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.