Monday, Aug 10
We’ve been beginning our recent week’s blogs with photos of sunflowers; today is no exception. First, from the Badger Pocket, SE of us about 20 miles.
This lovely farm scene was photographed by Lise McGowan.
Four days later she followed with this lovely photograph:
Lovely sunflower field closer up by Lise McGowan, w/ Mt. Rainier.
Here’s another by my friend, Glenn, he took on a bike ride during our haying season in the valley.
Hay field fluffed & ready to bale on Thrall Rd, by Glenn Engels
John arose before me and took care of a lot of things early, inside and outside. I slept in until 8:30 having been up until midnight, and 3 times during the night with feline demands. I did not get a restful sleep.
He’s out again until the temperature rises higher; it went much higher than predicted, so he came back in the house. It’s been 90° on the front thermometer or another one recorded 92°.
Called the Ellensburg Animal Hospital several times about my bill for Myst. Their line has been temporarily down, for several hours, so I emailed asking them to call me. Nothing. I called again later and had to leave a message. So, tomorrow, we’ll have to drive by the office to offer our credit card payment.
Finally, at 4:00 p.m. a call from the vet, our bill is paid, and the receipt emailed. They had the wrong email address listed for us.
Called Bi-Mart Pharmacy for my Amiodarone quartered 200 mg at 9:00 a.m. and they will have it for me to pick up tomorrow.
Tuesday, Aug 11
Bad night with sleep interruptions by animals and unknown reasons. I managed to sleep in until 8:15 a.m. and John was outside moving rocks, feeding, watering, and any number of things I don’t know.
Took my weekly medication on an empty stomach, and spent ½ hour in the kitchen with unloading the dishwasher, and reloading with soaked dishes. Continued that through the morning. Had some food and set up my computer for the day.
In setting up, I found some disturbing news about the health of a former professor in in our graduate school days at the University of Iowa. David Reynolds had last told us July 22 this year he was in the hospital with severe breathing problems caused by having pulmonary hypertension.
He posted this statement to his Facebook page two days ago: To all my friends–Today my doctors told me that my medications are not working and that I have only a limited time to live. I will be on palliative care starting tomorrow. It has been my privilege to know each of you. I have had a very good life and I hope all of you do!
We exchanged some personal message via Facebook. He’s David R. Reynolds on Facebook.
Lunch: Our homegrown tomatoes, bacon, cheddar cheese grilled sandwich.
1:00 p.m. today I watched this video:
‘Nick on the Fly’ #10 – Peoh Point with Jeff Tepper
Afterwards, we drove to town. We started at the Driver’s Licensing building because as John was loading our cooler in the car, he saw the License Tab had expired in May. The State is supposed to send a reminder. We did not receive one. I called and the man in charge said the State had been negligent on getting them out. So I just had to give him my license plate number, and he pulled it up, told me what I owed, and I wrote him a check for $68 (saving a 3% fee add-on for using a credit card) and took it outside, where John adhered the tab.
I picked up our meds and a cloth face mask at BiMart Pharmacy pickup window while John checked for the page of numbers. John says other than being pretty, they seem oddly constructed and non-functionable. Once you touch them the place doesn’t want them back. We do have another. Later John found one in the pocket of his jeans – covered with hay debris and dirt.
I get pro-biotic at a commercial exercise gym. I called the front desk 509-962-6200 at the Gym before going to the lobby. That took much more time than planned, but I left with one bottle that will last for 2 months.
While we were out driving around the temps were in the 70s but the wind speed was 46 mph gusts. Lots of time with errands in town. Also collected some free rewards groceries at Safeway on our last stop.
Supper: stir fry chicken, red, yellow, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, Cheez-its, red grapes.
Wednesday, Aug 12
Slept in until 8:30 a.m.
Get email send to study group and change shoes to walk up to take photo of free chairs at end of driveway giveaway.
Still there, may need to have Habitat for Humanity come out and take some of our stuff away (when they get their truck fixed)
On the way out John showed me a table and chairs we have had for many years in the shed where I park my car. He uncovered them and brought them into the yard. These are going to be moved into our new room, under the ceiling fan.
The wood on the chairs & table needs some refinishing work, and there is a centerpiece insert for the table. This is all serviceable, but needs cleaned and polished, and just a little stain and paint.
The hills north of us are wearing away, and heading to the Pacific Ocean. Diversions from the streams carry a fine silt. Any place where the water slows there is deposition. To have a place to put in a hose, John has built a small dam. The space needs cleaning a couple of times each season.
We know to clean it when Annie gets muck on her legs. She gets in, cools off, drinks, and then carries some of the silt away.
Last night we spent over an hour in high winds unloading “stuff” from the back of the Ford Pick-up looking for an external CD/DVD drive I have had forever. John cleaned boxes from the den and we missed seeing it. I know where it was under a table there in a computer case and all that ended up under the canopy. We looked through every box, computer bag, and container in the truck and did not find it. Tired and frustrated, I finally came in and ordered one on Amazon that will be delivered this Friday. I need it to load the CD with TurboTax software.
Supper: For an appetizer, we had a ½ ear of white corn. Then for the main meal, we had the rest of the chicken stir-fry left over from yesterday, with red grapes, and a piece of Sour Dough Bread loaf toasted and buttered.
Thursday, Aug 13
Our Dahlia (over wintered) and a thistle by Elise Schlosser in NJ.
The caterpillar will become a Monarch & these she took as well.
Up at 4:45 to 5:00 with cats, but back to sleep, still very tired from yesterday’s activities and after midnight computer frustrations. I slept in until almost 8:30 a.m.
Watched #46 Nick Podcast Cle Elum Exotic Terranes and recommended to others to do before tonight’s presentation.
‘Nick on the Fly’ #11 – Mission Ridge with Mike Eddy and Erin Donaghy, 8-13-20 (23 mins)
Brunch: Bacon, English Muffin Toast with Apricot Preserves, bananas and peaches, tomato from our garden.
Supper: Ham, butternut squash and pecans, grapes, cherry tomatoes, with Key Lime pie for dessert.
Friday, Aug 14
Three more website sends from – Carl Hurlburt in Granger, WA
Welcome to Klickitat Canyon, Washington’s newest Conservation Area
Northern China, first supercontinent
Scientists have found what may be the 2 billion-year-old birthmarks of Earth’s first supercontinent, by Huaiyu Yuan, 8-6-2020
I’m ending Carl’s list with the best of all recently sent (I think):
Uncharted Territory: David Thompson on the Columbia Plateau
I’m partial because I own this book by Jack Nisbit: Sources of the River: Tracking David Thompson Across North America—bought from him (with a couple others) when he came to be the keynote speakers at a Washington Geographers’ conference held at CWU Geography Department. He’s an excellent speaker.
Description of the book: In this true story of adventure, author Jack Nisbet re-creates the life and times of David Thompson—fur trader, explorer, surveyor, and mapmaker. From 1784 to 1812, Thompson explored western North America, and his field journals provide the earliest written accounts of the natural history and indigenous cultures of the what is now British Columbia, Alberta, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Thompson was the first person to chart the entire route of the Columbia river, and his wilderness expeditions have become the stuff of legend. Jack Nisbet tracks the explorer across the content, interweaving his own observations with Thompson’s historical writings. The result is a fascinating story of two men discovering the Northwest territory almost two hundred years apart.
Finally, this afternoon, a number of us joined Kathy Williams-Devries from Brisbane, Australia at 5:30 p.m. PST for music.
What has Kathy been doing in Lockdown?
Kathy’s Lockdown Recordings Playlist
Supper: Bowl of crockpot chili, piece of breaded cod, curly fries, bowl of pears, and Key lime pie for dessert.
Saturday, Aug 15
John out at 7:00 a.m. taking care of things before the temperatures rise, which they did. Supposed to be a very hot today and tomorrow, but thankfully, low humidity.
I have to go to town today for a couple of things. I came home with stuff for me and for Myst, our horse on Senior Equine pellets.
John mentioned some interesting items in his Friday post, below in Not So Nasty News — this worth seeing in Item #4: Wind to see strong winds reversing waterfalls at the beach cliffs in Sydney, Australia.
Supper: Tender ham cooked in with mushrooms in brown (roasted turkey) gravy, with our homegrown purple onion (our own purple onion), served with a side of Steakhouse Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes (with real milk, butter, cracked Pepper, & Sea Salt), we got from the refrigerated cabinet of the meat department (as a free rewards give). Other sides were red grapes, and some of our homegrown tomatoes, medium-size, not cherry).For dessert will be Key Lime pie with strawberries.
Sunday, Aug 16
This morning at 9:00 a.m., Nick had several hundred folks from around Earth watching:
CWU’s Nick Zentner and wife Liz hiked (previously recorded, 8-7-20) at Cash Prairie– 40 miles west of Yakima – into the William O. Douglas Wilderness to discuss signs of ancient volcanoes, now gone, and thus “ghosts”. 20 minutes. Topics: Goat Rocks Volcano, Mt Adams, Mt Rainier, Rimrock Inlier, & Burnt Mountain.
I must test my new External CD Drive so I can load my TurboTax software (never got done)
Now we have a 2nd in one day from Nick on the Fly, just announced this afternoon.
Myrl Beck, 87 yr old, Geologist, Bellingham, WA
CWU’s Nick Zentner travels to Bellingham to visit with pioneering geologist Myrl Beck – the founder of the concept that parts of Washington State were once 2,000 miles south (Baja California). Recorded 8-9-20. Topics: Paleomagnetism, Mount Stuart Batholith, Baja BC evidence, Exotic Terranes, granitic rocks of the west coast, and more.
99° at the airport and 96.9° on our front porch. I knew it would go higher that the predicted high. Humidity is only 11%. Recorded high at the EBRG Airport (KELN) was 101°F.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan