Author: admin

Item #1: What’s up?

I don’t remember the first time I saw the above “click-here” thing but last week I noticed the “macy..” image and the word “Walmart” name did not match. This week there has been a change to match names. Interesting, but not as fundamental as the fact that Ellensburg does not have a Walmart. There is one about 50 road miles south, and another just 25 miles as the crow flies, but 70 miles by road.
Neither of these stores is closing. Another mystery.
Thus, it can’t happen, and I don’t need to know about something that is not happening.

Item #2: Was this Humpty?

If you search for images of Humpty Dumpty you will find many modern colorful illustrations of an egg-like character sitting on a wall. They mostly do NOT show a shattered egg-corpse at the base of the wall. Not appropriate for children’s books, I suppose.
The nursery rhyme goes like this . . .
Search as you want, there is no mention of an egg.
In fact, the rhyme was around in published form for about 50 years before a notion of an egg character was written into it by Lewis Carroll in “Through the Looking-Glass.”

Here is a link showing a black and white illustration and part of the Alice text. classic illustration

Back to meaning; see this:
A cannon. Really?

And here is the “Looking Glass” text with Alice and Humpty:
via Lewis Carroll

Item #3: Is your sink clogged?

Item #4: Closed

Washington’s governor, among others, insists on closing things down until January 4th. The governor’s restrictions affect all social gatherings, bars, restaurants, retail, gyms and religious services. They went into effect on Nov. 16.
Distancing and masking are everywhere, and meanwhile it is claimed that positive cases and hospital use continues to go up. I don’t have a graphic for our state, but here is California:
Other places report similar results.
Makes me wonder if masks work, why don’t masks work.
In other news:
Prohibition-era 21 Club in New York City to close after 90 years.
Some think that 1/3 of restaurants will be closing.
A locally eatery has posted the governor’s phone number on its outside sign where normally they put the daily special.

Item #5: Interesting times!
Most are familiar with the translation of the Chinese curse:
After one of the most controversial elections in American history, it seems we will have a new administration in just over a month.
The United Kingdom seems ready to walk away from the European Union. Known as Brixit.
Multiple millions of folks will soon be poked in the arm with never before types of vaccines. An interesting experiment.
Meteorologists claim a La Niña event is about to bring strange weather over the next few months.
Further, a spectacular sky event is about to unfold: the Great Conjunction of 2020. Jupiter & Saturn will soon appear close together in the sky; closest since the Middle Ages.
The Geminid meteor shower peaks on the night of December 13–14. The good news is that because the moon won’t be visible on the 14th, that means that even fainter meteors will be visible from dark skies.

And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John

From Peggy’s driveway, in NE Ohio.
Snow!

Item #1: Stuff
.
.
.
.

I have a clock like the one shown, but all-in-all this man has had more stuff.

Homeless man’s home stuff
.
.

Item #2: How to use a frozen turkey

You, too, can get creative in putting a frozen turkey to good use.
Demetrius Truss, of Milwaukee, found his car’s left rear wheel gone and the wheel hub propped on a frozen turkey. Either the thief developed a conscience – – – or – – – used whatever he had at his disposal.

Story and video here.

The accompanying cartoon has the oven temperature of 350 F. degrees. That seemed a bit hot to me, so I searched it up on the internet. I’m guessing Mother didn’t use 350.
ButterBall® and other sites suggest 325°. Okay, but I like roasting in a “slow” oven – meaning about 225° to 250°.
Here is one explanation,
Recipe

although I would make some changes because I never have “sprigs” of spices. And “Kosher Salt” is still Salt as this site explains;
https://www.thekitchn.com/kosher-salt-where-it-comes-from-why-its-called-kosher-ingredient-intelligence-219665

. . . so our cabinets only have one type of Salt – plain – and that’s what I use.

Item #3: Great idea

If our house could be seen from Naneum Road, I would do this. The first person to think of this should get a large money award.
I found this with the contributor claiming “Clark Griswold approves.” I had no idea what that meant, so off to find out.
But I think I might have to watch a movie or two to learn. Clark Griswold is the main character in a series of silly vacation movies; the third is titled National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. I know no more.
As a teen I did help set up a tree this tall. A couple of us did a few things with the sons of a local judge. Some common interests but they went to a different school. One December the Judge wanted a large tree for the house. It was a large house (stone exterior) with an open interior of about 2 ½ stories. So we found a tree of the size desired, cut, and carted it off to the house. Getting it through the door was a bit of a problem, but the damage to the woodwork was minimal, and it was a fine addition to the living room.
You can see this house by searching on Google Earth using this: “Stone House Road, Clarion, PA”
. . . that lands you half way along the short road, so move to the left where there is an intersection with Greenville Pike/Avenue. Spot the brownish roof in the corner. There have been a few changes over 60 years for the property and the immediate area.

Item #4: “Do as I say.”
The speaker emphasized residents ‘need to stay home.’
Why is this news? Because . . .

In early November, as health officials warned of an impending COVID-19 spike, Austin Mayor Steve Adler hosted an outdoor wedding and reception with 20 guests for his daughter at a trendy hotel near downtown.
The next morning, Mr Mayor and seven other wedding attendees boarded a private jet bound for Cabo San Lucas, where they vacationed for a week at a family timeshare. There, in Mexico, he recorded his message.

Not as I do.

Many such stories of those some call “limousine liberals.”

Item #5: The best?
Nancy will appreciate this photo.
Children are placing pennies in front of the passenger train Nancy Hanks prior to its last trip between Savannah and Atlanta, April 30/May 1, 1971. The Nancy Hanks

As the Sun went behind the Cascade Mountains this afternoon I came inside, grabbed a snack, and wondered what to use as Item #5.
I switched on SiriusXM and a country song, being sung by David Allan Coe, titled ” You never even called me by my name” came on. When the song appeared to be ending, Coe spoke (as a song part, it is called recitation):

“Well, a friend of mine named Steve Goodman wrote that song
And he told me it was the perfect country & western song
I wrote him back a letter and I told him it was not the perfect country and western song
Because he hadn’t said anything at all about mama, or trains, or trucks, or prison, or gettin’ drunk
Well he sat down and wrote another verse to the song and he sent it to me
And after reading it I realized that my friend had written the perfect country & western song
And I felt obliged to include it on this album
The last verse goes like this here:”

[Verse 4]
Well, I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison
And I went to pick her up in the rain
But before I could get to the station in my pickup truck
She got run over by a damned old train
_ _ _ _
The song seems to be about a spat between a man and a woman,
but it is meant to reflect on Coe’s troubled relationship with the music industry.
Steve Goodman is the person that wrote and performed the train song “The City of New Orleans,” about the dying railroads and his own life, dying from leukemia. Steve Goodman.

And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John

Item #1: Sorry!

A day late.
I was listening to a radio program.
Nancy has had SiriusXM in the Forester for several years. Mostly useless now, because all her trips to music things and the senior center have vanished.
Recently, she talked to the company service and learned how to connect to the music in-house on our computers. That’s how I was listening.
One of the best song writers of the last 50 years is
Kristoffer Kristofferson, and I was listening to a set of his songs – mostly being sung by others – hosted by Willie Nelson. When being sung by Kris, the words are clear, but some of the others are not so. Thus, I was getting the lyrics on screen to read along while listening to other singers, such as Bob Dylan, Roger Miller, Willie, and a dozen others.
I forgot I was supposed to post something.

Item #2: A little owl

Owl gets a free, but unwanted, ride to the Big Apple. Could have beeb crushed. See – –Saw-whet owl

Left – the live tree;
Middle: preparing;
Right: all tied up
While at the University of Idaho our offices were in a 4 story building, an old converted dormitory. Stairs to the upper floors had windows at each landing (turn). Outside they had planted Arborvitae, likely when the building was new. Having grown for years, these crowded the buildings and the windows.
One time a Saw-whet owl took a perch close to the trunk of one of the trees, just outside the window. On the Cornell Lab site . . . Third photo – Adult . . . the image is much like the view we had.

The name: Read about that under the heading “Branding the bird” at this site: la chouette

Item #3: Enough already!

This baking craze has gone too far.
If Panic2020 has you in the kitchen and wondering what to do next –
step away.
Go outside and dig a hole or whatever.

Item #4: Coffee?

I’ve seen several of these slogans about booze holding 2020 together.
This person seems to be drinking a cup of coffee.
I assume the idea didn’t work for her.

And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John

Monday, Nov 16
This is a day late, because I missed seeing it yesterday! Lovely photo by Lise McGowan of the NE-facing hills south of EBRG.

My normal up at 4:00 a.m. for Woody (not raining) for morning vittles, let out Czar, and then back to bed, when it started raining, and rained much of the day.
Slept in long till after 9:00 a.m. because of lateness getting out the blog. We’ve been hearing the rain all night and morning, and continued with only the necessary outside chores John does in the morning, attention to computer emails, and I am still drying the clothes I washed last night. John fixed toast and went to visit Sue-cat, now housed inside. His computer and radio are also out in the new room.

We sneaked in a lunch and I unloaded the rest of the dishwasher John began on yesterday. I now need to soak the next batch of dirty dishes & utensils.
About 1:30 p.m., a sad news phone call from longtime friends that their dad had died this past week. We tried to call his wife at home, but we got a voicemail message. So, we left our landline# with condolences. She returned call, but John was outside with contractors, so the two of us talked. He was very ill, but this still was sudden.

John was with the workers hanging a gutter on the edge of the roof, and when it is not raining they’ll come back to add caulking.
I’m spending time planning stops for tomorrow on our day to run errands in town. I sent my thank-you email messages for photos posted in our last week’s blog.This animal hide was designed for the Rodeo Hall of Fame by Pennie Hammer. It paid tribute to Ida Nason (image just left of center on lower edge) and the Yakama Nation. I know Pennie from our days playing music on the 3rd Saturday of the month at Briarwood Commons Retirement Village. She is quite the artist and a great singer as well.
She posted this on Facebook today to call people’s attention to the Daily Record article on the family in Saturday’s paper (you’ve already seen it in our last week’s blog).

Supper: leftover Spaghetti with meat sauce, red seedless grapes, and ripple chips with salsa.

Tuesday, Nov 17

Then up, took pill @ 8:40, no food or drink until ½ hr. later. Charge FitBit. Think about restarting maybe clean up some off the extra stuff on the download file. Set up backup external drive for noon backup and started the computer’s day. Going to get a cup of coffee and a chocolate Ensure with strawberry yogurt.
Set up my external back-up for its noon backup. Need to get dressed to leave.

This is our day for important errands. Reviewing those here. We’re using this symbol to indicate stops: ∞∫∞ Started with several boxes of donated groceries for a family. ∞∫∞ On to AAC to pick up my pieces for Game Day for Clue. ∞∫∞ From there I drove to the pickup window at the Super 1 Pharmacy for my Amoxicillin refill for Wednesday’s teeth cleaning. ∞∫∞ Next stop Bi-Mart our last day to buy Meow Mix cat food at the “raincheck” price of $8.99 and to get some boxes of Fisherman’s Friends (they only had 2). ∞∫∞ Penultimate stop behind high school to pick up a gifted large soft pillow I hope I can use on my recliner. ∞∫∞ Last stop at Amy/Haley’s house to deliver a favorite treat to the little one of the house, some little packets of raisins.

Brandee Coates, is the Care and Service Coordinator at Kittitas Valley Healthcare Hospital. I called and talked to Jill at the front entrance desk at the hospital and told her about calling the usual number I call (local) to my doctor’s office in Cle Elum, being disconnected. She checked into it, and found it was because they changed telephone system providers, and anything going to Cle Elum had to use the exchange 674- That’s long distance for us, and the hospital had no right (in my opinion) to allow that to happen. We have no cell reception at our home, only the landline, and it is not right that we must pay to dial a long distance call. (Our minute charge is exorbitant for long distance minutes.) We prefer to use our cell phone, but without reception we cannot. I was on the phone for another 13 minutes with Brandee explaining our problem, and she was going to look into it and get back to me. She has used the same number to contact people in Cle Elum as well, and was unaware of the stoppage of the number. I have not yet heard back from her, so will talk with her tomorrow.
My INR report did not make it in, in time to be analyzed and so it will appear on the portal tomorrow, I expect.

Mid-afternoon snack, a piece of fruitcake each of us.

Supper: Chicken added to Progresso Wild rice and chicken soup, served with cornbread by John, buttered and with syrup.

Wednesday, Nov 18

Our dog wanted out at 3:00 am. so I got up to let her (even though she could go on her own out the doggie door). Woody, had come in to the front porch feeding station wanting an early breakfast. So I took her some and let Czar out with her for company. Czar will go around outside and come in the doggie door. I went back to bed.

Slept until almost 9:00 a.m. and had a call from Coumadin clinic that my INR=4 yesterday (and that is way high for unknown reasons). I have not changed anything in my diet. I have to take Amoxicillin today at noon to prepare for a dental teeth cleaning appointment at 1:00 p.m. Amoxicillin raises my INR so this is a problem. So does alcohol, but I haven’t had any.
Lunch: bacon and eggs between 11:30 and noon and then at noon, I took my pre-med, Amoxicillin.

I left at 12:30 for Sullivan Dental, with Tracy doing the work. Asked if Tiffany (med-tech) had her baby and found out she had a little girl a month ago. They live 2 miles up Naneum from us.
Back from the Dentist and from Bi-Mart on the way home. John has installed a gate and fencing covering the entrance to the portico. When Woody-cat next shows up we can close the gate and open the house door. She will have to move to the new room, to be with her mama, Sue.

Our Friday 13th luck has continued to this week. Today, our new wall heater in the converted room stopped heating abruptly. Our electrician is out of town, but will be back to fix it Friday morning at 9:00 p.m. {Getting Woody inside won’t happen until after Todd has come and gone.} Yes, we checked all the breaker switches to no avail. I called and left a voicemail on his cell phone. John has set up two small space heaters in the room, so there is not a problem keeping the room warm (about 65°). He’s okay with that temperature for the short times he’s using the computer.
Just finally finished loading the dishwasher completely full and running at 5:30 p.m. ****Gerald reporting in fine today from Thorp. All’s well.

Late afternoon snack- Ensure chocolate shake with strawberry yogurt.
Supper: Fried chicken pieces, breast meat; scalloped potatoes from a box, with added purple onions; red seedless grapes. Tonight I took old barn cat Sue, a fairly large plate of leftovers of chicken breast meat fried that we had tonight and she ate every single piece.

The total number of robocaller connections: Nov 18=1. Many of the earlier calls must have been related to the election.

Thursday, Nov 19

2:00 a.m. Woody arrived for an even earlier breakfast; dog awoke me first wanting out. I went back to bed. Slept until 8:30 a.m.
Realized I had left my cell phone overnight in my car. I didn’t realize that very cold temperatures would completely run down the battery. It was turned off when left.Chiwaukum Schist photo by study grouper Lindsay Malone

Her comments about this photo: Chiwaukum Schist – metallic silver on Nick’s map. The Chiwaukum Schist is metamorphic rock that began ~120 MA in the Pacific Ocean as deep ocean sediments consisting of mud and sands. The muds and sands became an accretionary wedge, the first of three metamophisms that lead to “hints of schist development.” The metamorphic events include: M1 = 130-110 MA; M2 = 95-90 MA; M3 91-86 MA – andolucites, biotites and garnets (Baker 2020). And here, I just think it’s sparkly rock that I could look at it all day… except when I’m running out of daylight and need to make camp on flatter, warmer, softer ground!

Hot coffee and chocolate Ensure shake with peach yogurt to have at NOON, during GAME DAY at the AAC with Katelyn our leader, via Zoom. I didn’t win but I was at a disadvantage because two people were having to share the clues given and so they had more clues to the info to pinpont the room in the house, the murderer person, and the weapon used to pick from than I did with only one of me. If we do this again, I’m going to suggest I get to see the answers to all 3 players and not just me. It’s rather hard to pay this game without being there in person, unlike Bingo, Yahtzee, and others.

Friday, Nov 20

My friend Evie from Kittitas, WA was out on an early morning walk. I’ve heard of frost on the pumpkin, but never this:Top line: two of several photos by EvieMae Schuetz–Bottom line: my enlarged zoomed in parts of frost crystals on them.

2:00 a.m. early awake from dog wanting out. Of all things, Woody was on the front porch wanting attention and food. Temp was 26°. I went back to bed, and slept until 6:30 a.m., missing my 5:00 a.m. med, so took it and went back to sleep until 8:00.

Our electrician is due at 9:00 a.m. to fix our wall heater in the new room. We’ll have to coordinate the cat holding. That’s taken care of but we still have to coordinate the timing of his arrival, finally at 10:20, and he fixed it fast. Don’t know why it happens but he has seen it in the past with other units. He took the front cover off, turned off the unit, and flipped the fan with his fingers. Then he turned the temperature dial, and it came on. Not sure why this happened. Nothing we did. He claimed it was his electric personality.

This upset Sue, however, to be enclosed in a dog crate while this went on. She’s recovering by hiding in the corner. I’ll go out and commiserate with her in a bit and see if we can get her back in the mode to be inside that room. We’ll wait until she calms down before putting her daughter Woody in there too.
While moving stuff around, John found a set of Defiant 4 keys. We finally figured out they are the door keys to the new room. Now to find a good storage place for them.

Fixed my chocolate Ensure milkshake with strawberry yogurt, and am enjoying it. John is going to work outside for an hour.
Nick began ~ 1:45 for 2:00 p.m. with his 2 hr.4 min lecture:

#94 Exotic Q:Swakane Gneiss & Chelan Migmatite

Don’t know if I will have a candy bar during Nick’s lecture; I had one after because I’m too occupied capturing comments and watching the lecture to do anything else.

From the yard, John came to the front of the house and found Woody on the feeding station. He closed the gate even though it needed a latch. He held it and called me. With encouragement from the two of us, and only one small detour, Woody went inside. She has been living in the old motor home for several years, so a similar environment shouldn’t be too upsetting. She did complain the first few hours.

Sunset taken 4:30 p.m. by Mike McCloskey from NW Ellensburg

Supper: Cornbread made with creamed corn by John, onion rings, chicken, homemade applesauce, French fries.
At 11:00 tonight, take one large and one small acetaminophen because of timing. The 5:00 p.m. take is put off 1.5 hrs.

Saturday, Nov 21

Stayed resting, but not asleep until 8:30. Unfortunately, slept past my 5:00 time for taking Acetaminophen, so took it at 6:50. Was up with the dog at 2:00 a.m.

John has taken care of the cats in the new room, their litter box changed, and went outside to move rocks into a drainage ditch. I fixed an Ensure milkshake for me with strawberry yogurt, to have with a morning hot cup of coffee.

At 10:30, I sent a new scientific paper to the study group, which was sent to me by Jerome from BC, along with a drop-box link he’d previously sent and I had distributed. They all are good background materials for the topic tomorrow morning.

I loaded a bunch of dirty dishes to soak in the sink. John came in earlier than I expected to fix brunch.
Brunch: Bacon, one egg over, with a piece of buttered cornbread halved heated & with syrup, and coffee for me. John’s was slightly different.

Loaded the dishwasher full and ran late afternoon, will be putting in all my medications for a week in a carrier for dispensing daily.

Supper: Chicken stir fry, cornbread, frozen (almost thawed) peaches.

Sunday, Nov 22

I was up at 7:40 to fix a hot cup of coffee to warm up and also to tide me over, a milkshake or chocolate Ensure with French vanilla yogurt.

John reported that the cats made it through the night all right in their new home. Litter box being used as intended, but they tend not to sleep in the “boxes” John made for beds. He’s happy he didn’t spend $25 for “self-heating” fluffy ones. It may be they like the stone tile, rather than the cloth bedding in the boxes. Who knows?

Nick’s lecture at 9:00 a.m. went long at 1hr 56 mins.
I started collecting pre-show comments about 8:00 a.m. but the Internet was not allowing me entrance. John was having trouble with internet connections too. He logged off and I still had a very sketchy connection, buffering and not accepting my copy/paste requests to my document. We do not know the problem at all. Maybe solar activity! So, my capture is incomplete, but it got better for most of the lecture, so I continued.

We had about 850 worldwide viewers for most of the time. We were shown a great video of the Indian Culture exposed in the Archaeological record of the use of Chert rock (flint stone) in the hills of the North Cascades for making sharp projectile points. I currently do not have a link to that video, of which we viewed 5 minutes (in the video below). You can watch below and if I can get the link, I’ll put it in next week’s blog.

Meanwhile, this afternoon, one of our group found a marvelous story of the North Cascades National Park geology. See that link below Nick’s lecture. This is informative to the general public, but chocked full of geological terminology and photos in the field, with maps. It’s worth a look-see.

First is Nick’s Lecture this morning:

#95 – Exotic T: Hozomeen & Methow

Here is the North Cascades National Park Geology Mapping story: This is the only way to visit the park now, because you’ll see below in John’s Friday’s Not So Nasty News Column the North Cascades Highway is closed for this year because of avalanche danger. Check this out. It’s a well done presentation:

Mapping the North Cascades: An NPS Story Map

Check in from Gerald about 20 mins after the lecture ended. All’s well with him.
Brunch: I had bacon and cornbread, PowerAde and hot coffee; John orange juice, sausage, and cornbread.

John’s been outside on cleanup and other projects – switching projects is less strain on muscle groups. I have been working on the blog creation in house. John just came in before 4:00 p.m. and is having a late afternoon snack.

Rascal cat had just jumped in my lap, so I’ll have to move him. He’ll not be happy. I gave him a little more time there.
I just finished my snack, so I can go back to finalizing my blog draft to pass along to John. My snack was ripple potato chips with salsa.

Since yesterday, I have been in touch with Geography teachers from the region about keeping Geography in the curriculum at Shoreline Community College. The school administration wants to eliminate them. Meanwhile, many of us who are members of the Association of Washington Geographers, have been talking. One of the interesting maps was displayed that Brett Lucas constructed about COVID-19 Cases for 6 days in November in the USA by county. This depiction shows the change in cases/ 100,000 people. I thought I would share it here.

John says: Cases are misleading for three reasons: The nation has ramped-up from about 200,000 tests daily to 1,700,000 now. So, more testing shows more cases. Second, by design the test is very sensitive so there are many false positives, maybe 1% to 4%. At that 1% level, there are 17,000 false positives every day. Third, most people testing positive (‘cases’) have no or minor symptoms.
Still it is an interesting map.

Hope your week was fine.

Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan

Item #1: Snow

News from Washington: Closed for the winter.
The WA DOT page for this route is Route 20. North Cascades Highway. There is current information, and a little history.

The map to the right doesn’t show the build-up of snow in the avalanche chutes where the highway crosses that bright pink area in northern Washington. A mid-November closure is typical for this reason.
It’s rumored (OK, projected) that our area will be a bit colder and snowier than normal. This is because the Pacific Ocean along the Equator, west of South American, has been cooling.
La Niña is looming.
We’ll see.

Item #2: Coffee Art
This appeared labeled as a cat setting off a nuclear explosion. I guess paying $5 for a cup of coffee is worth the price if it gives one the opportunity to photograph it and find a place on the web to post it.
My thought turned toward “animal familiars”
[link here: Familiar ], so I saw something else in the central swirl. I saw a person-like thing with scrawny shoulders, a long narrow neck, facing left with a big head of hair.
Also, the “cat” could be an Owl.

Item #3: Up your game

Or provide your favorite game player with a Christmas surprise.
Moose poo dice
These have a nice texture, density, aroma, firmness, and visual appeal.

Item #4: Odd things

We’ve been driving Subarus for some years now, so when this photo appeared the thought occurred that is was from the famous Australian Outback.There is a Subaru Outback pulling an Outback in front of an Outback, in the Outback.
Nancy uses a Forester and I use the small blue Crosstrek. Neither have been used much this year because she has not been doing music things, and I haven’t been doing trail work. I likely won’t be doing trails next year; maybe a few. Seems the elder care and rehab facilities will need to be re-built before the community groups are invited back. Just a guess.
What do you drive, and where?

Item #5: Buy me a pie
This story is from the Ravenna area just northeast of the University of Washington.
Photos

Click on the right side for more info. Looks like the pie shown here might cost $75.
This link should work: Feedfeed

If you are interested in food and cooking, ‘Feedfeed’ might be a site you want to explore.
I’m not interested in $75 pies.

And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John

Monday, Nov 9

I was so tired from late night activity on the blog creation, that I slept in until 9:00 a.m. today. Guess I needed the rest.
Did start my morning with a hot cup of coffee, followed by a milkshake of chocolate Ensure with strawberry yogurt.

Sent thank-you email messages for photos posted in our last week’s blog.

John’s been packing boxes old magazines and newspaper to dispatch from our den, and also loading up things to go to the Pantry tonight for donation.

I have to figure out our stops for errands in town tomorrow and then I can tackle the other chores. Even unloading the dishwasher is included, unless I can talk John into that.
John was working outside feeding horses, opening the gate, getting the paper, and the temperature at 11:45 a.m. at the airport south of us went up from freezing to 33°. In our front yard it is warmer at 36.2°. We are higher in elevation at 2240’ than the airport at 1481’.

I spent ~25 minutes visiting by phone with my friend since birth from Atlanta, GA, to wish her a Happy Birthday, and catch up on her life. I’m 2 months older than she and our mothers were both RNs working private duty in the same local hospital, Emory University Hospital, where I was born. It was also the location of my first quarter of college study in 1961 (for chemistry, math, and French).

Lunch: I warmed my leftover chicken soup with cooked chicken breast pieces generously added.
No robocallers thus far today! Maybe John was right about political calls! I didn’t believe that would be the case.
We will hope for no snow and go tonight to the Kittitas Pantry with our donation of MILK BONE large dog biscuits Annie has stopped eating. Probably ¾ of the box was usable for them to put in Ziploc bags to distribute to animal owners. While there, we picked up groceries (a few for us, but mostly for the seeing impaired woman and her 4 yr. old daughter (also with same condition).Carey Lake, Irene Rinehart Riverside Park, ~4 pm by Craig Maloney

Supper: Chicken stir fry with onions, mashed potatoes with turkey & pork gravy, half a yellow apple and a few slices of a Bartlett pear. Dessert: a piece of pumpkin swirl cheesecake. John had a piece of chocolate with cranberries cheesecake.
The total number of robocaller connections for Nov 9=zero.

Tuesday, Nov 10

Up at 4:00 to go to the back bathroom, turned up the heat, looked for the outside cats, none, put out Czar, and went back to bed. It was snowing hard when I awoke, so I went back to sleep again. Great contrast, Lori Waters took in Ellensburg at 7:01 a.m. and 7:52. We missed the 7:01 a.m. time and awoke to the snow that only lasted a while. At 7:00, we would probably only have seen the very top of the sky because of the blocked sunrise view at our place.

Then up, took pill @ 8:33, no food or drink until ½ hr. later. Set up backup external drive for noon backup and started the computer’s day. Going to get a cup of coffee and a chocolate Ensure with peach yogurt.

Spent 31 mins on the phone with SiriusXM figuring how to listen to our subscription in the house (computer) and not in the Forester because all the music gigs are cancelled.

This is our day for important errands. Reviewing those here. We’re using this symbol to indicate stops: ∞∫∞ First stop Bi-Mart our last day to buy Meow Mix cat food at the $8.99 price at Bi-Mart. They were out of stock, so I asked the store manager, Jeremy, whom I met last week, to please give me a raincheck. He did, and we have a month to pick them up (at $3 off normal price). ∞∫∞ From there I took John to Super 1 for Rolling Rock beer on sale through Nov. Best price in town. While there, he bought a bunch more products we can use. ∞∫∞ From there over to a family with a box of groceries to deliver to their house. ∞∫∞ On to our last stop off Wilson Creek to leave a donation of the second box of 4 place settings of flowered dishes to Naomi’s Hope, for distribution with the box from last week (matching dishes) for a family needing more than 4 place settings of china.

Home from errands, we’re both eating an afternoon snack of 2 kinds of cheesecake – one chocolate and one pumpkin swirl in white for me, and for John, he’s adding a small piece of one with cranberries, that my medications won’t allow. Not good for Thanksgiving dinners with cranberry sauce I so much like. This year, the community thanksgiving dinner is being served “to go.” Somehow, that doesn’t seem right either.

Currently working on updating the WA Old Time Fiddlers Association membership online. Things keep changing. Nothing is happening in the organization until Fall 2021.
Hot buttered popcorn treat at 5:30 p.m.

Supper: chicken stir fry with onions, mashed potatoes with gravy, yellow apple.
The total number of robocaller connections for Nov 10=1.

Wednesday, Nov 11 Veterans’ Day

Called Gloria Swanson and made the connection after some interesting manipulation. Managed to find the owner’s cell phone number of Malibu Senior Living (also owns Belair), and got the husband (whom I had once met, Ron and his wife Kim), when Evelyn Heflen and I went to their Belair House to play music while Gloria’s husband Paul was living there. They fed us a nice meal after we played. He gave me the direct landline into the home, and told me Angel would answer. I know Angel from when she worked at the Prestige Post-Acute and Rehab Center–Kittitas Valley in Ellensburg. So I had a nice birthday visit with Gloria and I sang Happy Birthday surprising her, and then we had a nice 8-minute conversation of memories before she was served lunch. Now all I have to hope for is that my birthday card for her is returned and I’ll be able to forward it to the correct address to be delivered.

A couple of weeks ago I got lots of kid’s things by asking on the EBRG free sites. Two packages with different items included went to the birthday party. This is the day to transfer the rest to Mike and Sarah, so at 10 a.m. we met Mike, and now all is in the Sandmans’ garage – stuff for the girls for future usage and gifts.

8:00 a.m., 23° degrees out front. Up to 32° on our porch at 9:35. By 3:00 p.m., it’s up to 43°.A nighttime photo in Thorp by EvieMae Schuetz

11:00 on 11-11-20 Veterans’ Day:
Our friend, Dee Eberhart, WWII veteran was one of the featured speakers at the celebration in Thorp:Largest flag in Washington State is flying there.
Story below:
Folks raise huge flag on Veterans Day

Lunch: John’s having bacon, eggs, and toast; I’m skipping and having my milkshake of chocolate Ensure with strawberry yogurt.
Afternoon snack some fruitcake.

Outside cat Sue is looking old and her hair has gotten tangled (lumpy), so not having good insulting character. This evening we put things together and brought her in the house, fixed her a litter box, and a bed, and sat with her warming her up to the new environment. Hopefully, she’ll be okay with that for the winter.

It’s now 25°F and headed down. We have the temperature set at 68° in the new room. Her daughter, Woody, remains outside but goes to the old motor coach from where she watches the activities. When the weather gets a bit more nasty she needs to make the transition. John now wants to wait until a repair gets done on the roof, and strangers are not around.

Supper: pizza (4 meat Red Baron, with added onions, diced tomatoes, cheese).
Did a lot of tax receipt filing this afternoon, and some searching for research papers on the lectures for this weekend from Nick. Sunday is on Skagit Gneiss & Napeequa Schist.
Bunch more robocallers today. Have to take the next out of area one and block it as it comes in, as they are no longer listing the phone number. Still fewer than earlier in the month.
The total number of robocaller connections: Nov 11=7.

Thursday, Nov 12

4:30 a.m. Woody arrived for breakfast; Sue made it through the night in her new digs, sleeping in her box with the red blanket.

Lots happening today: 11:00 a.m. or sooner as usual, Ellensburg Cement Products is sending a delivery.
10:00 a.m. dump truck load (16.33 ton; or 32,660 pounds) oversized washed rock delivered, $285.71. It’s for the front Xerophytic landscaping. It won’t move itself (much) without help. John needs the exercise. Being rounded from river travel, it does tend to move if disturbed. The 16.33 ton load of oversized washed rock; the colors included.

Dump truck unloading oversize washed rock

Need to get out the background readings for tomorrow afternoon lecture. Got them out at 11:38 after forgetting the title I stored the suggested readings under, but I found it, and sent it.
NOON, GAME DAY at the AAC on Zoom. Last this quarter. We had two teams playing Family Feud. I was on the losing team, but we still had a lot of fun. CWU students officiating. We’re hoping they start this up after the new year when classes resume.

12:55 p.m., I called Gerald reporting in fine today. All’s well.
I have been handling scammer calls all day, and continuing to blog robocallers.
4:07 p.m., sent another email to the study group, this time about a member who was honored as a Veteran the day after Veterans Day on the NBC Nightly News Kids Edition Nov. 12, 2020:

Nightly News Kids Edition (Grandpa Ron at 9 mins into video)

Sent another large file (USGS MAP) to the study group members, now close to 150 people.
Success today with Sue the barn cat and outside gal now living fine in our new room. She has a bed with a blanket, water, food bowl, and a litter box she’s using for both needs!! And she visits me when I come in the room. She doesn’t yet come to greet John, but will let him approach and pick her up. She’s accepted the change, and we feel better about her situation. Being a bit advanced in age, we empathize with elderly issues.

Received my Roadside Geology of Idaho today in the mail, used excellent condition, shipped from Indiana. No writing in the book except the previous owners’ names and that they got it at a GSA meeting in Cincinnati. I find that very interesting because that is the city where John and I met in 1965, him coming from PA and me from GA to the graduate program there, and the other ironic thing is that we moved to a job in Idaho in 1974, and learned some of the local geology from the crew in our shared building.

Supper: John had a cheesesteak Philly sandwich (frozen from Costco I don’t like), with fried onion rings, and red seedless grapes, and I had a frozen dinner, Chicken Parmesan with pasta, carrots, and also had the onion rings and grapes. We had no dessert.
The total number of robocaller connections for Nov 12 = 8.

Friday, Nov 13

Taken at noon, from south of EBRG on Ringer Loop by Kayla Ferguson

I slept in and found it difficult to arise. I was up at 3:30 a.m. again at 6:30 to feed Woody outside the front door, and it was raining. She was wet, but I petted her, and went back to bed. Reason enough to get her moved inside.

Talked with Allen Aronica, about coming down this weekend with son AJ to help John move one of the CWU surplus school desks from the shed into the new room. I’ll have to hold Sue in my lap while it takes place. While here Sunday, they also put the top on the table legs beneath the ceiling fan. The desk is in front of a window so Sue (& Woody) can view outside.

A day later than promised, Waste Management delivered our 30 cubic yard green metal dumpster. We have paid a pre-delivery fee of $500.06. The final bill won’t be known until the dumpster is filled, removed, and weighed at the transfer station. John did find out that he can toss in a Microwave, but tires and things with liquids or gases are not allowed. The delivery made it here before noon, about 11:15, as it was raining. I did take a video of the process, less than 2 minutes.

Setting the green dumpster

Brunch: shared a blueberry/pecan pancake, with orange juice, and I had a cup of hot coffee. John ate out in the new room with Sue. Didn’t get my milkshake until after Nick’s lecture.
Nick is on at 2:00 p.m. with his lecture about Mt. Stuart, just 33 miles NW of us.

#92 Exotic Q: Mt. Stuart + Chiwaukum (Schist)

John got me a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup (a double) to have during Nick’s talk and I enjoyed those with hot coffee.
Finally, had my milkshake of chocolate Ensure with French vanilla yogurt after the lecture was over.
Supper: Spaghetti with meat sauce and red seedless grapes.
The total number of robocaller connections for Nov 13 = 1.

Saturday, Nov 14

Sue (cat) adjusted nicely to being inside where John (mostly) sees to her needs. We’re sure this winter will be a lot easier on her than being outside in the cold, when she’s getting so much older. We can give her some extras (meat, fish, egg) that are hard to do outside because of the random timing of her visits, and the watchful Magpies and Steller’s Jays.

Lunch midday: Bacon, eggs over easy with cheddar cheese, piece of buttered English Muffin bread loaf, coffee.

John got the morning paper and found an article on the front page of our local newspaper about our neighbor, Allen Aronica. He was meeting with a middle school class and showing bead work, talking about his mom, Ida, answering questions about the lives of the local people.I captured the article from the digital edition to give to the family on a PDF, as I know that today early this morning he was out of town.
He talked about her past, and about a PBS Documentary from a few years ago. You can view that by following this link:

Everything Change

During the next event, I drank a milkshake of chocolate Ensure with peach yogurt, to watch a Zoom presentation at 3:00 p.m. of a pumpkin drop from CWU’s Discovery Building rooftop put on by the Departments of Physics and Geology.
The activity began at ground level with geology students and profs setting off at least 4 trashcano eruptions. Such an event happens when a garbage can that is filled with water, has a bottle containing liquid nitrogen submerged into the water. The liquid nitrogen turns to gas, bursting the bottle, and creating an “eruption”. This simulates a volcano, (hence, trashcano).

Supper: Crockpot Beef Round Steak sliced thin, with tomatoes, onions, and gravy, fried battered cauliflower, red seedless grapes. Dessert: piece of cheesecake.

Loaded the dishwasher full and ran late afternoon, while working on email projects and other chores, such as putting in all my medications for a week in a carrier for dispensing daily.
It snowed early morning and again tonight after dark. Looks like a couple inches collected.
The total number of robocaller connections for Nov 14 = ZERO.

Sunday, Nov 15

Sunday a.m. is Nick’s lecture at 9:00 a.m.

Up at 4:00 a.m. with Woody wanting fed. Back to bed for more rest.
Up to stay at 7:50 a.m. and started at 8:04 collecting pre-show comments.

Having a hot cup of coffee to warm up and also to tide me over, a milkshake chocolate Ensure with French vanilla yogurt. Good thing, because it was a troublesome broadcast with connection issues and lost time. YouTube was having system problems worldwide. Someone thought it might be related to the Masters’ Golf Tournament being broadcast over YouTube.

Started at 9:00 a.m. after a 15-min thank you and greeting session, only to lose the connection completely 20 minutes later, and needed to switch worldwide viewers to a different streaming YouTube event. Finally, we reconnected and then went long, until 11:00 a.m. with ~800 viewers. For Nick the temperature was chilly, sun spotty, but no wind.

Nick’s lecture:

Take 2 of#93 – Exotic R: Skagit Gneiss & Napeequa Schist

Gary Paull’s photo of Banded Skagit Gneiss

After that, a late breakfast: Link sausage, pancake, sliced canned peaches; coffee for me.

Snow and warming allowed John to investigate dripping water out front. Where the roof of the new entry walkway joins the house there has been a previously minor problem. However, today the dripping was emerging from an air hole in the soffit and around a light fixture a foot away. The minor problem was elevated to “serious.”

I e-mailed a photo to our contractor. Walter and his son Jesse came to evaluate the problem with John. Monday might be wet, so John may just tarp the location, and have Jesse come on Tuesday.
While they were here, Allen and AJ arrived down the driveway, to help move the desk into the new room, where it now resides. John intends to put a rug on the desk so Sue can get up to the window to look out on the front yard.

Afternoon snack: a small piece of heated fruitcake & followed with a Reece’s peanut butter cup (RPBC). John will have his own fruitcake serving with the other RPBC. Supper was left over from yesterday.
I will end this week’s blog with an amazing story:

Mt. Rainier hiker rescue

{John says: Mt. Rainier is an amazing place, but tough. I’ve been there when responders were needed. Not for us (Washington Trails Crews). They did thank us for smoothing the trail, though.}

Hope your week was fine.

Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan

Item #1: paraskevidekatriaphobia

November began with a Sunday. That’s the clue. There is more than I care to know on Wikipedia.
triskaidekaphobia → fear of the number;
paraskevidekatriaphobia → fear of the day

Additional information is found on the “History dot com” site [ Here. ]
New to me {poor education, I guess} is the complimentary notion that the number ’12’ is associated with the concept of completeness.
After looking at numerous web pages regarding historical notions of numbers, it seems that the ancient folks used Jupiter’s approximately 12 (11.86) year orbit of the Sun to construct much mythology and a bit of mathematics.
Babylonian’s Marduk
This seems to have been in existence 1,000 – 2,000 years before the time of Jesus and the Bible, or the Northern European links sometimes cited.

Item #2: Ponds are for skipping rocks

Have you ever skipped rocks on a pond?
Have you ever tried it with a golf ball? Me neither.
Hole in one!

Many have seen this story and watched the video. If you haven’t, give it a look.
Being the week of Veteran’s Day, the golf feat made me think of the “bouncing bombs” of Operation Chastise, an attack on German dams carried out on 16–17 May 1943. Episode is described here: Dam Busters
Nancy called a couple of “Vets” and thanked them for their service.

Item #3: If dead, are you a passenger?
This is not a nice story, but I do wonder about the word usage.

A car accident included a man thrown from the car. Investigation showed the person was dead hours before the accident. Ohio is a place of many strange happenings. One more.
Ohio 1

Ohio 2

Item #4: Also from Ohio

Two pictures, same tree. A stunning transformation.
From summer 1965 to summer 1967 Nancy and I were at the University of Cincinnati. At that time Cincy was a smallish big town, the center just 2 miles from the University, near which we each lived.
We often went downtown, and many other places, but I don’t remember Fountain Square. It’s a big deal now, apparently.
Still, I saw the statement “The Fountain Square Christmas Tree has been the talk of the town“, and had to follow.
fluffed up and beautified

Item #5: A five $ apple

At least in Washington State, the Cosmic Crisp Apple whose marketing logo is shown, is a big deal.
Well why not? Development began in 1997 at Washington State University with the name WA38.
It is mostly bright red with small “star-like” spots, and someone thought it looked like the night sky.
Thus, use of “cosmic”, but less fathomable the logo is mostly white with red spots – – if that represents the night sky to anyone, they are on a different planet.
We’ll sample one today. Unnamed folks were driving past their neighbor’s orchard {they are all friends} from which they harvested a few. We ended up with one.
They are selling in specialty shops for $4.99 per pound. That seems like $5 to me, but I guess there is a rationale for the lack of a ¢. A large apple can weigh a pound so purchase cautiously and enjoy.

_ * _ * _ * _ * _
Snow falling on Washington’s mountains. Some visible on the hills a few miles north and 2,000 feet above our location on the Fan. The air mass has brought clouds and warmer air than we had last week.

And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John