Week 8

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  The weather has turned back to winter conditions with lots of rain, wind and snow even in lower elevations that haven't seen snow in years. Of course we need all the rain we can get but I'm ready for more sun and warmer temps.  Going out in this weather is just no fun.  Otherwise last week was mostly fun with a bit of heart break.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 51- Monday, 2/20/23

Today was a holiday for President's day so I was home and able to cook a nice chicken and cheese tortellini dish for us.  It was a sunny and warm day but once the sun went down it turned super cold so this warm meal hit the spot.  After dinner these days all Rusty wants to do is play laser mouse.  We keep the controller in this side table and he'll sit here staring at me and the table drawer eventually meowing until I bring the thing out.  At least he's getting good exercise instead of just napping all the time. In other news our Chief Operations Officer for the Vet Med One Health Institute where I work passed away suddenly today. He was only 48 and such a great guy. The place will not be the same without him. RIP Matt 😢

Day 52- Tuesday, 2/21/23

I'm working on my blog today.  Seemed only fitting to get a picture of that on a Tuesday.  I also snapped a picture of the blossoms on our tree out front which are pretty in pink and always appear towards the end of February.

Day 53- Wednesday, 2/22/23

Wednesday at work we were QC testing our latest batch of beta-toxin and it passed perfectly by showing a CAMP reaction for the right organism and not the other one.  Work is going well but it sure is hard to be here this week without Matt.  His presence is greatly missed and we're all feeling so devastated by his loss. Back at home there is a storm brewing and as the sun was setting I took a healing walk around the park where I was able to find peace in the beautiful sky.

Day 54- Thursday, 2/23/23

This work dinner was healing too.  Aiko from Chile is finally back in the states for a visit so we had a nice gathering to catch up with her and her kids.  It was great to see them again and a couple of the retired folks that were able to join.  Driving home later that night I finally saw the beam lit up in the sky.  This a new marketing thing our basketball team is doing when they win a game and it's been quite a hit plus a cool way to let everyone know they won a game.  You can see the thing from miles away and I'm so glad I finally got to see it for real not even knowing there was a game tonight.  LOL!

Day 55- Friday, 2/24/23

The rain and wind has been crazy and this morning while on the road headed to work before 6 am the freeway was at a stand still because a semi-truck lost control and jumped the center divide.  Let's just say I ended up being over an hour late. What a mess! But once I got to work and settled in, my day brighten up by snow pictures that Justin sent me from HSU--how fun for them! The last time it snowed there was 4years ago just before Justin was accepted and one of the reasons he picked the place was for the chance of snow but with the drought over the past few years it looked like it was not going to happen for him.  Surprise!  He's thrilled he finally got to experience snow in his final winter there.

Day 56- Saturday, 2/25/23

The boys will be home in a few weeks for spring break so we decided to make a Costco run to stock the pantry and freezer.  This may also be one of the last days I use my air fryer since it was recalled because of a possible fire hazard.  Ugh!  They'll send a replacement but only after I show proof of cutting the cord.  That's going to hurt almost as much as the 6-8wk wait for the new one to arrive.  We use this thing all the time.

Day 57- Sunday, 2/26/23

John is doing well on the stairs at home with me spotting of course.  I had him up there helping me fix one of our bathroom sinks today.  Then it was time to head to the market and stock up on fresh food while there is a break in the storms. Later Tyler and Lupe came over for dinner and shared a couple more pictures of their big day.  This is the first time we've seen them in person as married couple.

That it.  See you next week as we start a new month!

Week 7

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  What a full week last week was and a nice spring-like one too but cold temps and possible rain expected this week.  As long as there is very little wind I'm fine with whatever.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 44- Monday 2/13/23

These came just in time for Valentine's Day tomorrow.  I ordered them with some birthday money and didn't think they would really make it in time so nice surprise.  Later there was a great colorful sunset to view out back.

Day 45- Tuesday 2/14/23

Happy Valentines Day!!  What an eventful day.  Tyler and Lupe got married in a civil ceremony this morning!!  They were feeling a bit overwhelmed with wedding planning and decided to do something that was more private and perfect for them on their 2yr anniversary of dating.  Congratulations Mr. & Mrs.!!  As for us we ordered in a Nugget Market couple's meal that did not disappoint--beef wellington with all the fixings.  Cheers to a happy day full of love for all!

Day 46- Wednesday, 2/15/23

This morning I saw this post from Justin and then later he sent me a picture of the package I had sent him last week that just showed up yesterday.  His was later than Brandon's because his school is way more remote and his bear is in way better condition with the nose and mouth sewn on right.  That dessert looks amazing.  He loves living in a house with a kitchen where he can bake for him and his roommates.  Meanwhile, at work, the turkeys were taking over.  UC Davis has a lot of wild turkeys, but I usually only see them in the fall.  It's the wrong holiday season for them.

Day 47- Thursday, 2/16/23

Frost on the grass in the morning and then sunshine with temps near the 70's in the afternoon.  Layers are a must this time of year!  I love those playful animal statues near the vet school food court lit up by the rising sun as it shines over the frosty grass.  Back at home in the afternoon we have new leaves budding on the trees and flowers soon to bloom on the bushes.  Spring is almost here.

Day 48- Friday, 2/17/23

John is ending the week working on stepping over things at PT and of course Rusty is napping.  I wore him out playing with string.  TGIF!

Day 49- Saturday, 2/18/23

Love a slow start to the weekend which was very peaceful right at day break.  Then later we were happy to get out of the house to enjoy some dim sum with our good friends.

Day 50- Sunday, 2/19/23

The conditions were perfect for working in the yard.  I did some pruning and also swept the pool a bit.  There was a big stick still at the bottom from that crazy storm a few weeks back that I was able to finally pull out too.  Yard work is such good exercise.  I will be sore tomorrow for sure.  At least this evening was very relaxing since I didn't have to prep for work tomorrow because of the a 3-day weekend.  We ended the day curled up with blankets watching the latest episode of The Last of Us.  They actually talk about this series a lot in the vet school classes because of the whole fungal infection slant.  I know more about that than the video game the series is based on.  LOL!

That's all!  What a week!  Thanks for checking in and hope to see you back next week.

Week 6

Welcome back!  Last week was very spring like and full of hearts popping up here and there helping get us in the mood Valentine's Day today!  I hope everyone is having a good one.  Certainly feeling the love here. 💕

Take a look at last week's pictures:

Day 37- Monday, 2/6/23

Starting the week with sunshine, warm temps, blue skies, blooming flowers, and a heart wreath on our red door.  All good vibes.

Day 38- Tuesday, 2/7/23

While working remote it's nice to be able to enjoy breakfast with John.  I was making breakfast sandwiches and noticed while the English muffins were toasting that the next one in the bag had a heart shape mark on it- how fun!  What a super cool and super yummy start to the day.

Day 39- Wednesday, 2/8/23

Wednesday at work I found a cookbook on my desk with this note.  My boss,Woutrina, just returned from a work trip in Chile where she got to spend time with one of our previous students, Aiko, who is now a professor there and she asked her to give me this book--so sweet!  It was also great to see this picture of them and another UCD Chilean alum back together again at the meeting.  Aiko will be here for a visit in a couple weeks and I can't wait to see her.  Later, back at home, we had a nice pizza for dinner paired with a sweet rose'.

Day 40- Thursday, 2/9/23

After work I had many errands to run including dropping of our tax documents to have them done so I could get that off my plate.  I also got a notice that I have Star bucks reward stars expiring after today so while I was out it seemed like a good time to cash in my stars for some free treats--the perfect pick-me-up to help get everything else done.  After dinner, while trying to relaxing, Rusty really wanted to play.  This armchair parenting at it's best ;0)  LOL!  He loves this thing and I love how it easily helps wear him out so while I can still relax.

Day 41- Friday, 2/10/23

Cheers to the weekend!  Our Friday night movie was finally available for free to stream.  Seems like they wanted us to buy it for $24 to stream forever.  It was good but way much better free.

Day 42- Saturday, 2/11/23

Down south in sunny Orange County Brandon received a Valentine's care package I sent from Amazon and he loved the treats and snacks included, but the bear it came with was in rare form having it's mouth and nose sewn on upside down.  Haha!  So random.  Glad he sent me a picture.  Back at home it was also very sunny and warm with no wind so I took advantage of the good weather and got some yard work done.  It felt so good to work outside and get some poppy seeds planted to help fill in some bare spots out back.  Can't wait to see them bloom.

Day 43- Sunday, 2/12/23

We're having his and hers pancakes for breakfast today.  He likes blueberry ones and I like chocolate chip ones. Yum!  It's also Super Bowl Sunday and Tyler invited us over to his place to watch the game and have dinner with him and Lupe.  That's their black cat on the couch to the right that can barely be seen but he wanted me to make sure the cat was in the picture :0)  Great way to end the week and good game even though the Niners didn't get to play.  Happy for Kansas City though!

That's it!  Enjoy your Valentine's Day and see you next week.

Week 5

Welcome back and happy Wednesday!   I'm running behind this week trying to get other things done but all is good just busy as usual.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 30- Monday, 1/30/23

 I'm starting my week working in a different lab.  I've been helping run our test for EPM at the teaching hospital for the couple months now and am hoping February will be the last month since it's hard to split my time and still get all my own work done.  They also run things a bit differently so I had to retrain my brain a bit and am still getting used to where they keep everything.  It's been a good experience though and helpful for them, but I'm ready to get back to my own work projects.

Day 31- Tuesday, 1/31/23

Tonight we made good use of leftovers for dinner and after played with Rusty and his laser mouse which is now his favorite activity right behind napping.

Day 32- Wednesday, 2/1/23  

Happy February!  Where did January go?!  That was quick.  And since it's Wednesday it seemed like a good time to finally start watching this series.  It's actually super fun and very well done--a lot of Harry Potter vibes in there too.

Day 33- Thursday, 2/2/23

John had his good friend and co-worker, Jesse, stop by for a visit this afternoon.  She moved to Mexico recently to be closer to family and was back in town for a bit.  He was really happy and grateful she made the time to see him and bring him some tequila.

Day 34- Friday, 2/3/23

TGIF!  Ending the week with a good PT session.  They're checking his heart rate after a decent walk around the facility.  It gets up there with his walking but at least recovers quickly after a short rest.

 

Day 35- Saturday, 2/4/23

It's going to be a dreary and wet weekend but no wind for now at least which is nice.  I really don't mind the rain if there is no wind and of we all know how Rusty deals with cold rainy days.

 

Day 36- Sunday, 2/5/23

Finally got a new water bottle and love the color.  The paint on my old one was chipping off so it was time.  I also had a bit of free time on this second rainy weekend day so I used some new color pens I got for my birthday to color a bit.  This color sheet and a few others actually came in the pen set, and I love me a good sea turtle.

That ends another full week.  Thanks for checking in and hope to see you back next week.