From the Saturday before, June 18—pictures by Laura Norsen on the Jack Creek work trip John made last weekend.
We did not have any photos to share, until John found this Jack Creek trip report on the WTA web site, and I followed Andy and Laura Norsen’s tinypines.com site to get to their blog to see more photos (including one of the crew of which John was the ACL (Asst’ Crew Leader—Orange hat). Green hats are the volunteers that do the bulk of the work. John is also a volunteer, and he is a hard worker too.
From there I located more photos taken by Laura and Andy Norsen who were on the Saturday Jack Creek Trail crew. I made collages of some of their photos, with explanation below.
This collage begins with their photo from Hwy 2 to the trail-head, where the crew had to put up all day with rain and muddy conditions. The middle is one glimpse is along Jack Creek; the bridge is about 500 yards from the parking area. The right photo was a glimpse of sun as they were leaving the work site on the way to the trail-head. Thanks to them for the use of their excellent photos.
Left is the Chatter Creek Forest Service station stock barn (horse & Mule) that has been unused for many years. Districts no longer have the money or crews to maintain pack animals. The right photo is of rock repositioning – out of the trail and, later, set as an anchor & visual cue at the corner of a drain crossing or other trail structure.
Monday, June 20
For June 19 CPAP. Reported figures. Time on 6 hrs 54 min with AHI=0.14. Events: 1 H, 13 RERA. No major mask leaks (max= 22 L/min). Oximetry: Great all night.
We stayed home, I think, to work on projects. I guess I didn’t write down anything for today.
The only thing I have to show for the day are pictures taken around our place. First, our little resident buck in velvet who comes right in the front gate, if we neglect to close it.
This is the little buck. Left photo is in front of our door, through a dirty window. He came through the open front gate to eat sweet weeds. In the middle, he is leaving, I have stepped outside the front door, and he is heading to the open gate. Right he leaves through the front gate. He and another have been coming in to eat leaves and Mt. Ash berries all their lives. Right now we have a lot of Mock Orange blooming. Deer eat this too.
First, the mock orange. 
This is Yarrow up on the east of our property near the road, under and around the cottonwood trees. John lets it survive around the edges (only because there are other more important things to keep under control). The plant has a strong, some say, sweet scent. Others say it stinks.
Tuesday, June 21
For June 20 CPAP. Reported figures. Time on 7 hrs 4 min with AHI=1.13. Events: 1 CSR, 8 H, 11 RERA. No major mask leaks (max= 21 L/min). Oximetry: no battery; OK, only for 1.5 hrs.
I helped a friend down the road a mile get on the Buy Nothing list I’m on, after she saw what all I obtained to give at the shower we both attended Saturday night. She is actually going to be the recipient of the car seat I mentioned getting last week (freely given). She was my student several years ago. Raychel Ann Parks. She’s having a baby girl sometime near my birthday, the first of September.
This is the car seat I wrote about earlier. The image on the left was with the note offering it on line, and the two others are taken in the back of my Subaru.
John picked strawberries this morning, and I sorted the best out for two neighbors. We will clean and put up the rest after dinner.
I went to a very painful PT session, came home, and went back to The Connections, but my left arm hurt too much to think of playing my violin. I just sang along, and drove by Super 1 on the way in to buy a dozen nice large donuts mostly with chocolate on top. The package is $3 off (they were in the counter today, and not bought). They do this every evening, starting about 6:00 p.m.
After singing with the group, I went through Kittitas to pick up another bag of baby clothes. These primarily clothes for a girl, and I will share them with the person who managed to get on the buy nothing list later. Her baby shower party is July 30, and is a dinner for couples, so John knows her and the grandparents, and he will attend. Any non-pink items I will give this Sunday to another former neighbor for her shower for a new baby boy. John will be all day at Mt. Rainier on the part of the Wonderland Trail near White River.
When I got home, I was hurting so badly that I took a real painkiller (Oxycodone) left over from my oral surgery. I seldom do that, but I think it allowed me to get a good night’s sleep.
Wednesday, June 22
For June 21 CPAP. Reported figures. Time on 7 hrs 52 min with AHI=0.38. Events: 1 CSR, 3 H, 16 RERA. No major mask leaks (max= 18 L/min). Oximetry: Very good all night and for another 2 hours off the CPAP.
I slept in a little while and then John and I cleaned and froze raspberries, strawberries, and, also, chicken for use in chicken casseroles.
I left for the Food Bank to pick up two women (sisters) to go with me. Normally, just Gloria goes with me, but her sister Shirley came up for a visit from California. We had a nice singing session, and then ate a good lunch. On to SAIL class at the senior center, where people also know Shirley from past visits. From there, home. I was still rather sore from the day’s workout before, and did not feel up to doing exercises. I am falling behind. It is important that I keep stretching the ligaments, muscles, etc., to improve my range of motion.
We visited a couple of neighbors giving away strawberries and cherries. We gave another gift, a poster from the Western Art Association in 1989, to our Native American neighbor a mile up the road—Allen Aronica, whom we met in 1989. Nice visit and he gave some Alaskan salmon to us for our return trip. His son caught it.
A collage of Nancy and Allen (6-22-16) with him in his native dress (date unknown) from a few years ago. [Added later: The photo with me and the War Bonnet was taken about 3 years ago down at Frank Beard’s. Believe it was around Rodeo time. Allen]
The poster is from this group:
I was waiting to give it to him when the snow was not on the ground. His birthday came and went, so this was a good opportunity. He was very happy with it. I received it from a woman who gave it on the old BNE group. I spoke up for it for my friend, and told her when it was delivered I would send a photo to her. I need to do that now that I made the collage above.
Thursday, June 23
For June 22 CPAP. Reported figures. Time on 6 hrs 46 min with AHI=0.89. Events: 0 CSR, 6 H, 12 RERA. No major mask leaks (max= 16 L/min). Oximetry: Good all night long and also the 2 hours off the CPAP while the oximeter still gathered pulse and SpO2 values.
John picked raspberries, strawberries, and a few not-quite-ripe cherries, and directed irrigation ditch water four times, south of us, for 3 adjacent neighbors.
John dropped me off to play music at Hearthstone and went to shop at Bi-Mart. He had given me a ride so he would have his car in town to get gasoline to be ready for his trip this Sunday. We had a good crowd of 10 musicians, and more in the audience. We enjoyed having a great group of folks, who sang well and appreciated our being there. I was given more music books by our leaving Activities Director, who often joined our group (with her guitar or ukulele), when we were there playing. She is taking a job in Walla Walla.
From there we went to the KVC hospital to have my INR tested (2.6) via a blood draw. I go back in two weeks to be sure the toenail compound is interacting with the blood thinner. Then we went by Safeway for a few things we needed that were on sale and to pick up my Micardis medication. It was $67.85 (through GoodRX paying cash) for 90 tablets. That’s the one I moved from my usual pharmacy because my insurance jumped the price of my co-pay to that much for a 30-day supply (1/2 the number of tablets). I take 1.5 tablets/day. While at Safeway we got John some colas, me some canned tuna fish, some Bush’s baked beans, and some BBQ sauce. Figuring out their promotions, pricing, and register lines is a big pain – but sometimes the price is the lowest.
From there we went to another store up the street for Sharp Cheddar cheese and some frozen hash brown potato patties. Sadly, they had raised the price on the cheese, but it was still less than buying at Safeway. We lucked out and got a $3.00 off coupon on our receipt for our next $25 purchase. We probably only have a month to use it.
On to the gasoline station to fill John’s car for his trip to Mt. Rainier this Sunday. Sadly, the price of gas went up a couple of cents from yesterday, and sadder yet, Friday, when we were not in town, the price went down 3 cents/gallon. Go figure. My car is in need of gasoline, so I may get some Sunday when I’m in there.
Friday, June 24
For June 23 CPAP. Reported figures. Time on 6 hrs 33 min with AHI=0.76. Events: 1 CSR, 5 H, 6 RERA. Small, acceptable amt of major mask leakage. Oximetry: Perfect on and off CPAP all night long. Even after the CPAP was off, the SpO2 continued higher than some already high reading while on.
I awoke in pain just before 6 a.m. and went back to get more rest following a succession of nightmares.
John did morning chores and is now picking strawberries.
I have been dealing with a mistaken billing on a May 3 physician’s visit about my shoulder to get a referral for Physical Therapy, rather than get a Cortisone shot that wouldn’t have lasted but a week, if that long. I think the bill is straightened out now after talking to three people – billing at the local hospital, billing at my doctor’s office in Cle Elum, and a customer rep at Group Health. Group Health had not paid their portion after Medicare (primary) and GH (secondary). The original coding was incorrectly sent only to the secondary. Undoing these mistakes (frequent) is necessary except for the very rich or a member of congress. I still wonder what happens when some people just receive a bill and pay it without questioning if it was wrongly sent. I know that at the beginning of the year, I have to meet deductible figures both for Medicare and Group Health, and Group Health will not cover any of the secondary payments leftover until the Medicare deductible is reached. That seems like double jeopardy to me, but there’s nothing that can be done. For example, they don’t carry over and pay when the deductible is met. Something is wrong with that philosophy. At least the Medicare deductible is lower than the Group Health. But:
Seattle’s Group Health Cooperative will be acquired by Kaiser Permanente, a California-based health-care giant. No immediate changes in local care or coverage are planned, officials said.
Yea, right!
My PT appointment was cancelled today. I’m staying home and will cut John’s hair – long overdue. It took me nearly an hour because of having to stop 3 times to cool the clippers. We shall NOT wait as long next time. I needed to work in exercises but my arm was still hurting. I waited until after I finished the haircut. I skipped going to the SAIL exercise class because I dislike going 24 miles to town round-trip, for only one activity.
John came in and has been doing strawberries after a lot of yard work today. Plum trees need watered, gardens weeded and watered, and other stuff.
He fixed an interesting supper of baked beans, barley, mushrooms, ground beef, and tomatoes, with grated sharp cheddar cheese on top.
Saturday, June 25
For June 24 CPAP. Reported figures. Time on 6 hrs 5 min with AHI=1.32. Events: 1 CSR, 8 H, 18 RERA. No major mask leaks (max= 15 L/min). Oximetry: Really good all night with and without the CPAP, total time 8 hrs 10 min.
We need to get the blog out today, because John leaves at the crack of dawn for Mt. Rainier tomorrow.
At the suggestion of my pharmacist in Ellensburg, Leslie, I made an early morning call to Cavallini’s Pharmacy in Cle Elum, to the pharmacist, Dave Arnold, with questions about my compound for my toenails. He advised that I soak the toenails to get them soft and get rid of the build-up of the DMSO / anti-fungal / antibiotic liquid put on twice daily. DMSO hastens the entry of the compound through the nail. I will try it for a week and see if it takes away the build-up and helps. I need to report back to him to tell him the results.
John has been out doing chores, the most recent of which was mowing about the edges where weeds and brush encroach. Photos below are from behind the house and Jay’s folly (aka, semi-permanent pond), above the creek bank. Left image he is moving an old post while keeping the mower running with the other hand. This is one of the places we see deer – because it is slowly being cleared of brush and all burnable stuff. And it is right out back. I got photos of the fawns this year and a large buck a few years ago. John saw the fawns yesterday, not near the house though.
I need to take off the CPAP and oximetry information from last night, finish proofing this for John to enter into WordPress, and get busy preparing my gifts to take to my second baby shower tomorrow (this one for a boy). I’m doing a similar gift of gently used baby stuff as for the one last week.
Now before we have lunch and I pass this along to John, he is out picking strawberries. Pick, then water. He brought in some Rainier cherries his last trip and we enjoyed a dozen each. Unless something else comes up, we will pick cherries on Monday. They are nearly ripe and the Magpies have taken some.
He came in for lunch and was going to fix leftovers from last night but we will have that for dinner too, and I decided not to join him with it until supper. I fixed a patriotic light lunch with two yogurts (blueberry and strawberry) spooned over a bowl of strawberries. We have about 7 pounds to work on today. We are freezing most of them and saving some to eat on our dessert.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan