Keeping track

After a 10 day period of fog and near or below freezing, the sun has returned. It took a push of air from over the Pacific Ocean. Once reaching the crest of the Cascades and headed down slope the battle of air masses has now ended. Most of the Kittitas Valley was clear by 6:00 AM. On the northern edge, I still have a few scattered clouds.

I’m the yellow star and 40 miles south is Yakima – orange star. Because of the low Sun angle there are large shadows at 9 AM. There is snow in the mountains; none here. Current temp is 41°F with a bit of wind.

I had a teeth-cleaning appointment on Wednesday and then stopped at the place where I get my hair cut. I was only expecting to make an appointment but there was a no-show so I was seated immediately. I always like it when multiple stops can be made on one trip. BiMart and Grocery1 rounded out the stops on Wednesday.

The US Postal Service expected to deliver a Social Security letter Saturday. The delivery is now after dark so I didn’t go get it. I already know the increase is 2.5% and the standard monthly Part B premium will increase by $10.30. Still, it is an increase but WA’s gas price is 3rd highest in the nation, behind Hawaii and California. Ellensburg regular is $3.50.
Because Social Security [22% of Federal budget] Medicare and other health care [28%] take over half the budget, other things are being squeezed. Interest on the National debt is a huge cost. What, if anything, Congress does about these issues will affect many millions of folks. How we in the elderly group will be impacted is a mystery.

Keeping Track
on the Naneum Fan
John

Did not have a roast Road Runner or turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.

https://www.offthemark.com/

I did have chicken, at the neighbors Kathy and Dale and kids and grand kids. Wednesday A.M. I met Kristin at the Super1 deli to exchange news and give her the too-small slipper-boots. She likely will pass the pair on to one of the stressed veterans she mentors.
It has been foggy and near freezing this week. The coming week looks better – not as cold and some sun.
I did finish a temporary fence that should keep deer away from my plum trees in the spring when new green growth starts. Then I will need a plan for aphids and ants.
Meteorological winter began today. This is ignored by most who think Winter in the NH starts on the December Solstice, the 21st this year.
Keeping Track
on the Naneum Fan
John H.

This was the week of the strong winds, down from the Cascades into the Seattle area. Large trees broke or tipped over and took out power for thousands of homes and businesses. The idea of not having electricity for days is something that doesn’t occur here on the east side of the mountains.
The problem began late evening Tuesday and on Sunday morning there are still about 28,000 places with no electricity. That’s down from many thousands on Wednesday. In addition to the power issues, there are trees on houses, over roads, and blocking driveways. Most of the big problems will be solved by Monday. Interestingly, it appears that Thanksgiving Day and a few days after will have the nicest weather in weeks.
Here, I had snow overnight. Mostly gone now with a drizzle at 37°F.

Related to trees: The twisting beams supporting my decks were replaced this week. Of the many, two twisted badly. The image below left, shows the end of one. Middle image shows the new look. The beam twisted so much it was splitting the post to which it was attached with long (stout) screws. The other end was pushing out on another vertical post.
The other deck had a similar but lesser problem. Two short beams that met over a center post have been replaced by one long one and heavy steel brackets have been added to help keep things in place. That’s shown in the right side image.

The College of the Sciences at CWU entertains grade school kids and their parents with an annual event called “Nature of Night”. It is promoted in the schools for many years – that’s why I never heard about it. This year, via a connection to the local Audubon group, I volunteered to cut bird silhouettes on Thursday and help with the event on Saturday. The birds were taped to the ceiling of large room (dark inside) and we led groups in with flashlights to view “the overhead migrations” underway in the night sky. Kids were given flashlights and they were asked to find the birds and count them. Meanwhile the leaders could talk about the shapes of wings, tails, and the thousands of birds migrating south. Back at the Audubon table there were cut-outs of bird faces (owls mostly) for anyone to color and make a mask. We volunteers cut out the image, the eyes, and holes for an elastic (head) band. There were several types of different sizes to match the width between the eyes of little to larger faces.
A dozen CWU groups had tables and rooms to allow the folks to learn of the night time activities of other critters, and different environments; jungle, desert, polar, rivers. A man with a Cosmos display was there and the astronomy club had scheduled trips to the planetarium – in a different building. Folks started coming at 10 AM and the place swarmed until about 2 PM. There was a room with pizza, snacks, and drinks for the volunteers.

Friday noon was a monthly luncheon that I attend, mostly secretaries and staff. This time there were two main topics. One being the care of elderly – several folks were involved with parents or others needed care. And Ruth H., the person that started these gatherings, fell a couple of weeks ago and broke a hip. She is near 90 and probably will not be returning to her long-time home.
The second topic was the in-progress contraction of the University brought about by fewer students. There is a Covid/pandemic aspect to this but, also, a general demographic part – fewer collage age folks and fewer attending colleges.
Retiring faculty are not being replaced and very preliminary talks of combining programs have started. Faculty is adapting by being flexible in adjusting current degree requirements. One thing being tried is to eliminate departmental secretaries/office-managers. No one seems sure of how this will work. Perhaps, there will be a central phone service for a group of departments. There always has been a general phone number for the university but whether that office could handle all communications hasn’t been tried. There won’t be a person to meet & greet someone coming to a department. All this is in progress. The current Geography secretary is in our group. She has been scheduled to retire at the end of December. With no one to replace her and a new academic quarter beginning with classes on January 7th she is staying through January. Spring quarter classes start on April 1st.
Our group’s next luncheon is on January 24. News update then.

Keeping Track
on the Naneum Fan
John

Saturday evening about supper time snow began at the house. Before dawn there was an inch, and then it started to melt. By Noon most was gone. A ski area, Crystal Mountain at 6,850 feet elevation (45 miles west of me) has several cameras and I snagged an image shown here. Their other cameras show mostly fog.
At the EBRG airport there was a cold mist registering as a trace of snow. It didn’t stick and that was the situation just a couple miles south of me. A few miles up in the hills, there is about 3 inches. More, a few inches, is expected here Tuesday evening. I’m not planning to go anywhere, so it doesn’t matter.

For an hour or so the turkeys have been searching under the Ponderosa Pines for, I guess, pine seeds. I’ve had to fence places where I put seeds for birds or the deer and the turkeys would get most of the sunflower seeds. I don’t know if they would get the tiniest seeds.

The big local news this week suggests there is a mental health problem in the region. One Corey Burke hacked and killed her father because he wouldn’t turn off the lights. This had something to do with the election. A Yakima driver led police on a 70 mile chase into the Ellensburg area on I-90. Not related to the election. It reads like something from a TV “cops” show. A Cle Elum woman pointed a gun at folks she knows, then fled to EBRG and behaved strangely in a downtown street. No harm done, except she scared the folks in both places. Topping these strange stories is the capture of “Notorious P.I.G.” in Tacoma.
https://news.yahoo.com/news/video-shows-tacoma-police-chase-232216923.html

I realized I was missing all these interesting stories,so with a half-price subscription, I am back to getting a paper copy of the EBRG Daily Record. This, also, gives me paper to start a fire in the wood-burning stove, when needed.

I cut a dozen small trees, including several that have been dead for three or four years. The bark is falling off. Being tall and thin, I can now just cut to length for the stove. No need to split them. I guess there are too many trees close together that causes the tall, thin, and nearly non-branching growth form. Side limbs are not more than an inch thick.

I’m now headed out to cut those up. I’ve an hour or so of good light before the sun sets over Crystal Mountain and the Crest of the Cascades.

Keeping Track
on the Naneum Fan
John

I had only a bottling of wine event scheduled for this week, on Friday morning. That was canceled, so I’ve only home things to chronicle.
I used the opportunity to cut up trees that I had dropped last year or the year before. All I think I need for this winter is under cover. Some needs to be cut to length – 15 to 18 inches. Some is the right length but needs split.
If I get a chance, I’ll drop several trees for future use. The advantage is I can cut tall thin ones that won’t need to be split. Older and larger ones that die are more troublesome to prepare for fire wood. And the bigger they are the more dangerous they become.

The weather is supposed to be damp, rain, or snow. Lots of snow in the Cascades, but I think not here. Temperatures are fall-like.
The picture of the week is below.

Late in the afternoon, with the sun behind me and a dark sky to the East-North-East (ENE), this small tree lit up. It is interesting that it has all its leaves, while the walnut trees have dropped theirs. Established small plum trees still have green leaves. Western Larch, a deciduous needle-leaf tree, are also golden now. I have some, but the natural habitat is on the north-facing slopes of mountains. Web photo is a typical scene.

Monday is Veterans Day. Shout-out to all.

Keeping Track
on the Naneum Fan
John

Monday:
A member of a family we’ve known for many years is an insurance agent. I learned this while visiting with her sister last spring. Sister #1 said you need to talk to sister #2 (there are 7 girls in that bunch). This had to do with changing the Medicare supplement plan and can be done in Washington State only after Nov 1st.
Things come and go, and one of the things that went a couple of years ago was coverage in my area by Kaiser Permanente, a company that acquired WA’s Group Health in February 2017. Almost immediately relations between the local hospital and clinics and Kaiser deteriorated.
On July 31, 2021 we became “out-of-network” and needed to pick a new provider. I wasn’t paying much attention and the WA Health Care Authority via its Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) made that choice for me. I think they chose “the best” and the most expensive. Much later – conversation with Sister #1 – I became aware that I likely needed to change. After two meetings and a lot of paperwork, 2025 will see me with a different and cheaper provider. I will save just a bit more by having my “meds” sent via mail on a 90 day cycle. I can still get yearly vaccines at the local pharmacy.

Tuesday:
Ownership of the local phone company changed. The new name is Lightcurve. Tuesday evening, they hosted a community get-to-gather with food and prizes. . I got a good meal (brought a little home) and
won 2 items. The company mascot is an Otis the Otter — I won a small stuffed mascot. Next, I won the grand prize of the evening.

Suggested retail price is $359.95. I sat with neighbor Alan. He said if I loan it to him he will bring it back with a salmon in it. He has “indian-fishing-rights” and does come by with a salmon now and then. He plows my driveway snow and occasionally adds a helping hand when needed.

Wednesday
The truck got a service, including an oil change, and no issues were discovered. The specifications call for 8.85 qts of oil but they charge for 9 quarts. I wonder where the other 0.15 goes. The dealership has lots of pricey trucks with many claiming $5,000 off. Still the prices go from $60,000 to $90,000. I’m happy with mine.

Friday
We worked on sparkling wine. I’ve found a short video that shows the steps. White Heron’s equipment is a little different, although the processes are similar. We used an old freezer Nancy purchased at a farm auction many years ago near Troy Idaho. The initial chill from the freezer is completed by a short time in crushed dry ice (solid CO2). This week the dry ice was in short supply at the grocery outlets because folks where buying it to use in their Halloween displays. My position was cleaning the bottles after the wire cage was put on.

When not running and doing the above, I have been preparing for winter by putting mulch on some new trees, putting garden hoses away, and making some firewood. Here is a photo of my companion on Saturday.

Keeping Track
on the Naneum Fan
John

The National Weather Service claims an 80% chance of a little rain during the early hours of Sunday. I’ve had three projects underway and didn’t want rain before I got the Black Walnuts gathered and all the flower bulbs in the ground. I planted in three different locations along the driveway. Two have been done for a couple of days. The last bed got done this afternoon, except I need to cover with more dirt, sand, and mulch. Then I will put leaves and pine needles on top for the winter.
There are different types of Daffodils and Hyacinth, and red Tulips. I’m thinking of adding (annuals) Marigolds and Zinnias next year, starting plants from seed in the house because of our cold springs.

I got a packet of Allium Ostrowskianum (or Pink Lily Leek); a brilliantly colored, short allium (think onion family) which produces quarter-sized, deep magenta flowers which are unparalleled in the allium family! (So someone wrote.) Its short height makes it great for borders or for planting among other spring blooming perennials. The bulbs are small and I got 100. Rather than trying to “plant” them, I roughed up the soil and threw them around the base of a pine tree. Then I covered them with mulch. I’ll add more on top (fine dirt, sand, and mulch). If It doesn’t rain, I’ll have to water. Hoping that works.
A similar plant is native to the area – Douglas’s Onion {Allium douglasii} although the color is light violet/pink. I don’t want to dig them up and put in a bed with the others.

I’ve had fire in the wood stove for most of October. I have lots of wood, it just needs split and some needs cut to the proper length. I’m also burning small pieces from my use of the radial arm saw, collected over the past three years. Also, the remodel of house and shed generated lots of stuff not fit for re-use. Much of that I can cut up to feed the wood stove. Pieces with paint or nails has to go to the landfill, although I can burn stuff in an outside fire when conditions permit. Friends have taken lumber for their projects.
Maybe I’ll build a “greenhouse” and try to grow tomatoes. 😇

Keeping Track
on the Naneum Fan
John

Weeks ago, I ordered a box “Dutch Grown” bulbs for spring flowers. I tried to get types that deer don’t like. Most will be fenced the first year, but the plan is to have some in a “test” bed to see how the deer respond. I got a couple types of Daffodils, Allium, and Hyacinth.
My ground isn’t well suited for such plantings, so I wanted mulch. I’d gotten three bags when I was planting new Plum trees. It seemed expensive for just 1.5 cubic feet. So …
While transferring money to Walter, my contractor, I asked wife Lynn if he or one of the crew could take the flat-bed dump truck to the City’s composting facility and bring me a few cubic yards. Here’s the response I got:

Sorry, I was out of town and then Walter had an accident. Went down a 150’ embankment and flipped the truck. So, I haven’t gotten back to you. I haven’t had a chance to get to everything. I’ll take a look at it next week once the family leaves and I can focus on my work.
Hope you’re doing well , Lynn
Note that she did not say whether Walter survived. I’ll find out this week.
So I ordered 7+ cubic yards of mulch from a local MRM Landscape Supply. That’s 189 cubic feet, or 126 BiMart bags. BiMart would have charged $1,134 while MRM delivered it for half that. No bags.
Sunday, I cleaned one of the three places where I want to plant and watered the ground. Then I carried dirt and sand and mulch to the spot and planted 1/3rd of the bulbs. I used 3 garden carts of the mulch – hardly making a dent in the pile. I’ll add more after getting all the rest of the bulbs in the ground.
Meanwhile, I mowed and bagged (not mulching in-place) the leaves from under the Walnut trees. I’ll water again (unless we get a good rain) and cover the area with the chopped leaves – for the winter.
I have moved the (electric) small log splitter to a shed. The one where it was is gone – too close to the house. “Firewise” folks claim away is better. That area is now gravel. Tested the new set-up. Working. Good.

The Wolverine is named Gulo gulo. On Thursday night I went to the “Zoom” presentation of the film Where’s Gulo, and while the film might be good in a different setting, this was a minor disaster. The person on the other end was Project coordinator Claire (Cal) Waichler. Seemed knowledgeable, but …
It has been 10 years since Zoom launched and the locals (Audubon group meeting in the Library) have never come close to doing one of these in a respectable manner. A 7:00 o’clock start time got going about 20 minutes late because the sound was barely audible. They started anyway. The visual feed was jerky (zoom-lag). About 10 minutes in, the person in charge began holding a microphone against the laptop’s speaker. Audio became better, meaning that noise level in the room had to be near zero to hear the presentation.
When the movie was over there were a few questions that Cal answered nicely. Low sound and jerky feed continued. Very sad. 😢
Might rain tonight – just a little, or not.

Keeping Track
on the Naneum Fan
John

A contractor for my electric supplier has been working on the lines and poles along Naneum Road. Larger lines are replacing the old ones. I should ask the locals how long the existing lines have been there.
The crew is replacing poles where there is a change in direction. One such place is at the entry point for me on to Naneum Road. There is a right angle turn and two new posts have been put in. The old posts are still doing the duty, but I suspect a change this coming week. They might take the old poles out and give them to me. This has not been confirmed.
Anyway, my power was cut at 9:10 am Thursday morning. At 2:00 pm it came back on. That’s the longest outage I’ve had in 35 years. I had time to reset the clocks, and then went to a potluck.
Friday we bottled white wine. There was a pallet and one-half completed – and then lunch. How many bottles that is, I don’t know. Harvest is now happening, but next we will do a red wine of many varieties.

Yesterday, I had cake and ice cream at a birthday party for 7 year-old Natalie, who lives about 6 miles south of me. Mixed cake layers overly decorated and chocolate chip ice cream.
Both parents are Fire & Rescue sorts, he in Yakima and she in EBRG. We met Natalie’s great grandparents in 1975 and their kids when they were teens. Another life-time ago.
Other than that, not much. Working on a few simple projects – and did some laundry today.
Keeping Track
on the Naneum Fan
John H.

I mentioned, last week, that I built a multi-purpose rolling cart and secondary critter door for the large deck on the south side. Here is the photo.

The main material (the blue) is Oriented Strand Board (OSB) left over from one of the house projects. Likewise for the blue paint. OSB is a material with high mechanical properties, built for load-bearing strength, making it a durable product for use on walls, roofing, flooring and roof decking. The rectangular window is from the dismantled truck camper – bought many years ago when we still lived in Troy ID.
The blond vertical wood strips are trims from wall paneling. Front and sides have wood cut to look like mountains (squint).While decorative, they have a purpose. The box sits on a rolling platform. The top lifts off and the front and two sides (a unit) can be lifted off. The wood “mountains” hold the box on the platform. The wheels (swivel-casters) are from a pre-1990 office chair when they had just 4 legs. For various reasons – less danger of tipping being the major one – office chairs now have 5 legs. I had to buy 4 Side Bracket Sockets for 7/16-inch caster stems.
The plastic swinging door is also a purchase. These things have a metal edge on the bottom that is supposed to catch on a magnet. There’s the rub. Too much magnetic attraction and the animal can’t push it open. Too little and the wind blows it open. Commercial ones (almost visible at the back of my box) are not up to the Kittitas Valley wind. Last week there was a gust of 54 mph. Usually not an issue, it becomes one when the temperature drops below, say 20°F; last December was -16 degrees. I bought a box of tiny magnets and glued some to the wood under the flexible door.
Now I have a double-door setup. Since put in place, I haven’t been in the room during strong winds. Thus, proof-of-concept has not been determined.

I’ve been working on a new “station” for feeding wild birds, a sturdy work table, and digging some holes for fence posts. Two days this week involved bottling a white wine, and sparkling Rosé wine at White Heron. Thursday, a spring broke in the corker and that delayed the operation by an hour or so. The weather looks to cooperate for the next 5 days so I can get more done. Friday we will bottle a red wine – about 3 hours, then lunch.
One of the helpers – Audrey usually runs the labeling machine – has been giving me tomatoes this fall. At lunch Thursday we had a discussion of garden fresh tomatoes in contrast to the ones found in grocery stores. My weather is not reliable for growing most vegetables. I was surprised to have a similar text exchange with friend Bruce in Eureka CA, a sort of cold climate for tomatoes. He manages. Photo below:

Bruce says they all taste great.

Keeping Track
on the Naneum Fan
John H