week 7

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  That polar vortex that swept across the country last week sure was something. I know my family in Texas had a hard time and are still dealing with the aftermath.  Thankfully all was quiet here in California, and the plants continue to bloom as if spring is upon us.  I'll take it and bask in the sunshine while I can. 

Now for last week's pictures:

Day 46- Monday 2/15/21

Since yesterday was Valentine's Day with John and I having an at home date night and today is the President's day holiday we decided to do our family Sunday dinner tonight.  We made pizza and a Valentine's dessert to share with the boys. 

Day 47- Tuesday, 2/16/21

Bella decided to join me for yoga today.  I think she finds it relaxing or maybe amusing.  LOL! I also got my new succulents planted in their now pots yesterday and got pictures of them taken today.  I still have 2 more pots so need a couple more plants.

Day 48- Wednesday, 2/17/21

Dawn, midday, and dusk--saw inspiring things to take pictures of throughout my whole day today.  That shadow pattern on the wall is not something I've seen before and it was windy out so it was also very animated which caused an even cooler effect.

Day 49- Thursday, 2/18/21

Rusty's my supervisor when I'm working remotely at home and is serious about keeping me on task.  He's looking right at me as I'm sitting at the desk trying to type up some freezer-log notes before my next Zoom meeting.  The Zoom meetings he's not a fan of and I totally get that.

Day 50- Friday, 2/19/21

After a nice sunny week we had some rain today.  Once the storm passed I spotted these big lingering raindrops on the plants out front, and I love how they catch the light.  Later John was ready to celebrate the start of the weekend and enjoyed playing some tunes to help him unwind from the work week.  He's been cleared to get the vaccine for his work but is having a hard time getting an appointment.  Maybe after the vaccine shipping delays from that polar vortex are sorted out more appointments will be available.

Day 51- Saturday, 2/20/21

Bella is now trained and conditioned to look forward to her daily teeth brushing because she knows treats will follow.  All I have to do is hold up the toothbrush and she'll assume the position while drooling like crazy--Pavlov's dog at it's best.  She's also great about getting ready for walks and enjoys having her family members rotate who gets to walk her next.  Tonight that will be Brandon. 

Day 52- Sunday, 2/21/21

Tyler's here for Sunday dinner and of course Bella is always excited when he visits especially since he spoils her.  At the table we enjoyed a nice tri-tip roast with shrimp, and for dessert I made apple turnovers.  Yum!

OK--all done!

Week 6

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  Last week the weather could not make up it's mind with blue skies and sunshine one day and then rain and wind the next day pretty much alternating days all week. We had to switch from spring to winter clothes daily.  Very weird weather pattern, but we need the rain and at least it was broken up by nice sunny days so not too depressing.  We also ended the week with Valentine's day and a holiday weekend so you can't complain about that.

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

Day 39- Monday, 2/8/21

We started the week with grey gloomy skies and bare winter trees--oh, and a hungry cat. 😺

Day 40- Tuesday, 2/9/21

This kid is registering for his senior-year high-school classes.  I can't believe my youngest will be graduating next year.  He really only needs 2 more classes (English and Civics/Econ) so he could graduate after the 1st semester if he wanted but has decided he'd like to take a few more classes and stick it out for the whole year.

Day 41- Wednesday, 2/10/21

Yesterday was really nice and sunny but today is super wet.  Bella and I braved the elements for a walk and ended up getting really dumped on at the end, but we were prepared with an umbrella which helped especially since there was no wind.  I'm totally fine with rainy weather if there is no wind, and she doesn't mind either since she's a water-dog breed.

Day 42- Thursday, 2/11/21

And look--today we have sunshine and blooming trees.  I noticed so many out today that I had not seen in bloom earlier this week so spring is pushing through.

Day 43- Friday, 2/12/21

Looks like limited high school sports are finally happening for some kids.  Brandon had his first tennis hitting practice today.  They'll practice and condition this month and start their very short season in March.  He's decide to switch from basketball to tennis for the rest of his high school years and this year is a great year to make that transition since basketball is not cleared to start yet because it's a high-contact indoor sport and may never actually happen.  Best part for me is that Brandon can drive himself to and from practice.  Today is also Friday so John and I are kicking off this long holiday weekend with a festive drink.  Cheers!

Day 44- Saturday, 2/13/21

I spent most of the morning pulling together some raffle baskets for a Booster's fundraiser.  The only thing left to do is wrap them up.  There is one for a gardener, a pet owner, and a teen.  Later, we settled down to watch a movie and have some dessert.  I wasn't too sure I'd like this movie at first but it's really well done and quite interesting so I highly recommend it.

Day 45- Sunday, 2/14/21

Happy Valentine's Day!  I'm super lucky to have found my forever valentine in this guy.  We ordered in and had a nice date-night dinner at home complete with dessert.  Brandon took the first picture and we selfied the second.  Would have been nice to actually go out on a date but this was fun too.

Ok that's it! Hope to see you back next week.

Week 5

Welcome back and happy Tuesday. With this pandemic I feel like I'm stuck in the Groundhog Day movie.  There's not a lot that can happen so it's pretty much the same thing every week.  We're all starving for a change.  Speaking of groundhogs, it looks like 6 more weeks of winter is in store for us this year. At least the weather has been spring like lately.  The sun feels good and warms the soul.  

Anyway, until things change, here are last week's pictures:

Day 32- Monday, 2/1/21

Maybe a new month might bring new happenings. We'll have to get creative about Valentine's Day this year.  I'm missing some good dates nights out lately.

Day 33- Tuesday, 2/2/21

Today was a bit grey and cold so we made a warm comforting meal for dinner--orange chicken.  I always make a bit extra because Brandon likes the left over for lunch.

Day 34- Wednesday, 2/3/21

There's the sunshine.  The rest of the week will be sunny and warm and we're all looking forward to that. Wednesday at work--when the cover is on our new microscope it looks a bit like baby Yoda or some strange bug-eyed bird. 

Day 35- Thursday, 2/4/21

 Tonight's dinner, because it's easy, is chicken and biscuits.  It got the cat's attention--"Wait, someone's in the kitchen and I smell meat!"

Day 36- Friday, 2/5/21

TGIF- just finishing up in the lab and getting ready to head home for the weekend.  No real plans except catching up on chores and watching the Super Bowl.

Day 37- Saturday, 2/6/21

I was at Lowe's today picking up more succulents to plant in the new pots I got for my birthday.  They had a nice selection, but because it's so nice out, everyone else was at Lowe's too.  The garden area was especially crazy busy.

Day 38- Sunday, 2/7/21

Got my second vaccine today and had the same flu-like side effects I had last time but they were short lived so it's all good--just happy to be done and protected.  Now time to grub on some good food and watch the Super Bowl with the family.  John made us many good things to graze on but these candied bacon sticks were a new addition and were so good they didn't last long.  It was also great to have Tyler join us for the food and fun.

Ok, all done.  Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you back next week.

Week 4

Welcome back, happy Tuesday, and how did we get to a new month already?  January sure flew by.  It must have been the crazy work load.  Everyone is always ready to start new projects in the new year and it can be a bit overwhelming until the details are worked out and a new routine is established. At least things on the home front are still chill.  This post will be very nature heavy since it was a wet and wild one that thankfully ended with beautiful snowy peaks and sunshine.

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

Day 25- Monday, 1/25/21

Rusty and his fish--I love how he carts it around the house and even brings it to some of us to show off when he's feeling active.  As for us, we just finished binge watching the 2 seasons of Warrior which is really well done and shows a side of California/San Francisco history that's not widely known or even really put out there.

Day 26- Tuesday, 1/26/21

Today we had our very old, yellowing and brittle vertical blinds in the dining area replace with more current options. Here is the before and after.  Now if our master-closet doors would finally show up we can be done with inside updates and move to the outside ones. Later, once the sun fell, the wind also picked up like crazy and a huge storm blew in.  A hot toddy by the fire was the best way to deal.

Day 27- Wednesday, 1/27/21

After last night's crazy wind storm these were common sights all over the greater Sacramento area--downed trees and broken fences.  The first picture is a tree in Davis near my work and the second is part of our backyard fence.  Many, including Tyler, lost power but we were lucky enough to avoid that.

Day 28- Thursday, 1/28/21

And the storm continues with heavy rain today but thankfully without the wind.  Unfortunately, Tyler and many others are still without power and there is no estimated time for a resolution.  It's affecting the entire school district as well and interfering with Brandon's virtual classes.  Tyler came over to shower, heat up food, store temperature sensitive food, and charge some things.  Thankfully he lives close enough to have our place as a refuge.  He's also always happy to see Bella and is helping me train to her get adjusted to regular teeth brushing so we can avoid future dentals.  She's not really a fan but will do anything for a treat so that works in our favor.

Day 29- Friday, 1/29/21

Time to head to mountains for our annual ski trip.  Our timing is perfect.  The series of storms we just went through brought up to 7 feet of snow this week and the roads cleared for travel just a few hours before we headed up.  That mountain, Northstar, in the 1st picture is what we'll be skiing down tomorrow, but first, we relax in our condo before heading into the village to stand in a long line for picking up our take-out order.  It's a whole different vibe here with all the COVID restrictions but at least we made it and will still be able to have a ski this year.

Day 30- Saturday, 1/20/21

What an amazing ski day! We woke up to a nice sunrise over the snow covered trees and then hit the slopes with fresh powder, sunshine, and nothing but blue skies.  Even with limited capacity and required reservations the lift lines were still very long, but everyone wore a mask and the skiing was great--well worth the wait!  The best part of the trip was that Tyler was able to join us after 4 years of being away at school.  It was fun to see him relive the pervious experiences he's had with us on the mountain and watch him ski like he never missed a beat.  Also he's still without power so having a fun place to retreat to for the weekend worked out well.  We are still missing Justin and will be for a couple more years, but we'll take what we can get each year and just enjoy that.

Day 31- Sunday, 1/31/21

We're home now so Bella can relax.  Even though she was in good care while we were away she's never happy when we leave her overnight and can't chill until we return.  Today was mostly about chores once we got back, and John was mostly working in the garage to put all the ski gear away, so while he was out there I snapped a picture of him with his new motorcycle helmet that arrived this week.  I bet he can't wait to try it out. Oh yeah, and Tyler came home to a house with power restored!!!

Wait! One more-

January's Family Photo

Taken during our ski lunch break on our condo balcony with a view of some pretty snow covered trees in the background.

Ok all done!  Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you back next week as we kick off more fun in February.