included with my ballot.  I always felt left out on election day seeing everyone with a sticker that I didn't have because I voted by mail but seems they fixed that so now I can represent today as well.

Day 64- Wednesday, 3/4/20

It's really nice out--80 degrees nice! so after work  I spent as much time outside as possible before heading to a very long Booster's meeting.  When I returned after dark the temps drop considerably and everyone at home was in sweatshirts.  I think a storm is brewing.

Day 65- Thursday, 3/5/20

Time for happy hour with the girls from work for drinks and appetizers outside in downtown Davis.  The vibe is buzzing here which was nice to see since social distancing is supposed to be a thing and it was great to catch up with co-workers past and present. 

Day 66- Friday, 3/6/20

Today my boss took me out for lunch, yummy Thai food, to celebrate my 25 yrs of service with her.  Then she took me to a local art gallery and bought me this beautiful stained glass dragonfly as a gift.  I love it especially the way it shines in the sunlight.  Now to find the perfect window to hang it in my house.  Later while walking the dog I saw these new flowers in bloom and the colors reminded me of  the ribbons on my gift box.

Day 67- Saturday, 3/7/20

Remember the storm brewing--it's here!  I think it's been something like 40 days since we've had rain so this is actually a welcomed event.  There's not really any wind and it's not really cold so that makes it even more bearable and perfectly fine.

Day 68- Sunday, 3/8/20

I spent most the morning inside doing chores while Rusty kept me company and the day was still gloomy and grey but then in the late afternoon the clouds cleared and the sun shone bright.  I was happy to get out and see that the rain had not ruined the blooms on our tree out front.  It's full on spring now and hopefully soon those higher temps will be more frequent and help kill off that dang virus.

That's it!  Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you next week healthy and well.

Week 9

Welcome back and welcome to March! Seriously, how is it March already?  I have a feeling it's going to be a busy and full month with a little crazy thrown in.  At least February is over and ended well with lots of reasons to smile. 😊

Take a look at our last week of the month:

Day 55- Monday, 2/24/20

This is not a bad way to start the day with a little love in your cereal bowl.  These Cheerio hearts are too cute and make me smile.  This is also not a bad way to end the day.  Over the weekend John put up some lights out back which create a nice relaxing atmosphere.

Day 56- Tuesday, 2/25/20

At work I'm testing hundreds of serum samples mostly from horses for 3 different side projects but also from random marine mammals and zoo animals like rhinos and tapirs.  Go figure!  And look at this sample label--how cute is it that they have a little monk seal face printed there.  I've never seen that before, but I hope to see more and from other animal types as well because this most certainly put a smile on my face.

Day 57- Wednesday, 2/26/20

My typical lunch once I get home from work and the carnivore that's always circling below hoping a piece of salmon might make it's way to the floor.  Brandon's not so typical dinner.  I promised him pancakes yesterday for National Pancake Day but totally forgot so I made it up to him today which put a smile on his face.

Day 58- Thursday, 2/27/20

Yep--we actually went out on a Thursday night.  Today and only today Burgers and Brew had a limited pour release of a newly brewed beer that John wanted to try so we made a night of it and had dinner there as well.  Brandon was with us and took the picture.  As you can see this put a smile on John's face.

Day 59- Friday, 2/28/20

The weather has been nice and warm and many more trees are in bloom that look great against the clear blue sky.  I can't help but smile when I seem dormant plants start to come to life.  It's also great to see John at work leading his team.  Thankfully on of the team members snap a picture to share with him so we could see him in action.

Day 60- Saturday, 2/29/20

Brandon is leaping into a new month with a crooked smile on his face after getting his learner's permit today.  Now he can start driving lessons.  It's time to get the final kid behind the wheel and on the road.  Later John made a batch of chicken wings for dinner and as you can see he's all bundled up.  The wind picked up and the temps dropped.  Bye-bye nice spring weather.  It looks like March will be coming in like a lion.

Day 61- Sunday, 3/1/20

Happy March!  It looks sunny and warm out as I pose with the monthly marker in front of some blooming flowers but it's actually really windy, very cold, and mostly cloudy.  It's still dry though so it seemed like a good day to let Brandon learn the basics in an empty parking lot.  He tried to act like he wasn't excited to start driving but the smile on his face said other wise.

Wait!  One more:

February's Family Photo

Taken the last day in February on a leap year during family dinner and we're all smiles for some chicken wings and fries!

That's a wrap!  Hope to See you next week.