Sunday, Apr 12
For Apr 11 CPAP. Reported figures. 6 hrs 39 min with AHI = 0.30 Events: 1H, 1 OA. No major mask leaks (max=17 L/min). Battery off much of the night on Oximeter.
Day going by too rapidly. Not doing well. My congestion is back and I have other problems with my system and my computer system. My oximetry USB port is not working. It shuts down my computer system and presents a blue screen. I will stop using it until I can get a replacement. I need to make more progress on taxes and forget all the external stuff.
I did another Simply Saline solution through my nostrils and hope it helps. Downloaded all my heart course lecture videos and notes for another day, when I have time. Washed a load of dishes and made some progress on the counter. Rest of the time was spent on tax preparation.
Monday, Apr 13
For Apr 12 CPAP. Reported figures. 8 hrs 1 min with AHI = 0.12 Events: 1H, 1PP. No major mask leaks (max=12 L/min).
We learned a lot about taxes this week and will explain, in bits. First, CWU (a screwup there years ago) sends a “make-up” payment to me twice a month. After 20 minutes or more on the phone with 5 different people or leaving messages, Melany in Benefits called Payroll for me. They will send me a W4P (withholding for Pensions). Five years ago they told us tax withholding could not be done because of the manner by which they were paying for (fixing) their mistake. Apparently they discovered they could but never told us. Anyway, that amounted to over $600/month that required us to keep in mind for tax purposes. Easily said, and easily forgotten when other things happen. More follows through the week.
Meanwhile, John has a multi-delivery trip planned for the vineyard folks at White Heron and left about 8:30 A. M. He has baby pine trees and firewood, and also fire-bricks (from Troy, Idaho – 30 years we’ve had these). Cameron wants to build an outdoor pizza oven. He also thinks he can buy a greater variety of pyrotechnic devices for a 12-gauge shotgun than for a 20 g., that he has. So, John is loaning his semi-auto Browning 12. A couple of years ago a device fired from the 20 g. mis-behaved and set the county on fire. Well, that part of the county just outside the vineyard. John took the newer truck, loaded with about 1/3 of a cord of wood – think Raclette, come January.
I continued working on my Turbo Tax software, and Jeff T helped me from Tucson, AZ on line with me co-browsing on my computer, trying to fix my problem. I accidentally did something that worked, as we worked through it, so I ended up teaching him something too, and he helped me with the other problem (an override needing removed in a column).
Tuesday, Apr 14
For Apr 13 CPAP. Reported figures. 7 hrs 35 min with AHI = 0.26 Events: 2H, 1PP. No major mask leaks (max=18 L/min).
We both went to the Emeriti Geography meeting. Quite a crowd there, at Hearthstone’s Activity Room. We carried along a dozen donuts along with napkins and plates, and they have coffee, tea, and hot chocolate available there for the residents and their guests. While in town, we stopped for 5 gallons of gas for my car to tide me over until I’m back in Yakima next week. The price there is 20 cents less/gallon than what I paid today. Then by the grocery store for a sandwich to share for lunch, and by the post office to mail my USB cord on my Oximeter that quit working. It’s going back to Wheeling, Illinois, where I purchased it. They are replacing it with a new cord. Wow. I never expected that! I’ll probably be a week without it, or almost. I wear it every night and coordinate with my CPAP data for the night. I paid for 2-day Priority delivery that was supposed to get there by Thursday. [John says – there being no proof the cord is the culprit.] (Nancy says, oh yes, I tried it on two different computer receptacles and it does not work. I have my mouse hooked into one, and the other is on the opposite of the laptop, and where I put the flash drive to load pictures, and blog stuff to transfer to John, and upload the oximetry data. The cord does not work in the other one either, but all the other stuff (including the mouse) still works in the normally used receptacle.)
We came home and found Fed Ex had left a very large and heavy package in front of our garage door, inside the front fence. It is John’s new purchase to replace the old wheelbarrow he gave away last week via the Buy Nothing site. It is called a (Gorilla) dump cart as demonstrated on the right.
Meanwhile, this photo above on the left shows the cart and the sturdy tires; it will fit 3 five-gallon buckets he can use to carry water to wayward plants (now, where are the lids?), or just the right amount of hay for 5 horses. The handle can be reset to pull behind a lawn mower or tractor using a pin-hitch. The company uses the rating for the tires (300 pounds) multiplied by 4, to claim a maximum load of 1,200 pounds. That’s crazy – as is the hypothetical assembly time of 30 minutes. That’s fantasy. And, a long reach or 2 people are needed to tighen the bolt on the screws. Still, it is a nice cart and more functionable than the old wheel barrow.
I finalized our taxes, wrote a check for thousands of $, and drove to the P.O. at Kittitas, WA (10 miles away), to mail them. It was a rocky ride, particularly on the drive north, as the winds were gusting from the west at 49 mph. I had to hold both hands hard on the steering wheel to keep it on the road.
This afternoon I got a call from a fellow named Jay, in Yakima, with the Dept of Ecology in charge of air quality. He talked to John and me about the grant he helped write. We have to see if we qualify to participate in the program. He thinks we might. (John says we won’t.) I don’t expect we will either, because it is not our sole heat source, and we are not polluting the air quality. At the least we will be able to receive $200 for our old Earth Stove, but we’ll likely have to carry it to Cle Elum in June.
I’m still congested with my sinuses, and tonight I skipped singing and playing with The Connections at the nursing home.
The other thing that came in the US postal mail was a large package of whole cloves. The one pound package cost $15. The local grocery wants $7-$10 per ounce. That’s outrageous. As needed, the whole cloves can be placed in a plastic bag and smacked with a hammer – or we can get a grinder (now trying the Buy-Nothing site).
I’m rather tired today; hope to sleep well tonight.
Wednesday, Apr 15
For Apr 14 CPAP. Reported figures. 5 hrs 35 min with AHI = 0.36 Events: 2H. No major mask leaks (max=8 L/min), should have worn Oximeter even though I cannot unload data until I receive the new replacement cord. Turned off CPAP during the night, and don’t remember why. Regardless, it was off from just after 2:00 a.m. to after 4:00 when I realized it. Don’t think the electricity blipped; no clocks to reset.
Today was Food Bank music and SAIL and by south Pearl St. to pick up a box of wool and cotton socks for John, given by a gal through the Buy Nothing Ellensburg list. As an introduction, here is an image from the Buy Nothing site. It is around the U.S. You can check for a location near you. Today attached to my bag of goodies with 3 shirts and more socks, was a printout of this with my name on it.
I began tracking my package to Illinois today. It claims it will arrive tomorrow, and it left Yakima, WA last night at 9:06 p.m.
I sent a Wall Street Journal article on water in CA to the Geography Emeriti (neat article that is a good follow-up to one of our many discussions yesterday). The State of Washington has a large irrigated part and expects water shortages and fires this summer. Such are the consequences of a naturally dry region and poor planning, or lack thereof.
The final thought on the tax problem. When one begins receiving Social Security Benefits nothing is said about taxes. If that is about all one has, there are no taxes. However, if in a given year you receive too much other income, then the IRS jumps you into a higher line in their tax-table where the numbers a lot larger. Two things happen: first you now owe taxes on 85% of your SS and the rate is higher, and the base tax has an extra zero. Ouch. We took extra money out of my IRA for a purchase and triggered this hit.
After an inquiry and some searching, we found the form to change from no withholding to a percentage amount. John had already upped the amount coming from our funds at Vanguard so we went with the lowest (7%) with the SS. Now if we don’t trigger the tax-table-jump, we will be on the receiving end of a IRS refund. Oh well.
I found and printed the required forms for withholding taxes from our Social Security Benefits and we can mail them. Thankfullly, we do not have to go in person to the (unpleasant) office in Yakima.
Corrected two notes in our Red River Valley music score, and already had changed one of the lyrics mistakes from site to sit. There are only 3-4 of our folks who actually follow the notes, and the rest need only the chords and the lyrics. Violins, viola, and clarinet require the notes.
Thursday, Apr 16
For Apr 15 CPAP. Reported figures. 7 hrs 29 min with AHI = 0.27 Events: 2H. No major mask leaks (max=11 L/min), with SpO2 added, x hrs xx min AHI = 0.xx. may be able to add when USB cord is returned.
John left for town to buy railroad ties for his project of constructing a loading dock; note, a 45-second explanation video in last week’s blog, on the end of Wednesday as Loading Dock Plans. Look back for that link if you care, and realize we do not own a motorcycle or a snowmobile, as John mentions in his description, but yes, we do own a riding lawnmower, and maybe the only reason to load it in the truck would be to get its tire, engine, or belt fixed. [John says: this will be less useful to us than to some future owner; thus it is an investment and selling point.] The direct cost will be less than $200 and it is a place to hide some of the rocks turned up by the recent land scalping.
John stopped on his way home and got roasted turkey meat for a sandwich that we put together with cheese, tomato, and an onion-infused bun.
Here’s the picture (on left) I took on my way to town, of John’s truckload of railroad ties. To the right of the truck is a blooming plum tree. The ties weigh almost 200 pounds each. When I returned he had 5 of the 10 unloaded beside their intended site.
We had 9 people today at Dry Creek and a number of satisfied customers. I stayed and talked with two gentlemen after everyone else left. They love our music and the attention before and afterwards. It is rewarding to us to see their reactions.
Sadly, my package that was supposed to make it in 2-day Priority mail made it to the Illinois town, but only just before noon at the post office, without enough time to make the delivery routes. It won’t be delivered until tomorrow. Bummer.
The mountains got a bit of new snow and are bright white. Happily, on my way home, I had my camera and was able to stop along the side of Look Rd, only 7 miles from our home, and take a photo of Mt. Stuart, a gorgeous mountain, 9,415 feet high. It is about 33 miles away. At the house we do not have a view of it.
Here is a brief explanation:
Mt. Stuart Range
Nick Z. has a full lecture with slides following the 46 minute mark, and we heard the original lecture in 2010.
Watch Nick talk about Mt. Stuart
Once home, John gave me a tour of the work he’d done in my absence, and while walking around the yard, I took a shot of our lovely native Oregon grape plants, near the piled rocks from the recent clearing up from the proposed site of the loading dock. Interestingly, the roots (split open) are the same color as the flowers – bright yellow. Very early new leaves (or dying ones) are often reddish or fringed with color. There is some of that at the bottom of this plant just left of the center in the photo. Deer do not bother them.
Here, we have tall bushy plants, but there is a similar (lower growing) plant in the Cascade Mountains.
Friday, Apr 17
For Apr 16 CPAP. Reported figures. 9 hrs 9 min with AHI = 0.11 Events: 1H. No major mask leaks (max=7 L/min).
Below is a photo of the fence we mentioned in last week’s blog made from part of our pallet collection donation of 7. Note the cinder block base.
When I put a request for concrete blocks on the Buy Nothing site, I used the pictures below of what we sought. The ones in the photos have small openings as they are intended for load-bearing walls. The ones we got have bigger openings. They will be laid sideways to provide drainage so either type can serve this simple purpose.
I only received one return (from the person with whom we’d shared our pallets).
This afternoon, we picked up 6 cinderblocks from her front steps on the way to a Geography colleague’s retirement party. It was held at a noisy bar, so we didn’t stay to eat, just visited, had a piece of cake, listened to the congratulatory remarks, presentations, bid our adieus, and left.
I won a pair of rubber soled boots on the Buy Nothing site, and picked them up Saturday afternoon on my way home. I was supposed to get a travel pillow Saturday but the gal did not make it there as planned. Sunday, we are picking up a metal tool box for John’s truck, from a place about 20 road miles (but just 9 mi.) NW of us (another offering on the BN site). We have some mesh-fence (aka chicken wire) that might work for her desire to build a chicken coop. So this will also be an observational trip – she being an ex-student friend.
Yesterday, I added this on the Buy Nothing site and have had a couple of hits. Only one for sure that I will pick up next Wed. Here was the request. While I’m on a roll, how about I put another wish out for my better half who works so hard around our place, and others. He’s in need of jeans — no matter if holes, as we have the iron now and the patches to fix. Anyone with jeans or heavy-duty work pants, size 38/32? Would love to take any extras off your hands [ or legs, :-)] I suppose a longer length would work as well, and he can roll them up, or hem them. Thanks for your consideration.
Today’s shipment came in the mail late afternoon, delivered Priority Mail ~~ John’s onion starts for this year’s garden.
Saturday, Apr 18
For Apr 17 CPAP. Reported figures. 5 hrs 50- min with AHI = 0.17 Events: 1H No major mask leaks (max=9 L/min), but turned off from about 1:20 until just before 3 a.m.
Going to play music at Briarwood. I took two packages of cut-up small pieces of cheese bread to give to them to serve with soup. It was Minestrone, full of great vegetables. They also provided enchiladas, sausage and rice, and several salads. Our bass fiddler, husband on violin, and their baby born the end of December joined us today. We only had a few others: 2 guitars, viola, & me. It was a fun group and they made special baby cookies in honor of Lev (the baby).
Tonight, I put out an offering (below) to the Buy Nothing site and had an incredible response. Now we have to figure the easiest way to distribute them. My preference is to deliver the two containers and let the recipients take what they want and share the rest. I cut it off Sunday morning, and we have five to share the goods.
Instead of our multitude of recent requests, here is an offering from “farmer” John. He has raised these “Hens & Chickens” inside one of his gardens (6′ fence keeps out the deer), who dearly love them. Mostly these two containers have chicks, but need to be thinned and replanted. We hope there are two families to share with and each could share what you don’t want with other families. To be considered, please tell us (1) your favorite plant and why, (2) one you remember from your childhood, and (3) what you will do with these? 🙂 Nancy & John H
The metal can on the left is 6 inches wide and has over 25 segments. Information at this link:
More than you need to know
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan