This week started with more morning dehydrating activities of apples (many) and pears (fewer). John has worked on getting the heated horse trough set up and filled almost, and fixed us some lunch, and now is putting on a turkey (breast plus a little) to take to a potluck tonight with my music group; we will “jam” afterwards. We got it fixed and John took some plum sauce we had been given (in return for providing the plums), and he added some cornstarch and simmered, making a lovely sauce to put on the turkey. I also put some on my piece of Bundt cake (Caramel-Apple). We had a nice spread of food. The hosts fixed a huge Rainbow trout they had caught this summer. Someone brought nutritious cookies with oatmeal, walnuts and raisins. Also there was a wonderful potato salad and apple crisp. Oh, and another person brought tamales; another calico beans. We had a good jam session afterwards too.
Sunday, Nov 13, 2011 Awoke to no phone service. The winds have been really high all night and must have caused the lines to go down. Sustained winds have been above 28 mph with the largest gust recorded at 40 mph. John used the old Chevy PU to cart a bale of hay down to the end of the pasture behind the trees to allow the horses to eat. They do not like the wind. Things move and make noise. That makes it hard for them to sort out the sounds of approaching predators. We got our phone service back around 10:00 a.m. While the phones are down we also do not have any connection to the Internet.
We are trying to give away boxes of Black Walnuts to get them off our property. We have found one taker thus far, who is aware they are still in the hard shell. Last night’s winds finished dumping the last that were on our largest tree. The taker is the woman who works in the bakery where I get apple fritters. She called this morning, starting at 8:00 a.m. (when we had no service) to tell me they were the form/shape (flat) I like. She’s going to put a dozen in the freezer, because we had no reason to drive to town today. At the price of gas, we’ll wait till tomorrow. We can combine trips. We still have to make two trips. I have to have blood tests at the hospital for my doctor’s appointment the next day in Cle Elum. While there for that, we’ll deliver walnuts and pick up fritters. I will skip exercise because there is not enough time to get ready to go to the potluck and be across the valley by 4:00 p.m.
John worked outside today and I worked inside. Now he is shelling Carpathian (English) walnuts, now dry, from our trees. They are going in a carrot dish we are taking to a potluck with 14 people tomorrow night.
I just worked on my computer jobs list I maintain and run for almost 500 people. I succeeded today in washing a load of dishes and of clothes. Only problem was that John also filled the horse tank. So, tonight our tap water was running dirty brown. Too rapid withdrawal and thus flow through the rocks down below does that. And also tells us the filters need replaced.
Monday, Nov 14 Full day, running to hospital for blood draw for a routine doctor’s appt. tomorrow morning. Then to deliver black walnuts (two boxes) to a lady mentioned in yesterday’s post. I worked on finalizing the letters received for the memory book, since Nov 6 and printed them up to give to Morris at the potluck. John fixed two bowls of carrots for dinner but we had one bowl left over to bring home. I think he said he cooked 7 pounds of carrots (with walnuts, cinnamon, and brown sugar). Other things brought included broccoli, a red, orange, and yellow pepper salad with garnish, shrimp / macaroni salad, homemade rolls, and a chicken rice casserole. For dessert, apple pie with ice cream. Appetizer: Cougar Gold cheese (made at Washington State University, Pullman), served with a number of different crackers.
Tuesday, Nov 15 – Very Long day. I didn’t think we could top yesterday, but we did. Up at 7:30 a.m. and off at 9:50 for Cle Elum to our family physician. John had been taking an antibiotic since last week to get rid of an infection (tooth/root ?), but I noticed a swelling in his face last night at dinner. It was better this morning, but he called the dentist to see about going in and I was going to drive myself to the doctor (it is 31 miles up the road, toward the pass and bad weather), but today was a gorgeous day. However, the secretary answered the phone and said the dentist was not in, had gone to Montana, and wouldn’t be back in the office till after Thanksgiving. John was given another stand-in dentist to see. Well that didn’t make him happy going to a completely new person who doesn’t know us nor we him. We have had our dentist since 1989 and we are very comfortable and trusting of him. So I suggested John go with me and go into our doctor with me and ask him. My appt. was not supposed to be long at all. The wait, however, was. There was a person in earlier with signs of a heart attack they had to take care of and so they were running late. My appt. was 10:45. I no longer remember when I was called in & John went along too. The Dr. looked at John’s swelling and suggested the source was the submandibular saliva gland and, as it was already going down, he thought it best to ignore it – unless it got worse again. As a medical event this is typically what happens with John. He mentions a pain or whatever, the doctor or nurse shrugs and says something like, “Ya, that happens.” Then, “If it doesn’t get better, let me know.” It always gets better. Go figure!
I did get a prescription for Lipitor, and came back by the grocery to pick it up. It really was only $4.00 with the co-pay card I got from Pfizer (the pharmaceutical company). It was going to cost me $70/mo, without it. I started it tonight. I really hope it works and that my muscle/joint pain ceases. Simvastatin supposedly has that as a side effect.
After the doctor, the banker. Same one since arriving in Ebrg in 1988. Small town banks where they know you by your first name are really nice. This one is home based in Spokane, WA. Got hugs upon entering and before exiting.
On our way there we stopped at the vet to get Thyroid pills for Shay, a 4- month supply, which costs us $21.60. She’s worth it. She was 11 this year and still going strong. She has not lost her hearing as her grand mom did. A couple of years ago she began tilting her head to the right as she ran through the pasture. She had gained a little weight also but it was the head-tilt that prompted John to have her health investigated. Many older dogs have subtle symptoms of an under active thyroid gland. The solution for Shay was easy and cheap.
Then we also ran into two friends at the grocery store and visited. It was really a multi-purpose trip, but it lasted longer than we had anticipated, so there was only an hour for me to be home before I had to run back to town for a massage therapy treatment. It went well. Then I took myself to dinner, and sat in front of a fireplace to warm up, having a large piece of Hawaiian pizza and a pop. I brought a little of the crust and a layer of meat next to it, home to John. After that I trudged over to the nursing home across town (on my way home), and played music for an hour there. So, thus ends a long day. I have been working on the jobs list and emails since getting home.
Wednesday, Nov 16 –Supposed to do more fruit dehydrating, but instead, did other things. I left at 11:30 for the Soup Kitchen music at the food bank, and ran into snow about 5 miles down the road!! Drove in it all the rest of the 8 miles to the food bank. Didn’t have my boots on, so had to be careful walking. We played music for ½ hour and then ate. There were 48 people there today. The food was excellent. Mashed potatoes with gravy around beef cubes (that were tender and very good), corn, apple/plum cobbler, and hot spiced apple cider they had made there from apples donated to the Food Bank. It was scrumptious. It was snowing hard when I left, but I went ahead up the street several blocks (to a fellow who plays music with me) to deliver 7 boxes of Black Walnuts (about ½ full so I could lift them). Luckily I called before I got there and he had swept the walkway and had a hand dolly to load onto. I loaded them and then walked behind him, and helped lift as he pulled up the steps. Then I went off to exercise class. There were only 10 there today, but we had a good time. After that I drove home by way of my neighbors to pick up some summer sausage (deer) she is giving us, but they were away from the phone working on ground venison from their recent buck. Now I will wait and trade her some of our English walnuts. She wanted some of the black walnuts but I heard too late, after I had already delivered the ones in town. Came on home in the snow and John was working on the cat house. He has two entrance (exit) doors cut out, two shelves, electricity inside, and set up the heater. Put some food and water inside, but the cats don’t yet know it is there, even though there are little walkways, and they have been on a couple of the segments. Okay; time for dinner. It smells really good. I do not know what’s on the menu. John says it is a potato pie. That must be the smell I like of the crust. Wrong, different kind of potato pie. It had turkey, carrots, green beans, cauliflower (a stir fry mix) and the bottom was fried mashed potatoes that were browned first in a non-stick frying pan. Then John topped it with shredded cheese and moved it to a pie pan in the oven to bake everything. Now he’s emptying the dishwasher that I have to go fill up and make room on the counters to dehydrate some pears. Didn’t get to that tonight, instead, he’s been shelling walnuts and I have been on the phone or on the computer, sitting with heat on my left shoulder.
Thursday, Nov 17 Music this afternoon, and John went in with me to shop. Besides the normal grocery purchases, he went to the Dollar Tree store (one of the few national chains found in Ebrg) and got a bunch of waxed paper, a watch (he misplaced his a couple months ago). Wow a watch that works for a buck. Amazing. Also, got some other stuff we needed. We had broken our plastic spatula. The same canned cat food we get for Rascal (not for the outside cats) is 18 cents/can cheaper there. Wow. Also, you know the cost of spices in grocery stores.. pretty high. John got a nice bottle of chili powder for a buck. We also delivered some black walnuts and Carpathian (in shells) to our neighbors (a couple miles around the corner SW), who presented us with 3 summer sausages from their last year’s deer. John roasted turkey hind-quarters for dinner. They were bigger than he realized and took more than twice the cooking time suggested. Best thing of the day was a lead on a cell phone carrier more reasonable than AT&T we have been with since 2005. They really (I think) screwed John two years ago December, when I was in the ICU and he needed a cell phone for himself added to our plan, just then up for renewal. I think it should have only been a $10 or slightly more increase in our rates, but it was over $40. (John: It was a new plan with more minutes, a new phone, and she was on life support. I could not add myself to her plan – it was expiring in a week. It did, she didn’t. Anyway, I wasn’t comparison shopping!) So, I have been searching for an alternative. We found it through a friend of ours with a Portland-based firm, consumercellular.com. Still have to set it up, but it is half the cost. (We’ll see. She hasn’t added up the taxes and fees.)
Been another crazy day; not as much as usual, but enough. I didn’t get home till almost 3:30 (in the mail, got a book I was expecting from a friend that I proofed for her; also John’s boots and slippers arrived). I started working on some music transposing I must finish before tomorrow, called Molly’s Waltz. John and I started out the morning by putting pears and apples in the dehydrator. Wow. I love the apples, but I REALLY love the dried pears. That is the end of them, sadly they spoil fast and some we didn’t get to; however, we still have more apples to dry. Better keepers – apples.
Went to a scholarship luncheon at noon and then exercised afterwards. The meal was super great, and I received two recipes for two of the things there in Email this afternoon. The main dish was lasagna (easy to make without cooking noodles, and made with Italian sausage), put overnight in the frig, and then cooked for an hour. We had graham crackers with something called Pumpkin Fluff (made with Cool Whip and vanilla pudding (powder only) & a can of pumpkin. Who thinks these things up? You can also serve the pumpkin fluff with apples. I believe that dried apples are the way to go!!
John found Woody and Rascal on the hay “bed” in the new cat house. GOOD. We figured Rascal would teach them. John is still putting food out on the hay in the shed across the fence from the new house. The water outside froze but the water in the house with the heater, is fine. Obviously the heater is working now. Also, John put an LED night light inside. What a luxury hotel. The younger kitties are getting tamer, and let John within 4 feet of them, although today when he opened the door and saw Woody and Rascal up there, Woody ran out the window/door access.
It was 38 here when I left today. The next two days, however, it will get REALLY cold, down to 13 maybe. Glad John has the cat house fixed up. It has two doors, so that if Big Sue comes in and chases Rascal, he has an escape route. Any of the cats can use both entrances. He has put pieces of hay up next to the doors to block the wind. Also, has a metal roof overhang over the window openings.
I have a new pair of moccasins. John’s are too small, but with a large pair of socks, they fit me just fine. Nice, now my feet are WARM, finally.
We have to order a larger size for him, however. Turns out I got a good helper at Blair in PA, and she is sending two pairs with free return shipping for John, and a new pair for $5.00 less for John, and mine are priced at $13.33. She gave us free shipping to send back these for him that don’t fit, and suggested she would send two different sizes for him to pick from and send the other back in the same bag with the ones we got today that don’t fit.
John has been busy shelling Carpathian walnuts while I finished the music transposition. I’m done and he is still shelling. Years ago (in Troy, ID) a church sold 50 pound bags. We would buy one each year and John would watch TV and work on shelling. No TV now. He listens to a classic rock station.
Saturday, Nov 19 – Will be going this afternoon to play music at the Briarwood Community center where they feed us. So I won’t need much if any dinner. It is snowing. He fed the horses and took the dogs for their morning run. I put up the dried fruit but we haven’t finished reloading more apples yet. John just fixed us a great lunch at noon of crackers, cheddar cheese slices, dried pears, and Fritos. That will get me by till 3:00 food. It’s still snowing. We now have about 4 – 5 inches on the ground and John is clearing the car of snow. I’ll leave early and drive slowly. Subaru is AWD.
I’m back and we had a great turn-out. We were very much appreciated, and we all appreciated the food they provided. There was a big bowl of Tortellini soup with carrots, lots of turkey, & celery. There were rolls w/ butter, salad with two dressings, and many different desserts. There were little cinnamon rolls covered with a sugar sauce, peanut butter cookies, chocolate cake with white frosting, and cherry pie.
I came home and got here before dark, and John met me and took me through the back gate to the backyard to show me the window in our computer room he had winterized. He had cat food in his hand, so we walked over to the cat house, and he said, as we approached, “Are you guys in there?” Out came little Sue, and he opened the front door, to find two more, Woody and Big Sue, who scooted out the top entrance. He filled the food, checked the water, and he had turned up the heat earlier today, so all is well. They have all figured it out. Little Sue went over to the wood pile, and Big Sue and Woody went back up the ladder to the top of the hay shed. They didn’t stay long. I came on in the house and petted Rascal on our bed, and watched out the window as Woody came down the ladder, walked across the chain link fence top, and into the house. Big Sue was still up watching John feed the horses. When he was back in the house, he looked out the window and saw her coming down the paths John built and over to the bridge to enter the house. We assume Little Sue went back too. So, they will be warm and toasty, with food and water, away from the elements. Good night to be snug. It is supposed to drop to 13 tonight. Our friend in Clancy, MT (we never heard of it either) had morning temp of 3. Too cold for my liking.
I won’t need any dinner, but John plans to eat something. When he heard about the soup I had, he said he had been planning to do the same thing with our leftover turkey. We have carrots but no celery. Guess he can add barley and pine needles. (yeah.. John inserted that last one while making this ready to post.)
I do need to throw some chocolate chip cookie dough together, with John’s help, and put it in the frig overnight to chill. Then tomorrow morning I can make cookies to take along to the Bluegrass Jam Session up at the Swauk Teanaway Grange, where we meet tomorrow at 2:00 for a couple hours. [This interesting web site has a picture of the Grange hall and lots of other local stuff – NW of us about 30 miles:
http://willworkfordecor.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html
Scroll down about half way for the picture of the building.]
Hope your next week is wonderful.
Nancy & John
on the now white Naneum Fan