A banner week….

A great start to the new year:

New puppy: Dr. Castro says she’s about 12 weeks (not the 8 we thought), and likely a Jack Russell/Labrador mix. She is sleeping through the night and she and Akamai have become bosom buddies.

First whale sighting:  yesterday there was a pod including a baby swimming along the coastline. The first we’ve seen them this year.

First 5K:  As son Steve tells me, after the first 2 miles, it’s all the same. But I’m still thrilled with my accomplishment.

A week off: an unexpected pleasure. I had looked at my schedule last week and I was working all week.  Downloaded and printed it and discovered it had changed completely, and now I was off all week.

An unexpected, and very pleasurable dinner invitation from some people we’ve been socializing with at church. They are from Germany, and we enjoyed a very European feast of cheese, fruit, salad, sliced meat, home-made bread and after-dinner cappucino.

And today….the coup de gras:  The property below us is “natural”—undeveloped.  Albezia trees have started to infiltrate the property.  though lovely, they are considered trash trees.  They grow 20-30 feet a year, have very shallow roots and are inherently dangerous due to the risk of their falling in a strong wind.  AND, a stand of albezias can block my ocean view in a very short time.  Yesterday I groused to David about THE TREE and hinted we might offer to cut down the nasty thing to “help” the property owners. But…..today there was a bulldozer clearing the property for more agriculture (the land has been leased to a farmer for planting)…..and the tree is gone!

What a glorious week so far.

Here’s hoping 2013 is just as good for all of us for the rest of the year!