Week 26

Hello and happy Tuesday!  June has been a busy and full month which was a welcomed change from our stuck at home SIP boredom and now we're wrapping it up and prepping for July.  I just wish this COVID mess would get better instead of worse.  It's sad to see us heading back into shutting things down and maybe even more isolation.  Ugh!  Wear those mask people and be mindful of social distancing even with small family and friend gatherings.  It does help!

Here are last week pictures:

Day 174- Monday, 6/22/20

Rusty likes to roll and look all cute right here on this very spot just before dinner time. I think he thinks it might help him get fed a little earlier.  Umm, sorry--no!

Day 175- Tuesday, 6/23/20

Tyler made us chicken quesadillas for dinner tonight and they were fantastic. We're in week 2 of the kids making dinner and it's still a big success. We also got to review and gain to access Tyler's professional graduation pictures taken during his final moments on campus.  We may not have gotten the graduation we dreamed of but we did get some amazing pictures that gave us closure and a good ending to an otherwise challenging graduation year.  These are just a small sampling of so many wonderful shots captured by the talented Stanley Wu.  

Day 176- Wednesday, 6/24/20

It's Brandon's night to make dinner and he decided on orange chicken with rice--one of his favorites. Next week he's asked to learn how to grill burgers.

Day 177- Thursday, 6/25/20

The heat has been relentless and there isn't much relief in sight.  It's early evening and still in the 90's.  The sprinklers help some but not enough.  You can see a couple trees dying in the background from too many drought years.  *Sigh*  One of those used to be my favorite.  At least there are these new purple beauties that just started to bloom.  They live in a shady place so they still look fresh and happy unlike a lot of my other flowers that are currently baking in the sun as buds before they even get to bloom.

Day 178- Friday, 6/26/20

Here are some other flowers that don't mind the heat.  They are drought resistant and as I was in the yard fussing around I noticed that they matched my top.  Bella and I also went for an evening walk and took a small break resting in the shade.  Her tongue just so happens to be the same color as my top as well.  Haha!

Day 179- Saturday, 6/27/20

And now the world is dealing with a huge dust storm?! This is something hasn't been seen in 50 yrs time and of course it comes back in 2020.  I'm afraid to ask what's next.  At least with us being on the west coast it should not affect us here but other states especially on the east coast and gulf areas are not so lucky.  In other news today, I finally started that puzzle I wanted to start back in March and after dinner we all watched the latest Jumanji movie together which was better than I expected and fun for all.

Day 180- Sunday, 6/28/20

Lazy days of summer.  I'm actually glad the boys can relax and recharge this summer.  It's been a trying year.  With the heat we've had the dog sleeping inside downstairs and usually one of the boys joins her.  Last night that was Justin and it was sweet to find him still asleep here by her side this morning.  Later I picked the first couple tomatoes off our vines.  They have a great red color inside and out that you don't see with the ones in the store.  One thing about tomato plants is that the thrive in heat so they are perfect to grow here. In fact there are many tomato farms around and it's not unusual in the summer months to see tomatoes on the freeway that have fallen from the harvest trucks.

That's it!  See you next month in July!  Have a happy and safe 4th!

Week 25

Hello and welcome back! Last week was another eventful week with a full house and a fun weekend planned. We're still mostly staying home and not putting ourselves out there especially since cases are rising again. Thankfully even the college boys are ok and better yet used to that which makes things easier. It also gives us more time to catch up and be together making up for lost time. It's been hot and keeps getting hotter for more days at a time, but still it's early summer so the beauty of spring continues to shine. I feel a need to capture that before the heat becomes too much and things start to dye off for the dry season. Sadly it will fade fast.

Here are last week's pictures full of a lot of natural goodness:

Day 167- Monday, 6/15/20

Sometime back in the day someone told me not to forget to look up. Today the sky is full of an interesting cloud pattern and I'm grateful I looked up to see and capture it. Later it's the first night of a summer trend where the boys will take turns planning and cooking dinner. Justin starts us off  with grilled ham and cheese sandwiches accompanied by soup.   It was very windy and a bit chilly out so this meal was exactly what we needed.

Day 168- Tuesday, 6/16/20

Today as I look down I see Rusty in a place he rarely sits.  I think he's a bit put out by the new mess of shoes from having extra boys home.  He doesn't like things out of place, but this will be the new normal for a bit so he'll adjust.  Tyler decided to do Taco Tuesday for his dinner night which of course we all enjoyed very much.  The two older boys cook a lot so they are comfortable in the kitchen.  Brandon is the one who is not so thrilled about the idea.  He likes to help me bake but has never really cooked much.

Day 169- Wednesday, 6/17/20

Wednesday at work, first thing in the morning, I had to run between buildings and these low-lying, huge leaves caught my eye in the early light.  Campus is still very quiet and peaceful. I can enjoy my lonely start without a mask and then must wear one the rest of the day as others trickle in.  Mostly I'm caring for cultures these days, keeping up with producing antigen slides and testing clinical samples as needed.  I save meetings and desk work for my remote days.  Tonight I cooked and made a spaghetti dinner.

Day 170- Thursday, 6/18/20

This heat is a bit much.  Our a/c is working overtime especially with so many at home.  The pool looks as inviting as ever and today while in the house the light shining through these flowers caught my eye so I had to run out and capture that.  It's almost like their lit on fire and the effect is intensified by the blue of the sky and pool in the background. It's true that I don't really care to go in the pool, but I do love the sight of it and often go out to visit especially when I need a refreshing visual break from the inside of my house or a computer screen.  Brandon made chicken and waffles for dinner tonight and I was so busy helping that I forgot his picture--Ugh--next week!  It went well though and he had fun and a good attitude so our first week was a huge success.  It also gives me more one-on-one time with each of them which is an added bonus I hadn't thought about at first.

Day 171- Friday, 6/19/20

Happy Friday!  Someone brought in these beautiful summer flowers to share in the common room at work and they immediately brightened my day.  That created a fresh start and then there was the heat which made the rest of the day feel sluggish and sticky.  Rusty is over it and is just barely dealing.    He's just flopped there waiting for the sun to go down and I'm right there with him. 

Day 172- Saturday, 6/20/20

Bella, Justin, and I went for a long walk on the levee over by the wetland today.  We saw some great wildlife sightings out there and tried to enjoy a decent breeze but it was still too warm for that long of a walk.  Later as the sun dropped and things started to cool Brandon and Tyler decided to play basketball together as Justin looked on. It's been awhile for both boys since they've played.  All the park courts and hoops have been closed or taken down for almost 3 months.  At least now they have a hoop here and a partner to play with.

Day 173- Sunday, 6/21/20

Happy Father's Day!  We're so grateful to have John who is a wonderful father to these boys, and it's so nice be able to celebrate with everyone home.  We made homemade pizza together, the guys brawled in the pool, and then we enjoyed ice-cream cookie sandwiches.  We missed out on these Diddy Riese style treats when in LA so we made our own at home as John requested. Oh my gosh--they were so good and perfect on a summer evening!

That's it!  See you next week as we  start to wrap up a very full June.

Week 24

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  Last week was a very full and productive week and now we can hopefully look forward to a fun summer with a full house.  We're going to try to at least go camping since the parks are opening back up and of course continue to enjoy our backyard and pool in the heat plus all the boys are tying to find work and further their studies.  Let summer being!

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 160- Monday, 6/8/20

  It can't be summer without some corn on the cob.  We had oven roasted chicken and some corn on the cob for dinner tonight.

Day 161- Tuesday 6/9/20

Finally! I ordered this puzzle back in March when the quarantine started and just got it today of course as SIP has been lifted and work activities are now ramping up.

Day 162- Wednesday, 6/10/20

He finished the last of his finals today so we put up the yard sign.  It was also used in a shout-out video clip we were asked to submit for our student which was fun to do especially since the younger kids could be involved. Unfortunately they can't join us to celebrate with Tyler in a couple days.

Day 163- Thursday, 6/11/20

I had a zoom meeting today and was the first one there so here I am waiting for everyone else to show up.  LOL!  Then after I finished with my remote work it was time to pack for our trip to LA which made the pets nervous. They don't like seeing suitcases coming out because they know it means we're leaving them and Rusty just couldn't deal--head plant!  They will be happy to discover tomorrow that the boys are staying home with them.

Day 164- Friday, 6/12/20

It's Tyler's official college graduation day and we made the long drive down to celebrate with him and help him pack up to move home.  Not the way we envisioned this moment but we made the most of it just the same complete with a delivered sushi feast and champagne toast enjoyed among moving boxes. Congrats Tyler!

Day 165- Saturday, 6/13/20

Another long day loading everything up, cleaning the apartment and hauling everything home.  He's happy to be back and we're happy to have him at least for a bit.  Covid-19 completely derailed all his lined up job opportunities so time to re-group.

Day 166- Sunday, 6/14/20

It was so nice to have one more weekend day where we could actually relax before heading back to work after such an exhausting quick trip to LA and back.  We were calling it our extraction mission.  Now the brothers 3 are back together again enjoying some Ben & Jerry's and a night-time brawl in the pool.  It's been awhile since we've seen all their swim towels out at once.

Whew!  That's it.  See you next week hopefully with more summer fun in the books.

Week 23

Welcome back and happy Tuesday! For the most part all the looting and violent activities have settled down thanks to curfews which has also allowed the more peaceful marches and protests to shine. Hopefully we continue to work at improving our relationships and mindset in this country for the greater good. The weather here seems to be in a pattern of a few really hots days mid week and then much cooler weekend days sometimes with added crazy wind. We all wish the hotter days would happen over the weekend instead so we could play in the pool and be outdoors more. It's that time of year when you really need to check the news to find out what the weather is up to so you can dress accordingly and hopefully temps will even out soon so we can just enjoy our summer. It is June after all!

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 153- Monday, 6/1/20

Here we go starting June and who thought we'd still be dealing with trying to escape COVID-19.  Slowly things are reopening.  Next up hair salons, gyms, daycare centers, and some attractions but at reduced levels and with many precautions to prevent a second surge. Justin was kind enough to pose with my monthly marker and he did finally hear this week from his college that he will be able to return to campus with housing for the fall.  We're not exactly sure what that will look like yet but at least we know he can go.  They were one of the only Cal State schools that was granted this ability because of their low case incidence and their heavily used learn-by-doing style of teaching which obviously does not work well remotely.

Day 154- Tuesday, 6/2/20

Finally! Brandon has had his driving permit for 3 months now and is just now able to take his first official lesson required to actually make the permit active. He had to wear gloves, a mask and have his temperature taken but it's all good--I'm glad they are being careful. Also today because the riots and looting have still been bad our city joined many others in setting a curfew until further notice.  Unreal times indeed.

Day 155- Wednesday, 6/3/20

Today was Brandon's last day of 10th grade and it's over 100 out so we decided to make popsicles with various juices and drinks we had in the house to celebrate. Yum!

Day 156- Thursday, 6/4/20

Yay!- He can drive out around town now and not just in parking lots and deserted industrial warehouse roads.   He needs to clock some serious driving hours to make up for lost time.  Today he drove us home from dropping off his high school books.  They were give appointment times for this to help with social distancing but even so he was able to see some of his friends for the first time in over 3 months.

Day 157- Friday, 6/5/20

Today was a much cooler day so after work I curled up to watch some TV under a blanket and dozed off for a short nap.  When I woke up I found this cute critter had joined me.  Later Brandon's basketball coach messaged him to say he had left team pictures at the door.  I wondered if we were ever go to get these.  Basketball seems like forever ago now.  LOL! Oh yeah and the curfew has been lifted for the weekend.  Now let's hope it can stay that way.

Day 158- Saturday, 6/6/20

Here is something we are not ready to see--the start of fire season in California especially on a windy day.  There's a fire about 40 miles west of us and the wind today brought the smoke right into our valley slightly covering the sun which cast this orange glow all over.  It was a bit eerie and I could smell it too as I took Bella for her evening walk.  On a lighter note it's the maiden voyage of my new kicks.  The old ones after 5+ years finally broke with a hole so it was time for a new pair.

Day 159- Sunday, 6/7/20

This morning I was working in the home office paying bills and doing stuff on the computer.  Bella likes to keep me company in here but she also likes to see what else is going on in the rest of the house so she positions her self accordingly. After I was done there I had Brandon drive me to the store so we could pick up a couple things for dinner.  He'll be my chauffeur for the next few months to practice his driving and I'm ok with that.  It's good to see him getting out of the house.

That's it!  See you next week as we start to enjoy having a full house again.  Tyler is coming home after he graduates Friday.  Those college year sure do fly by fast!