2023...

it's been over a year since I posted anything... 

and I think of it when I'm at work.. but then when I finally get home, I'm too tired (exhausted really) and angry.. so I tell myself - okay another day..

well.. today is the day I guess.. 
I will try to post more often..
life is just complicated I guess.
stressful - and exhausting - and complicated..

January wasn't too eventful of a month, I don't think..
we had my dad's funeral January 11th. I carried the urn before morning rosary.. then we had a lovely mass to commemorate him. after that was a ceremony at the National Cemetery in Los Angeles.. we returned back to my sister's house for the wake.
my cousin was there. he and his wife came all the way from Idaho to represent my dad's side of the family. all my nephews and my niece were there.. some good family friends were at the mass, others came to the National Cemetery, and still others to the wake. it was awkward getting off work but I knew there were 3 other people still there working.. so I didn't feel so bad leaving them for that day.

we had our first snow of the year on January 15th.. although we had some pretty big rains before then, washing out roads. first egg of the year on January 23rd or 24th. another big snow January 30th.. that's when our 'real' winter began.. from then on were many big snow storms. I did my best to make it to work when I could. one employee at work quit early March (we had our last snow on May 9th, just to give you an idea of  how OUR winters work)

February was more snow.. and a water leak. the water line that is underneath the house connects to a hose fitting for the backyard. at some point the compression fitting came loose (during one of our cold winter overnights) and water was leaking under the house. unless you looked under there, you'd never know.. or, in this case, when the water company comes knocking on your door! of course we were between storms so we could only do a quick fix after a trip to Ace hardware for parts. we eventually changed that system all together. also February was my 48th birthday - which came during a business trip so no big celebrations here. I celebrated on Valentine's Day 5 days prior.. and brunch with my mom and sister and niece (and Ronnie) the day before.. 5am of my birthday, I was out the door to head to work before going to Western Vet Conferences in Vegas. any other time I could have claimed 'I went to Vegas for my birthday'! the biggest snowstorm ever happened after we returned from Vegas (thankfully!!) we got home 10pm Wednesday night.. it blizzarded overnight Thursday night through ALL of Friday! I missed work that Friday.

more snow Saturday.. 

March 1st.. started with snow.. 

March 8th, egg season started up again (I don't blame them with all that snow.. I wouldn't even have dealt with that if they HAD laid since January 15th..) 
Ronnie started practicing with new recipes, to get his youtube up and running - although we hadn't filmed anything other than the Christmas cookies (that video didn't come out well at all I guess). we made pizza with pork carnitas and onion, enchilada sauce, cheese, sweet peppers.. taco pizza with refried beans, enchilada sauce, ground beef, cheese and green onions.. veggie chow mein with red cabbage, tofu, green onion, zucchini, mushrooms.. a cabbage roll casserole for work, with kolaches too.. made an irish soda bread for St Patty's Day.. chicken biryani..spinach artichoke lasagna for work.
then we got tons of golden beets at commodities another month- so golden borscht it was.. he has made lots of breads lately - we don't buy anymore. pizzas too. 

I made several different things for the doggies this year. we had received salmon from commodities at the park.. so I gave them salmon with cauliflower and carrots and spinach.. or with veg-to-bowl, and vitamins and probiotics... when the salmon was gone, I used Atlantic Pollock.. still trying to come up with more protein options for my kiddos. most of what I've used has been in excess, so I make use of it feeding us all. but when that's not the case, I need to plan ahead. 

I've been doing pretty well seeing my family monthly (March is the only month I missed..)  December 3 was my sister's wedding.. then December 12 was the passing of my father.. and of course 25th for Christmas. January 11 was the funeral.. February 18 for my birthday.. April 9th for Easter.. and May 10th for Mother's Day.. I don't know yet what is happening for June - it is coming up soon.

work is a stress all by itself. we can never keep an employee and I would love to just leave.. or not show up one day.. the coworker who left in March had only been there since November. he was a veterinarian in the Philippines. he has been a vet tech at VCA, and works RadioCat once a month.. he came to work for us and didn't understand how the doctor can be so rude and cruel and stressful. he just had enough one day and left at lunchtime. he told her he'd think about it for a day. he didn't come back.

it is difficult to do all that we do. there is only the 3 of us now. "one girl S" broke her foot the end of April. "another girl C" has a pinched nerve and disc issues so she is limited in her abilities.. that leaves me - who is getting greatly broken as the days go. I have a break this week (today through Thursday). one girl S got married this past Saturday and was off work Wednesday and Friday - although the doctor didn't realize this and had us overbooked with only 2 employees.
I was planning to go to a wedding this Saturday (Ron's sister) but we are working..
I should say "*I*" am working. "one girl S" will still be on her honeymoon! and "another girl C" is working the local car show. so, yeah.. the doctor changed our appt schedule from 9-6 to 9-2.. but that won't leave me ANY time to get to a 3:00 wedding, 70 miles away, in something other than slobbery furry scrubs.. 

so, life is how it sounds..