Meteorologists, the weather folks, work under the assumption that spring begins March 1st. Mother Nature doesn’t always get the memo.
. . . …Snow in Tahoe … 
S. Lake Tahoe, Sonja Willitts’ place, 3/3/18, 3 feet in 3 days.
This Sunday morning {11 March}, on the Naneum Fan, the blue sky, morning sun, and little birds at the Sunflower seeds are companions as I work to get Nancy’s prose into WordPress.
Sunday, Mar 4
Late yesterday afternoon, we published the blog about 4:40 p.m. I was so tired, I lay me down for a 20-minute power nap, with an alarm set for 45 min, but I slept through it and John’s trip to feed the horses. I think I slept for over an hour. Guess I really needed the rest.
I have been working on finishing the music sheets (PDFs) to send to the group but am only part way through now, and found a missing one I have to contact my cohort with the software for Finale SongWriter 2012 music on her computer to get her to send me her copy tomorrow morning, I hope, of the .mus file created. We normally share those so we can share and she can edit the music score. [update: She had one of the two I requested, but only the PDF document for the other (Whistling Gypsy Rover) so I’ll just go with the PDF from last year and worry later about finding the SongWriter version apparently in my old system (for 2010) on the old Toshiba laptop. I thought I moved over all the old ones to the new Dell computer.] We have to print from the SongWriter or create a PDF from there to share with the group so they can print on their own computer all the songs for the next month (or two).
I sent all the PDFs to the group, the Kittitas Valley Fiddlers & Friends, and most of them can print the additions, to add to last year’s play list for March & April.
Even with my nap yesterday late afternoon, I slept in this morning. John has been out to take care of the animals and I have fed two of the outside cats.
I continue working on Elaine Harvey’s Ph.D. letter of recommendation to UI, but I’m still a long way to go before I can submit it. [update, 3/10, finished the last draft and sent electronically to be there Monday a.m. for the Admissions Office to add to her file].
Monday, Mar 5
I worked on getting the master setup to print back to back six songs for 3 add-on pages to audience copies. Need to make a new cover for the audience copies and then find them and get John’s help taking out two staples from each copy. I will then have to remove the ending pages that are being replaced, and the cover, which also needs replaced.
We left for town at 12:30 to get our toenails trimmed at 1:15 p.m. It’s normally covered by Medicare every 3 months, but we will likely have to pay for this first one, because we haven’t reached our deductible yet this year.
We went by Super 1 for Pate’ cat canned food. It was an awesome price at 44¢/can. Normally 47¢ at Costco, but only with 4 flavor choices in a box of 32. This sale included ‘bits’ as well, but the only place in town selling them the cheapest is at Pet$ense for 49¢. Our 4 cats go through a can per day. They have hard kibbles 24/7 in a feeding house.
We went by Safeway for stuff – getting Powerade Zero at a great price 79¢/32 oz when buying 5. Why they do stuff like this is beyond comprehension. Along that line of thought: I collected my refund for a pricing mistake last week. A sale (~1/3 off) of Pillsbury brownie mix did not make it into their register. The receipt never shows the cost, but rather someplace on the tape there will be an amount subtracted. I’m usually home for an hour before I figure out what they have done. Crazy! So, I got my refunds, and I received an extra $1 for my time & trouble.
Tuesday, Mar 6
John stayed home from wine grape vine pruning to hold Myst for David to trim her feet at 10:00 a.m.
I left for a haircut around our rural block to Celia’s at 12:00. I was very ready for the cut.
Then back to get John and drive to Yakima for my 2014 Subaru maintenance and 30,000-mile work over appointment at 2:15. We got there in good time and checked in. I had taken my laptop because we were expecting a long wait. They did not disappoint us… taking 2 hrs, 20 min. 30,000 is one of Subaru’s mileage points (also 60K & 90K) where they do numerous things not part of the standard oil/lube package. Our dealer’s charge seems to be less than many other large city areas, from what John has seen on the web. Anyway, this is a good income stream for the dealer, and it seems to keep our cars running as they should.
Modern cars are complicated machines with many moving parts.
See this article for an example: Lineartronic Continuously Variable TransmissionThis is a “steel” belt that moves, and acts like the “chain” on a bicycle. It needs to work perfectly. If it fails, it is like sudden cardiac death for your car. Okay, the belt can be replaced and the damage repaired more easily than your heart.
Back to my communication issues at the Subaru service window: I started with giving them my cell phone, and asking them to notify Greg, the service manager to check out my Bluetooth set up because it has been experiencing alternately unintelligible messages to others when I call from my car, using the Bluetooth connections. I have started parking and turning off the car and dialing on my cell phone without going through the Bluetooth. That makes it a pain for not being able to call hands free from the car when I’m on my way home, and only have to push HOME on the screen. Because the problem is intermittent, I don’t think they were able to do anything about it, but I have tested it once on my way home and it worked all right. I will continue the testing next week, when my trips to town resume.
While there, we went to Costco, and filled my tank, only needing 5.5 gals, but the price is right at $2.69/gal. and the lowest in Ellensburg is $2.87/gal. Then inside for a few stops.
We got our cash refund, from using our Visa card on the premium membership, where we get 2% rewards for all purchases from Costco, 4% on gasoline there, and 1% on all other purchases anywhere. We receive a nice total with every February statement. This year’s (for last) was $286.35. Costco is a membership place, so this isn’t quite the good deal that it seems, with the membership rate being over $100. Their pharmacy prices in some cases are significantly less (more than ½ the price of any pharmacy in Ellensburg).
Checked on my Good RX coupons (for what they have in my file) for prescriptions. They only had Atorvastatin, and I forgot to ask if they had my refill instructions in on anything else. I’ll have to call on that.
I went by the optical dept. to have an adjustment of my sunglasses. Seemed crooked, and they also fixed a place of the metal frame exposed that would cut my finger when removing my glasses. All fixed now.
We detoured through EBRG on the way home, for the principal reason of going by 14th St. & Water to pick up two boxes of baby clothes and toys, which are going later this week to Idaho with a friend of a friend to receive in Moscow, ID. Because we had to pass by Super 1 Grocery, we stopped in to see and buy some of the sale priced cat food.
Wow – I got my add-ons for the audience copies (three back to back pages to add to the end and one list at the beginning, and now need to get John’s assistance un-stapling, so he can re-staple the rearranged 24 copies.
Saves me a trip and money to Xerox. Costs us our time and some paper & ink. John had to replace my Magenta this morning.
I put Jennifer Webber’s phone in my cell phone. She lives on Fox Rd, across the county road from friends, the Orcutts. It’s 11.1 miles from us via Rader, Fairview, Brick Mill, Venture, Lyons, to Fox Rd. She is donating a Raggedy Ann and a Raggedy Andy doll for the packages going to Moscow, Idaho. Destination: Laura (Applegate) and Robert Heinse for their newborn twins! Here are the recipients: 
Laura Applegate Heinse with Reija and Otto, born 2-15-18.
Laura was a CWU student, lived, and worked in EBRG. We’ve kept in touch since she moved to Idaho, and got a job in the Palouse Conservation District office.
Wednesday, Mar 7
I did not have to call Jennifer to pick up the rag dolls. She will put them out at her gate by the road and I will pick up there this morning. I set up the meeting with Stephen (friend of Laura, whose wife is about to have their first baby) tonight to pass over the boxes and the dolls. I glanced at the stuff (clothes & toys) – the mothers will have to sort it all out.
Wash dishes. I started running the add-ons for the audience copies and ran out of black ink. I will wait for John to get home to change and not risk screwing up the only replacement cartridge we have left. Note: time to order inks.
These two dolls were given to me north of Kittitas, WA to send to the twins. An interesting side note. These dolls are washable in a (preferred front loading) washing machine!
Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn for hair and has a triangle nose. Johnny Gruelle received US Patent D47789 for his Raggedy Ann doll on September 7, 1915. The character was created in 1915 as a doll and was introduced to the public in the 1918 book, Raggedy Ann Stories.
Washed dishes, and put Stephen’s phone into mine. Now I need to charge my phone and get a snack.
John replaced my black ink cartridge in the printer and I finished assembling all the audience copies. So, he was ready a little after 4:00 to staple them all together; two staples in the upper left corner. Now I’m set to go.
Thankfully, I was well enough to attend Nick’s geology talk tonight. We arrived before the doors were to open at 6:30, and got a front row seat, just 2 away from the center of the room.
Burlingame Canyon – 40 Floods; right pic by Bruce Bjornstad
Tonight’s presentation was titled: “Dating the Ice Age Floods”
(1) Nick’s Introduction via Chalk Boards of the topic for the evening
Introduction via Chalk Boards
(2) Nick Zentner 3-7-18 VISUALS, “Dating the Ice Age Floods”
Introduction via Visuals
Recall, the video version will be replaced by a later triumvirate videoing team capture and editing into a professional recording of the evening, which will be uploaded to YouTube, for all 4 nights of this year’s Hal Holmes Downtown Lecture series. When they are completed, I’ll include the links in this blog.
Once done, I turned on my phone and caught the message from Stephen that he made it town and was several blocks and around the corner from where I was. So, we went and met him parked in front of the Courthouse, and transferred the baby goods and toys to his car.
We got home late, but John had already fed the animals and we had eaten chicken sandwiches while waiting for Nick to begin.
Thursday, Mar 8
John took off for his pruning activities this morning. It is snowing and changed to rain for my day out. They had okay pruning weather over at the big bend of the Columbia River.
I fixed breakfast and fed the cats. I still was working on finishing the music copies to put in my own book and one to give to two of the players. It got done in time and I loaded everything in the car to take off early for my blood draw before going to the Meadows Place.
We had a good turn-out at the Meadows of players and audience. This was our first time for some of this music, and for some of the players, a very first time for all of it.
Haley was there in her Leprechaun outfit and danced hard to Irish Washerwoman, delighting all the residents. 
Friday, Mar 9
Wind blowing severely started in the early morning, reaching 38 mph gusts. Sun is shining and John has fed and left for White Heron. I’m staying put today, missing my SAIL exercise class. One more rest day, and I’ll resume those activities Monday.
I have my agenda cut out. I must finish the letter of recommendation for my former student to enter a Ph.D. program. I have other projects that must be completed that have been ignored while I was sick.
I received the results of my lab draw yesterday (INR=1.8) and have to increase my dosage of Coumadin tonight to raise the low reading. I also will have wine with dinner to raise it. It will be checked again next Thursday by blood draw.
Through the kitchen window John saw the Merriam turkeys in the front yard. I grabbed my camera and went for pictures (first at the window). They kept coming. It was amazing. I think we ended up with 17 or 18. And a couple of videos, you see below this collage of images.
Merriam Turkeys Coming – Mar 9, 2018
Merriam Turkeys Going – Mar 9, 2018
Saturday, Mar 10
We both slept in until about 7:30.
Early this morning my friend Maude Buszek (‘Nancy J’, friend since the 6th grade) sent via Facebook this picture of an albino doe she took this morning on a walk in Michigan. 
An albino doe, photographed by my long-time friend, Maude Buszek, Michigan. About an hour north of Detroit.
Sadly, I’m missing the wedding in Vancouver, WA of Rebekah LaBar and Vincent Lo. I’ll have to be there in spirit. Check down in this blog later today to 1:00 p.m.
Only people with Facebook can follow this video of Pan Handler Rag practice for March 17th in Nampa, ID with Bobbie Pearce (piano), her daughter Katrina Nicolayeff (left-handed fiddler) and others.
But check this link BELOW out: (if you don’t have Facebook access)
Panhandle Rag by Bobbie Pearce (piano), daughter Katrina Nicolayeff (left-handed fiddler), and others, in practice for Mar 17th Junior Jammers’ performance.
Panhandle Rag by my former teacher & daughter
The link they posted on Facebook (FB) is not reachable by many of our friends (including John) without a FB account, so I played it in my lap and videoed from my computer laptop. It is not as good on sound, but you get the idea. I gave you the Facebook link in case you want to experience it on FB, and there you can set the sound to be on when it starts. You’ll see on my capture, I have a few seconds without, until I could reach for the mouse and turn the sound on. I don’t know why it reset to mute, after I viewed it once.
I found this other version or Panhandler Rag by fiddler Dave Reiner and Andy Reiner backing him on an Octave Mandolin. I have never known of an octave mandolin. This was filmed at Mark O’Connor Camp.
Pan Handler Rag by the Reiners – Mark O’Connor’s Camp
Before I leave this subject, check out this link, for the history of Mark O’Connor’s Fiddling Camp:
Story of the Formation of Mark O’Connor’s Fiddle Camp
I sent off my draft LOR to Elaine Harvey, and she has okayed it, so I will now find the link and upload the document digitally to the Admissions Office at the University of Idaho.
John fixed us brunch today, and is out working again while the sun shines. We had (baked) eggs with ham, mushrooms, and cheese, half each of a navel orange, and a piece of toasted Hazelnut with sesame seeds bread.
1:00 p.m., now the bewitching hour has arrived, and I’m sad to be missing an international wedding I planned to attend today in Vancouver, WA to participate in the ceremony to join Rebekah LaBar and Vincent Lo, in from Sydney, Australia for the week. My pneumonia got in the way and I had to cancel my trip. I have been enjoying a wonderful photographic lead in to the day all week. It continued this morning and I await the wedding photos.
Here are a couple of engagement pictures in Vancouver, WA at Orchards Community Park, taken by Clarissa Noel, Photographer, earlier in the week.
I’m going to take a break and submit on line digitally, my Letter of Recommendation so that is off of my list of to-dos. I’m tired of the stress. I’m the only one who can do this.
~~ IT IS DONE ~~ acknowledgment copied and sent to Elaine.
Now – for last minute photos of the wedding. Thanks to Caitlin for publishing these tonight after the festivities. We will see the professional ones later on, on the photographer’s website.
During the wedding, Robin, John, Caitlin, Rebekah, Vincent; right, after, coming in to the reception (Vincent, Rebekah, with Mom, Robin)
Sunday, Mar 11
Publishing this midday, after enjoying the rest of yesterday’s omelet with trimmings.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan