Monday, Oct 19
Slept in until 8:30 a.m. and so did John! I was actually up a little sooner to feed the hungry cats on the front porch, Woody & Sue.
John’s been out working in front yard, and doing morning chores, but came in for lunch, and missed the 43 mph wind gusts! Our home is still being buffeted in the breeze.
We had to tie a plastic bag to the fence at the lavender farm with packing materials to leave with the folks on the corner of Rader & Fairview. Bridge work on Fairview meant a small detour over a bit of gravel road.
I logged into the KVC medical portal for Nancy’s records and succeeded – found my Immunizations record. Yesterday, it wouldn’t give it to me. Maybe restarting my computer helped.
Unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher. For two people, we surely dirty a lot of dishes; I guess we have to count in the 4 cats and 1 dog.
I sent our current blog from 10-18-20 with the specific Blog entrance to folks whose photos I used in last week’s published one.
We had a gift card so went for ice cream: Figured the best price of Winegar’s ice cream: One pays $6.49 for a quart of their ice cream; 8.99 or a half gallon. Two quarts in a half gallon, so 2 * 6.49= $12.98. A ½ gallon is the way to go.
Brunch: We had a small bowl of soup and two kinds of crackers. I had a Chocolate Ensure shake with Peach yogurt, earlier in the morning.
Supper: after going to the SW side of town tonight to the Pilot station to fill John’s Crosstrek for his trip to Quincy tomorrow, getting it for $2.459/gallon, we went to Safeway for the Monday special dark meat fried chicken for $4.99 -4 thighs and 4 drumsticks. We bought two, and then I grabbed a Just 4 U savings of $5 for a grocery bill of over $5. Such a deal. We paid $5.81 for 16 pieces of chicken, which will go into the freezer for later. With our fried chicken we had a half of a cinnamon pear each, and a half of an apple, each. For dessert, we each had a bowl of Winegar’s special flavor: Kookie Kayla-peanut butter ice cream with a sea salt cookie fudge swirl. Very tasty choice.
Tuesday, Oct 20
Slept in until 9:00 couldn’t get my medicine tablet out of the container. Peeler wouldn’t work. Finally, took the pill. Set up my backup drive. It worked but won’t let me disconnect it. I’ll just turn off the machine later and pull the plug. That worked.
I had set up my backup drive, after taking my Alendronate, and finally finished getting ready to leave @ 10:40 for the first stop of all my errands today, alone, because John left this morning at 7:30 a.m. for bottling Malbec at White Heron Cellars, and then they will have lunch afterward. He carried along a plate of thinly sliced sirloin tip roast he cooked until very tender, and then used his new meat slicer to thinly slice it. We have enjoyed the roast sliced across the grain and thin. We should have bought a slicer years ago.
It took me a long time in town to do all my errands and stops, but I succeeded. I will review those briefly below. We’re using this symbol to indicate stops: ∞∫∞ . Porches of people in free giving sites to me to use for birthday gifts for a young child at a weekend party. I visited 3 locations of givers and received some interesting items. ∞∫∞ I left a package of something at another’s front door. ∞∫∞ Then I drove to Jerrol’s, our bookstore in town. A good friend gave us both a significant gift card at the store, and I utilized it to buy “textbooks”, for Nick Zentner’s livestreams from home, twice a week. They are all Roadside Geology books, of different states, and also Canadian provinces. Today’s stash included Oregon, Montana, N. & Central CA, and the other is of Southern British Columbia, Canada.
John called at 2:00 p.m. to say he was on his way home from bottling, and would be home about 3:15 p.m.
I just had to pick up the cat food dish, because two Magpies came in to take their share. I heard their squawking that alerted me to look and saw one sitting across from it on the rock wall.
Now I must get off this computer and load dishes to soak to be put in the dishwasher. They finally were done in time for supper, so we had dishes and utensils to use.
Two phone calls incoming, one a surprise from Ruth Harrington; it’s already the 4th Friday and we are having a Zoom luncheon again from CWU with Ruth and Peggy Eaton. Unfortunately, Friday came around and I had the wrong link so missed joining.
Supper: Fried chicken (dark meat), half each of Cinnamon pear, and yellow apple, fried onion rings. Dessert: Cherry pie with crumbles on top, with peanut butter chocolate cookie ice cream.
Wednesday, Oct 21
Morning started noisily, early, with Jesse and Rubin on the front landing. Annie (dog) wasn’t thrilled, so barked, and barked some more.
The crew had to remove a piece of rock siding, placed too high, and then frame windows with an engineered wood called “smart board.” Next was cutting a piece of stone siding to fit under the window. Noisy! Above the stone the finish is a cement & fiber panel called HardiePlank – using noisy nail guns.
Meanwhile, this morning @ 9:30 a.m., Kelly Hunter and sidekick Ken showed up to rearrange our water pipes and treatment tanks by making changes to the existing setup, which will make it save wall space in the new utility room. After discussing the job, Kelly left. Ken was very thorough and left it in super excellent condition—one fitting has a tiny leak and may need tightening, if it doesn’t soon heal itself.
I need to wash clothes and towels today to get ready for our foot care appointments tomorrow at the AAC. Got the check written and details in an envelope in my carrier.
Supper: Chicken stir-fry by John, rice with spicy gravy from where the chicken was cooked; side of last of yellow summer squash grown by John, cooked with onions he grew, and pieces of red bell pepper, I think that was all. I skipped dessert to take a shower.
Thursday, Oct 22
Counterclockwise sunrise right with Zoe by Lise McGowan, 7am Badger Pocket; 7:15am Hwy 10, by Charles McIntosh; 8:00am No 6 Rd, by Barb Bailey.
Taking off at 9:20 for foot care at the Center (AAC). First stop was at MidState Coop to buy Salt Pellets claiming to help remove iron; how it doesn’t say, so some research is needed regarding water softener things. Then on to the AAC where we checked in with Katrina for our temperature to be taken and to complete the 4 pages of paperwork required (maybe only the first time in). We had not been there for several years, because the Long Term Aging funding had been cut back and they had to eliminate some of the regulars who could afford getting it done elsewhere. Now our foot doctor has not been available since Panic2020 closures. We were allowed into utility rooms at the AAC, but not into the main space.
That took us until about 11:15. We had a couple more places to stop on the way home, but got home in time to for lunch and feeding several of the cats.
Lunch for John was Pizza. For me was a hot Chicken flavored noodle soup, with cooked chicken breast pieces, I added.
Good gracious—robocallers are working overtime to bug me. Today & yesterday, two; tomorrow, one. Two more Saturday.
Call from Jerrol’s today. My next ordered Roadside Geology made it into their store, so we’ll add it to our to do list for this coming Tuesday, when we’re in Ellensburg next week.
35° at 8:00 p.m. on our front porch and 40° at the airport.
Supper: John made spaghetti with ground beef, onions, diced tomatoes and sauce. Cut up a yellow apple to share.
Hopefully will be in bed by 11:00 p.m.
Friday, Oct 23
I slept in this morning to a wake-up call from a Robocaller. It was a rainy and cold morning, freezing again last night.
Today at Noon is a Zoom luncheon for our Ruth Harrington Scholarship luncheon. I planned to attend, but unfortunately, I had the wrong link address and tried but failed to join the group. I reached the leader by email (not by phone because she uses her phone to control the meeting on her smartphone), and I knew she wouldn’t see it until after it ended. It’s now been postponed until January, when we will resume our Zoom meetings on 4th Fridays of each month until May. At least by the 2nd week of December my Nick Zentner videos at 2:00 p.m. will have ceased.
It rained and was cold all day. John did get some mowing done on the north side of the driveway, during the sunny part of the day.
Nick Zentner returns at 2:00 p.m. today, with a very interesting presentation (1 hr. 32 mins). He reported thank yous at the beginning of the time (during the 17 mins. prior to the start of the lecture). Most exciting to me was that a fellow from Switzerland, sent him the dates his grandfather came from Elm, Switzerland to the US, and the docking place across from Ellis Island at a lower port of entry.
‘Nick from Home’ #86 – Exotic K: Wrangellia
Lunch: John had eggs, fried potato, and bacon, and I had a bowl of chicken soup, with cooked chicken breast added.
Supper: Cinnamon pears and spaghetti, meat, onions, and diced tomatoes in the sauce.
Our dessert was appropriate for Nick’s Exotic Terrane lectures, as it is the related food item for the geological feature. He used a German Chocolate Cake for the Columbia River Basalts. We had Taneum Meadows Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream served over a heated piece of Costco Fruitcake, our last piece this year from our freezer. They have the best and least expensive fruitcake in this area.
Too much time spent soaking dishes, so they’ll have to wait until morning to be cleaned.
Saturday, Oct 24
Awoke to a small amount of overnight snow. Fed the outside cats and went back to bed.
About 7:30 a.m. contractor worker came by to pick up bags of concrete-mix stored here for 4 months. John had just moved them to our barn to get them out of the carport area, so had to redirect Willie to the new spot. No advanced warning.
Running the dishwasher 10:00 a.m.; completely full.
Morning call from Gerald; all is well, but staying inside today. Snow over there too.
Called Jerrol’s and ordered the Roadside Geology of Alaska book, the newest one by Cathy Connor, $26. Alaska is full of accreted exotic terranes, and we will be covering it in weeks to come.
Called Fred Meyer pharmacy about ordering Annie’s medication but only–one bottle not two. The refill needed to be renewed by Dr. Fuller, so the Fax was sent. I called Ellensburg Animal Hospital to be sure they received the request. Their website says they’re open Saturdays until noon. NOT SO. I got a recorded message they were closed this weekend and to go to Valley Vet.
Fixed a blueberry Ensure chocolate shake (hate the blueberries, but have said that before).
Brunch: bacon, eggs over easy
Supper: warmed up fried chicken thighs & drumsticks, mashed potatoes, with a mixed pasta sauce and turkey gravy, with half of a cinnamon pear each (thanks again to Louaine). For dessert, John used a bowl of Winegar’s Taneum Meadows Blueberry Cheesecake flavored ice cream – (cheesecake with blueberry swirl) with cashews and hot chocolate fudge sauce atop.
Sunday, Oct 25
Wake up before 8:00. to follow the pre-show comments.
Nick’s 9:00 a.m. lecture, #87 with Karin Sigloch (an exotic terrane researcher person, not a terrane name)—went very long this morning for ~900 viewers worldwide—2 hrs. 5 mins.
‘Nick from Home’ #87 – Exotic L: Karin Sigloch
Nick announced next Friday’s lecture will be back in WA – the San Juan Islands, so we will be back to Marli Miller & Darrel Cowan for their Roadside Geology of Washington book, we often use as a reference.
Having a hot cup of coffee to warm up, and sipping a Wild Cherry yogurt in chocolate Ensure milk shake.
Brunch: I’ll skip because I know there will be lots of food at the party. John had some leftovers from last night’s supper.
I found my pumpkins-in-love sweatshirt with lighted pumpkin necklace too, which I will wear this evening to the birthday party dinner celebrating Natalie’s 3rd year birthday at Sara & Mike Sandman’s.
We went at 4:00pm to the party, and met many people of the family we’ve known since moving to Idaho in 1974. This family was the Oppie family we met through being Brittany breeders, and competing in field trial pointing dog tests and also AKC shows for conformation. We have been close to the family, their kids, grandkids, and now these are their great grandchildren.
We ate first, pizza, fruit, and visited. Stayed for the opening of presents, and then visited longer with the family left at the end. Got home late.
I took many photos of the evening but they’re still on my camera, and I’ll share a few in next week’s blog. We need to get this published so we can leave for the Yakima Heart Center in the morning for a device check for me, followed by a routine meeting with my cardiologist, and then we will make a Costco run.
Need to work on my paperwork to take to the Yakima Heart Center tomorrow. Finish the request for the Yearly handicapped parking sticker (red) for Dr. Krueger to sign for me to take to motor vehicle department. All is now in an envelope with my medication list and appointments.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan