sickness, and wellness activities

Sunday, Sept 17

We put out last week’s blog tonight, without photos of the last trip to Mt. Rainier’s Fremont Lookout Trail. Here are pictures of the project John worked on with Meagan and Stephanie – aqua shirt spent her childhood in Ellensburg, WA! Small world.Left: Meagan tosses the last rock on the wall, and then climbed up to push rocks in behind and on top. John and Stephanie did some of the work, too.

Monday, Sept 18

No CPAP – Oximetry for Sept 17: SpO2 low 82 (spurious?), 10 events <88% with overall avg., 93.3%. Avg. low SpO2, 89.5%. Pulse avg. 55.9, low 50. Slept 7 hrs 27 min.

I went to town for my SAIL exercise class at 1:30.

John left early for Liberty Lake trail work southeast of Spokane.
[Years ago, before autos, the small Lake was a summer attraction for the folks of Spokane. An electric interurban train made it easy to get to Liberty Lake. Now there is a county park that is harder to get to because the area between Spokane and the lake has been metropolitanized – read expensive.]
John was late coming home because of I-90 being completely closed to remove electric wires from across both east and westbound lanes. A telephone pole caught fire and caused the stoppage about 3:00 p.m. Luckily, he drove to Idaho for inexpensive gasoline and picked up a Carl’s Jr. supper that he ate during the long traffic stoppage until the electric company hoisted the wires and the pole up with about an 80′ foot crane.John is in there somewhere. East bound lanes are on the right and the stoppage is behind the camera.

He was stopped for an hour, but got restarted on the road home about 5:00 p.m. Most of the vehicles are based in Spokane so once 5 miles west of the city, traffic became normal.

Here are the reports on line: SPOKANE, WA-Traffic on I-90 in both directions is now closed at the Hamilton Street exit. As of 3 p.m., Avista says the pole will be replaced in the next 45 minutes.
(3:20 p.m.): Avista has confirmed a power pole fire at 2nd and Helena. A crane is being brought in to help stabilize the damaged pole. An estimated 1,800 customers are currently without power.
(4:50 p.m.): All customers now have restored power. Both directions are now open. But lanes will need to be closed around 9 p.m. tonight for 30 to 45 minutes to continue to repair the damaged pole.

Not much else going on, except music preparation.

Tuesday, Sept 19

No CPAP — Oximetry for Sept 18: SpO2 low 82 (could be spurious), 5 events <88% with overall avg., 94.2%. Avg. low SpO2, 89.6%. Pulse avg. 56.5, low 50. Slept 8 hrs 18 min.

I went to Funercise while John checked the Bi-Mart prize number and went to the grocery store. Exercise was late starting, because of a board advisory meeting. John returned on time, at 2:35, but had to wait for us.

Afterwards, we did go to Big Five today, and then to Costco. We had the manager helping us, (I met her on the phone over the weekend, while trying to get an extension on a sale price on boots, that ended Sunday). She said she would extend to this week, when we were able to get down there. She did gave us special discounts on the boots we got for John, as well as the shoes I got for me (Dr. Scholl’s for exercise, at 1/5 the price and the same style with better support than the Brooks Addiction I have sworn by for years (which cost ~ $120/pr). I have pretty much worn them all out. The Dr. Scholl’s are men’s size, but fit me well. While I was trying on shoes, John found a nice rain hat (camouflage) with a wide brim, and the manager gave him a few dollars off that as well. I didn’t realize there was more than one there, or I would have gotten me one for only $6.00. I wore his on Wednesday when it was raining hard for my trip to the Food Bank.

Wednesday, Sept 20

No CPAP – Oximetry for Sept 19: SpO2 low 85, 8 events <88% with overall avg., 94.1%. Avg. low SpO2, 89.2%. Pulse avg. 57.7, low 50. Slept 7 hrs 49 min.

Food bank and SAIL exercise with no Gloria, Stan, or Shirley. They are in Leavenworth for 2 days and nights.

Trying to get some time in on the KV F&F music for Oct / Nov.

Thursday, Sept 21

No CPAP – Oximetry for Sept 20: SpO2 low 85, 7 events <88% with overall avg., 93.5%. Avg. low SpO2, 90.0%. Pulse avg. 53.9, low 50. Slept 8 hrs 32 min.

MUSIC AT Pacifica. John drove his car, and got gasoline for his trip tomorrow, plus went to Super 1 for stuff at a good sale price. We had several people there and a large audience of happy people, including my longtime friend in the balcony, Arlane Nesmith. Then on the main floor I was pleasantly surprised to see two new additions of people I know at the SAIL exercise class, and did not realize they were at Pacifica. One sad note was finding out a long-time acquaintance and president of our fan club there at Pacifica since the time it was called Dry Creek, had died. I didn’t ask about him last month, but we missed him then. Today I asked one of the people who always was by his side, and she told me the sad news. No one knew he was ill and near death, including her. That was a very sad moment so we were early enough to share our grief without anyone overhearing us. We both had happy memories of him. His first name was Floyd. He always used to tell me I could remember his name by saying, Pretty Boy Floyd.

The folks who contributed music today included Amy & Haley (singing and dancing), Minerva, Gerald, Nancy, Sharon, Dean, Amy & Haley, Tim, & Joanie.

Friday, Sept 22

No CPAP – Oximetry for Sept 21: SpO2 low 87, 2 events <88% with overall avg., 94.6%. Pulse avg. 54.5, low 50. Slept 8 hrs 15 min. – an excellent night off the CPAP.

John going to Snoqualmie Lake WTA work – left at 6:00 a.m. Unfortunately, he got there to find the access road closed for construction, so they had to relocate to Talapus Lake to finish dismantling the puncheon bridges. That put him 20 miles closer to home when he left.

I spent time on the phone with Diana and Laura at our Primary Physician’s Office in Cle Elum. We owe $78.98 for last visit (5/1/17) with Dr. Schmitt for John and I found out we were NOT scheduled for our annual physical in November with the new doctor (Wood), as was supposed to happen. Now we are, but well into November because of a screw-up with scheduling last year. Insurance won’t pay for another annual wellness physical until a year and a day from the last date.
Last year we managed to do this on one day, but rules changed and we have to see a nurse first and then go back a week later for the real deal. So trips on two Tuesdays and sadly, I’ll have to miss my Jazzercise (Funercise, it is called) class. It’s the vigorous exercise I truly need.

I went to AAC today for lunch/scrabble, taking John’s Nikon for pix. For lunch, I had a couple of the meatballs from the spaghetti casserole, and gave the rest to Joanie and Ken. I ate my own container of smoked turkey, tuna fish & egg salad, grape tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, with no dressing. Their salad served was very nice, but it had too much dark green stuff in it for my restrictions for Vitamin K (being on a blood thinner).Joanie and I (in shirt she gave me), our table playing Scrabble.Here is Nicole waiting for Tina to bring more tape; letters were not sticking to the wall, so they moved to the window.Last of the game, and final board on the right.

On the road home I came over Bar 14, which has a one lane bridge over Naneum Creek (which flows behind our house). The high volume of spring melt from the hills north brought down tons of rocks to block the creek bed and change various directions of flow. Damage to this bridge occurred, as well as filling the channel with rocks and cutting off water to a number of us upstream, in addition to eroding some folks creek banks 25′ taking away their property.Left shows the one lane bridge and right shows the view upstream, and the lowering of water by the inundation of rocks in the channel.

I came home and about later started with a sore throat and runny nose – I do not need a cold! I worked on dishes, while gargling hot saltwater, to relieve the sore throat. The sniffles and coughing continued, and my favorite Fisherman’s Friends lozenges are not working to soothe it. {John’s advice is to place a silver spoon in my mouth for a couple of minutes several times each day, but I don’t do a good job of always listening to him!}

John got home from the WTA trip and took a quick nap, and I handled re-re-gifting some plywood to a woman who gave us a bunch of 2x4s and particle board/plywood. We told her that if she need any back for her chicken coop, we’d bring it. So she wrote on a Facebook message she was almost ready to go the chicken route. The woman (Renee) will call when she knows what her chicken coop needs after the roof is on (for inside, a couple pieces of her new and using our old plywood as well).

Saturday, Sept 23

No CPAP – Oximetry for Sept 22, SpO2 low 84, 17 events <88% (Avg. Low Sp02% was 88.6) with overall avg., 94.5%. Pulse avg. 54.8, low 50. Slept 8 hrs, 8 min.

Awoke with the continuation of the sore throat and blahs, and outside temperature, 45° near the front door. We bundled up and went to town early to pick up the concrete sidewalk pieces, and bag up elm shavings from a large tree that was taken down. John had great help from the guys of the house, Johnny (dad), sons, Trip & Beck, and Beck’s neighbor friend, Carlos. Mom Laura, took pictures, but I don’t have them yet.

We left for Super 1’s 6-hr sale and John went in and bought some boneless bottom round beef, and some produce. We came on home by Naneum road and dropped off 10 bags of the chips at a house, where we knew the family, but I did not recognize the daughter by her married name. We had ridden horses with her and her parents years ago. We ended up giving them more that the 1/2 we originally intended to share (10 large black garbage bags full). Father, George, was there and helped unload. He is going to spread it in their large horse arena to soften up the base of sand with something organic. His daughter wasn’t there, but she had told him we’d be coming.

So tired of this cold, runaway nose, cough, and sore to dry throat.
Worked on changing emails from nancyh@ellensburg.com to NancyJohnHultquist@gmail.com What a huge chore. I keep trying to do a few / day.

Sunday, Sept 24

No CPAP – Oximetry for Sept 23: SpO2 low 85, 6 events <88% with overall avg., 92.2%. Pulse avg. 59.7, low 53. Slept 7 hrs 51 min. Coughed all night and nose ran.

John was off to Mt Rainier, Sunrise at 5:10 a.m. to stop in Naches, for gasoline. I said goodbye, and went back to sleep, awaking early to Magpies fighting over the hard cat food at the front door, put out for Sue, when John left in the dark. I went and grabbed it and scared them off. I did a few things on the computer changing our email address to a few people, as I wrote a new message to send out to everyone (slowly) on our old address list to the soon-to-be-gone account.

I came back to follow the webcam and capture photos at 7:43 a.m. and worked on it through 9:02. I have some captures with John in it, his car, and others gathering around the flag pole at Sunrise (in the morning sun) for the introductions, and overview of the day’s work. I got back on later when the sun is out of the photo, colors show on the cars, and the parking lot fills. I did, and the flag is flying, with John’s car** very visible, and nice blue skies. I hope they had such a nice day to work on the trail at 7,100′.
**Car has been named after the song: Jessica
Writer/performer in hat – Dickey Betts – is also the creator of this classic:
Ramblin’ Man From John’s arrival, gathering talk, and after the crew is on the trail, midday. John’s car is the light blue one on the right front.Crew returns 3:30, cookies & drinks, goodbyes, and John’s gone.

I enjoyed watching the proceedings from the webcam at Sunrise.
Now to get on with the day.

I remembered last night after I was in bed, and miserable still with my runny nose and cough that I had taken some Musinex the last time I was so sick (for 6 weeks). I cannot afford to go that long this time. John and I both searched the cabinet this morning and found none of it, but lots of other stuff that has been expired for years, so will toss it. I’ll check my past notes in the blog, and see what I was approved to use last time and drive to town for it. I’m totally miserable.

Thank God for writing it up in my blog (one of the major purposes of this blog). I found it in October 14, 2016 when I was approved by my cardiologist to take it without conflict to my heart medications. It helped me then, so I am going to find the best price in town and go in today for some. Musinex DM is the OTC I’m allowed to take. Last year, it had a $5.00 off coupon for mail in, and I hope this year as well. (nope, no coupon this year, but I did find the Maximum Strength, so I can take fewer tablets twice daily for a week. Details: Maximum Strength Muscinex®DM, only 1 tablet every 12 hours (in a 14 pack).

I found them at Super 1 – Sherry is putting at the front desk “for Nancy,” and I headed out with a bottle of water to take one there, at 11:06. Sherry was the cashier at the front desk, and had them ready for me. It was Maximum Strength, 1200 mg, 14 pack, $15.18. I will have to stay up late tonight to take my second one 12 hrs. later. I will be so grateful, if this works.

We need to get our new cordless system installed, but we have to stay home long enough to do that and a bunch of other things.

My cough is not gone yet. The mucous part is working with the use of the Muscinex®DM and the cough is manageable, if I don’t talk and keep pumping in Fisherman’s Friends.

Via the Sunrise webcam, see the process above, I just found the WTA team is back in the parking lot for drinks and cookies. WTA buys. Cookies are the Pepperidge Farm’s “places” series (small packages, get eaten, few stale cookies left) that is described here:
branding smarts

John finally got reception on his cell at Naches, and called me with his estimated time home, to be 7:00 p.m. Annie was ready for him!

Hope your week was fine.

Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan