Monday, Nov 23
I slept in until 8:00 a.m. Had a changed appointment call from Cardiopulmonary at KVH moving me from Wednesday to Friday, at 9:30 a.m.
Thanks Lise McGowan for sharing your photo. Much is going on there.
Paul Liebenberg, a viewer of Nick Zentner’s Live from Home series, sent this a reply to my public comment on the Sunday morning lecture (yesterday’s replay), asking for a link to the video.
Below is the link to the 7-minute video from the North Cascades National Park mentioned last week about the archaeological record of the use of Chert (flint stone) by Native Americans there in the hills of the North Cascades:
Hozomeen: A story about Chert, identity, and landscape
I wrote to Marlys about her mom’s birthday card and leaving it at KVH with Jill or Yvette to pick up. Need to call Jill and check if I can do that. I never heard back, so I didn’t ask Jill.
I sent my thank-you email messages for photos posted in our last week’s blog.
Tuesday, Nov 24
Get up early to take pill, and drink ½ hour later, drink coffee milkshake, drink water to get some hydrated with liquids in my system to make blood draw go easier. I needed to be at the lab before 9:30 a.m.
Set up my external drive for its noon backup. It completed the backup while we were in town.
We had to deal with serious fog today and that slowed down the driving time quite a bit. I was thrilled this was not a day I had to travel to Yakima for a test at the Heart Center. I-82, our major Interstate connecting Ellensburg, with Yakima was closed both directions for 26 miles coming into the Kittitas Valley. Fog was seriously affecting visibility. Closed from 10:50 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. I wish I had captured a view from the camera on Manastash Ridge.
We left at 9:00 a.m. to get to blood draw before 10:00 to make the centrifuge timing before pickup. Kim does the centrifuging now at 10:00 cause the pickup can be between 10 and 11. I remembered to request Cle Elum Family Clinic to send more orders, because the lab had to use the one for Jan 2021 to draw it, but did it anyway, realizing the immediate need.
This is our day for important errands. Reviewing those here. We’re using this symbol to indicate stops: ∞∫∞ Started with going for my blood draw a week later for the same standing order (INR). Last week’s reading was quite high (4.0); with no explanation of the reason. I had not had alcohol or an antibiotic nor changed my diet in any way from normal. Today’s was back in the proper range, (2.1). ∞∫∞ Next stop Bi-Mart Pharmacy, where I picked up my prescription of Amiodarone and bought more packs of Fisherman Friends cough drops. John walked up to get the sheet of numbers, but we did not win anything. ∞∫∞ From there I drove to the first exit for Ellensburg on I-90, coming from the west. There’s a large truck plaza with the best prices in Ellensburg, PILOT Flying J on Dolarway, at $2.399/gallon. We get 4% off our Costco CitiBank VISA card and it’s paid to us in the beginning of the new year in February. Sometimes we earn hundreds of $. With COVID however, this year will be a lot lower, because I’m not running forth and back to EBRG, and John has not been going on WTA Trail Maintenance trips, although WTA did carry on with masks and distancing. Our last stop before home was to drop off 3 boxes of groceries to a woman who cannot drive because of being seeing impaired.
Today’s photographs bring back memories of trains:
Both photos by EvieMae Schuetz, south of EBRG not far from the Yakima River. The top is a current train; the bottom is an old depot on lower Canyon Road, before one reaches Thrall; unseen from the road.
This brought back old memories about trains from my life. I was not yet 2 years old when Franklin Delano Roosevelt died 4-12-45 in Warm Springs, GA at The Little White House.
When the funeral train came north on the Southern Railway lines near our house, my parents took me down the hill to watch the train come across the trestle bridge over the road we lived on. I still recall seeing the train rolling by, with one car draped in a US Flag, where the casket and honor guard were.
Mid-afternoon snack: I had a Nanaimo Bar; John had a piece of chocolate frosted golden yellow layered cake.
Supper: more of our white salmon (cats surely like it–well 3 of the 4; the girls in the new room, Sue & Woody, and Czar male inside/outside doggie door in main house; but Rascal does not like fish. Strange. With the salmon, John and I had breaded cauliflower fried with fried onion rings. For his dessert, John had a Nanaimo Bar. I didn’t have anything.
John went to bed early. I’m going to try to stay up another hour. I’m tired from getting up very early to leave this morning, and not taking an afternoon nap.
Wednesday, Nov 25
Up at 8:00 a.m. but with problems on the Internet.
I’ve been on the phone with CWU help desk, and checking on numerous other start up activities for a day. Everything is taking too much time.
We were up a couple times during the night with the dog. She is old and sleeps soundly, a sometimes weeps a pool of pee. Between the two of us, if we remember, we get her out about every 3 hours during her naps.
This morning I’ve enjoyed my coffee and milkshake (Chocolate Ensure with Vanilla yogurt), and gone out and visited with the cats in the new room. I need to unload the dishwasher and probably should wash clothes.
John’s out in 38° weather (but it is nice and sunny today), working on getting more garbage into the big green dumpster, and moving rocks around. He was up near the gate working on ideas for putting in a wooden sign to identify our place as Rock’n Ponderosa. I know he still needs to bury leftover food.
I need to check the A-head on yesterday’s WSJ and check my subscription with them. It is supposed to be reduced by my association with CWU, and the price I’m paying monthly doesn’t reflect it is. Talked to them, and cannot change either. Price has gone up to $12.99/month for educational usage, ($156/yr.), which is fine because the regular yearly cost is $600! We truly enjoy access to the articles in the print and the digital formats.
Lunch: John’s having cheese bits-filled sausage links with eggs and potatoes. I’m going to have the rest of my soup from yesterday, maybe or just wait and have an afternoon snack with turkey dinner coming for supper. And have the soup tomorrow for TG Day lunch.
Going to town – I’ll be there close to 3:00 p.m. for Community Thanksgiving Dinner for take-out turkey+ dinner, we’ll have on thanksgiving eve. This weekend is always meaningful for me to give thanks for my life being saved after the reaction to Heparin (blood thinner used in operations and in cleaning IV tubes) in an otherwise successful surgery to remove a blood clot in my heart from a heart attack the day after 2009 thanksgiving. I received a hit {Really, it is called Heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT).} from the blood thinner used in the surgery, and the next evening all my systems shut down, putting me on life-support for 8 days. Luckily, I stayed in ICU until the end of December of 2009 and they performed a risky open heart surgery to replace my Mitral valve and give me a 2-way bypass. I have plenty to be thankful for still being alive.
Left-flyer inviting people to Thanksgiving Dinner served take-out this year. Right: servers putting parts of the meal into containers: including turkey slices, dressing, mashed potatoes all 3 with gravy; corn, roll & butter; cranberry sauce; and a pumpkin pie piece. Delivery to cars by volunteers.
Gerald reporting in fine today, late afternoon. All’s well.
Late afternoon snack, a Nanaimo Bar and piece of pumpkin pie.
Supper: John had a rolls toasted into 4 pieces, with turkey, mashed potatoes, buttered corn, cut up a yellow apple and halved with me. Also, he had a piece of layered yellow cake frosted with all sorts of chocolate and twirls. Nancy had turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes all covered with gravy, a little bit of buttered corn.
Our only special Thanksgiving treat this week was a baked Cosmic Crisp apple, with Cinnamon crisp topping. 
Cosmic Crisp apple description:
This new apple on the market results from 20 years of research by the Washington State University tree of fruit breeding program. The apple is a cross between an Enterprise and a Honeycrisp.
Large, round, crisp and super juicy, these apples have a rich red that almost sparkles with starburst-like lenticels—which is where the name “Cosmic” comes from. The natural balance of acid and sugar in Cosmic Crisp® apples give them an unmatched sweetness, making them perfect for snacking, baking, and entertaining.
I worked on ‘duckduckgo dot com’ search tonight looking for research papers for Friday’s lecture on Nanaimo and Mélange Belts. Also requested help from a few folks and had a wonderful response from the Geologist Jerome at Vancouver Island University. He’s a huge contributor and supporter of our study group.
The total number of robocaller connections: Nov 25=1.
Thursday, Nov 26 Happy Thanksgiving!
Lovely sunrises: top by Keith Kleinfelder from south of town, and bottom from east of town, farther north, by Sid Peterson.
Slept in till 8:30 a.m., up a couple times during night with animal demands. Had my morning milkshake of chocolate Ensure with vanilla yogurt.
Coffee and starting to send papers for tomorrow’s lecture. Sent all the papers and images I needed to send for tomorrow’s lecture. Took me 3 sends to get all the materials to study group.
For brunch we had a pecan pancake with maple syrup, strawberries and cream atop, and bacon. I had coffee.
John spent most of his afternoon tossing boxes of trash from the hay barn into the landfill dumpster. He’s got more to do during the daylight, tomorrow. He was concerned about the large size of the dumpster, but says that’s no longer a concern. He knows he can fill it.
We had a bunch of Happy Thanksgiving wishes from friends in the states. We did them all on email, no telephoning.
Always a funny memory of Turkeys at Thanksgiving to share on this day. If you are old enough you will remember this TV Show. We viewed this original showing in 1978 while living in Troy, ID, and teaching at the University of Idaho, in Moscow, ID.
Telephone call from sister Peggy in Ohio, to wish us a Happy Thanksgiving. We had a nice visit for 25 minutes. I’m sure she was worn out. She’d had a couple hour phone call, plus another long one with someone else today.
Supper: Turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, and gravy; the rest of baked Cosmic Crisp apple. For dessert, we had a Nanaimo Bar (our last in the package).
Sunset on Thanksgiving with thanks for his striking photography talent, Christopher Cyrus Peterson
I went for a late shower to be ready to leave for my PFT test tomorrow morning to get to the hospital at 9:15 a.m. I’m going to wear my N-95 mask to protect me. They are the chosen best MASK to protect against COVID-19 virus, so I will wear that mask from now on in grocery stores and in hospitals. And in other close proximity to many people places. I’ll use my cloth masks for the fewer folks I’m around. I suppose I’ll try to clean a few more dishes to load in the dishwasher before going to bed. Now I can’t. Rascal just got in my lap. He’ll stay here until I take my Acetaminophen and go to bed, so I can awake at 8:00 a.m. to get ready to leave.
The total number of robocaller connections for Nov 26=1.
Friday, Nov 27
1:00 a.m. early awake from dog wanting out. I went back to bed and John put her out at 3:00 a.m. I slept until 5:00 and awoke at the right time to take my Acetaminophen (every 6 hrs.).
John is busy every morning checking internet news, and cleaning the litter box and feeding, watering, and giving the girls some loving attention. They are both warming up to us (and will finally come to him), from across the room, when he calls them with special treat food. For a while, Sue would only come to me, but now they both will. Woody is still a bit tentative. It’s only been in the last couple of months that Woody would even let us touch her, (while she was eating). She was the longest coming around to be “domesticated.”
Appointment at Cardiopulmonary for PFT test for me at 9:30 a.m. Check in a few minutes before. I left at 8:45 a.m.
Checked in early with Yvette with my N-95 mask on, but couldn’t breathe so I went to the restroom and exchanged it for a cloth mask. Went back to get my paperwork to the front desk, and on down to Cardiopulmonary. Jim Allen, the head technician was the only one there, so he took me right in at 9:15 a.m. I was out in the car ready to come home at 10:03. I brought my report results with me, and it was shipped off to my cardiologist and to my PCP. I have written an email to my cardiologist’s nurse with my comments. I await hearing from him.
Now am getting ready for Nick Zentner’s Friday afternoon lecture at 2:00 p.m. I start gathering pre-show comments at 1:00 p.m., actually, my computer is grabbing them now.
John’s in the sun and chilly temps (39.7°) throwing more garbage into the dumpster. He usually only works at a single task for 1.5/2.0 hours. Changing tasks involves different muscle groups, or in different ways. He claims this to be a good strategy for old folks.
Call from Gerald about 11:20; all’s well there.
Fixed my chocolate Ensure milkshake with vanilla yogurt and I am enjoying it.
Nick began ~ 1:45 for 2:00 p.m. with his 2 hr. 7 min. lecture:
#96 – Exotic U: Nanaimo & Mélange Belts
I worked some on the blog.
I had a late afternoon snack (never really had lunch) of ripple potato chips and salsa, have been cleaning up dirty dishes in the kitchen, and packing them into the dishwasher. John’s napping. We got up really early and I had an interrupted night’s sleep, no afternoon nap, so I may really go to bed early tonight.
I tried to take my blood pressure and the batteries were dead. I finally found the AAA ones in a different part of the house from where the others batteries are stored (in the new utility room on shelves). There are a couple (flashlight and the AAAs in the living room on a shelf. Guess we need to combine them with those in the utility room. Those batteries are packaged too securely, in a tight wrapper that takes a knife to separate. I got it done without bothering John, while he napped. He just awoke at 6:12 p.m.
Saturday, Nov 28
What a difference a day makes.
On the left (Saturday) there are high bright clouds over western WA and Oregon. On the right (Sunday) the clouds are gone but low grayish fog fills the Puget Sound, the Willamette Valley {Portland area and south}, and our own area of central WA.
I was up a couple times in the night to take care of cats and a dog. Last time was 4:00 a.m. and it took my 5:00 meds and went back to bed. Slept in until 8:45 a.m.
John took care of the cats in the new room, cleaned their litter box, and eventually went out for the papers and the mail and to feed horses. I stayed behind working on cleaning up dirty dishes and loading the very full dishwasher. Got it started at 10:00 a.m. while John’s out working for a couple hours in 48° temperatures, sunny, and windy, giving it a chilling factor.
Once on my computer this morning, I cleaned up the various things on our joint account and my personal email account. They’re always loaded overnight with unwanted mail. Have not looked at Facebook yet, because it is a huge time user I don’t have time for. If you want me to see something on Facebook, you’ll have to “tag” me so I am notified differently without being on board FB.
Oh, at 10:00 a.m., I finally sent a note to the study group for Nick Zentner’s lecture tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. It has the link to the YouTube location and suggestions for a background study guide to previous research papers, or roadside geology books. I should have added Nick’s recent audio Podcasts and forgot.
I fixed a chocolate Ensure milkshake for me with vanilla yogurt, to have before my hot soup for lunch.
At 11:15, I sent my note to the study group with suggestions about tomorrow morning’s background prep materials for lecture. I put all my medications for a week in a carrier for dispensing daily.
Before I had my own supper, I took a couple of tablespoons of drained tuna on a plate and broken up for the female cats on the new room. They scoffed it down.
Supper: I had a tuna melt (grilled cheese & tuna sandwich) fixed by John, with strawberry lemonade PowerAde. John had Panko breaded shrimp, baked and French fries, with cranberry sauce.
The total number of robocaller connections for Nov 28 = 1. It was from an Out of Area “number”, which was not displayed so I could not check on the type of scammer it was but they were alerting me to a security breach of an unspecified account to tell me if I pressed 1. I did not answer. Without a # I cannot block a future call.
Sunday, Nov 29
I was up at 7:25 to fix a hot cup of coffee to warm up and also to tide me over, a milkshake or chocolate Ensure with French vanilla yogurt. John reported that the cats made it through the night all right in their new bedroom and bathroom facilities. He’s going to give them a little treat of tuna fish this morning.
Nick’s lecture at 9:00 a.m. went long at 2 hr. 8 mins.
I started collecting pre-show comments about 7:40 a.m. but people are late coming on board this morning.
Temperature here is 30.9°. I’m sure Nick will be broadcasting from his porch this morning.
#97 – Exotic V: Restore the Fruitcake
John went back outside to work without brunch, I’m here too, inside the house working on the blog draft and on creating emails to 4 new study group additions. That got put off until after the blog is done.
I got myself an afternoon snack, first Ripple potato chips with salsa, followed by two Resee’s peanut butter cups.
John was out moving horse manure into the pickup, rocks into the under drip-line ditch, and more trash into the landfill dumpster. Now only have enough room for frozen food trash from the last 6 months to be added when we know the pick-up day. The horse manure is destined for the vineyard over at White Heron; some to our garden.
Supper: Bowl of Progresso wild rice and chicken soup, with chicken breast meat added. Another bowl of our leftover Acorn squash cooked with cut–up baked apple; the remaining half of the Cosmic Crisp.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan