Monday, Dec 31
Today, I found that using Costco Pharmacy using Good RX (cash payment), will not be allowed if the medication is covered by a medical plan. If my insurance will cover it, I have to use it. That will not work. It’s better to stay local at Safeway, as long as they will offer the cash price as they have been doing.
I went to the lab at our hospital for all three doctors’ blood draws. Today, our AAC was closed, so I did not go for my 11:00 class, Silver Sneakers. Instead, I went by the food bank for the Senior Nutrition lunch and joined two people there today I know from the senior center. We had a very good pulled pork sandwich and gingerbread. I passed on the salad because of mostly spinach, but did have some cheese & macaroni with little smokies. I gave Mary Ann most of my smokies because I had a lot of the pulled pork.
Checked Goodwill to see if any Christmas tops are on sale. Found a vest and a sweatshirt for $1.49 each. Vest is red and white with snowy trees and snowmen. You’ll see it later on Wednesday.
Went to Rite Aid for the Magnesium BOGO for 3 bottles of Nature’s Bounty 500mg, with 200 tablets. I drove by and picked up boxes from a friend’s house along with a half dozen emptied egg cartons to give to a friend with 5 chickens.
Tuesday, Jan 1 HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The photo below greeted me this morning from my friend Evie, in Kittitas, from her photography composure, combining several firework displays her neighbors sent into the dark sky last night. 
Fireworks (composite of several exposures), 2019 by EvieMae Scheutz (not at her original resolution).
This morning I slept in longer than recently. True, we were up late with fireworks disturbing our dog. We were done field trialing and hunting when she was a puppy. We failed as puppy parents and she doesn’t like loud sharp noises.
I’m on a hunt for my winter boots. I think they are still in the house somewhere. I really need them before Saturday’s Raclette.
We each did chores around here today. John worked outside on feeding the horses and wildlife (birds, deer, and Douglas squirrel on both sides of the house, and John was out working with firewood. In getting wood to take to the Raclette, he sorted out some of the Cottonwood and carried it up to the county road. There is a sign: “Free fire wood” on a fence post and a passing neighbor will soon carry it away. We don’t need it, and hope someone does. There are about 2 wheel-barrow loads there, and another to go up.
I washed a load of clothes, am ready to wash dishes after I add the dirtied dishes from tonight, and I have started the process of printing an additional page and cover (got those printed). John has to remove staples from last year’s Jan/Feb audience music, and then I must add a last page and exchange for a new front cover list page. Then he will re-staple them for me. Finally, tonight I finished setting up the new music after he removed all the staples. They await his stapling tomorrow morning.
I worked on many other projects today as well, on the computer and with clothing, plus arranging my stops in town for tomorrow, while I’m there for two other events.
I can go to bed as soon as the dishwasher stops. I will cut the power and let it dry with the door partly open. John thinks dishwashers should be designed to stop, open the door six inches, and air dry.
Wednesday, Jan 2
I stopped at Kristen’s off Thomas Rd. to pick up stuff from her porch before 11:00 on my way to play music at the FISH Food Bank. We had quite a crowd of players and large audience too.
FISH Food bank-Nancy and Evelyn taken by Kevin
Above has me in my newest winter vest, but it was a bit too small, so I gave it to my friend Sharon in the KV F&F group, whom it will fit better.
Using the GoodRX cash price, I picked up John’s Tamsulosin at Safeway (90 tablets), with two refills left, and I met Evie outside Fred Meyer to transfer my package to her.
Called Rachel at hospital lab. She sent out all the labs to all three doctors… Stone, Wood, and Kim.
Thursday, Jan 3
Culligan service tech came at 9:30 to replace four filters under our sink. The final filter is a reverse osmosis unit, then there is a small tank that stores a couple of gallons of pure water. We use 2 liter soda bottles to have some stored, and smaller bottles to carry as desired.
I compiled all the music for Jan-Feb 2019 for my book and for Charlie’s & Gerald’s book, and put audience copies in my carrier.
I left early to play at Rehab but called the hospital to see about my lab record reports. I had requested copies of my recent 12/31 medical records from Cle Elum this morning, but found they were flooded from a water pipe breakage, and not able to have patients in the building or to have certain staff members working in their offices (e.g., Ed in Medical Records), so I found out he had come down to Ellensburg to put in his work day. I was able to pick up the reports today.
Evaluated my boots picked up on loan from friend in Thorp, Kathie. Started the cleaning process. Mice had used the boots as a hiding place for their stolen dog food pellets. They’re thinsulate-lined, steel toed, and fairly lightweight.
Friday, Jan 4
Scheduled to go to AAC for Chinese New Year at the senior center. It’s the year of the pig. We were served a split-pea soup, more like a stew, with lots of ham, carrots, and potatoes as part of it. I’m sorry I did not take a photo of a bowl of the soup, except I did take a few pix with people eating. Those pictures are not processed yet, and will have to be in a future blog. But here we are.
Good report by phone, received from my Wenatchee doctor on thyroid tests I had done 12/31.
I got John more chocolate brownies with frosting and eclairs for his birthday. He is fixing baked chicken, rice with chicken / mushroom /onion gravy, and just cut the next to last of the large Honey Crisp apples. We had sour cream/cheddar potato chips on the side. Pretty tasty.
Afternoon, grabbed boots from neighbor Joanie’s house.
Saturday, Jan 5
John had taken some Salmon from the freezer and baked it this morning. It is wrapped in heavy-duty aluminum foil, and in a metal pan. This will sit next to the fire at the Raclette.
Get ready to leave at 10:15 for White Heron. A couple of days ago John got the wood in the car.
Pictorial and video views with text on our 2019 (for 2018’s pruning efforts) Raclette, put on for the pruners and their family each year. Below are some of this year’s views (mostly different from the past), and links back to previous years for important information about a Raclette and the surrounding geology and viticulture of White Heron, owned by Phyllis and Cameron Fries.
Their winery web page is found here:
For our White Heron histories with lots of explanation through the years, you’re invited to view other years, below.
So here is this year: Most of the photos I will store elsewhere and give the link to attendees (and to you next week).
The sausages go in a cast iron pan. First, cuttings from the vines line the bottom, then about ½ bottle of wine is added. The iron cookware sits on a rock next to the flame and coals. The fire was started about 10:30. Coals, but not the fire, will go under the cheese.
The bottom picture above has deserts and veggies with dip. Pruner Tom makes a birthday cake. It is a carrot cake loaded with walnuts. The veggies came from Margaret and Mark Amara she made a wonderful artichoke dip.
Histories:
And now January 5th, for the 2018 pruning – last spring:
Greeting from their Collie, Altesse to Eric
Only 8 seconds Lynne & John plates: potato & sausage
About the following: you won’t be able to reach it. I still can from my laptop but the video was created here, so it will affect others differently around the world, trying to use the You Tube version, that was blocked by copyright.
The music was playing on a player behind me, Hotel California – Eagles, and YouTube catch music copyrights. It’s rather amazing the technology they must have. And it is only a total of 13 seconds.
Hi Nancy & John Hultquist, Due to a copyright claim, your YouTube video has been blocked. This means that your video can no longer be played on YouTube.
Video title: 13 seconds Cameron serves Lynne
Copyrighted content: Hotel California -Eagles
Claimed by: WMG
Here was the basic photo. The music was coming from my left.
Note the hot coals between the fresh Cottonwood logs.
Cameron is directing (scrapping) melted cheese onto Lynne’s potatoes. They were cooked in the same manner as the sausages.
This next one shows the green cottonwood holders John cut and took over, and this is him being served by 2nd server, Phil.
Here are views of the circle pruners, spouses, and friends.
One of the dogs is above, left. Other animals were involved but the chickens kept a greater distance.
White Heron’s cat in Linda’s Lap and also later in Nancy’s.
Near the end, we had several flocks of geese fly over; viewed through apricot branches.
Canada Geese (difficult to see on viewer)
At 4:00 pm we were the first to leave. It was dark when we got home at 5:15.
Sunday, Jan 6
I have spent most of my time today working on photos and videos from the Raclette yesterday, and need to finish this so I can also work on the photos and videos from the Chinese New Year Celebration on Friday at the AAC.
John’s been doing mostly outside chores in the sunny daylight. Parts of our county are fairly clear. Most of WA, especially the western part is stormy. This morning, over 300,000 were without power from a storm that came in from over the Pacific Ocean. Snowing from Canada to Mexico in the mountains. The same pattern is expected through the week; we will get cooler with snow.
Temps (5 mi south at the airport) went up to our high 42°, at 12:53 p.m. down to 41°, at 1:53 p.m., 41°, and down to 40 at 3:53 p.m. headed to 27° for a low. There was a 40% chance of rain or snow this afternoon and this evening, but we have seen none yet. Snoqualmie Summit is a mess of snow, slush, and ice. Chains are required except on all wheel drive vehicles. The road is still open both ways. Bet that won’t last all night.
John got the Stihl chainsaw started today and cut for 15 minutes out front, went around into the back yard, behind the fence, started again, and came in to tell me what was going on and help me with a satellite image question, and went back out to move and stack the cut pieces. He is working on trunks of Pines left over from the fire-wise work a couple years ago.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan