Week 12

Welcome back!  Last week was a very full and eventful week with another, now routine, weekly atmospheric river pushing through as we worked, traveled, and attended more appointments than I can count.  Thankfully we have some time off coming soon and regardless of the relentless winter like weather spring is pushing through adding some color and cheer to our lives.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 79- Monday, 3/20/23

My new replacement air fryer arrived today.  It only took about a week once I submitted the claim so it was way sooner than I expected and I'm happy to be back in business.  In other news, Tyler sent me this picture of him with one of my high school classmates, Kyle, who I have known since kindergarten! Surreal to see two very different parts of my life unexpectedly together in one picture--happy surprise for sure.  Turns out he works as a nurse at the surgery center Tyler is currently volunteering at and recognized Tyler from some of the Facebook pictures I've posted over the years--small world!  Then there is Justin sharing a picture of some new glasses he came across.  This kid is always finding some new, fun and quirky accessory to embrace--that is so him.

Day 80- Tuesday, 3/21/23

This was a bittersweet day.  In the morning it was nice for John to visit his work and see all his colleagues and team members, but he was also there to clear out his office.  It's been 30 years and a sad way to have to go.  After his transplant and recovery from that he can always come back or decide to try something new.  We'll just have to wait and see what the future holds.  In the afternoon, I was able to escape and get a fresh cut and color.  It's been painful growing out my bangs but they are finally at a place where they blend better and don't constantly drive me crazy falling in my face.  My friend Donna who owns her own salon has done a great job getting my color back on track too and it's always fun catching up with her.

Day 81- Wednesday, 3/22/23

Wednesday at work we just published a another scientific paper but for this one we'll have the cover on the journal and there was a press release that over 80 media sources picked up to share.  I took a screen shot of 3 of  them to remember.  It's pretty cool to see your work put out there in that way. Here is the link to the full paper.

 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1116899

 It's mostly a pathology paper but there is an important serology component that adds to the detection and understanding of the disease which is the role I play. Later, back at home, it was a beautiful sunny day with beautiful spring flowers in bloom on one of our backyard trees.  We had a rough windy and rainy start to the week but the rest of it through the weekend should be nice and clear.

Day 82- Thursday, 3/23/23

It was super cloudy out today and looked like it was threatening to rain but remained dry with no wind.  We'll take it!  At least the clouds are pretty against the blue sky.  Then later, look who I picked up at the airport.  He has no Friday classes this semester so got to come home early for spring break.  Naturally the first thing he does is raid the fridge where he found some leftover cake--score!  It's great to have him back and while it's sad the boys couldn't have their breaks together it is also fun for them to have their own weeks at home alone to be spoiled. 

Day 83- Friday, 3/24/23

Sign of the times--jury selection at home on the couch.  I'm so glad they at least let us do this part by zoom and thankfully I did not get picked to continue.  I actually wouldn't mind being on a trial, but I just can't right now with everything else already on my plate.  First and foremost I need to be able to get John to all his weekly appointments which is just not possible with a non-flexible court schedule.  Maybe next year.  Later I was able to take a walk while John was working in his PT session and I stumble upon these beautiful spring flowers.  I need some of these in my backyard.  They look so fresh and happy--must be all the rain!  You can tell the sun is shining today though.

Day 84- Saturday, 3/25/23

It's time to put the St. Patty's wreath away and bring out the Easter one that I just picked up from Target of course.  It's so crazy that April and Easter are just around the corner.  March blew by--literally with  all those windy rain systems moving through week after week.  We're all hoping April will be more spring like.

Day 85- Sunday, 3/26/23

This is a happy sight to see having an almost full table for Sunday dinner again.  Hopefully this summer we can ALL be together at this table more.  After dinner I caught Rusty peeking around the corner of the stairs.  He does this a lot and always looks so cute spying on us.  It's late and I'm pretty sure he's wanting us to start heading to bed.  He can't settle down for the night until we're all tucked into our proper place.  LOL!--he keeps us on track.

That's all until next time.  See you back again soon but in April!

Week 11

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  It was nice having Justin home last week and at the end of this week we'll have Brandon home for his spring break.  They sure do help make things more interesting around here. Justin was lucky to be home at a time when we had so many reasons to celebrate with good yummy food as you'll see in this post.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 72- Monday, 3/13/23

We've got more rain to start the week off with, but it does sounds like the last half of the week will be mostly dry.  Justin and Rusty know this type of weather is perfect for napping and it's nice to see the two napping buddies together again.

Day 73- Tuesday, 3/14/23

I'm super happy to be working remote, curled up under a blanket, and checking email while the brutal wind and rain conditions are going crazy outside.  It would have been a bad day to be on the road but is a good day for pie--Happy Pi Day!  We almost forgot but managed to secure a couple delicious pies for dessert.

Day 74- Wednesday, 3/15/23

Justin and I are all about getting Shamrock shakes for St. Patty's day but we have other plans Friday so are picking up shakes today.  We also opted for the Jack in the Box ones instead since the shake machines at our McDonald's never seem to work. It was actually a nice, sunny and warm day perfect for shakes too which I didn't think would happen so bonus!  Later we had chicken and Cheddar Bay biscuits for dinner.

Day 75- Thursday, 3/16/23

It's so warm and sunny now that it makes the pool look inviting again and you can see the yard plants starting to come alive.  The sunshine feels so good!  While picking up dinner later the cutest Girl Scouts were out selling cookies, and I haven't bought them in a couple years so Justin helped me pick out a few boxes.  His favorite are the caramel deLites, John's are the peanut butter patties, and mine are the thin mints.

Day 76- Friday, 3/17/23

Happy St. Patrick's Day! My grandmother on my dad's side of the family is Irish so proudly sporting green today.  Later we also celebrated Justin's March birthday early since he's headed back to school tomorrow and we won't see him again until May.  It was a fun way to send him off.

Day 77- Saturday, 3/18/23

We went into the city on this beautiful day (the first weekend day without rain in weeks) to have brunch with friends at Grange Restaurant and Bar (sign picture credit goes to them).  John was happy to enjoy his meal with a Bloody Mary.  The vibe around the city was buzzing because March Madness games are being played just down the street at Golden 1 Center.  Go Bruins!--they made it into the sweet 16.

Day 78- Sunday, 3/19/23

Look at these Sumo oranges!  I saw a billboard for them on the freeway the other day and then stumbled across them a our local Nugget Market.  They are so cool, easy to peel, and very flavorful. In other news, Justin is back at HSU and he sent me these pictures of him in his new waders working on a group project for a fisheries class.  He's so in his element up there and is happy he's got a house to stay in with friends over the summer continuing his university job.  Hopefully he'll be home for a few visits here and there.

That's it.  See you next week as another atmospheric river moves in from the coast.  Enough already!  We need a longer break for sure.  I think we all prayed too hard for more rain during the drought.  It's great to have but not all at once.  

Week 10

Welcome back and happy Tuesday! Yep--still very wet here but at least the latest series of storms pushing through weren't as extreme as they built them up to be although they still did cause a lot of travel issues.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 65-  Monday, 3/6/23

We started the week with a nice day but there is a storm brewing and more to come for the rest of the week into next week even.  In other news, John may not have been able to use ski poles on the slopes this year but he's putting them to good use in PT.

Day 66- Tuesday, 3/7/23

John gave me this cute Rusty-like cat wine-bottle holder for my birthday and the boys really get a kick out of it.  Speaking of Rusty, he is not a fan of this black rubber mat in the office and refuses to cross it.  This may be the office, but it's also where John sleeps now and the mat makes it easier for the wheelchair to roll over the carpet.  Rusty really wants to be in here when I'm working on the computer but will just stand or sit by the spot right on the edge of the mat.  He crossed it once but then felt trapped on the other side and after I rescued him he never crossed it again.  Poor kitty.

Day 67- Wednesday, 3/8/23

Wednesday at work my boss brought me a few lemons from her tree and I just so happened to have my lemon notebook sitting on the desk where she left them.  Back at home the rain has hit full force and is expected to continue through the weekend.

Day 68- Thursday, 3/9/23

It's days like these when I really wish our mailbox wasn't half way down the street.  It's pouring out and I got soaked.  It's also super windy so an umbrella was not an option. Time for a nice hot cup of tea.

Day 69- Friday, 3/10/ 23

TGIF!  We couldn't find any good movies to stream tonight so we started watching this new Amazon series where Elvis Presley's granddaughter plays a leading role.  She not a singer but trained to sing in this and is actually really good--must be in her genes ;0)

Day 70- Saturday, 3/11/23

Look who made it home for spring break. Cheers to Justin!  It was a crazy travel day though.  First we weren't sure his bus from Humboldt to Martinez would make it due to possible road closures from mudslides.  Then it turned out the bus was fine but the trains in Martinez were cancelled due to flooding on the tracks and once he was there was told to get back on the bus to return to where he came from which mind you is a 7hr ride back.  When he called to tell me this I said stay put and I'll come get you since he's just an hour away at this point.  So I loaded up and headed out only to get another call saying there was a lot of confusion and misinformation and thankfully his train was not one of the trains cancelled so he had just boarded and was on his way. Geesh! We're all so over this winter weather.

Day 71- Sunday, 3/12/23

Of course it's another rainy day so what better way to spend it than at the movies.  This was a good action packed thrill ride!  A bit far fetched in some parts but still worth the watch.  Later we also watched the Oscars which had so many great comeback and historic wins.  Now I have a new list of movies to look for since I've only seen a couple of the nominated ones.

That's all folks!   See you next week as we brave more forecasted rain and wind.

Week 9

Happy Tuesday and Happy March!  Last week was intense with more storms moving through.  I'd say we've got our share of snowpack in the surrounding mountains to last us through the year.  Sadly more storms to come.  It's fine down here in the valley with the rain but those foothill and mountain towns need a break so they can dig out and get power restored.

Otherwise mostly all good so here are last week's pictures:

Day 58- Monday, 2/27/23

I'm starting my week off in the lab doing tissue culture and bulking up parasites for an upcoming harvest before moving to my cubical space for some coffee to help me get through clinical reports.

Day 59- Tuesday, 2/28/23

We'll see rain on and off all week.  Today was a really wet day so I was happy to work at home remotely.  In other news I tried a new light-weight cat litter that said no tracking and it's the worst!  It's super dusty and tracks so much that it even formed an impressive pawprint from my cat as he stepped out of it onto the bathroom rug.  That's cute but no!

Day 60- Wednesday, 3/1/23

Happy March! John's been spending more time in the kitchen lately and was craving blueberry muffins so he made up a batch which turned out great.  Later we were happy to find that the new season of Survivor has started.  44--wow!

Day 61- Thursday, 3/2/23

They had all kinds of cute spring things at Target today so I picked up this cute bird for my kitchen and a festive green wreath for the door.

Day 62- Friday, 3/3/23

TGIF!  Someone was happy to see me when I got home but then later once I told him the laser mouse needed a rest he was giving me the cold shoulder.  I'll sit by you but I won't look at you or cuddle with you--for now anyway ;0)  He eventually got over himself. 

Day 63- Saturday, 3/4/23

Much more rain here in the valley messing up our weekend and way more snow in mountains shutting them down.  It could be a record breaking year for snow totals in the Sierras near us as well as in the southern mountains outside of LA.  I found the Sierra snow pictures online and Brandon sent me the last picture where he has a peekaboo view from his dorm room of the snowy mountains near LA.  Super cool!  What a winter to remember especially after coming off such a horrid drought.

Day 64- Sunday, 3/5/23

I did say a mostly a good week.  I've been dealing with a gastrointestinal issue for a few weeks now and it has taken way too long to get tests done through the regular dr so I went the ER today and pretty much spent the whole day there.  They took my vitals, did a blood test, urine test, CT and gave me fluids for dehydration but everything came back perfectly normal.  On paper I'm the healthiest person there.  Fecal tests are still pending so maybe they will give us some better clues otherwise it's time to see a GI specialist. Definitely not the best way to end the week but at least it doesn't appear to be anything major just super annoying.

That's it for now.  See you next week hopefully with clear skies but I heard another atmospheric river is lined up to hit yet again.  I just hope Justin will be able to make it home for spring break.  He should be here Saturday--yay!