John wrote a two-part follow-up to the Liberty Lake Bridge Project from the last couple of weeks. It’s a nice pictorial educational discussion.
The specific entry links are below for the future, or just scroll down from this week’s blog post:
(2) PART TWO: CGB Project
Yep, John wasn’t consistent in naming the parts, a few days apart.
Monday, Oct 8
We started by visiting the foot doctor for both our toe nail clips we get periodically, funded by Medicare. Next one is in January, so that will cost us because of the roll-over of deductibles that restart the beginning of the year. Today was covered.
From there, we went to the senior center to use their Wi-Fi to download some updates to John’s “Smart” phone, which requires a Wi-Fi access. John’s phone was initially set-up there so as we walked in, it immediately connected. Our home Wi-Fi is not connected to the outside world.
While we waited for Katrina to get done with a meeting, I asked John to take my picture in another “new” outfit. Here I am:
What’s behind my head; my new plum pants; the Swan gourd.
It took 10 minutes but we got it done, and something else was updated as well. We each had a computer in the AAC’s computer room, while we waited. John was able to check on the progress of the hurricane over western Cuba, headed to the panhandle of Florida. I was able to manage some emails on several accounts. We left for lunch and returned for me to attend my SAIL exercise class. John had taken along my birthday present book on WA Geology, so he had a good read while I had a good session. We stopped by Super 1 on the way home. It was raining nicely for the rest of the afternoon.
Continued all night and filled our barrel out front, under the roof’s valley.
The next morning, I took a photo of the clever barrel setup John engineered from free barrels given to us on the Buy Nothing Facebook site. First picture is John’s start of the water flowing for the demo, which had operated through the night from roof runoff.
The video that follows demonstrates the cleverness at work of “engineer” John, reforming these plastic barrels given to us in damaged condition. The short white one had to be cut off to be useful. The taller one is bottom up, with the bottom cut out.
Barrels Capturing Roof Runoff at our Front Door
Connection from our past with a student from the 1990s at CWU.
In last week’s blog, I shared two newspaper stories about the day John went to the woods to assist with WTA trail building near Roslyn, only 35 miles from our home. I shared on Facebook the first story from the Yakima Herald, and got a couple of comments. The most interesting was from a student from the 1990s at CWU, who knew both John and me. We knew her by one name and she now goes by a different first name and her last name is her married name. She is interested in hiking and will be interested in working with John in future projects when he goes through Leavenworth (where she lives) on his way to WTA projects past Stevens Pass. He can pick her up on his way through and take her to the work site. She wants to give back to help with the trails she so much enjoys using.
Tuesday, Oct 9
John left at 11:30 to pick apples and I left at 11:45 for Costco, but came back by way of Ellensburg. John picked a bunch of Jonagolds and Galas. At the Eberhart Orchard he found lots of apples and a nice view of the Kittitas Valley. Our place is way across, about 12 miles, at the center line of the car.
I filled my car with gasoline at only 3.19/gal (in Ellensburg it’s up to 3.35/gal). John has to fill up tomorrow or Tuesday. Oops, just checked the Costco price. It’s up to 3.25/gal. We are usually 10₵ higher up here.
I picked up both our meds, had a sandwich for lunch and brought ½ home to John (Baked Turkey & Provolone). The Wests introduced us to that the last time we were there for lunch with them. Also got some Sunset Plums/Prunes for my friend Gloria.
I took pictures too. The drink is not Coke, rather it’s PowerAdeZero. I took in my insulated bottle holder.
My half sandwich, with my bottle of PowerAdeZero – The pointy hill is now called Pushtay. It was changed from a name some thought was derogatory, and the State accepted a change proposed from the Yakama Nation, the Wanapum Indians and U.S. Army. If you want to know more about this one and many more, there’s a book with the subtitle of How Maps Name, Claim, and Inflame, by Mark Monmonier (a geographer). LINK
Wednesday, Oct 10
I was up at 6:30 and stayed up because of being worried about so many things I have left to do before Friday. I didn’t get to the main one, but made a dent in all the rest.
I went to FISH Food Bank for noon music and then to SAIL and by Amy’s to drop off some garden/orchard stuff.
John’s going to unload apples and work with his walnut harvest (Carpathians, not black), and not pick apples until tomorrow.
I wore another pair of pants of the new bunch, a navy blue pair by some company with only 3 initials (EHL). [John says: This is one of those companies that bought another via a huge debt, and then filed for bankruptcy a year later {1995}. EHL = Eddie Haggar Ltd.]
With them I added a nice smaller fancy dressy sweatshirt in light blue. I took my camera along to the AAC for SAIL and asked one of our new AmeriCorps folks, Roxanne Laush, to take my picture in the same place I took hers yesterday.
Optical illusion. I’m really not smaller than Roxanne, but I wanted more of my outfit in the photo so that’s what I got. This is another new outfit with smaller clothes size, both gifted.
Thursday, Oct 11
Called Roberta’s cell phone requesting 12 chairs for KV F&F playing at Meadows Place. A baker’s dozen actually came to play: Amy, Charlie, Dean, Evie (stands), Gerald, Kevin, Laura, Manord, Marilyn, Maury, Minerva, Nancy, & Sharon.
John and I planned our schedules so he would meet me at the Senior Center after my music. He delivered 2 boxes of apples for the staff to wash and dry. 
They have clay (white Kaolin) sprayed on for insect control, and where sun is intense, for lessening of sunburn. [Web photo]
I wrapped up my case with the violin to keep it warm. We went in John’s blue car to focus on picking Honeycrisp apples. Some are very large, and some have issues. We got about 15 odd boxes – some wine boxes, but others too.
I came home and spent a lot of time cleaning off the table that housed the CPAP machine so I could get to the parts and the power cord to clean up. Need to sort and pack the other supplies and put all in a box to transfer to Suzy when she comes from west of Yakima, to visit her mom. Mom is now in an assisted living facility in EBRG.
Friday, Oct 12
I talked with Cody at our Cle Elum doctor’s office. She checked on medication conflicts with Robitussin Dm cough syrup, none, so then I called around to find the best price. John is going to town to deliver some apples to a couple people and to go by Bi-Mart for getting the liquid to treat my cough that has gotten worse, plus with added congestion. Bi-Mart was the only place that had the 8-ounce one I wanted, (others only had 4 oz), and theirs was $10.99. If I doubled the 4-ounce price from Rite-Aid, it would have been $14.29; Super 1 would have been $13.96. Bi-Mart wins, and I will get the larger bottle. John got there and realized they had the GoodSense generic version of the same exact cough syrup bottle for 3 bucks, $8 less !! – it’s named Tussin Dm. That is really quite incredible, but it’s doing the job well and I’m grateful to John for looking.
While at Bi-Mart he also bought a bunch of 40-lb. bags of Black Oil Sunflower seeds, at $17.99 each. This is way down from the ones he bought a week or so ago, in the mid-$20s range, at a feed store. Also, Bi-Mart’s normal price on them is $24.00.
While in town, John is dropping off some apples to our friend, Mary Ann Macinko, and we will take more by next week for others of her friends and relatives. He also took a big box by to our new neighbors, who recently moved to Ellensburg. We met the mom and her 3 daughters, but have yet to meet the dad, who was at work.
I stayed home today to get well and go through paperwork. I made a few phone calls, worked on the computer, the dishes, and forgot to make a couple of phone calls I needed to, even after remembering to make several. Guess I needed to make a to-do list to follow today, to keep me on track.
Saturday, Oct 13 . . . . My parents anniv., 1937
I slept in after getting up the first time and putting food out for the cats at 6:30. Once up, I check our joint email and found a note from our friend, Suzy West, that she would be coming up to visit her mom in Hearthstone today, so we await a call this afternoon to go in and meet her after she makes a trip to the parents home (now with one of the kids there) to pick up some stuff.
I’ve been finishing packing up my CPAP machine and all the supplies for her to have to try out and use. I no longer need to use it, because my heart is providing sufficient SpO2 to my blood during sleeping time (the only reason I was put on it).
While working on the “stuff”, I got a call from a gal in my exercise class, and I just put her on speaker phone and kept talking. My cold symptoms are much better after using the cough syrup John got for me yesterday, and I’m still taking it when needed (only once today).
John is busy building a structure in our little once-red barn. It is a raised platform, about 6 feet off the dirt floor. The bags of bird food will go there and not have mice get into them. Is hope a plan? Anyway, it is starting to get near freezing in early morning if the sky is clear. Apples are there now, but will have to be moved into the house or garage soon.
I have fixed my brunch (eggs, sausage, tomato, toast), and John has returned to eat his lunch (re-heated pizza). We await a call from Suzy, that came at 3:30 and I managed to locate John to drive to town. We returned a couple hours later.
First stop, Super 1 parking lot to turn over the box of CPAP stuff. We gave her about 15 pounds of apples, with 3 different kinds.
The back of our car when we left for town, had things for several people. Pictured are the apples and the CPAP box full.
One apple box went to Wests, other to Mary Ann Macinko, and the right box was the CPAP machine and parts, plus supplies.
After the delivery in the parking lot, we went to Bi-Mart for three more bags of Black Oil Sunflower Seeds and some of my Fisherman Friends cough drops (original strength, menthol).
Then on to Briarwood to deliver some clothing to a lady and her husband. I have known her brother through music since the 1990s). And, one more stop at the Pacifica Senior Living Apartments on Mountain View, to drop off apples with Mary Ann. She has many friends and relatives in EBRG, so may take more to her is she unloads these.
Sunday, Oct 14
Day began with emergency events for neighbors and for one of our outside cats, Czar. John took care of opening the gate and feeding the horses, and now is driving our neighbor to KVH to pick up his brother’s van, after the brother drove himself in with a heart attack last night. Brother was carried to Yakima, and is now doing well – we guess – after procedures in the Cardiac catheterization unit. However, yesterday, the well brother’s truck blew its radiator when about 50 miles from here. Problems galore for this family.
On John’s way out, he spoke to one of our outside cats, Woody, and yelled at me to come feed her. When Czar heard his voice, he meowed from behind the door of our shed, where he spent the night (John was in and out of it working yesterday afternoon). I should have realized that, when I didn’t see him this morning. He is always by the front door waiting for his dry food, as early as 6:30. The only one to appear was Sue, and I had fed her as well as the inside/outside cat.
Then we got some brunch and John put the boxes in his car, and we went over to the orchard to pick apples. We started with Honeycrisp, but they were not in the best of condition. Some are quite large – softball size +. We filled half the boxes, and moved uphill to the Galas. We had a great fall day. Now we’re back home and offering some to another neighbor farther up the road. Tomorrow, we will take some to the senior center and to a person who I know from there and from Nick Zentner’s field trips and lectures. She’s the one who will be giving us some English walnuts this coming week.
All cats ate something tonight.
John baked an apple/blueberry pie that now should be cool enough to eat. It’s time.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan