Sunday, Jan 20 Total Lunar Eclipse
John’s working on editing my addition to the blog, after feeding and walking the cats and dog.
Brunch of eggs, sausage, oranges, strawberries, and toast.
I managed to publish the blog at 2:37 p.m. while John napped. He does the majority of tasks required to publish it. He edits my treatise, and then I proof his; he puts that text into WordPress commands, adds the photos, and I proof again, mainly for spacing and checking links.
We experienced an exciting night watching the solar eclipse when the clouds parted. We only had a 15% chance of seeing it, and we saw the whole show. We were on the phone with a friend and her son watching from their house window in Ellensburg. We had to step out on our porch. Other friends lower in the valley were not as fortunate and had a near ground fog.
Here is an awesome photograph by Lise McGowan from her vantage point in Badger Pocket, southeast of us, at an elevation of 1965’. We are at 2240’ on the opposite side of the valley.
Permission granted to publish on our blog. More to come below.
Monday, Jan 21 MLK Day
This morning before I was up at sunrise, Lise McGowan, was watching the full moon set in the valley and captured this awesome photograph: (top) with my sunrise on the bottom tier.
Top photo by Lise McGowan; looking west toward Mt. Rainier
bottom by Nancy; looking southeast toward Denver
Staying home today to tend to projects. Filing first. Empty dishwasher. I paid the annual Long Term care insurance bill, Natural History bill with a new provider to save $10/yr.
John made a brunch of omelet (ham, cheese, red & yellow peppers, mushrooms), & home fries, with toast.
I sent out a message about Hearthstone, seeking count for chairs. Checked gas prices. Otherwise, a slow day.
Tuesday, Jan 22
We went by 7-11 to find the gasoline price for $2.57. We got it and saved money (3 ₵/gallon), over buying in Yakima at Costco, very unusual.
From there we went by the Church Community Clothing Bank to trade my size 6 men’s boots for the size I tried on that fit, size 8. They were no longer still there, so I’m hoping another pair will be donated later. I left the smaller ones there. See below, Saturday.
We headed to Yakima for the 6,000 mile service on the Crosstrek.
I went by Bi-Mart to check numbers and get some Tussin DM max. John’s “travel box” has knife and scissors so he got the plastic safety wrap off when we got to the Subaru dealer. I took a dose there. I’m getting better, but still have the lingering cough.
After the non-event car gig, we went to Costco for lunch, and to pick up a 10-pack of blue shop towels for a neighbor, and found Ziploc bags on sale, so got a box each of 2 types.
From the rest area on the hill, I called the lady who had some new underwear to give me. She lives a few miles south of Kittitas on Cleman Rd. She was ready at her front door to hand me the bags, and I met her for the first time and thanked her. There are nine pairs of panties: 4 cotton and 5 nylon ones. They are brand new—never been used I don’t know the rest of the story. We almost bought a house on that road, back in 1989.
Almost home through the snow, approaching our driveway, we saw a Bald Eagle in a tree. The first photo I made was from the car when John backed into the driveway. The snow on his back is obvious. Then we made a circle in a neighbor’s drive and slowly came back. I got a photo from the other direction. The snow was hitting my camera lens, and if we zoom in on the high resolution image, his right eye looks cloudy, or maybe I caught him blinking. We’ll never know.
John altered the color on the left, trying to get his head to show against the cloudy sky.
It’s 8:00 and probably has snowed two inches. Hopefully, it won’t keep snowing until tomorrow morning. I have to leave at 10:50 for the Food Bank music.
Wednesday, Jan 23
Another EvieMae photo:
North side of Craig’s Hill this morning by Evie Schuetz. This hill is a high point in Ellensburg, remaining from a 10 Million year old riverbed surface. It has interweaving silts, sands, and gravels.
John was up early shoveling and cleaning the snow from things.
Food bank & SAIL were on my agenda today.
We played our music and ate. Then on my way to exercise class, I stopped by a family’s house and picked up a large bag of bubble wrap I will give to a neighbor a few miles south and east of here. Also picked up my prescription at Super 1 and a head of lettuce. Then by the bank to deposit two checks. 25 years ago we were in the bank about twice a week. Now it’s twice a year.
I came home to work on a few projects, and at 5:00 p.m. I was so tired, I lay down for a power nap, and slept an hour.
John fixed leftover meatloaf, potatoes, and carrots, and added butternut squash to the mix for supper.
He went to bed before I did. I am ready to go now.
Charged up my Nikon and Exilim camera batteries for tomorrow.
Thursday, Jan 24
Checked the battery on the voice amplifier; it’s fine. Charlie will use it to lead the singing and call out the names of the songs.
This afternoon is Hearthstone music; 12 people are coming.
Tonight is Nick Zentner’s 3rd Premiere of “Nick on the Rocks”, his ~4/5 minute series describing landscapes of Washington. Our planning (feeding animals and ourselves) for the day had to include getting to CWU before a long line formed.
I stopped by on the way home for an Angus steak from the Palace that we shared for supper. It was the restaurant’s birthday gift to John; having to be claimed before next Thursday.
John just sent this link below to his sister in Ohio and a cousin in PA. This is about the cold approaching Chicago. I wonder how it will be when that air gets to Ohio & PA. Expected in the first week of February.
He’s been looking at cold temperatures predicted next week, and it will be very low and moving on to the east. We once knew a person with an outhouse for his bathroom in Fergus Falls, MN where it will be -36°F, next week.
Our major event this week is displayed below in full from my old Exilim camera on a tripod we carried to the viewing. The whole proceeding was over an hour. Below are shorter segments for each of the six “programs”, that have me trying to get better views.
The entire evening: (pull the start back to the beginning)
Nick Zentner: Season 3, Premiere, Nick on the Rocks
We made it to the SURC to Nick Zentner’s 3rd Premiere, Nick on the Rocks. I drove my car with my Emeritus Parking sticker, my retirement gift in place of a gold watch, and worth more and much more useful for going on the CWU campus for events. We got to the beginning of the line for the doors to open at 7:00 p.m.
I was planning on videotaping with two cameras, one on a tripod and one handheld. It was with Nick’s permission and happiness, because he shares my stuff with his mom back in Wisconsin who otherwise would be in the audience. I spoke to him at the start before the proceedings began, and he told me how much his mom appreciated the gift. It also helps Nick and the producers to hear the audience feedback from each program segment.
We had set up the tripod in the back of the room, and I planned to sit on the back row of seats that is up on a riser with my other camera I would handhold to follow Nick around the room to speakers with questions and comments for him to answer as well as to capture each separate program.
I turned on the camera on the tripod at the start, and handheld my other for capturing the comments prior to the lights dimming and the previewing of the PBS TV short pieces, averaging ~5 minutes. My intent was to isolate the Q & A after each segment.
The first part was the longest as it included Linda Schactler’s nice introduction to the PBS series and to Nick. He then introduced the first program and both are on the first segment, which lasted for 12 minutes.
When I stepped back to sit in my chair (in the upstairs theater on the back right row). I missed the step up to my chair and fell on my left arm. I jammed it into my shoulder. The tripod camera kept filming, but thankfully there was no noise and I was not in the view. My other camera was in my right hand and didn’t get hurt. I kept filming with my right hand only, because my left arm would no longer reach up. That meant I could not drive home, but John took over the duties.
Linda Intro & Nick–Ice Age Mystery of Lake Lewis
Q & A on Steamboat in the Desert
The Goldilocks Miracle of the Palouse
Q & A on Palouse w/ Chris Smart Again
Giant Ripples in the Scablands
I seriously doubt any of our blog readers want to get the full story of my LEFT shoulder diagnosis (severe arthritis), but if so here is the link back to September of 2016 when it was documented with photos discussing my situation and X-rays by Dr. Richard Roux with annotated pictures and all his discussion he allowed me to video and transcribe. I know I have a few new readers since this appeared.
“Bone-on-bone” by Orthopedic Surgeon”
I plan to request an appointment for a consultation this Monday, with Dr. Richard Roux, if I can get squeezed into his schedule. I am not better and need to have his opinion. Right now my arm is nearly useless, and painful. Maybe I need to go back to PT with Natalie Joyce for gentle stretching to regain my R-O-M.
Friday, Jan 25
Because of a miss-step last night, I’m staying home today with my injured shoulder. I cannot lift my left arm up to the front, and am unable to drive or do many normal living tasks.
So, today, I have cancelled all away from home activities. I’ll be missing the CWU Scholarship luncheon, the event at the AAC I was supposed to photograph, and was looking forward to joining in on the Wheel of Fortune game. The big wheel was constructed by the local high school shop class into a smaller version.
Here are photographs Roxanne sent me from the event, Wheel of Fortune; Game On! It was always my favorite game show and I wanted so much to be there.
Another two of Evie Schuetz’s photos: 
Evie’s gorgeous colors of the twilight on the Stuart Range from Manastash Hill. It is 50 miles across to the mountains.
The view an hour later.
Saturday, Jan 26
John did the morning livestock feeding and I took care of the cats.
I received an early email to come by the clothing center for a replacement pair of winter boots, that would replace the wrong size I returned this week. Luckily, my friend was going in to volunteer time this morning and picked them up for me.
Brunch was a pecan pancake with strawberries, egg, and sausage.
I continued working on video uploads, and other emails.
Gerald Gordon’s birthday today! And he has no email to receive an animated Jacquie Lawson card. So I called and sang,
♫♪♪♫♪♪ Happy Birthday, Gerald! ♪♪♫•**•..
Today’s Lise McGowan photo (Stuart Range behind)
This is located on Umptanum Rd. Note there are white wind towers to the left of the barn, on the hillside behind.
For more information, check this link:
Over 100 Barn Quilts in Kittitas County
Lise’s description of her photo: I enjoyed my drive through the backroads of Kittitas Valley. Came across several of the Barn Quilts. The quilt pattern selected to be placed on the barn has a special family story telling of ranching and farming and the women who quilted. Lise presented the above link for her readers.
I knew the couple who started that project in our county. Jacky & Gary Fausett. I knew them through musical connections. Jacky played the Bass Fiddle and Gary a guitar. They honchoed a Bluegrass Jam Sunday afternoons at the Swauk-Teanaway Grange for two years, which I don’t believe I ever missed. John went along too, and we always donated cookies or fruit. The Grange provided the coffee and space. We also know some of the others who helped with the painting and hanging.
Sunday, Jan 27
Today has been a non-event day. John did some reading while I worked on this, and some other computer chores.
We have a piece of fancy carrot cake for desert, when we get this posted.
We are watching (on the computer) the cold air flow from the Arctic region, across Canada, and into the northern tier of States. Where sister Peggy lives, near Cleveland, the Wednesday night low is expected to be -11°F.
Ouch!
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan