The post before this one was put there by John while waiting for the one below. If you like a bit of history go read “Tin Can Drive Day.”
Sunday, Jan 11
CPAP report. Reported figures. 9 hrs 22 min with AHI = 0.11
One ‘clear airway’ at 5:45 a.m.
We have been trying since last night and into the morning to fix the 2014 greetings link in the blog. It is not working as it should. Weird. John finally got it done, although it is not the preferred method, which is used elsewhere in the same document. No clue why. We had two sets of eyes, but it did not help.
I finally finished the music for, “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” It was the last of the music for January & February dates for the Kittitas Valley Fiddlers and Friends group. Whoa – took a long time but I managed to squeeze into one page (my goal).
I have the lyrics ready to run for the books for the audience… but they need to be completed (disassembled, reassembled, enhanced, and stapled). We have until Thursday of this week to finish that chore. Thank you to John for all his hard work. Here it is a week later and someone found a missing page today Jan 17 at Briarwood, so I have to check them all to find the one to repair.
I still need to notify friends and relatives of our 2014 greetings message. Over the past 2 days and some today, I have been checking my files of email addresses that I can send all at once, a reminder to people to check when they have time. Many people have changed email addresses since I built the lists in 2012, so I must put in some time proofing. I have spent some time, but there are many more to check. Last week, we attempted to give blog readers the link, but could only come up with a copy/paste method, not a right click to the link in a new tab or new window.
Monday, Jan 12
CPAP report. Reported figures. 6 hrs 37 min with AHI = 0.00
We were busy today on yard and some house chores, email, and mostly working with music stuff. John removed staples from 27 file folders, with about 7 staples in each one, so that I can combine them and add more pages to a bigger one for this week. We will use them for the next two months, for twice a week performances, plus 2 weekend stints.
I called and cancelled our Copper Kettle group meeting for the Emeritus Geography faculty members, because of conflicts with sickness or being out of town, of all but one of the usual participants.
While we were working, and John had returned from his morning feeding session, one of our feral cats, Woody, decided to position herself on the newly placed pallet for her purview of the yard. She had been balancing on a small piece of wood until John provided this for her. She’s smaller than she looks, but has a lot of soft long hair. She uses this perch a lot. During summers it is planted with flowers.
Tuesday, Jan 13
CPAP report. Reported figures. 7 hrs 01 min with AHI = 0.00
We went to Yakima today for my first appointment 10:30 arrival, and left an hour later for Costco. Price of gas was a lot cheaper than Ellensburg. We paid $1.96, but we also get almost 8 cents/gallon return cash by using our AMEX card. For 12+ gallons, we saved a bit of money, from buying it in Ellensburg, where the lowest price is $2.09.
After our trip through Costco, we went to Howard’s Medical supply for my 3-month CPAP equipment check up and replacement to be certain I have “complied” with the amount of time spent on the machine. Medicare pays for a new mask, new heated tubing, new fine white filters, and they read my SD card for compliance. I am right on for it. I’m also able to do that, keep track on my computer, plus add the information gathered simultaneously on my oximeter.
While there, I asked about the proper installation of the white filter. I need to remember the trick, to put the soft side of white fine filter to gray outside sponge filter, and therefore, the hard side goes toward the inside of the machine to block the dust being pulled in from outside air. Our house is particularly dusty with the dogs, with them bringing in mud on their feet and John bringing in mud on his boots.
I requested replacing my old ResMed mask, Swift LT (For Her), with a new one also made by ResMed, an AirFit™ P10 For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear. Studying it on line suggests it is supposedly 50% lighter and 50% quieter than the Swift FX, and considering I was using one even older, I’m sure the difference is even more pronounced. I had the earlier model Swift LT and it is very noisy, much of the time, and blew air out from around the nose piece. It had thick hard straps, such that I had to wrap the top one in a Velcro covering to keep it from poking into my scalp. The other bottom strap was more than twice as wide as the one on this one. The two head straps are much nicer, smaller, softer, and stretchy. It’s too bad I wasn’t started 3 months ago with this mask, and I would not have had all the time since Oct 4 with poor sleep, uncomfortable mask problems, noise, air leakage, etc., and I might even have gotten my much-needed rest.
The cost for all the stuff charged to Medicare was $342.72. Most folks on medicare, including me, pay $104.90 each month (for 2015). Medicare is our primary health care payer, with Group Health secondary. There are deductibles and co-pays, eye care has special rules, and dental is another layer. Best not to get old, and certainly, don’t get sick.
On the way home we made a quick stop for a dozen eggs, fresh, from Marilyn’s free-roam chickens. We didn’t get home until about 4:15 p.m., and John managed to exercise the dogs, feed the horses, and the outside cats before it got dark. When colors are no longer recognizable, it is too dark – so he says. I went back to town for music at Hearthstone (with The Connections). I am the one fiddler, with a guitarist, a piano player, and four singers of church anthem music. Most of the audience knows the old hymns and don’t even need to look at the large print lyrics provided. It went well, and on my way home, I picked up a dinner (Chicken Alfredo Fettuccine) from The Palace restaurant (since 1892 in our town). It was free, (for John’s birthday month), but considering it is a $19.00 item, I gave the waiter/waitresses a $5.00 tip. I know they prefer a person to come in, order another dinner, drinks, and dessert, rather than just taking out the main course. It has cubes of chicken, slivered zucchini, little sautéed mushrooms, a little garlic, and we added bigger fried mushrooms, acorn squash, and turkey leftovers. It also came with a piece of Garlic French Bread. The fettuccine was very good, and we still have another meal left (we’ll add cashews and something else) for the two of us for tomorrow night.
Wednesday, Jan 14
CPAP report. Reported figures. 9 hrs 1 min with AHI = 0.57
I went to the Food Bank, presented some music, and our singer Bob has started bringing his brother’s guitar. He plays along with us and it really helps. So now we are a trio there, guitar, banjo, and fiddle, and all three of us sing too. They fed us roasted veggies (including nicely-sized pieces made from two donated Butternut squash I took in last week that John grew), veggies were mixed with a tiny bit of meat (sausage), and we had sides of green salad, potato salad, and dessert. On to SAIL class where we had a good turnout. It’s becoming popular and we are tightly squeezed in. The Activity Center even added an additional class to try to spread folks out more, but the early time is not appealing to many of us (me included).
We also had a flash from the past with a photo from 2003 posted on the KVTR (Kittitas Valley Trail Riders) Facebook site. John volunteered time with others to construct mounting blocks on either end of bridges along the John Wayne Trail just west of EBRG.
That’s John with the red shirt, 4th from the left, with Drifter to his left – a very large horse. We acquired Drifter from birddog trainer, Dan Richmond. A trainer gets on and off dozens of times in a few hours. Dan was tall but Drifter was more than he wanted – height wise. John used Drifter for trails and only had to get on a few times each ride. Logs and stumps are often available during the ride.
Thursday, Jan 15
CPAP report. Reported figures. 7 hrs 29 min with AHI = 0.40
Finished music for today. John stapled audience copies and I finished individual ones for the musicians. It was a much longer process than I had planned for over a month ago. At least for the next two months, I think I am set to go except for a few new players. Fortunately, I have made .pdf files of the music, so for those who have access to a computer and printer, I can send copies for them to print out and save me the effort, ink, and paper. (If anyone reading this wants the scores, I’m happy to share. The music has notes, lyrics, and a little history, where known, or found on the Internet). I have the song list done for March/April that we used last year (including Irish songs), so that will be a lot less trouble than starting from scratch.
Today we got a flyer from the Kittitas County Conservation District about its plant sale. John got on the web to place his order for 10 Ponderosa pines and 5 Blue Spruce trees and found his picture from a previous year of his donating time to sort and serve the plants to the community. Here he is:
I drove to town for music at Dry Creek, and it started snowing big flakes while we were in there. We had a very appreciative audience and quite a nice contingent of players: two singers (one with a tambourine), trumpet, fiddle, five guitars, mandolin, and banjo. The audience was served hot buttered popcorn. It smelled so good, but we could not perform and also enjoy popcorn.
While I was gone, John prepared a vegetable/meat soup. It had turkey, ham, asparagus, tomatoes, mushrooms, red peppers, and onions, spiced with Italian Seasoning. Very tasty and without all the salt of many canned soups. He managed to prune the red raspberries along the west side of the house. Snow started as he finished. A few hours later there was 4 inches.
Friday, Jan 16
CPAP report. Reported figures. 7 hrs 36 min with AHI = 0.13
John had his chores added to, in order to remove the snow from walkways, patio, and the turnaround on the driveway. He used a wide push-broom. The removal of the snow allows the area to dry off without getting soft and muddy. The AWD Subarus don’t care. However, it was a sunny day (warming up to 48) and all the roof snow melted. The house doesn’t have gutters along the edge so that we have to dodge the drips if we go out. This is a design defect to be lived with, or a remodel project to be contemplated.
I left late afternoon to meet a gal in town at the Fred Meyer lobby to pick up two nice long-sleeve blouses – one of the ‘buy-nothing’ activities. Normally I’d get something like this without making a special trip but her free time and mine just would not jell. While there I ran into a couple of people we know and haven’t seen in awhile. Nice treat. I turned around and rushed back home, hoping to make it before dark and dropped off some food at a neighbors I had picked up from Costco.
Saturday, Jan 17
CPAP report. Reported figures. 4 hrs 27 min with AHI = 0.22
Occasionally, I sleep fewer hours on the CPAP and finish the rest of the night with only the Oximeter reviewing my pulse and blood oxygen saturation percentage (SpO2). I like to see the comparison for on and off the machine, and it gives me a break from the mask. However, I’m thrilled with the new mask. It is truly quieter and lighter and allows me to sleep well and relatively comfortably.
I spent time on a couple of different reports to help a friend in NJ and another in Idaho.
Before I left, a neighbor was kind enough to deliver us some beef (an exchange for John’s labor) for our freezer. While I was gone, John loaded the dishwasher and started that. He also had a few other things soaking. I was happy to find that task completed.
I went to Briarwood today with several others to perform music with the residents. It snowed some, but was mostly a wintry mix of icy rain. The roads were not a problem, but may well be tonight. There today was our trumpet player, I as fiddler, our singer with a tambourine, and 4 guitars. We had a great participatory audience, who also served us some great vittles. I didn’t need to eat supper, because I filled up on Corn Chowder (with ham), homemade oyster crackers seasoned and baked by a 94-year old lady, to whom I took a nice western light blue shirt with roses on it. I also took 2 pairs of pants that were too “short” for me that my neighbor gave me. The residents are always pleased to receive clothes or garden/orchard produce. In return, one of the residents to whom I give zucchini, made and brought me a frozen loaf of his zucchini bread made with pineapple. It is quite good; I’m normally not a fan of any zucchini.
Other stuff on the menu today was pot stickers, egg rolls, large rolls to go with the soup, and desserts including a pineapple/angel food Bundt cake, corn flake cookies, another frosted cake, and an apple/nut cobbler.
That covers our week, with fewer pictures than recently, which will make John very happy and make his job of posting this to Word Press a lot easier. Unfortunately, after typing that last night, this morning’s ice brought the need to add more photos of the sparking wintry stuff.
Saturday, Jan 18 (birth date of several geographer friends)
We knew we would awake to ice on trees, fences, and all exposed objects. Happy we do not have to drive today. The sun is shining and started melting the picturesque landscape early. I captured a few pictures without heading into the slick surfaces outside, from where I might have gotten even nicer photos. {These will enlarge.}
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan