John’s favorite place to work on trails is Mt. Rainier. This photo was taken out of a commercial airplane last week by Evie Schuetz on her trip south. 
Mt. Rainier by Evie
Taken from the northwest, looking toward Salt Lake City. The small lake (low, center) is named Mowich Lake with the South Mowich River on the right.
Sunday, May 12
We published the blog at 11:27 p.m. and went to bed ASAP.
Monday, May 13
I sent out the KV F&F note about scheduling for this week, for BOTH venues with a link to the blog last week on the wedding of two of our players.
John has to leave 9:50 a.m. for an appointment at Subaru for his Crosstrek at 11:00 and I have to be at the AAC by 10 minutes before 11:00 with the toaster to give to Calli Ristine. We met up just fine. I was there for a Silver Sneakers exercise class, followed by a 20-minute meditation / yoga session by Karen Johnson.
From there I went to the FISH Food bank, where we were fed sliced pork roast, cheesy sliced potatoes, and a nice salad with yellow & red pepper chunks, with a fruit punch, and dessert.
Several stops in town kept me busy. I went by and picked up my repaired button on the silk blouse they dry cleaned and lost the button. I drove by Landons for some bags and caught up visiting about family. Then I went by The Gym and climbed 2 steep flights of stairs to buy a new bottle of Klaire Probiotic. On down Capitol Ave to pick a bag of clothes from Pam, but most of these I will be passing along to others—many are size 8, too small for me. A nice white denim jacket marked L is not large enough to fit me and I will pass it along to a friend to whom I pass all tops I cannot button, and they fit her perfectly. It must have shrunk.
I dropped off one of the bags (a backpack for a toddler) for my 2-year old neighbor, Sophia. I stopped at Safeway for a chicken special, and when I got home, John had a leg of the fried chicken for a late lunch. We had fried chicken, butternut squash casserole, yellow pepper slices, apple slices, and cocktail tomatoes, for supper.
I filed more stuff.
John mowed near the road.
We cleaned 4 pounds of strawberries John bought at Costco from Salinas, CA.
Tuesday, May 14
Nothing special on tap today. Stayed home, skipping checking Bi-Mart today, and hoping I don’t win a big prize. Rained on John as he planted the 3 tomato plants. I’ve been sorting through things needed completed, and one awaits to fill in my medicines for the week, plus reordering those I’m out of. Already did Entresto, and need to finish before calling in Amiodarone I also need. That’s finally done, and took my first pills of the day, plus loaded some dishes in the washer. Now to go back to filing receipts into dated order. Then will need to sort by day within the month. So much of this needed to be done in a timely fashion.
I received an email planning for Friday’s scholarship luncheon and realized two members were not on the email recipient list, so I went to work notifying them and the hostesses about the planned lunch.
John came in and fixed us a pancake, summer sausage, and we had strawberries on top that we fixed last night.
He has settled down for an hour’s nap. I’m continuing to work on going through stacks of things, and just spent 2 hours off the computer sorting and recycling. I’m afraid there’s one more stack to attack before putting them in order by day of the month.
Staying home today was a good choice. I wish I could do that more often. Unfortunately, it’s only going to get worse in the next few weeks, not having the time to use for things that must be done.
I just found some more receipts to add to the correct filing folders, in a storage place for another year. And, some checks found under my stack where my weekly medicine box resides, with some receipts for medications (just in case I don’t take the standard deduction). I have three more hanging folders to go through to be sure all the things in the folder are for the correct year. Yeah – I know, keep up to date, and this year I am filing as they arrive, not just stacking them up on a table or shelf.
John made a nice soup for our dinner with beef, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, carrots, yellow pepper, and stuff, served with crouton like baguette chips, infused with butter, spices, and toasted. It was quite tasty. I ate a big bowl full, and plan to have a piece of fruitcake for dessert.
Renewed our IAFI membership. That’s the Ice Age Floods Institute; we are members of the local Ellensburg Chapter.
Wednesday, May 15
This morning I called the Yakima office and paid via VISA, a doctor’s bill for $46.63 for John, as his Medicare deductible had not yet been reached. John tells me they are considering increasing co-pays on such, so our costs continue to rise. A receipt is being snail-mailed to us. Seems like email would save money.
Thanks to John for cutting the smoked turkey and apple cubes for my salad today. I am leaving for music at the FISH music bunch, at the Liberty Theater to set up stands, which thankfully we have left there in a back room container.
I will come home afterwards to cut John’s hair – we were supposed to do yesterday. Should have done it during the rain. I managed to cut it in only ½ hour.
Got the attendance finalized for KV F&F tomorrow at Pacifica. We ended up needing 11 arm-less chairs and one with arms.
Thursday, May 16
John goes to the dentist very early, being there at 8:30 a.m. Was done faster than expected, and he’s going by Super 1 Pharmacy to pick up my medications. Today’s music is at Pacifica. We had a dozen players present and a large involved audience. Got my mic battery charged and am taking some clothes to a few folks. I washed a load of dishes.
Need to drop off a package on my way home from music, and we need to eat to be at the KAS meeting tonight at Hal Holmes for a lecture on Birding in the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.
From The Hooter Newsletter, May 2019
Home to 482 species of birds, not forgetting 68 different bats, 45 snakes, 50 spiders, 30 frogs and toads, 120 Dragonflies, 765 butterflies and close to 3,500 moths—the islands really are an introduction to the natural history of South America. Get a great taste of tropical birding in Trinidad’s high mountain rain forests, sandy beaches with nesting turtles, and mangroves with Scarlet Ibis evening roosts, as well as on Tobago’s seabird nesting islands and huge protected preserves.
The Asa Wright Nature Centre is a jumping off spot for most field trips, itself set in 200 acres of forest and home to more than 170 bird species. Renowned for great access to specialties including Bearded Bellbird, Tufted Coquette and Oilbirds on site, more than 40 species can be observed from the verandah before breakfast! The Centre is a not-for-profit trust, and eco-tourism funds the conservation and education programmes. For nearly 40 years of the Centre’s 50 plus year existence, Caligo Ventures has been the booking agent for North America. Fully committed to the conservation and education mission of the Centre, Caligo is pleased to sponsor Martyn’s visit to celebrate and highlight this bucket-list birding destination.
Our speaker and the front row tonight at the presentation.
Locator map of Trinidad & Tobago (TT), in Lesser Antilles Islands
Videos of the evening’s presentation:
Martyn Kenefick, KAS 5-16-19, Birding Trinidad & Tobago
Martyn Kenefick KAS final Q & A
Friday, May 17
John took Annie to the vet at 8:15 am. Dr. Fuller (Mike) did not find anything wrong with Annie, but she has a slight give in her back so he gave us a sample bottle of Rimadyl Chewables to try to see if it helped. She hasn’t yelped since returning from the vet, and I haven’t yet read the instructions or given her one.
Mike came to EBRG about the same time we did, and we likely met about 1990 or ’91.
I called Laura at the Cle Elum Physician’s KVH office, where our PCP is located; and went through the new system phones. Dial 0 and then 8 to get to an operator. To get to the doctor’s nurse is another number. Listen – might be 3. Laura says most people are upset by the new system. I’m okay with it once I know which numbers give me what. Unfortunately, it includes no way to get to a Triage nurse – except through the operator. Most of my communication is from a Triage nurse, with monthly blood draws.
8:20 a.m. Darren arrived for heat pump. He replaced the 20×20 filter I handed him (we must check more often).
He cleaned (blew dust out) of two very dirty small metal filters, which are supposed to be checked monthly. He did not have a pressure hose for cleaning the dishwasher ones, so he hooked a regular hose to the back faucet and cleaned them at my special request. They need to be checked monthly too. I told him about the clicking sound, and he said it might be the defrost control. Then he went out to the heat pump and found the reverse control wasn’t working. That part changes the heat to a/c at the water pump. It is what the warning clicking I was hearing was telling me. Now the power to the heat pump is disabled and we are on Emergency/Auxiliary heat (only) until the part is put in. “Emergency” is misleading. This just means the heat is coming off the hot coil normally only used when the outside temperature gets down about 20°F. This week our lows have been in the mid-40s.
The part has to be ordered from Trane and might be in by Monday. Darren will call us and come back to finish the job so we will have access to a/c, when needed, in a month or 6 weeks.
I called Cle Elum to report the refill Entresto problem. Now need to call Kaiser Permanente. Did, and am out of the 30 pills without paying extra for them. I haven’t asked the cost of only 30 pills using insurance, but the cash price is outlandish, at $500. I was supposed to get 90, but only got 60. Tough; but, it won’t happen again.
An alternative is to switch to Kaiser Permanente, Renton, WA mail order, which I have decided to do. I can request a 3-month supply for the cost for 2 months here. So, $80 vs $120. Weird.
Scholarship luncheon is today at the main CWU services building, Jongeward (door keys and vehicles; for us in our past). I picked up Amy Davison at Gallery One, after her art class ended, and took her to campus where I can park for free; she cannot.
We had a nice Oriental Chicken Salad made by Christine Tufts, served with a Mandarin orange, roll if wanted, an incredibly good Lemon Cheesecake made by Peggy Eaton, and 2 fruit punches.
Here’s the cheesecake (photo by Amy Davison) along with photos of today’s efforts with 7 students, 10-11:00 art class for 3 to 5 yr. olds, at Gallery One, where the students made an egg carton based caterpillar. Class is an hour, drop in, for $5; parents stay.
Student Charlotte’s caterpillar, eyes on another, & cheesecake
Saturday, May 18
John left at 5:40 a.m. for Crew Leader College, a WTA education event for the Crew Leaders and Assistant Crew Leaders. After a photo of everyone in attendance, John drove another 20 minutes to Cougar Mountain Park, once a source of underground coal and timber for the folks trying to get rich in the young Seattle area.
Tomorrow he will be returning for another session on First Aid, but that will be in North Bend at the Forest Service compound.
I was working with emails this morning, and saw a photo come through at 7:48 from a WTA “leader” I know, Rick Zitzmann. He sent a photo taken last year of John near a huge tree along the trail at the West Fork of the Foss River. 
Taken in 2018 on West Fork of the Foss River trail by Rick Zitzmann.
Here is a valuable link to information provided by the Washington Trails Association (WTA):
WTA Trip Reports
To see a recent report (5-1-2019) on this trail mentioned above, check below, especially for a photo of the same tree with 3 WTA workers & Crosscut saws standing in front.
Three WTA workers – Crosscut saws
John says: About 6 years ago, I spent about an hour cutting Devil’s Club from this favorite stopping point. The photo on the right shows the reason for its name – Oplopanax horridus. The ‘oplo’ part means armored and the ‘pan’ part means all. It is very well armored and hikers (especially small children) can ruin a hike if they happen to touch it. Note the large leaves of this plant in the upper right of the photo with me in front of the tree.
Wikipedia has info and photos of the flowers and bright red fruit:
Devil’s Club
Nancy back: I left for town early and went by the Driver License Tabs place at the Meridian Theater, to update my Car Registration, to remove the Lien by Chase Bank, that had never been done 2 years ago when I paid off the loan. They had not sent me the correct paperwork. Now I have received it. Cost me $31.00; I paid in cash rather than put on a credit card, which would cost me 3% more.
While in the same parking lot, I went to Bi-Mart and bought 6 boxes of Fisherman Friends, because I was down to one. From there, I went with all my stuff to Briarwood.
We started the day by welcoming Evie Schuetz back to the fold. She hasn’t been able to play her violin with us since January, so this was an epic moment. She is a chocoholic, so we welcomed her back with a Chocolate bunny. We were all so very happy to have her return, able to lead us with her violin again. She’s still in pain, but it is going to be better with time.
We played until about 3:00 and had desserts: several kinds of cookies and a piece of cheesecake with cherries, homemade by Connie. Betty made her chocolate chip cookies and sent 3 left on the plate home to John. She always does.
Before coming home, I dropped by Windy Chevrolet; 10 minutes there and walked out with $5 gift card to Fred Meyer. I’d received a flyer because they are collecting names for future needs of vehicles. The salesman talking to me was rather impressed we still are using our 1980 Chevrolet pickup truck.
John called from Issaquah and I was not yet home. Then from North Bend. So I reached him nearing the Snoqualmie summit. I tried calling him after 4:00 but only got my message that meant he didn’t have his phone turned on. I tried calling later on my way home, but the reception wouldn’t connect.
He told me to put the chicken breasts (all seasoned) in the oven, and I did. By the time he gets home, we will have the main part of dinner cooked.
We ate after 7:00 after we added cut cocktail tomatoes, John made a butternut squash casserole with mini-marshmallows, and we just finished a great meal. That was my first real solid food of the day (except for the desserts I ate at Briarwood, after music).
Sunday, May 19
John left this morning at 6:00 a.m. to be at Bill Weir’s house by 6:20 to carpool to CLC today using Bill’s truck. John’s involved with a First Aid course that includes CPR & AED (automated external defibrillator).
I’m staying home to work on the blog and on bill paying, and filing. Will likely do some more clean-up chores, as clothes and dish washing and sorting through things, recycling paperwork.
This arrived today in email from a longtime friend through Brittanys, Bob Showalter. The introduction follows here ahead of the link to watch below:
This is from within the TED series of presentations, this is a fabulous work of art concerning Birds, Bees, Bats, and Butterflies!
• Take a look and enjoy Mother Nature at her best!
• Check out the Monarchs toward the end.
• Be sure to watch this on the largest computer screen you have and have your sound turned on.
• Don’t miss the hummingbird doing rolls chasing a bee
• Check out the baby bat under its mother.
• If you never knew what goes on in the garden when you aren’t paying attention, watch this fine photography.
Birds, Bees, Bats, and Butterflies!
John just arrived from his all day trip to North Bend, WA, and had not taken his cell phone, so he didn’t call me on his way home. He arrived at 5:45 p.m.
It’s now 8:15 p.m. and we still haven’t eaten supper. Just finished at 9:00 p.m.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan