Christmas Week

For Dec 20 CPAP. Reported figures. 6 hrs 17 min with AHI=1.27 Events: 8 H, 23 RERA. No major mask leaks (max=20 L/min). Top tube, from left across body to right top of pillow. Lowered to AHI=.83 after CPAP off, for 3h, 20m and good activity the whole time, high SpO2 without CPAP on.

Snowing hard since early, canceled trip to Costco. Maybe tomorrow. We ended up with a foot of snow, maybe more.

John moved snow. It was heavy wet snow, not easily brushed. So, he shoveled, and then later he fixed his broken push broom.
1-CollagePush Broom fix
John made these images to show the crack in the left photo to compare with the fixed handle displayed in the right photo. When new the broom was fitted with a handle, now replaced with a metal one – slightly smaller. With the new crack, the pipe did not stay fitted into the attachment. Now there is duct tape on the pipe to increase the diameter and 2 screw clamps to snug all things together. On the right side image, note the green line in the upper-right corner. When new, the yellow bristles were about 4 inches long. They seem not to be as hardy as the black ones.

I spent the day on the computer and washing dishes, and we have filled the sinks again.

I was able to resume my aspirin tonight, which, along with Coumadin was suppressed for the surgery. The Coumadin resumed the night of the surgery.

The water trough heater issue is not resolved. More discussion of help from friends below (on Wednesday), but the situation is still a problem, and John has carried hot water and broken morning ice every day.

Tuesday, Dec 22

For Dec 21 CPAP. Reported figures. 5 hrs 19 min with AHI=0.94 Events: 5 H, 0 CSR, 67 Pressure Pulses (PP)!, 4 RERA. No major mask leaks (max=17 L/min). Used the light AirFit bottom tube mask, happily for a quiet night. Oximeter on for 4 additional hrs. I am not sure what a Pressure Pulse is, and why so many or with what they occurred in conjunction. Those are not graphed on my computer graph reviews, as all the others, plus more not listed above.

Awoke to beautiful blue skies and not snowing, but nice snow scenes for a White Christmas, early, and for our trip to Yakima.
{Right click and open in a new tab for large size and proper aspect.}
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Left is out our back patio window, top right is of the snow-capped hills south of town, we viewed on our trip to Yakima (a couple more scenes below), and the bottom right is Woody on her cable table, waiting for her morning feeding. She climbs up a slanting pallet to come over the fence into the front yard, and John keeps the table top and the stairs cleaned. When it is raining or snowing, he feeds her under his car (close) or in the shed (nearby) where the Forester gets parked.

Early morning call from Williams Florist delivery person. They had a floral arrangement from Erik & Andrea Bestrom they wanted to deliver, or know if we would be in town today. I told them definitely not to try to deliver as we had had at least a foot of snow, and we would come pick it up later.
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Left is the flower arrangement before the lilies showed from buds; card attached. Erik was my student at CWU. What a nice surprise! We have enjoyed them over the entire week, and they are still nice on Sunday, as we finish this blog.

We left for Yakima, and here are some parting shots from the valley…
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The clouds (left) are arriving from the southwest and we were soon under them. The picture on the right above is of a snow/ice covered self-propelled irrigation line that moves across a field (not a pivot). Some readers might remember from our 2012 annual greetings the story of the export hay grown in our valley and sent worldwide.

We went in John’s car to Yakima. When we left, the gauge indicated he had 70 miles before he would run out of gas. The county roads were snow covered the first 15 miles in the valley but fine when we got on I-82. We filled up his car for $2.099/ gallon at Costco [Ellensburg’s best price is $2.219].

We bought $315 worth of groceries. I was in good shape for walking but not for resting my arm to keep from the weight pulling on my incision’s sutures. As we walked, I held my left arm up by the cuff, providing support like a sling. When we would stop moving, while John searched for something, I’d prop my left arm up on the handle of the cart. The place was like a disturbed ant hill. Finally, with two items left to buy, and huge lines at all of the cashier stations, I decided to sit down to wait, and prop my arm from the hanging pressure. I picked a table at the end of the row where I could watch for John, and decided with the long lines for food service, I would wait until he came through the cashier. When John arrived the lines for food were still long so we just drove north without having any lunch. We had stops to make in EBRG.

At Costco waiting, I chose a table with an older couple. She was leaving to shop and he was going to wait. So we got into a conversation. He asked if I was from Yakima, I said I was from Ellensburg, and where was he from? He said, Prosser. I laughed and said, “Isn’t the Costco in the Tri Cities closer to you than here?” He said, “Yes, it certainly is, but I’m here because of a doctor’s appointment this morning.” I questioningly asked, “Yakima Heart Center?” He seemed surprised and said, “Yes.” Then I asked who his doctor was. “Dr. Pham,” he said. I laughed saying, “That is the doctor who just was my surgeon last Friday morning.” I asked if he was going to have a defibrillator implanted, and he said, “No, they are going to try to regulate my atrial defibrillation with medication.” We got into more discussion about that, because I told him I had been on Amiodarone successfully for that since 2010. They had tried it with him and he experienced all the bad side effects, which I have been spared, thankfully. John showed up in about 20 minutes, I introduced them, because by then I had found out he was a research scientist (retired) from the Prosser Irrigated Agricultural Experiment Station, and we knew some of the same people from our past. It’s a small world, after all.

We came back via Ellensburg, by Super One pharmacy for Nancy’s meds, went on by Grocery Outlet for ice cream, sharp cheddar, and 2 candy bars (our lunch). Our last stop in town was at the florist for the flowers pictured above. The flower shop has moved twice since we arrived in the area, so it wasn’t where I expected it nor where John had seen it many years ago. We don’t get out much, and seldom for flowers!

Good conversation when home with my cardiologist’s nurse, who gave me the good results of my lab tests ahead of finding out this coming Tuesday, and she was happy to hear I had successfully come through the surgery.

Wednesday, Dec 23

For Dec 22 CPAP. Reported figures. 8 hrs 26 min with AHI=0.95 Events: 6 H, 5 CSR, 1 OA, 2 PP, 15 RERA. No major mask leaks (max=18 L/min); oximeter on no extra time but good activity the whole time.

Awoke to a couple added inches, sunny, now overcast.

John shoveled, fed two outside cats, the horses, and sadly found the new horse trough heater is not working. Not sure what’s the problem. The outside socket in the ground fault electrical outlet will run a drill and supports a nightlight to test the reset button. He might have to move over to the barn (and he’s unhappy about that). He’ll work today, while I’m gone to town – fiddling.

So, with the water trough heater issue not resolved John wrote the issue in an e-mail and asked a friend to pass it along to a sister, an electrician. We could have called but don’t have her e-mail. Suzy’s hubby, Bob, called with ideas. Now, Suzy (from west of Yakima) will be visiting family nearby us on Christmas Day so Bob is sending along a portable ground fault interrupter, and John will go over to the family’s Fox Road home to pick it up. The shed has several outlets not wired for tank heaters and this will allow testing the setup from a different outlet.

I finished assembling the group’s music for Jan/Feb for those who cannot print it. Next time we meet is the first Thursday in January, at the Rehab where I was.

I’ll leave in an hour for a blood draw check on my INR to see if it has returned to normal. Then, will head on over to the Food Bank to set up chairs. because our normal helper is on the west side spending Christmas with grandkids. I got to the food bank early because I left extra time for the hospital visit that went smoothly. I checked the bread room and found some Rosemary Olive Oil bread for us and some bananas.

Evelyn and I were joined by 4 singers, some of whom were singing with us earlier in December. I just received that picture today, so will add it to the collage with the two of us.
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Evelyn & I, 12-23-15 Peggy, Bob, Lowell, Kyle, Evelyn, and Nancy, earlier.

From there, Evelyn and I went on to Hearthstone, where we had a huge audience turnout and 12 members of our group to entertain the troops. Unfortunately, I forgot to hand my camera to one of the staff to take our photo, so the only one I have is below, taken on her phone by the mom of this cute little girl, Haley (not yet 3 yrs old). Her mom plays flute with us. They had made Christmas cookies for each of the players, and Haley delighted in handing them out. Mine was fashioned as a brightly decorated Christmas tree complete with a top star and a holder at the bottom. Every one was different. Candy canes, etc. I didn’t see them all.
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Nancy and Haley at Hearthstone, 12/23/15 her homemade Christmas cookie

The hat I’m wearing in today’s photos was given to me by my good friend, since 6th grade. She (another Nancy) is in Michigan. We played violin together through elementary and high school orchestras, and we performed around town at various functions singing as a duo, with guitars. I continued with guitars until the 1990s, when I resurrected my rusty fiddle talents with lessons from Bobbie Pearce at the Washington Old Time Fiddlers summer camps for 22 years. Last time was in 2014 when it was moved from Kittitas, WA to Moses Lake, WA. I did not attend this year, and neither did Bobbie and her daughter, Katrina, also a teacher.

I heard from my family physician’s office that my INR was still low (1.8) so that means it has not yet regained, so I jokingly said, “Good. I will feel comfortable drinking wine next Wednesday at a dinner I’m going to attend.” That will be our annual Raclette at White Heron’s Mariposa Vineyard, for grapevine pruners, and in thankfulness for grapes and wine – proof that God loves us.

Our mail was not there until after dark. We don’t know when it arrived.

Thursday, Dec 24

For Dec 23 CPAP. Reported figures. 5hrs 1 min with AHI=0.20 Events: 2 H, 0 CSR, 1 PP, 5 RERA. No major mask leaks (max=13 L/min); with AirFit 10, very quiet night. Oximeter on the whole 9 hr 10m, with final AHI=0.18.

John brought in the mail from yesterday, and it was filled with more surprises. The biggest was a package from a former student who has always called me “mom.” That’s more common with foreign students from my past. This fellow is from Sudan. He is married now with a little girl. He planned to come over to visit on Christmas Day, but I thanked him and convinced him not to drive the pass in the winter. Below, you’ll see below the wisdom of my comment.

Meanwhile, before that, is a collage of the gift and us:
7-CollageNizar'sGift
This was his note with the ornament, which I did not put anything beside it to measure the scale. The apple measures 2.5×3 inches. The picture on the right was taken in 2010 at my CWU retirement party. I was still recuperating and not 100%. Visits and gifts are not unusual for him. He visited me several times from the west side while I was incarcerated in the rehab here for 7 weeks. Every visit he brought something special. His tastes in candy match mine. Mostly, I was appreciative of the concern he showed. Later, he visited John and me with his new wife. We do feel he is part of our family.

Below are the reasons I asked him not to come this Christmas:

RESTRICTIONS EASTBOUND:
Pass Closed
RESTRICTIONS WESTBOUND:
Pass Closed
CONDITIONS:
I-90 will remain closed today from North Bend to Ellensburg due to heavy snow fall, trees leaning over the roadway, and high avalanche danger on Snoqualmie Pass. WSDOT crews worked throughout the night performing avalanche control work as well as clearing the roadway of snow, spin-outs, and collisions. The roadway is expected to remain closed today and conditions will be evaluated this evening to determine when the pass can be reopened.

We kept up with the situation via the following link
Tells me about WA roads

and recommended it to others who had family traveling. We decline any reason to go across Snoqualmie Pass in the winter. The railroads dug tunnels to solve this problem. The Great Northern RR first dug a short one. It was too high on the mountain so they dug another one. Link:

Great Northern at Stevens Pass

Nearly everyone drives too fast and snow and ice just makes accidents a sure thing. The Westbound I-90 was opened at 7:00 p.m. Christmas Eve, and Eastbound I-90 wasn’t opened until 1:15 a.m. Christmas Day.

Our driveway was plowed by a neighbor using a farm tractor. John noticed overhanging limbs brushing the cab. Removing these was on the “to do” list for fall but somehow they are still there. John is out getting the most bothersome of them now. I’m working in the house. Later he cut some other branches and dropped a medium sized Cottonwood tree – giving the resident mule deer a source of buds for meals over the holidays. Next summer the tree can be cut for firewood.
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Above John is cutting evergreen branches and tossing them into the old truck. The bottom right shows much of my view from my recliner out the new patio door (with built-in) blinds. The blinds side shows our inside/outside cat, Rascal, who had jumped to the “drain” roof and was coming back down to the dry patio beneath. The right door shows the large Ponderosa pine out back beyond our heat pump. The roofed structure behind the cat covers near-house firewood. Finally, the upper right is a split Danish we shared for an afternoon break. Since then, I have only eaten 1/2 because they are so large. That is a wide bowl it’s in, however, not a complete dinner plate.

Here’s an historical look (John found and passed along to his relatives), for a look at Christmas eve temps for 1955 stations in the United States. [BIG — USA map loads slowly]

View temperature map

Check this map.

In 1955, three fourths of the country was over 60 degrees, and Ashland, Kansas, Geary, Oklahoma, and Encinal, Texas were all over 90 degrees.

In Irving Berlin’s 1954 musical “White Christmas” – the story line was 70 degrees in New Hampshire on Christmas eve and no snow. That was why they were “Dreaming of a White Christmas.”

Well, we’ve got a foot and 50 miles west they have 12+ feet (it is still snowing there). The WA-DOT was encouraging folks NOT to travel with the roads the way they were and snow in the forecast. Eventually they had to adjust that message.
Cascade Mountain roads are closed.

Merry Christmas eve.

Friday, Dec 25 Merry Christmas !!

For Dec 24 CPAP. Reported figures. 5 hrs 41 min with AHI=0.18 Events: 1 H, 14 RERA. No major mask leaks (max=13 L/min); oximeter on whole time, 8 hr 36 m, AHI=0.12, good activity with high SpO2 without CPAP on.

Wishing you ALL: Merry Christmas, and a Happy HEALTHY New Year.

I chewed out a gold crown last night eating nothing sticky. It’s a clean pop-out. No blood and no rough edges. Just lifted right off. I plan to chew on my right side for awhile until I can get a temporary put on. And, then we have to assess the replacement. Some people take “selfies” with the President and celebrities. Not me – I want something golden. Look at this:
9-Collage-Nancy'sMissingGoldCrownBackLeft
My dentist’s office is only open M-T-W and I don’t know their holiday schedule. I’m tied up this week on Tuesday and Wednesday, and really don’t wish to have it done before I go for my surgery check up. I suppose if there is no need to break the skin, and a temporary can just be glued in, I’m okay.

It left a little indentation with the base of the cement base (I suppose). The gold crown on the right looks like stainless steel, but that is the camera capture. It is very gold.

We called cousin Ethel today about 1:45 p.m. in PA at her daughter’s house for Christmas lunch, first talking to Pat to wish her a happy birthday. They had roast beef, as we will tonight late. We had a large brunch today—blueberry pancake, sausage, egg, hash browns, and a Banana half.

For the first time in 38 years, there will be a full moon on Christmas Day. The moon’s peak will occur on Dec. 25 at 6:11 a.m. EST. This month’s full moon, the last of the year, is called the “full cold moon” because it occurs during the beginning of winter. This won’t happen again until 2034.

I tried taking a photo and failed, so I will post a collage with my failure backing some better ones from friends in WA and CA.
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Above left with her copyright on the horse, is Jessie Walling’s photograph in Ellensburg, WA. The small one upper center is taken in EBRG too, by Glenn Engels (both are my former students). Mine is below Glenn’s and was taken at 6:02 a.m., 12/26. The two on the right were taken in Lancaster, CA by my friend, Jeri Conklin. She is the co-owner of my last Brittany female left to carry on our Cedaridge Brittany lines. You’ll the dog below in a collage with her relatives. She will be wearing reindeer antlers.

Another thing happened today that started back in November. I saw a note on Facebook, on the Community Connect, Kittitas County group site, that a woman was asking for items to put in five baskets she was assembling to give to people in the community who give of their time to help others.

We still had many of the Honeycrisp Apples we picked from the Eberhart orchard, and I asked if that would be something she might like to include. Yes, she would be delighted. So, I carried a box with more than two dozen apples. At the time I gave them, I didn’t realize the delivery date would be Christmas Day! I’m not sure I would have expected them to stay fresh and not brown inside for that long. However, she posted pictures and names of the recipients today. Nice, yes?
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It’s cold here.

Christmas with Cedaridge Brittanys in southern CA, CA near NV, and WA.
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Left is miss Daisy in Lancaster, CA. Top from S. Lake Tahoe, CA is her father, Kip, our dog from a 2005 breeding here, sleeping with Cheese, and below is Annie with firewood, his full sister, born in 2007. Annie and Kip’s mom, Shay, looked so much alike, it could just as easily be her in the photo in Ellensburg, WA, 12-17-15. Both parents died this year, after good long lives of 15 years.

Saturday, Dec 26

For Dec 25 CPAP. Reported figures. 6 hrs 37 min with AHI=0.00 Events: none 12 RERA. No major mask leaks (max=9 L/min); oximeter on an extra 2 hrs 10m. Good activity the whole time, high SpO2 without CPAP on. I wore the bottom tubed, AirFit10 mask.

It was cold this morning, but not snowing. Talked with my Aunt Marise (will be 85 in Jan), and lives alone in Guyton, GA, where the temperature was 80° today and they were in shorts. Started the conversation with my cousin Susan Sykes, up from Tampa, FL with hubby John to visit her mom.

I spent a lot of time on kitchen cleanup, the computer, and photographs, but need to get to work on this blog.

I was hoping to be done sooner so I could really tackle the boxes in front of the new wood stove before John removes them so he can start a fire in it. Now he has to worry with the problems with the horse trough heater, so I hope he’ll give me a little leeway.

John also cleaned our furnace air filters because 30 days had passed since the last time.

I photographed some icicles and the Mt. Ash tree out front.
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Mountain Ash tree berries, birds partaking, icicles forming to watch.

All three cats showed up for dinner. Sue has been gone for over a week, at least, apparently not liking to travel (where?) in the snow. Once the ferals are away, we have no idea their location.

Sunday, Dec 27

For Dec 26 CPAP. Reported figures, 4 hrs 30 min with AHI=5.60 (worst ever). I have absolutely NO clue why the poor reading. Events: 22 H, 1 OA, 6 CSR, 2 PP, 9 RERA. No major mask leaks (max=13 L/min); oximeter on entire time, 7 hr, 59m, with an AHI=2.88. The extra 3.5 hrs were consistent with high SpO2, and normal pulse.

Awoke to a little snow, 1.5 inches. John fed and watered the horses, fed the two outside cats, came in, fixed a nice breakfast, and moved our WiFi router from a back room into the den where we are with the hope of providing a better signal for his computer. Its a bit soon to know if this helps. My laptop seems to generally do better than his big box with antennae on the back.

Hope your week was fine.

Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan