Sunday, Sept 4
For Sept 3 CPAP. Reported figures. Time on 4 hrs 49 min with AHI=3.74. Events: 3 OA, 2 CSR, 15 H, 1 RERA. No mask leaks (max= 19 L/min). Comments: Something was going crazy between 1:45 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. with 3 OAs (I never have), 2 CSR, & 13 H, with 6 vibratory snores (I never have). Maybe caused my first time back on CPAP in 10 days and maybe I didn’t have my mask properly fit, or positioned wrongly. I did awake at 3:30 sneezing and with a runny nose, continued the rest of the night. Maybe the sneezes caused the vibratory snores I never have. Oximetry: SpO2 one blip to low 86, all rest above 88, with avg 93% all night.
I published this last night after John had retired, and the Internet connection lasted only long enough to send me a message to show me it made it to the web. I took another half hour to make it to bed after setting up my CPAP with new filters for its first run in over a week. The Internet connection was still off when I bedded down, so I waited until this morning.
The connection opened briefly, and went off again, but John got to check for last minute changes at Rainier or travel alerts on the roads. The WA-DOT is good about posting these.
John left at 5:15 a.m. for Mt. Rainier. I went back to bed, and slept until almost 9:00 a.m. The sun is shining but the temperatures are cold. Low last night of 46° (when John left), our heater, set at 69°, come on during the night, and the front porch temperature was up to 54° when I went out to feed all 3 cats. Now the Internet connection is off still at 9:30.
Once it returned, 20 minutes later, I started watching the livestream of the Grand Master Fiddler championship. I know two families back there in Nashville, supporting their fiddlers competing: Noemi Turner from Spokane (Trinity’s sister) and Katrina Nicolayeff, Meridian, ID, daughter of our WOTFA fiddle teacher, Bobbie Pearce, Nampa, ID. Katrina is there with her hubby. Katrina won third place overall (later today), but I was gone in town and missed seeing her.
On tap today are trips to several places in town. At 2:00, I pick up Gloria Swanson to go to Clare Panattoni’s 90th birthday celebration early, officially not until 9/8, but her family is in town for the Labor Day Fair & Rodeo activities, so they are honoring her. While in town, I have several stops to make at Bi-Mart for pate’ for the cats, at Super 1 for five # ground beef on sale for John to freeze (also bought some red grapes). I tried to drive by to pick up mail for Anne, but the key would not work. I plan to process pictures I took at the party and send to Clare. Meanwhile, here is one.
A gladiolus that matches her outfit and Tiara is not showing in the left picture of the vase. It’s behind the orange one. Look at the right photo, and see it. The Tiara was my gift from Kathryn Carlson last year on my birthday during our Buy Nothing Clothing Share. This seemed like an appropriate gift to Clare Panattoni today. The glads are in a vase given to me by Renee Moore (on the buy nothing site), just last week. I’m behind Clare. Thanks to Valerie a professional photographer at the party for taking our picture on my camera. It was a nice party her family put on for her. Gloria and I had a nice visit with a number of mutual friends there. The party was from 2:00 to 4:00, and we got there a little after it started and were near last leaving.
The family served cake, cookies, rainbow sherbet punch, coffee, and sugar mints. I did not participate, but they gave out glasses of champagne for a toast to Clare. Gloria and I had met Clare in our exercise class at the senior center, and we have known each other for at least 6 years.
Monday, Sept 5 Happy Labor Day !
For Sept 4. Reported figures. Time on 8 hrs 11 min with AHI=0.49. Events: 2 CSR, 4 H, 12 RERA. No mask leaks (max= 20 L/min). A much better night than last. Oximetry: Excellent all night, avg. 93.2, with one blip low of 89. The low represented in the average calculation was a spurious reading from switching fingers on the oximeter.
I have been working on computerized (Jacquie Lawson) greeting cards this morning; I got behind with all stuff going on. This month has many birthdays and anniversaries. I need to make time to move to the kitchen and load dirty dishes to be cleaned, as we are out of saucers for kitty food. We use 4/day twice a day. We treat them to canned food, but they have hard food available 24/7.
Today we received pictures from John’s trail work last week. Here is a cool collage of his time at Talapus Lake trail on 9/2.
John, with a small rock in his left hand and a large rock-net (multi-person carrier) in his right, middle picture is lunch, and right photo is him with a colleague discussing the project.
We had visits from Merriam turkeys. Eight of them were on the most recent visit but I never captured all in one photo. They have been in the neighborhood for over a week.
Tonight, I decided to put blackberries on John’s piece of pie (he picked them today), and I don’t like the seeds, so I put all the juice on mine and cut up one of our purple plums for my topping. This was on a piece of key lime pie.
Tuesday, Sept 6
For Sept 5 CPAP. Reported figures. Time on 6 hrs 9 min with AHI=1.30. Actually, CPAP off from 2:20 a.m. until right before 4:45. During that time was the low SpO2. Events: 1 CSR, 8 H, 3 RERA. No mask leaks (max= 15x L/min). Oximetry: 92.3% avg SpO2, low 85, okay all night; 3 blips below 88%.
Goodness… what a full day this was.
I awoke, had coffee and a piece of toast, fed the cats, and took a shower. At 9:35, I took my large premed dose (2000 mg) of Amoxicillin to protect my heart for the removal of the stitches, and possible exposure to bacteria getting into my blood. Shortly thereafter, we left for Yakima (I was driving).
We got there with 2 minutes to spare for my 10:45 appt, and they took me right in. Less than 6 minutes later, I returned without my stitches to the waiting room, and off we went for an early lunch. We stayed longer than we should, probably, but got to Costco, filled with gasoline, ($2.459/gal), found a space to park, and went around the store shopping for us, and for 3 other people. We spent $299.01. (The clerk tossed in a penny.) One nice thing about that is by putting it on our Costco credit card, we will receive 2% in $ rewards next year in February. This trip will pay for 2 gallons of gasoline to get there. We got 2 jars of CoQ10 (300 mg) and some prunes for a friend, we got some yogurt, Glucerna, and cereal for another friend, and a package of candy for yet another.
We made it home but not until almost 1:30, when I had planned to leave for Ellensburg for an exercise class, for a blood draw at the hospital to check my INR (it was 2.0), and for another stop or two. Luckily, I checked the telephone and found a message that came in at 9:56 a.m. that our exercise class was cancelled because a plumbing problem had closed the Senior Center. What a nice gesture for them to notify people! That gave me time to help John unload the car and we were able to deliver a large amount of food to our neighbors. I dropped John off at the house and returned to Ellensburg to have my blood draw. From there to Bi-Mart to check my number, and I won a metal package of cough drops, Fisherman’s Friend (Menthol Cough Suppressant Lozenges), that sell for $2.50, for matching the last number in my membership #, 1.
Then I went by my friend Anne’s house to pick up extra copies of her mailbox keys to get her mail. I have a working key now. Then I came home by way of another friend’s to drop off what I picked up Costco and didn’t make it home until 4:30.
We were planning to leave for a wedding just 1.5 miles from our house, and John had washed 20 pounds of smallish Gala apples he picked a week ago. We took them in two boxes and put on the table near the beverages, not many were eaten but some went home with new friends. The wedding was outside and the tents were tied down well enough to withstand the wind. After the wedding, they served a taco bar in the house. It was very good, and I was hungry, having not eaten since 11:15. We stayed and visited until almost dark, but we got home in time for John to feed the horses and for me to feed all 4 cats.
Wedding: Pattie & Steve McDaniel
John and I were among about 35 guests.
This was a selfie of the two of us, and John is talking to the lady in front of us who lives on the west side and he has visited her (to pick Blueberries) house with the groom’s mom.
Wednesday, Sept 7
For Sept 6 CPAP. Reported figures. Time on 5 hrs 3 min with AHI=0.72. Events: 0 CSR, 4 H, 9 RERA. No mask leaks (max= 19 L/min). Oximetry: Avg 92.8% .. no blips. W/o CPAP, all 90s.
I took our other group’s music to the Food Bank today, and we only had 4 people there. Bob (voice and small travel guitar), me (fiddle and voice), Reta & Yvonne (voices). Evelyn was not with us because of jury duty. Kyle rode the bus to get there but arrived after we were already eating and done playing. I gave him a ride back to a place in town he wanted to go (Boogie Man, a music store). Our mandolin player, Joanie, was hurting badly from hip pain. From there I went to my PT appointment, by way of a stop at Petsen$e (new pet supply store in EBRG) to sign up for a one time chance at a raffle for a new Jeep Cherokee, no purchase necessary, but you have to sign up in the store.
Once in Physical Therapy, I checked on my status for my appointment with an orthopedic surgeon 9/19 at the adjacent NW Orthopedics office. Everything was in order except they needed to see my original health insurance cards. I no longer have my Medicare, but I have a color scan of it from 7 years ago. She took that and my Group Health card, and my driver’s license for a picture ID.
I went through my PT session with Natalie with amazing movement, considering I had not been able to do my home exercises since last there a couple weeks ago.
Thursday, Sept 8
For Sept 7 CPAP. Reported figures. Time on 4 hrs 10 min with AHI=2.88. Events: 1 CA, 0 CSR, 9 H, 2 OA, 5 PP, 6 RERA. No mask leaks (max= 16 L/min). Bad night of sneezing** and turned off CPAP after the last episode. Nose running badly. Maybe I’m allergic to the ragweed or rabbit brush pollen, perhaps coming in on the cat. Oximetry: Avg. 92.5%, one blip low 84 off CPAP. Good all night.
[** Might be Rabbit Bush – Ericameria nauseosa or a close relative; now looking like the – from Web – picture below.]
There are a few wild purple Asters blooming and some non-blooming Ragweed. The Rabbit bushes are abundant and the bees are all over them. Thus, that’s our vote.
Go to Meadows, take Anne’s keys on my red bag, do her plants, and freeze the cookies on the counter. John will drive to get gasoline in his car and go by Super 1. We had a lot of people there (12), so had to use a piano bench for seating one person.
Once we were home, we packed up and went to our neighbor’s for a visit. John picked apples (old trees, small unknown apples; to feed to deer), and I visited inside the house with the folks. While there I was able to lift a heavy box of supplies that arrived from Amazon.com via the post office and was put on their front porch. The two of them in their nineties were too frail to be able to lift the box. I got it, brought it to their backroom, opened it, and now it is usable. I also shared some information about physical therapy and read a letter to them that came in the mail and was a little difficult to see. These folks have health issues, but still live at their long-time home.
Friday, Sept 9 my late birthday celebration
For Sept 8 CPAP. Reported figures. Time on 7 hrs 27 min with AHI=10.16. Events: 1 CSR, 9 H, 18 RERA. No mask leaks (max= 22 L/min). Oximetry: Avg 92.1, avg low SpO2 91.2, low blip, 88%, and really good all night.
I have been working this morning on arrangements for next Saturday’s jam session planned at Briarwood. We have decided to start early and join others that were invited. Only about 3 of our people are in town and able to play.
I worked this morning on a few SongWriter songs with needed lyric changes. I need to print them and put into the master copies. I wrote revised in the title and comments so I will be sure to send the right form out for future play times at assisted living homes, and other places we play.
Friday, September 9, 2016, Chef Extravaganza, at 6 PM. Thomas Didra of Dueling Irons restaurant in Post Falls, ID, and a Quincy High School alumnus will be coming to display his prowess with the local produce and meats that we collect from all over the Quincy Basin this week (the fridge is already starting to fill up). This event is held in conjunction with Quincy’s Farmer Consumer Awareness Day and is designed to demonstrate the bounty of the Quincy Basin. Farmer Consumer Day itself is held on Saturday with a parade and all kinds of family activities,
Schedule for Quincy’s FCAD.As for Friday evening, we will also have Mugsy’s Groove joining us with their very funky Cascade Mountain Funk
Mugsy’s Groove.
$25 at the door for all you can eat and for enjoying the musicians.
Every year, John and I enjoy this celebration of my birthday, a week late.
This year, we attended with Kathy Allen and Todd Schaefer.
Todd is the chair of Political Science at CWU there for 20 years and wife Kathy I got to know independently through my SAIL activity class, in which she was a participant, being the caregiver for one of the older active community women of Ellensburg, Helen Wise. Small world continues in our lives. They are kayakers and learned about this event from an email I sent to my music group, which she likes to attend. They have kayaked at the Columbia and stopped by White Heron several times. They had a great time and want to join us next year as well.
Saturday, Sept 10
For Sept 9 CPAP. Reported figures. Time on 5 hrs 10 min with AHI=0.97. Events: 0 CSR, 5 H, 3 PP, 4 RERA. No mask leaks (max= 21 L/min). Oximetry: Great with CPAP, and without, a blip to 84 low, and a few below 88. Overall avg. 92.6%.
I have spent the morning creating a collection of photos I took last night to share with White Heron Cellars owners, friends there, and to send to Sunshine at the Quincy Valley Post-Register newspaper, maybe for their Facebook page. Stay tuned, but check their page if you are on Facebook. The newspaper began in 1949, and “proudly serves Quincy, George, Crescent Bar, Sunland, Trinidad, and Winchester.”
[Sunland Estates is hard to find, but about 10 miles south of the vineyard, look here: 47.079136, -120.029217 ] John and I have driven through there, long ago.
John picked strawberries and small tomatoes. We just finished cleaning the berries and he is putting 2 pounds of them in the freezer. We will have some after supper on our lemon meringue pie. He has done just a little outside work all day, and finally the wind began blowing and has cooled things down a lot. High was 86 today, and now at 6:00 p.m., it is 77. Highest wind gusts today were 38 mph, but did not start until 2:25, and we have experienced wind all afternoon.
Another limb came down yesterday while we were away, where one came down last week. Both fell where John and Annie frequently go (not in strong winds, though), so he used the truck to pull them to an out-of-way place. They will make a few day’s firewood for next year.
Sunday, Sept 11
John leaves this morning at 6:00 a.m. for another WTA trail maintenance trip, this one to the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River. I’m staying home and have no trips planned. He’ll close our front gate fence, in case the horses get out again, as they did yesterday.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan