Sunday, Apr 15 I did not go to the bluegrass session at the Swauk Teanaway Grange. I thought it best to stay home to recover from my cold and work on taxes. John and I took a walk at the end of the afternoon, and looked at and took pictures of Oregon Grape, an aspen, a pussy willow, and what is locally called Golden Currants.
http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/yellow%20enlarged%20photo%20pages/ribes%20aureum.htm
The Oregon Grape will have bunches of bright yellow flowers and very blue fruit. Stick the term “Oregon grape” into Bing or Google images-search. The above link shows the yellow flowers of the Currant and its translucent golden fruit. These are one of the first plants to sport new leaves in the spring.
We then walked back around the barn and took pictures (too high up and far away) of the cottonwood…all the trees are blossoming. Pretty neat. Saw kitties and took pictures and a small movie. Do you want to see? Go here: http://www.elixant.com/~nancyh/BlossomingTreesOrangeKittensNaneumFan.html
Monday, Apr 16 Interesting day. John left early for Yakima to have his Subaru serviced, and while there, he visited Costco, for gasoline and a few necessities for us and for the dogs and cats. While he was gone, I finished printing off the tax returns. After getting his signature, I took the packet to the USPS to send certified mail to be sure it is delivered properly.
Had an interesting experience in acupuncture today. They are trying something “new” to them (my two acupuncturists) that’s been around since the 1980s when a Japanese fellow invented the use of tape being taped in the back of the neck to work on shoulders. While he was doing that, I asked if it would work on my scar (from the open-heart surgery), which is causing my shoulder problems with range of motion of my arms (and why I skip doing some of the SAIL exercises). He looked it up and there was nothing written in the manual, but we decided to try it, so I’m taped on the front of my chest scar and the back of my neck. I’m all ready for it to work. The tape stays on for 4 days.
www.japaneseacupuncture.co.nz/treatments/acutaping/acutaping.html
http://www.lhasaoms.com/Acupressure_Taping-108-1782-page.html
Tuesday, Apr 17 John is gathering and holding horses for trimming by our farrier. I’m going for an echocardiogram, to make ready for seeing my Cardiologist in a couple of weeks. It went well, and I dropped by Bi-Mart for kitty canned food on sale. Also got some chocolates marked down 75% (Easter bunnies candy). Will turn around and go back to town for music at a nursing home. I’m so happy to be done with the taxes I mailed yesterday, now to get caught up on the ones I need to enter, while it’s fresh in my mind. John and I visited and played with and handled the five kitties. We figure they are about 4 weeks old.
Wednesday, Apr 18 There is a free spring luncheon at the Adult Activity Center today, with BBQ Chicken and potato salad. That’s at noon, and I’m skipping my play date at the Food Bank Soup Kitchen. SAIL exercise class followed. It was an awesome lunch. I mentioned above the main menu, and the potato salad was very good so I brought the recipe home, also had several varieties of potato chips plus cheesecake and brownies for dessert. I only had cheesecake, but I brought home two pieces of chocolate Bundt cake with a sugar glaze. He’s eaten his already and I will have mine later. We went out and visited with the kittens. They are getting bolder and learning how to climb. Before I left town, I went to Exercise class. Now I’m tired but I slept better last night for 9 hours (best in many, many weeks). Less coughing, so maybe I’m getting better again, finally. Phew.
Thursday, Apr 19 Music today and an appreciation dinner for Volunteers in the community tonight. We had Lasagna, salad, bread, and fabulous tables of desserts. There were few words said of thanks to all of us there (room was full and I didn’t count). We had our group at one table, and there were 8 of us. I imagine there were at least 20 tables total, maybe more. There were many door prizes including the pot of pansies (centerpiece on all the tables). I won a lovely basket: small potted flowers ready for planting, garden implements, and other equipment. John kept the two tools, and I gave away the rest to a music/gardener friend with smaller hands than us. There were work gloves (too small) and even a pad for kneeling in the garden, little metal pots, and all in a plastic basket with holes on the sides, and handles. Must be for washing veggies, carrots or potatoes, before bringing in the house.
Friday, Apr 20 Another busy day. John removed the rest of the tape on my back between my shoulders and I think I will not have that done again. I had removed the tape on my front, and it was very painful, even using cream. I may consider just putting one on the top of my arms where I occasionally have pain. We fixed a very large Pineapple Downside-Up Cake in our 12″ iron skillet for the potluck tonight. We even used our own-grown walnuts – roasted for 10 minutes. We played with the kitties. I made it to town in the afternoon for my SAIL exercise class and to pick up more meds. Then at 5:20, we took off for the music group potluck. We didn’t finish and get home till almost 10:30. We had a lot of people there and a jam session following dinner (19 to eat, 14 to play, and 2 mid-session visitors). Here is the menu. Plenty of food, and oh, so good. The line started with desserts (ours, and homemade cookies), which we saved till the end. A very large pizza (pineapple on top of two meats). On to salads (green mixed with imitation crab meat and 3 dressings), fruit salad, a chicken/grape/walnut salad, a pea/cheese salad, bread sticks and rolls, sweet potato casserole, meatloaf (sausage & beef), scalloped potatoes, fried chicken, spaghetti w/meat, lemonade and coffee.
Saturday, Apr 21 Nothing today but yard work and housework, and getting this on the blog, plus creating the associated web page mentioned above. Well, John did go check on the kitties and their expanded territory he fixed yesterday. There is a tunnel between hay bales from their nest in the back room of the barn where they are protected from horses and dogs. They have access to about a third of that room, contained, for now, with bales of straw. They can climb out of their nest, up the short side of a hay bale and they do, but as of yet, they are only using the tunnel one way (back into the nest, but not from). With five of them and momma in the nest they stay cozy warm. Our outside temp was just 37 this AM but we have reached 70 this afternoon. Maybe it will go to 77 on Sunday. Almost warm. About time. But, by the middle of the coming week the forecast is for mid-to-high 50s with night time lows at about 35. John has just put tomato seeds in little starter pots and sometime next month they may be ready for the garden. This year he is trying “Box Car Willie” that can be found on this page:
http://homeharvestseeds.com/ferrymorsevegetablestomatoseeds.htm
and “Siberia” – a cool weather variety:
http://www.humeseeds.com/tmtosib.htm
. . . that is supposed to “set fruit at low night temperatures.” Tomatoes mostly want the night temp to be above 55 degrees F. The Siberian tomato is one of the heirloom tomato varieties (reportedly from Russia) and some claim it can set fruit in cool weather — as low as 38˚F. Last year the Big Boy plants seemed to take forever. The plants grew big and lush but fruit was late getting started. If you want to try growing tomatoes, look here:
http://www.gardenguides.com/113627-tomato-plants-produce-tomatoes.html
That Russian source sounds suspicious because everyone says tomatoes came from South America – following the Spanish colonization. Still, if it sets fruit in cold temperature, we’ll not worry about its name or its source.
Hope your week was a good one.
Nancy and John
still on the Naneum Fan