Monday, Feb 10
I stayed up very late last night, but John was up early taking care of things and then worked inside on sorting until it warmed up in the garage. Continuing to take photos of stuff to pass along to others. He came in about 1:30 for lunch. We’re hard at it again. Nice sunny day outside.
He will take a break to go to town and I will go along to fill both cars with gasoline at Fred Meyer where we will get fuel points to lower the per gallon cost by 30₵. That will be about 4:00 p.m.
I have my alarm to get dressed set at 3:30 p.m.
Fred Meyer gas cost us $2.50/gallon. Not bad filling both cars for $67, and they were close to empty; mine emptier than John’s but still down from our trips over the weekend in his Crosstrek. We had a nice visit at the pumps with Mike and Sarah Sandman about his grandparents Bob & Karen Oppie. Bob’s restarted on chemotherapy for his cancer and feeling some better. Sarah is a local EMT and Mike is also, but in Yakima. John quizzed Sarah about the new fire station. He has noticed 3 unidentified “things” on the east side of the building. Heat exchangers Sarah says, but the setup was designed from the Puget Sound (warmer) area, and there are issues.
John fixed boiled shrimp for supper, I had cocktail sauce on mine, and the rest of the cornbread filled with corn (buttered with maple syrup)—John had honey, and we both had leftovers from yesterday’s Raclette, broiled pineapple slices (with cinnamon and brown sugar).
We finished up the blog from last week tonight, but it’s yet to be published. John’s putting it into WordPress now and I will need to correct the spacing and check the videos to be sure the links are correct. Then off to sleep for the night.
Tomorrow, John will be continuing work on cleaning out the garage and I will go to town for an AAC meeting Senior Advisory Commission meeting at 1:00 p.m. and to have an INR blood draw, plus check our numbers at Bi-Mart for prizes. Then come home and tackle the dishes, chores, and other sending pictures of giveaway items. We are trying to get rid of a few items as we go. Much dump-bound and much of the rest we don’t need, don’t use, and never will.
I did put out the call for both music days this week, wanting to know who plans to come Thursday and Saturday.
Published Memories, 2nd Week Feb blog at 12:15 a.m. Tuesday.
Tuesday, Feb 11
Photo-shopped creation of The Bull of Ellensburg, the Kittitas Valley, and Mt. Rainier in the night sky – – by Evie.
Here’s an article from the Daily Record News about the bull statue:
The Bull
Wicked wind today. Some places would have given this a name. Just before 10:00 a.m. gusting to 49 mph and it got worse when I was out and about in town, getting blown away (during the hour of the 51 mph gusts). It was difficult opening the car doors and worse walking from the car into buildings and back out into the parking lots. During that time, I visited the Senior Center, the hospital, Bi-Mart, and another place near the airport (probably the worst of the afternoon). When I was at Bi-Mart, the cashiers in front of the exit door were wearing winter coats because the door was acting as a wind tunnel. On my way in my car was buffeted to an extent not seen for 3 days. (Joke) Similarly, on the way home headed north, with winds coming from the West.
Interesting statistics below from KELN; airport to our SW. 12 hours of our day was windy.
Went to AAC for 1– 2:00 meeting (longer than usual, but we missed last month because of sickness of 4 members, donated brown bags, flower arrangement, and antique ping pong balls.
Drank water during meeting, preparing for blood draw afterward. Went for INR blood draw, and it only took ½ hour or so.
I went by Bi-Mart with raincheck for neighbor Louaine and also to check numbers. Got her stuff and delivered to her shop.
John, starting with a low-priced Red Baron, fixed us a loaded pizza for supper.
I’ve been packing stuff for tomorrow morning, and need to hit the hay much earlier tonight than usual. We both are very tired after all the activity today. Tomorrow, John expects will be a better work day without the wind that was going on today. We are free of snow until Thursday. He has moved some furniture today. All the drawers in chests of drawers have to be emptied before moving. Same with glass-doored kitchen cabinets. I haven’t looked to see what else is out there. He is carrying some boxes from the living room, that too is filled mostly with old class/teaching things.
Wednesday, Feb 12
Morning sunrise at Ryegrass Summit, overlooking our valley.
Sunrise from Ryegrass Rest Area I-90, photographed by Cindi Ackerlund.
We are 100 miles from SeaTac airport and the condensation trials (contrails) are from planes going in or out.
I have to get ready to leave by 8:20 a.m., for Hearthstone, with macaroons, plates, paper towels for place settings for 10 people (7 came). That bag is packed and ready to go; take inside with my violin to get it out of the cold. All went fine and we had a great meeting with Ken & Jo Hammond, Lillian Brooks, Carla Kaatz, Jim Huckabay, Michael Pease {current Geography Head}, and me. Crystal at Hearthstone provided the coffee and tea.
Packed clothes and music books to take to Evelyn and Karen, at Food Bank, and my red bag with the Senior Nutrition card, pills, water, and nutrition drink, to accompany my goulash serving (small amount). Visited after music, and left about 1:00 p.m. for home.
I needed to call the Help desk to learn how to access email to forward something I sent to myself, from my CWU account, via CWU-Outlook, and new message, to a person on the cwu.edu site. My email from outside was being blocked (for unknown reasons). I never did hear from the woman, even after supposedly reaching her proper email account, from my direct cwu.edu account.
Pat Jenkins (bulldozer & backhoe; excavating) just showed up at the door and John is showing him the work we need completed to accompany the construction on remodeling the room we’re making from the old attached 2-car garage). Pat lives about 3 miles from us.
I talked to the WIRED people and found we will get the paper magazine until Oct 2020, paid for, and I removed the automatic renewal. The woman agent sent 3 notices to our joint email, NancyJohnHultquist@gmail.com and they never appeared. She was in Iowa. I’m to call back if it doesn’t appear and neither has. I’ll do that Monday morning before leaving for Costco and Lowe’s with Glenn. The March edition just came.
I put my medications in the organizer box for the week ahead.
Entered 2-12 for entrees sweepstakes at www.krogerfeedback.com . It’s the Fred Meyer sweepstakes for one of gift cards and a 50pt fuel bonus.
Was sick tonight after eating what seemed to be a great supper. No explanation.
Thursday, Feb 13
Started with sleeping in a little and then loading the dishwasher to capacity. Too tired (and sick with an upset stomach) last night to finish.
Called in the count for Meadows, and sent photos to Amy of things I’m bringing to her.
We did fine today at Meadows with these people playing: Gerald, Nancy, Charlotte, Manord, Dean, Minerva, Marilyn (on bass uke), Maury, Kevin, Evie, Amy, & Sandy.
Sent the videos to Nick Zentner / IAF site. Got it off at 10:38 p.m.
Friday, 2 14 Happy Valentine’s Day
Singing Hills Barbershop Chorus showed up after all the festivities were mostly over, but we had a good audience to enjoy their songs. I am friends with the guy in the top middle below (a Physics prof at CWU), Andy Piacsek. When they arrived he saw me and presented me with a single beautiful red rose. I thanked him, and later gave it to Katrina Douglas, the director of our Senior Center. She also received a nice card and a box of chocolates, which she shared.
This photo was in the Daily Record on 2/12/20, so I grabbed it from there (for the top), and put my own from Valentine’s Day at the AAC below. 
Top photo was taken by the Daily Record for a story in our local newspaper on 2-12, and bottom I cropped from their singing at the AAC (our senior center); the Singing Hills Barbershop Chorus.
A couple of my favorite songs via videos and photos I took are below.
If the Good Lord’s Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise
Here’s a Link to a bunch of photos I took at the Valentine’s Day lunch and party today.
LINK to AAC Photos:
Funny, Sue brought us a dead mouse today – brought it up to the window ledge and put it into her food bowl. I had John come take it away while I “thanked” her.
Another mouse in the house brought in by Rascal cat through doggie door, but he left with it and took it back outside after growling at me when I tried to get it from him. It was dead. John had to clean up a few spots.
Saturday, Feb 15
Evie’s two morning sunrises on top; Sid’s on bottom:
Top photos: The colorful sky is as awesome as are the electrical lines bringing Columbia River power generation through our Kittitas Valley’s Paradise: Evie’s are taken on the “John Wayne” Trail.” Photographed by Evie Schuetz. Bottom capture by Sid Peterson. The trail in now officially called the “Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail.” That will take about 40 years to be accepted.
My first chore of the morning was finishing loading a sink full of soaking dirty dishes into the dishwasher and cleaning. John was out feeding the horses and exercising the cats and dogs. Now he’s back in cutting the pork in our last night’s supper. Four bags of chili and 2 bags with just finely cut pork, now in need of a plan.
On my way to Briarwood, I went down Naneum Road and stopped to take photos of the Kid’s Pond and Sign for Evie. Used her photo last week taken there of the Snow Moon.
Our group is going to Briarwood today to share music, and eating with the group. I took a large Black Forest Cream Cake shared with Briarwood by the Kittitas Pantry. After the music, they served us goulash, rolls & butter, tossed salad, & desserts. We’ll have ~ 9 players providing the music, and the audience sings along with us as a wonderful chorus. We love going there once a month; these folks are our age, but generally in good health. Thanks to Manord, Maury, Marilyn, Gerald, Charlie, Dean, Nancy, Amy, and Sandy. Haley stayed partying at the birthday party, when Amy left to come play music with us.
Photos of the food:
Main table, Goulash, large tossed salad with many components several dressings, wonderful rolls with lots of butter, & pretty Valentine napkins and tablecloths. Middle was dessert table with cake cut (missing a Vanilla pudding cake), cookies, two kinds of chocolate chips, peanut butter, blueberry muffins, and oatmeal raisin. The big cake (being cut on the right) was the one donated from Kittitas.
Sunday, Feb 16
Diuretic day for Nancy with blog writing; John hauling boxes of junk from the living room to the garage to sort for a couple hours after brunch of scrambled eggs and ham with toast, and canned peach slices. Getting late and we both are hungry – going to be ~ 1:15 p.m. to eat.
John switched to the living room today, and is sorting in the garage. I took a few photos and tried to identify things to offer.
I found a home for the new bicycle helmet with a retired woman, and will deliver it to her apartment Tuesday, when I’m in the vicinity.
I decided to include video clips and photos from last week’s Raclette; knowing I have included such before in past years. You will feel as if you are there trying to escape the smoke-filled windy bursts.
The still photos are altogether at the end in one link, and you probably should view them before watching the videos to see some of the details of what’s included. I chose not to mix them in with the appropriate video.
Videos: These are mostly very short, but interesting.
Margaret Describes Tony’s Special Chocolate (Chocolonely)
Cameron Seating Raclette Cheese on Rack
Creating the Raclette Experience, 2-9-2020
Cameron Scrapes Cheese onto Margaret’s Plate
Link to Photos:
Supper tonight: John is having a toasted ham & cheese sandwich, and I’m having a Marie Callender frozen TV dinner with chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn. John gets some of that too.
From the weather folks: Chance of precipitation is 50%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
About 7:30 we started to see flakes of snow. At 9:00 there are close to 5 inches. The NWS is off by a factor of 10, and it is still snowing.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan