Nature provides interesting things

Monday, Mar 30 Above taken by Lise McGowan about 8:00 a.m. published with the following message: This morning looking out over our valley reminds me “as we weather this storm there’s a rainbow no matter how faint!” We will get through this!! Praying for our community and our country!!!

John left for White Heron before 8:00 a.m., and I went back to sleep to be awakened 20 minutes later by the noise of HAIL hitting the metal roof outside, our morning hail storm on the Naneum Fan. I called John and surprised him with my news.
I intended to go to the bathroom and go back to sleep, but instead I grabbed my camera and took a bunch of pictures of the hail piled up, followed by a quieter change to snow, and then to rain. Now it has stopped and we have blue skies, but it’s windy.

He intended to call me when he reached the winery. It’s now about time. He called and made it there at 8:57 a.m. with sunshine, so will be pruning today. They had a nice day without wind. We had a lot of wind all day, but the sun finally came out. Below are my complete hail pictures from the Naneum Fan.Top: Backyard hailstones (not snow); center: front yard; bottom hail falling out front and as seen from inside bedroom window.

Now we have another shot of the rainbow (to join that viewed above from our valley), but this from the other side of the ridge, same day, which Cameron Fries took from his Mariposa Vineyard, west of Quincy, WA, looking to what they call the Colockum Ridge.Photo on this day from Mariposa Vineyard, White Heron Cellars (Winery) toward Colockum Ridge by Cameron Fries, Vigneron.

This is the location where John has been traveling to prune wine grapevines with five guys on the pruning crew.

I had intended to sleep in after being up late last night completing the blog. Now I’m up and might consider an afternoon power nap. I took a small one late afternoon, and was awakened by a friend without a computer wondering if his bank (U.S. Bank) ATM machine was open. I don’t use them or have the same bank, but I got online and found out his bank is not open except for the drive-thru window and it operates from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Our bank is open on the inside as well, but limiting customers to 3 at a time. It is open 9 to 5:00. So, we are in better shape for going in tomorrow for our need for a Notary to notarize our signatures on two Deed forms. That will happen whenever we get there. They have 5 notaries, so it’s not a problem with always having someone able to help us (and freely).

I believe I will pause now at 10:20 a.m. and work an hour off my computer filing a previous year’s tax receipts. That got messed up with a 21-minute call to Kaiser Permanente to obtain receipts for medications sent by them in the past. I started finding receipts and realized I did not have the year’s total from the KP Mail order pharmacy as I do from our other pharmacies used. Reminds me I need to request from a couple more. I will be in Safeway tomorrow to pick up a medication, and will ask then for last year’s. I have to sign a form with my information and also for John’s to get the print out for 2019.

Continuing with the filing later, I realized I also need to call my dentist for our out of pocket costs (not covered by insurance) spent there last year. I wish this was an automatic process initialized on their end, but instead, I have to remember to request it every year.

Now I have to contact Costco Pharmacy for 2019. I did, and they are sending by email and also by USPS mail as is KP. (for me, with John’s yet to come).

We were busy today; Nancy in the house and John in the yard after returning from White Heron. He planted onion starts (not as many as yesterday). Yesterday’s totaled 90!

REPEATING this again, in case you missed it the past 2 weeks:
In order to receive the ‘Nick from Home’ Livestreaming Geology lectures, follow this link:

Way to Receive Livestreaming Geology Lectures from Nick Zentner

You need to Subscribe to his YouTube Channel to be involved. Once you hit SUBSCRIBE, also to the right of that, click on the BELL icon and choose ALL for all notifications to Nick’s videos.
You’ll have access to previous lectures and to the live one when it is scheduled (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, & Sundays).

Now to let Czar in, and file again, after finishing my drink. Will have beef stew for lunch when John’s home.

Tuesday, Mar 31

Called the Pilot Station to hear $2.10. John can get it for $1.99 in Quincy. He plans to on his way back from pruning, and will meet me in Ellensburg.

Called Karen Conley at Stoneridge and ask her about credit card payment on our larger fee for transferring deeds, payable to Stoneridge Resort– it says money order, credit card information or cashier’s check. I prefer the Credit Card, because we will get a 1% rewards cash return on our VISA card at CITI Bank. I will send a check for $30.00 to the Bonner County Recorder with my notarized deeds and information on credit card (I hope) to the resort. They are now closed down as a non-essential business. That’s not good news. We have some space-banked units we are going to lose if not used before May 31, 2020. Hard to use when the Governor has closed down our businesses, now until May 4th. Better than plans by the Prime Minister in Australia, who says the AU lock-down may last for 6 months! And a friend there, who works in the airline industry has been laid off.

John called as he was leaving the vineyard a little after noon, and I left about 12:15 to drive to my first place in town to pick up a package of 3 clay pots. I didn’t realize the size was for seed starters only 3″ high, so I really don’t need them, but I have a friend who will be able to put them to use with her young daughter for planting spices.

I called John as I was leaving there, but he was driving through basalt cliffs on the hill from the Columbia River up to Ryegrass Summit and he had a broken-up connection. So I called him back a few minutes later from the Safeway parking lot.

He was making good time and would likely be at the bank by 1:30. Unfortunately, I had scheduled a meeting for 1:30 across the street from the bank, when I thought he wouldn’t be there until closer to 2:00 p.m.

So I had gone to the Pharmacy at Safeway needing to pick up my prescription and I also needed to fill in request forms for the pharmacist on duty, for information on both our expenditures in 2019 for medical prescriptions totaled for the year to have for itemizing deductions for our tax form.

The person I was meeting across the street from the bank is Audra. From her I purchase my probiotic, which she sells from her business, The Maximus Gym. That is a business not considered essential and had to close. So she was coming in to get the capsules from her upstairs business.

I went back across the street (about being blown away) ~1:40 and met John at Umpqua Bank for notarization of deeds. We went inside and were the only customers in the bank. They took care of us, and now we have our notarized papers to put in the mail, but the place they are going to is now closed down. So who knows when it will be taken care of. Oh, well there was a 30-day limit on returning the papers, and we’ll make that deadline, whether they are there or not.

John left the bank and went to Bi-Mart to check our numbers and was able to buy me 3 packages of Fisherman’s Friends.

I left and went for two other planned stops: Fred Meyer for my PoweradeZero on sale for 59 cents each, if purchased in multiples of 8. I also stopped by a friend’s house to leave an empty egg carton and to pick up an empty chicken feed bag she was giving me. She was there in her yard with her 3 dogs and chickens, all working in the wind. Her business is another one considered non-essential that the governor has closed. Downtown, she owns and manages all sorts of party rentals and supplies:

Central Party & Costume

We hadn’t visited in a long while, so we enjoyed our meeting.

I finally got home and was hungry. John carried in all the groceries I had bought and then left to go plant more onion starts, because starting tomorrow, the pruning crew is going to try working from 9:00 a.m. to noon, break for lunch, and continue for another 3 hours. That will save on gasoline costs for the 4 pruners, and speed up the pruning completion. They started today, but John couldn’t participate until tomorrow because of our appointment at the bank.

Here’s the background for tonight’s livestream from Nick’s side yard. It’s a little tougher because he has not given a downtown lecture I can find on The Olympic Peninsula. However, he has done a 25-minute Podcast which is radio style, no video images.

If you want to hear his conversation, try going here.
Keep this because you’ll need it again for tomorrow’s lecture.

The Nick Zentner Geology Podcast

You need to look down the list for this:Click on “Play Now” and you will start the podcast audio about 5 seconds in. It goes for 25 minutes.

For one more background reference, you can go to something I put in our weekly blog back on Nov 29, 2018. I’ve retrieved it for use here. This was a lecture by Bob Carson from Whitman College, on Exploring the Olympic Peninsula, which was given in our local chapter of the Ice Age Floods (IAF) Institute meeting. I’m the only one videotaping those. If you are not already on my distribution list for those and want to be, please send me an email request to our joint account, NancyJohnHultquist@gmail.com from where I distribute the IAF lectures and field trip videos. I hope we will be able to resume those in the future when panic has faded.

Nick Zentner introduces the IAF Speaker, Bob Carson

Bob Carson: Half a Century of Exploring the Olympic Peninsula

Bob Carson Fields Questions

Nick Zentner’s talk tonight.

‘Nick from Home’ Livestream #11 – The Olympic Peninsula starts 11 minutes in

Chicken, cooked cauliflower & cheese, wine, and strawberry lemonade, with fruitcake and Neapolitan ice cream for dessert.

John went to bed at 10:15 but I stayed up another hour to take care of a few conversations with people I had ignored while getting ready for and watching the livestreaming Geology lecture. I also needed to update this blog about the details of that presentation. I was too busy to work on tax filing paperwork today, after spending a couple hours on it yesterday. Maybe I’ll make more time for it tomorrow.

Wednesday, Apr 1

Another image by Lise McGowan, this of her favorite barn
With her description being appropriate to our troubled times: “One of my favorite barns in Kittitas County that reminds us to pray “God Bless America” especially during these trying times our country’s experiencing! Please stay home and stay safe!!”

I started this morning quite early at 4:00 a.m. with cat’s needs, and while up, I took my first 2 Acetaminophen of the day and went back to bed. Up again at 6:00 with morning animal needs, and back to bed. John arose at 6:30 to start his long day. He has to feed the horses and get ready to leave at 7:40 for the Mariposa Vineyard.

Called Kaiser Permanente (medical insurance provider) and lost a bunch more time requesting tax information. Today, I will be receiving an encrypted email from them with our medications history 2019 and need to access individually probably. I have registered an account for John.

I slept in until 9:15 a.m. and then started with dishes—emptying rest of clean ones, and starting to sort the dirty ones to soak. Took my pills, and left to finish my refilled coffee cup.

Rascal cat just arrived at 10:50 a.m. from the back guest bedroom’s Jade Plant Box Bed where he has been napping since early morning. He’s now in my lap with my laptop; he’s done that since he was little. The other one was out for a while and is back on his blanket in the den sleeping. Rascal ate and went out the back door at 11:05. The weather outside is cloudy. Temperature on front porch is 44.2° and at the airport 5 miles down valley, it’s 44°. Usually the difference is more pronounced as cold air drainage.

Just returned from the kitchen, having loaded the dishwasher, but not yet started it yet at 12:13, expecting a call from John about when to expect him home late afternoon. I need to think about getting myself something for brunch too. My computer has been beeping at me, the entire time I was in the kitchen, so am back to see what news has come in.
Sun has arrived and the temperatures here and at the airport are up to 47°. My mail has delivered the encrypted information awaited and I have all my data ready to log on and retrieve it, from Kaiser Permanente. This HIPAA stuff is a pain when trying to get your own medical records.

1:00 p.m. – just started graupeling (soft hail or snow pellets) here on the Naneum Fan. Wow. Wonder what’s happening over at the vineyard.

I’m having an appetizer for lunch, of my protein drink. Considering having a Top Ramen Chicken soup follow-up to warm up. With the graupel still falling, our temperature decreased on the front porch to 45.1°. Airport decreased in the last hour from 47° to 41°! Interesting way to great April, after March went out as a lion. It’s almost an hour since it started, and is still falling.
This is not an April Fool’s Joke.

Here is proof bounced up on the rug in front of our front porch and front door.This is my coolest photo of today’s graupel. It was bouncing up 6 inches, to the porch, and onto a gray rug lying in front of our front door. The dog and cats come in there regularly so it is full of animal hair dander, mostly dog (white) from Annie the Brittany. This is a combo with the larger view and a subset from the upper left corner (farthest from where it bounced in).

John just called at 1:10, the end of their lunch and they are ready to resume pruning for 3 hours. They can see the cloud sitting over the ridge in our direction! So now they know our graupel is still falling.

Our graupel fell until 2:15 p.m. and the temperature dropped to 37.2°. Temperature at 3:25 p.m. is back in the 40s on our front porch, and I just finished my late lunch of Chicken Soup. At the airport reported at 1:53 it claimed a previous temperature was 49°, but a few minutes later, reported 41° at 2:04; finally, the 2:53 reported 41°, and at 3:53, it was up to 43°. John got home about 5:15 p.m. After lunch, the pruning crew were in sunshine. Started pruning in very cold temperatures over there this morning.

So, I shall continue with stuff here, and when John arrives home about 5:30 p.m., I will already be set up and waiting to catch the beginning of Nick’s livestreaming geology tonight ~ 5:48 p.m. Hope the weather in Ellensburg allows him to be outside in his yard tonight. (It did, and the sun even came out near the end of his lecture.)

You can also get to Nick’s Podcast (audio only) lecture on the Cascade Volcanoes (see above). Here’s a former lecture 3 years ago on Ancient Cascade Volcanoes by Nick on the KCTS9 channel “Nick on the Rocks.” it’s only 5 minutes long.

Ancient Cascades Volcanoes-12-28-17

Tonight is a livestreaming video lecture from Nick Zentner on the topic, The Cascades Volcanoes.

‘Nick from Home’ Livestream #12 – Cascade Volcanoes, starts 10 minutes in

Thursday, Apr 2

John left at 7:40 a.m. for a full day of pruning wine grapevines in the Mariposa Vineyard at White Heron. They have switched yesterday to pruning from 9:00 to noon, breaking for an hour’s lunch with wine, and resuming until 4:00 p.m. They can finish today – maybe. That puts him home about 5:20, just in time for me to be starting setup to watch Nick Zentner’s Livestreaming YouTube presentation.

Just started snowing here at 11:15 a.m. (not heavily) and did not last long. I thought it was clouding over. The sun had been brightly shining in the window at 7:10 this morning. Oh, update, the sun has been shining now since noon and the sky is blue.

Next arrival from Evie of daughter Franka’s colored pencil artwork (pictured side by side with original):And, here is Franka’s description of the grid method art process she used, with the times taken to create her drawing.
“She said it took thirty minutes to create the grid. Five hours to complete the drawing. The size of the grid was 3 blocks by 4 blocks. Each block is 3 inches by 3 inches. So 12 x 9 is the size of the finished piece. She didn’t take any photos of the process. She did it during the night when the rest of the family were all asleep. And on the right above is the reference photo she used.”

I looked up Grid Method Art, and found a good description: The grid method involves drawing a grid over your reference photo, and then drawing a grid of equal ratio on your work surface (paper, canvas, wood panel). Then you draw the image on your canvas, focusing on one square at a time, until the entire image has been transferred.
But here is a nice explanation you may enjoy following:

The Grid Method (in Art is Fun)

Good timing on John’s call after they had lunch, 1:07 p.m. I was in the kitchen fixing my soup. They have decided to go long today and hopefully finish the pruning so they do not have to go tomorrow. John called and was home by 4:10 with 3 cases of wine: Red, White, and Rose’. Being done is a good thing, as it will lower our gasoline costs. One pruner drives in from Soap Lake, one from Moses Lake, and one from Quincy. John’s about 60 miles away, or 1 hr, 20 minutes.

Here’s the crew on the last day:Erik Nelsen, Tom Snyder, John Hultquist, Mark Amara

Here’s the photographer, Vigneron, and Vintner, Cameron Fries’ comment on the above placed on his Facebook site (White Heron Cellars): “Last day of pruning with my intrepid crew. Notice the social distancing enforcer. We don’t mess around out here – you invade somebody’s space it’ll be the last thing you do. Each row is 2 meters apart. On a more serious note, we’re done pruning and ready for spring, always a great feeling. Cheers!

Now switching to Nick Zentner’s Livestreaming Geology lectures, with tonight’s on Ghost Volcanoes (his coined term for volcanoes no longer “live” but which have left behind remnants of their past eruptive nature).

Background to this lecture below: Then check Nick’s past lecture, two years ago, at the Hal Holmes Center in Ellensburg, WA.

Ghost Volcanoes in the Cascades 2-28-2018

Nick tonight:

‘Nick from Home’ Livestream #13 – Ghost Volcanoes starts @ 10 mins in

Friday, Apr 4

I was very tired and slept in, after being up with the cats and dog at 5:00 a.m. John was up early and fed the horses.

I worked on filing tax receipts most of the day.

No livestreaming video lecture from Nick Zentner tonight; his day off (with Monday).

Saturday, Apr 4

This morning at 10:00 a.m. is a livestreaming video lecture from Nick Zentner on the topic, Great Earthquakes. New time to keep people from around the world from having to arise in the middle of their night to watch.

Here’s the background for this morning’s lecture:

Great Earthquakes of the Pacific Northwest, Feb 10, 2016

4-4-20 ‘Nick from Home’: #14 – Great Earthquakes, starts 14 minutes in

John’s been alternating between garden leveling and fencing, and taking stuff from the house to the hay shed. Also, horses, wild birds, and cats need fed, and Annie now wants John to be with her or she won’t go far nor get much exercise. Showing her age.

I have been washing dishes, and filing tax receipts, plus contacting people on line. This morning John located a huge book (Coffee table one, ~4#). I apparently brought it back from a conference after 2000. That’s the date of publication. It’s on the Klamath Basin Balancing Water: Restoring the Klamath Basin Hardcover – April 2000 by authors: Tupper Ansel Blake, Madeleine Graham Blake, and William Kittredge. I just had a message from a former Geology major master’s student from our time in Idaho, on whose thesis I served as a committee member, that she had continued her research, after leaving Idaho, in the Klamath Basin. I was getting information from her to share with Nick Zentner, as this is the location in Oregon, in which Crater Lake exists. It covers the region all the way to the California border. We will give the book to Nick, as she doesn’t need it, and mailing it across the country is pricey.

Before I could go to bed, I had to put in all my medications for the week, to take my night pills and capsules.

Sunday, Apr 5

I was up at 5:00 with the cats and dog, took my 2 morning pills, and went back to bed.

This link: landslide will take you to the Wikipedia page regarding the topic of Nick’s presentation today. If one searches for Bridge of the Gods, the main site is about a steel truss cantilever bridge that spans the Columbia River between Washington and Oregon.

This morning at 10:00 a.m. is a livestreaming video lecture from Nick Zentner on the topic, Bridge of the Gods. By starting at the new time, Nick hopes to help keep people from around the world from having to arise in the middle of their night to watch. I think it helped because today, we had 600 people watching, but we also had some technical difficulties (maybe with WiFi), which left many of the people buffering around the world and not hearing or seeing the lecture. Once Nick realized what was happening, he moved inside his house and went for another 34 minutes. So, the replays are two below.