Monday, Nov 13
No CPAP – Oximetry for Nov 12: SpO2 low 82, 6 events <88% with overall avg., 91.5%. Avg. low SpO2, 88.9%. Pulse avg. 59.8, low 52. Slept 5 hrs 33 min.
Early morning, I turned on the electric heater to warm up the back bathroom for my shower. That is the cold end of the house, during the winter months. We are going to the foot doctor. Trimming is paid for by Medicare every 3 months, but there needs to be a shorter time interval, and there ought to be a better way. This is the (real) doctor that I went to about nail-fungus. He is an interesting person with a big family and ancestors from northern Italy. We ask questions and he talks while he clips. Initially, he asked questions and I talked.
Mornings on our front pad bring various birds, including quail by the score. This picture is only a few of them, about a fifth ? of the bunch John saw before I got my camera out. I forget how many he said he counted. It was more than a covey. They fly in, walk in through the fence, for sunflower seeds he puts several places, including on the concrete.
The spool was once used for puppies. There is a small solar light on top and a couple of bowls for seed – under partial cover.
We went by Audra’s for Klaire probiotic and got the good news I have lost 12 inches more and 10 lbs., since last in Sept 9th. My clothes are definitely fitting better. My % body fat is much lower.
(John says: “This time I think the loss was because she was sick.)
While there we also discussed John’s health and she made some suggestions and gave him some things to try. He is considering going to the gym during the winter to keep in shape, while not doing trail maintenance work. He still is keeping busy around here with projects until the snow falls and stays.
Tuesday, Nov 14
No CPAP – Oximetry for Nov 13: SpO2 low 82, 14 events (most 87) <88% with overall avg., 90.9%. Avg. low SpO2, 88.0%. Pulse avg. 58.0, low 51. Slept 8 hrs 27 min.
Early morning, we took chocolate chip cookies and raspberry coffee cake to Hearthstone for the Emeritus Geographers’ meeting, with a good crowd of folks: Lillian Brooks, Dee Eberhart & son Urban, Jim and Diane Huckabay, with her intern, Thomas Hull, a masters student in History, working on genealogical research, John and me, and I invited my friend, Gloria Swanson, who just moved into Hearthstone, and is into genealogical research as a DAR member. Oddly, enough, she had met Thomas in Yakima at a meeting. We had a very intriguing roundtable talk about our varied pasts and current geographical topics of interest and some intersecting historical connections and memories all around the U. S. and world.
Then at the end, we brought it back to our region with Urban Eberhart’s report on the Yakima Basin Project of getting water back into several streams that had gone dry over the years of shoveling all the irrigation water into agricultural pursuits. Now locals, state, and federal folks are involved in planning for working toward the whole Columbia Basin. He told us a fascinating story about moving fish from dams to the stream for their journey.
In this case the journey is downstream, out of the reservoir. The project is now being built. It involves a helix tube with water going down.
Here is a photo of a plant that makes a helix tube. A coiled spring is another example. For the fish, openings in the reservoir will be at many levels, so as the water goes up or down, fish can find an entrance. Initial experiments had the fish “flung” against the tube wall, so they tinkered with the shape and amount of flow until the fish happily made the passage.
The fish go down backwards – head into the flow. That seemed odd, but don’t airplanes face that way at takeoff?
If this helical systems works well it will solve one-half of the fish migration issue. Going upstream is the next challenge. [Maybe we’ll get a tour soon.]
John and I came home for him to change his clothes, and then we went up for the first part of our annual medical meeting. The 2nd visit is next week. No one understands this except an unknown bureaucrat in the Government. We thought the first was just with the nurse, and she took our vitals, checked our records, and gave us a mental acuity (we guess) test. We were handed a circle and asked to put the numbers of the face of a clock on it. Then we had to draw in the time 11:10. She gave us each 3 words to remember that she would ask later in our visit. We were not allowed to write them down. Doing that in the same room, was probably not the wisest. Whoever goes second needs not to listen to the first person’s words. John remembered one of my words, and forgot one of his.
We were to get a Flu shot, and we had a long visit with our new doctor, Dr. Norman Wood, before the nurse returned with the immunization. We always go to each other’s physician’s appointments (such as my cardiologist), and he did not mind at all. The nurse told us there are other couples who do likewise.
We are exceptionally happy with him. Our doctor since 1988 retired this year, and we remained there (in Cle Elum), 45 minutes from our home. We know all the staff there, so it didn’t make sense to change locations.
During our visit we found out a bunch of personal information about him and he learned a lot about our medical history. Both of us are happy he has experienced some of the same health issues as we each have.
We got there at 1:30 and were taken into the examination room at 2:00. We were there for well over an hour. We had to come home, feed animals, and get back to Dean Hall, to the Museum of Culture & Environment for a talk by our Geography colleague (Megan Walsh), with a Geological Sciences faculty member (Susan Kaspari).
I told Megan about our timing on the afternoon appointment, but that we would do our best to make it. We got there in time! I had my old camera and I videotaped the evening, including the questions afterward. I was sitting a bit on an angle, but most is legible and their voices can be heard. Also, I was doing it by hand holding and not with a tripod, so excuse the jiggles. I have permission to share this link:
Fire & Ice: Susan Kaspari & Megan Walsh, CWU, 11-14-17
History from ice and mud
This following information is what I put with the YouTube description. CWU professors Susan Kaspari (Geological Sciences) and Megan Walsh (Geography) helped us envision the future of climate change in the Pacific Northwest by looking into the past. Susan’s research examines the impact of black carbon (commonly referred to as soot; think big wildfires) on the melting rates of glaciers and seasonal snowpack.
Megan’s research explores how ancient charcoal deposits can help us understand past fire activity. Secondarily, the pollen in the sediment can help recreate what plants were there over time. Taken together, the work can help us understand the complicated relationship between humans, fire, ice/snow, and climate change. WA’s mountains and the entire area to the north of us was covered by ice just 13,500 years ago.
Wednesday, November 15
No CPAP – Oximetry for Nov 14: SpO2 low 81, 12 events <88% with overall avg., 90.7%. Avg. low SpO2, 87.4%. Pulse avg. 55.3, low 49. Slept 7 hrs 42 min.
I went to FISH Food Bank with eggs & tuna salad for myself, so I don’t have to eat pasta and green mixed salad with things in it I cannot have (because of Vitamin K content). I did have some baked apples (from there) to go along with it, and orange juice.
First, we played ½ hour of music, and then visited with our fan club members over lunch. Several sing along with us from their table. We provide the lyrics for them.
This afternoon I worked on several projects on the computer, while John is finalizing outside activities.
Amy Davison sent this of our Carpathian walnuts candied and roasted, and sent the recipe. She said her house smelled amazing. Daughter Haley shelled them.
Thursday, Nov 16
No CPAP – Oximetry for Nov 15: SpO2 low 84, 10 events <88% with overall avg., 91.1%. Avg. low SpO2, 88.2%. Pulse avg. 56.4, low 50. Slept 7 hrs 52 min.
I called Terri (the Activities Director) at Pacifica. We will need all the chairs for a big crowd of players today.
I had signed up for the Nov 16 Knudson’s Lumber Ladies Night Out, 6:00 – 7:30 – I’m taking some stuffed toys to donate to the Community Christmas Basket.
I didn’t realize I was double booking, because we are going to the local Audubon Chapter that night, in town from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. I took John to the center early, which is part of the Ellensburg Library, and there are many magazines people (we have too) put in the entrance way to share. He knew he would have a load of reading material. I dropped him off and got back to the parking lot before 6:00. There was a long line stretched from the front door, around the parking lot, and back toward the back of the store, where I had parked. It was chilly, but I had on a winter coat. I got to the door and one of my friends saw me and came back to visit. It was an interesting chance meeting. I saw only 3 others inside that I knew. It was a zoo. Many people signed up on Facebook, and 174 registered through that, but many others just showed up from the community. Anything one can put in a 5-gallon bucket (they loan) is 20% off. And, if you want something from the lumber yard, you have the personnel write what you will get later, and they charge you for it at 20% off. I went with a request for 3” nails (galvanized and zinc-coated for John’s outside projects), and I brought it home in a nice Knudson’s pink shopping bag, which was given to the first 100 customers. 
I took this before I left so I would know what he wanted. These are 4” and he wanted 3”.
I received a $5 coupon to use as Knudson’s Kash in December, so we can go back for anything else he might need. No men were allowed to this event. I visited several vendors and picked up some free samples from them (a lip balm and ice scraper). People who signed in on Facebook were given a gift, which was a bag of nice chocolates. John shared those when I got home. I left as soon as I could and barely got back to the Audubon chapter meeting before it started.
I took my camera to the Kittitas Audubon monthly meeting and videotaped part of the excellent presentation:
African Wildlife Safari-A Look at Kenya & Rwanda, by Doug Kuene
Photos from East Africa
Apologies for the left side of the lens being blurred. No clue why. I have cleaned off the lens. I only got 28 minutes of the talk, missing the mountain gorillas. (My battery ran out of electrons and I didn’t have another to substitute).
Friday, Nov 17
No CPAP – Oximetry for Nov 16: SpO2 low 79, 10 events <88% with overall avg., 90.0%. Avg. low SpO2, 87.0%. Pulse avg. 54.0, low 50. Slept 7 hrs 52 min.
We got up and to town for a fasting blood draw, requested by our new doctor. We made it there and back by 9:20.
Then I left for lunch at CWU, Geography, for our scholarship luncheon meeting, dropped off a check for my CWURA (retirement association) membership, ate a Chicken Caesar salad and a fun dessert, visited, and then drove down to meet John at Super 1, where he left his car and I drove mine to Costco (‘cause it needed gasoline). We got a good price there ($2.629/gal).
My main reason for going today was to get my prescription filled on my glasses for correction to my left eye (from the laser surgery, which did not return to better, as predicted). I will only have to use them for urban driving or for night driving because it also corrects for astigmatism. My right eye will only be improved slightly because it is still in good shape, but the left eye’s nearsightedness will be corrected to 4 times better. I chose the first frame I picked up, and probably looked at 5 or 6. It will take them about a week to make them. For $30 off, one can buy a second set; I decided to use the same type of frame and get a pair of sunglasses. That’s the only cost I will have because insurance covers the first pair. I haven’t needed any glasses in 20 years (because of my intraocular lens replacements in 1997).
Saturday, Nov 18
No CPAP – Oximetry for Nov 17: SpO2 low 83, 7 events <88% with overall avg., 91.1%. Avg. low SpO2, 87.9%. Pulse avg. 54.1, low 50. Slept 8 hrs 3 min.
Called Morris Uebelacker (he was hired at CWU as a geographer the same year I was hired, 1988). We had a great phone visit with the 3 of us, about his summer and fall (mostly river travels), and told him about the field trip tomorrow. It is in his part of the region and CWU colleagues will be there. I’m staying home because of a hiking component I’m not up to.
The rest of the afternoon was spent with music at Briarwood, and a nice meal the ladies (and one gentleman) prepare for us to share with the residents after we play. Today’s menu was multiple (calico) bean and ground beef soup, rolls, cracker/chips, and a dessert table with apple/pecan bread with caramel/coconut frosting, corn flakes cookies, chocolate chip w/ nuts cookies, and some containers of Jello (I think; I didn’t take any). We had a good turn-out of players and of audience. We always have fun there. I came home with a gift of a loaf of the apple/nut bread that Bill always makes for me (and I took him a birthday present, plus we sang happy birthday to him), and I brought home a little bag from Betty of her Corn Flakes cookies. She talked to me Wednesday at the food bank when we were there for playing music, and I told her I’d see her today. So she was ready. Usually, I take home leftovers of her cookies (not many), so she wanted to be sure I had some, in case. John took them with him on his field trip Sunday.
Started working on music once home, and it continued most of the day.
Sunday, Nov 19
No CPAP – Oximetry for Nov 18: SpO2 low 82, 5 events <88% with overall avg., 91.1%. Avg. low SpO2, 87.8%. Pulse avg. 55.7 low 50. Slept 8 hrs 28 min.
After getting ice off the car, John left for CWU.
I spent the morning doing music and several sinks of dishes. I washed a full dishwasher load that finished about the time he arrived home.
Changed my password on my CWU account. I need to ask how to access email there through MyCWU.
The field trip was to visit places scoured by the late Ice Age floods – 20,000 to 14,000 years ago. The final stop was at a place where lava erupted in a fiery curtain about 15 Million years ago. First picture is from Iceland, that shows what such a thing looks like.
Next is a view of Rock Creek Valley where the lava of the Rosa flood-basalt came through the surface. The violent eruption throws hot material into piles where, somewhat air cooled, it compacts, cools, and leaves mounds and ridges. Below, on the right shows the interior of a spatter-ridge. (John took these photos on Sunday, Nov. 19th.)
Some believe the eruption was along the bottom of the valley (black spots are cows). The scene is from the ridge where the right side photo is from.) The landscape has undergone a lot of action over 15 M. years, so it is hard to know.
John got home about 6 PM, in the dark. He fed the horses, and we fed cats, and ourselves. A couple of hours later, it began to snow and then changed to rain.
John got buckets under the drip line. So, the timing was good. It is really coming down! The buckets are half full.
Have a nice Thanksgiving week.
Hope your past week was fine.
Nancy & John
Still on the Naneum Fan