Sunday, April 7
Big surprise we published the blog at 10:53 a.m., this morning. I needed to get it out to send to the speaker from Thursday night, and I also need to send some of the links to my email list for the Ice Age Floods-Nick Zentner group, because another Nick Zentner lecture will occur in 3 days.
We had a nice brunch, and I need to now finish the information to send to the CWU-Old folks (CWURA) about our volunteering in the community.
John’s now out planting flowers and arranging the bed to remove some of the tree limbs to provide more sunlight. He’s planting Hollyhocks, Day Lilies, and Phlox.
I’m still working on the CWURA stuff and throwing in some cleaning dishes to the mix. Finally got the CWURA information sent off.
Also responded to the speaker from Thursday night.
Now it’s time to think about going to bed. We had our dessert, cheesecake with peaches.
Monday, April 8
Morning pruning was canceled because of the rain, but postponed to afternoon. John left about 11:40 to be there, and got home after 5:00 p.m.
I tried Silver Sneakers today and it was way too much for my left arm; even my right arm hurt. I told Roxanne I was not ready yet. So sad. I took along $10 for Anne Engels to cover her purchase for me at Costco of Litehouse Blue Cheese Dressing.
I did go afterwards to the Food Bank and they had an interesting lunch. Turkey chunks in gravy served over steamed rice with microscopic pieces of carrots and corn. Side of oranges cut very strangely making them totally difficult to eat. And, a nice roll with cold butter. Oh well, it was a free meal – not bad for the most part.
Then off for a blood draw at the hospital and it went fine.
Went by Safeway for some fried chicken (their Monday special), which we will have tonight and bought John some colas and for me some PowerAdeZero at a good price. Then by to pick up my seamed up (hole) in my pants from Rita at Briarwood. By the gas station to fill up my empty tank. When I drove by 7-11 this morning, on my way in, I saw the price was $3.08; I should have stopped but thought I was lacking time. I also drove by the City Hall to pick up a coupon for John to use to go to the transfer station and dump a full pickup truck load of household waste and by a friend’s house to drop off a donation for the Kittitas Audubon local chapter 30th birthday party with a silent auction for bird art. Later in the day when I went back on my way home, the gasoline price at 7/11 had increased to $3.14 ~ not nice, so I turned around and went back downtown to Circle K and got it for $3.11.
Started raining again tonight. Wonder if the pruning will be delayed again tomorrow morning. Sue (cat) arrived at the front door for a late dinner and pet. She’s usually there very early morning, afternoon, and late evening.
Tuesday, April 9
John’s leaving for White Heron pruning at 7:40 a.m. Just home for me today.
I sent to Mark Francek at Central Michigan University, a recommendation of Mike Poland’s presentation to the IAF group last Thursday night for adding to his weekly Earth Science Web Sites send.
I sent out the three videos I took of Mike Poland’s presentation to the Ice Age Floods group of email addresses I have collected.
Continuing to update Thursday KV F&F attendance at Meadows.
Finished and send note to Roxanne and Katrina about upcoming events at the AAC.
Called Midstate Coop and paid our bill. Debbie scanned my payment receipt and emailed it to me.
Working on dishes and just filled in and printed the 4868 extension form to mail with check to the IRS before April 15th.
Volunteer Recognition Dinner – table centerpiece
Note the baseball theme. Peanuts, Cracker Jack®, and the glass jar is setting on a green outfield with only part of the infield showing (lower left). John has a Philadelphia Phillies jacket (a yard sale find) and forgot to wear it. {Actually, I forgot there was any sort of a theme at all.}
We went and had a good time. Didn’t win any door prizes but did have a lot of food and handouts including: Roasted peanuts, Cracker Jack®, red licorice, coupon for free Dairy Queen soft serve ice cream cone.
We sat across from Haley, Amy, and Dustin Davison, and at the end, Haley with her dad, went to retrieve our box of Girl Scout Cookies from their trunk. That’s a follow-up story. Haley sold more cookies than anyone ever expected – 453! At $5/box, that’s over 2 grand! Now, our question is, how much of that money gets back to the Girl Scout troops. 
Haley has both front teeth upper left with the Girl Scout pledge; tonight she had one less but showed us the other was loose and about to leave. At the sales booth at Super 1, she was minus two front teeth, but she sold the remainder of her boxes of cookies.
I once was a girl scout in Troop 327 in Atlanta, GA. I made it to Curved Bar.
Cookies cost a tenth then of what they do now. Here is the Girl Scout pledge that I remember till this day: On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country – To help people at all times – And to live by the Girl Scout Law. (whatever that is) – I now know because I found it on the web: the Scout Law includes 12 challenges to be: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, clean, and Reverent. So there. Now just live up to the Scout Law.
Wednesday, April 10
John left for pruning.
I started by going to the Emeriti meeting at Hearthstone. I packed the cake and cookies, the colorful plates, the plastic utensils, serving plates, and paper towels for the place mats. I took a box of large lemons sent from Cathedral City, CA by John Ressler to share with the retired geographers and their wives.
{Previous post has a photo of one Lemon.}
Not everyone had arrived yet, but here is Ken Hammond, Dee Eberhart, Barb Eberhart, Jo Hammond, Jim Huckabay, Carla Kaatz who had to leave early to instruct a class of Tai Ji Quan. Not bad for a gal who just turned 90.
This we shared with those there. The Big Bertie in the middle weighed 1 lb 3 oz.
Others there, Mary Ann Macinko, Jim, and Diane Huckabay
After our fun meeting, I cleaned up the room at Hearthstone, drove to the FISH Food Bank for lunch music, ate with several people after we played and sang music for 40 minutes. I also had made my own salad to take along for lunch (because I can only have iceberg lettuce, not the dark green lettuce and spinach they put in the mixed greens salad (because of being on the blood thinner Coumadin). I carried my Blue Cheese dressing along separately so I could mix it once there. John cut me some smoked turkey and apple cubes to add. I forgot to put in the pistachios. I packed croutons (Cheez-its) that work fine.
John planned to be home by 1:30, but there was an overturned semi blocking Eastbound lanes on the Vantage Bridge. It took him at least an extra ½ hour. DOT blocked off one of the west bound lanes for emergency and police vehicles.
The two lanes headed west had to merge to one. Earlier, all lanes were closed because fuel spilled and a fire had to be put out.
The image above shows a truck (near orange dot) making the turn onto the bridge approach after coming down a 1.5 mile hill.
The truck in the photos was (a) going to fast, (b) hit by a gust of wind coming across the river, or (c) had an inattentive driver. Maybe all three? The entire truck went over the center-line concrete barriers. Note orange bar. Luck was with the driver. The truck did not make it over the railing and into the river, and he had only minor injuries. 
You can see the truck is headed the wrong way in the eastbound lanes. No other person or vehicle was involved. The bridge was closed from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. for cleanup. John got through toward the bridge in the one lane of westbound traffic.
As soon as he helped me in with all my stuff, he left for the transfer station to get rid of a load of household garbage, using a coupon for spring cleanup, and was the offer of the City of Ellensburg. That should save us ~$18. I think he said he had 550#.
Nick Zentner’s second “downtown” lecture is tonight. We got there just after 6:00 p.m. to get our seat up front.
My videos are below. Following later is a professional edited version on YouTube that will be distributed by Nick Zentner to the email addresses he has in his system.
Nick Zentner with board intro & title slide of the excellent visuals
Remember, please, that I upload these as “unlisted” on YouTube and not as “public,” so share sparingly.
Plant Fossils of the PNW (Part 1: Boards)
Plant Fossils of the PNW (Part 2: Visuals)
From Nick’s lecture last week, you will find below the professional YouTube recently posted. You can get access to all his “downtown” professionally created videos through the CWU YouTube site. Just click on subscribe. I have not previously been on there. The other thing to check out with Nick is his website, nickzentner.com which has all his stuff, back through the years, including his 2-minute geology series that sometimes exceeds that time. It’s definitely worth a visit.
Nick Zentner: April 3, 2019 Supercontinents and the PNW
This was videotaped and edited by a young man, Julian Smart. He has done a fantastic job.
Thursday, April 11
John left late for White Heron, but should make it fine.
I started my first Fossils lecture send at 8:06 a.m. and it is going up much faster than last week, thank goodness. I don’t know what the problem was last week. It should be up by 9:30 a.m.
Sent second Fossils send (Visuals) at 9:40 a.m. that should be done by 11:25, and amazingly, it was! It was recorded 10 minutes longer than the first.
I charged the battery in my mic for music and called in the count of 12 to Meadows Place Senior Living, where we played today. Charlie (12 string guitar) is coughing and cannot be there today, so I called and changed the count to 11 arm-less chairs.
Now I have to pack up stuff to take with me. Stuff for Amy & Haley, my own things. I was loaded down, so I drove to the front door and unloaded my stuff under the roof (it was starting to rain), and parked my car. A friend met me there with a denim white jacket and red blouse that no longer fit her. They fit me.
We had a good turnout of audience and happy people. They always like our being there to entertain, and visit with them afterwards. We did something different today. We went around the semi-circle and each person introduced themselves and the instrument they play. We have some interesting and different types in our group. I only have two photos from today, but will describe the others. Marilyn was first with her new instrument which is stringed as a mandolin (same as a violin), but put on a twangy banjo base; Maury introduced his dobro; Charlotte her guitar; Gerald, his guitar and how he learned to play it in his lap (like a dobro), when 12 years old, from a local “colored lady” who lived near the Dudley Bridge over the Yakima River in Thorp; Tim presented his Cittern, used in Europe in the 16th & 17th century; Dean showed his harmonica and mentioned how he didn’t have to tune his instrument; I was next with my violin, and then Joanie with hers; Amy introduced all the instruments she plays as a one woman band: Flute, penny whistle, violin, and mini washboard; Sharon on Bass Guitar, Minerva on guitar, and Anne with her tambourine.
Here are my only two photos (Left was at Meadows)
4/11 Nancy with Hopf 1889 violin; Tim & Cittern (taken 3/15/19)
I went by Safeway for John’s prescription and by Super 1 for mine. After leaving music, I had to fight heavy rainfall. It has started again tonight here at home. Moscow, ID and Pullman, WA have had flooding with more rainfall happening still. I cannot reach the video because it is on Twitter, and my account was disabled for some unknown reason.
Friday, April 12
John left for White Heron for pruning, taking a few lemons to share with Cameron and the pruners.
I plan to go to the Post Office in Kittitas to send our 4868 extension request to San Francisco with a payment for the 2018 taxes. I have to find my external CD drive to load the Turbo Tax software needed to complete our tax form.
After a reminder call from an office in Yakima, I called Cameron and the pruning crew with the message John has appointment at the Foot Doctor at 9:45 a.m. this Monday, so he cannot prune. Luckily, they send a team on Mondays to Ellensburg, and that saves us a trip to Yakima.
I was on the phone with Lacey, the Triage nurse at my PCP’s office in Cle Elum about having to make an appointment with Chelsea to discuss my use of needing Hydrocodone 10 with 325 Acetaminophen. I only occasionally use a pill. It’s just for times when I will be playing violin music for over an hour and my shoulder is hurting, or when I am in a jazzercise or dancing class. I never intentionally do any over the head/above shoulder motions (because I do not have the range of motion to allow it in the left shoulder). I seldom use the “opiate” drug, so I’m not likely to become addicted. However, rules have tightened up about prescribing such drugs. I will make the appointment before my next request for a refill.
I completed a washer load of clothes; much more needs done.
This afternoon I received a call from nurse Chris, from Yakima Heart Center, because they just had received a report of ventricular tachycardia (fast heartbeat, potentially dangerous) from Feb 15 & 16, sent from my implanted cardioverter defibrillator, that I had recorded a heart rate of 176 about noon and 175 around 4:00 p.m. The device continuously monitors my heartbeat and will deliver electrical pulses to restore a normal heart rhythm, when necessary. These two occurrences did not “set off the device” to adjust the situation, and the activity wasn’t seen for 2 months because they download information only every 2 months. I have had no “shocking” activity since 2010, and do not desire to experience that again.
In trying to explain this current occurrence, I have been thinking tonight about what might have happened. It was the end of the week of the problems with my #30 tooth, infected with bacteria in the roots waiting to be extracted (happened on Feb 18th).
We are temporarily without an assigned cardiologist at the Heart Center. So, today, Dave Krueger, MD, FACC, reviewed my device records and recommended increasing my Metoprolol dosage by 25mg to 100 mg daily, and coming in for a device check in 8 weeks, and also for a meeting with a cardiologist. John and I both talked to Chris, asking questions and making comments. John and I are convinced it was a combination of things. A lot was happening and threatening my heart. We knew it was dangerous because of the likelihood of getting a re-occurrence of endocarditis with the bacteria moving through my bloodstream and into and out of my heart.
I was rather stressed at the time too, thinking the surgery should have been approved and done sooner than 10 days after the finding. The pain started excessively Feb 8, but I wasn’t seen until Feb 11th afternoon at 2:00 p.m. There the X-ray showed the infection and the dead tooth; one could also see the bacteria were eating the roots of the tooth – better than eating my replaced Porcine Mitral valve, which is the main concern of endocarditis.
Fast forward to the end of the oral surgery, Feb 18th. I was given the pieces of the tooth, crown (halved with a “saw”) to pull out each root separately, with the infected tissue attached. I do have a photograph that John took of the parts, which we have included below.
I’ll start with the X-ray from Feb 11 done in my regular dentist’s office. This never made it into our weekly blog, because I was so busy trying to get all my medical records updated from 2016, the last time I was in the dental surgeon’s office for implants. Three years after required a lot of updating to my medical records. I couldn’t get an appointment for a consultation with the team and the surgeon, until the afternoon of 2/14.
X-ray taken, 2/11 – in mouth, 2/14 – Extracted parts, 2/18/19
The left image shows a dead tooth (#30), with a stainless steel crown (we later found out is subject to “leaking,” and I should never have had it put in my mouth). Continuing with the image, note the infection pockets of tissue (dark) around the base of the roots. The ONLY solution was to extract the tooth, yet I was put on the antibiotic, Amoxicillin 500mg twice/day to tide me over until I could get in with an oral surgeon in Yakima (especially, with my related heart issues, and being subject to endocarditis which can be fatal). So there was stress in my life this week prior to the extraction surgery on 2/18/19.
The first high heart rate lasted for 13 seconds on 2/15 and I did not have any noticeable effect or knowledge. The next afternoon, 2/16 (Saturday), I don’t remember how long Chris said that lasted (we both think we heard it was 11 sec), but again neither episode was enough to trigger the device (thankfully in retrospect). Someone might have postponed the surgery, which now has been successfully completed, and I’m back to feeling all right, and having plenty of energy to do all the activities I do.
My surgery was not until 7:30 a.m., two days later in Yakima. I was given a local anesthesia for the work. It went smoothly, and we were on the way home early morning. I had to change gauze pads and keep pressure on the socket to stop the bleeding until it clotted, so that I didn’t get a dry socket.
Since we left the oral surgeon’s office, I was treating the socket every 20 minutes (in the car on the hour’s trip home), to stop the bleeding, using folded gauze pads and pressure. Once home, I was in telephone contact with the SunRidge Oral Surgeon’s Assistant, Lacey. After updating my gauze procedure since leaving there this morning, she told me to suspend the pressured treatment of gauze to the socket. It is beginning to clot, and the gauze will actually remove the clot over the sutures in the socket and keep it from healing. That was stopped at 2:00 p.m., February 18th.
The rest of that week I suffered from various side effects (never determined the cause of things I had happening). I decided I was okay by Thursday, to go play my violin at Pacifica Senior Living, while still experiencing some of the not-so-nice effects: shallow breathing (almost shortness of breath), fatigue, need to stop every 20 feet to catch my breath, unable to carry much weight, and the worst, incontinence. I first blamed it on a reaction to Percocet (of which I only took two Monday, 4 hours apart). I have never taken two Percocet pills in the same day, and I never have had any reactions to that drug previously. I did not take a 3rd pill that day of the surgery, even though it was prescribed for pain as needed every 4 hours.
Since 2009, I have preferred it to Vicodin, for pain. I remember being in the ICU and having a severe pain. The nurse said they would give me something for pain. I suggested it was not a Vicodin pain but a Percocet pain. Finally, it was determined to be caused by a blood clot in my spleen. One of my doctors (an infectious disease specialist, assured me not to worry, because the blood clot would dissolve on its own). I never asked for an explanation of that occurrence, but it did dissolve. Before she diagnosed it, a number of the medical staff were perplexed.
It took my system a while to get over the oral surgery. Those episodes shown by the device (ICD) were prior to the surgery. I doubt we will ever know the reason. I hope increasing the dosage doesn’t cause another outcome of slowing my heart rate too much. It’s normally in the 60s and will go to the fifties while sleeping. (I had an oximeter I wore during my sleep for a couple years, and I graphed the results every night). It no longer works.
Saturday, April 13
One of the things I did this morning was to pass along the latest from Mark Francek in Michigan, his weekly list of Earth Science Web Sites.
When that appeared in this week’s 12 April send to the group, my geographer friend, Joseph Kerski, sent me a video he took last November, during Geography Awareness Week, when he visited Mt. Pleasant, MI, the Geography Dept. at Central Michigan University, and Mark Francek, Professor of Geography. The video was a walk around the Geography Department’s facilities and displays.
I snipped a photo of them from his video to share here because so many of the people who read our weekly blog also receive Mark’s weekly report, and would appreciate seeing their faces. Joseph is a GIS professional, a geographer who works for ESRI, and we have known each other for years. He also had written me earlier about missing seeing me at the AAG meetings this year in Washington, DC, which attracted 8,500 members!
Joseph Kerski & Mark Francek
I have been recommending Joseph’s work for years, used his teaching notes and lab creations in one of my lower division GIS classes (GIS Concepts), which I always taught at nights so that CWU staff members could enroll. In recent years, Joseph has become a leader in Story Maps creation using ArcGIS, and I have sent his work to prior students I keep in touch with.
Check out this: (I hope you can get to the first; I’m subscribed.)
also go here for:
Web and Story Maps by Joseph Kerski
It rained most of the morning but has now cleared in the afternoon and the sun is out. John did his normal outside chores, but both of us have been inside most of the day. I managed to wash another load of dishes. We had brunch and an afternoon snack.
Going to the Grange tonight for a roasted pig dinner, for the Scholarship fundraiser for the Grange for high school students from the agricultural families who have shown animals and been in 4H, but will soon be on their way to college. Also helping tonight were 3 of the recipients from last year. In addition, 4 helpers were there who are this year’s applicants for a scholarship.
My first video was preparation of the meat for our dinner. 
James setting up the pork for this evening’s meal
Smokey Joe’s Owner Begins the Carving
Second was opening and pulling the cooked pork out. James was giving handout tastes to people watching him carve. I missed a taste then because I was filming. Gertrude the pig was roasted for 14 hours and cared for those many hours by the family – James, wife Kimberly, daughters, Elizabeth & Kenya Jones. Cooking a whole pig is not a task for amateurs. Many first timers only get the outside few inches cooked, or serve 6 hours after the intended start time. We have never tried. We have been to a few of the amateur attempts, and learned of the issues.
Smokey Joe’s restaurant is located in S. Cle Elum at the Old Milwaukee Railroad Train Depot Station, where they serve lunch & dinner, Thursday – Sunday. They close Monday-Wednesday to cater events (in the winter). Check out their website and visit all around it. It is here: www.smokeysbarbque.com Note the spelling carefully or otherwise you will end up in Illinois at a Smokeys Barbeque equipment-selling place.
Grange President Donna Carollo’s Introduction
3 raffled pies before – 6 ready to go – homemade dinner dessert
The pies raffled off were homemade thusly: Apple Pie by Violet Burke, Strawberry-Rhubarb by Barb Hamel, New York Cheesecake by Carel Edgerly, Coffee Toffee Bourbon Pecan Pie by Liz Doyle, Mixed Berry Pie by Terry Coyne, and Cherry Pie by Claire Lucke.
Claire took a photo of the folks, including John and me, that were asked to stand and give the number of years we were educators.
Our meal consisted of the pulled pork, macaroni & cheese, collard greens and ham hocks, Coleslaw, baked beans, sandwich buns if wanted, many different BBQ sauces for the meat. Dessert was a Lemon Tart with blueberry compote (see photo above with pies).
Sunday, April 14
Sister Peggy writes from Parma, OH today that “the storm has passed. Some wind gusts but mostly lots of rain. Little town of Shelby, OH west of us had a lot of damage with trees down. Possible tornado but will know more as crews get out. Now they watch for flooding. I am fine. Sent Pat a note to tell her. Storm is now on OH-PA line.”
John found the National Weather Service warning map. 
Clarion is where John’s family lived. Pat, Ken, and Ethel are 16 miles east. Red on map is the strongest part of the storm. It has now (10 PM here) moved east of the PA center one, and stretches from Maryland to New York State. Multiple hazard warnings are in effect clear over to the NYC area. That’s a lot of folks.
It is cold here, windy, and overcast. John worked outside for a couple hours, but is back in resting now, while I finish my draft of the blog.
The Cascade Passes had snow last night. Ski folks are happy even if drivers have to put up with a mess. At home, we are looking for 31°F by morning.
Spring came and went – we are back to winter.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan