Photo Dump

It's probably easier to just do a photo dump as a summary of life lately. So that's what this is. I'm also searching for a 52 item list of prompts to write about, which would give this blog a weekly boost. We'll see what I can find.

Disposable sherry glass at the hunter pace

It was a gorgeous day

I saw a rainbow on my way into work

And Gwyn used the setting sun to her photogenic advantage

Hazel is a cat, "If I fits, I sits" 

The fish and plants are doing well

Photographer from the Pace

My campsite at Oak Leaf Run. It rained. A lot. But I love my camping set up.

I stayed dry and warm!

My mom came to visit while I was off camping. Hazel wanted nothing to do with me for quite a bit.

Family photo

We deserve each other

School fashion for the fall

Kaylee's schoolwork

This may seem like an odd photo to post, but it needs some explanation. I gave the empty square tupperware to Hazel and told her to put it away. She went into the grain room and placed it on the metal grain bin all by herself. She is a year and a half and not only knows where things belong, she can interpret a vague instruction correctly. 

She is also insistent on helping out every night.

And she loves Velociraptor (and he seems to love her too)

Aquaponics system!

This is Piggy and Gerald. Kaylee brought them home for the weekend and had to write about what they did with her.

They went to the post office.

And came to my work to do SCIENCE!

And Kaylee got to try vortexing a sample. She thought it was hilarious.

We've had some very pretty sunsets.

Hazel also got in on the Piggy and Gerald action.

We went pumpkin picking on a ridiculously warm October day.

And got apple cider slushies.

Gwyn shares her dinner with Hazel.

We've had a skunk visiting the yard.

We got a new fish. A coworker was griping that her fish was getting too aggressive with the rest of her tank so I offered to take him so he wouldn't get flushed. We are up to 5 goldfish and one chinese algae eater now. They have lots of space roam. 

More kitty love.

The full system.

Happy Belated Birthday to Me!

Work has just been ridiculous lately. I've been effectively working full time hours to try and help the lab stay on track with all of the sample submissions since our supervisor left for a new job at the end of June. We FINALLY hired someone who started at the beginning of September to be our boss but training her has been a trick and a half.

Because this blog is public I really don't want to go into a lot of detail, but it is very frustrating on a professional level to have to train your boss in microbiological basics. And in Excel. And how to save. And the rules of how to name the files so everyone knows where and what everything is.

I've also been adding new skills to my repertoire including taking point on running a proficiency test that is required for the company to maintain certain certifications. We passed. Oh yeah, I'm amazing.

I started my October birthday month shenanigans on September 30 when I volunteered for the Metropark Express. Remember, going to ride in it, but I knew Gwyn and I would not be fit and that wasn't fair to either of us. So I volunteered to be the timer and that was plenty enjoyable! Not necessarily stress free, but it's a fun kind of stress when you're juggling riders coming in and riders going out. It's something I'm good at.

The start in the fog.

Kaylee and I decorated our mini pumpkins that we grew ourselves

On October 6 the Kindergarten and First grade classes all went to the zoo. I took the day off and chaperoned because why the fuck not? I was in charge of Kaylee and one other little girl from her class, A. We had a blast together.

On Saturday we finally relented and let Kaylee set up my old tent in the back yard. She was ADAMANT that she was going to sleep in it that night.

It provided great entertainment for both kids!

We went to the Enchanted Woodland at Seven Ponds Nature Center. In retrospect I picked too late of a time slot (reservation only) but both kids had fun, even if they were ready to crash by the end of the night.

Meeting the coyote

True to her word, Kaylee went to sleep in the tent all by herself. But then we had a tornado warning for the county and we grabbed her and brought her back inside for safety. She never woke up through the whole relocation. Thankfully she understood when she woke up in her bed the next morning and we explained what had happened.

That led to her saying we had a tomato warning. :'D

Hazel being mischevous at my work. I had to work both Saturday and Sunday. But I didn't let it stop me from my plans!

I wore Kaylee out.

I had the Hunter Pace on Sunday (I opted to skip the Hunter Trials on October 1st and go get hay instead since my wasp problem was finally cleaned out).  This upcoming weekend I'm going camping with Gwyn. I'll ride unoffically and volunteer for the endurance ride. I can't wait!