Monday, Apr 1 I stayed home and took care of many things. The main item of paper-work was music related. Got in my entry for the fiddler’s workshop in July, (has to be postmarked no sooner than the first Monday in April). I boiled two eggs, added tuna, other stuff, and made a salad for lunch. I also had a couple of slices of Honeycrisp apple. John cut one up to take with him (pruning) but left some for me. All of these things made a nice lunch. I have been working on receipts, dishes, and email. I did not go exercise today, because it was one of those days with only one thing to do in town. I have to go in twice tomorrow.
Taking the dogs along with me, I walked the mail to put in the box for pick-up. Three of them stayed with me, but Meghan (whose hearing is impaired, did her own wandering) was gone for an hour. John got home and planted onions most of the afternoon, besides exercising the dogs and feeding the outside animals in the wind that got up to 37 mph today. That’s enough to get things on the ground moving around, parts of trees come down, and stir up the horses. They would rather the wind not blow. Still, no serious damage occurred around us.
Tuesday, Apr 2 John off at 7:30 a.m. I went to town early, stopping for a special deal on biscuits with sausage, Canadian bacon, egg, and cheese on my way to get to an appt at the AAC, then home to work on taxes, until John got back and we went for our annual eye exams in the afternoon (back to back ones) with the same doctor. Medicare and Group Health will cover the cost of the exam (once every two years, and $150 for the glasses). I have plastic implants so do not use glasses. John last got new ones (fancy transition and progressive) in 2007 that are now very scratched and not-quite doing the job. The new lenses were $405 !! Jeez, we think that was after a $150 payment by insurance. [More of this story, below.]
Wednesday, Apr 3 At Noon, I played music at the Food Bank, and then went on to exercise. After vine pruning, a Pea Soup lunch was planned if I went, but it was impossible for me to accompany John because I cannot cancel our weekly appearance, especially the night before (as there are only 2 of us on instruments). Tonight I am sending out a message inviting people to a potluck for our music group at one of the player’s homes. If we get at least 8 there, John will roast a pork loin. He says it will take 3 days to thaw and a day to cook. Thus far, I have not heard from anyone able to come. We may have to postpone until later in the month.
Thursday, Apr 4 John was off to WH at 7:35 a.m.; in addition, I stayed up to work on taxes. Got a phone call from the winegrower at 8:25 telling me to turn John around, because it was raining over there. It is 24 miles NE of us but there is a big ridge (5,000+ ft. high) between us. Our elevation is 2,240 feet while the vines are at about 1,000. I tried unsuccessfully and the phone didn’t ring. Seems there is either a phone problem or a ‘John problem’ – I probably can’t fix either one! I called Cameron back and told him, and so when John got there the two of them worked in a light mist. I went to play music at Royal Vista and came directly home.
Friday, Apr 5 It was rainy again, but I called the winemaker and they had blue skies over there. John left. This is John’s last day of pruning, and he was going to bring home several buckets of grape pomace,
as well as stop for another box of Honeycrisp apples for our neighbor. I had been up since 5:00 a.m. and, because I couldn’t sleep, loaded dishes, and stayed up to work on taxes. I had planned to go to town to the potluck (first of month, AAC, for pulled pork sandwiches, exercise, and a grocery visit for meds), but John had to go in the afternoon when he got home to pick up 5 baby Ponderosa pine trees from the Kittitas County Conservation District. He gets something every year and has since we moved here in 1989. He has planted a mixed-forest around our house, here in the shrub-steppe. He also needed to go by the optician’s office because I heard Wednesday that the place we’d just been the day before for our eye exam, has a special on for the month of April. Buy a new pair of glasses with frames, and get a pair free (limited lens offerings on the second pair). On the previous visit John started by telling the optician that he intended to keep the frames he had, so she never got to explain the special offering. When he went back, she apologized but he explained it was his first statement that got her off-track. Anyway, now the cost goes up some but he chose a second pair that will be optimized for computer monitor work. Others to choose from were anti-glare for night driving and “special-dark” for being in bright sun. These did not include progressive lenses . . .
. . . and the dark tint doesn’t go away completely in low light. The whole deal is a bit odd insofar as there is nothing to try out before purchasing. Then again much of life is that way. So, on to . . . Early morning, I was on the phone talking to my neighbor, and saw one of the “Eurasian” doves on the fence near our patio. This was the first “up close” look at them for me, although they have been around the area for a couple of years. The one left before I got the camera – but later, I did. Supposedly, they travel in pairs.
Saturday, Apr 6 Started with both of us reviewing proposals for the Canadian Silverhill Institute of Environmental Research and Conservation
John has 7; I have 6, and we will switch when done before evaluating for the final send.
For brunch, John fixed an omelet w/ ham, bell peppers, and onions, (using Almond milk). I’ve been using that for over a year, after going off my large amount of whole (not non-fat) chocolate milk twice a day for pill taking. I was drinking two full glasses/day. I apparently developed a milk protein allergy. I’ve been fine since switching, and have increased my cheese and ice cream intake without incident. The problem was affecting my voice projection. Now I can sing again and yell for the dogs.
Was telling someone in my exercise class about the almond milk, and they wanted to know how one “milked” almonds, so I looked it up on line and found you can make your own. (I have no desire to go to the trouble; will just wait till it goes on sale at the grocers, which happens usually once/month.) I also found I could request coupons for some money off from the Blue Diamond (in CA) company — products are labeled as Almond Breeze. It might have preservatives and other stuff in it, but homemade only lasts 3-5 days in the frig. I want it to last over a month (one can buy shelf life for longer use, or in the refrigerator section, a mixture that lasts for 3 weeks). See this link for the almond milk-making story.
After brunch, John was getting ready to put aside the review until dark, and preparing to go plant his 5 Ponderosa trees in buckets so he can care for them inside our fence. The deer will destroy young trees, so he has to build a fence to surround each one until they are grown to stiff-trunk size. Meanwhile, he has to get water to them. Put these words – deer antlers rubbing trees – into an image search and get a look at all the problems.
I was back sitting in my recliner, looked out, and saw a pair of the Eurasian doves on the fence. I grabbed my camera and only got one picture, but here it is to compare with the previous week’s photo of a pair of mourning doves.
We provide a link below to the description about the ‘invasive’ species — Eurasian Collared Dove. We do not know if Mourning doves are affected by the intruders. We do know they produce an annoying “call.” A friend who manages the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area and who grew up across the street from our house, says it is a “noxious” dove that has really increased in numbers and distribution. . . Here is a link with more info and photo.
Another, I found, is at this link.
This has a nice description of the bird, its obnoxious call, and “scream,” along with some more about the nature of the beast, although little is really known about how it affects the rest of the bird population of the region.
Meanwhile, here are Nancy’s photos of the two species in our backyard: Mourning doves last week and Eurasian Collared doves today.
I need to get back to the taxes, but before I do, I shall tell the Rascal stories for the week. Recently, he has started chasing off Woody (she was his friend the past two years), but now he has taken to sitting by the corner of the house near our Lavender bush to tackle the 3 ferals on their trip to their feeding place in the hay mow. It’s gotten worse over the past couple of weeks, and we figured something was up, because he quit eating his own food in the house, so he must be stealing theirs. He never has liked canned food with any fish in it (mackerel, white, or tuna). So we were buying that more cheaply at the Grocery Outlet for the ferals. They also have full time access (as he does) to hard food. John chased him with clumps of dirt as he was chasing Woody recently, and then again later, when he went after one of the orange cats. John ran him back into the house, and we closed the doggie door window to keep him in, while the others ate. That worked fairly well, but then we closed the door on him in the bedroom, to prevent having to close the window for the dogs exit and entrance (which he also uses). We’ve been doing that regularly this week, and his desire for canned food in the house has returned. Story two–has been the continued bringing us offerings of mice and voles into the house. No snakes yet this year. John has been finding things on the floor during the night or early morning and disposing of them. This morning, while John was exercising the dogs and feeding the horses, I walked down the hall and Rascal was ahead of me carrying a large vole he’d just brought in. I yelled at him, telling him to take it out. OUT OUT — and he ran by me, back to the doggie door, and left. Phew. I didn’t have to deal with it. Story three–he has several beds in the house where he sleeps. (1) in the guest bedroom window on the ledge by the large Jade Plant, which will have to be removed when we clear out the room (a week’s work) to use for guests (that time is nowhere in sight); (2) beside the computer in the back bedroom; (3) on our bed; (4) occasionally in the window that is part of the doggie door; (5) a chair in the living room, but it is blocked off now because of being full of boxes, (6) in the middle of the loveseat in the den, right where it’s difficult for two dogs to occupy their favorite spot. Occasionally, he’ll let us move him to one side or the other, so one dog can join him. Finally, I found (7) a couple of days ago. There is a plastic storage container on its side on the guest bed, to be used for towels or sweaters, but is empty now. It had two sweaters in it and and I saw him in there sleeping. He’s taken over our house. He continues living up to his name, “Rascal.” You might remember he came from an orchard (friend’s) across the valley.
Now at the end of the week, it feels like Spring.
Hope your week was great.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan
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PS:
Hey, this is a cool thing that happened by BBC in 2008. Maybe you’ve heard about it. I hadn’t.
First is the explanation of how they filmed the phenomena of flying penguins,
The original is here: