Sunday, May 13 Happy Mother’s Day. After morning chores around the place, we took a trip down the Yakima Canyon, to the Big Pines Campground, 32 miles away from our home. We got there a little before 2:00, visited first, and then ate and then visited some more, before starting to play music. I don’t know how long we played. John just listened. We had a bass player, banjo, 3 fiddlers, a Dobro, 3 guitars, and a mandolin. Lots of fun. We tried singing all Mama songs, but by the time it got to me, I couldn’t think of one, so I passed. Then we went around again, and one guy did a cute Pig song and put on a false pig nose to sing it. It was hilarious. After that, I said, well if we want to do animal songs, I can do Froggy went A Courtin’ — and I did. They got a kick out of that. A fellow who plays a mean harmonica joined in on my song; the only one he played along on all afternoon. I was thrilled. The Dobro player came up to me afterwards and said she really liked that I sang it, because her dad used to bounce her on his knee and sing it to her. The only difference is that I sing the Brothers’ Four 1961 version, and the traditional one by Burl Ives and others is the one most people know.
Okay, in the story above, I left out what was included in the potluck meal. First, the lady (who plays the bass fiddle), was in front of hers and her husband’s trailer. They had a grill going and cooked sirloin burgers for everyone! They cut them in half because they were so large (the buns were not typical, but more like fat hoagies). They had tomatoes, lettuce, and other stuff to put on them. There was a dish of salmon dip to spread on crackers, and a spinach dip (which I cannot have–but love it), and asparagus which I also can’t eat, one guy brought a pan of boiled clams with a large cup of melted butter to dunk them in. Wow. Yum. I only had one but should have had more. Oh, and potato salad (store bought, but good). On to desserts. We took the Red Velvet and cream cheese frosted and filled cake that I bought yesterday at Costco, and we brought home half. We both had a large piece down there. In addition, someone fixed homemade cherry/rhubarb cobbler with the nicest crunchy topping I have ever had. Even John commented on it. That was about it, but we had a slow curvy trip home at 45 mph up the canyon. It was gorgeous.
I’m sitting here in my recliner across from our caged two wild cats, and they have settled in to recover from their spaying experiences. They are relaxed and full from a big meal they ate when we got home. The yearling is sleeping on top of a box (the size for packages of copy-paper), and has curled around on her side, but with her head turned up. She is “Woody” (we thought was a male), a long haired Mackerel tabby. John is fixing a place in the top of the haymow where they will have a shelf (loft), because he needs to start moving the hay out. The cats have been on top of the stacked bales during the winter and until now. They have eaten and slept there but made NO mess of any kind. They are getting used to us being near them cleaning their litter box (which they had to learn, because they have been using the dirt in the pasture and around the house and barn).
Monday, May 14 I stayed home today to work on chores. John, with frequent breaks and interruptions, has worked on the hayloft so the spayed females will still find a familiar place for being fed, watered, and housed. While doing that, a wild turkey raced across the pasture about 50 yards away. There didn’t seem to be a reason for the rush but the turkey thought so, and we’ll never know. I have been working on the computer, most recently putting Froggy Went A Courtin’ into musical score. It’s a good start in the key of G. Realized I had to do that after working late last night on our play list for tunes for this coming Friday night, which you will read about later this week. Yikes, I just looked at the temperature at the airport (5 miles south of us), and it is 88. John is working in the shade, but it is very hot. He had to take time to chase a neighbor’s horses back in the right place. They had walked under a non-electrified fence such as that shown in this link.
http://www.bluehorizonfarm.com/horse/horse-photos/sm_Horses-Grazing-with-Electric-Tape-Fence.jpg
Well, we just spent a bunch of time getting the spayed cats from their cage in the den to exit onto the patio via the sliding glass door. It didn’t go according to Hoyle. We ended up having the oldest, Mama Sue, come out a hole beneath the side rather than out the door to a ramp, which led outside. So much for planning. John searched for her under the sofa, and finally found her under my recliner but once he got her out of there, again, she didn’t go out the back patio door but ran to the kitchen. Finally, he found her in the washroom behind the dog food bag, and shooed her out of there. This time she found the door to the outside. Strategically placed boxes and other barriers helped her find her way. Then we put the male cat, now calling him Cash, for Johnny Cash a boy named Sue, into the same cage where his sister and mom have been for a week. He has more room than the dog crate he has been in, in the computer room, but he’s starting out by sleeping in the litter box, just as the girls did!
Well, how funny. The girls came back to the patio door tonight. I fed them some canned food, but we cannot keep doing that because the dogs will get it, and it will attract ants or bees, unless we have the dogs elsewhere (in the front yard). Sue is the most persistent and is sitting by the back door meowing. Perhaps they will soon find the new loft with hard food and water. John worked most of the day finishing the loft, exercising dogs, moving horses, feeding animals, and other small chores. He had some ice cream and berries and is heading to bed. I’m not far behind, although I didn’t work nearly as hard today as he did.
Tuesday, May 15 After a very long night with totally interrupted sleep from an unhappy cat and even his wild sister coming in through the doggie door to visit, we managed to make it through to morning. Male cat is very vocal. We have to keep him closed up and not put him out for about 2 weeks from last Thursday, yikes, May 24. Supposedly, neutered males still have the urge and may impregnate a receptive female that long after neutering (at least when they are as old as he is). But our newly spayed females should be dismissive of his interests (the female’s attractiveness does not last long and their incisions should have closed). My afternoon/evening was full. Went by the bank, on to acupuncture, and then rushed to the grocery for beverages for John and Almond ‘milk’ for me, and on to play and sing music at The Connections (at a nursing home).
Home for dinner and just was talking to Little Sioux, caged in front of me. He is a very light orange, and we had decided to call him Johnny Cash (for a boy named Sue). However, tonight I called him Cashew, and he seems happy with that and rather looks like a little cashew, particularly when he curls up in his basket.
Wednesday, May 16 Good morning. Wind blowing hard, but the horses are nibbling high grass in our backyard, for a half hour. Cashew made it through the night pretty well, but still is quite vocal about his situation. I finished organizing for this week’s music and am ready to head to EBRG to play music and eat at the food bank, with exercise afterwards. John’s new guitar case was delivered today by UPS. For the price it is nice. It has a “Made in Canada” sticker on it, but it came here via Virginia — more traveled than we. For the intended guitar, the case is just a bit large. That is easily fixed with a fabric liner. Now we have to keep tuning the new strings until they stabilize. That may take awhile. I don’t want John to have to worry with tuning in the workshop beginning class this summer. (John says: I will!) I don’t even want to buy a tuner (the kind you blow), because I’m not sure he could use it. (Otherwise, I can walk and chew gum at the same time.)
We have no problem with UPS or FedEx finding us. The only thing John was concerned about was being home if they decided not to leave it and then it would have to be picked up in Ellensburg, during their open hours. So, he couldn’t work far down in the pasture, but spent all his time today, working in the garden, which is right off the driveway so he would know when the truck drove in. I was in town from 11:20 till almost 3:00 and forgot to stop and get something to bring home for supper, as I was supposed to do. I guess I had too much on my mind from the two events I had to attend.
Guess we will have a TV dinner for supper. Our chili from the other night John froze today while I was in town, after he had some for lunch. I ate at the Food Bank Soup Kitchen, where I played music. It was good, a shepherd’s pie (mashed potatoes, meat, and peas), a salad with tomatoes mostly that I could eat, and celery, but I don’t like cucumbers, and they had nuts and Kale, but I cannot eat Kale while on Coumadin. Then went on to the Sr. Center for my exercise class, and got a piece of banana nut bread there for dessert.
Thursday, May 17 Spent a lot of time this morning with my Finale SongWriter software. I put in two songs for our group, and transposed them for the clarinet player. We play the two songs in G and she has to play in A with a full note transferred “up.” I came home, spent a bunch more time changing some of the notes on Froggy Went A Courtin’, and added the rest of the lyrics from the Brothers’ Four 1961 rendition of the old traditional song. This morning, I also keyed in Ramblin’ Rose with all 3 verses.
Friday, May 18 Today I’m off to see the wizard at CWU for scholarship luncheon (we are having Chinese salad with chicken, cabbage and mandarin oranges, bread, and brownie bits). The salad was the same dish I returned to in 2010, the day I got out of the rehab. Same location, same food and preparer, but I needed John’s help in, out of the car, support walking in, and getting up and down from the chair at the table. Now I will drive myself and walk in on my own. PHEW.. I’m happy to have come the long way back. Some things are still hard – like getting into a full sized pick-up truck. John just got me a short step to help get me into the old Chevy, and drove me to the bottom end of the 7-acre pasture to see the work he has been doing on tree removal from the irrigation ditch. It was a nice tour.
Finally, back home from lunch, exercise class, and got ready to go play music tonight at an RV rally, south of town at the RV park. There were probably 40 people there for an ice cream social and to sing along with our group. They really participated and enjoyed the old time music. It was a lot of fun for us all.
Saturday, May 19 I went off again for music and late lunch at Briarwood Commons. They served us potato soup, bread, corn muffins, salad, and dessert of a cake with a berry syrup to pour on top. Only 5 of us showed up and fewer people in the audience from the usual, but a few joined in as the hour progressed. They were very appreciative of our being there. The weather is nice and the blowing winds of yesterday have subsided. We found out last night that my “new” microphone wouldn’t work. On my way into town today, I carried my microphone by to CWU Surplus and tried to talk them into replacing it with one that worked. Unfortunately, all sales are final. So, I dropped by Boogie Man (music store) to buy an electronic tuner for John’s guitar. While there, I asked about microphones, and where I would take one to get it fixed. Boogie Man said he could; that it might just be soldering a wire or two together. I left it, after he told me it wouldn’t likely be more than $20 (a new one costs $45). I have the heavy stand, and it works fine. John fixed pizza, and we are ready to eat it. Then he will go through and post this late tonight.
Hope your week was a good one.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan