Week 8

Welcome back and happy Tuesday! The sunshine and dry weather lately has felt so nice and is a great mood booster plus we have many spring flowers popping up here and there so all the plants and trees are starting to come alive again. It's all so wonderful to see.

Now take a look at last week's pictures:

Day 48- Monday, 2/17/25

Today is Bailey's "Gotcha Day"!  We have had her for a full year now and what a ride it has been--challenging at times but also very rewarding.  She is a great addition to our family and we love her so much.  She was so little back then and look at her now--queen of the couch! Today was also President's Day so I didn't have to work and could spend more time with her which was a fun treat for both of us.

Day 49- Tuesday, 2/18/25

We got a new Roomba since the battery fix on our old one didn't work which means it had bigger problems that could not be resolved. This one has a self emptying dock which makes it look like a mini toilet when not is use--lol!  I think Rusty missed not having one for awhile and is intrigued by the new one.  He likes tracking and stalking it safely from the stairs as it moves about doing its thing.  Bailey on the other hand thinks it's an intruder and wants to bark at it and attack it.  We can't have her inside when it's running until we work on conditioning her to ignore it.

Day 50- Wednesday, 2/19/25

Wednesday at work I'm waiting on my coffee as I prep for meetings and a date with hamsters.  Back at home as I glanced out back I was pleasantly surprised to see an Easter bulb from last year actually in bloom. Now I'll have these cute daffodils to look forward to in my yard every spring--love them 🌾

Day 51- Thursday, 2/20/25

Girl's night out!  We're all long time colleagues that still mange to get together a couple times a year to catch up.  Two are retired and two still working but in different locations from each other now.  We had a great time tonight at the Davis Wine Bar.

Day 52- Friday, 2/21/25

My roses from last week have opened all the way up and are still looking great although I know they'll been done by mid next week.  Also here are a few of Justin's photos he's taken this month.  That bald eagle is his favorite at the raptor center and he always has good stories to tell about their adventures together.  Later the Friday night movie we streamed was this intense thriller that kept us on edge.

Day 53- Saturday, 2/22/25

It's feeling more and more like spring and has been dry for more than a few days now so we headed out on a nice long sunny walk to the levee today.  This is the first time Bailey has been here so it was fun for her to smell all the new smells, see and hear all the birds, and it's a good distance so it also wore her out.  

Day 54- Sunday, 2/23/25

Today was another great sunny spring day and unfortunately spring also brings a lot of thriving weeds so we all did a good deal of yard work that gave me an opportunity to break in my new gardening gloves and clippers.  After I was done in the yard John had some car work to do in the garage so I settled in with Bailey to watch this new streaming movie on max.  John does not like cancer movies so he didn't mind missing out on this one.  It was sad but told is such a way that made not so tragic.  The ending left you feeling good about how it all played out.

 

All done! The last week in February is up next.  It boggles the mind how the months just fly by.

Week 7

Happy Tuesday!  We did finally get a break from rain with at least a string of dry days. Now the rain is more spotty which is fine.  This past week was all about prepping for the Valentine's weekend so lots of love and fun which is not a bad thing.  I just have to avoid watching the news.

Take a look at last week's pictures:

 

 Day 41- Monday, 2/10/25

Looking out back I just so happened to notice that some of our bushes are starting to bloom pretty flowers that are perfect for the season.  Later I took Bailey out for our normal walk and when we returned she posed for me by the door with the heart wreath I put up just for this week.

Day 42- Tuesday, 2/11/25

Not only was it puppy class day which someone was really looking forward to but it was also delivery day for her BARK box.  Look how well she sits and how patient she is when she really wants something.  She's so attentive just waiting there like a good girl.  If only she was always that motivated to be good.

Day 43- Wednesday, 2/12/25

We've had a string of dry days but the clouds are starting to move in again and tomorrow's storm is supposed to be pretty bad.  At least it makes for a beautiful sunrise this morning.  After work I hit up the store and couldn't resist picking up some of these festive holiday treats.

Day 44- Thursday, 2/13/25

Here's that nasty storm I'm having to drive through to get to work this morning and of course there is an accident or two so right now I'm just sitting here waiting for traffic to start moving again.  The storm moved through quickly because of the high winds so my return home commute was much nicer  For dinner tonight we needed warm comfort food so it we had baked mac&cheese paired with bacon wrapped pork cutlets.  If you look closely enough you can see a heart made out of yellowish rain drops on my windshield right between car in front of me and the streetlight lamp plus another one on the pork cutlet closest to the front of the plates edge.  It's all about hearts this week. 💗

 Day 45- Friday, 2/14/25

Happy Valentine's Day!  Since it's Friday and it would be crazy busy out for dinner we decided to stay in, have pizza and stream a movie.  We'll go out Sunday night for a real dinner.  This movie was perfect too set in the beautiful Italy countryside--so romantic.

Day 46- Saturday, 2/15/25

I finished my fox Lego set.  It's so cool how these pile of bricks just seem to come together into something looking so real.  Later I cuddled with our girl after laundry was done and then we started watching the newest season of Yellowjackets that just dropped.

Day 47- Sunday, 2/16/25

 

Time for a fancy dinner out to celebrate us.  We went to Morton's Steakhouse in downtown Sacramento and it was nice and not too busy at all.  The best part was that I could enjoy it even more knowing tomorrow is a holiday so I don't have to prep for work.  Gotta love a 3-day weekend.  After dinner we started watching the new season of White Lotus set in Thailand which just released today. It's also a season 3 delayed release.  All these shows are finally getting their next seasons out after the fall out from the writers strike.  Thank goodness for good recaps because it's been a long while since the previous ones were watched.

 

That wraps up another full week and thankfully without as many weather events. Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you back next week.

Week 6

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  Our weather right now is switching between severely storming and perfectly good conditions day by day.  It's kind of crazy as you will see.  Otherwise, aside from political uncertainty that honesty is bit scary, all is good at home. 

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 34- Monday, 2/3/25

More wonderful winter citrus being handed out at work.  We have plenty of lemons from neighbors but no mandarins or oranges so it's nice that people are sharing their overabundance at work.  Now if someone would just share eggs ;0)  Back at home Justin and Rusty are enjoying the sunshine coming through the window in his bedroom.  The skies are clear and sunny today but the temps are low.

Day 35- Tuesday, 2/4/25

Yesterday was so nice and today is a pouring mess with a lot of wind.  I'm so glad it's a remote work day for me so I didn't have to drive in it.  Even puppy class was canceled due to flooding on the county roads where it takes place.  While home I rediscovered a few of the truffle candies Justin made me for my birthday that I had forgot about.  Yum--they turned out so good.  This is a cranberry orange one.  He really likes trying new dessert recipes and I'm all for that.

Day 36- Wednesday, 2/5/25

Let there be light and let it shine on our STAR puppy.  Bailey's official medal came in the mail today for passing her training test late December, and to celebrate we were able to go for a long walk on this beautiful sunny day--no wind or clouds at all and it's even warm out.  What a difference a day makes!

Day 37- Thursday, 2/6/25

What a difference indeed as today we are right back with the heavy rain.  We still went out for a walk though.  We got soaking wet but also got someone's pent up energy spent and she really doesn't mind the rain as long as it's not windy.  Thankfully today we had rain with no wind.  Time for a warm dinner.

Day 38- Friday, 2/7/25

This morning there were lingering rain and clouds before sunrise but by mid-morning it was all clear and beautiful out.  It felt like spring.  TGIF! Happy to hear that heading into the weekend we'll continue to be dry through middle of next week.

Day 39- Saturday, 2/8/25

This morning I fed Bailey in her star-puzzle feeder just to change things up.  We haven't used it in a long while and the nice thing now is that it's more challenging with her larger snout to get into those layered openings. She's super motivated though so challenge accepted. Later I ran some errands, got some chores done, worked on taxes and then settled in for the night with a dog sleeping in my lap and a white cranberry-lemon cosmo that John made for me.  Cheers!

Day 40- Sunday, 2/9/25

It's Super Bowl Sunday and Bailey is ready for some football.  Too bad for her that Tyler hosted at his place and she had to stay home.  We had fun though and some good party food. I brought my new Lego set to work on since it's hard at home and I knew I had a few hours here without the dog to makes some progress.  Worked great and got about half way done with the fox assembly while still remaining engaged and being able to watch the game and commercials. We were all  also happy to see the Eagles win over KC.

 

Done and done--what will next week bring?  I'm almost too afraid to see.

Week 5

Welcome back and to a new month!  I can't say I'm sad to see January go but not sure February will be much better.  There's a whole lot of craziness and uncertainty going on right now but we'll make the most of what we can and push for change if we can.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 27- Monday, 1/27/25

We had  mini Bundt cakes at our Monday morning lab meeting for my belated birthday celebration.  Then later John took me out to dinner and drinks just for fun.

Day 28- Tuesday, 1/28/25

Rusty really is loving my new super soft blanket--forget the blanket cave, he's all about this right now. And Bailey is learning to "stay" on the family-room rug while we are in the kitchen trying to cook.  This is her go-to position to lay in with her legs exactly like this every time I put her in a "down".  At least she looks relaxed and comfortable.  Getting her to actually stay though is definitely still a work in progress.  When this doesn't work she has to be leashed and tethered to a person not in the kitchen.

Day 29- Wednesday, 1/29/25

Ouch!  One of our hamsters got me good today at work so that became a huge thing.  I was collecting blood for a blood-smear check and he somehow twisted in an unimaginable way to be able to grab onto my knuckle with his teeth and bit right through my glove into my skin.  He was not letting go either.  Brat!  At least he had a good parasitemia in the sample I took which is what we needed to see.  Blood cell photo credit goes to our lab assistant Ipsy who quickly snapped this through the microscope lens using her phone.  When I try this it never turn out this clear. Those little circles in the blood cells, called "rings," are Babesia protozoal parasites.  The smaller purple dots are immature forms that haven't made a ring yet.  They are infectious to humans but thankfully for me you can't get them from a hamster bite, only a tick bite, needle stick, or blood transfusion.  In happier news Justin had his second shift at the raptor center which he is still enjoying very much and discovered their little gift shop so he came home sporting a new sweatshirt.  Looks good on him!  

Day 30- Thursday, 1/30/25

 During our evening dog walk the skies were looking very gloomy and grey.  There is a storm system brewing.  One of our neighbors also has this gloomy looking tree out front and I just noticed today the bird's nest near the top.  After our walk Bailey gets her dinner and then pretty much naps the rest of the evening  usually on my lap and recently with her favorite ball--"red-one ball".  She has many toy balls in many different colors and when we tell her what color ball to get she is great at finding the right one.

Day 31- Friday, 1/31/25

My finger is looking much better today--not nearly as swollen around the joint and I can now bend it again too.  I was seen by occupational health on the day of the incident and they put me on antibiotics to help prevent a bacterial infection which is more likely to happen when a joint is involved--so far all good. Almost 30 yrs working with hamsters and this is my first ever bite.  I was back at it today because the work doesn't stop and all went well.  We never work alone with animals so I do have a great support team helping out. Otherwise, today was also a very rainy day and we have a series of storms lined up so it will be like this on and off into next week.  TGIF!  Our Friday night movie was the new Will Farrell and Reese Witherspoon comedy on Prime which was fun although a bit over the top but in true Will Farrell fashion.  We all needed a good comedy.

Day 32- Saturday, 2/1/25

Welcome to February!  It was a quiet relaxing rainy day at home.  When John is on his computer in the other room, usually playing music, Bailey likes to watch and keep an eye on him.  Later we decide it was a good day for a soup & sandwich type of dinner so everyone made their own favorite.  Tonight's movie was a new Tom Hanks one that  follows many families through generations in the same location/home.  It was an interesting premise for multiple story lines and a bit of a tearjerker.

Day 33- Sunday, 2/2/25

Tyler joined us tonight for an enchilada dinner.  Sadly Lupe wasn't feeling well so she couldn't be here but maybe she'll join next week.

 

That wraps up the first month of 2025 and starts us on the next one. Hope to see you back next week.  Stay strong everyone.