Sunday, Apr 21 Off to bluegrass jam today. Only a few folks there. We had two fiddles, 2 guitars, a mandolin, bass fiddle, and guitar & Mando switching person. We went around the circle a bunch of times. I used all 3 of the songs I took along (and had copies for): Blowin’ In The Wind, I’ll Fly Away, and I Want A Girl, and then we played two of my picks, You Are My Sunshine, and Red River Valley. Oh, darn, I meant to take the extra Blowin’ in the Winds with me to our music group this week, and I spaced.
Monday, Apr 22 John started off by going to town to craft a custom-made computer with our gurus at CCSOE (Complete Computer Services of Ellensburg). Last time (2005) he started by buying a complete system from Hewlett Packard (HP) but it was junk so he sent it all back. Then after much review and multiple parts purchased from all over the country he cobbled together a full system with 2 monitors and other goodies. That was very time consuming, although very interesting. The system still runs but it is showing its age, as is the operating system, Windows XP, and all the other software he has been using. But technology has marched on and he doesn’t want to go the “do it yourself” route again so, this time, he went to the folks that host our e-mail and web pages and set us up with this blog usage space (in the midst of Nancy’s “lights out” time) in December of 2009. The new system will be more computer (faster but using less electricity) in a smaller case but with bigger screens (not CRTs this time). It is much more than “just” a computer. There is something called a solid state drive (SSD) that will make it sort-of “instant on” plus other speediness. The tech at CCSOE asked if John wanted that and his answer was “No, I don’t need it.” The fellow, young enough to be our grandkid, said, “But it’s a cool feature!” So that got ordered. Now John is hunting for a statue or stuffed toy for on top of the yet to arrive “cool” computer, tentatively named Penguin – ‘cuz it’s Cool!
John’s completing the new garden space and fencing it while the computer parts come to EBRG and are assembled. Strawberries arrived and need to be planted. Maybe more on both topics next week.
Tuesday, Apr 23 Much time this morning on unexpected projects. Now to get to the hay paper work & timing. Worked hard on it but also on several more demanding unplanned projects, and did not finish the hay paper. Did leave at 5:15 for town for a free dinner for community volunteers. We got there after many but found a place at a table with most of our group and their spouses. Another several were at an adjacent table. Food included pasta with two types of sauce, white or red (had meat), salad, veggies, garlic bread, and the best spread of desserts you have ever seen. Many were left and one of the ladies twisted John’s arm until he agreed to take some home. We brought 4 pieces — cherry and carrot cake, and 2 cream puffs. We started with dessert because the line was so long at the main buffet. There was a short program of thanks after dinner to the many volunteers in the community there being honored. We were encouraged to take a donated gift home with us from a table near the exit and to take something from our table (flower seeds, plants, and a few other things). From the last table I picked up a pocket level, with a measuring tape in it, for John, and I took a mystery bag. It was full of goodies. Four pens (always can use them), a coffee mug from Dry Creek, one small pill dispenser for a week, some Baby Ruth candy pieces in the mug, and for the refrigerator a large magnet with emergency numbers. Oh, and a package of Guatemalan coffee, which I will share with the department because we don’t brew the stuff.
Wednesday, Apr 24 Worked on paper and sent it off before leaving for lunch/music at the Food Bank, and by the computer folks to pick up John’s hat he left there Monday, then to exercise and home. Got a couple of loaves of bread today, and lunch was okay. Once home, we delivered strawberry plants, and a box of onions, to our neighbor who gave us some Yukon potatoes from their root cellar. They need to be used very soon.
The very neatest thing that happened today, was I walked by the patio window and saw a special combination of birds and managed to get this photograph. I’m so excited. Click for full size.
Lunch was Black Oil Sunflower seeds.
Here we see a pair of (California) Valley Quail, one Dove, a pair of Red-Winged Blackbirds, and a Gold Finch on the fence waiting.
The platform is newly installed away from the shrubs near the patio. Rascal (cat) was using the newly leafed-out bushes to stalk the birds. Annie is interested also – House Finches seem not to care.
Thursday, Apr 25 Will be playing with the Fiddlers & Friends at Hearthstone today. Thankfully, there were more people there than Saturday when we only had two. Charlie was back from his heart pacemaker implant operation and able to play his guitar. Just seeing him was wonderful. Same ole, same ole, for this day.
Friday, Apr 26. An early call woke me and I misunderstood John’s intro so I talked incoherently for a minute before getting straightened out. Then later we received an out-of-state call from a friend that her CWU-retired husband had died. I need to contact our mutual (university) friends. The illness was known to be terminal but the timing was surprisingly soon. In between calls I was working on the hay paper, and did finally send off the final copy to my co-author. I had a scholarship lunch to attend at CWU and then an exercise class, followed by a bunch of things in town. Trip to the CWU Library, to the telephone company twice, and the last time was to go back to town to the phone company to pick up a new modem for our computer. It has been failing recently, so they gave us a replacement. Just now (8 P.M.) we made roasted walnut chocolate frosted chocolate flat cake for me to take to the fundraiser for the Grange at the fairgrounds, where I have to work as a cashier for 4 hours. At least I get to sit down, and don’t have to work in the kitchen. It is in conjunction with the barn quilt displays and an evening “Barn Dance.” Now finishing the blog because I won’t have time tomorrow, and it needs to get out to you faithful readers. I’m sure there was other good news this week that I have omitted. Such as – It didn’t snow!
Saturday, Apr 27 Day for volunteering, for me, so off I go. And it has warmed up this week. Stuff is blooming. John plans to take a photo of our Tulips, Forsythia, and Rainier Cherry blossoms in the same shot, and put in as a lead to next week’s blog.
Hope your week was great.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan