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This video (and following report) is left over from Saturday’s early morning activities (8-19-17):

Thanks to EvieMae Schuetz for processing this video of us at the Rodeo/Fair Kick-Off Breakfast, and to her friend, Gene, for taking it (click on the link below):

Rodeo Kick-Off Breakfast

On stage, left to right, front row: Tim Henebry (Bass Mandolin), Roberta Clark (guitar), Nancy Hultquist (violin), Joanie Taylor (violin), Amy Davison (flute, penny whistle, & small washboard), Anne Engels (tambourine);
back row: not all visible, Kevin Gibb (banjo), Gerald Gordon (guitar), Charlie Firkins (12-string guitar), Dean Allen (harmonica), and EvieMae Schuetz (violin).

It was a cold & windy venue at 7:15 a.m. :-), but followed by a nice warm breakfast of blueberry pancakes, link sausage, orange juice, & coffee.

Monday, Aug 21

For Aug 20 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=1.65. Events: 9 H, 1 PP, 14 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 27 min with (max = 10 L/min). Slept for 2 more hrs.

We put out last week’s blog late (tonight).

Tuesday, Aug 22

For Aug 21 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=1.79. Events: 2 CSR, 8 H, 15 RERA. Time on 4 hrs 28 min with (max = 10 L/min). Slept for 3 more hrs.

Sent Norman Wood & Lacey the 7-page write-up (with photos) on the diagnosis of my severely arthritic shoulder by Dr. Roux, for my file and Dr. Wood’s review, along with my request for a pain pill. (The report was previously supposed to be there, but my medical file is rather large.) Sent from P.O., $1.19 postage. I put it in a large manila envelope, so I didn’t have to fold it to mail it. I hope someone appreciated my efforts. It beat driving to Cle Elum to deliver it in person.

Brunch: two eggs, peach, bacon

Went to exercise at AAC (2:00) taking windfall plums, which were loved by everyone there. I will be taking more tomorrow.

I finished the survey for my medical supplies complaint to Medicare through quality care and grabbed to share with Jason Rittereiser’s team for 2018 for Congress. I went to the “rally” downtown at the 402 building (old City Hall), at the invitation from his mom, Wendy (whom we knew from CWU’s Human Resources). I saw many people there from my past CWU connections, and a few others from the community. It was a nice event, even though I do not like such political fundraiser activities.

Wednesday, Aug 23

For Aug 22 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 1 PP, 19 RERA. Time on 7 hrs 11 min with (max 11 L/min). Slept/rested a half-hour.

Breakfast: Over-easy egg, bacon, 1/2 tomato, 1/2 large peach.

Evelyn will be back, so I do not have to worry about music today, but will put in the car just in case. Pick up Gloria, go to the food bank, “Soup Kitchen Lunch,” for singing & playing, and on to SAIL exercise. I must leave early to take her back home, and get back for my teeth cleaning at the dentist. I also need to get ready for tomorrow’s music planning – a new song to replace Ragtime Cowboy Joe, and get count for # chairs needed at Hearthstone. Not done, because of bad reaction to the cleaning. The group, with Evie leading, ended up doing the song (Ragtime CJ), and it sounded great.

My 3:00 appointment is for cleaning. I remembered to take my Amoxicillin at 2:00 p.m. during SAIL exercise, with several people watching the clock for me so I didn’t miss the necessary preparation an hour before the work. I have known about that need since I was 17 and it was detected by a cardiologist friend of my mom (an RN), who was doing a required health exam for my entrance to college (in Atlanta, GA). He detected my heart murmur (prolapse of Mitral valve) and gave me all the good advice I have used since then, and continue to protect, even though it now is a Porcine valve replacement). His name was Dr. Goza.

Lunch: was limited to yellow plums (Shiro) and a small green salad.

We played music and visited until leaving and getting to the AAC at 1:05. I carried in the glads and dahlias, and a small container of Shiro plums for Katrina, and got her to go out and bring in the heavy cooler. She washed the plums and put them on the coffee counter. I realized she missed the “cherry” red tomatoes, so I went back out to get them. She planned to share them with Tina (AAC volunteer) to take home. We stayed for SAIL exercise and left early for me to take Gloria home and come back to the dentist for my teeth cleaning. It took less time because I did not have to have X-Rays, or an examination. Still was a lot of money ($178), because my dental deductible has been reached for the year. Next one will be Jan 10, 2018, so I will be on a new year. I have switched to cleaning every 4 months, and I was encouraged to get my Sonicare up and working.

I need to remember to send Gary and Suzy Cox information on our timeshare so they can plan a trip to Canada coming soon. Turned out I delivered it this Saturday, with a recommendation in British Columbia, at Sun Peak, but had to relearn the web site for searching and confirming. It has been awhile since I participated in a search on RCI, and they have changed it, significantly.

Supper: We had a wonderful bowl of homemade stew (by John), with carrots, pork, beef, and tomatoes.

Thursday, Aug 24

For Aug 23 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 2 CSR, 14 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 25 min with (max 16 L/min).

Morning excitement. Excessive bleeding of gums upper left after deep cleaning yesterday afternoon and I was on the CPAP (bad move). I did not realize I had the damaged gums from cleaning tartar from the upper back left tooth. Eventually, a blood clot formed there.

I fought with it all day, hoping it would clot; my commercial cold packs were not in the freezer so I used a package of frozen veggies on my cheek, and gauze pads. I will postpone my blood draw (INR) until Tuesday. I will not use the CPAP for several days. When I had oral surgery over a year ago, my sleep doctor told me I should wait at least a week. You will remember from the blogs then, I rewrote the oral surgeon’s post opt instructions to add a note for CPAP people (especially those on blood thinner). I did a lot of research at the time, so when I awoke with the symptoms, I didn’t think I was dying and remained calm. Not fun to awake in a cascade of blood.

I needed to carry in the music books for some of the group and the lyrics packet for the audience participation. John drove me in the Ford-350, let me off at the front door for our gig at Hearthstone. I was a participant from the audience. I took videos of the whole presentation for a few people who will appreciate them. Most are still on my camera, unprocessed.

John had the carcass of an old refrigerator in the truck, doors off and so on. The County charges a $12 fee for such things and tacks on the weight cost, in this case nearly $7. We need to get rid of a few other bulky things and aluminum cans and regular food cans. There are so many other more interesting things to do.
The refrigerator was 32 years old. It was in the house when we moved in, in 1989. Likely, it had been here since the house was built in 1981. Somewhat amazing, actually. We bought a new one last year that fit into the space. Moved the old one to another room and kept it going for the overflow. It died 3 months ago and the new one was not enough – in the country, we like to have extras on-hand. We bought a chest-type freezer as a replacement and are slowly loading it with frozen fruit, specials from the meat department, and clean water in 2-liter soda bottles. I found the cold-packs (one of flax seed; other a chemical, of some sort, with a lavender aroma—when heated) and they went in the new freezer too.

I will include a video of Haley dancing to Irish Washerwoman. It was near the end of the hour, my camera battery was heating up, and difficult to focus and follow her. I needed to be farther away, but then I would have had people in the way. She is our little 4 yr. old mascot who always goes with us to assisted living homes on Thursdays, and tickles residents with her antics. She knows the words to many songs (such as Home on the Range and Dixie), and she loves to dance.. Her all time favorite is Hey, Good Lookin’ !

Here is a glimpse: [Irish Washerwoman]
Link I. W.

Here’s one more of the group, today:

T for Texas
Link TfT

Check for this on the video above top intro to this week’s blog, from the Rodeo Kick Off Breakfast video, at 21:28 seconds in – (almost at the end). You can see the whole group (me included), harmonizing on the yodeling.

I came home starved, having only had a very ripe pear for breakfast, not wanting to aggravate the bleeding gums.

Afternoon (late) 4:00 I had my snack. Warmed up a sausage patty from John’s breakfast this morning that I was unable to eat, with a hard-boiled egg, small teardrop tomato from the garden, 1/2 banana, and for dessert, a 1/4 of a very large peach, sliced.

We delivered our recycled Wall St. Journals today, while on our way home. The fire northwest of Cle Elum flared up near Jolly Mountain and is streaming smoke into our valley. Jolly is 30 miles to the northwest.
Below is a collage created from the pix I took on the way home.Our neighbors’ barn across the street from our house – their west pasture – the entrance to our driveway (to the left, off Naneum).

I worked more this afternoon on finalizing the song titles on my YouTube videos from the 8-12-17, 50th anniversary bash we attended. I need to finish cropping the photos I took, and share with the honorees, Linda and Dave Lundy and their family & friends. That chore still awaits my spending more time. I have the You Tubes corrected now, however, thanks to Barb Riley’s and Tim Henebry’s input (and a message from Raychel Parks, who lives at the Bar 14 Ranch, with Lundy’s son, Myles, and the Lundy’s grandchild, Uma).

Dinner: Steak, beef/pork stew, yellow squash, white onions (Ringmaster) – grown and fried by John. Dessert was strawberries (John’s) with a teaspoon of ice cream.

Friday, Aug 25

There’s no CPAP to report, for 8-24, because I did not use it last night, after the bad problem with excessive bleeding from the gum’s injury. I’m leaving it off for several days. I did have a nice sleep from about 9:50 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., with one break at 4:15 a.m. I will add an Oximetry report here: Oximetry: SpO2 low 85, 13 events <88% with overall avg., 91.5%. Pulse avg. 55.8, low 50.

After a good night’s sleep off the CPAP, this morning I got on the Daily Record electronic site and captured some photos I heard about yesterday of the Ellensburg 8-19-17 Rodeo/Fair Kick-Off Breakfast.

Here is a starter you should be able to reach:

Little Cowboy & Cowgirl Contest

Our first place Blue Ribbon winner in 5 & under girls, Haley Davison, was on stage. While she made it into all 3 photos, in the award ceremony report, the paper misspelled her name (I reported it to the Daily Record News). She’s the one with the red cowgirl hat, 4th in line from left.

Photos from the Daily Record News:Her mom has better photos on her Facebook site. On Facebook, search for Amy Hall Davison.

Below my collage of Haley Davison (created from Amy’s photos):
Junior rodeo parade

Kittitas County Solar Eclipse

John did not schedule a WTA work trip today, for farrier Dave Hazlett to trim Myst at 11:00 a.m., but Dave cancelled so John did some (not a lot) work here. Yesterday, I also had cancelled my trip to the F.I.S.H. Food Bank to fill lunch bags for the last day in the park for the kids – school is starting. I wanted to be sure I was recovered from my episode, Thursday morning. We will go to Costco for a much-needed replenishment of our shelves of foodstuffs and supplies.

While John was out watering trees, I went through my pile of receipts to the left of my recliner, looking for the Costco receipt to put with the returned (unopened) Probiotic container I bought over a month ago. In the process, I found a bunch of stuff I buried and that need attention. The BEST find was my Oximeter I had misplaced. Now if I could only find my Nikon camera. I need to, so I can give to John to take on the trail at Mt. Rainier. The only problem will be that it may not fit well in the belt buckle container my old one is in. Maybe he can use his cell phone carrier and connect it to his belt somehow (snap hook, too floppy, John says). First, I have to find it. I’m worried that it hasn’t turned up in any of the possible places. I think I misplaced it a month ago after capturing a video of the guys trying a new song.

Our trip to Costco. We purchased a number of things, including things such as 2 new USB 64G Flash drives, 3 packages of different nuts (allowed for my snacks), 2 large bottles of dishwasher gel, meats – frozen raw shrimp (I love to take for Wednesday lunches), and a nice package of chicken breast (bone & skinless). We spent over $225, but doubled up on major purchases, at reduced prices: items such as two boxes of reams of 8.5 x 11″ paper for copying (it took a whole ream for Aug/Sept for players copies & audience lyric sheets), and also, we use paper on our computers’ shared Wi-Fi printer/scanner. As we were leaving Costco, we splurged on a strawberry frozen yogurt sundae, sharing it on the way home. We didn’t get home until 4:00 p.m.

Supper: Steak, chicken, Alisa Craig onions (John grew), and yams (an allowed good carb).

Saturday, August 26

No CPAP report for last night, except I will wear my oximeter all night and record it (SpO2 and pulse). That is the only reason I’m on the CPAP, and may be a reason to stop its use, if the cost for the supplies is exorbitant with congressional decisions about Medicare’s coverage of medical supplies. Mine have been covered since 2014, and today a letter arrived from the Medical Supply company in Yakima (with a branch now in Ellensburg – Kittitas Medical Supply), which has been providing the compressed air pressure tubing, head mask, machine, and filters at virtually no extra out-of-pocket cost. I’ll have to wait to see how much the retroactive cost will be. I’m not happy about going back to previous purchases for which I may owe several hundred $.

Brunch: left-over piece of mushroom/tomato omelet, squash, plums, half piece of toast, & sausage patty.

Delivered flowers and plums to two people (in an assisted living home), and plums to two others. One person gave us homegrown tomatoes and another some “Brush Picks” to try on my teeth (they are quite good).
Supper: Steak, chicken, fried mushrooms, strawberries for dessert.

Sunday, Aug 27

I was only on the Oximeter last night. No CPAP for a few days, until I’m completely healed, for sure. I do not want to risk a repeat.
Oximetry: SpO2 low 82, 26 events <88% with overall avg., 92.1%. (Avg. Low SpO2 <88% is 85.8, Avg. Low SpO2 is 88.2. Pulse avg. 57.3, low 39.

John left at 5:15 a.m. for Mt. Rainier. He found his cell phone in the truck (where he left it under the seat, when he went to the transfer station last Thursday). I fast charged it, so he will be able to check in (usually from Naches), on his trip home.

This morning brought another great photo from Jeri Conklin of our dog, Daisy, handling a bird in an event at Hastings, CA during an Open Limited Gun Dog stake. The trainer is Scott Azevedo of Los Banos. The walking field trial was sponsored by the North California Brittany Club, Aug. 19-20. I will add two other photos Jeri took of Deanna (Scott’s wife) and their son, Leo, who is Daisy’s best friend.

I’m eternally grateful for all the work Jeri has put into raising and training our Brittany, and for documenting photography to keep me “in the field” too. I appreciate the photos Deanna takes in the field and shares as well.

Here is more detail (copied from last week’s OLGD 4th placement award mentioned in this blog) – today, I received this photo below, from Jeri (JH is an AKC title for Junior Hunter; Daisy is working on her MH [Master Hunter]).Here Daisy holds for Scott Azevedo to flush the bird (Chukar).

Lunch (late): chicken/egg salad, tomato (from a friend we delivered plums to yesterday), a banana, and I was going to have a peach for dessert, but will likely wait until John gets home and share it as an appetizer.

5:45 p.m. John just called, from White Pass, having got a late start from Mt. Rainier, and he is stopping more often than usual on the trip home, because of a cramping right leg. He stops, gets out, stretches, and walks around. He may have to stop another couple of times. I told him to keep in touch when he had reception. He thinks that won’t be until Naches. And, he likely won’t be home until over 2 hrs. He just called again from Naches, WA, at 6:50, about 70 miles away. So he should be home about 8:00 p.m. (he arrived about 7:50 p.m.!). I was happy to hear he is better. He was at a Circle-K buying a huge cola drink. A slightly shorter route to the Park is closed because of active work on the Norse Peak fire. Houston, send us some of that rain!

I made a chicken and egg salad today, so he will be able to eat when he gets home. Annie will be happy to see him, and so was I, especially to find out the stopping and stretching was able to prevent serious cramping.

Supper: Chicken salad (John had an open-face sandwich with cheese added, and melted), we shared parts of 2 tomatoes, but they were too ripe for our liking, I ate 4 Shiro (yellow) plums and 4 Methley (purple) ones. For dessert, we shared a sliced peach.

Monday, August 28

I’ve been working on this blog to hand over to John for editing and entry to WordPress. He is working on breakfast, and will be going out to pick plums soon.

No CPAP — Oximetry for Aug 27 : SpO2 low 87, 2 events <88% with overall avg., 92.1%. (Avg. Low SpO2 <88% is 89.9, Avg. Low SpO2 is 87.0. Pulse avg. 57.0, low 50.

Breakfast: Sausage, 2 eggs, peach slices.

We wen to town today to deliver plums (about 25 pounds) to Mary Ann Macinko for her upcoming family reunion at Suncadia. They are gathering to celebrate Papa George’s life. And, I will go to SAIL exercise. John found a soft chair in a quiet room and snoozed. We also carried in a few plums for the staff there.

Hope your week was fine.

Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan

John posted a short note 2 days ago, so go back 1 post if you want to see.

Monday, Aug 14

For Aug 13 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.49. Events: 1 CSR, 2H, 9 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 9 min with (max = 8 L/min). Slept for 2 more hrs.

Breakfast: Piece of omelet (mushroom & onions), ham pieces, and 3/4 slice of toast with Marion-berry Jam, thinly spread.

John put in the beans, onions, and a little beef to the Crockpot to take to tonight’s dinner. We’ll be leaving at 3:30 p.m. for a visit with friends from Eureka, CA we knew here in the 1990s, through Geography teaching, Bruce & Michelle Seivertson. They are staying with Ken & Jo Hammond. Other friends plus the Hammonds’ family will be there.

We put out last week’s blog late (today).

For the appetizers, before dinner, we had wine, crackers, cheese, and conversation. For dinner, marinated beef skewered by Ronnie, (John’s) baked beans, along with fruit salad with blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe (most of the fruits & veggies were from Ken’s huge garden, green beans/almonds from the Huckabay garden, casserole with eggplant, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, a slaw with carrots, more wine, and a Bruce-made apricot/blueberry pie (I just ate the fruit filling), and we were served Winegar’s Amaretto ice cream. Also was a chocolate zucchini cake. Flowers were the only thing I photographed, early in the evening. One vase was Jo’s Zinnias, and John’s gladioli and dahlias were in another on the table. I hope Michelle shares some of the pictures she took on her phone camera of the people there.

Great visit and dinner tonight, starting at 4:00 p.m. and we got home at 10:00 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug 15

For Aug 14 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.44. Events: 3 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 51 min with (max =8 L/min).

I worked on music for Saturday morning breakfast (Rodeo/Fair Kick-off Breakfast). Finally, got the music sent out at 4:45 pm. and left soon for Joanie’s and Ken’s for dinner, with another bouquet of flowers. Dinner was ground lamb and eggplant casserole with a fancy topping of cheesy crust, cucumber dish, another side dish of something in yogurt, and potato/olive bread & butter.

Brunch: piece of toast, omelet, strawberries, & 1/2 banana

Went to exercise at AAC (2:00)

Aug 15 FitBit

4312 steps at 11:19
1.82 mi
1706 calories burned
21 min very active exercise
What’s the little exercise man, hands in the air ? 109/250

Wednesday, Aug 16

For Aug 15 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.15. Events: 1 H, 1 PP, 15 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 42 min with (max 11 L/min).

Breakfast: Over easy egg, piece of toast, ham, coffee.
I worked on fixing the music for F.I.S.H. Food Bank Soup Kitchen to take today, picked up Gloria, and we went to SAIL exercise. We got all the parts taken care of, and I made it home to a cool house, and of dirty dishes, and tons of email to process. In addition, I need to get ready for tomorrow’s music planning and number of chairs at Pacifica.

John left for the dentist to get to a 9:00 appointment for cleaning. He made it home after I left the house, but he managed to stop by the grocery store, and go across town to Love’s for filling up his car with the least expensive gasoline in town ($2.659/gallon).

I took music in for our audience singers, and we managed to do 13 songs in 1/2 hour. I also took music for the players there today. We only had a few, but we managed. Reta Hutchinson singing, with her lovely soprano voice (she’s Jeanne Gordon’s younger sister), Dean Allen (voice and harmonica), Joanie Taylor & I (Nancy Hultquist) on violin, Andrew Grove on keyboard (a full 88-key piano), with a prelude of music by Andrew and Joanie of Celtic music – reels, etc., and Rob Fischer on guitar. We missed Evelyn Heflen (banjo), Bob Olsen (guitar & harmonica), and our setup man for chairs and music stands, but Andrew and Ken Matney (Joanie’s hubby) took over for set up and take down).

I was astounded when I was the last to go through the buffet for lunch line, and signed in as #54. That’s the most we have had in my memory of several years. As normal (for the Wednesday lunch), the main dish is donated by the Ellensburg Pasta Company. The staff adds the garlic bread, mixed green salad, today’s treat a cup of raw carrots & a Snow pea with dressing dip, if desired, with a little cake muffin for dessert. Beverage choice: Unsweetened iced tea & milk.
On my new food intake menu, I cannot eat most of the meal, but I had a large amount of salad, the carrot/pea cup, and my own box lunch (banana, 3 yellow Shiro plums from our tree, mixed nuts), and iced tea. Fine lunch and quite filling. Gloria and I went on to the SAIL exercise class, where Katrina led our class with about 15 people.

The temperature only got to a high of 89° today, but it felt a whole lot hotter in the sun and walking from the car to the building from the parking lot, and back, at two places.

Lunch: described above.

Supper: Baked chicken thighs, onions, mushrooms, and 2 of our tasty tomatoes.

FitBit readings at 11:40

3651 steps
1.54 mi
1,633 calories burned
14 min hard exercise

Thursday, Aug 17

For Aug 16 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.14. Events: 1 H, 21 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 54 min with (max 19 L/min).

John’s out to make ready to receive hay from Mario.

Dinner: We went to the annual Audubon End of summer party at the Lindstrom’s house on Hansen Rd for a wonderful array of food: Hamburger, squash, onions, Cole slaw, fruit salad, lettuce & tomatoes, stir fried (on a grill) onions, and a couple bites of desserts, John shared – one the yummy insides of a blueberry apricot pie. Met some old friends, and made new. We carried 3 bottles of wine from White Heron, one Rose’ of Syrah, the pick of them, by Gloria Lindstrom, for their 66th anniversary (today). Their shady yard with plants and trees of many sorts was the location. To share with the group there, we also took a bottle of Roussanne (fine white Swiss grape) and a bottle of Syrah.
Night report on FitBit:
10:50
3093 steps
1.31 mi
1,566 calories burned
28/250 I need to find out what that means.

Need to take my BP, meds, and hit the hay. John beat me there, ’cause he leaves early for a WTA trip in Mt. Rainier, he has to go the long way around to get to, because a lightning caused fire that is burning east of Chinook Pass (HWY 410).
Called the Norse Peak Fire, it is 1 of 2 burning close enough to us that we can see smoke. The road is mostly 2-lane through a forest and with trucks and fire fighters there, they don’t need more people. The few small settlements nearby still have access and are not in danger.

Friday, Aug 18

For Aug 17 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.18. Events: 1 H, 10 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 25 min with (max 9 L/min). Slept a much-needed 3 hrs more.

John and the WTA web page do not communicate well. He thought there were no Sat. and Sun. trips, just Friday. So – John left at 5:15 a.m. for Mt. Rainier. Having to by-pass Chinook Pass wildfire adds about 15 minutes to his trip. [He found the glitch in the communication issue, and so then signed up for Sunday, too.]

Leaving soon for Food Bank – busy doing last minute stuff for tomorrow’s gigs, & getting stuff ready to take various places in town.

I stayed longer in town than desired, but accomplished a lot. I went to the food bank for lunch and thought I would stay to make sandwiches and fill paper lunch bags (35 they do), but they were well ahead of me and had already finished when I arrived. John picked yellow squash and I donated 6# to the Food Bank for distribution to their patrons. They were happy to receive it. I stopped in the bread room and got some whole grain bread for a friend’s family.

I went by the bank to cash a medical refund check I’d unexpectedly received yesterday. I’ve no idea why. I saw a yard sale on my way to Amy’s to drop off some stuff and pick up a bag of old-fashioned clothespins to use on our music in the wind (good thing we had it both venues on Saturday). They were donated free on one of the free giving Facebook sites, by a friend of Amy’s and dropped off on her front porch, saving me a trip to the country.

I hit the yard sale on my way home, and got a nice heater for winter and a 3-Crockpot set with a hot plate that holds the smaller Crockpots. Now we can do meat in one, veggies in another, and ?? in another, or just use one or two. Finding a flat spot will be the challenge (maybe the top of our chest freezer where we use our 5-quart one from when we married). Both were at extremely low prices, so I figured I couldn’t lose. She had another carrier I decided to buy, very light (came with her from Hawaii), and they are moving back there to take care of her parents. She gave me a deal off the price she had marked, which was already a great price.

Saturday, August 19

For Aug 18 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 1 CSR, 1 PP, 6 RERA. Time on, 5 hrs 32 min with (max =9 /min).

Rodeo breakfast: We got to Umpqua Bank parking lot before 7:00 a.m. and over to the stage. It was cold, and then became windy. Had to use the clothespins I packed for several people’s music. We played for an hour, with a few interruptions. I was handed the microphone and asked to introduce the group. John carried my fiddle and music to the car, and we had breakfast.

They served blueberry pancake(s), sausage links (I had 5 and ate only the inside of the pancake where the most blueberries were concentrated. For a drink, I had orange juice. It was still cold in the shade, so I went back for coffee to warm my hands! Then, we watched the kid’s cowboy/cowgirl contest, and Haley Davison won a blue ribbon. As usual, her mom had her dressed in a cool shirt and skirt with a red cowboy hat & carrying a horse on a stick.

After visiting with a few folks, we walked to the Farmer’s Market. I met and visited with Gary Cox, from the Cox Canyon Vineyards, where we used to take our summer class, Wine: A Geographical Appreciation to on their first field trip intro only a few miles down on the Yakima River Canyon Road, from Ellensburg. Gary also visited our class through the years as a guest lecturer on the meaning of Terroir, in wines. Also visited with Steve Verhey, while there, and bought a box of gorgeous peaches he grows in Royal City. He had my mom’s old wind-up 60-minute timer, he offered to fix, and he never succeeded. He still has it and told me he was hoping for the guts of one so he could try to switch them. I have one that I will give him to see if he can manage to fix the very old one. At least I know where to find him now on Saturday mornings.

John put a couple of photos in the placeholder of us at the morning music – so I will wait until next week when Evie should have the video processed that her friend Gene took of us playing. In that placeholder, John called them, my group, but officially, we are the Kittitas Valley Fiddlers & Friends. The group has been in the valley since the 1950s, and one original founding member still plays guitar and sings with us.

I need to remember to send Gary and Suzy Cox information on our timeshare so they can plan a trip to Canada coming soon.

We ate a snack before we left; sharing a peach we bought this morning at the Farmer’s Mkt. It was excellent and the size of a softball.

Briarwood. John picked and took a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and Lee Keisel fixed them gorgeously in a big cut glass vase. She put it in the kitchen of the office for everyone to enjoy. We told her to take them home with her. She is the organizer for all our 3rd Saturdays at Briarwood, providing a meal for us after we play for an hour.

We played outside for at least an hour dodging the sun and trying to stay in the shade. Finally, we stopped in time to eat before all the food was gone. They offered grilled polish sausage, hamburgers, orange juice, onions, relish, mustard, and ketchup. I just had a hamburger, no bun. I came home and have low blood pressure (88/41, pulse 64), so I sat down to rest. John’s out taking care of outside chores. We stayed and visited with members of the group, and had a very good afternoon with two gigs. Just starting at 7:00 a.m. was quite the trick, but we made it through with lots of compliments. The wind blew both places.

Thanks to Evie, Charlie, Gerald, Kevin, and Dean for our back row group on a tight stage, and Anne, Amy, Joanie, Nancy, Roberta, & Tim, for the front row crew. We played for the folks to eat grilled breakfast: blueberry pancakes, link sausages, with chocolate or white milk, orange juice, or coffee. Quite a nice spread.

Great email from my friend Elise in NJ. She walks in the park as often as possible and today took a photograph, collage below, of the beginning of a Monarch Butterfly. Cool or what?10:10 pm FitBit Charger 2
4489 steps
1.90 mi
1675 calories burned
8 min vigorous exercise

Sunday, August 20

For Aug 19 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.17. Events: 1 CSR, 1 H, 8 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 0 min with (max = 13 L/min). I slept in for another ~ 3 hrs!

We thought this was not going to find John at Mt. Rainier for the first Sunday in awhile, but he went on Friday and learned he needed to be there today, so is going.

He took off early, dropped off some plums to friends his trip to the mountain (at the end of their driveway). Some were tree fall from yesterday’s winds while we were away in the afternoon, and one little box of yellow Shiros we shared that we picked last night late. He also carried some on ice in a cooler for the end of the day for the crew. WTA provides cookies and drinks.

Here is John’s special for the day:
Mt. Rainier shed a mass of snow and ice from near her top on Sunday. Our work site is about 6.5 miles away and at half the top’s elevation.
There was a loud, almost explosive, sound.
Here is an image with a few reference points: “A” including 2 pointers, and “B” just a marker.At the ends of the pointers, there is a snow/ice cap on this, the north facing side of the Mountain. A curving shadow is showing between the two end points. The shadow is a vertical face or side of the remaining ice/snow. “B” is how far down where we could still see the cloud of particles coming up out of the valley.

The mass of snow and ice broke away from up there and fell thousands of feet, from about 13,500 feet to 9,800 feet.
This is not quite a vertical drop, but after dropping 3,700 feet there is a change in slope where the Carbon Glacier begins. You can see what this area – the Glacier’s accumulation zone – looks like by clicking:
See the landing area

When the sound reached us, the WTA crew stopped and watched. It took me, John, about 15 seconds to remember I had a small point and shoot camera hanging on my belt, and another 15 seconds to get a picture.
Here is a wider angle view of the scene (more of the same photo). On the left of the photo are the tops of the Emmons and Winthrop Glaciers. The ridges and valleys across the 6+ miles do not show in this photo.

Below shows Eric digging out a rock – 15% showing. On the right is one showing moving of a rock. Note the iron bars under it so that it will slide without friction from the ground.I paused to use John’s camera to take photos of a very young and thin skunk who returned through the fence to eat the dry cat food at our front door. It was 1:40 p.m. and during a shady part of the day. I didn’t have the heart to send him away. Pix are still on John’s camera. We have now moved the food to a cable table, where we think he cannot climb.

Brunch: Egg & Chicken Salad (homemade here), with 3 different types of plums (Yellow Shiro, dark purple something, and lighter purple something). We will show and name next week when they are riper. I also could have had a tree-fall couple we found when we came home yesterday afternoon, but I’ll save them for supper. Also had to load my meds for the week, and take today’s “morning” dose.

Finally, I’m back after a long wait for a late brunch, and then putting together more of the videos from 8-12-17 at the 50th Anniversary party at the Lundy’s at the Bar 14 Ranch. I’m getting Tim Henebry’s help identifying the songs I videotaped of Scottish/Irish/French tunes played by a group, consisting of Barb Riley & Isabel Robertson (using my violin), with Tim Henebry on guitar and his wife Roberta Clark on a Bodhrán (Irish drum) and autoharp.

Folks who are interested in listening to the Scottish Music of the evening. Here is a glimpse; I’m still working on the details, but I need to check some things with Barb Riley. I’m going to leave it that anyone interested in the whole bunch, please write me an email at “Nancy-Music Hultquist” (nancymaps@gmail.com) for a list and I will return the rest of the evening (as below).

(2) “Arran Boat Song”/“Swallowtail”

(6) (dedicated to Linda and Dave Lundy for their 50th Anniv). Irish tune by Bill Cunningham.

“Eternal Friendship”

(9) A Scottish/Irish Set — Consisting of “Da Full Rigged Ship,” “Da New Rigged Ship,” and “The Gravel Walk”. I didn’t know the first two songs, but I once learned Gravel Walk in Roberta Pearce’s WOTFA Summer Workshop class for Intermediate & Advanced Violin.

A Scottish/Irish Set

(10) Final Best Wishes to the Lundys: Their daughter Alisa introduced the Lundys, Linda introduced members of their wedding party (Maid of Honor, Best Man, Bridesmaids, Groomsmen, and others; and Alisa’s husband, Christopher, introduced and provided the devotional at the end. I’m sorry I missed getting any part of the ceremony and Bible reading, after all the well-wishers crowded forward.

The Benediction

11:26 pm FitBit charger 2, 8-20-17
lower than normal, because I charged it most of the day
970 steps
0.41 mi
1,352 calories burned
0 min vigorous exercise
86/250

The really good news of my day came from CA.

Daisy placed 4th in an Open Limited Gun Dog Field Trial in a large stake, in CA. She handled 4 birds and had 2 honors (backs on another dog’s point).

I’ll just put the photo here I received yesterday from Jeri Conklin (my co-owner) of Cedaridge Kip’s Camelot Shay Tre’ (Daisy) JH Handler, Scott Azevedo with Jeri Conklin, & Daisy

Monday August 21 SOLAR ECLIPSE across the USA

For Aug 20 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=1.65. Events: 9 H, 1 PP, 14 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 26 min with (max = 13 L/min) + 3 hrs.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, bacon, plums, toast (1/2 piece), 1/2 a large peach.

Lunch: chicken salad, plums, nuts

Between the BBC and KOMONEWS, and dimmed darkness here, we ate breakfast during the solar eclipse. Now to try to finish the blog before we are over a week behind.

Skipping SAIL – no time today. Must run to town for some essentials.

Hope your week was fine.

Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan

This is another “wait until Monday” posting.
It has been a very busy week and today — Saturday — started at 6 AM.

Nancy’s group had to play for an hour at the kick-off breakfast for the County Fair and Rodeo.
With interruptions they played from about 7:15 to 8:15.

The event was in the center of EBRG at the Rotary Pavilion. We then ate their breakfast of a Blueberry pancake and 3 sausage links, plus a drink.
While all that was happening, a Farmer’s Market was setting up around the corner on a closed city street. Nancy visited with a couple of friends and John found a 20 pound box of Peaches he couldn’t refuse. Nancy knew the seller, so they visited while John went for the car, dodged the kiddies parade, and found a close place to load the Peaches.

The afternoon had the group playing again while the residents of BriarCliff Commons prepared a grilled burger and “dogs” meal that finished with a rootbeer float.
John was at Mt. Rainier on Friday but had to detour around a forest fire. Sunday he will do the same. A small herd of mountain goats appeared high on the ridge between the crew and the Lookout.

We will work on the entire week’s activities and post sometime Monday.

Best to all

Nancy & John
Still on the Naneum Fan

Sunday, Aug 6

For Aug 5 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.19. Events: 1 H, 3 PP, 16 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 9 min with (max = 9 L/min). I was up to check John’s BP, feed the cats, and big him adieu, & then, I went back to sleep an hour later and rested for 2.5 more hrs.

We left out a photo last night so John fixed it this morning and still headed to Mt. Rainier at 5:25 A.M. With a stop for gas in Naches – 7 minutes – he still made it to the flagpole at 8:05.
This is the standard meeting place for anyone trying to meet anyone else at Sunrise.

Then, mid-afternoon, I updated some errors in spacing I found, and a delivery date for my FitBit is now updated to Aug 9 from Aug 14. What great news! I thought John would be able to wear it this coming weekend to two different WTA work trips in the hills, but he decided he really prefers to wear it on a work day around our property to see how many steps he takes while feeding, watering the plants, flowers, and trees.
He carried his camera, hoping to get closer pix of the suspected igneous intrusive rocks with bright red pieces within the massive material. He has been searching the internet and soliciting views of a couple local rock-guys. No good answers yet. He thinks Mt. Rainier a one very interesting place. It is a “hiking” park; consequently, you only get the postcard views. He says he will document what this means as the season fades and the crew nears the trail’s end – the Lookout tower, with just 1,056 feet to go.

Here is one cool shot of the elevation pressure difference:This shows the difference in pressure on a bag of potato chips probably bagged in Portland, OR and viewed at 7,100′ elevation near Mt. Rainier. John mixes cola (half sugar/half not) into a plastic bottle and that removes most of the fizz. Taking a bottle of carbonated drink to that elevation and then opening it results in a foaming eruption – as a volcano – ha, ha!

I worked on finishing the corrections to the Aug/Sept music & send to Evie for review & then to the F&F group. Finally, I made new PDFs (marked NEW 2017) to send or print for those who need them added this Thursday at Meadows Place.

Brunch: coffee
Lunch: I boiled eggs, fixed tuna fish salad, & 1/2 banana
Afternoon snack: cherries & nuts & 1/2 banana
Supper: beans, ham, tuna fish salad, banana.Photo taken by Nathan M. Bender from the The Steilacoom–Anderson Island ferry terminal, southern Puget Sound, WA. The deep red sun is caused by the haze in the PNW brought to us from the smoke of Canadian wildfires.

My friend Glenn Engels had been trying to capture the deep red sun we’d been viewing from our valley for over a week – the result of nearby and faraway smoke from fires throughout our region, and from the south in WA. I never managed to get a decent shot myself. Today, I received this image of a red sun, from him, seen above. In the photographer’s words, “no Photoshop needed because of the Canadian forest fires.”

Monday, Aug 7

For Aug 6 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.17. Events: 1 H, 20 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 54 min with (max = 11 L/min). Slept in another 1.5 hrs.

Breakfast: 2 eggs & small piece of sausage link, coffee.

Thankfully, my scheduled appointment for weighing in and measurements was postponed. It is a good thing, because our toenail appt. went 45 minutes late, just to be seen. Then I was really pressed for time to bring John home, eat lunch, and turn around and get to SAIL exercise class.

Our appointments were scheduled at 11:15 and 11:30 a.m. at Cascade Foot & Ankle, with Dr. Cardon, to do our toenails. Medicare should cover both ours this month. We owed $8.91 (taking today) on John’s from 3 months ago, because he had not yet reached his deductible.

I also picked up music from Dr. Dave’s house he’d left for me behind their screen door. Once home, I worked more on music-making corrections.

Brunch: tuna fish salad, cherries, banana

Tuesday, Aug 8

For Aug 7 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 3 RERA. Time on 2 hrs 4 min with (max =12 L/min). I awoke at 2:45 a.m., looked at the clock wrong, thought it was 5:45 a.m., disconnected the mask, and went back to sleep.

I received an early morning wildlife cam shot of a cougar in Manastash canyon across the valley from us. It is not far from where we will be attending a dinner, next Monday night, on Cove Road & Manastash Roads.Cougar sighting, Manastash (SW part of our Kittitas Valley). This same cam location reported one a month ago.

There is a talk on Cougars next Monday night, but we aren’t available to attend. Our friends Joanie & Ken plan to go.

Morning snack: pear slices, coffee

Up to work on dishes (still), talk to Gloria about tomorrow, and get the messages and music (reviewed by Evie) off to the group to print corrections (6 songs), for Thursday’s performance, and sending plans for extra performances next weekend (Aug 19).

Brunch: don’t recall
Going to go to exercise at AAC (2:00), by Bi-Mart to check number.
Afternoon snack: nuts
Supper: BBQ ham slices, mushrooms, onions, squash

Played with opening new FitBit, but have to download setup to see how to recharge it. (www.fitbit.com/setup) and will need to do from the Dell laptop.

Wednesday, Aug 9

For Aug 8 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.13. Events: 1 H, 22 RERA. Time on 7 hrs 35 min with (max 7 L/min.)

Went to sing, eat, and play fiddle, at the Food Bank Soup Kitchen; and then on to SAIL class at the AAC.

Breakfast: half banana, coffee
Lunch: Took ham slices, hard-boiled egg, to add to salad.
Afternoon snack: nuts
Supper: Salmon, ham, mushrooms , beer-battered squash and Walla Walla sweet onions John grew and fixed.

Need to finish assembling printed music for tomorrow and get message out to the group about playing at Meadows tomorrow, plus give the activities director a chair count.

Too dang hot today (104 at the airport 5 miles south of us). It was 103 when I was in town. Not nice. Thank God for a/c.

Unsuccessfully, tried to get FitBit Charge 2 to charge up. Need to call in the morning, if it didn’t work overnight. Going for my weigh-in and measurements tomorrow by 1:00 p.m.

Thursday, Aug 10

For Aug 9 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 1 CSR, 1 PP, 26 RERA. Time on 7 hrs 37 min with (max 8 L/min.)

I spent time with a guy for FitBit customer service helping me make sense from the FitBit app and charging and synching my FitBit tracker with the software application I had already downloaded to my laptop. He was in Sal Salvadore, El Salvador. It worked, eventually.

Brunch:  two eggs over easy, ham , piece of toast w/ Marion-berry jam, coffee.

Today was the time for the rescheduled appointment at The Maximus Gym for my 3-week weigh-in, calculation of % body fat, and 9 tape measurements of my body parts (upper arms, chest, waist, hips, and upper legs). I’m not expecting the dramatic weight loss as last time, but do expect I have lost some more inches (at least according to how my clothes fit).

We left for town in John’s car (with me driving) because at the last minute, he couldn’t find his wallet (with his DL in it). We made it up the steep two flights of stairs, carrying along two gifts for my volunteer nutritionist, Audra, who has been advising me and helping motivate me to lose the weight, inches, and to change my eating intake. The neatest gift was John’s (now antique) Compound bow, he bought when we were in Iowa, in the early 70s. He took it on several hunting trips, including one to Colorado with Fred Joyal. Audra’s husband is an avid hunter and he runs a taxidermy business. She’s also an archer. They will hang it on the wall of their home, and have invited us out for a private tour of the taxidermy shop and their house to see both.

The measurement results were only 1 lb lost, the body fat % remained the same, but the total inches lost were 5″. She thinks I might have reached a plateau; I need to send her the content of the meals I’m eating, along with a scan of the measurement results.

Afternoon snack: Cherries and mixed nuts (no peanuts because of their fat), but pistachios, pecans, almonds, & cashews.

Supper: 4 “x 3” piece of baked Quiche John made with ham, mushrooms, cheese, & eggs. Many cherries, with the rest of my mixed nuts. Dessert: a custard cup of cut strawberries.

A huge bunch of people came to play today at the Meadows Place: Maury, Manord, Kevin, Roberta, Tim, Minerva, Evie, Laina, Amy & Haley, Gerald, Dean, Sharon, Nancy, and Anne. We had an appreciative audience that kept getting larger as we played and the sounds made it every corner of the building. Even the staff came up afterwards to tell us how wonderful the music was today.

We took the little blue car John drives (it needs a name) to the grocery for supplies and out for gasoline to fill up for his trip to Mt. Rainier tomorrow.

Friday, Aug 11

For Aug 10 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.18. Events: 1 H, 1 PP, 16 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 29 min with (max 5 L/min).

Survey from Medicare re: CPAP arrived, in my email. I need to fill it out and return. I am planning to record my answers, to have to show a few interested people. The information will be summarized and delivered by a political action group (People for Quality Care), to fight the Congressional Decision to disband Medicare payments to patients to cover their CPAP supplies. (This went into effect the first of this year). I will explain more of the details in the future, once I see the content questions of the survey (being conducted by an Economic Consulting Service). I was asked to participate by Kelly Turner, Executive Director @ the organization (PQC) mentioned above – based on my earlier questions to the advocacy group for healthcare, and I also contacted my district’s congressional representatives. [A case of folks wanting benefits but lower taxes.]

Today, I left a phone message for Joanie and Ken about her FitBit, hoping to drop by today. No one answered when I was in town. They were outside in their pool, without telephone access. They are coming out tomorrow to pick it up, here.

I vacuumed dust from a Go to Jail, Dice Monopoly board game I found behind a door in the back guest bedroom, which is for ages 8 yrs and up, to donate and delivered today on my way home.
Donated to this cause: I need to check one more hall closet for board games. Most I have already given away. If I still have Yahtzee, I will keep it, as I really enjoyed playing it with Tanya Myers and her children when confined to my bed in the Rehab center in 2010. It was the bright spot of my recovery. The game has an interesting history, you can read about on Wikipedia.

John’s orange shirts arrived today via FedEx, just in time, as I had only been home 5 minutes. John opened when he got home late this evening, tried them on, and found they fit perfectly. We both like the bright dark orange color (you’ll see it on him in tomorrow’s blog pix of our trip to a 50th Anniversary party, at friends. It will also be nice to wear as an “orange hat” (Assistant Crew Leader) on WTA volunteer trail work. He will wear it at Mt. Rainier on Sunday. It did not show under the rain-gear!

Our a/c (new thermostat) controller starting clanging loudly, so I turned it off, and left for town (details below).

I left 11:40ish for a Parklane & Regal St. carport, at a corner duplex, to pick up bag-less vacuum (Bissel) on my way to town. I still haven’t had time to tell John about it, or to bring it into the house to try it out. It was freely given, and, if it works, it will replace our need to vacuum with our old vacuum that overheats and quits after 10 minutes of use, and for which we lost our favorite head for the end (with brushes on the end of the suction nozzle).

I was headed to the food bank to eat lunch, make sandwiches, and load stuff into bags for the summer lunch program in the parks, a national program provided locally in Ellensburg and Kittitas by the F.I.S.H. Food Bank. Today, I was responsible for loading the rest of the bag contents, already started before lunch, with fresh pineapple in a cup, apple juice, 2 sandwiches (either two chicken salad, or just one with a peanut butter & jelly one), I added a Twinkie and a Hostess cupcake OR a package of 3 Snow Balls (actually green), and a small bag of Lay’s potato chips. I forgot to count the final number of bags, but it must have been >40, because 2 weeks ago, I helped make 80 sandwiches. I need to count next week.

I ate first, and visited with 4 people (one a long time friend) at lunch. I carried with me a hard-boiled egg, a bunch of cherries (Bing & Rainier), and a banana. I passed on the main course which was two hotdogs with a bun, covered with chili with beans, cheese sauce, garlic bread, and had a little bowl of mixed green salad, but most of it I could not eat. (Wrong dark green lettuce, a few little pieces of tomato I ate and some small pieces of yellow pepper, but no cucumbers for me), and no dessert. I was fine with what I had. It was very hot outside. I walked in from a faraway parking space, dropped off some food donations at the distribution center, and suffered through the temperatures, now to 100°. Nice and cool inside, however. I carried in my cell phone, and the receptionist looked up the Brad & Burke phone number, so I could call and report my A/C problem, and request a technician.

The main controller unit of the heat pump with A/C started clicking loudly, right before I left for town, so I turned it off to Vacation Away mode, and it stopped the noise, so I left. When I returned, I figured I would have to try to restart it. But, it was on, and working just fine, with no noise. The temperature outside was up to 103°. I had re-called the repair place after I was done at the Food Bank with the Lunch Bag loading, but they had no service technicians available; all were out on calls. Darren was out of town at a Rodeo and won’t be back until Monday. He was the tech who installed our new thermostat about a month ago. I called when I got back home to tell them the story, and to cancel the call for a repair person. Maybe it overheated at 11:30 a.m. (shouldn’t have), and maybe when I turned it off for a couple hours, it cooled down. She took down all my message, and will share with him, and he’ll check back on Monday a.m. (he didn’t). I hope it lasts through the weekend (it did). She asked if he’d left an instruction booklet, and I did not know, as I was not here when he fixed it. However, later in the afternoon, I found it. I had never read it, because he demoed all the settings to John on the new equipment.
I did not pick up the WSJ or the mail today, cause I was rushing home to be here for attending to the a/c and to be here for the FedEx delivery of John’s orange shirts.

On my way out of town, I went to the USPS and put the Eclipse book into an envelope to ship off to Dawn and Victor Estrella in Boise, ID. They have been my friends for a long time, ever since Dawn was a student in several of my geography classes. They ended up in San Leandro, CA, and one year when the AAG meetings were in San Francisco, they entertained me at their house high up on a hill, and took me each day on their way to work to a nearby BART station for me to take the train to SF for the day. It was a wonderful experience. She and her hubby moved from CA a few years ago and have been teaching in the Boise school system.

Below is a photo of the book we sent them, with a description from on-line about the book’s content, and also a photo of the new 2017 Eclipse Forever stamp at the USPS.

With the package I sent, I included some stamps. John had found the Eclipse book a day or so before, while cleaning our living room. I mailed it and included a sheet of Eclipse heat sensitive stamps to give to the kids. She teaches astronomy, so she was thrilled to hear about my sending the book. In Boise, they are right in the track for the 2017 total eclipse of the sun. Turns out, I learned late Sunday night, they are not taking the kids on a field trip as I first thought, because school is not in session, there are no funds from such trips anyway, and it is a work day for the teachers at their school. The teachers would have to take a day of vacation leave to go out of town to reach the area north of them with 100% total coverage. Where they are will be “only” 99%, and so she has emailed the parents to bring the kids to the school for an education of the phenomenon.

Our gift arrived Aug 14, 2017 before the eclipse will occur 8/21/17 in Boise, ID and in time for them to study before their experience.Post office description:
On August 21, 2017, tens of millions of people in the United States will have an opportunity to view a total eclipse of the Sun. A total solar eclipse was last seen on the U. S. mainland in 1979, but only in the Northwest. The eclipse this summer will sweep a narrow path across the entire country—the first time this has happened since 1918. The U. S. Postal Service® anticipates this rare event with a stamp celebrating the majesty of solar eclipses.

The Total Eclipse of the Sun stamp is the first U. S. stamp to use thermochromic ink, which reacts to the heat of one’s touch. Placing a finger over the black disc on the stamp causes the ink to change from black to clear to reveal an underlying image of the moon. The image reverts back to the black disc once it cools. The back of the stamp pane shows a map of the eclipse path. You can preserve the integrity of your Total Eclipse of the Sun Forever® stamp pane with our protective sleeve specifically designed for stamp preservation. The stamp uses a photograph taken by astrophysicist Fred Espenak of a total solar eclipse that was seen over Jalu, Libya, on March 29, 2006. Mr. Espenak also took the photograph of the full moon that is revealed by pressing upon the stamp image. The reverse side of the stamp pane shows the path across the United States of the forthcoming August 21, 2017, total solar eclipse and gives the times that it will appear in some locations.

The date in this below seems odd to us, but we can’t find another.
John and I were in the Okefenokee Swamp during the Solar eclipse of March 7, 1970, on a field trip from Georgia State University. What an amazing experience !! It was conducted by the biology department, and we were on swamp boats, polling our way through the cypress trees, lily pads, and alligators. All wildlife and lily pads bedded down or closed for the brief few minutes of darkness. I do not have any photographs of that experience, but it is embedded in my memory forever. I would have only had a 35mm slide film Kodak camera at that time.

Below is a collage of the USA track of the event.Here are some details on Wikipedia:
Link 1

Animated gif of the Solar Eclipse of 1970:
Link 2

Link for this year’s total eclipse from NASA–for Idaho viewing:
Link 3

I’m including this information for those who are within the paths, who are blog readers, and who will appreciate this information. We also have friends who plan to go to Bend, OR to view it.

Check out this link,
Link 4

Story about the book we sent our friends in Boise: (we found this in our collection and I decided to share it with them). J P McEvoy looks at remarkable phenomenon of a solar eclipse through a thrilling narrative that charts the historical, cultural and scientific relevance of solar eclipses through the ages and explores the significance of this rare event.

In the year when Britain will be touched by a solar eclipse for the first time since 1927, J P McEvoy looks at this remarkable phenomenon through a thrilling narrative that charts the historical, cultural and scientific relevance of solar eclipses through the ages and explores the significance of this rare event.

Eclipse shows how the English Astronomer Norman Lockyer named the element Helium from the spectra of the eclipsed Sun, and how in Cambridge Arthur Eddinton predicted the proof of Einstein’s General Relativity from the bending of sunlight during the famous African eclipse of 1919.

Supper: Chicken salad and cherries and more I don’t remember, maybe yellow squash and onions John grew.

Saturday, August 12

For Aug 11 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 8 RERA. Total time on CPAP, 5 hrs 32 min with (max =9 /min).

Visitors from Ellensburg, Joanie & Ken, drove out to pick up her loaned FitBit that I tried to return yesterday. Today, they came before noon with their doggie, Rosie, and brought me a gift of a nice Aria FitBit scale (as an early birthday present), to monitor and add to my data record on the FitBit site to measure various things about my weight change and % body fat calculation. They also brought a vase with water and carried home a beautiful bouquet of flowers (dahlias & gladioli) from John’s garden. She told us people were selling them for $25/bouquet at the Farmer’s Market. We prefer to give them to happy receivers, and enjoy them ourselves. Also, John picked them a box of yellow summer squash, and told them his childhood memories of his mom dressing the big ones as baby-Dolls. For years, the family (ours included), has enjoyed eating “Fried babies.”

We were also invited to a Greek Dinner this coming Tuesday, to Joanie’s and Ken’s with music following, with 2 violins (Joanie and me) and Andrew on keyboard. Perhaps Joanie will play her Sitar. I haven’t ever heard her play that. I’ll have to report next week on the food (Moussaka, etc.). I’m unsure that I can eat all of it, but I’ll enjoy what I can, and perhaps take a few things to eat on the side for me for my medication and dietary restrictions). And, we’ll take some wine. I need to check some of the ingredients, such as eggplant, for Vitamin K content that might conflict with my blood thinner. My rationale is that I can eat high Vitamin K food, and enjoy some wine to counterbalance it.

Brunch: A piece of cheese, ham, mushroom omelet (more like baked Quiche), an apricot, 1/2 piece of English Muffin toast, with a light spread of Marion-berry jam.

Afternoon snack: skipped because we were too busy getting ready to go to a 50th Anniversary party, with music (I was participating in the first part with Dave Lundy singing and playing his guitar, his son Micah on Mandolin, another son Myles on guitar, Barb Riley & I on violin), and then, after dinner, I loaned my violin to a young girl, Isabel Robinson, (Barb Riley’s student), who played a bunch of Scottish tunes with a different group of musicians: Isabel and Barb on violin, Roberta Clark on Drum and Autoharp, and her hubby Tim Henebry on guitar. I took videos of their songs, but they have not been processed yet. I’ll pull out a picture of John and me and the Lundy’s to share.Flowers we took to the couple for their 50th (found out there that Dahlias were used in their wedding!) – Us near the start.

Supper: Many things. I had a piece of smoked prime rib, cantaloupe, big strawberry, red grapes, baked beans, a salad with crushed pineapple, marshmallows in lime Jello, blueberries as big as my thumbnail, smoked salmon, deviled eggs, tri tip, mandarins & cubes of chicken breast meat, whipped mousse chocolate pie, no crust, with cherry coke on ice for my beverage. I didn’t know until afterwards, that John also had BBQ ribs. I knew he had roasted corn-on-cob and roasted chicken.Linda & Dave Lundy and Uma, their granddaughter(1 yr old)

I came home and my systolic BP was very low. I checked again through the evening, and it finally came up to the 80s, but I do not feel bad or dizzy. It got to 100 before I was ready to retire.

Today’s high temp at the airport was 91. This evening at the party, it cooled down considerably and we got a nice breeze. it went from the 80s to the 70s by the time we left a few hours later.

The winds began at the party while we were there, and continued through the night, so much so, a 44 mph gust awakened all 3 of us (John, me, and the dog), in the wee hours of the morning.
Sunday, August 13

For Aug 12 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.19. Events: 1 H, 9 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 15 min with (max = 5 L/min).

John left at 5:30 a.m. for Mt. Rainier. I was sound asleep, when he checked out and said goodbye. I did get up and feed two cats out front (in the rain-sprinkle), so I fed them under the shelter of our front door entrance. I was dead tired, needing to get more sleep, but I tossed and turned until 7:15, and finally got to sleep for 2 hrs. I definitely needed it.

I had coffee, fed Rascal (cat) in the house, picked up cat food from the front porch, where Woody & Sue had eaten most of it at 5:36 a.m. I need to check the A/C and get on with many chores needing completed before John returns late evening. Then we have to finish this blog (he was too tired, and I continued working on it, because I was not done with my part). He put out an interesting place holder last night.

Only John will appreciate the following statement. I managed to add a bowl of dry food under the slanted wooden extra-braced pallet to a completely used up source for the 3 outside feral cats, on our front porch, in front of the front door. Normally, that’s one of John’s chores, because his reach is better than mine.

Finally, at 1:30, I took some pills, and am now eating brunch: Chicken salad, cherries, &  banana. The winds started blowing hard again this morning, just before noon, and have been in the 30 mph range, with gusts at 33 mph. Before the day was over, they reached several hours in the 30s, and on to a high of 40 mph. The good thing is the rain last night and winds have moved the haze and smoke from our valley that has plagued us for two weeks. We now have our usual 10-mile visibility from the airport 5 miles south of us.

Wow, I just looked through yesterday’s mail and realized the reality of what John’s been telling me for some time. Our house and property will be paid off (our mortgage loan) in February, 2018, and we will only owe insurance and taxes. What an incredible thought! We will have to keep a separate savings account to pay for the taxes and insurance at the times needed.

I received this on Facebook private messaging today, from a long time university friend (in Human Resources), who helped John through the final paperwork in 2009-10, when I was so ill.

Hi Nancy,
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but our son Jason is running for US Congress as a moderate democrat in the 8th district, which includes E-burg. Steve and I will be in E-burg for a kickoff event on 8/22 from 5:30 – 7:00 at 420 N Pearl. It would mean a lot to us if you could make it. Please RSVP to Chad@JasonRittereiser.com
You can read about his Jason’s campaign at www.JasonRittereiser.com
Wendy

I’m going to share with him my report on the survey mentioned above regarding medical care costs for patients.

I just walked down the hall, looked out the front door window and saw our year-old twin fawns, (Dawn & Buck) waiting at the front gate for a handout. I went inside grabbed a half a loaf of one bread, and a small package of another. I gave them a little of each in bite size. They were quite happy to come right up to the fence where I threw it over the gate and into the shade of our big shed. John normally feeds them on the side of the house under the tamaracks, but they always come to the front gate to announce their arrival.

John called about 6:00 p.m. from I-82, only about 14 miles from Ellensburg. It took another 1/2 hour before he got home. Annie was ready for him. She went with him on a walk to feed the horses.

He had a cold & wet morning on the trail today. As they started walking into the area, they quickly walked into the clouds, and saw little sun much of the morning, having to work in a cloud – not quite drizzle. The sun came out later. His work group dug a ledge on the side of the trail and built a rock wall. John said one of the rocks they moved must have weighed 400 lbs. What do you think?Mike’s arms (bright green) and John’s orange hat but the rest of them have disappeared. Well, there is an extra arm in the center – that’s John’s. Drew’s got a new vest, for 25+ days of WTA work.

My BP was down to 95 at 10:05 p.m.

John fixed supper and went to bed early.

Supper: Cooked beef, tomatoes, & onions, with gravy, from a Crockpot slow cooker yesterday. He fried more caramelized onions to go with fried yellow babies. That was a nice meal.

Stats: 1,067 steps, .45 mi FitBit, 11:56 pm. (resets at midnight).

Hope your week was fine.

Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan

Sunday, July 30

For July 29 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 13 RERA. Time on 4 hrs 58 min with (max = 8 L/min). Oximetry: Unavailable. I was so exhausted I slept in for another 4 hrs!

This morning John left again for Mt. Rainier at 5:32 a.m. This is becoming a regular Sunday outing and will occur this coming weekend as well. We’ll update photos this week, after his Aug 6 trip today, on next week’s blog.

I must make good strides on the August/September music for the Fiddlers & Friends, we all need to print and organize by this Thursday, at Prestige Rehab.

Starting this week off with sunshine from this Yellow Dahlia John photographed for Anne to see, and brought to put in our kitchen window for us to enjoy! He had to adjust his white-balance in his camera to prevent the bright flower from whiting out the bloom!
I managed to complete 2 loads of washing today, with John gone on his trail work, as well as a load of dishes.

Brunch: Piece Egg/Cheese Omelet, Crisp Bacon, Banana
Afternoon snack: cherries & nuts

Today, on Facebook, Jeri Conklin’s report of her 3 dogs’ performances in Los Banos at Nelson Kennels for a Practice Hunt test (JH, MH, & SH) from yesterday, 7-29-17, with judges, and evaluation/discussion with judges & trainers with lunch, and points evaluated for each dog, as if it was a real competition for Junior, Master, and Senior Hunter stakes. It sounded like a fun and educational training session, and well worth the long drive up to the “grounds.” Her hubby, Kurt, also volunteered as a gunner for the retrieving stakes.Our Daisy at Hunt Test and early morning sunrise in Los Banos.

Here are Jeri’s comments about yesterday’s performance: Daisy came in season so had to run last brace and ran bye (alone). She did everything I could have asked of her and more. 10s/9s and a 6 on the retrieve. The bird flew behind us and I was blocking her view for the exact fall. She did search for it and eventually found it, but didn’t bring it all the way back. An honoring situation was set up for her and she did great and got another 10 for it. The leashed picture is just that after, we were done running. We ran 13 braces of JH/SH/MH tests and finished by 11:00 am. Later morning sunrise & Jeri handling Chip (young dog) with Deanna flushing bird.

Monday, July 31

For July 30 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 12 RERA. Time on 7 hrs 11 min with (max = 8 L/min).

John went to town for a 9:00 a.m. appt. for alignment on his Crosstrek at Seth Motors, our auto repair place since arriving in Ellensburg.

I plan to eat brunch here, go to SAIL exercise, by Super 1 for meds, and by Safeway to pick up 2 dozen eggs with coupon, deliver Wall St. Journals to Jana, and need to write Monica to say I’m coming tomorrow after 3:00 p.m.

Breakfast/Brunch: Coffee, small piece cheese/egg omelet, couple pieces bacon, sliced fresh pear, 1/2 banana.

Then I was off to the Rehab to find Anne Engel’s room and visit.

Afternoon snack: nuts, cherries, 1/2 banana
Supper: chicken strips w/BBQ sauce, onions, mushrooms, yellow squash, pieces of pear, and the rest of the nuts.

Tuesday, Aug 1

For July 31 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 27
RERA. Time on 6 hrs 46 min with (max = 8 L/min).

Brunch: 2 eggs over easy, 1/2 piece toast, 1/3 piece of sausage patty.
Afternoon snack: nuts and banana

John went with me to town, let me off at the AAC, for my exercise class, and brought inside a cooler full of cut dahlias to give to the center. They will use them now for beauty, and keep for the Aloha Luau party this Friday. I have to remember to take my Maracas on Friday (for photographing folks there), and tomorrow, John will drop off some of our gladioli.

My tire gauge was reading low again (with the dash warning symbol), so John drove it to Les Schwab, where they found the pressure down, and he took the time to stay and have it fixed. They did not charge him, but they found a piece of metal (undeterminable origin) embedded in the tire. They repaired the tire. Mark, the helper gave us a written significant discount quote we can use in the fall for buying 70,000-mile-service tires. My car, 2014 Subaru, still has the original tires with about 30,000 miles. By November I’ll want better tires. These are not worn out – just not good going into winter.

I stayed at the new replacement exercise class for over an hour at the AAC (Senior Center), with eight present, led wonderfully by Tina Peet. We all had a good workout. John arrived to pick up the cooler, and me, after his trips around town.

I went from there to Bi-Mart, parked in the shade for John to stay in the car, and I quickly went inside to return my wrong Eye Drops bought yesterday and get what I really wanted (Artificial Tears). I ended up with > $ cash refund. Nice. While there, I also checked our number, but we won nothing.

Once home (late at 5:30), I shopped on line for an Amazon Prime price on a 60-minute wind-up timer. I’m ready to order it, but checking for a wind up timer, because our second one we bought has quit working! I’m going to try finding one tomorrow at Bi-Mart, because they stand behind their merchandise at 100% replacement guarantee, if it quits working. I think we paid $12 for this one last year on line.

It’s hard to believe the amount of time I spent today on getting music ready for the group, copying it, assembling, making lists, PDF files to mail to those who are able to print, and I’m not done yet. Nor have we had supper. It’s almost bedtime.

Wednesday, Aug 2

For Aug 1 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 2 PP, 15 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 31 min with (max = 7 L/min.

Breakfast: coffee
Lunch: with light green lettuce w/tomatoes salad, Italian Olive oil dressing, boiled shrimp John cooked for me, and a hard-boiled egg.
Afternoon snack: nuts
Supper: One boiled shrimp and tenderloin boneless steak raised by a friend, made into a stir-fry, with our onions, yellow squash, mushrooms, and for dessert, cut peaches with the cherry pie filling, only, no crust.

I stopped at Joanie’s to pick up her FitBit with charger for a month’s loan, and a bottle of real vanilla they bought actually at Costco. It was extra in their cabinet. Next time they go to Mexico, they will bring me a 5th of it, (used to cost $3.00). [And John says, Why?] Nancy here: ‘cause J thinks we are not going to make any cookies or cakes again, and I think we will. I don’t like imitation vanilla. They won’t be going to Mexico until we have used the vanilla we have.

Thursday, Aug 3

For Aug 2 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.36. Events: 2 H, 11 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 31 min with (max 7 L/min.)

Mostly today was assembling music into clipped packets, by name, and preparing two 3-ring binder of music I carry each Thursday. I drove us into town, got out at Rehab, and then walked in the back door with all my music & for other players & audience, and my fiddle. John drove my car from there to deliver a cooler of gladioli to the AAC for tomorrow’s party, and on to Super 1’s Thursday (mainly produce) sale this week. They also had 2 dozen AA large white eggs for 30¢/doz. cheaper than earlier this week at Safeway. Eggs are plentiful, thus inexpensive. John told me about the increased amount of young layers after a bird flu outbreak in 2015 required massive culls of flocks, and then rebuilding. Link I am sorry about the loss, but I’m grateful for the price, because we are eating many eggs now.

John was also kind enough to drive a little out of the way to fill my car with the cheapest gasoline in Ellensburg ($2.65/gal.). For the first time in a long time, the Costco price has decreased to only $2.45/gal., but we have truly no need to drive all the way to Union Gap for it. That is a 100-mile round trip.

Today, in the house, in the living room, John worked on vacuuming and going through boxes for tossing some stuff (e.g., boxes of tax receipts back many years). We do not have a shredder so we will recycle the file folders and seriously mess with the rest. I have filed the actual tax forms. He also found boxes of old magazines…and I need to sort out the ones to give to teachers or others I know who can use them. [John: they are soon to be gone or they go the the recycle, folks.] We have also been sorting out clothes we don’t wear any more, and giving that away. John has lost about 15# with all his exercise on trails, this year, and can now wear jeans with a 36″ waist; somewhere, we have packed away a box of those sized ones.

Friday, Aug 4

For Aug 3 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 1 PP, 21 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 47 min with (max 11 L/min).

John’s trip to WTA Snow Lake was canceled because of air quality and the heat. Many WTA trail work trips all over the region were canceled. John questions this specific decision, considering the elevation and relative coolness in the mountains. Even our valley had normal 10-mile visibility this morning after over a week of valley-filled haze, which decreased the visibility to 4 mi.

This map below and another of air quality across the USA can be found on the web, at: Thanks, British Columbia I think this map explains the WTA cancellation because most of the volunteers and crew leaders live near Seattle, and many of the trails are on that side.

There is an upside of the trip cancellation, however!

John went with me to the Aloha Luau and I had lots of fun.

Here some of my memories for the day: the first was taken soon after we arrived, and it was the only decent photo of us.I’m holding my Maracas. That is one of John’s gladioli blossoms in my hair, behind my left ear. Hawaiian tradition is that a married woman wears it on the left side. Available woman wear one on the right. Katrina was taking photos for the AAC, and that is at whom we are looking (to our left).

Collage of flowers (glads and dahlias grown by John and delivered yesterday); my lunch plate (pulled pork without roll, slaw Hawaiian style w/mandarins, fruit salad, macaroni with green peppers & green onions); right, bingo cards for fun after lunch. Neither of us won a game, or the prizes that went with them.

Afterwards, we took a drive to see the sunflower field on No. 6 Rd. I’ll try to get a better shot later in the evening from the west with the sun behind me, so that the flowers are facing the camera. Problem is, it’s 11 miles away from where we need to take the photo. For now, here is a starter. Top two photos are close-up from the field. Bottom is a partial panorama, looking northeast. I-90 is out there, 2 football fields away, then open space to the white buildings, north of I-90. The field is just over 100 acres, with alternating stripes of 2 varieties. What looks green are heavy-headed types.

To a less sunny topic: We advertised this on the Free Givers of Kittitas County Facebook site today, but thus far, we have no takers. I will offer it to someone this Monday, when I go into The Maximus Gym, for my weigh-in, % fat calculated, & my inches measurements. This belt never worked for John. The pressure isn’t enough and it is not in the right place. (Or wasn’t, John, in hindsight says, get these things fixed ASAP.)

Abdominal Hernia Belt – Freely given.
This is “new” and worn maybe 3 times. We paid $30.45 for it July 6, 2016, recommended by a physician’s assistant.
Supper: chicken with orange sauce, yellow squash, onions, mushrooms, raw cauliflower, and my splurge on a small piece of key lime pie with many strawberries atop, and no whipped cream. I am allowed one off-diet meal a week.

Late afternoon, I ordered me a FitBit, from the Amazon Prime site, and it will be delivered on Aug. 9. I am anxious for it to arrive so I can synchronize it with the software I have downloaded on my new laptop, from the FitBit Company, for support in getting more calculations regarding my fitness parameters measured (even through the night). I will tell you more after I have the unit and have given it a thorough testing. This is wonderful news (update of original expected delivery date), because it means John will be able to wear it for his upcoming WTA trips on Friday & Sunday, next week.

I have been using Joanie’s FitBit, and today was not a busy walking day, but I still got in 1480 steps and .6 mi.

Saturday, Aug 5

For Aug 4 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 13 RERA. Total time on CPAP, 7 hrs 10 min with (max = 6 /min).

We cleaned, cut, sugared, and froze the strawberries left from what John bought Thursday. We will certainly appreciate them through the year, because our strawberries patch was rebuilt this year and are producing very little. We also want to get more of the very large ones, called Cabot.

John watered Plum trees inside our fence and just south of the house. The Gorilla cart will carry four 5-gallon buckets. There is a 70 gallon tank just outside the fence and low enough to run water from the irrigation ditch 250 feet away.

Brunch: 2 over-easy eggs, one piece of pork shoulder bacon, a banana
Afternoon snack: nuts and a small piece of frosted candy.
Supper: Leftovers – squash, onions, chicken

John has been watering today and will be gone most of Sunday. He and Annie fed the horses, dodged the deer, added seeds to the bird feeding stations, and trimmed low hanging black walnut branches from over the driveway. It is still hazy, affording only a 4-mile visibility, but it is not too smoky-nasty, maybe because the fires are so far away. Before lunch, he went with our neighbor to feed his stud, which John will start caring for next Tuesday, when the owner is gone to Seattle to have hip surgery.

Our high temperatures today were only just above 91°, instead of the >100° highs we have been having recently.

Today was not a busy walking day, all within the house, but I still got in 1596 steps and .64 mi.

Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan

Sunday, July 23

For July 22 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 17 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 12 min with (max = 12 L/min). Oximetry:
Unable to calculate until I find my Oximeter

First, two of my favorite views of Mt. Rainier, John took today.Work crew along the Sourdough Ridge trail, heading for the Fremont Lookout Trail; still ½ mile west. Next is the north side of the mountain with a small cloud covering the peak – from the lunch spot.

Next are photos of workers using various “grubbing” tools.Gabby, with grub hoe, beside wildflowers. Top, another grub hoe used to fill bucket with small material for tread. Bottom, shows using a McLeod. Caution is used around all the plants because of their slow growth on these high rocky slopes. John plans to document the “stay on the trail” aspects some next Sunday.Rock wall built by CCC (1920s), Hannah (blue hat) walking trail to Frozen Lake. John’s hat displays a new Mt. Rainier sticker. The shadow of an old, long gone, sticker is the deeper orange on the right side.

Here is Hannah Tennent, Blue Hat Crew leader’s thanks to workers on trail today: Elliot, Wyatt, Chuck, Patrick, John H., Russ, & Jordan removed more rocks from the trail than I could keep track of. Thank you all for moving along the trail and figuring out what needed to be done! Each time I walked down the trail, it kept getting nicer and nicer farther on.

Patrick, Andrew, & John H. removed the behemoth that was vertically deep in the earth. That was an impressive feat of teamwork to watch. Thank you all for your perseverance and dedication! 

Also, cheers to John S., John H., and Elliot for shifting another massive rock (maybe a theme of the day?) and creating a new bench. That spot is a veritable (and beautiful!) rest spot in the trail now. It’s in a great spot and I fully expect to see many hikers using those benches on future weekends.

The “bench” rock is shown here:The rock had a football sized top sticking up into the middle of the trail. Digging, digging, and more digging revealed it was a flat slab with a big bulb (root) underneath. That part is mostly in shadow. Because it had a flat top, and because there are very few places to sit, the volunteers decided to get the flat part horizontal, so as to make a resting place. More Digging. A cloth strap was used to rotate it so the best side was at the inner edge of the trail. Then it was leveled. At that point John left with the rock-bar to help with another chore.
The bench, with its two main creators, is shown below;John S. and Elliott C. perched on the back edge of the now filled hole. Photo from the trail. Work is over for these two. Well, there is a 2+ mile hike down to Sunrise.

This last rock removed was a large flat slab buried with a point up. The crew had already removed 2 large rocks from this site. After that one was taken care of, they had one final ankle buster left to tackle. At first it seemed the slab would break apart, but no such luck. That’s Patrick on the left.Eventually 3 iron bars were used to slowly lift the rock out of its home of many years. This involved a bit of lift – 3 to 5 inches; then shove rocks in the bottom. Lift, rocks, repeat. On the right (note the A & B – A is for ankle buster, B is for buried). Also note the boot and bar at the lower left. With the two folks wiggling the bars, and John’s boots, the rock moved toward the trail edge. John got stretched out to his full length before the slab tipped over the side. The maneuver is called a “butt jack.”

Monday, July 24

For July 23 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 12 RERA. Time on 7 hrs 18 min with (max = 5 L/min). Oximetry: Unable to calculate until I find my Oximeter.

We worked on finishing last week’s blog.

John went to town for gasoline, picked up bananas, and some other groceries, talked to Chad at Seth Motors about checking his Crosstrek alignment. He first went to Les Schwab to have his tires rotated to see if that might have been causing the severe pulling to the right. It did not correct it, so he made a 9:00 a.m. appt. for Monday at Seth’s.

I spent the rest of the day working on dishes and computer issues.

Tuesday, July 25

For July 24 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.19. Events: 5 H, 14 RERA. Time on 7 hrs 48 min with (max = 5 L/min). Oximetry:Unable to calculate until I find my Oximeter.

Brunch: 1/4 of 4-egg omelet, toast, and small piece of sausage. It wasn’t enough for my needs.
Supper: cherries, tender roast beef slowly cooked all day with tomatoes, corn, carrots.

Talked with Ken Swedberg and his brother when Ken came to pick up the new computer (FREE) I got for him from Jason, yesterday at the going-out-business sale. It is really a nice computer and we hope a family member can help him set it up.

On my way to town, I stopped at my neighbor, Celia’s, for a much needed haircut. Got a very nice one, and was on the road rapidly for my next stop at Jason’s final day of his going out of business sale. He had FOUND in his inventory a new 1 TB Slim Western Digital, USB-3.0 External Hard Drive Disk. When I went in, I was surprised because I had thought all he had left a 400 Gig; I was pleased. I’ll go through Amazon to buy the anti-shock protective case with free shipping, because he didn’t have any to share. I paid him $50 for the 1 TB one.

I went to the new replacement exercise class for over an hour at the AAC (Senior Center), with eight present, led wonderfully by Tina Peet. We all had a good workout.

I went from there to Bi-Mart to return my wrong Eye Drops bought yesterday and get what I really wanted (Artificial Tears). I ended up with over a $ cash refund. Nice.

Then I was off to the Rehab to find Anne Engel’s room and visit.
I shopped on line once home (late at 5:30) for an Amazon Prime price. I’m ready to order it, but checking for a wind up timer, because our second one we bought has quit working! I’m going to try finding one tomorrow at Bi-Mart, because they stand behind their merchandise at 100% replacement guarantee if it quits working. I think we paid $12 for this one last year.

I worked a lot tonight on photos from John’s camera and Hannah’s of the 7/23 trail work at Mt. Rainier’s Fremont Lookout Tower trail. They’re quite nice (as you have seen above).

Wednesday, July 26

For July 25 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.30. Events: 2 H, 1 PP, 14 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 37 min with (max = 8 L/min. Oximetry: Unable to calculate until I find my oximeter.

I did go to pick up Gloria to go with me to the Food Bank and to SAIL class afterwards. We stopped by Bi-Mart and the Bank while out and about. At Bi-Mart I had a timer waiting for me at the front desk for less than $5, which i know is protected by a 100% guarantee if it stops working.

Breakfast: coffee
Lunch: Chicken, raw cauliflower, cherries, with light green lettuce salad.
Afternoon snack: nuts & banana
Supper: roast beef, cooked tomatoes, carrots, baked beans, with our yellow squash and onions.

Thursday, July 27

For July 26 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.15. Events: 1 H, 14 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 34 min with (max 6L/min). Oximetry: none to report, until I locate my misplaced Oximeter.

Breakfast: little bowl of cut fresh pears
Lunch – cherries, nuts, banana

I drove us to play music at Hearthstone with 12 people. I ran copies of Pass Me By for the players to play and have to practice for the August/September music play list, plus playing today with so many people there. We sounded good on it.

Stopped at Joanie’s to pick up her Fit Bit and charger for a month’s loan, and a bottle of Mexican real vanilla they bought last time down there. It was an extra in their cabinet.

We have to go by the Hospital Lab for my monthly blood draw for INR and potassium that I forgot to get on the calendar last week when it was due. Both were fine today: INR=2.6 and my Potassium=4.9

Today was our last day of July to play Patriotic music, and according to Amy’s normal practice, she dressed her daughter Haley for the occasion. Today she was dressed her in red, white, and blue dress with hat. She is our 4 yr old mascot who sometimes dances for the audience to songs she likes (such as Hey Good Looking!) and she sings some songs, facing the audience. Today she did two full verses of Home on the Range, and sang the chorus on all. She also always joins us on any songs with yodeling in them. Today’s was T for Texas.

Haley has a like-minded patriot friend, she’s never met. On the right is Barb Johnson’s granddaughter Emma – John’s grandniece. Emma, 3, is a bit younger than Haley. Emma’s grandma will have to share this with the family – I don’t have an e-mail address.

Below is an interesting news story with a strange headline. See if you agree with our criticism of the choice of words:
Friday, July 28

For July 27 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=1.97. Events: 5 H, 1 OA, 20 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 38 min with (max = 13 L/min). Oximetry: Unable to calculate until I find my Oximeter!

A week ago today, John worked on the Heybrook Trail in the Central Cascades. The report from Evonne Ellis, Crew Leader includes a link with photos she and others took: click here

Crew Leaders always send a note, mentioning everyone and something about what they worked on. I’ll spare you that but here was a post script:

John Hultquist, I owe you an extra special thank you for coming out from Ellensburg to help me lead large work parties!!!! I appreciate it every time. You are AWESOME!!! Thank you for everything that you do AND for the cherries. Yum!!”John did not hike to the top so did not see the lookout. He’s the orange.When all the WTA trail work was completed, some green hats took off up the trail to climb the Lookout tower. It is a favorite hike and lots of hikers were around.

Today, Friday, John was away working at the Gold Creek trail, and I went to the AAC for lunch and for fun playing detective with the members there, via the game of Clue.Here is one collage of a couple of photos from Nancy’s trip today, to the AAC (Senior Center).
Left are Nancy, the game board, and the volunteer organizer, WamBoi from Kenya. She loved my shirt, and I especially was thrilled to tell her the material was from Africa and was given to me, by my former student, Clement Ote-Tu, whose mom bought it for Clement and mailed it! The photo on the right of the collage is one of my 3 teammates for playing the game. We were sitting at the Mr. Green table.

Lunch, no photos, was 3 choices of sandwiches on small rolls: tuna fish salad, chicken salad, or egg salad (I had one of all three and did not eat the bread or dark green lettuce), served with cucumbers from Katrina’s garden outside the front doors (I had none), lime Jello wedge, and I took along my own bag of our cherries and a banana. I was the event photographer, and most of the photos will be posted by Katrina on the Facebook site for the Ellensburg Adult Activity Center. We all had a great time.

Afterwards, I went by to visit Anne at Rehab, but because there was no shade anywhere withing walking distance of any of the 3 entrance doors, I left.

Saturday, July 29

For July 28 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.88. Events: 5 H, 17 RERA. Total time on CPAP, 5 hrs 39 min with (max = 6 /min). Oximetry: Unable to calculate until I find my Oximeter!

John and Annie are out watering plum trees. The yellow Shiro’s are getting color, but others do not yet have color. I’m trying to finish the blog to publish by tonight, because we both have other demands tomorrow all day. We have both done chores all day. Joke – John took a nap.

Brunch – John came in and fixed Omelet, Fruit Cocktail, Sliced Hickory Smoke bacon, slice of English Muffin toast.
Afternoon snack – nuts
Leftover chili and stuff from last night for supper.

Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan

Sunday, July 16

For July 15 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 0 H, 16 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 2 min with (max = 15 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 85 (off CPAP), 7 events <88% with overall avg., 93.8%. Pulse avg. 53.5, low 43.

For breakfast I had a couple cups of coffee before late brunch, John fixed (a leftover omelet piece, fruit cocktail, and ham). He left for town about 12:45 for bananas for me and gasoline for his trip to Mt. Rainier.

Monday, July 17

For July 16 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=1.15. Events: 6 H, 1 PP, 15 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 12 min with (max = 44 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 87 (Off CPAP), 1 event <88% with overall avg., 93.5%. Pulse avg. 54.2, low 50. Another 3 hours off CPAP, still on Oximeter

I went to Audra and was thrilled at my inches lost total on 9 different inch measurements (chest, above waist, waist, stomach, hips, upper left leg, upper right leg, upper left arm, upper right arm for a total loss of 12 inches; even better is the loss of 9 lbs of weight, since June 29, and the decline in body fat percent from 42% to 41%. The calculation is based on my height now that has decreased to 5’5″, over the past decade.

Tuesday, July 18

For July 17 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.26. Events: 6 H, 1PP, 15 RERA. Time on 7 hrs 48 min with (max = 20 L/min). Oximetry: Unable to calculate until I find my Oximeter.

I went to the new replacement exercise for 45 minutes, and had a good experience. It was at the Senior Center, led by Katrina.

Supper: pear, cherries, raw cauliflower, cod, boiled shrimp, brown rice.

Wednesday, July 19

For July 18 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.30. Events: 2 H, 20 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 43 min with (max = 9 L/min. Oximetry: Unable to calculate until I find my Oximeter to record overnight, as I’ve done since 2014.

Sent latest BPs to Dr. Kim via his nurse Colleen’s email printout with attachments to put on his desk, while he is serving all week at Yakima Regional Hospital. I’m also waiting for an ASAP possible appointment with him to evaluate my recent Echocardiogram (couple of weeks ago) and all my blood pressure since changing the dosage of Entresto, which lowers my blood pressure.

I went to play music and to eat at the Food Bank Soup Kitchen. I carried along my own food to replace their offering of two kinds of pastas, garlic bread, and dark green lettuce and/or vegetables, and dessert (unless it is a cup of fresh fruit).

In addition, from there, I went to SAIL exercise class at the senior center, and took along 2 gallons of cherries. Types are Royal Ann and Bing, or Rainier and Van, or what? We did plant 2 of the 3 the yellow/red ones, but so long ago the paper with the names is not, at the moment, findable. The Bing/Van ones (dark red/nearly-black) were here when we came and we have no information about those trees. A couple of apple trees are from those first planted here, but they are poor bearers, to be removed this year. There is also a small Bartlett Pear (almost died when the second owner failed to water adequately).

Breakfast: coffee
Lunch: hard-boiled egg, several shrimp, pieces of pear, cherries, with light green lettuce salad, cherry tomatoes, and grated carrots.

I went by the food bank, without Gloria (who was out of town) for music. Afterwards, on my way to the Senior Center, I stopped to pick up 2 extension cords from Jason at his going out of business sale. I left them yesterday when I came home with a several items, but Jason saved them for me. I paid $5 each for them. One has an extender for 2 extra 3-prong receptacles.

Afternoon snack: mixed nuts, cherries

Supper: Chicken, our yellow squash, our onions, our cherries, hard-boiled egg, and boiled shrimp.

Thursday, July 20

For July 19 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00, Events: 16 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 4 min with (max 8 L/min). Oximetry: none to report, until I locate my misplaced Oximeter.

Breakfast: nuts, banana, cherries.
Lunch – omelet piece, fruit cocktail, cherries, piece of toast.
Supper: yellow squash, onions, corn-on-the-cob, and salmon.

Went to play music at Pacifica, older folks in good shape. John drove his car to fill with gasoline for tomorrow’s WTA trail work trip 30 miles west of Steven’s Pass on Hwy 2, 20 miles short of the Puget Sound lowland.

We did not have to take Glenn to visit Anne today in Wenatchee. Someone else is driving him up.

Friday, July 21

For July 20 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=1.41. Events: 1 CA. 7 H. 3 PP, 10 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 41 min with (max = 7 L/min). Oximetry: Unable to calculate until I find my Oximeter!

John has headed out. I’m going back to sleep another hour and then I need to clean my Blood Pressure measurer and take it to Bi-Mart for a possible replacement because of the low readings but mostly because it stopped storing the date or time on reads, since replacing the batteries. I fed Sue after John left.

His trip started at 6:00 a.m., for the Heybrook Lookout trail,
Lookout is at Coordinates: 47.810686, -121.525378
There has been a lookout at this location since 1925 with each getting a little taller. The latest improvements were done by the Everett Mountaineers. Hikers can reap the rewards of their hard trail trek by climbing the 89 steps to a viewing area. This trail is in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie Nat’l Forest, Skykomish Ranger District. It is a short, steep, and close to Puget Sound trail that early season hikers mess up every spring, when hiking with snow still there. Water runs in the trail so hikers walk on the edge, pack snow down, that gets icy, so they walk farther off-trail. By the time the snow is gone and the area dries out, the many braids of the trail are 20 feet wide. John has worked in this Forest about 5 times this year and many times in previous years.

Before I lay back down to sleep, I visited with Doss Roberts, who came looking for John at our front fence. John had been gone over an hour. I still was in my sock feet and only took time to put on sunglasses. We talked about the irrigation ditch cleaning he arranged. I gave him $100 cash with an additional $20 donation for Louaine. He would not take any more, and he would not tell me the total, which was charged (the estimate before was it could reach $ 5,000). The ranchers/farmers that funded the backhoe contractor’s work cleaning up the rock in the channel that feeds water to them for their land, use the majority of the water, but some comes to us and to the neighbors downhill of us for our irrigation / pasture needs. First, use out of the diversion is by M.A. Sullivan for her plants, garden, then us, and our neighbor Louaine (a small pasture and apple tree). There are 2 more below us, Susan J. and Sherri F. Sherri planted about 120 tomato plants this year. If the summer is long and the harvest is good, she will have to go to the farmer’s market to get rid of them. Her pasture is leased to cattle folks, daughter of the previous owner.

I also and asked Doss all sorts of questions about the work; asked him what was done to our channel to get it flowing again, in addition to removal of the rock. I told him I knew the person who had accepted all the rock withdrawn over a full day’s worth of backhoe work, and transportation of the rock to remove it from the channel. I asked him the charge paid to the DNR for the permitting process necessary to legally allow the modification of the stream channel to occur. I wanted his permission to take a photo of the rock pulled out of our diversion that was stopping our water and visiting with Doss outside the fence about the bill he received from the “rock mover”. He would only accept from us, a donation of $100, although we intended to offered them more. I only had $100 in 20 dollar bills, but I had 2 more twenties I offered him, he wouldn’t take. I told him I would donate $20 in Louaine’s name, because she was waiting to hear the total of the bill we paid toward the cost. He did tell me I could tell Louaine that I put in the $20 for her, but not to tell Susan or Sherri or anyone else along the ditch (some do not have water rights and don’t take any, though it helps support the trees and pasture on their property. He says the amount of water we use on its way to their needs is small. The owner of the land where the removed rocks were transferred to provided the space for the rocks removed, (> 15 truckloads were removed from our channel) to restore all our water. He is upstream of us, and is a water user from the stream, but uses a different diversion. He, Allen, is the one with the big tractor that cleans snow off our driveway, and the drives of our neighbors. Other users of the water in the clogged channel include Susan Jipson, for her horse pasture, trees, and horse’s water. I called Louaine to tell her, and Darrell (does some work for her) answered to say she was visiting her mom and not there. I will call her Tuesday morning to tell her in person about putting in for her donation.

Up at 5:20 for diuretic, 2 Tylenol, and I created the new account to transfer all incoming mails to nancyh@ellensburg.com. Jason’s closing of his business will cause us to lose this at the end of the year. It’s changed to be our new joint email address to NancyJohnHultquist@gmail.com The use of caps on N J and H in NancyJohnHultquist are accepted, even if lowercase. I think it is better for clarification to have the caps, and the email will be returned to that account only. As 2017 fades, we will have to get this message out – widely. Our blog entry will not be changed. It remains housed at rocknponderosa.com

About Anne Engels: She went to the local ER and ended up being transferred to Wenatchee by helicopter for an operation and stashed in the ICU. She is no longer in ICU. She is in the Progress Care Unit (PCU), which is supposedly providing less intensive care than their (ICU). She is at Central Washington Hospital, Wenatchee; 24 miles, if we owned a helicopter, and 75 miles because we don’t. 🙂 There is a mountain to go around.
Anne is in good spirits. She has had other visitors (from church). She is scheduled to be released and back in Ellensburg soon, so I’ve only sent an e-mail message, no snail-mail card.

Probably tomorrow, we will pick up Glenn and take him to retrieve her to Ellensburg for a several days’ stay in the Rehab, where I was for 7 weeks in 2010. She is not going to need to stay that long.

I need to RENEW our Wall St. Journal subscription, because the cheaper rate is no longer available from College Subscription Service, so I have to go through the WSJ to renew, before it expires. Their web site has improved, but John still likes the paper and, now, we found someone who likes it also. We dropped off 2 weeks worth, and now we’re accumulating week 3 to her in Ellensburg.

Our Discover magazine is renewed through from Oct 2018 and at the price of $19.95.

I went to Bi-Mart to return the wrist BP monitor that quit working. They honored my request, and refunded me the current cost, $39.99. Pretty nice business practice. I had bought this identical Omicron wrist unit 1/17/17 at Bi-Mart in Ellensburg for $39.95. I no longer had my receipt, but they honored my word and even returned my new batteries I had put in it when it stopped showing the date and time on recording the BP reads.

I went at 12:20 p.m. to eat BBQ beef from the Fire & Grill BBQ in town – which they had donated today to the food bank. I also ate refried** beans and a lot of salad because it was all made from Iceberg lettuce. [**Spanish frijoles refritos, refritos meaning “well-fried”, and not “fried again” as might be assumed from the use of re in English. After being boiled and then mashed into a paste, the beans are sometimes then fried or baked, though usually neither, thus making the term “refried” even more misleading.]

I stayed after for an hour volunteering my time to make sandwiches of cheese, bologna, ham, and turkey, for the kids the Food bank feeds all summer at the city parks. We made 90 sandwiches. Amazing.

Then, I went by Complete Computer Services at 2:15 p.m. and it was not open. I called from outside the door, but it was supposed to be their last day, and I figured they would be open at that time the last day of the week. I want to pick up my merchandise I want to buy. [Later learned I’m off, and he will be around a few more days, but he’s packing everything to take to Goodwill.] John will be going in Monday to pick up the stuff I wanted last Friday, along with a FREE complete PC setup with Windows 10 or Windows 7, with tower, keyboard, and mouse, to give to our neighbor, Ken S.

Saturday, July 22

For July 21 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.36. Events: 2 CSR, 2 H, 7 RERA. Total time on CPAP, 5 hrs 37 min with (max = 7L/min). Oximetry: Unable to calculate until I find my Oximeter!

John remembered to donate $50 to WTA Hike-A-Thon in Kara Chin’s name. It is recorded on line as a tax deductible donation to WTA for trail work maintenance. It’s too bad it’s not donated toward gasoline costs for volunteer workers to drive xxx miles to work sites around the state. {John says: Last year there were 150,000 hours of volunteer trail work with maybe 15,000 drives to trailheads. Carpooling and multi-day events happen. More going on than can be tracked, or paid for.}

Today, we drove John’s car for gasoline for his trip, and bought 9.298 gal of unleaded at 4% off with Costco Visa card, at Exxon Circle K for $2.599/gallon. It was advertised on the Gas Buddy.com site for a penny less / gal. there than Circle K. So much for help on line. Granted it was reported 18 hrs ago.

Finished eating Brunch before leaving.

John took a photo on his camera of a single Dahlia for me to send to Anne Engels attached to an email to her in the Wenatchee hospital till sometime next week (when we will have more than one to deliver to her).

John took a photo of the bottles of the Good Sense Ear Wax Treatment and the Same brand of Artificial Tears Drops from Good Sense that I mistakenly bought yesterday and put in my very dry right eye (it was ear wax remover drops, carbamide peroxide) that burned severely at 6:58 a.m. this morning. I ran down the hall to wash my eye out, and put GenTeal GEL into that right eye; I slept with it closed for 2 more hours, and it seemed to be all right.
John also took a photo of the Good Sense Moisture Drops Artificial Tears plastic container and the Good Sense Ear Wax Remover Drops receptacle. John also took a photo of two Good Sense containers, side by side. See below.The container & packing for the Good Sense Artificial Tears and Good Sense Eye Drops Irritation Relief are on the left. The Container on the far right is the look alike I bought unknowingly from Bi-Mart that contained the Ear Wax Removal Drops, which I put in my right eye. I will suggest the company change colors!

We took Cherries to Lee Kiesel and to Bill Bollmer at Briarwood and called Lee before arriving. She was going to deliver Bill’s to him tonight, when she would see him. Lee coordinates our music playing (food after) at Briarwood, and Bill, a resident there, makes fruit and nut breads and gives us several loaves a year.

Sunday, July 23

For July 22 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.00. Events: 0 H, 17 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 11 min with (max = 12 L/min). Oximetry: Unable to calculate until I find my Oximeter!

I slept 3 hours after John left for Mt. Rainier at 5:43 a.m. John took this photo of a red & yellow Dahlia he grew, and I sent it to Anne today as a get well card at the hospital in Wenatchee. Tomorrow or Tuesday we will go pick her up from Wenatchee.

These photos arrived this morning from Elise Schlosser in Andover, NJ, where this morning on her walk through a park, she took these photos and sent me as, “Symmetry in Nature.” I asked her if I could share in my blog. She is a regular reader.Photos taken today 7-23-17 by Elise

Brunch – Fresh Cherries, half banana, boiled pealed shrimp, prunes.
Supper – Refried beans, BBQ meat, tomato.
John didn’t arrive home until late – 8:00 p.m. Long day, big rocks, and waited for hikers to return from a high point, and so on. Below is a photo at 7,200 feet – the lunch spot (taken by John):Count the colors.

A flowering rock garden that is hard to believe.

Hope your week was fine.

Nancy and John

Still on the Naneum Fan