Sunday, Apr 15
We published last week’s blog at 12:25 p.m. I spent hours on inside house chores and John on outside chores, normal feeding ones, but mostly his were in the garden. He got his strawberries planted in their new raised beds with a mixture of soil, sand, silt, and sun-bleached horse processed dead grass.
Monday, Apr 16
John doesn’t have to leave for pruning; it’s done for this year. Some bottling efforts are yet to come (and sooner than expected, this Wednesday, then Thursday, next week).
I went to my SAIL exercise class and by several other stops for errands.
I dropped off a bag of clothes by Joanie’s and picked up another. I’m quite grateful to her for her super seamstress talents, as she is taking up my larger clothes to make them fit me now (at least the ones that can easily be darted or seamed).
Over the weekend, I found the original box that housed my wrist blood pressure cuff that has been defective for several months, but I couldn’t return until I found the box with the purchase details and paperwork. I took it to Bi-Mart today, and they replaced it. It is now reset to the current time, has its new batteries, and is working well. I like their replacement policy. It is as good as Costco’s and local.
I checked my tracking number for IRS, and it was delivered to Fresno, CA early a.m. 4-15-18; continued working on chores needing completed, especially music and sorting receipts.
Tuesday, Apr 17
Called Stephanie in Medical records but found she was the incorrect hospital contact to send them to my PCP Norman Wood and to my Cardiologist, Antony Kim, at the Yakima Heart Center. Instead, they need to be requested through Health Record Management (Kimberly was my kind helper) to be Faxed down there. I got on the computer and found the phone number and the Fax # there, but she wanted the phone to check with them, because Fax numbers can be different within the same “complex,” and she also helped me realize that my “missing” paperwork could be accessed by the staff getting on their computer system from Cle Elum because they are in the KVH network.
My Thyroid lab results from Dr. Lisa Stone (Wenatchee) arrived with a welcomed note:
“OK, recheck annually.”
I started my events day at 2:00 p.m. in the swing dancing class, mostly as an observer. I had a short dance with Carol Cummings, but I spent the rest of the class filming the participants.
Here are 2 choices of the total of 11 movies I took to share with the entire class as a refresher for steps, basically lessons, and also to display the couples’ form while dancing. Thus far, all the participants have appreciated my effort and sharing.
(5) Swing Dancing 4-17-18 (1-1/2 minutes) with Music
(11) Swing Dancing 4-17-18 (1-1/4 min)
From there I drove to the Volunteer Appreciation Ice Cream and Pie Social at the Armory (Fairgrounds). This was the original invitation:
I arrived an hour after it started because of the conflict of time with the Swing Dancing at the senior center, where I needed to be with several others who were in the dancing class.
A few photos of people there late in the day: 
Greeters Roberta & my friends Linda; Rita, Evelyn; Connie; me; One table of pie, various cookie types, and for two different ice creams, toppings (chocolate mints, Oreos, strawberries, sliced almonds, and chocolate & caramel sauces.
Door prizes were raffled off, and I won the paper flowers at my table. One of the “hosts” came over and demoed (at my request) how they were made. Her name is Lise McGowan; I have known her for several years.
Lise explaining (in video) the construction of the paper flower centerpieces from coffee filters.
Lise McGowan about Large Paper Flowers
I left and drove the northern route home, going by the CWU campus.
Here are some still shots to introduce the videos below:
Left from Google Earth is the complex for the old chimpanzee building that is being demolished for new student housing. The chimps were moved from there in 2013, after being on campus since 1980. The right is a shot of the eastern end of the roof of the building where people entered the building for Chimposiums to view and share the teaching and living facilities. The chimps communicated by sign language. The program was the Chimpanzee and Human Communications Institute. It still exists, using the Chimpanzee facility in Cle Elum with 7 chimps living there.
The last two housed here in at CWU were transferred to a nice facility in Quebec Canada.
My trip home offered these somewhat sad sights: (if you only watch one, then watch #2)
(1) Demolition Chimp Facility CWU – 55 seconds
(2) Demolition Chimp Facility CWU – 45 seconds
However, if you check out the following newspaper article, you will see a benefit to chimpanzees coming from this demolition, who now reside at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in Cle Elum.
Demolished CWU building to help chimps in Pacific Northwest
Once home, I spent a little over an hour sending out 11 notes to the jobs list I monitor/moderate (on Google Groups: NW Geography Jobs). Hopefully, someone will be happy and perhaps find a job they’re looking for.
Wednesday, Apr 18
John left early for bottling Malbec at White Heron. I slept in, after being totally spent from yesterday’s demands and lack of sleep from the early a.m. telemarketer call (6:55 a.m. is too early!!!). The bottlers finished early and shared lunch. He didn’t get home until an hour later than usual, but I was long gone.
I made a little progress (not enough) on things before leaving. I had a late call yesterday afternoon about my doctor’s office having no record of a blood draw I had had on March 15. I gathered information that I knew at the time, and found the actual medical records paperwork I had picked up Monday from the hospital and called to report my findings. They are in the network and I have no clue why they couldn’t access the data. I also had notes on my calendar from a call from the office with my results, so I know they were originally informed and called me the day after. I know they have changed to a new computer system, but the accompanying glitches might be endangering the health of patients if this happens often.
I went to the Food Bank Soup Kitchen for playing music, with my salad for lunch afterwards. We are invited to have lunch there, but I don’t want the pasta main dishes served on Wednesdays, and their mixed green salads are always too filled with dark green lettuce or spinach leaves I cannot have on my low Vitamin K food intake requirements for being on a blood thinner.
Afterwards, I went on to afternoon SAIL exercise class and on home to wash dishes and to get out the “final” call for count for chairs for tomorrow’s music.
Thursday, Apr 19
I called in the count to Pacifica; we’ll probably be using almost all of their arm-less chairs.
After dropping off some Honeycrisp apples by friends (brought for them by John over in Quincy on his trip home yesterday), I went by the Hospital for a standing order for my monthly blood draw. The results came in fine on Friday. I’m good for another month.
I was on my way to Pacifica for music and we had a fairly good turnout presenting to an appreciative audience. We were thrilled to have our harmonica player back from his close brush with death just last week! He was having pain, so took himself to the ER, and they sent him on to Yakima (in an ambulance). There he became the surprised owner of 3 stents. He’s a new person, and was happy to be back with the report that no damage occurred to his heart.
Friday, Apr 20
We didn’t have any early morning commitments or too early telemarketer calls, so we could sleep in until 8:00 a.m.
I stayed home today to take care of many unfinished tasks. John did the normal morning chores and also unloaded the riding mower so that he can mow the backyard’s high grass. I stayed in making phone calls to several different places and working on computer chores.
John came in and fixed a brunch and now about 1:30, the UPS truck just pulled in to deliver 3 climbing rose bushes – all the way from Denver. He mentions this in the not so nasty post that precedes this one. Yesterday, he dug the holes for them so they can be planted very soon after their arrival. We now have a large bag full of packing peanuts to give away. (I actually found a recipient by offering them on The Free Box site, totally surprising John). They will be used by a beekeeper and shared with other such folks in our valley, to put into watering buckets for the bees to light on to drink water. I’m dropping them off Monday near the hospital, where the owner works.
I did all the background work on our scholarship award we fund each year for two students in the graduate Cultural & Environmental Resource Management program, and in the undergraduate Geography program. I also talked with a member of the CWU Foundation about my account and when in the fall they would transfer the $ out of my account, so I had to be sure the balance was sufficient. I have until mid-September. The award certificates will be given at the end-of-year party for the CWU Geography Department. It’s a cookout / potluck on the lawn east of Dean Hall (where Geography and Anthropology are housed), May 22 at 4:30.
I also managed to talk to my PCP’s office in Cle Elum, and get information on my lab work completed yesterday, learned about another bit of information regarding my standing order at the local hospital lab, and managed to get a message sent to my PCP to write a new prescription for a controlled substance that has to be sent hard copy through the USPS to be filled. It’s for 10mg + 325mg Acetaminophen, for when I’m going to be dancing for an hour or fiddling for over an hour to protect me from pain in my left shoulder. That actually won’t happen until Monday, when my PCP returns to the office.
I ignored two telemarketers today. Thank goodness for caller ID. It’s worth the price, but I still wish I could block calls.
I watched John mowing the backyard and videotaped two swipes for your enjoyment:
John 1st swipe mowing – 4-20-18
John 2nd swipe mowing – 4-20-18
He didn’t do much because the mower ran out of gasoline. He should have taken the trip to town for the mower as an opportunity to get the gas. The unit takes gasoline without ethanol, of which we have none. Tomorrow he will take a 5-gallon container in to the Coop. He dumped the remainder of what we had into the old pickup.
Saturday, Apr 21
John did a bunch of things on the home front, fixed a brunch, and set up his truck to go to town for the special non-ethanol gasoline for the lawnmower engine. It was pretty expensive at $4.00/gal.
I took care of last minute music preparations, and took off for town. We were scheduled to be at Briarwood Retirement Commons today, where they feed us. Today was special because they fixed up a special cake for Haley who will be having her 5th birthday on the 26th of April. Everyone there loves her because she’s been coming and dancing, drawing pictures, singing, and visiting residents since she was 3 yrs. old. Today she danced to Irish Washerwoman, sang Cockles and Mussels, and drew pictures for people, plus showed them her dinosaur statues. 
Haley looking at the stickers on her birthday card, while Connie lights the candle; she grabs a big breath and blows out the candle; then smiles for me with her card & dinosaurs looking on.
As usual, they fed us well. We were given a wonderful homemade bean soup, lemonade, several, salads, and a great choice of desserts.
Sunday, Apr 22 HAPPY EARTH DAY 2018 !
Link to field trip notes and this one today is the first on the current list – Yakima Landslides – April 2018, John is going on.
This link is from Nick Zentner’s new domain, with all the field trips of the Ellensburg Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute.
Field Trips of the Local IAF Chapter
We were here in 1998 and knew of this landslide in the Yakima Canyon south of Ellensburg, WA.
Landslide over Hwy 821, with the Yakima River on the left. Bottom right shows rocks from another, and in the distance there is a third. Train tracks on the west side of the river were also impacted. Not shown.
I succeeded in a few chores, and the foremost one was finishing this week’s blog draft, which is not quite there yet but I have a little bit of time left before John will have time to edit and put into WordPress.
I did accomplish several other things today in his absence. Washed a load of dishes. Did the paperwork to renew my license tabs for my Forester. I worked on my lab reports for blood draws and various associated items, requested some information from a number of different people about things I needed to know, or they did, and updated videos I took last week for the Swing Dancing class. I need to get those in the mail (email) to the participants.
I fixed my brunch, based on the sausage John cooked very early to make a sandwich to take along with his lunch. With mine, I had two eggs over easy, toast of rosemary/olive bread, and orange slices (and found he had left a bag of the rest of the orange he meant to take along with him in his lunch).
At 4:30, John called from south of Yakima at the Wapato irrigation diversion. They are there to look across the Yakima River at the Rattlesnake Ridge slide. Videos from the air give a better idea of what is going on than the photos from today. Here is a link to a short one taken in mid-January:
Earth’s cracking. We’re doomed.
One of the comments asks “What’s in the rail cars?” – and the answer is concrete. The hope is that they can protect the river with enough mass to stop falling rocks or a full slide. Seen in video at 2:04.
The field-trippers have been spending about ½-hour at every stop, so he may not be home until 6:30. He’ll call from Ellensburg. I guess he got a ride in the van, so that is good. He just called a couple minutes after 6 and was in the car in the parking lot heading home. We talked until he got turned on Look road, and then I let Annie out front to wait for him. She’s been expecting him for a couple hours.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano continues to cause trouble, but the good news it has not (yet) blown the island apart.
Nevertheless, I thought the photo with the gate was priceless! 
did for animals and trees.
Dianna Cowern about physics, astronomy and science-related topics. The show features fun DIY demos, unusual and cutting-edge research, space, and expert interviews!
This is a good story but the dog (a Blue Heeler), Max is 17 years old, deaf and partially blind, and except for this bit – “She found the dog first. Max led her to Aurora,” – ‘She’ seems to be the grandmother and Aurora the 3 year old lost girl.
About 10 years ago I was headed for a trailhead near Newcastle, WA. This is a community 10 miles SE of Seattle.
found the logo of the FFA and thought is was cool (still an in word??). Pictured is an old walk-behind moldboard plow.
