This is a ‘sad’ day, August 1, 2019 as I write this. I brought up my copy of the information meant for this week’s blog, with notes written throughout the week, and it had been replaced (without a backup) by information of only one contact I needed, and it apparently stored it in the wrong place, in place of my blog complete draft and reminders. I have no idea how that happened, and so now I will have very brief entries for the first part of this week. That will make John, my co-editor, happy.
One thing promised from last week, goes back to February, so I will finish that to start off this week. It was the presentation from the Ice Age Floods Institute on February 7, 2019, which happened at a time in my medical life, when I was not up to submitting weekly blogs. Here is the story everyone missed, and I will also send late to my email list for the IAF–Geology Lectures that I have collected there from folks in the audiences at CWU and from the downtown Nick Zentner lectures.
Our speaker for the evening was John Stimberis. He is the Avalanche Forecaster Supervisor, for the WA State Dept. of Transportation, in charge of avalanche projects on Interstate 90 and Chinook Pass. Here he is in the field:
His lecture subject title was: Avalanches and the Annual Snowpack in a Maritime Snow Climate.
Karl Lillquist, CWU Geographer, introduced him in the first video. John’s talk, with PowerPoint illustration combined with videos is next. As a surprise, there are separate videos in the field of three different examples of avalanche control, turn up your volume so you can hear his commentary. It is a powerful display you won’t want to miss.
The ending video wrap-up of his talk is his Question and Answer (Q&A) session.
Video links for John Stimberis, Feb 7, 2019, IAF talk
Karl Lillquist Introduces John Stimberis, 2-7-19
John Stimberis, 2-7-19, Avalanche Control – PowerPoint
Before you open the next one, realize you need to click pause (two parallel bars) right away, and first read the description about timing. Until I correct it, it will say start at 17 second at the end of the blue screen. That should be 15 seconds or you’ll miss seeing the firing (in yellow). For the ending, when you get to 1:10 you will see a blue screen. Just stop there and go to the next video.
Bike Tram Release Device for Avalanche Control
The next one you need to do the same way… starting with a pause, turn the volume up on to be sure to hear John’s commentary, and also it you will have to move to 23 seconds to start viewing.
Stimberis-Chinook Pass Avalanche Control
Stimberis-Chinook Pass CA View Different Season
Questions & Answers after John Stimberis’ Presentation, 2-7-19
Sunday, July 28
We published the blog at 10:13 p.m.
Monday, July 29
I stayed home today because I’m still nursing my injured foot from 7/17, when the heavy metal folding chair was accidentally dropped on my right foot right above the toes. I had on fabric shoes and not my usual leather walkers which might have cushioned the impact some. Being on a blood thinner does not help with such hits. It immediately swelled and bruised and will be difficult to walk on for a couple more weeks.
John used the day to drive to Costco for items we needed badly, and I did not feel up to going along. I stayed home to alternately ice it for the swelling, and stay off it as much as possible, while elevating it as well.
Tuesday, July 30
Another day home for me in the morning, but we planned to go early evening for our reduced fare anniversary dinner at The Palace, because it has to used only during the month of July. John drove because driving a car actually aggravates my foot pain. On our way there, John went into Bi-Mart and checked our numbers and we won nothing. From there by the AAC to pick up two feed bags full of more feed bags. A local gal with much livestock recycles them to us for use as garbage bags to load and take to the transfer station (aka, dump). From there, to our dinner.
We had a nice meal. We took the option with our one allowed free entre, not to take the Chicken-fried Angus Steak platter John usually gets. I encouraged him to find something special he wanted to deduct the allowed $10 from.
He chose a special steak: Flat Iron Steak, with baked potato, and steamed vegetables. It’s a piece of very tender shoulder. I had a Santa Fe Salad with Bleu Cheese dressing, made with Iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, corn, avocado, nice slices of green and red bell peppers, marinated chicken breast, and corn tortilla strips. Might have been something else I don’t remember and now I cannot find it listed on their on-line menu anywhere. I had with it a bowl of Taco Soup. The soup came with extra sour cream, more olive pieces than I preferred, so I picked them out and shared some with John. The soup was quite tasty. I brought home ½ of each of my choices, along with a roll. We each had a roll with dinner there. Only drank water.
I made 2 more meals with the left overs, lunch of Taco Soup and supper of the salad with added lettuce, pistachio nuts, smoked turkey cubes, and blue cheese dressing.
Wednesday, July 31
I’ll begin today with a fantastic photograph taken by my star-gazing friend.
Evie Schuetz captured this on the Thorp Highway at a friend’s house. The image is a time exposure to get the best rendition of the stars. The foreground illumination of the gazebo is the result of a light painting technique which involves a flashlight and a bit of trial and error. Meanwhile, we viewers get to enjoy a piece of artwork.
Today was another day I stayed home to rest my foot and did not go to the food bank music, or to the SAIL exercise class after. I still await the foot’s healing before I return to exercise.
Thursday, August 1
Well, this morning I started by sleeping in, and then getting up and washing a load of dishes. I intended to pay some bills and put them in the mailbox for pickup, but too much other stuff kept stealing my time. I managed to get all the music ready for playing today. And tried responding to the necessary emails on several accounts, not to mention private messages on Facebook.
One thing I saw early in the morning was a post of a photo taken of a favorite historic building of mine in Ellensburg, the Old Boise Cascade Lumber Company. I have driven by it many times, wishing I had my camera with me at the right time of day. This morning, Ken Lewis took this photo on his early morning walk, and it’s great, so I thought I would share.
Old Boise Cascade Lumber Mill in Ellensburg, WA by Ken Lewis.
{Boise Cascade Corporation was formed in 1957 through the merger of Cascade Lumber Company of Yakima, Washington, and Boise Payette Lumber Company of Boise.}
I got dressed and went in earlier than usual, but the time disappeared fast. I had spent a lot of time this morning with ice on my sore foot.
I drove to the shadiest place in the west parking lot I could find, and had a little more of a walk than I wished on my sore foot, and carrying a lot of weight.
We had a good turnout of 9 folks, and played our new set of music very well. Some of it we had not done in a year. I was gone for 4 hours, and when I returned, my foot was very ready for rest and ice. It was pretty hot today; I was happy for the partial shade to park in at Rehab, and a/c for my trip in, around town, and home.
John surprised me and walked in at 4:30 p.m.
We had Cordon Bleu for supper with fries, our own cherry tomatoes (first this year) that John picked when he got home, and peaches from the freezer.
Tonight we’re heading to bed early.
Friday, August 2
The middle of the night was not good for me. Pain in my foot awakened me at 1:00 a.m. after 2+ hours sleep. I tried elevating my feet in a recliner with them on a large foam wedge, but it was stretching my quads too much and not helping. That lasted 1-½ hours before I ditched the wedge and returned to my normal heavy large sofa-type pillow beneath my legs. It does not elevate my feet above my heart, so I will have to use an alternate way my friend told me from a PT friend of hers to massage the leg while raised lying down to move the fluid out of the injured area. I did get back to sleep and get some rest, but it got my attention, so I decided to check on whether it might be a bone fracture on the top of my foot.
WARNING: this next section report on my time in ER is lengthy – Aug 2, 2019, Ellensburg, WA: Kittitas Valley Healthcare facility (Hospital)
I wrote this to share with concerned folks in our music group, but decided to put it in our weekly blog. John started this blog originally on Dec 4, 2009, when I was in ICU and he was juggling home issues and coming twice a day to Yakima Regional Hospital checking with the doctors on my deteriorating condition. He did not have time to talk with friends and relatives about me, so posted it all here on the then daily (not weekly) blog.
Several of you saw the photograph of my foot’s continued bruised and swelled condition in the past couple days. I finally took that photo on Tuesday, 7/30 almost 2 weeks after the original impact on the top of my right foot, by a heavy metal folding chair (date occurred: 7/17). It was totally an accidental drop that I didn’t see coming to be able to jump out of the way. Being on a blood thinner complicates and lengthens the healing time. Normally, our helpers (from the audience) bring the folded chairs from the opposite end of the room, down front where we play, and open them and set them on the rock floor. I then move them into the desired formation for the organization of instrumental players next to singers. That is in an adjacent carpeted area. I go to the opposite end of the room, behind the chairs, to pull down a rolling cart with small folding music stands and my music book.
I will not post the graphic photo here, however. I did share with a few folks, and many of them have been concerned that I had not been more proactive and gone in for an X-Ray. I had talked with my cardiologist’s nurse, this week, when he called about lab results taken 6/9, while my doctor was in the hospital himself with a torn muscle repair job. I also planned to visit my foot doctor this coming Monday, when he would be in Ellensburg from Yakima. He and I had had a conversation about another injury I had involving both feet June 1 (from wearing ill-fitting hiking boots) for two hours. He explained what happened, and because of the circulation in my feet and the connection with my heart issues, it would take longer to heal. Then, I quit going to exercise classes in any format. Those injuries took 5 weeks to heal. I was allowing this right foot more time.
At least one former nurse told me Thursday at Rehab I needed to have the imaging done. I certainly was ready after the overnight problems with the continued pain keeping me from sleeping. So, this morning, I first called my PCP’s nurse, who turned me over to the Triage nurse whom I know better from my many years of Coumadin clinic involvement. I had looked on line and found the location of the upper foot bones and their names, especially over the area the metal hit and from where the pain is still coming. Also, I learned that X-Rays don’t always “reveal” a fracture until a couple weeks into the injury, and for immediate detection a CT Scan is required. So, perhaps this timing was okay. Nurse John in the ER confirmed that is the case, and had just recently happened here when they didn’t see the fracture immediately but it showed up 2 weeks later. (Why they didn’t do a CT for the patient, I don’t know).
I knew my PCP’s office had X-Ray equipment, but not CT scanning. So, as I discussed this with the Triage nurse, and I suggested it would be better for me to visit the ER in EBRG. She agreed. I left this morning for KVH. The doctor in charge was Andrew Peet, a concerned and kind older gentleman, who examined the foot and listened to my story. He called a radiology technician (Wally), who wheeled me down to imaging. He took 3 views of the foot: Frontal, lateral, and oblique checking to be sure they were properly placed and imaged. He submitted them to the radiology analyst, while I was still in the filming room, resting on a “gurney.” It might take ½ hour or more to be reviewed here. After it is reviewed and analyzed within the hospital, it is sent to Yakima for a re-evaluation. I will have both reports returned to me, as well as to my PCP. I forgot to request its being sent to my cardiologist. I’ll do that after I see all the results have been posted on the KVH portal. They are now there 8/4. I’m seriously thinking about sending the description of the analyst with respect to the bones in my foot, to my foot doctor to interpret.
After I was approved for discharge, Dr. Peet came back and talked with me. He said he had reviewed the internal review, saw the X-Rays, and I did not have a fracture. He was comfortable with discharging me. He encouraged me to continue with heat for better healing now that the swelling is down. I thanked him again for his evaluation of my situation. Nurse John took me out (I was walking), and we stopped off at the front desk for my Medical Cards (Medicare and Kaiser Permanente). I had to sign a couple of the normal forms, when any procedure is done (even a blood draw requires signatures any more). The paperwork for medical care seems to be increasing. I guess the purpose is to prevent fraud. I’m very happy I went into ER for the examination.
John called about 3:00 but is in a traffic jam. Now closer home and should be here after getting gasoline at the lowest place in town where I stopped with my car this morning. He didn’t walk in the door until 5:00 p.m. Long day for him.
John started the FORD Pickup when he got home, and drove it up to the house to plug into the tender. The battery needs replacing.
Saturday, August 3
This morning’s Daily Record finally posted John’s Thumbs Down comment:
We were headed this afternoon to a surprise 60th birthday party for Joy Rucker, put on by her husband, Manord, at his neighbor’s house on Hidden Valley Road in Cle Elum across Hwy 970 from the Swauk-Teanaway Grange (which is on Ballard Hill to the north). He had it catered by Smokey’s BBQ of S. Cle Elum. They have a restaurant in the Old Milwaukee Road Depot. We have experienced a smoked pig they roasted for a Scholarship Event at the Grange earlier this year. 
Smokey’s BBQ restaurant, in old Cle Elum Depot
We took chairs in the car, but they expect they will have enough. We can pull right up to the house and they plan to have a canopy for shade. This will be set up next door for an outside BD surprise party. We got there right at 1:00.
The honoree was off in the mountains hiking with her daughter, and they were scheduled back at 1:30 p.m. They did not return until almost 3:00 p.m. All the folks there visited. I met several people I knew from the Grange; others I knew from the Geology lectures in Ellensburg (this party was held in Cle Elum). Relatives were there from Moses Lake, the Tri Cities, and farther. Joy’s mom Babs was there and we visited briefly. I had a nice visit with her husband’s parents. Several of our music group were there. We had access to water and cold drinks, and a fair amount of increasingly available shade. I stayed in the shade the entire time. The meal was catered by Smokey’s BBQ. It was incredible with several courses: appetizers, grilled chicken, potatoes, salads, dips, and sides. The second course was smoked brisket, served with macaroni & cheese, and something else hot. At that point, we only had a small piece of the brisket, and brought home the rest of the piece. Lastly, we had various desserts, including a high-layered strawberry birthday cake. I’m not sure I have ever had such a cake before. We finally left ~ 4:30 pm.
Coming home by the airport at 5:15 p.m., the temperature was 83° directly north and 82° at the corner of Hungry Junction & Look roads, but the airport sensor said 87°. We know the sensors at the airport have been reporting elevated temperatures.
Sunday, August 4
Brunch today of a pancake with pecans, topped by strawberries, and 2 eggs for me.
Finally, we arranged our scheduled to go at 1:30 p.m. to pick up free planks of wood in town. Some of it is cedar, with other stuff thrown in.
I sat in the shade while John loaded the pickup. Here’s a photograph I took once we arrived home. That trip took about 2-½ hours out of our day.
At 4:30 p.m., our home outside temperature is 77.2°; at KELN (airport), its sensor registered 92 at 3:53
Checking at 4:56 home it is 77.5 at KELN still 92 at 4:53
John made some soup for supper, and tonight we filled in our ballots for the Aug 6 election box I can deliver tomorrow when in town.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan