Ways snow is like the government
Freedom of movement and assembly are restricted
Disrupts children’s education
Capable of complete government shutdown
Small inconveniences are hyped endlessly
Prevents Businesses From Operating Freely
Mighty and powerful
Sometimes a threat is just a threat …
. . . . Not this time. Sorry snow souls
But, look below at a beautiful collage of snow shots from our friends, Sonja and Kevin, snowshoeing 1-23-16 in South Lake Tahoe, with their Brittanys from our lines, Tug (granddog and brother to our Daisy you see so often in blogs), and Kip, their father, who is from our home, in 2005.
For a larger image of the following images throughout the blog, right click and “Open image in a new tab.” Descriptions follow the photos.
Left, Tug running toward camera, Kevin looking back; Tug; Kip (a Tri-colored Brittany), and Sonja, whom we have known since 1977, when she first got Tic, a Brittany puppy, from us in Idaho.
Monday, Jan 18
For Jan 17 CPAP. Reported figures, 6 hrs 20 min with AHI=0.31. Events: 2 H, 0 CSR, 20 RERA. No major mask leaks (max=18 L/min); oximeter on entire time with okay SpO2 and pulse.
We stayed home. John worked in the yard, and I washed dishes and clothes and worked on paperwork.
Tuesday, Jan 19
For Jan 18 CPAP. Reported figures, 7 hrs 10 min with AHI=0.14. Events: 1 H, 1 CSR (3m), 14 RERA. No major mask leaks (max=4 L/min); oximeter on entire time with high SpO2 and normal pulse.
I stayed home to recuperate. Feeling better, but won’t go with my cold tonight to the Rehab and The Connections, and I skipped Jazzercise. It has snowed all day, and I haven’t heard a plow, so it might be yucky road driving. I have to leave tomorrow a little before 11:00 so perhaps that will give them time to get the road plowed. I can always hope.
Over the last hour with breaks for the clippers to cool, I gave John a much-needed haircut. Now he can go out in public again without a hat covering his hair and ears.
Wednesday, Jan 20
For Jan 19 CPAP. Reported figures, 8 hrs 6 min with AHI=0.38. Events: 2 H, 1 CA, 16 RERA. No major mask leaks (max=11 L/min); oximeter on entire time with high SpO2 and normal pulse.
I was up early and saw a beautiful sunrise, even prettier colors of pink and blue with the white snow than the camera lens captured, but here are collages of some of my shots.
Doe in her favorite spot on our driveway (background is a shed almost 600 feet away across the county road), front gate with horseshoes holding in the luck, and our heat pump backed by neighbor’s Ponderosa pine.
Mountain Ash in front, Ponderosa pines in back, looking toward corral and hay shed where feral cats hang out and eat.
Left looking toward Naneum Rd, then over a wooden fence east toward the pole barn, and on the right, the edge of our house next to Tamarack (Larch) trees.
This documentary on penguins was on bing.com today and is worth watching.
Emperor Penguins – Nat. Geog
I took off early for the Food Bank, and it was a smart move. The roads were unplowed and awful. I drove very slowly, taking over 40 minutes to get to town.
I stopped on N. Iowa Street (on my way there) to drop off a large stainless steel dog food pan for a girl in town (from the BNE site) for her Pit Bull, “Tiny.”
Then I drove another block and met a former student at the Food Bank to exchange 6 drawers from his car to mine for which he wanted to find a new home. John will likely use them to make shelves, because we were not given a structure that held them – just the drawers (with white handles and a plastic covering on the front, separated in some places). The wood (Pine) of the 4 sides of the “box” looks unused, however. The drawer bottom is particle-board.
Food Bank was fun and we had a good appreciative audience, with a bunch of singing and dancing going on. One little 22-month old girl had her mom bring her to the table right in front of us because she loved the music.
From there I went to the AAC and my SAIL exercise class. I carried a box of sugar cookies for the group to have afterwards. Usually some folks stay around, have coffee and a treat and visit; Wednesdays is also a Yoga class at 2:45. I don’t stay for it, because the movements for my arms over my head and shoulders don’t work. I stayed in the parking lot until 2:45 to meet a gal from the BNE site who brought me 4 bags of clothes from another person for me to deliver Friday on my way home, to the coordinator of a clothing share we are having March 22. She also picked up some stuff from me that I was offering on the BNE site (a too small chamois shirt, a too large knitted hat, some plastic containers, and a large dog food pan for her Great Pyrenees and a smaller one as well, because he is only 5.5 months old now. A bit farther on, I delivered 4 more. The pans are from our “dog-period” while in Troy, Idaho. So, I’m downsizing on doggy things and accumulating music things.
I dropped by Bi-Mart to buy some calendar ledger books at 50% off to put in our cars to keep track of mileage. The one I got previously won’t fit in my rig’s glove compartment, and I bought a “camera” battery for my under-tongue digital thermometer I’ve had for over 5 years. I didn’t get home until 4:00.
John did the normal outside chores plus moved a little snow and split a few rounds of pine into kindling. Before 5, we made a phone call to the place in Mukilteo from where we purchased 100 Cedar Fire Starters that were supposed to arrive by UPS on 1/15/16; or so we thought. The business had a bunch of east-coast orders in front of us, but the label for ours was made and triggered an auto-email. Our box was still empty when the UPS pick-up occurred. But, his words were happy to hear. He said they got behind with orders. He knew for a fact our box had gone out this morning, because he remembered the shipment to Ellensburg. Neither he nor we knew the WA DOT was about to close I-90 for avalanche control. The pass was closed for an entire day, and we were still late receiving it from the expected delivery, on the 21st. At the pass there is 7.5 feet of snow and more on up. They trigger avalanches and then the DOT must clean the roads. That doesn’t 100% prevent serious road issues but removes most of the threat.
Thursday, Jan 21
For Jan 20 CPAP. Reported figures, 6 hrs 29 min with AHI=0.46. Events: 3 H, 2 CSR, 19 RERA. No major mask leaks (max=7 L/min); oximeter on entire time with high SpO2 and normal pulse.
When we heard our UPS package would be delayed, John drove me to town and shopped while I was playing music. The Safeway store had 2 L. colas on sale so he went there. It is not his preferred shopping experience. The store has numerous gimmicks regarding pricing and you have to have a “Club Card” and read the fine print of their paper ad so you don’t go on the wrong day. Also, some items are less if you use a smart phone in the store to scan a tag on the shelf. (We don’t own a smart phone so have to ask and say “pretty please.”)
We had an excellent turnout for players today on a nasty day for traveling. We had 11 people come to entertain at Dry Creek (now renamed Brookdale). We used 10 Coca Cola themed chairs and our bass fiddler (Dave) stood. Guitars: Minerva, Maury, Manord, Gerald, Charlie; Banjo: Evelyn; Fiddle: Nancy; Flute: Amy; Tambourine: Anne, and singer: Bob. Our audience was most appreciative and came up afterwards, or stopped us on the way out to say thank you, and remind us they really enjoy hearing the old music they grew up with.
John fed the animals before we left for town, and found a small deer in not so good condition lying beside the barn. It let him approach and cover it with old hay (for warmth), and put some newer hay under its head. Not a good sign.
We went back to town for the Ellensburg Blues lecture at the Audubon Society meeting at the Hal Holmes Center, part of Ellensburg’s City Library.
I videotaped it, from my lap, so the quality is not as if from a tripod, but following Nick around with a tripod, is not an easy task.
Nick’s INTRO Greenboard for Ellensburg Blue Agates (17.5 minutes)
Nick’s Visuals for Ellensburg Blue Agates (20 Minutes) 1-21-16
Nick’s Ending Message (24 seconds)
We had trouble getting back into our driveway with all the soft snow. We have had several snows of just a few inches. It has been regularly driven over and packed hard – until the temp got about 5 degrees above freezing. Now it is about 8 inches deep and in places the tires dig in until they hit gravel. Then a harder section lets you run on top. Repeat. It is time for removal.
Friday, Jan 22
For Jan 21 CPAP. Reported figures, 7 hrs 36 min with AHI=0.40. Events: 3 H, 1 CSR, 21 RERA. No major mask leaks (max=9 L/min); oximeter on entire time with high SpO2 and normal pulse.
John had to deal with the dead deer, which he found had died overnight (as expected). I spent awhile on the phone trying to find the way to get rid of it. There are 2 options for removal. Folks often just drag a deer (or whatever) to a far corner of the property and let nature take care of it. The downsides of that are it attracts coyotes or cougars, and vultures in the summer. For us, we have had dogs find the carcass and bring parts home – or roll in it if it is ripe enough. Not good. The second option is to get it to the road and have the county road crew pick it up. They dispose of it someplace – that, apparently, is a secret because others might use the same place if it is known. Problems happen.
The deer weighed about 50 pounds and looked okay. He looked for wounds or broken bones and found nothing. There was a nasal bot fly larvae in its nose. At first sight he thought a big seed or something had lodged there from the old hay he had used to cover it.
Deer; hoof pick for scale — Behind snow pile, at Naneum Road
After a half hour of talking to people, I finally found the answer. Take the deer to the side of a county road, call 962-7523, and report the location to Public Works. The lady there was very helpful. I took a photo as I left for town, and it was gone by the time I returned 4 hours later.
Now to find out what the larvae was. A friend from NJ, Elise, sent this link,
Hat Tip to Elise
And I found this: Fastest of all flying insects?
and this one, which indicates mule deer are included:
Ours are Mule Deer
This little dear deer must have had too much of a load and suffocated.
I wrote our neighbors’ son who is a Fish & Wildlife employee in northern WA. He sent back some more information, and a pdf file on them in mule deer. I can send via email if anyone is interested.
John stayed home to work with our neighbor removing more snow that slide off our shed roof into the small space between the house and the shed (you saw that in a previous blog, Jan 7). Ken cleared out the driveway just prior to my departure. We had a horrible time getting out and back in last night to go to town. John did a little “finish work” (and more the next day).
I drove a mile south and got into a thick still fog. Not the “pea soup” type found in Sherlock Holmes mysteries – swirling and greenish-yellow – but still disheartening, so I had to slow way down and put on my headlights to be seen. First place I stopped was south of the university to pick up 4 bags of clothes for the March 22 BNE clothing share.
I took a photo there of my cleaned right front tire to compare in the following collage that I did not have to share in last week’s blog.
Dec 31, Tire 2 Days after ditch — Jan 22, after cleaning on Jan 14
Then I drove a couple of blocks to the Ruth Harrington Scholarship Luncheon. I carried along a BNE gift to share, but the gal was called away to an off-campus meeting and didn’t attend. We’ll exchange on her porch next Wednesday when I drive by.
We had a nice group of people and were served Turkey Chili (tomato base), various toppings, a chopped Kale salad (I cannot eat being on Coumadin). It is at the top of the do-not-eat list for Vitamin K content. For dessert, we had brownies and sliced strawberries with Cool Whip.
I left there for a stop by a beauty salon to give away two stainless steel dog food pans to the mother of a gal that lives >7 miles from me in the wrong direction from my trips to town (she lives closer to Kittitas, WA). It was nice that her mom was willing to deliver. Then, I drove right down the same street to the courthouse to pick up shared beef (ground and steaks) from a friend who raises a special variety of cattle, British Whites. I have been personally introduced to her small herd and they are very cordial.
The day turned into a beautiful sunny day after starting as fog and cold. This photo I took of the Naneum Canyon a few miles down the road from home.
On from the Courthouse meeting to my SAIL exercise class at the Senior Center. Surprised to find 19 people made it to class today. I got there early enough to give some cookies and a package of 10 Seahawk color decorated muffins for their freezer to share at next Friday’s party, Sportzpalooza, where we are supposed to wear our favorite team’s colors and paraphernalia. I hope to get John to go along with me in his cool Phillies red/white/blue jacket. He was a Pirates fan but the jacket is nice and came to us recently for free or practically so. Folks at the Senior Center are planning a big shindig. I went last year, as well, and had a blast.
The UPS truck arrived at the end of the driveway at about 4:30. The fellow was carrying the package, not wanting to (likely a regulation) take a chance on the driveway snow. John was on the way to feed the horses and met the package halfway in. Saved the driver a few steps and a minute or two.
Saturday, Jan 23
For Jan 22 CPAP. Reported figures, 5 hrs 21 min with AHI=0.19. Events: 1 H, 0 CSR, 7 RERA. No major mask leaks (max=5 L/min); oximeter on entire time with high SpO2 and normal pulse.
I did some paperwork and moved my EBRG-Blues videos onto YouTube. It was a long process when our Internet connection decided to stop working twice today (and once yesterday). We have a couple of little glitches in the use of our computers. Dropping the internet link is the one I hate. John has 2 monitors and the 2nd one mostly restarts with the wrong aspect ratio (stretched across) and without the “wallpaper” image. It takes 5 mouse-clicks to resurrect the proper look. He’s looked and can’t find the answer.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan