Author: admin

Sunday, May 13  Happy Mother’s Day.  After morning chores around the place, we took a trip down the Yakima Canyon, to the Big Pines Campground, 32 miles away from our home.  We got there a little before 2:00, visited first, and then ate and then visited some more, before starting to play music.  I don’t know how long we played.  John just listened.  We had a bass player, banjo, 3 fiddlers, a Dobro, 3 guitars, and a mandolin.  Lots of fun.  We tried singing all Mama songs, but by the time it got to me, I couldn’t think of one, so I passed.  Then we went around again, and one guy did a cute Pig song and put on a false pig nose to sing it.  It was hilarious.  After that, I said, well if we want to do animal songs, I can do Froggy went A Courtin’ — and I did.  They got a kick out of that.  A fellow who plays a mean harmonica joined in on my song; the only one he played along on all afternoon.  I was thrilled.  The Dobro player came up to me afterwards and said she really liked that I sang it, because her dad used to bounce her on his knee and sing it to her.  The only difference is that I sing the Brothers’ Four 1961 version, and the traditional one by Burl Ives and others is the one most people know.

Okay, in the story above, I left out what was included in the potluck meal.  First, the lady (who plays the bass fiddle), was in front of hers and her husband’s trailer.  They had a grill going and cooked sirloin burgers for everyone!  They cut them in half because they were so large (the buns were not typical, but more like fat hoagies).  They had tomatoes, lettuce, and other stuff to put on them.  There was a dish of salmon dip to spread on crackers, and a spinach dip (which I cannot have–but love it), and asparagus which I also can’t eat, one guy brought a pan of boiled clams with a large cup of melted butter to dunk them in.  Wow.  Yum.  I only had one but should have had more.  Oh, and potato salad (store bought, but good).  On to desserts.  We took the Red Velvet and cream cheese frosted and filled cake that I bought yesterday at Costco, and we brought home half.  We both had a large piece down there.  In addition, someone fixed homemade cherry/rhubarb cobbler with the nicest crunchy topping I have ever had.  Even John commented on it.  That was about it, but we had a slow curvy trip home at 45 mph up the canyon.  It was gorgeous.

I’m sitting here in my recliner across from our caged two wild cats, and they have settled in to recover from their spaying experiences.  They are relaxed and full from a big meal they ate when we got home.  The yearling is sleeping on top of a box (the size for packages of copy-paper), and has curled around on her side, but with her head turned up.  She is “Woody” (we thought was a male), a long haired Mackerel tabby. John is fixing a place in the top of the haymow where they will have a shelf (loft), because he needs to start moving the hay out.  The cats have been on top of the stacked bales during the winter and until now.  They have eaten and slept there but made NO mess of any kind.  They are getting used to us being near them cleaning their litter box (which they had to learn, because they have been using the dirt in the pasture and around the house and barn).

Monday, May 14  I stayed home today to work on chores.  John, with frequent breaks and interruptions, has worked on the hayloft so the spayed females will still find a familiar place for being fed, watered, and housed.  While doing that, a wild turkey raced across the pasture about 50 yards away.  There didn’t seem to be a reason for the rush but the turkey thought so, and we’ll never know.  I have been working on the computer, most recently putting Froggy Went A Courtin’ into musical score.  It’s a good start in the key of G.  Realized I had to do that after working late last night on our play list for tunes for this coming Friday night, which you will read about later this week.  Yikes, I just looked at the temperature at the airport (5 miles south of us), and it is 88.  John is working in the shade, but it is very hot.  He had to take time to chase a neighbor’s horses back in the right place.  They had walked under a non-electrified fence such as that shown in this link.

http://www.bluehorizonfarm.com/horse/horse-photos/sm_Horses-Grazing-with-Electric-Tape-Fence.jpg

Well, we just spent a bunch of time getting the spayed cats from their cage in the den to exit onto the patio via the sliding glass door.  It didn’t go according to Hoyle.  We ended up having the oldest, Mama Sue, come out a hole beneath the side rather than out the door to a ramp, which led outside.  So much for planning.  John searched for her under the sofa, and finally found her under my recliner but once he got her out of there, again, she didn’t go out the back patio door but ran to the kitchen.  Finally, he found her in the washroom behind the dog food bag, and shooed her out of there.  This time she found the door to the outside.  Strategically placed boxes and other barriers helped her find her way.  Then we put the male cat, now calling him Cash, for Johnny Cash a boy named Sue, into the same cage where his sister and mom have been for a week.  He has more room than the dog crate he has been in, in the computer room, but he’s starting out by sleeping in the litter box, just as the girls did!

Well, how funny.  The girls came back to the patio door tonight.  I fed them some canned food, but we cannot keep doing that because the dogs will get it, and it will attract ants or bees, unless we have the dogs elsewhere (in the front yard).  Sue is the most persistent and is sitting by the back door meowing.  Perhaps they will soon find the new loft with hard food and water.  John worked most of the day finishing the loft, exercising dogs, moving horses, feeding animals, and other small chores.  He had some ice cream and berries and is heading to bed.  I’m not far behind, although I didn’t work nearly as hard today as he did.

Tuesday, May 15  After a very long night with totally interrupted sleep from an unhappy cat and even his wild sister coming in through the doggie door to visit, we managed to make it through to morning.  Male cat is very vocal.  We have to keep him closed up and not put him out for about 2 weeks from last Thursday, yikes, May 24.  Supposedly, neutered males still have the urge and may impregnate a receptive female that long after neutering (at least when they are as old as he is).  But our newly spayed females should be dismissive of his interests (the female’s attractiveness does not last long and their incisions should have closed).  My afternoon/evening was full.  Went by the bank, on to acupuncture, and then rushed to the grocery for beverages for John and Almond ‘milk’ for me, and on to play and sing music at The Connections (at a nursing home).

Home for dinner and just was talking to Little Sioux, caged in front of me.  He is a very light orange, and we had decided to call him Johnny Cash (for a boy named Sue).  However, tonight I called him Cashew, and he seems happy with that and rather looks like a little cashew, particularly when he curls up in his basket.

Wednesday, May 16  Good morning.  Wind blowing hard, but the horses are nibbling high grass in our backyard, for a half hour.  Cashew made it through the night pretty well, but still is quite vocal about his situation.  I finished organizing for this week’s music and am ready to head to EBRG to play music and eat at the food bank, with exercise afterwards.  John’s new guitar case was delivered today by UPS.  For the price it is nice.  It has a “Made in Canada” sticker on it, but it came here via Virginia — more traveled than we.  For the intended guitar, the case is just a bit large.  That is easily fixed with a fabric liner.  Now we have to keep tuning the new strings until they stabilize.  That may take awhile.  I don’t want John to have to worry with tuning in the workshop beginning class this summer.  (John says: I will!)  I don’t even want to buy a tuner (the kind you blow), because I’m not sure he could use it.  (Otherwise, I can walk and chew gum at the same time.)

We have no problem with UPS or FedEx finding us.  The only thing John was concerned about was being home if they decided not to leave it and then it would have to be picked up in Ellensburg, during their open hours.  So, he couldn’t work far down in the pasture, but spent all his time today, working in the garden, which is right off the driveway so he would know when the truck drove in.  I was in town from 11:20 till almost 3:00 and forgot to stop and get something to bring home for supper, as I was supposed to do.  I guess I had too much on my mind from the two events I had to attend.

Guess we will have a TV dinner for supper.  Our chili from the other night John froze today while I was in town, after he had some for lunch.  I ate at the Food Bank Soup Kitchen, where I played music.  It was good, a shepherd’s pie (mashed potatoes, meat, and peas), a salad with tomatoes mostly that I could eat, and celery, but I don’t like cucumbers, and they had nuts and Kale, but I cannot eat Kale while on Coumadin.  Then went on to the Sr. Center for my exercise class, and got a piece of banana nut bread there for dessert.

Thursday, May 17  Spent a lot of time this morning with my Finale SongWriter software.  I put in two songs for our group, and transposed them for the clarinet player.  We play the two songs in G and she has to play in A with a full note transferred “up.”  I came home, spent a bunch more time changing some of the notes on Froggy Went A Courtin’, and added the rest of the lyrics from the Brothers’ Four 1961 rendition of the old traditional song.  This morning, I also keyed in Ramblin’ Rose with all 3 verses.

Friday,  May 18  Today I’m off to see the wizard at CWU for scholarship luncheon (we are having Chinese salad with chicken, cabbage and mandarin oranges, bread, and brownie bits).  The salad was the same dish I returned to in 2010, the day I got out of the rehab.  Same location, same food and preparer, but I needed John’s help in, out of the car, support walking in, and getting up and down from the chair at the table.  Now I will drive myself and walk in on my own.  PHEW..  I’m happy to have come the  long way back.  Some things are still hard – like getting into a full sized pick-up truck.  John just got me a short step to help get me into the old Chevy, and drove me to the bottom end of the 7-acre pasture to see the work he has been doing on tree removal from the irrigation ditch.  It was a nice tour.

Finally, back home from lunch, exercise class, and got ready to go play music tonight at an RV rally, south of town at the RV park.  There were probably 40 people there for an ice cream social and to sing along with our group.  They really participated and enjoyed the old time music.  It was a lot of fun for us all.

Saturday, May 19  I went off again for music and late lunch at Briarwood Commons.  They served us potato soup, bread, corn muffins, salad, and dessert of a cake with a berry syrup to pour on top.  Only 5 of us showed up and fewer people in the audience from the usual, but a few joined in as the hour progressed.  They were very appreciative of our being there.  The weather is nice and the blowing winds of yesterday have subsided.  We found out last night that my “new” microphone wouldn’t work.  On my way into town today, I carried my microphone by to CWU Surplus and tried to talk them into replacing it with one that worked.  Unfortunately, all sales are final.  So, I dropped by Boogie Man (music store) to buy an electronic tuner for John’s guitar.  While there, I asked about microphones, and where I would take one to get it fixed.  Boogie Man said he could; that it might just be soldering a wire or two together.  I left it, after he told me it wouldn’t likely be more than $20 (a new one costs $45).  I have the heavy stand, and it works fine.  John fixed pizza, and we are ready to eat it.  Then he will go through and post this late tonight.

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

Still on the Naneum Fan

Sunday, May 6  This was a quiet day, home alone, the two of us; John in the yard and me in the house much of the day.  Finally, late in the afternoon, I joined him to go see his work over the past day and today.  I knew he had been building fence sections with poles from aspen trees he cut down on the edge of the pasture between it and the riparian land.  He put them up for moving the horses into different parts of the acreage, as mentioned in last week’s blog, which was now just yesterday.  He walked me back to see the gate and clearing and another gate on the backside of our house (the west side that has a roaring creek right now).  He fixed it so the horses could drink from the edge of the creek, but not cross it to escape our property.  We actually own part of the opposite side of the creek, but it is not fenced.

I spent most of the day first on the computer, but then turned it off and started tackling the tables and counters in the den.  I made incredible progress, but I am by no means done.  In fact, if someone else besides John walked in, they would have no clue that anything had been organized, cleaned, or tossed.  That’s the way it will be for awhile until we truly make a dent in the build-up of several years.  I did find some bills needing paid, so I started a stack of those.  I received a few phone calls that took up a fair amount of time, but gave me a chance to get off my feet.

One of the early things I did was to search for a D string for John’s “new” guitar.  I checked our roll-top desk drawer where I had seen one in with our cards, recently, but it was an E string.  Then I looked in my own Garcia classical guitar case and found several strings, but the D only had the wrapper and the string was gone.  I was on the computer searching for strings and for a case for him.

I can pay my Costco bill on the web, so I’m ready to do that, after I put his and my driver’s licenses into the application for our horse trailer’s tag that expired in Feb.  We really haven’t needed to use it.  (I am looking over this on Saturday, and I don’t believe I ever did that.)  The trailer has become the parking garage for a used riding mower purchased last fall.

Monday, May 7  We had many things going on today.  Up at 6:30 to find we had captured two of the feral cats (one, the mother of the recent kitties); the other, a yearling we thought was male.  Woody turns out to be a female, and she was found to have pyometra.  Pyometra (pus filled uterus) is a serious and life-threatening infection.  I am happy we trapped her and got her to the vet when we did.  We set the traps last night, and first caught our inside/outside cat.  Then overnight we caught two, one in the barn where she had the kittens and the other in the haymow where the two yearlings have been eating.  We had to get them to the vet at 7:30 a.m., and then we went for breakfast (Carl’s Jr) for two sausage, cheese, egg, on biscuits.  Had a coupon for both for $1.88, which with tax was only $2.03.  That was a good deal.  I don’t know what the usual cost is.  We both were impressed with the biscuits.  They were as large as a hamburger bun and very tasty.  Then across the main N-S street and on to the grocery store and to the pharmacy to pick up my meds.  Home for awhile to take care of more chores.  Now we need to catch little Sioux (gender unknown but suspect a male).  “It” just came to the back door and talked to me through the glass patio door.  Yesterday John was throwing horse manure on the compost pile and that same cat talked to him.  (I hope it is a male).  Has the prettiest big yellow eyes like his mom.  We were supposed to call at 1:00 p.m. to see about picking up the cats.  I thought it would be around 2:30 and I needed John along with me to carry the crates and traps.  Turns out, they didn’t want us to come until 4:30.  We did, and carried in John’s guitar because a friend thought she had an old guitar case to give him.  She didn’t answer their phone, because they charged it but forgot to turn it back on.  We decided to go visit anyway, knowing they planned to be home after 1:00.  We picked up a Pizza Hut pizza using a coupon I had for a free large one.  We requested three different toppings on each half.  Had a nice visit but she had not been able to find the guitar case, so figured it must no longer be in her house, and perhaps she gave it back to her son.

Finally, we got home and set up the cats in their crates in the barn, with a bowl of water.  We cannot let either of them out for at least a week.  If they have sex, after the spay operation, it can be fatal, because of the sutures – that would likely burst open.  They still attract for several days.  We are going to figure out something in the house to keep them locked in, and that should also allow us to get to know them better and them us, all the while protecting them and giving us insight into how they are doing.

I have also been taking my Blood Pressure several times a day to give the record to my Cardiologist to combine with the information from my BMP (for electrolytes) lab test, to see if he can “up”  the Losartan dosage I’m taking to be closer to the clinical tests for good mortality.  I’m all in favor of that!!  He already increased my Metoprolol to a higher dosage to reach the same goal.

Tuesday, May 8  Rather amazing what John and I accomplished today in the den; cleaned everything (piled 3 ft high in places) off a very large sturdy wooden table.  He built a wood-frame structure with an opening to put in the litter box, and to clean it out.  Has a door to put the cats in and out of the enclosure.  In addition, he will cover it with chicken wire tomorrow.  Went to have foot care at 2:00; called about acupuncture; only got four appointments approved, and nothing heard yet about massage appointments that were previously denied.  Cancelled this week’s massage because I refuse to pay $60 / hr, regardless of how much it helps my shoulders and the scar tissue to reconnect the nerves treatment.  In the evening, I went with my neighbor back to town to hear a talk by our Attorney about “Getting your Affairs in Order,” which was about planning for your financial future (writing wills, living trusts, etc.).

Wednesday, May 9   John is finishing the cat motel.  Final part is a door for access with width and height just a bit larger than the plastic shipping crates we are using.  Now they have a piece of Aspen for sharpening claws, a wicker basket bed with towel and  cardboard box for hiding in or laying on.  We were successful in capturing Little Sioux (Woody’s brother, we think, unless she is also a female) who entered the trap sometime after a morning check.  John found him in the trap this afternoon, and we’ll take him in the morning.

I have been very busy too.  This morning I got up early and was at school at 8:05.  I handled Jennifer Hackett’s Intermediate GIS lab and gave them the lab, introduced it and myself and stayed with them from 8:30 until 10:50.  Long lab, but we all did fine.  I hadn’t been in that GIS lab in Dean Hall in 2.5 years.  My account was still there, so I could access the Internet during class while the students worked.  If they had questions, then I would go help.  It was a lot of fun for me!!  Although, I DO NOT want to be back there teaching anymore!

I left the University after the long lab and went directly to the Food Bank Soup Kitchen to play music.  After we played, they fed us a nice meal:  chicken breast parts wrapped in a great crunchy crust, asparagus (which I found is another veggie I like and cannot eat while on the medication, Coumadin.  With that was a slice of Brie cheese, some pasta salad, and a rhubarb cobbler for dessert.  I left off the ice cream.

Sue and Woody (shall we call her Woodee?) are in the house now, still in their dog crates, but on the table, and John is working on finishing putting up the sides and the sliding door.  We hope (& pray) they will get along together when we move them out of their crates.  I don’t know why they wouldn’t as they have co-existed a year in the haymow and cat house.  Sue is Woody’s mom.

Thursday, May 10  The last one IS AN orange male, now neutered.  We picked him up at the vet today at 3:15 p.m. and dropped off the 4 traps we have used over the past couple weeks.  The girls, Mama Sue and Woodee are resting together well, in their new environment.  They are in front of me as I work on my laptop in my lap from my recliner. Now they are sleeping, but they have an area about 5.5 by 3 feet with litter box, food, and water bowls, and a towel that occasionally they lay on, but just now they are side by side on the paper, which covers plastic.  So Little Sioux is a “Boy named Sue”  . . .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Boy_Named_Sue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1BJfDvSITY

. . . but seems not to have a mean thought in his handsome head.  Perhaps, we’ll call him Johnny Cash or just JC (jaysee). [BTW – the song came out the year we were married.]  At the moment Johnny Cash is in a large dog crate in the back computer room, where our big pc-tower with double monitors resides.  He has a very deep voice and continually tells us how unhappy and upset he is.  I wish he would calm down as well as the girls now have.  Finally finished taking my blood pressure and pulse for a week, and sent off the report (by email) to my Cardiologist’s nurse.

Friday, May 11  John’s building a fence out the back patio door to protect the raspberries, patio, and heat pump from the horses, for when he lets them into the back yard to “mow” the grass.  Heat pumps are costly and so are fresh raspberries (these are an old un-named red; new Yellow Anne planted this spring has one green leaf!). Unlike the Golden Currents (mentioned a few weeks ago) – horses will eat shoots of red raspberries.  I spent time this morning putting in my volunteer hours and mileage for the RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) in Kittitas County.  I only recently joined, because they wanted me to report hours for their funding requests.  I had for April 256 miles and 11.5 hours of volunteering time (all music at different places around town).  Then went to exercise class and on to a volunteer appreciation at the Rehab place where I spent 2 months in 2010, recovering, with physical therapy to learn to walk again and get in and out of bed and a chair.  It was a nice celebration of thanks to many volunteers there at the Rehab.  Three members of our fiddlers & friends group went.  They provided make your own sundaes with toppings such as strawberries, walnuts, small Oreo cookie pieces, little colorful sweet things, and sauces (caramel & chocolate).  Then they gave each of us a flower pot of Celosia flowers (blooming), with a number on the bottom.  (John planted it in our planter in the front yard with the pansies and marigolds, and the frost last night, killed everything except the pansies.)  That number on the bottom of the plant container was for a raffle for the Tiger Lilies on the tables, and for a drawing for four baskets of goodies.  I didn’t win anything this time.  John drove into town and brought my violin, picked me up at the Rehab, and we drove down the Yakima Canyon to a Bluegrass Camp Out Jam Session that goes from Wed the 9th through Mother’s Day, located at the Big Pines Campground.  (It’s free until the season begins May 15.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5222/5613501525_d054bc6c2d_z.jpg

http://www.ycda.com/wp-content/gallery/visual-tour/6-yakima-river-canyon-cliffs.jpg

Our friends are camping there all the days in their RV.  I may go back tomorrow, but definitely will go back on Sunday when there is a potluck from 2:00 to 5:00.  I jammed with a few others for a little over an hour.  John listened and visited with my fiddling friend’s husband and their dog.  The other thing I honchoed this morning was finding a buyer for my friend’s truck.  That was my good deed for the day.

Saturday, May 12  John started the morning with feeding neighbor’s horses & bull, moving ours into the back yard where he built a fence yesterday already described, cleaned out all the litter boxes of the 3 feral cats, now in the house.  They are using them and eating food.  Then he took the dogs for a run, unfortunately one of the mutts returned smelling of skunk.  When the 4 dogs came back into the house I almost died from the scent.  It is incredibly overpowering.  John ushered them back to the front yard, and later sprayed all soiled parts of them with ‘409’ cleaner and took them to the irrigation ditch to wash off the oil.  I hope that that will work.

Then my day continued with a trip to town to fill a medications I had run out of. While there, I was considering going to the canyon for more jamming, and had taken my violin along.  Once through the pharmacy, I called my friend’s wife to see how he was proceeding from a probe yesterday into his lung to remove a wedge of a suspected cancerous nodule.  I am almost to Yakima at that end of the canyon, so figured I could drive to Costco for gasoline and get something for the potluck tomorrow, and come back by the hospital for a visit if he was willing.  He was and I visited almost an hour.  I lost track of time.  His attitude is good and he is looking well, but wants out of there ASAP.  On up the canyon to visit again with friends and their friends who had joined them.  I went over and joined a group with one Double Bass,

http://www.guitarrepairsuk.com/double_bass_on_bike.jpg

one mandolin, one guitar, and another fiddler.  We played for an hour, and I drove the 32 miles home.  John had cream-corn-corn-cake (aka corn pone or Johnny Cake)  –made with a can of cream style corn.  “Pone” apparently is a Powhatan word meaning bread from the area we now call Virginia.  This was to accompany chili.

http://www.andfam.net/kimblog/blogpix/pone.jpg

We cut up one of our large Honeycrisp apples to have along with it.  We only had a few slices each and that was a lot of apple!  And there is a lot left.  I’m late getting this to John to design for the blog and submit.  Most of you won’t likely see this until Mother’s Day or after.  So Happy Mother’s Day.

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

Still on the Naneum Fan

Many exciting events this week:  music, school, friendship, kitties , & guitar

Sunday, Apr 29  This morning’s visit to the kitties found them on the opposite side of the room away from their water, food, and play area.  Also, found a large Vole in with them that apparently mama brought in.  After 12:30, we had a visit from a friend who is taking the last two.  She was quite pleased and had a tough time making a decision on one of the four males.  We don’t know yet if she will decide to take one with white like the female or one with completely different coloration so that they are easily distinguished.  I think the female is lighter orange, but with lots of white (feet, bib, tummy).  She’s taking both the female and a brother.  That’s nice that all the kitties will stay in our valley and have good homes.  We can keep up with them as they grow.  We are going to take those last two to deliver and will have chicken/rice dinner Thursday night with the family.  Three males go to their new home, Thursday.  Now we are concerned about trapping the mom.  We doubt we will have a chance once the kitties are gone.

I’ve been working off and on all day on the thesis that is being defended this Friday afternoon.  John told me I should not promise to be on any more committees.  It is stressful and time-consuming, and I’m no longer paid for my time.  We went out again and saw the kitties and they were all on the correct side of the straw bale barricade, with mom up top watching.  Wow.  I finally finished reading the thesis word for word, about my seventh draft to get to this final one.

Monday, Apr 30  Jeez.  I’m running late because I have to shower and get out of here.  We had a car not make the curve in front of our house and almost take out part of our fence, especially the timber & rock filled crib at the entrance to the driveway, and also in line with a utility pole and the mailbox.  John took me all around and we viewed the two sets of tire tracks and tried to figure out what happened.  We will never know.  We wrote a letter to the editor for the local newspaper describing it, and the two curves on our road that have been the source of many accidents from both directions, in clear weather, as well as the expected ice in winter.  Our neighbor and we are suggesting to Public Works that they make the signage better to alert people to the seriousness of rounding the curves at too high a speed, because of ending up in adjacent fields through fences and deep rocky ditches.

http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/opinion/letter-naneum-road-could-make-it-into-record-books/article_7c292566-9498-11e1-b4cd-0019bb2963f4.html

John was really the author on the letter, but we signed it as John F. and Nancy B. Hultquist, and their rules are for only one author.  We didn’t realize this, and they must have just taken my name because it was sent from my email account.

Tuesday, May 1  Happy May Day!  Shall we go dance around the pole?  Actually, a visit to Yakima is in store for the (turned-out-to-be-full day).  We left before 9:30 a.m. and didn’t return until a few minutes after 4:00.  Ran in and threw the cobbler together to take to our friends’ turkey dinner tonight and to pick up John’s new/used 50-year old guitar.  My report at the device check was excellent as was my Cardiologist’s visit.  He took longer than ever with us today.  He said my ejection fraction was better than ever (37%).  It had gotten below 25%, and was still in the 25% range as recent as October 2011.  Those measurements come from Echocardiograms.  For a normal person the fraction is 55% or higher.  Here is an explanation and the source of that percentage:

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/disorders/heartfailure/ejectionfraction.aspx

There is a line in there – “Your EF can go up and down, based on your heart condition and the therapies that have been prescribed.”  And my unanswered question is what might have caused it to go up?  I just figured it meant it was healing, but apparently, the heart muscle does not heal.  Maybe there is strengthening throughout my cardiovascular system.  In a few days we’ll get a printed report from the cardiologist and if that still leaves questions I’ll write his nurse (e-mail).

Wednesday, May 2  Wednesday, busy morning and whole day full of activities, but thankfully not tonight.  Our neighbor fell and an old heavy TV set came down on his leg, so he called this morning and asked if we could feed the horses, which he had returned to feeding.  John went over in the car, but had to come back for the truck, because there was no hay out by the corrals, and he had to load it from the barn.  Then he took care of all the morning chores and started building a fence so he could let the horses out in our front “yard” and along the driveway where the fruit trees are (cherries mostly).  He had to put up barricades in just a few places to keep them out of certain areas.  Well, there is a gate at the end of the driveway, too.  I left about 11:20 to go to the food bank Soup Kitchen, to provide music and eat lunch.  It was rather salty (biscuits and gravy with sausage in the gravy) and scrambled eggs.  In addition, they served chocolate pudding made with whole milk that I couldn’t eat.  I grabbed some eggs and bread for our older neighbors.  Then off to my exercise class, and then to acupuncture.  It was a good time today with most of the work on my shoulders.  Then home and to visit the kitties again.  We haven’t eaten dinner yet, because I have been on the phone arranging for upcoming events for our music group.

Thursday, May 3  Today’s morning was full of crazy things about the house and barn, emailing, and worrying about the kitties, who were to go to their new homes tonight.  John was working in the pasture and came back by to see one of the kitties almost 5 feet up on a board ready to flee the barn.  Had there been one more day, we would likely have not kept them in without some additional chicken-coup type fencing.  Like this:

http://en.espritcabane.com/img/handmade/chicken-wire-painting.jpg

I went to town to play music at Royal Vista.  We had many conflicts with our players, and only ended up with 5 total.  We started the first 20 minutes with 3 of us and the other two straggled in.  I came home and don’t remember what I did, but we had to leave fairly soon, at 5:00 for dropping off the kitties at their new homes.  We had to get them into carrying crates.  Also set up a trap for the mom, but we failed to catch her.  Three kitties we dropped off at the first lady’s house, and in return, her son gave us a dozen eggs, of different colors.  The lady was not home from work yet.  We left and drove across the valley with the other two.  Up the hill from their house, we stopped and moved them from their crate to a box decorated with birthday paper John had made, with a towel in it, and a top made of the paper, to keep the kittens a secret for the 11-year-old girl whose birthday is in 10 days.  They invited us for dinner and we took the kitties with us.  John walked in and it was a TOTAL surprise to Jessica.  Her mom had cleaned out her closet, and bought a little bed and food and water bowls.  The kitties were shy at first and so the kids turned the box on its side leaving the towel in it, and put it beside the little bed.  Soon the kitties left for their box.  They also put a litter box at the entrance to the closet to somewhat close them in.  Dinner was wonderful:  Boneless chicken breasts baked in a great covering and sauce, rice, salad, bread, and pear pie for dessert.

Friday, May 4  A very, very long day.  I started about 7:00 a.m. when John went to feed the neighbors horses and to check to see if we had caught the mama cat overnight.  We hadn’t but she was still around the barn.  He went back at 7:30, and she was still around, but not in the trap, so I called and cancelled the appointment for her spay.  We postponed it until Monday morning, so we will feed her today and tomorrow, and hope to catch her Sunday night.  Then I left about 8:20 for the Board of Trustees meeting at the University, where the retiring Geography Chair was being honored with an Emeritus Professor award for his 18 years of service.  He is a year older than I am.  Then I stopped off downtown to meet and greet some of the members of the CWURA (retirement association for the university).  The first Friday of every month, they meet for coffee and whatever, at the Dakota Cafe.  I just sat and visited about 20 minutes.  Then off with John’s newly acquired guitar to visit my friend to get some advice about it.  He looked it over and thought it would be perfect for John (especially because the strings were so close to the frets and he won’t have to press as hard to get a good tone).  He tuned it and played a bit, and the D string (3rd lowest note), the smallest of the brass wrapped strings, broke.  He looked to see if he had a replacement, but he didn’t.  I am sure I have one and so I didn’t go by the music store to buy strings.  On to the first Friday of the month potluck (free) at the Senior Center (aka the Adult Activity Center or AAC).  They were fixing ham and scalloped potatoes for us, and I took some of John’s fancy Red Rome applesauce.  People brought veggies and salads and desserts.  It was quite a nice array of food.  After eating, I went to two of the garage sales being held today but found nothing to buy.  I was looking for a guitar case, for our new 50-year-old guitar because it hasn’t had one in its whole life.  Then back to the AAC for exercise class.  Only 11 of us there today.  Rushed from there to school for the thesis defense of the gal whose thesis-editing has been raising my blood pressure for, lo these, many months.  She did a nice job and she passed the defense.  Then off to celebrate with her and a couple of committee members, and her dad (from Wisconsin), and a bunch of her graduate student friends from when she was here taking classes.  Unlike our graduate school days, these folks have day jobs and the process drags on for years.  She’s been working on this research for 6 years, because she has had a full time job for 5 of those years.  The celebration was at The Tav, downtown.  It is always noisy, but they are known for their excellent burgers and lots of other good food.  I had a Texas burger (with fried onions, sautéed mushrooms, and BBQ sauce).  I asked for it to be cut in half (so I could take home 1/2 to John).  They brought me a nice sharp steak knife and I cut it myself.  We had a nice visit (oh, they started out with 3 appetizers we all shared:  battered deep fried green beans, battered deep fried mushrooms, and a large platter of Nachos with added Jalapenos.  Finally, I got out and headed for home at 8:05.  What a long day! However, a very nice one.  Once home, John and I debriefed, and I spent a lot of time on the jobs list sending because of being tied up the past two days and nights.  I had 12 job announcements to send out!  A neat story happened at 8:30 this morning when I had to get a pass to drive on campus to the place behind the building where the meeting was being held.  I was giving my information and name to the gal at the desk, and there was a guy there on the computer.  He heard my name and said, “Oh, are you the lady that puts out the Jobs List ?  He was on it and reading it right there as we spoke.  What a small world.  He is a graduating senior (Biology), and he has been on the list for over two years.  When I was in the ICU, friend Caitlin jumped in and ran the jobs list and he came on board then.  He has found several jobs to apply for, and was very grateful for my efforts.  He was as happy to meet me, as I was to meet him.

Part of the debriefing from John was about the new homes for the kittens.  We thought we had delivered 3 males to their new home together, but turns out a friend of the lady has a 79-year-old friend who just lost her cat, and wanted one of the 3.  Turns out, she picked out two, so one little guy is alone.  The other two (male and female) from the litter went to the new home together, where we had dinner Thursday night.  A call from them was that they (now named Soda & Dakota – maybe) were doing fine.

Saturday, May 5  I was so tired I slept in and took awhile to get going.  John has been clearing cans and bottles from the kitchen and already has done various other chores, fed our animals and the neighbors’.  He soon will be going out to move the horses around to get to the grassy areas in our yard and around the back of the house between the outside of our fenced backyard and the brushy area close to the creek. Fire-fuel suppression – he calls it.  Also, then he doesn’t have to mow.  The past 2 or 3 days, he has been releasing them out front and up toward the road.  I thought about going to garage sales today to look for a guitar case, but did not have the energy.  Today I must tackle the counters and tabletops.  I’ll finish this blog to get to John but he won’t have time to work on it until dark.  He’s actually in before dark, but has been working outside in 38 mph winds and is resting till supper time (about 15 minutes away).  I went out on the last run to the barn to feed mama cat, and to show the horses their new water tub.  With John closing them out of the bottom pasture, he needed to give them access to water.  Their normal winter trough with a heater is drained for the summer as it needs to be filled from the well.  For the time being we are trickling creek/irrigation water into and out of a cut off plastic barrel.  Tonight, I sent out 8 job announcement to the list, now up to 500 folks providing job leads and/or looking for a first or new job.  That’s worth a WOW!

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

still on the Naneum Fan

. . . another week, the same things – music, kittens, food, chores – only different.

Sunday, Apr 22  We didn’t have any away-from-home commitments today.  I sliced and diced the time on the computer, did a few chores and visited with the kitties.

Monday, Apr 23  Nothing much today either, but getting ready for tomorrow which will be a very full day.  This morning we went out again to play with the kitties, and I had spent time last night on the web reading several different explanations of how to determine young feline gender.  If I got it right (and I believe now at the end of the week, I did), we have 4 males and one female.  We carried a tennis ball and they sort of played with it.  Today I managed to make a replacement CD of my 50th h.s. reunion CD of music of the fifties.  Ours we use for our SAIL exercise class started sticking last week.  Now we have a new clean copy.  In addition, we visited with the kitties and also made arrangements for the kitties’ future and hopefully for trapping the mom and getting her spayed and vaccinated (the local Kittitas County Friends of Animals will pay all but $10 of the costs).  Now we have to capture her (and hopefully the two from last summer as well.  John’s done a lot of outside working including pruning two apple trees.  These were planted when the house was built (not us) and may have died back to a grafted root.  They have not produced much fruit and mostly have been ignored.  John pruned them severely last year and then a more standard version this week.  We don’t need them as we live in one of the World’s best apple regions.  Apples are plentiful and either cheap or free for the picking.  At the following site, put your cursor over the apple type to read about it:

http://www.bestapples.com/varieties/index.aspx

In an apple orchard there is a need for a different sort of apple for cross-pollination.  These are sometimes crab apples and not harvested but in the spring when the orchard is in bloom the contrasting colors tell of careful planning:

http://www.londonderryimages.com/Londonderry-Hometown-Online/Agrativities/Spring-2011-Blossom-Time/i-gHK38vC/1/M/A9FE3332-01-M.jpg

The following link explains how an apple orchard has to be configured for commercial production.  And may also explain why our trees have failed in their mission.

http://www.fruit-trees.org/pages/apple-trees/apple-pollination.php

So, back now to my tax things.  I have been communicating with former professor friends to see how they handle their professional expenses, once retired.

Tuesday, Apr 24  Started with a fasting blood draw and 1.5 hours of my time to drive to town, and wait to have 5 vials taken.  I will be anemic !.  Home to eat 1/2 each of a blackberry and cherry Danish pastry.  Back to town (with John) for lunch and a Massage at 2:30, and he went shopping during that time.  My shoulders were really worked over today and it relieved pain and gave me more range of motion.  I went in the evening to hear Jazz violinist, Christian Howes, free at the university, picking up my 86-yr. old friend Lois (who has macular degeneration, but loves to go to events, anytime).  We enjoyed ourselves immensely, but we were embarrassed at the turnout of community or CWU folks.  He played solo for the first 20 minutes or so, and then a group of students came and joined him on stage, as a Jazz Combo.  There was an awesome bass fiddler (who also later played a bass guitar), a fantastic drummer, a cool (and small) young man on guitar, and a young woman pianist.  They only had an hour together practicing in the afternoon.  It was simply amazing the improvisation and the music they delivered (with no music score).  Christian Howes was the star performer and commentator.  He played an electric violin, including classical music (Bach) — in his style, and of other composers.  He would record a background beat, then a channel on the fiddle, and then would play them both back, while he coordinated, sometimes harmonizing with the previously recorded music.  It was amazing and well done.  He is really talented.  He mostly played jazz, but included rock (such as the Beatles’ “Yesterday”), and he also does gospel, but didn’t tonight.  He came out in the front to speak to people on their way out.  I signed up on his email list, and he also had CDs for sale for $15, but as I stood there, he looked up at two students, saying, “special price to the students of $10.”  I left and went to my car, picked up a $20 bill and went back.   I asked if he had another CD, and he reached down in his backpack, and produced one.  I jokingly said, “I was your student tonight.”  Would you please give me the student price on these two?  Yes, he would.  So, I have “Heartfelt” and “Out of the Blue”.  Here are some links to follow to his talents; be sure to listen to the videos.  Now his hair is shorter, but I recognized him when I walked in the entrance to the concert hall, as he was taking flyers out for the entrance table.  He thanked us for coming, and I thanked him for coming to entertain us.  I think it surprised him that I knew who he was.

http://www.resonancerecords.org/release.php?cat=RCD-1016

Here is the best — A bunch of YouTube videos:

www.youtube.com/christianhowestube

One of them is a little girl (Camille) playing a conventional violin melody of Pachelbel’s Kanon with Chris doing a backup accompaniment on chords.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmlnlfFtRxg&feature=autoplay&list=UU8F8hYmxpH3MvxCOb57wfbA&playnext=1

There are many more videos on a number of interesting topics to check out on the YouTube link.

Wednesday, Apr 25  Interesting day.  I visited the kittens both in the morning and afternoon.  Went to play music at the Soup Kitchen, Food Bank, and were video-taped while the two of us played and sang, “Five Foot Two.”  We had a large lunch—the menu included:  Large meatballs in a great sauce, served over a half of a hoagie roll, green bean/tomato/corn salad, slaw with dressing, and a fruit salad.  On our way out, Evelyn and I went out the back door through the bread room, where they encourage us to take lots of bread.  I found 5 loaves of my favorite English Muffin bread from Super One.  Twenty years ago it sold for 88¢ and now it is 198¢, so we only buy it on sale – a good sale.  Last week they had a special for $1.78; but that’s only a 10% discount.  Not good enough.  Apparently, that was the case for others as well, and they must have made too much.  They gave it to the Food Bank.  One’s date was April 24, and the others were the 25th and 26th.  We will start with the oldest and freeze the rest.  Boy, that was good pay for our music, plus we got a meal too.  Then I went on to my exercise class, and from there, on home to play with the kitties.  I spent time on the phone with a lady who wants 3 males.  She had searched all over town for orange kitties, and my neighbor told her we had several. Go figure.  Dinner was steak, potatoes and gravy.  Then raspberries and a chocolate donut for dessert with a little ice cream for me and more for John.

Thursday, Apr 26.  I went to town for music at Hearthstone, and John stayed home to work on fence posts and gate moving.  He checked on the kitties early morning and they were up on the bales of hay.  We went out in the afternoon, and two were way over on the top of straw bales.  We moved them down as it was kind of cold.  The other 3 were over in their nest.  They played awhile and went to potty in the hay on the floor.  Guess we need to take them a litter box.  John went back out right before dark, and 4 of them were two bales up, and the other was sitting on the lower bale, looking at John.  He put them all back in their nest and we hope they stay there to keep each other warm.  It is supposed to be cold tonight.  A heavy wind was blowing all day, highest gusts were 44 mph, and it made things really cold, even with the sunshine.  John fixed us a nice dinner:  pork roast with gravy and onions, peaches, and brown sugar-candied (marshmallow) yams.

Friday, Apr 27  Today started with a trip to school for a scholarship luncheon at the SURC (Student Union Recreation Center), and the parking lot was full.  Most people were there for a state competition for music ensembles.  We had salad and Foccia bread with interesting toppings, and brownies and lemon bars for dessert.  All came from an expensive bakery in town, called Vinman’s.  I went on to my exercise class and then home to relax before seeing and playing with the kitties.  The lady who is going to take 3 of the males came for a visit and was impressed and definitely will be giving them a home, possibly as early as next week, which we figure is their 6th week.  I took a couple of pictures and two videos and put them on YouTube.  I made a web page today and here’s the link: http://www.elixant.com/~nancyh/OrangeKittiesNaneumFan.html

Saturday, Apr 28  John’s going to cut up a couple of trees in our neighbor’s hay field.  Beavers cut them off and carried away the parts they wanted.  There ought to be a law of nature:  Cut all you want – take away all you cut.  No such luck – they leave the biggest and heaviest portions.  For me — nothing planned for today or this weekend, except a friend who wants one of the kittens is coming Sunday afternoon.  She spoke first so gets to pick.  We made a deal.  Pick one, get one free.  Oh, wait.  The first is free too.  I don’t know how anyone could choose.  They all are sweet and friendly, like being held and petted, play with each other, eat, drink, climb hay bales, and tussle with their siblings on the square of rug they now have.  This morning we added a litter box to their barn area, that increasingly they are climbing out of.  So we have homes for all five.  Now to keep from having additional cats, we have to capture momma and the 2 yearlings, Woody and Little Sioux.  I picked up 2  ‘live-traps’ from a local group and they will help with or arrange for things after that.  They take local unwanted cats to a neuter/spay clinic on the west side (aka the Seattle area).  Had we not found homes for the little ones they were going to take the kittiens to a west side no-kill shelter and find homes for them.  I just hope we can capture the three adults.  They will take care of all vet care and a rabies vaccination.  Our one bill for Rascal was $99 in 2010, and there was an earlier visit to the vet and the charges I no longer remember.

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

still on the Naneum Fan

Sunday, Apr 15   I did not go to the bluegrass session at the Swauk Teanaway Grange. I thought it best to stay home to recover from my cold and work on taxes.  John and I took a walk at the end of the afternoon, and looked at and took pictures of Oregon Grape, an aspen, a pussy willow, and what is locally called Golden Currants.

http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/yellow%20enlarged%20photo%20pages/ribes%20aureum.htm

The Oregon Grape will have bunches of bright yellow flowers and very blue fruit. Stick the term “Oregon grape” into Bing or Google images-search.  The above link shows the yellow flowers of the Currant and its translucent golden fruit. These are one of the first plants to sport new leaves in the spring.

We then walked back around the barn and took pictures (too high up and far away) of the cottonwood…all the trees are blossoming.  Pretty neat.  Saw kitties and took pictures and a small movie.  Do you want to see?  Go here: http://www.elixant.com/~nancyh/BlossomingTreesOrangeKittensNaneumFan.html

Monday, Apr 16  Interesting day.  John left early for Yakima to have his Subaru serviced, and while there, he visited Costco, for gasoline and a few necessities for us and for the dogs and cats.  While he was gone, I finished printing off the tax returns. After getting his signature, I took the packet to the USPS to send certified mail to be sure it is delivered properly.

Had an interesting experience in acupuncture today.  They are trying something “new” to them (my two acupuncturists) that’s been around since the 1980s when a Japanese fellow invented the use of tape being taped in the back of the neck to work on shoulders.  While he was doing that, I asked if it would work on my scar (from the open-heart surgery), which is causing my shoulder problems with range of motion of my arms (and why I skip doing some of the SAIL exercises).  He looked it up and there was nothing written in the manual, but we decided to try it, so I’m taped on the front of my chest scar and the back of my neck.  I’m all ready for it to work.  The tape stays on for 4 days.

www.japaneseacupuncture.co.nz/treatments/acutaping/acutaping.html

http://www.lhasaoms.com/Acupressure_Taping-108-1782-page.html

Tuesday, Apr 17 John is gathering and holding horses for trimming by our farrier.  I’m going for an echocardiogram, to make ready for seeing my Cardiologist in a couple of weeks.  It went well, and I dropped by Bi-Mart for kitty canned food on sale.  Also got some chocolates marked down 75% (Easter bunnies candy).  Will turn around and go back to town for music at a nursing home.  I’m so happy to be done with the taxes I mailed yesterday, now to get caught up on the ones I need to enter, while it’s fresh in my mind.  John and I visited and played with and handled the five kitties.  We figure they are about 4 weeks old.

Wednesday, Apr 18  There is a free spring luncheon at the Adult Activity Center today, with BBQ Chicken and potato salad.  That’s at noon, and I’m skipping my play date at the Food Bank Soup Kitchen.  SAIL exercise class followed.  It was an awesome lunch.  I mentioned above the main menu, and the potato salad was very good so I brought the recipe home, also had several varieties of potato chips plus cheesecake and brownies for dessert.  I only had cheesecake, but I brought home two pieces of chocolate Bundt cake with a sugar glaze.  He’s eaten his already and I will have mine later.  We went out and visited with the kittens.  They are getting bolder and learning how to climb.  Before I left town, I went to Exercise class.  Now I’m tired but I slept better last night for 9 hours (best in many, many weeks).  Less coughing, so maybe I’m getting better again, finally.  Phew.

Thursday, Apr 19  Music today and an appreciation dinner for Volunteers in the community tonight.  We had Lasagna, salad, bread, and fabulous tables of desserts.  There were  few words said of thanks to all of us there (room was full and I didn’t count).  We had our group at one table, and there were 8 of us.  I imagine there were at least 20 tables total, maybe more.  There were many door prizes including the pot of pansies (centerpiece on all the tables).  I won a lovely basket: small potted flowers ready for planting, garden implements, and other equipment.  John kept the two tools, and I gave away the rest to a music/gardener friend with smaller hands than us.  There were work gloves (too small) and even a pad for kneeling in the garden, little metal pots, and all in a plastic basket with holes on the sides, and handles.  Must be for washing veggies, carrots or potatoes, before bringing in the house.

Friday, Apr 20  Another busy day.  John removed the rest of the tape on my back between my shoulders and I think I will not have that done again.  I had removed the tape on my front, and it was very painful, even using cream.  I may consider just putting one on the top of my arms where I occasionally have pain.  We fixed a very large Pineapple Downside-Up Cake in our 12″ iron skillet for the potluck tonight.  We even used our own-grown walnuts – roasted for 10 minutes.  We played with the kitties.  I made it to town in the afternoon for my SAIL exercise class and to pick up more meds.  Then at 5:20, we took off for the music group potluck.  We didn’t finish and get home till almost 10:30.  We had a lot of people there and a jam session following dinner (19 to eat, 14 to play, and 2 mid-session visitors).  Here is the menu.  Plenty of food, and oh, so good.  The line started with desserts (ours, and  homemade cookies), which we saved till the end.  A very large pizza (pineapple on top of two meats).  On to salads (green mixed with imitation crab meat and 3 dressings), fruit salad, a chicken/grape/walnut salad, a pea/cheese salad, bread sticks and rolls, sweet potato casserole, meatloaf (sausage & beef), scalloped potatoes, fried chicken, spaghetti w/meat, lemonade and coffee.

Saturday, Apr 21  Nothing today but yard work and housework, and getting this on the blog, plus creating the associated web page mentioned above.  Well, John did go check on the kitties and their expanded territory he fixed yesterday.  There is a tunnel between hay bales from their nest in the back room of the barn where they are protected from horses and dogs.  They have access to about a third of that room, contained, for now, with bales of straw.  They can climb out of their nest, up the short side of a hay bale and they do, but as of yet, they are only using the tunnel one way (back into the nest, but not from).  With five of them and momma in the nest they stay cozy warm.  Our outside temp was just 37 this AM but we have reached 70 this afternoon.  Maybe it will go to 77 on Sunday.  Almost warm.  About time.  But, by the middle of the coming week the forecast is for mid-to-high 50s with night time lows at about 35.  John has just put tomato seeds in little starter pots and sometime next month they may be ready for the garden.  This year he is trying “Box Car Willie” that can be found on this page:

http://homeharvestseeds.com/ferrymorsevegetablestomatoseeds.htm

and “Siberia” – a cool weather variety:

http://www.humeseeds.com/tmtosib.htm

. . . that is supposed to “set fruit at low night temperatures.”  Tomatoes mostly want the night temp to be above 55 degrees F.  The Siberian tomato is one of the heirloom tomato varieties (reportedly from Russia) and some claim it can set fruit in cool weather — as low as 38˚F.  Last year the Big Boy plants seemed to take forever.  The plants grew big and lush but fruit was late getting started.  If you want to try growing tomatoes, look here:

http://www.gardenguides.com/113627-tomato-plants-produce-tomatoes.html

That Russian source sounds suspicious because everyone says tomatoes came from South America – following the Spanish colonization.  Still, if it sets fruit in cold temperature, we’ll not worry about its name or its source.

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

still on the Naneum Fan

Saturday, Mar 31  Here the weather is lousy.  It started out snowing, then rain, then snow, and overcast and now is dripping again–just in time for John to do livestock chores.  The neighbor’s to-be-fed animals are in 3 different areas.  In past weeks he used the newer truck to drive to town for gasoline for the older truck – thereby keeping both functional.  Today he just drove the old one in and filled a 20 gallon tank and 5+ gal. in cans.  Total = $92.  Before he left, he brought two boxes and a huge old suitcase – dust covered — out of hiding for me to deal with.  A few boxes don’t have tops and things get thrown in, then dust.  One box was sorta amazing.  It had no top so was quite dirty.  I vacuumed everything.  Contents were mostly clean (not now) socks, several don’t have a mate.  Then I found a plastic (kid’s) carrier (over the shoulder and handle straps) that I must have gotten at a yard sale (I honestly do not remember), and inside are two long rolled up heavy duty extension cords with a double extender for connecting more than one item, and are brand new.  There’s a $3 circle tag, and I don’t know if it was for the whole thing or not; probably.  The box with a top had several really neat books, road maps from all over — Canada, Belgium, Hawaii, and Germany (nice ones with terrain on them).  You don’t see printed state road maps anymore in WA, so the ones I have are classic.  That box also had 3 packages of notes (discarded by a previous Prof.) on the Netherlands, Planning, and the Delta Project (which I took slides of in 1965) and used to talk about in some of my geography courses.  I also found some neat USGS publications, a couple very historical, and some newer Satellite imagery comparisons over time, around the world.  I have people at CWU I will entrust them too.  Oh, the maps I’m giving to the Map Library.  They have cabinets with them from all over the world, and people can check them out.

I have yet to look at the 30 boxes John packed out of my office when I was in the ICU.  They are out in the shed, and there are stacks of boxes piled around inside our house I have to sort through first.  This was a good start today, and I really should do this much every day.  Easier said than done.  I say that every time I do a couple and then I go for days before doing more.  We have some rooms (living and back bedrooms), that are totally full, except for paths to walk around sideways.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iAD82Dlk9GA/TONY6O4QwxI/AAAAAAAAB4k/hXXLuEX-bgU/s1600/CLUTTER.gif

The other thing I have yet to go through is a large American Tourister hard luggage I used to always check through to AAG and NCGE meetings and then bring home lots of heavy books and materials.  There is a map tube (portable and extendable) inside.  If I really had significant posters or maps not to fold, I would bring them back as an extra checked “bag”.  Nowadays that wouldn’t be worth an extra fee.  I cleaned all the dust off the outside, and John just lifted it onto our bed, for me to cull through.  I did go through it and found a brand new carrier for my Dell laptop that the recently deceased Macbook replaced.  The Mac was 4 and the Dell lasted about that long so the never used carrier is about 8 years and counting.  With the new Toshiba, for an additional $50 we got a combination of accessories with the big-$ item being a carrier.  Oh well..

John went out to see the kitties and handled them all.  Big Sue growled at him, from above on the hay bales.  She came over and looked down but he told her to stay up there.  They don’t all have their eyes open yet.  Big Sue is a feral cat and mother of at least 3 litters, including this set of 5.  I hope we can catch her when she’s through raising these and get her spayed.

http://exquisitekitty.com/CAT-CHART.jpg

John left in the sprinkle of rain to feed, and then it poured, and now the sun is shining so brightly I might need to put on sunglasses to sit in my recliner and keep and eye on the birds coming to the feeder.  And with food in mind, for dinner we are having lima beans, mashed potatoes, and gravy with pieces of pork from yesterday.

Sunday, Apr 1  Well, lots of cleaning and kitchen work today by both of us.  I did the counters and loading the dishwasher (and unloaded it first), and then while I was working on that, John cleaned up the washroom.  That is our initial recycle-garbage collection area and gets crowded with boxes and bags of bottles, cans, and junk,  keeping us from accessing the clothes washer and dryer.  So at least for a few days I can get some washing done.  We also went out to check on the new kitties.  The mom still runs from us, and growls a little while we handle the babies, but now that we are feeding her canned cat food she is much more willing to let us handle them while she watches (and eats) from a’top the baled hay.  Mamma-Sue and the babies will be much better off with her having the canned food.  She also has water and dry food available at all times.  She’s getting canned food twice a day.  Their little eyes are still not all open, but we hope they will be soon.  They are about 3 weeks old.

http://www.kittenbaby.com/age.php

In the late afternoon, we went to work in the cleaned kitchen and John sliced and dipped several large Honeycrisp apples into lemon juice with cinnamon.  I moved the cut and soaked pieces into the dehydrators.  (These were neglected after their last use — not a good idea; got to make myself clean them this time before we pack them away.)  I placed all the pieces nicely on the racks.  We used and filled two dehydrators.

Here’s our story Nancy put out Saturday, April 07, 2012 before posting this.

http://elixant.com/~nancyh/HoneycrispApple.html

Monday, Apr 2  John left early for wine grape pruning.  The weather was nice today.  I spent most of the morning on the phone trying to find a new home for one of our pups from the 2010 litter, Rhu, who we raised till he was 4 months old. (more below)  I also got our application for the WA Old Time Fiddlers Workshop at end of July in Kittitas in the mail for required postmark today.  I’m taking my usual class (Intermediate and Advanced Fiddle) with Roberta Pearce, and John will be taking a week of half-day beginning guitar class.  Sadly, his costs as much as mine ($100) for the shorter period.

Tuesday, Apr 3  John went for his last day of pruning, and I stayed home to work on things.  I never went back to sleep in the morning after he left.  Paid bills, did emails, tried talking to pharmaceutical company about my Lipitor costs.  My health insurance has notified me it will no longer allow the brand name to be used, and I must switch to a generic as of June 1st.  My cost will go up, but I cannot any longer use the plan I was on the past several months, getting Lipitor for $4.00/month co-pay.  It is not possible to keep up with all the healthcare rigamarole.  I’m fairly good at this sort of thing but some things happen that seem not to be explainable.  How do some folks cope?  Like the elderly lady that calls several times each month.  She doesn’t recognize our voices and will say things, such as “Who are you?” – and then hang up.  We try to be alert to her calls and are trying to keep her on the line long enough to identify her.  Then maybe someone could contact her and help her.  She called 3 times in 5 minutes this week.  How would she handle health care hurdles?

Back to the puppy mentioned above:  Folks moved from EBRG to the Reno area for work and now he is gone a lot doing fieldwork and she is ‘expecting’ and 2 dogs and 2 kids (sometimes either a dog or a kid is sick) add up to a full plate.  I tried  to find a home for the Brittany they have from our 2010 litter.  No success yet.  Good news about the pup.  They have decided to keep him.

Got a note from a student on whose thesis committee I’m serving and need to review her latest rendition.  I spent tons of time editing it over a month, a month ago. I didn’t keep track of my time.  Because John and I have each been through this process we know she is under more stress about this than I am, but still, I do have other things to do.  We have some research grant proposals to evaluate from a Canadian institute

http://silverhillinstitute.com/

Click on “Board” and scroll through the list and note the “Homenucks.”  Last being Peter and a friend from our time at the University of Cincinnati.  Click on “Advisors & Reviewers” and you can find our somewhat out-dated bios.  We have been doing this for several years, but the time snuck up on us and the first set just arrived yesterday.  There seems to be a disconnect between our countries’ postal services.  They are due Apr 15, so we will send them back in digital form.

Wednesday, Apr 4  I awoke with a sore throat.  Hmmmm.  Had to get ready to go to town for two events and then come back and do more chores, before going to a talk on the Ice Age Ground Sloth . . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalonyx_jeffersonii

. . . found within 30 miles of us on a sediment-covered bench near the Columbia River, in 2003.  It was a nice talk and afterwards we grabbed some food from Jack in the Box.

Thursday, Apr 5   John read proposals in the morning, after feeding chores, and then went to town with me for me to play music.  He went shopping and came back and picked me up and we took some of my found-materials to school to donate to my colleagues.  We stopped by and visited with a fund raiser in the Dean’s office, and wrote our donation check for the student Distinguished Service Award Scholarship (currently in our name).  Coughed a lot once coming home and on through the night and was miserable.

Friday, Apr 6  Awoke not feeling well at all, so I canceled all three events for the day.  I have just been working on the computer, and evaluating my share of the research proposals.  Doing a little tax input in between times, and paying bills.  Well, the rest is helping, as my cold symptoms are decreasing from the morning mess.  Delivered by UPS today between snow flurries:  Asparagus (Jersey Supreme), Anne (Fall Yellow) Raspberries, Cavendish June strawberries, blueberry bushes (Bonus –supposedly the size of a quarter!, Bluecrop, Duke, Nelson, & Patriot) plus a booklet on growing blueberries.  Total cost $105.97.  All the way from Indiana!  Delivery as scheduled for spring planting — and tonight the temp is expected to dip to 20.  Go figure!  Tonight after supper I’m trying to stay awake by working on this blog, but the smell of skunk is making me miserable.  Shay was standing out on the window doggie door veranda, barking, till we both yelled at her, from different windows, to get in the house.  She must have seen a skunk outside the fence, and he must have sprayed.

Saturday, Apr 7  After early chores we loaded a dehydrator with sliced Honeycrisps .   John hopes to get this posted and then plant several baby pine trees.  The baby kittens need some attention too.  All eyes are open and they are starting to exhibit real catness.  They will soon need their nest-home enlarged.  The dilemma is that it is now small and cozy but nighttime temps have been low.  Perhaps a straw-bale play area connected to the nest is the way to go.  Otherwise, nothing special planned for the day.  Easter will have us over at the neighbors for festivities.  Easter is said to be a moveable feast — if you have some spare time and want to investigate this matter you can start here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter

A 2008 posting “Blame it on the Moon” (dates are not appropriate for 2012) on the subject is here:  (scroll down below the banner pictures, to the Moon)

http://www.hawaiicatholicherald.com/Home/tabid/256/newsid884/1227/Default.aspx

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

still on the Naneum Fan

Sunday, Mar 25.  Quiet day as we just had the usual chores and then off for a birthday (#89) dinner party for our neighbor.  We carried along some of John’s Red Rome applesauce, two different packages – smooth and chunky, then mixed.

Monday, Mar 26  I stayed up (after John left at 7:30)  working on emails, mostly, and then decided to take another hour’s sleep.  Once up I worked a little in the kitchen, with the animals, ate, and got back on my computer, doing more tax entries.  Found some more figures I needed from hospitals and medical insurance providers, and called for them.  Spent more time organizing and searching for receipts.  Found out I can deduct mileage for all the driving to volunteer music to nursing homes and other such events.  I also found I can deduct 14.5 cents/mile for all medical travel.  Boy, that adds up.  I skipped going to exercise class today because (and I have said this before), to drive to town at the 4 bucks and up price of gas, I want to have more to do than one 45 minute event.  Spent a little of the evening before dinner setting up a timeshare in Oct for our friends from Atlanta to use for their honeymoon.

John got home and brought me the mail.  Interestingly, there was a bill from Yakima Memorial Hospital from June 1, 2010.  It was the same bill I was told last Friday would be forgiven.  After more time on the phone, it was forgiven.  Then I had a call in for the local hospital accountant.  She called back late afternoon, and I asked my question.  I couldn’t figure out why I had $550 of payments (I supposedly paid) at the first of the year.  Turns out they were for physical therapy co-pays.  I remember paying $25 for 45 minutes and not being happy, but at $550, that means 22 sessions, and I really don’t recall going that many times. [John says: ‘memory loss’ – need to watch her more closely!]  I need to go back and look at my car log journals and calendars, and perhaps credit card accounting because I do not have checks written for them.  Meanwhile, I put it into my Turbo Tax program because I have in writing that they received the payments from me.  Once the last of the calls were in, I got the new long distance prepaid calling card and we called and talked to John’s sister.  She said we sounded like we both were shivering.  I called a friend in Atlanta and she had the same response.  So, perhaps it is the towers of the card ?  We used to use Verizon, but they are undergoing changes and come Apr. 17^th seem not to want our money, at least on the prepaid long distance cards.  I did call and complain and the company said perhaps it was the weather.  A call later this week showed that indeed it was clear.  John put in a blade-roast beef, with carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes, and we had a late dinner that was scrumptious. [That’s a technical term for edible.]

Tuesday, Mar 27.  Got up early again for John to do the chores, before we called over at 7:20 a.m. to see what the weather was at the vineyard.  We thought last night it would be all right because the incoming storm appeared to have broken up.  Sadly, John left but was in rain all the way and it was raining when he got there so he had to turn around and drive home.  Good way to waste 2 hours plus of time and no mention of the gasoline.  It is 66 miles (depending on the route) over and back.  We can go the Interstate or the old Vantage highway.  I tried to reach his cell phone 1/2 hr after he left when the vineyard owner called to say not to come.  Three tries but John did not answer. [Because he didn’t hear a ring.]  I worked on the computer and on taxes more, and he got home, and then we both left to take me to my afternoon massage and by a friend’s house for a microphone and stand he picked up for me at the CWU surplus sale, and then after my massage, we went to the bank, and I cashed a check so we’d have some cash on hand.  While I was in the massage, John went to the grocery for lemon juice to dry apples.  Today was the first day of classes for Spring Quarter, and I’m so happy I do not have to be preparing for new classes.  I’m really spoiled now that I’m retired.  I certainly would have to cut back on all the volunteer activities and medical visits (those are slowing down considerably).  Now it’s just a device check every 3 months (in Yakima), and annual exams by my cardiologist and by my family physician .. and lung function tests for the one med I’m on for atrial fibrillation.  An occasional (once a year now) echocardiogram, chest X-rays, and EKG.

Wednesday, Mar 28  Spent the morning searching rci.com for hook-ups with my friends in Michigan to use a timeshare.  Left to play music at the Soup Kitchen part of the Food Bank.  Boy, a good offering today again.  Baked chicken, garlic mashed potatoes with milk gravy, corn, tomatoes (fresh and cut up into wedges), with peaches for dessert.  Picked up some cereal, eggs. and bread for my neighbors and some bandages.  Then off to exercise class.  We had 23 there today.  I think that is the most in my two years of attending (I started going there after losing interest in paying physical therapy at the hospital $25 for 45 mins .. mentioned above).  Rushed home by way of the neighbors to drop off their goodies.  Back home to work with timeshare stuff; still no luck.  Then tonight two more people responded and are interested in a time share use in Cuzco, Peru.  I don’t know if that will work or not, but I’ll try a search in the morning.  I have another search going on for the Michigan/Indiana folks, and likely will have another start for Klamath Falls, OR–that one isn’t usable because it is not available for exchange but only by rental for the week ($800).  I think not.

Thursday, Mar 29  This morning I worked mostly on the computer but took time out to clean up the mess in the kitchen from days of neglect.  John got home 1/2 hr early because they got rain late in the morning.  We played at Mt. View Meadows today, where we only play when there is a 5th Thursday in a month (only happens 4 times/ year).  Relatives of two members of our group are there, and so it is special.  They’d like us to come more often, but there are not enough days in the month for all the Ellensburg facilities where we volunteer.   We both had eye appointments.. John at 3:00 and me at 3:30.  On my way there after playing, I dropped by Wendy’s for two coupon specials for our supper tonight.  Came on home and started back on the computer.  Now I have finished all that and need to enter more medical mileage receipts in my Excel spreadsheet.  I brought some more in from my 2004 Subaru, this afternoon.  I had been entering trips in the 2009 Subaru.  Now I’m set for tonight.  It is still raining and John had to go feed horses (ours and the neighbors’) in the rain.    I forgot to say that John found Big Sue in the back of the barn with 5 orange kittens, without their eyes open yet.  This set is the wrong color, but almost this age:

http://desicolours.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/09new-born-animals.jpg

He took her feed and water out there.  He figures we can go in and handle them so they won’t become wild, and hopefully she won’t move them on us as she did with Woody and Little Sioux, last year.  She knows him better now from feeding in the “cat house”, so she crawls up the bales of hay onto the rafters and looks down on him when he is looking at and handling the kittens.  We’d like to capture her somehow and get her spayed.

Friday, Mar 30  John got up early and it was raining but it stopped and he left.  It started again just as he left.  He got to Vantage (30 mins – once on I-90 at Kittitas there is not a legal place to turn around going down the hill) before he decided it wasn’t going to be nice.  He called from his cell phone and I gave him the phone of the vineyard owner, and they decided to cancel for today.  We had talked early in the morning and thought it was going to be all right over there.  I stayed and did more tax input (mileage for medical and volunteer trips).  Also petted Rascal several times in my lap, watched him and little Sioux (yellow cat) out the back door, when they climbed the ladder trying to get to the bird feeder.  Of course, when the birds see them coming, they fly away.  John and I went to town today, and he shopped while I went to exercise class.  He also picked up 5 Ponderosa pines and 5 grand fir trees (little ones) at the Conservation District.  Total price was $17.20.  Most of the trees along our driveway came from there, over the past decade or more.  They have grown to be big and beautiful specimens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Fir

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponderosa_pine

The Ponderosa fits best in our location when starting with bare-root plants 18 inches or less.  They don’t do well in shade or against competition from grass but, once they become established they can grow 2 feet in a year.  Some like to double-crown as shown in this photo:

http://spot.colorado.edu/~mitton/images/Ponderosa%20Bear%20Lake%20CA.jpg

Grand Firs are found in our area but more to the west and higher in elevation.

When John and I got home, he took me to show me the new litter of kittens in the back of our barn, in the hay.  He reached down and pulled them all out.  A couple don’t have their eyes open yet, and another has only one really open, and a couple have opened eyes–slightly more than slits.  They are all orange but sexes unknown and unknowable.  We couldn’t tell with Rascal and he was much older (even our vet wasn’t sure).  At least one has a little white in special places, on the tummy and chin/neck, but not much.  Sunshine (last year’s now deceased kitty, had the same mom, who is also the mom of Woody and little Sioux.  Sunshine had white feet plus white elsewhere.  Different father?  John’s favorite pastry from our grocery bakery consists of old fashioned donuts with chocolate frosting and nuts on top.  They had their old fashions on sale today for $3.98/dozen.  Our friend in the bakery pulled a whole box of them for John.  She might have doctored them up because normally they don’t make more than 4 chocolate covered ones with nuts.  Normally donuts there cost $5.98/doz.

Then we had a nice long talk with John’s sister Peggy.  My right shoulder/upper arm is hurting — guess I need to take another couple of acetaminophen.  Probably exercised it too much today and it was used a lot the previous two days playing my fiddle.  Oh, I got a “thank you volunteer” award (certificate) today from the Adult Activity Center, and an invite to a Lasagna dinner, but I already had been invited from service to the community (nursing homes, etc.) for our music group, the Kittitas Valley Fiddlers & Friends.  As you have heard, I also play music once a week at the Soup Kitchen of the Food Bank, with only our banjo player and occasionally a lady who sings with us.  What’s cool is we have a fan club and they join in singing while eating their lunch and sometimes stay after they are done eating.  The servers also chime in, so it’s really cool.  We often get applause from a few people in the room (there were 40 there this week), and we even occasionally have requests.  Mostly, they like the fast tunes.

Saturday, Mar 31  We woke to an inch of wet snow, mist, and clouds.  And mud.  With 10 trees to plant we were hoping for a nice weekend.  But hope is a poor plan and this time it didn’t work.  We have NOTHING this weekend, so we will dry some of these huge honey crisp apples (they weigh a pound each).  John has done the morning chores (in the snow).  It has stopped now, but still overcast and drippy; after I wrote that, it started snowing again.  He will have to drive to town for gasoline for the old farm truck (he uses for feeding all the neighbors’ 10 horses and bull.

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

still on the Naneum Fan

Saturday, Mar 17.  Snowed 4 inches to wake up to, then another inch starting falling at 10:00 am.  We both took care of neighbor’s needs.  Then picked up a lady and took her with us to the music play time and eating at a retirement community we attend every third Saturday of the month.  But, we already told you about that in last week’s blog, because we were running late and didn’t get it out till Sunday morning.

Sunday, Mar 18.  Started off well, but deteriorated as I got a bug (24 hr intestinal one), about 3:15 in the afternoon, while playing in a bluegrass jam session.  I was sick all afternoon and night and really got sick about 7:30 p.m.  I stayed ill all night, and finally was slightly better about 6:35 a.m.,  but I went back to sleep and slept till 9:00 a.m.

Monday, Mar 19  I will start where I left off, on yesterday’s report.  I was getting better, but was weak, so I cancelled out going to town today, and cancelled my appointment tomorrow.  I will just work on taxes instead, which I should have been continuing the past few days, but was busy going to music events.  Just finished a download on updates for Turbo Tax 2010, and am installing 2011 Turbo Tax.  This is on my new laptop and releases me from having to sit at the home computer, and get a sore neck because the table is too high for me, even with a pillow in the chair.  [John says: See    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergonomics ]       Talked to my friend in GA who wants to use one of our expiring timeshares, and I helped her through the web page.  It is space-banked so can be used anywhere in the world where any opening occurs.  We looked in the Key West, Key Largo area, and nothing is available with our purchasing power in prime time and close.  However, there are others in Florida.  Maybe they can get within reaching distance and drive to Key West.  Of course it has been 56 years since I was there, and don’t have a clue how the area has changed.

Tuesday, Mar 20.  Have to get up early and John needs to do the chores, before we call over at 7:30 a.m. to see what the weather is there at the vineyard.  The weather forecast did NOT looking promising Monday night.  It turned out fine, and John made the trip all right.  I stayed and worked on the computer and on taxes.

Wednesday, Mar 21  What a neat day.  Started cloudy, then sunshine, and cooler and now snowing lightly.  I managed to work on my computer and coordinated with the Spokane Office of the bank where we have the mortgage on our house.  We had not received (or else it didn’t make it to the receipt box) the 1098 form we need for taxes for interest we paid.  Then off I went to play music at the Soup Kitchen part of the Food Bank.  Over 40 people (including the servers) ate today.  It was one of the best meals I have had there and they always have a well balanced offering.  Today– it was Cajun chicken (baked leg w/thigh) in a spicy sauce, and quite tender.  Along with it, we had a large dinner roll w/ butter, garlic mashed red potatoes, a mixed greens salad with squash, peppers, and tomatoes (choice of 4 dressings), and a bowl of apricots for dessert.  It was so good I cleaned my plate and will not need dinner tonight.  Seriously.Then off to exercise class, and by the hospital for a blood draw, after.  Got home and managed to hook up a couple (friends) for a Williamsburg, VA timeshare of ours that we don’t have time to use before May 31.  We couldn’t locate anything in Florida, so they switched their locaton choice, and found a really neat plantation, which would costs $149/night, yet it will just be $189 for the week.   Forgot to say, I picked up some bread (day old) they encourage us and everyone there to take from the Food Bank.  I got 3 packages for our neighbors and two for us.  Went over and visited with my neighbor lady while John fed their horses, and packed more hay into his truck for afternoon and morning feedings for the next couple days.  Returned home to work on email and get back onto the tax input.  I’m pretty tired so may hit the hay a little earlier than the past several nights.

Thursday, Mar 22  Most of the morning was spent calling accountants or customer service at hospitals (two in Yakima and one in EBRG, doctor offices (heart-cardiologist, surgeon), lung (infectious disease specialists), eye, family physician, and dentist, CWU payroll, and human resources.  I needed a copy of their records for how much I personally had to pay over and above what Medicare and Group Health covered.  The most interesting finding was at Yakima Memorial Hospital where I was for two times in 2010.  There was one payment of $139.90 that was never billed to me.  It was a remainder of something early in the year that wasn’t covered.  Because I never was notified, I never paid it.  When the accountant found it today, she said she would forgive it because that was too long ago to request a payment now.  Suits me just fine. Finally, I got out just minutes after John returned home from pruning, to drive to town to play music at Hearthstone.  We had a lot of conflicts today, and I essentially was the only fiddler.  We had 4 guitars, a mandolin, banjo, and clarinet.  My arm is quite sore from all the activity of playing.  I left and got home for a couple hours but had to take off for a dinner with two friends at a restaurant in town. It was a free steak dinner to listen to a talk on energy saving attic blankets to go over roof insulation, made from a NASA development for the space station.

Friday, Mar 23   John went pruning, and I slept in.  Skipped my exercise class this afternoon because I didn’t want to make that trip to town for only 50 minutes time, and round-trip it takes another 50 minutes.  Multipurpose trips are needed.  My Subaru wants the expensive fuel but runs fine on mid-grade.  And here’s a question:  Why do stations still call it “unleaded?” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline#Tetraethyl_lead

I spent almost all the day working on taxes or being on the phone requesting medical back up paperwork for expenses, including for medical insurance we paid out, some from my CWU payroll check.  I also worked on proofing a former student’s application for grad school and giving some suggestions on her resume and statement of purpose.  John went to bed early, after serving a simple dinner of pizza and apple slices, plus cut up chicken breast.  The other excitement was talking by phone with John’s cousin on her 94th birthday.  And, we had a nice conversation with her daughter in Brookville, PA, where John’s sister is spending the weekend after attending the funeral on Friday.  I think she said 18 people showed up at the graveside in Scotch Hill, PA.  That doubled the population count for the “town” for the day.  Peggy and John’s oldest brother and his wife are dead, but all their kids came along with other non-sorted (how does this differ from ‘assorted’?) relatives and friends, so it was like a family reunion.  There is a small community building at the cemetery and reunions have been held there.  The attraction is walking the rows of graves and reading the tombstones – paying respect to the ancients.  The service crew intended to wait-out the attendees before covering the vault but having been assured no one would be offended and that many would be “reading tombstones” for awhile, they then went about their business.

Saturday, Mar 24  After a slow start to the morning, we drove to Yakima to Costco for not much and to fill my car with gasoline.  It was running on empty, so we detoured through EBRG to get 2.4 gallons worth at $4.07/gal.  With coupons, we also bought a sandwich from Wendy’s to eat on the road.  I had a nice Cod sandwich and John had a cheeseburger, with one left to bring home.  (It was a special, two cheeseburgers for $4., and mine was free with the purchase of a small coke and fries ($3.18) which we could share just fine.  Got down to Costco and only had to pay, $3.71/gal., so we filled it there.  Got some good stuff in the store on several special sales, includng:

http://addictedtocostco.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/jarlsberg_cheese.jpg

Nice clean road trip (sunny weather) down to Yakima, a round trip total of 104 miles; including the EBRG side-trip.  I drove down and John drove back, so I was able to talk to his sister Peggy on the phone, before we descended into the canyons of basalt between Yakima and Ellensburg.  The reception is blacked out in some places along that segment.

Back home, it’s beautiful and sunny, and the birds are singing – waiting for a turn at the feeder.  Our dogs did not get their morning run because there were too many deer sleeping under the big Cottonwood tree.  So, they had to wait for their run till we got back from Yakima.  With that done, John has driven back to town primarily to run the old 1989 truck and to pick up 7 gallons of gasoline to put in the 1980 Chevy ‘farm’ truck.  And, he planned to buy some soft drinks on sale, some tuna fish for me, and ended up with a beef roast (first in many moons) and a dozen apple fritters for my sweet tooth.  Now we have plenty, because we got two containers of fruit/cream cheese pastries at Costco.  We just got invited for a birthday dinner for our neighbor tomorrow.  It’s his 90th.  On the menu is beef roast – we’ll have to freeze the one we just bought.  Otherwise, life is good.

If you have time for a break, watch this 8 minute video of slow motion things.

http://www.ted.com/talks/louie_schwartzberg_the_hidden_beauty_of_pollination.html

Hope your week was a good one.

Nancy and John

still on the Naneum Fan