Monday, Mar 20
For Mar 19 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=1.06. Events: 7 H, 17 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 37 min with (max = 16 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 88, 0 events <88% with overall avg., 92.6%. Pulse avg. 54.9, low 50.
John left for pruning at 7:30 a.m. He saw a herd (100+) of elk north of I-90 on the way down the hill. Better on the hills than across the road, where they have caused so many accidents that the DOT put up a large number of warning signs on I-90. They are lighted text in large letters (similar to the one on the right below, but with a different wording to watch for ELK on the road, not cute small signs such as this in the middle below. 
Lynn Davenport sent me the actual picture of ELK NEXT 10 MILES warning near Vantage. Even though it is blurry, it gives you the idea. I found the middle sign on the web, and the one on the right was sent to me by Bonnie Hartman in Kittitas. Now you have a picture of the type of sign I was describing above.
Many accidents have caused them to put up the warning “lights.”
I asked on line (Facebook) for a photo of the I-90 signs and that’s how I got the ones on the left and right above.
This was a report in January this year, in the Wenatchee World. – A herd of some 250 elk have been crossing the highway to graze in the median, prompting the Washington State Patrol to warn motorists to slow down, especially at night.
In the last couple of weeks, vehicles have struck and killed about 30 elk along that stretch of highway, said Trooper Wright. No people have been seriously injured, but several cars have been damaged.
In 2016, Rich Landers of the Spokesman Review reported at least 65 elk have been killed this winter on a stretch of Interstate 90 just west of Vantage. It’s by far the worst year in memory for elk collisions in the area, the Yakima Herald reports.
Also in ’16, the report was that the herd consisted of 500 Elk.
A few Colockum Elk with Columbia River in the background.
I am supposed to hear from Lindsey D. today about coming for wood. I did not. Later in the week, I heard she was not back in town yet because of a relative’s need to go to the hospital.
I spent a lot of time trying to work on getting fiddlers and others to come to the Senior Center (Adult Activity Center) to play for next Friday’s Special Event, Louisiana Bayou.
Tuesday, Mar 21
For Mar 20 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=1.01. Events: 2 CSR, 7 H, 20 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 56 min with (max = 12 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low was 89, 0 events <88% with overall avg., 92.5%. Pulse avg. 53.2, low 50.
Active rain cancelled the trip to prune today.
I spent almost 2 hrs trying to unravel the problem with no mail delivery – apparently it is because the Post Office will not detour to deliver the mail north of the bridge construction over the irrigation canal on Naneum Road. The spot is south of Bar 14 road and north of Rader. More later.
I sent a few photos to Katrina at the AAC, with higher resolution to see if they would work for the brochure (quarterly) with the schedule. It is going to work and she has loaned me an SD card to put in my camera, so that I can use my camera and not theirs.
I left at a little before 1:00 for town, stopped off at the bread room, finding a loaf of English Muffin bread and a loaf of Rosemary Olive Oil bread. I went to the post office to pick up our mail that has been held and not delivered (with no notification), because the postal carrier was not approved for a deviation from Naneum Road. That should have occurred weeks ago, to get permission from USPO-Seattle to allow him to by-pass the bridge support construction over the highest irrigation canal in the valley. It is down Naneum Road from us almost 2 miles.
There was a long line and no one at the first window for rural non-delivery pick-up. The window was closed (I assume for lunch). I turned around and left, going on to the senior center for my Jazzercise exercise class. It was pouring rain.
Afterwards, I went to one of my normal stopping places on Tuesdays (Bi-Mart), to check my number, but I didn’t win anything today. I continued back to the P.O. When I got in the window was open, but they have done away with the express line to that window, and were taking people in only from the long line to the main counter, where now there was only one person. To say I was disturbed is an understatement. Earlier, I had just been frustrated. At least I finally made it to the counter and got my mail. In the mail was a 3-day priority package with onion shoots that should have been delivered last Thursday – with the notice, OPEN IMMEDIATELY.
Wednesday, Mar 22
For Mar 21 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.36. Events: 2 H, 14 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 29 min with (max = 19 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low was 88, 0 events <88% with overall avg., 92.5%. Pulse avg. 55.5, low 50.
John left just after 7:30 a.m. for pruning at White Heron.
I worked hard on several projects until walking out the door at almost 11:00. I got to Gloria’s about 11:20, and we went on to the Food Bank, where six of us entertained the lunch guests. It was a good meaty chicken w/ cheese pasta today, green salad, grapes in a cluster, and a piece of chocolate covered crispy cake for dessert.
Then we left for Super 1, where I picked up two lemon meringue pies (one for me and one for Gloria). My rain check ends the end of this week. Hers goes until 4-11. So, I used mine for 2, and kept hers. Amazingly, I saw John (back from the vineyard) at the bakery and gave him mine to buy and take home, and I took hers to the counter and checked out. Hers was double plastic bag wrapped and in a paper bag, which we left in the car in the shade while we exercised at SAIL. We had a large class today.
Thursday, Mar 23
For Mar 22 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=1.14. Events: 2 CSR, 1 CA, 8 H, 14 RERA. Time on 7 hrs 52 min with (max = 20 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 88, 0 events <88% with overall avg., 54.1%. Pulse avg. 54.1, low 48.
John left just after 7:30 a.m. for pruning at White Heron. Sadly before he left he found the skunk had dug under our front fence (we had closed the gate), and had eaten all the hard cat food in a large Pyrex bowl behind the barricade for the deer, at our front door. John put a bowl of food on top of the cable table with protecting rocks, and coffee cans, so the noise would alert us if we were home. John had not been gone very long at all when I heard a noise and jumped out of my chair and went to the door. There was a deer eating dry cat food from the soup bowl. I yelled and she went out over the 4′ fence. I picked up the bowl. The entire ruckus warned Woody I was home, and she came to the front door. I gave her some canned food, and put the little bowl of dry next to her by the front door. She ate out of both. After she left, I brought the bowls back inside.
I managed to finish assembling music that I had printed last night for two people by sorting & checking for the order, plus punching three holes in it.
I drank lots of water to go for a blood draw at KVCH. I got there but had to wait about a half hour, only to find out the paperwork on my standing order was not corrected as requested 2 weeks ago. It was supposed to have additional blood drawn for my potassium measurement. She went ahead and drew it. I called to report it to my PCP office.
From there I went to Hearthstone, with my several packages of stuff for different people I would see there. I left some in the car to distribute at the end of our playing. We had a huge bunch there, and played from before 2:00 until after 3:00. Everyone in the audience had a good time. We had 13 players/singers: Sharon, Maury, Dean, Kevin, Gerald, Charlie, Evie, Nancy, Amy & Haley, Anne, Rita, Dave, and Janet. Haley sang to Cockles & Mussels and danced to Irish Washerwoman. (She’s almost 4 the end of April). The residents, guests, and we absolutely love her. I’m sorry I don’t have a video.
Friday, Mar 24
For Mar 23 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=2.07. Events: 2 CSR, 1 CA, 11 H, 3 PP, 15 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 18 min with (max = 9 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 89, 0 events <88% with overall avg., 93.1%. Pulse avg. 53.3, low 48.
John did not go pruning as it has been raining (still is at 11:00 a.m.) since midnight. He had to feed the animals in the rain and put on his old green hard hat to do so.
I printed music and contacted the person needing it. In fact, I worked much of the afternoon on music for next Friday’s Louisiana Bayou performance at the senior center. Now I must work on music for Saturday night for the Blue Agates Square & Round Dance Dinner music.
The sun finally came out so John could do some outside work in the sun. Meanwhile, he also changed filters in our furnace and vacuumed two others. The other two larger ones require the dishwasher to wash one at a time, but it was not empty and not as much of a concern as the ones that when dirty, prevent airflow.
I squeezed in time to unload the dishwasher and start on a new load.
It took me 4 times to get the data from my oximeter into my graphing software. Now I have to move it to the CPAP software for comparison. In all the finagling, my software quit working so Saturday will be the time to load the new version of SleepyHead on my new computer. 
This one is a new one that we never included in the system before a few months ago. You can see the new package on the left and the dirty one on the right. We were able to buy a case at Ace Hardware at a decent and lower price than any other place in Ellensburg or Yakima. John vacuumed two of the other metal filters, and we left the two large ones (with better airflow) to be washed later. They have to be done one at a time running the cycle of the dishwasher.
I need to change the filter on my CPAP machine.
We had a visitor the past couple of days, and today I got his photo. We have had to move our dry cat food out of the place on the front porch because he finished it up two nights in a row, with the gate closed, and John barricading the holes where he was coming under the fence. He made another and came in over night, but the only thing available was a few shells of sunflower seeds under the feeder. Not nearly as filling as the dry cat food.
On another stinky subject, John’s Letter to the Editor was published in the Daily Record today.
Saturday, Mar 25
For Mar 24 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=2.05. Events: 12 H, 1 PP, 17 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 52 min with (max = 2 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 87, 1 event <88% with overall avg., 93.1%. Pulse avg. 52.6, low 47. Those results look very good, so the missing data are okay to wait for and not worry about.
Today is Stephen Brazeau’s celebration of life. I am not going to be able to attend, but I sent a nice note following up on my original sympathy letter. This one contains all my memories of the happy early childhood memories of what my father taught his “tomboy” – including playing Mumblety-peg, fishing, shooting guns, passing a football, throwing a baseball and softball, and working on cars. He died when I was in the 9th grade, but his teachings have followed me throughout my life. I am sure I inherited his musical abilities, as well as his brown eyes.
My next project (completed tonight before this was published) is to complete adding the newest version of SleepyHead software to my new laptop, because my version on my old one quit working this morning. I talked to people on the Australian Facebook site, a friend in Idaho, and a newly found friend in Germany!!!
Here is where I’ll start with the new computer: Download from here: https://sleepyhead.jedimark.net/
This is free software for anyone using a CPAP machine, and it is excellent.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan