Monday, May 11
John weeded the last-blooming tulips, watered plum trees, mowed rapidly growing grass, and took down a bit of fence.
I soaked and cleaned a bunch of dishes and silverware for the dishwasher and ran it. Now will let it sit to warm the water in the hot water tank, and then will wash some dark clothes. We are not yet ready to run any white stuff through.
Currently, working on the blog that wasn’t published Sunday night.
Pat Jenkins is helping with various excavation projects, but this one was fascinating to me. Movie of the removal of a Tamarack stump.
Tamarack Stump Removal (2 minutes)
Walter & Lynn arrived with tile flooring all the way from Italy. His truck sagged from the weight. He handed boxes (26 pounds, 6 tiles) to John who handed to Lynn inside the house.
John and I took a walk to look at flowers and a few other things. I need the exercise.
The Livestreaming lectures this week by Nick Zentner, came off successfully as planned:
Tuesday, May 12
Our lilacs are just starting to blossom, but these are farther down valley from us. We are about 1,000 feet higher. 
Lilacs photographed by Lise McGowan
I plan to change the way I’ve been adding Nick’s livestreaming into the blog – Instead, I’ll send all my suggested readings only to the Zentnerd’s study group. I’ll continue to post his livestream, and occasionally will add some interesting content photos of his lecture. If anyone is watching the geology livestreaming and wants the suggested background materials, write me a note and I’ll share with you.
However, I want to add a link to highlights created by Kathy Williams-DeVries, in Brisbane, Australia. This link is to Episodes 31-40, showing the gifts being sent to Nick. He has been reticent but very appreciative. Some folks are locked in more so than others and so the geology and stories provide new and unique viewing.
Nick from Home Highlights Episodes 31-40
I consumed my morning Alendronate, and 30 minutes later, I enjoyed eating my breakfast: Fried eggs, sausage links, and English Muffin toasting bread with Apricot preserves, made by my neighbor Ken.
I realized I was out of pills for this morning and for the rest of the week, so starting loading the containers. Found I was within a week of running out of Amiodarone (for Atrial Fibrillation). I called in the refill request, and Doug said they could have it this morning, because they were not very busy. John had already left for town, so I called him and asked him to detour to the pharmacy. He was going to Super 1 anyway.
John left for town a little after 9:00 a.m. and did many errands. He checked our numbers at Bi-Mart, and our last digit won us a nice Lindt Dark Chocolate candy bar. While there, he also picked up two Faucet Areators and TP. While in town, he bought 3 types of sliced meat (salami, peppered beef, ham) to take with Aged smoked cheese to add to the lunch after bottling at White Heron on Thursday this week.
I received my Yellow Church Café $25 gift card, and now they have ceased playing the COVID BINGO. Not as many people were participating as expected. They’re changing to a ZOOM meeting with your favorite pet. I won’t get involved with that.
‘Nick from Home’ Livestream #41 – 5-12-20 Minerals starts 7:43 minutes in
Wednesday, May 13
Starting this day off with a scary shot, taken by my neighbor ½ mile down Naneum from us. 
Cougar (Mt. Lion) photo taken by Joanie Lee
We know we have them in the riparian land along our property, and our neighbor has seen them in our lower pasture. We have noticed a decrease in coyotes, probably because of the cougars. Thankfully, all our cats showed up for breakfast today. I had been worried about Sue because we’d not seen her in 2 days; unusual, but not unprecedented. But, she has been back around now.
I slept in this morning after another late night.
Sent off the suggested readings to the study group for tonight’s lecture on Igneous Rocks.
We started receiving 2 issues of Discover Magazine and it took me several phone calls to finally get it reported and corrected.
John’s been working where the concrete and humped soil was removed. He is moving rocks, soil, and gravel. This last was taken off the driveway (where there was a hump), and piled separately.
‘Nick from Home’ Livestream #42 – 5-13-20 Igneous Rocks starts 4:50 minutes in
Thursday, May 14
John tried to leave too early for White Heron. His mind apparently was on his working for WTA and needing to be up at Snoqualmie Pass by 8:00 a.m.
About 9:30, Pat’s son brought him so he could drive his backhoe/loader home. John wanted just a bit more of a trench, and that only took a few minutes.
I made contact with Washington Tractor Service for John, and got Jeff, the service manager’s cell phone to call him when John gets home, so he can talk with the technician, Matt. There are issues with fixing the hydraulic lines and he needs the manual which is over at the White Heron Cellars. John was there today, but did not realize in time he should have brought it back with him. Too bad they did not return our call last week, so he’d have known. However, it had a nice ending. We decided to drive over for it on Saturday, and were invited by Phyllis and Cameron to have lunch with them on Saturday. We had a wonderful 3 hr. visit, starting at noon. Story below.
I emailed the Grand Coulee Cartoon Maps from Carl to the study group (for the years 1937 & 1940).
Soaked some dishes, and finally, got them washed. I had a nutrition drink and a bowl of soup? Put up my popcorn for use later tonight.
I hand wrote a letter to FISH to take tomorrow to Kittitas that they will use to acquire future funding. They asked all volunteers at the food bank to tell about what the experience meant to them. Currently, we cannot do it, with the COVID-19 shutdown, but as you probably have heard, I with about 8 others play and sing music every Wednesday during Noon lunches. I play my fiddle and sing. We are missing that interaction with the clients.
Here’s our last livestreaming geology lecture until the weekend.
‘Nick from Home’ Livestream #43 – 5-14-20 – Sedimentary & Metamorphic Rocks starts 3:40 minutes in
Notice at 6:40, the wine used in Kathy Williams-DeVries gift of two wine glasses with engraved, “Nick from Home”, sent by Kathy from a place in the U.S., but she is from Brisbane, Australia. So as to see the engraving better, Nick put in some of our donated wine from White Heron Cellars. What a double treat!
Friday, May 15
I sent out Milanovitch cycles (info about the cause of Ice Ages) suggested background reading today for tomorrow morning’s lecture.
We fixed a brunch of pancake with fresh strawberries and maple syrup, bacon, and fresh orange slices the color of pink grapefruit!
Called Pat Jenkins about bill for his to-date landscaping and excavation service. We put the check in the mail Saturday morning. I got on line to my bank, and transferred funds to the account for which I have checks.
Below is a very picturesque view of the rural ditches I see so often driving back and forth to town. 
Wild Teasel in Kittitas Valley by Amanda Ross
She took this looking SW at the corner of Bowers Rd and Bowers business loop on the NW side of Ellensburg. Another name for the plant is Fuller’s teasel (Dipsacus Strivus). The spiny dry fruiting heads have been used since Roman times to raise the nap of woolen fabric in a process known as fulling.
While speaking of wool sweaters, let me thank Lynne Snyder for knitting and repairing holes in a wool sweater John wears at Christmas. We have had it a long time, and it had problems. Last time we visited at the Raclette for the pruners at White Heron’s Mariposa vineyard, I gave it to her, and requested her expert repair work. Luckily, they were mostly in the black part of the sweater. She returned it via her hubby Tom, when he came to help with the bottling. John brought it home to me to put in our Christmas sweater drawer. I used to wear this, but the 2X size swallows me now, so that’s why John wears it.
No livestreaming video lecture from Nick Zentner tonight; his day off (along with Monday).
Saturday, May 16
‘Nick from Home’ Livestream #44 – 5-16-20 Milankovitch Cycles starts 4:20 minutes in
Go to White Heron for noon lunch visit and pick up the instruction reference manual for the backhoe.
Prior to lunch I took photos of a few of the plants. Some of the cacti were blooming. 
Our lunch with Phyllis & Cameron Fries in their Mariposa Vineyard at White Heron Cellars includes a great overlooking of the Columbia River. Woody Guthrie wrote a song (1941), “Roll on, Columbia, Roll on.”
We carried along some meat to add to the watermelon, pine nuts, and Feta cheese salad Phyllis made, and they had four different chocolate candies for dessert. We enjoyed eating and visiting with them and their wine: Roussanne & Amigne, both white Swiss grapes. John’s last Not So Nasty News shows the Amigne with messed up labels.
Sunday, May 17
This morning started early with my monitoring Nick’s waiting crowd (which built to 1,060 people over the hour). It might have been more. It’s tough to watch all the information and concentrate on what Nick’s saying, while also trying to read the live comments. At the end of the lecture, is a walking field trip to see layers of volcanic ash within the hillside of loess in Ellensburg, on Craig’s Hill.
‘Nick From Home’ Livestream #45 – 5-17-20 Mt St Helens 40th Anniversary starts 6:10 minutes in
Here is important information to follow listening to the Nick lecture above. You’ll be prepared to watch an excellent virtual event on the real 40th anniversary date, tomorrow. Details follow.
Seismologists are Hosting a Virtual Event-40th Anniv Mt St Helens Eruption, May 18, 1980, this Monday at 6:30-8:00 p.m. You may wish to be involved on Nick’s day off, and you will have his excellent and unique background information from his Nick from Home talk this morning. If you did not listen above, go back and watch it now, before Monday evening. It will give you an amazing historical lead-in I guarantee you will not receive from anyone on the panel of experts.
I received a tip from a friend that a special program was being aired about the explosion of our nearby volcano just 40 years ago.
Mount St. Helens 40th The Virtual Event will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Monday, May 18, on the PNSN’s YouTube channel — exactly 40 years after the blast. The group will stream prerecorded talks from four speakers and then host live questions on the PNSN network’s Facebook Page. The Moderator and Director of the PNSN, Harold Tobin, a Univ. of Wash. professor of Earth and space sciences, will select audience questions.
Virtual Event
Facebook Page (for Q&A)
If you are interested, subscribe, and set the reminder on the link for Monday night’s presentation:
Mine looks like this.
When I grabbed this above, there were already 5 waiting.
Finally, the last:
Harold Tobin (Moderator) and Director of PNSN
Brunch: Pecan pancake with fresh strawberries and Maple Syrup, scrambled eggs mixed with cheese, and a piece of ham.
Supper: Meatloaf & rice, with meat sauce, watermelon salad (w/ pine nuts & Feta cheese)-leftover soup bowl of salad sent home with us by Phyllis when we left yesterday. We had their Rose’ of Syrah to accompany our meal.
We had a small amount of rain over night, and a few sprinkles during the day that interrupted John’s outside jobs. We heard some thunder but not close. The rest of the week looks to repeat this cool and moist weather.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan