Week 43

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  Here we are in November--wow!  The new year will be here before we know it.  I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween.  We had a lot more treaters than last year which was to be expected and a joy to see but not quite as much as normal just yet.  Everyone had a fun night and the weather was perfect for it.  Now we're looking forward to what this new month will bring.  At least there is a nice holiday at the end and Justin will be home for a good week--Yay!

Until then, here are last week's pictures:

Day 298- Monday, 10/25/21

Yesterday's heavy rain and wind made most the fall leaves drop and the ground really wet.  Today the sun shines but looking down you can see that beautiful mess left behind from the storm.  That was outside and inside at work no messes allowed.  We're starting our testing of over 12 boxes full of samples so we need to keep it super organized.  This is just the first of what will continue for weeks.  Our goal is to finish before the new year.

Day 299- Tuesday, 10/26/21

Today in the mail Brandon's senior year class sweatshirt and a similar t-shirt showed up.  He loves the colors and the fuzzy warm inside.  I love that he has a new sweatshirt to wear instead of the same old one he's always in.  Also it's Halloween week so I'll be highlighting some of our decorations like this scull near the wine rack with a bottle that has a spooky label.

Day 300- Wednesday, 10/27/21

More fall goodness around.  It's cold out in the mornings so warm drinks are now a go-to thing which I avoid in the summer months because it's too hot even in the early hours.  The real reason I took this picture was to note the coaster that came from my new boss many years ago after one of her work trips to Bali.  I never removed the note she left on it because I wanted to remember where it came from and look where we are now--me managing her lab and her giving me the opportunity to continue my work after my long-term boss retired.  Full circle right there that was meant to be.  Back at home some more of my pumpkin collection that is not only for Halloween but will stay out through November as continued fall decorations heading into Thanksgiving.

Day 301- Thursday, 10/28/21

Can you smell them?  I baked apple-cinnamon fritters--a new recipe I've been wanting to try and today seemed like the perfect day for it.  Having the oven on to help warm the cold afternoon house and filling the stale air with a delightful fresh baked smell was just what I needed to destress from a couple days of tense school lockdowns due to false gun threats.  Seriously?  We so don't need this right now and thank goodness they were not real.  Getting outside for a good brisk walk to taking in some more fall color also helps clear the head and reset the soul.  Remember to always look up for a different perspective.  Love the contrast of the gold leaves against the blue sky and the lines the branches create.

Day 302- Friday, 10/29/21

We were greeted by a some fun/spooky fog just in time for us to head into the Halloween weekend.  It lingered on campus all morning giving off this cool/eerie feel.  The first picture is out the front of our building and the second is looking out our lab windows towards the back of the building.  Then back at home I find this on the loft floor, and I'm not sure if I should be impressed by Brandon's ambition to create something for his costume or if I should be concerned by what he's created--lol!

Day 303- Saturday, 10/30/21

Today we carved pumpkins and prepped the candy bowl among others things to get ready for Halloween.  Brandon had to work, but Tyler was able to join us for the fun and some dinner.  I also had to include a picture of our perfectly colored cat this season.  It looks like he's checking out the candy in the cauldron from the picture below. 🐱

Day 304- Sunday, 10/31/21

Happy Halloween!  Brandon was able to carve his pumpkin today.  I love that he picked a bumpy one with real character and free handed his design.  Then Bella got ready for the night ahead by sporting a bone necklace on her evening walk.  Two of the boys dressed up.  Brandon was so creepy walking around the house like this and also went out treating coming home with more candy than you can even imagine!  Justin got extra credit in his Zoology lab if showed up in an animal costume so here was his creation based on this character.  He called himself Sir Pack-HAM.  LOL!

Wait!--a couple more:

October's Family Photo 

and lit pumpkins

Taken after carving pumpkins.  Brandon had to work and Tyler needs to work tomorrow so I could only get 3 of us this month.  Curative is the current company Tyler is working for helping at Cal Expo to administer COVID testing.  It was a good move for him.  He makes way more than he did as an EMT, has a more regular secure schedule, no more long commute, and gets free lunches every shift plus paid holidays.  So happy for him.

Ok all done!  Hope to see you back next week.