Frozen Fog, …

Hungry Wildlife, & Technology Challenges

Monday, Jan 23

For Jan 22 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI= 0.29. Events: 1 H, 1 OA, 14 RERA. Time on 7 hrs 1 min with (max = 14 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 87, 1 event <88% with overall avg., 91.9%. Pulse avg. 58.0, low 48.

I managed to write the fiddlers and friends about our Hearthstone play date this week.

What a crazy day we had. Nothing happened as planned, but we did have an interesting sunset.Looking southwest

Tuesday, Jan 24

For Jan 23 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI= 0.97. Events: 4 H, 1 PP, 8 RERA. Time on 4 hrs 7 min with (max = 20 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 87, 2 events <88% with avg., 91.7%. Pulse avg. 58.4, low 50. I awoke at 4:00 a.m. because of my phone making a loud noise when its battery died. I had not turned it off the last time I used it on Saturday.

Ice fog pictures at our place. Very early morning shots: left our 3 favorite deer and birds in for morning treats; right, Myst’s silhouette in front of barns you cannot see, showing frost on the tree limbs within the haze.

Later in the morning, the sun appeared, and I took photos of frosty trees, before departing for town.Part of our backyard view in 3 shots.

Today on my way to the hospital lab for a blood draw, I took some Fuji apples to my neighbor Lorene. I drove from sunshine and blue skies fewer than two miles down the road into frozen fog. Elevation drop in 2 miles is just 200 feet. You’ve seen above the results of the overnight frozen fog deposited as “silver frost” on our trees. The sun only shined for a very short while I was in town. On my way home after 3:00 p.m., it was clear only for the first mile of my trip home. Then it was socked in almost all the way home (as on the trip in). John experienced nice weather all day.

After my blood draw, I went by the Auditor’s Office for the 2009 Subaru license tab, just 3 months late! Once done there, I still had a little time before getting to my Jazzercise class, so I went by the bread room at the food bank where we play music tomorrow. I was fortunate in finding two loaves of my favorite bread (English Muffin) for toast and two loaves of John’s favorite, Rosemary Olive Oil bread.

I made it to the senior center in time to sign in for my class. I mentioned to the AmeriCorps girls that I just had a lot of blood taken, so I hoped I had energy for the exercise. Megan kindly asked if I would like some Gatorade, and went to the fridge and gave me a choice of 3 flavors. I picked orange. I drank it during our 50-minute class, and got through it just fine. I thanked her again as I left. We had a new person in class. Two usual members were not there, but now our class consists of 7 people. It’s going to get crowed with the pool table to contend with next Tuesday. You will see the setup below, and I will move behind the pool table (where the folks are playing cards last Friday).

I came home by way of Bi-Mart to check my numbers for a prize, and found a half ounce bottle of Artificial Tears (Good Sense) for only $1.79, and two metal containers of Fisherman’s Friend cough drops marked down 70 cents. They are nearing their use by date, but I cannot imagine they won’t be all right. Considering the “tears” I was using have been discontinued by the manufacturer and replacements are over $10 for half an ounce, I think it makes “good sense” to uses those drops. (I’m writing this after trying them the rest of the week, and they clear my dry eyes just fine.)

I arrived home to a report on my INR (2.1) and my Potassium (now has to be checked because of the new heart medication tending to raise it). That figure was 4.3.Dinner was special tonight.
Copper River salmon on a bed of rice and yellow peppers. John’s creation.

Now to do both our blood pressures and get to bed. Late again.

Wednesday, Jan 25

For Jan 24 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI= 2.14. Events: 5 CSR, 1 PP, 18 H, 12 RERA. Time on 8 hrs 25 min with (max = 17 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 87, 1 event <88% with avg., 92.8%. Pulse avg. 53.9, low 50.

I picked up Gloria and took her along with me to the Food Bank Soup Kitchen for music. Our leader is still gone, but I took books she put together for the group. We sang, ate, went to SAIL exercise class, back by Grocery Outlet, for both of us to shop. I only bought a gallon of ice cream to take by and put in the freezer at the Geography Department to go with the cake I’m taking for the luncheon on Friday.

I worked more on music for Thursday.

We went to Nick Zentner’s talk on Giant Lavas of the PNW. An excellent presentation as usual. We got there about 6:15 to assure ourselves a seat on the front row. We left about 8:25 in a major snowstorm. Other places in the World have larger areas of such ancient lava flows. The Deccan Traps {step-like} in India and the Siberian Traps, east of the Ural Mountains in Russia.

Nick Z’s video on CRBs
Giant Lava Flows

Thursday, Jan 26

For Jan 25 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI= 1.01. Events: 1 0A, 1 PP, 6 H, 14 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 54 min with (max = 15 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 61 spurious at start, actual low, 90, on the graphic chart, 0 events <88% with avg., 92.9%. Pulse avg. 56.3, low 50.

Hearthstone was our Fiddlers and Friends venue today. We had a good number of folks there, including folks from Seattle (Sharon on bass guitar), Janet (fiddle) and Dave (bass fiddle) from Winlock, WA, and our folks from the Kittitas Valley, with two new players (banjo and harmonica). We had a tambourine, flute, 3 fiddles, 3 guitars, banjo, bass fiddle, and harmonica, plus our little 3.5 yr old mascot and dancer, Haley.I left with Gerald and we headed to the Palace Cafe, to meet John there, for his and John’s birthday dinners. Gerald’s birthday was today (86). John has to use his free coupon during the month, so this seemed appropriate. He was able to go to the feed store and get wild critter feed, and the senior-horse pellets. We hope the weather will change soon and we will stop feeding. The deer have started eating the seed-heads from the horses’ Timothy hay. Mostly only the Mama and her 2 babies from last spring have been getting pelleted supplements, but some of the others have figured out what’s going on. Altogether we think there are about 14, but just a few have an identifying mark. Mama has a hand-sized dark spot on the left side of her face. Another doe has a split right ear.

Back at the Palace Cafe: we had a nice dinner. John and Gerald had theirs free ($15.79) Chicken Fried Steak, roll, and a large serving of hot veggies. I had a Cobb Salad and then brought half home and have eaten it with 3 meals since.

I had to stop for gasoline on my way home, as my Forester was near empty.

Friday, Jan 27

For Jan 26 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI= 1.55. Events: 1 CSR, 1 PP, 6 H, 3 RERA. Time on 3 hrs 52 min with (max = 60 L/min).Total oximetry, 7 hr. 34 min. Oximetry: SpO2 low 77 spurious at start, actual low, 84, on the graphic chart, 21 events <88% (most off CPAP) with avg., 90.9%. Pulse avg. 61.8, low 53.

I gathered my stuff to take to the scholarship luncheon, and arrived early to set up my laptop computer to upload a 3-gig video over faster lines than we have at home. It started and got 46% completed when I left for home. That was a failure, for unknown reasons. However, when I got home it continued to 65% before our modem died (more on this below). When I logged back in Sunday, You tube had canceled the upload.

We had only 8 people make it to the lunch because of sickness or being out of town. My co-host (Monica, the Geography secretary) made a Chicken Caesar salad and used Olive Garden’s dressing for Caesar salads from a bottle she can buy at Fred Meyer grocery. She was exceptionally kind to make a bowl for me with iceberg lettuce and not Romaine, which I am supposed to limit, because of its high Vitamin K content. She also had bread and butter. I made 3 two-liter bottles of Crystal Light lemonade, two regular and one pink and provided a Red Velvet frosted cake with ice cream. I brought plates and cups, but we only used the cups, and her colorful blue plates matching the decor.

Here are two shots of our day.Serving table with Amy & Ruth coming through for dessert. Ruth Harrington has been setting up luncheons and dinners throughout the campus and town for 44 years. She has now collected just under $2 million all of which goes to scholarships for students at CWU. I have been a member of this 4th Friday group since 1988, when I arrived on campus. A couple of the members have been in this group since I started!
The picture on the right above shows left to right, Ruth Harrington, Kristina Paquette, Lola Gallagher, Tina Barrigan, my empty chair, Monica Bruya, Peggy Eaton, and Amy McCoy. Amy works in the Alumni Office, and was a Geography major, so she contributed Lemon Pound Cake to the table to add to the “geography” connection.

Today was another busy day and with a sore shoulder but without any exercise or fiddling to blame. I grabbed some cheap eggs (78 cents a dozen of AA large) at Safeway. I dropped off the remainder of the red velvet cake to the senior center, took some photos of a Bunco game in progress, some pool players, and of a woman for her to send her nephew. I drove by my pharmacy to pick up two of my meds, on my way giving her a ride home to Briarwood, went back to the University for my computer and my ice cream, and drove home in a snowstorm that we got none of out here. It mysteriously stopped 2 miles down the road. Bunco is a dice game I have never played. The three tables of folks were enjoying themselves, so I may have to join the next time they do this. Three participants received gifts. As with all events at the AAC, there is no cost. A lunch and presentation came before this with open-faced turkey with gravy sandwiches and hot vegetables. In exchange for the cake, I was offered a bowl of cooked turkey (from scratch there by Erica) and also given two pieces of chocolate cake made by volunteer Tina. John and I enjoyed it this weekend. She is in the pink blouse in the middle picture above. The winner on the right is Sandra Zech, who taught our SAIL exercise class for a couple of years. Dave on the left and Richard on the right address the cue ball. I grew up playing pool (and billiards), so I think the next time I’m there and they are too, I will ask to join. I had no time today. I have played on that table before with a woman member of the AAC, but sadly, she died. We were going to come in and challenge a team of guys there. Now I will just ask to play along. I have been on field trips from center with both of these guys, and Richard sings with our music group at the Food Bank (while his wife fixes and serves the salad) on Wednesday.

Finally, I took some photos of Connie (at her request), before giving her a ride home. I gave her the choice of 8 photos, but here are my 3 choices. Will be interesting to see which she chooses to send.Connie is a member of our Jazzercise class at the AAC and also lives at Briarwood and helps with the entertainment of our Fiddlers & Friends group when we perform and they feed us afterwards on the 3rd Saturday of each month.

I passed a fire engine and an EMT truck on the way home, and wondered what happened. I found out Saturday it was a house fire on Thomas Road just down from where we were going to get John’s hair cut.

Deer have found our cat’s hard food under the front open enclave. John’s placed a wood pallet to protect it. That mostly put a stop to it but one still tries. Around 7 pm the Internet went down. Couldn’t get it back.

Saturday, Jan 28

For Jan 27 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI= 0.40. Events: 3 H, 18 RERA. Time on 7 hrs 29 min with (max = 20 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 88, 0 events <88% with avg., 93.1%. Pulse avg. 56.6, low 50.

We went at 1:00 p.m. to Celia’s for John’s haircut, carrying some stuff along. I was able to activate my new cell phone when over there. It seems to work now in our house (but only twice in my chair, back to PA and to OH). I tried CA and it was unable to connect to let people know who might call me that our Internet was down with no blog coming out until fixed. The battery was also low, so that is unappealing, and maybe affected the calls, but now is plugged in, so I’ll check again later.

Without the modem, I cannot print either. If it is not fixed by Monday, I may have to drive to the University to print my letters for Elaine Glenn’s nomination for Distinguished Non-tenure track Teacher of the Year. At least I’m able to use the computer for writing text and processing pictures, and reading data from my CPAP and Oximeter. And, I can even make music on SongWriter, but I cannot print it, in order to make a pdf file to send to Evie for review. We surely depend on this Internet (and WIFI) connection for our daily activities.

We hope to buy a new modem router tomorrow when our computer guys at Complete Computer Services are open for new hours on Sunday. Then our only problem is establishing the connection with the Fairpoint provider. Ryan from CCSOE called Sunday. They don’t have one, but he concurred on the overheating comment (see below on Sunday), and offered to help in the future, if needed. He even offered to bring one he no longer needs from home to give us.

Meanwhile – weekend activities that did occur. John talking with Andy Mills visiting Celia & Bobby Winingham after his haircut by Celia at their house. Middle photo next day of one of many trips John made to give seed to the quail, little birds, and pheasant. I took that out the front door because I was out to photograph the pallet John leaned against the house to keep the deer from eating the ferals’ chow.

Sunday, Jan 29

For Jan 28 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI= 0.30. Events: 1 CSR, 2 H, 20 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 44 min with (max = 19 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 87, 1 events <88% with avg., 92.2%. Pulse avg. 57.2, low 51.

We hopefully, we can get a new modem / router, or find out what happened to this one. Latest thoughts by John are that it overheated. He turned it off last night and now has given it better ventilation, and when turned on this morning, it worked again. A month or so ago the thing quit, we spent an hour on the phone with tech-support and ended with a scheduled visit for the next morning. But then it worked and that visit was canceled. Thus, this time we just waited. Maybe overnight it cools down and then works. Our guess is that this is not the end.

With an alive DSL connection, John found a report on a new Earth observation satellite. It is recently up but not yet replacing the existing images you might see on TV. That might come in November. So, if you care: see some early images here (don’t miss the comparison between GOES-16 and GOES-13 Imagery on the same day this month, at the bottom of the page):
GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Imager

Here is one example: A cropped part of a serious storm of Jan. 15 crossing the USA. Great Lakes at the top; Chesapeake Bay on the right side. Very high resolution is available at the link, but not here.John also cooked us an excellent brunch of eggs with cheese, sausage patties, and home fries (Yukon Gold).

Finally, birds! We have Gold and Red (House) finches, which are now outnumbering the Juncos, our first to arrive. The Gold ones are still in drab colors, and just came yesterday. All share sunflower seeds with the quail, but fewer quail can fit in the feeder than the smaller ones. The quail and pheasant have been sharing seeds on the snow behind John’s car.Note the bottom left is a red finch landing. You can see mostly finches with an occasional Junco.

Hope your week was fine.

Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan