Weekends go by quickly! I didn't accomplish much, but I didn't try very hard. Instead, I took to heart the words of a fortune cookie I had while in Mexico a couple of weeks ago. The fortune encouraged me to "Relax and Enjoy Yourself." And why not? After all, everything I didn't complete will be waiting for me tomorrow. We can only get so much done in finite time. And we need ‘down time' as well.

One success – Tracy Schohr's recent accomplishment in being named the 2019 Butte County Farm Bureau member of the year! Tracy received the award on February 1. Congratulations, Tracy!

Also on February 1, Dr. El-Kereamy transferred from his CE Advisor position in Kern County to his new job as CE Specialist in Citrus Horticulture in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences at UC Riverside, housed at the Lindcove REC.

The team in Imperial County received media coverage of their recent UC Farm Smart community event. The program was recognized for its contribution to the community. Congratulations to the team in Imperial for their successful program!

Another success was Giving Tuesday. During the February 1 County Directors call, we received the news that a record number of employees gave. Also, $121,000 was raised, up from $71,000 the year before. The top 5 counties were San Mateo, Monterey, Santa Clara, Glenn, Humboldt counties. I call that a successful day for all.

UC ANR was successful in attracting Linda Forbes to the position of Director of Strategic Communications. Linda will begin next week in her new position. Please be sure to welcome Linda to UC ANR.

Linda's arrival is just in time. Anne Megaro was Acting Director while we worked to fill the position permanently. However, Anne is now busy with Mary Elizabeth Megaro. Congratulations to Anne, John and Christopher for their new family addition.

Last week was Lunar New Year. We celebrated with Chinese takeout that ended in fortune cookies. This time my fortune was a bit more prophetic, stating “Everything will be okay in the end. If it is not okay, it is not the end”. I will give that saying a bit more thought and, ultimately, trust the wisdom of the cookie.