Sunday, April 9 
For Apr 8 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=1.01. Events: 1 CSR, 7 H, 10 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 56 min with (max = 17 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 89, 0 events <88% with overall avg., 94.4%. Pulse avg. 53.5, low 50.
The AAG (Association of American Geographers) finished today, and my friend Joseph Kerski, Geographer at ESRI, sent me some photos of his time there. I did not miss many conferences and giving a paper during my sojourn in WA and ID over 37 years. After retirement in 2010, I have only attended one AAG meeting (at my cost), when it was held in Seattle a few years ago. Previously, the university covered most of the costs. John and I even went to an AAG conference in Toronto, Canada in 1966, as students, before we were married. I drove my old ’35 Ford from Cincinnati and took Nancy “J”, my friend since 6th grade, with us. We had a blast. I am a lifetime member (awarded after 50 years of membership). I began while in Cincinnati, in 1965. 
Top left is a photo of the ESRI exhibitor’s booth, top right, Joseph in front of a huge globe that belongs to a Geography Department at Bridgewater State University in Connecticut, and bottom is the Boston skyline. The clouds above and under those conference photos are beautiful, but I could not fit them all on my screen to snag into the image.
John sent me an Excel file with a month’s recording of his blood pressure and pulse readings. Not only did he list the figures, but also he constructed a graphic time comparison. I sent this on through the medical portal for Dr. Paul Schmitt. The Lisinopril (to lower BP) seemed to have stalled out and Paul had said he would add another med if that happened. So, he prescribed 12.5 mg of Hydrochlorothiazide. This is the starting dose (and 3 days later there seems to be no effect: next?).
I transferred all my BP information from my monitor’s memory, to my book, and now I have to keep it up daily because the memory only stores 60 readings and then overwrites it, so I lost ~3 weeks of data by being busy and lazy. I do not have an appointment until May 5, with Dr. Kim, so I will have a lot of information to share, even with missing stuff for 18 days of March. I don’t think I will go to the effort John did, however. At the moment I am fine, and only have to check my BP to be sure the systolic measurement does not go over 140 or below 100. It has been fine since starting on the new heart medication, Entresto, back in January.
I registered for the $5,000 garden makeover (actually $250 worth of stuff), being given in June 2017. See NWF.org/Subaru to register (free). John found the information when we were at the Subaru dealer last week for maintenance on my Forester, and picked up a plantable seed packet that I gave to Amy for her to plant with Haley in their flower garden.
I mentioned to our neighbor, Louaine, that John planted the seeds from a pretty flowering Almond Tree she has (and gave us seeds from over a year ago). This was her response, when I told her he managed to cultivate 3 trees and planted them with a covering protective guard fence, near the end of our driveway. She said, “That’s interesting about the Hall’s Hardy almond babies.” Here is a collage of two of the three trees. 
Left is the largest tree, and right is the middle-sized one, which is planted on the opposite side of the driveway’s entrance from Naneum Road, seen traveling west – east in the left photo. Sand gives the light-gray color on the surface.
Monday, Apr 10
For Apr 9 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=1.66. Events: 1 CSR, 11 H, 2 PP, 1 OA, 21 RERA. Time on 7 hrs 14 min with (max = 16 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 87, 1 event <88% with overall avg., 93.0%. Pulse avg. 53.3, low 50.
A pruning day for John who left at 7:40 a.m. for White Heron. Temperature, 39°; snow on hill (pictured above, without snow).
I wrote a note about John’s blood pressure to our doctor, to let him know about the paperwork we sent in the postal mail on Saturday (supposedly picked up at our rural mailbox), with details about his continued high BP. He called us a couple days later because the mail never arrived. We sent him graphs on another email account because the patient portal (NEXTMD) would not take images.
I called my PCP nurse to ask about my blood vial (it was lost by the lab last Friday; never recovered), and I requested my Coumadin and Allopurinol prescriptions be sent to the SAFEWAY pharmacy, because of a better price by over 1/2, by using a coupon from GoodRX. I mentioned in the blog previously about the Coumadin cost for 2.5 mg, 90 tablets, going down from $34.22 to $15.58 (less by $18.64), and today, John brought my Allopurinol (180 tablets), that cost us $60.00. The cost at Safeway for that will be $32.59 (less by $27.41). Both of those were using my insurance co-pay. At Safeway, I pay cash, and can use my Amazon.com card and get 2% off my pharmacy cost. Therefore, it’s a win-win situation that saves me $46.05 + 92¢ rebate, for two 90-day prescriptions.
Some yellow apples are starting to get too soft for us, so John saw the 3 deer (not looking for handouts much now). He tossed a few apples in their direction and they did not refuse them.
I did some housework: dishes and two loads of clothes. On the clothes, I used both zipped nylon bags given to me, to keep underwear separated. Very handy.
I changed the key on Home on the Range from D to C so our harmonica player could join us playing. He only has a C and a G type harmonica (obtained by turning it over and blowing into the opposite side).
John called me from a traffic jam stop for road construction, about 12:30. He just dialed my number (on his phone) and it came up automatically on the Bluetooth through the dashboard car speakers, so we continued talking through the traffic diversion. Tomorrow he goes back for pruning again, but Wednesday it is supposed to rain, so he will help bottle Rose’ instead.
Tuesday, Apr 11
For Apr 10 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=2.51. Events: 1 CSR, 16 H, 1 PP, 17 RERA. Time on 6 hrs 23 min with (max = 19 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 87, 1 event <88% with overall avg., 93.3%. Pulse avg. 54.5, low 50.
John went pruning at White Heron.
I went to Jazzercise, by way of the Food Bank bread room, picking up some cupcakes for the AAC to go with coffee for the day, stopped by the Post Office to send a certified mail letter, and went to Safeway to deliver my prescription savings coupons to the pharmacy. On the way down the aisle, I noticed the Quick Response Code [ QR code ] price of a dozen eggs was $ .78, so I requested the price because I do not own a Smart phone. They gave it to me. A Japanese auto-parts supply giant, invented QR codes in 1994. We’ve been going downhill ever since. I went by Bi-Mart to check our number and after Jazzercise to Super 1 to pick up Lemon Pies, the last day for my rain check.
I fixed more music for the food bank tomorrow.
Wednesday, Apr 12
For Apr 11 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=1.25. Events: 2 CSR, 9H, 18 RERA. Time on 7 hrs 10 min with (max = 14 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 86, 2 events <88% with overall avg., 92.5%. Pulse avg. 53.9, low 49.
John stayed home because of rain and while he thought he would go to help bottle Rose’, he won’t, because they need more people than are available (some are unreturned snow-birds) to make the process work properly (5). He built another bird feeder – the new one is on the base of a Tamarack tree he cut off (leaning and too close to the house), cut about 7 feet up. The squirrel and the obnoxious Collared Doves were the first to find it, and the finches will not eat with the squirrel there. John left the platform in the Mountain Ash tree for when the squirrel takes over the other. We wonder what he’s doing with all the seeds.
This photo shows both feeders, left is in the Mountain Ash tree in our front yard, and the right is atop a sawed off Tamarack (Larch) tree.
New Larch feeder with birds – right with Douglas Tree squirrel
I decided to order with my discount from Haband something for us at a significant discount and free shipping, before I cancel my Haband VIP trial. I have heard awesome comments from two of our guitarists (Gerald and Maury) about their use of a Red Copper Ceramic no-stick pan, with NO oil required, and the ability to cook eggs in the same pan as other things. Gerald’s came from Fred Meyer (a Kroger Co.) here in town, where one can get a skillet for $19.95 for a 10 inch and $29.95 for a 12″, but, if bought in WA, we would have to add 8.2% sales tax to the total price.
I can get two 9-1/2″ ones at Haband for $29.98 total. That’s paying $19.95 for the first and the second for $9.99, with free shipping and a discount 10% (Haband VIP discount), plus another discount of 15% off a >$40 order, using my Haband credit card. So, $26.98 + $49.99 for a 9-1/2″ square deep dish one with 5 parts (acts as a baking dish, deep fryer, steamer, etc.). Total $79.97 minus both percents off = $59.97, so I ordered them. I don’t cook much, so I hope John likes them. He OK’d my purchase before I made it.
I printed some music copies for today where the key had been changed so the two harmonica players could play with us at the food bank. We played with a bunch of people, and to an appreciative and involved audience. The front table was filled with our fan club, all singing along, sharing books of lyrics.
Picked up John’s new med for blood pressure, and they also had my Entresto ready. I was surprised I didn’t have to wait a week for them to order it. I guess they must figure I’m good for it, and ordered an extra container last month. Supposedly, I am their only client using the medication. It is normally too expensive to have extras sitting around.
Crap – all my dental insurance allowance ($1,750) is spent up for the year, after having the two implants seated, for which just this year I had to pay $1,680 (more occurred from our out-of-pocket last year). I am afraid my monthly bill for dental insurance exceeds the amount of reimbursement. From now on, everything will be out of pocket – 4 cleanings, a build up, and hopefully nothing else. John’s is on a different tab, so his cleanings will be free and any work will probably be covered at 80%. Now we have to schedule eye exams and John is due for new glasses. Some of the expense will be covered.
John made a pork roast for supper and we had it with a baked potato and Yellow Delicious apples.
Thursday, Apr 13 Happy Birthday, Daisy Tre’
For Apr 12 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.73. Events: 6 H, 1 PP, 10 RERA. Time on 7 hrs 58 min with (max = 10 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 88, 0 events <88% with overall avg., 92.1%. Pulse avg. 53.5, low 49.
Unexpected trip to White Heron to prune. We thought it would rain, so John slept in, but Cameron called at 7:15 a.m. to say it was all right with no rain, and John left to prune; only 3 pruners worked today.
Today was my Brittany in California’s 4th birthday, and we received a photo from her trainer’s wife, Deanna, of Daisy on a “honor” of another dog’s point.
On the right “honoring” the find of the Brittany on the left. Our dog’s call name is Daisy – and her official AKC name is Cedaridge Kip’s Camelot Shay Tre’ JH – – The JH title at the end is for Junior Hunter. She is with her trainer, Scott Azevedo, still competing in AKC Field Trials and also will start on her MH (Master Hunter) title in AKC Hunt Tests. Photo by Deanna Beals-Azevedo.
I called Haband with the order for the red copper pans.
I also called Meadows Place (assisted living home) with a 10-count for chairs. We had 13 people participating, counting Haley (see her photo below).
I got my tripod hooked to my camera to take tonight to videotape the lecture. I packaged some other stuff to meet someone there to drop off, and met someone else to pick up another item.
Left today at 1:00 to go to the Meadows Place; before John arrived home. We had a large turnout and a good audience. This photo was taken by Joanne Moore, who was there from Roslyn with her husband, Lloyd. They are friends of our guitar & Dobro player, Maury Martin. Joanne took this photo on her phone, during the presentation of Cockles and Mussels, sung by Haley Davison (almost 4 yrs old the end of this month), and backed by us. She is holding sticks that she used on other songs to keep the beat of the song. What a cutie. She is our group’s mascot.
We are called the Kittitas Valley Fiddlers and Friends. The group began in the 1950s. Two members of the original group still play with us. Another, the accordionist from the 50s is a patient in one of the nursing homes where we play, and she joins us in the semicircle when we are there. She is only able now to keep time to the music, but her timing is still right on and her smile never ends. She gets much happiness from watching Haley dancing. Her dad started the group. He was a blind fiddler. Her husband is one of our guitarists. 
Haley was standing in the sun in front of the group; her mom, Amy, is to the right of the picture, and she is our flute player, who also plays the washboard and penny whistle. Top left is our fiddler Evie’s arms, and I’m sitting on a piano bench, beside one of our mandolin players, Joanie. Behind her was our bass guitarist, Sharon. All the guys on guitars (Maury, Gerald, Charlie) were to the left, along with Tim on bass mandolin, Kevin on banjo, and Dean on harmonica. Our tambourine player, Anne, was to the far right. Photo by Joanne Moore.
We went to a talk tonight at the Historical Museum by Kelsey Doncaster, formerly my student in the REM graduate program.
Kelsey Doncaster 4-13-17 Lecture Kittitas County Historical Museum
Kelsey Doncaster presented an excellent discussion, “Managing Water in the West – Dynamite, Draglines, and the Unexplained Cracking of a Pressure Tunnel: Building the Kittitas Division of the Yakima Project.” Kelsey has worked as an historian for the Bureau of Reclamation since 2008. He was my student at CWU in my graduate class (REM 515: GIS in Cultural & Natural Resource Mgt,) in the Cultural and Environmental Resource Management Program.
Description on YouTube video: His presentation goes for just over 45 minutes and is followed by a little over 20 minutes of questions & answers. Video by Nancy B. Hultquist (Emerita Prof, Geography), with permission to tape by Kelsey Doncaster. Introduction was by Sadie Thayer, Museum Director.
We came home for a late dinner.
I uploaded the videotape to You Tube that I took tonight, and it worked overnight for over 2 hours on the upload. I’m happy our DSL worked through the night.
Friday, Apr 14
For Apr 13 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=1.17. Events: 7 H, 9 RERA. Time on 5 hrs 58 min with (max = 10 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 85, 1 events <88% with overall avg., 93.3 %. Pulse avg. 54.1, low 50.
This was non-pruning day so John worked in the yard here. Lots to do in the garden and other things. He wants to spray weeds with Glyphosate (RoundUp®), but the temperature is supposed to be over 60°F. No such luck. He did use an old T-shirt and filtered rainwater (25 gallons) so that when he can spray he won’t have to use house water. Ditch water has too much junk in it and clogs the nozzle, and we think that water was the source of the Giardia infection he had, so not wise to be spraying that on a lot of things.
I need a Pulmonary Function Test (PFT). I made it to the hospital for checking into the Cardio Pulmonary Lab a little before 10:45. I met Anne Engels there in the hospital lobby for some paperwork and wished her well on her upcoming 3-week trip to Peru with son, Glenn. I’m taking care of her mail and plants while she’s away, and her neighbor will look after the inside cat.
The PFT took longer than usual. WE did have to visit. Then equipment malfunctions and experienced staff consultations. I got a comparison of the past 3 test results (today included) for a trend analysis report. Also sent them to my cardiologist (for my May 5 appointment).
I was starving when the test was over, so I went by the Food Bank to see friends (from our horse riding days) who are the volunteer cooks on Friday. The menu today was a make what you want on it, Taco Salad. Very good, with a peach/plum cobbler (warm) for dessert. I sat with people I know from playing music there, and we had a nice visit, plus I met some new folks.
From there, I was off to Pet$ense for my order I made this morning for 3 cases of cat food, to buy with my $5.00 off a $35 purchase. It was already packaged at the front desk and one of the cashiers was kind enough to carry the load to my car. The price was about 46¢/can, less than any other place around, including Costco, and it only carries the Pâté .
I came home to finish getting the videotaping of last night’s talk to get off to the presenter and the director of the Kittitas County Historical Museum. This mentioned above in yesterday’s blog entry.
Then I worked on more paperwork, and some music for the Food Bank presentations, thrown together with the KV Fiddlers & Friends prep for the next two months, May/June. I’m using the same playlist as last year, but a few things have been changed on some of the songs, so I have to make a new master to send to the players (those who can print their own). By using the old list, I save time and printing costs by being able to use the same copies of lyrics for the audiences at 5 different places.
I came home to the sad news of the loss of Gil Kiesecker, a fiddler who passed across the rainbow bridge this afternoon at the age of 101. I heard him play in Kittitas at the WOTFA summer workshop in 2000. For 21 years, I was in a class there with his daughter, Jean K. Levold, but I never realized he was her father.
Below are some memories. The photos Jean sent to Roy & Shirley Calvert, asking them to pass the news to the rest of us in the WOTFA (WA Old Time Fiddlers Association). I have shared with a few who knew him and no longer are members.
. . . . Dance fiddler from the Blue Mountains
Gil Kiesecker
Above is just an introduction to his life.
Here is a video of his fiddle playing.
Gil was born in Anatone in southeastern Washington State in 1916 and was playing dances in that region when he was in grade school. Here he plays and sings the traditional closer for old-time dances in the Pacific Northwest. This closed the District 6, Washington Old Time Fiddlers show in Des Moines, WA, May, 2007. He has two CDs on Voyager, CD356, “Dance Fiddler from the Blue Mountain,” and CD360, “Blue Mountain Memories,” www.voyagerrecords.com. Video by Shirley Calvert.
Gil is backed up by Stuart Williams, guitar, on a tune he learned from a musician in Lewiston, Idaho, where the Clearwater River joins the Snake River near the Southeast corner of Washington State. This video was made at a workshop at the 2006 Northwest Folklife Festival, Seattle, by Lew Holt.
Then, with an introduction to Gil Kiesecker is the following:
Clearwater Stomp by Vivian Williams (fiddle) and husband Phil Williams (guitar) -2011
Another musician near and dear to our hearts passed over the rainbow bridge, last month, Feb 16 at 80 – Phil Williams. He and his wife Vivian were excellent players and music historians. John and I attended some of their presentations in Ellensburg. Here is a link to a message about his death and the plans for a celebration of life this spring.
If you follow the Gil Kiesecker video on Clearwater Stomp, it is followed on You Tube by Phil Williams introducing Gil’s love and playing of the song, and a little bit of his history. Vivian plays the Clearwater Stomp backed by Phil. Link above.
Meanwhile, check this out regarding Phil Williams.
Link Re: Phil
Saturday, April 15
For Apr 14 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=1.88. Events: 1 CSR, 8 H, 1 PP, 1 OA, 11 RERA. Time on 4 hrs 48 min with (max = 11 L/min). Slept 4-1/2 more hrs off CPAP but on oximeter, AHI was 1.04 overnight. Oximetry: SpO2 low 85, 12 events <88% with overall avg., 92.0 %. Pulse avg. 53.2, low 49.
Morning sunshine!
John carried Sunflower seeds to the bird feeders and then worked in the garden, including doing 2 gallons of spraying there and elsewhere. He put cans over the Asparagus tips to protect them.
We took a walk around the yard today to see trees, flowers, and other things.
Little yellow bells are popping up in among some wild Cherry bushed (trees).
Yellow bells – yellow aging to orange but can have faint brown markings inside, often turning deep red when withered.
Link to Fritillaria pudica
Yellow is the color for the day. Next is a collage taken from the end of our driveway, across our neighbors’ Swedbergs’ barn to Bregg Hill, a basalt outcropping, and the yellow wildflowers or weeds (we don’t have the energy to walk over and up to find out what they are). 
Top photo is just the top of the hill showing over their barns; the bottom shows the yellow blooms continuing to the north, down the hill, with 4 deer in the foreground.
We continued our tour, ending in the garden, and leaving out the onion shoot planting. Not much to see there, and the result of the late planting will not be known for 2 weeks or so. Although spring is sprung, Sunday morning temperature dipped below freezing.
Replanting of strawberries: Before and after with walkway added, made from chipped trees left by last year’s FIREWISE activity.
Two of the larger pots of Hens & Chicks needing re-potting. Need to give away some and break apart and replant. We do have some singles and smaller multiples.
Sunday, April 16 Happy Easter !
For Apr 15 CPAP. Reported figures. AHI=0.63. Events: 5 H, 25 RERA. Time on 7 hrs 59 min with (max = 13 L/min). Oximetry: SpO2 low 87, 1 event <88% with overall avg., 93.1%. Pulse avg. 52.5, low 49.
Cold…between 4 am and 6 am the airport readings were down to 30°. When I got up our porch was at 34°, but nothing looks damaged outside.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan
This appears to be a Bushy-tailed Woodrat (Neotoma cinerea), and a photo is here: 
Left is the full pan; middle is the area of bubbled covering within the yellow frame (left pix); the large missing pieces of coating (upper right), where the metal of the pan shows.
Replacement pan given. We have been appreciative of the business practices of Bi-Mart, with returns. 
Daisy is happily running over parched land looking for birds. Photo taken by Deanna Azevedo, wife of Daisy’s field trainer. Almost all four feet are off the ground, and she’s smiling, with ears and tongue flying.
Collage of boxes of apples after unloading a large plastic bin that I will return tomorrow when I go play music there.
Soon, “our” three deer came for dinner – mama and her twin fawns from last year. They are our “familiars” and co-exist with our cats, dog, squirrel, songbirds, and pheasant. The “winter” coats are looking ragged, but thankfully, the little girl made it through.
Collage of Goldfinches in our front yard. Red finch on the far left. If you look forward to Saturday, you’ll see the close-ups John took with his 200mm lens. 
I wasn’t home long before we went back to town for a geology lecture at the new Science II building on campus. The Ellensburg Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute sponsored it, and the community is invited. At least 100 folks attended. We both thoroughly enjoyed our evening.
Introduction to the topic and speaker:
One of the most skittish ferals we are feeding comes in after the others finish. I managed to take his picture at the front door, in front of the wooden pallet protecting the dry food from the deer. He has been around in the shadows for months, but we thought it was a female, and called “her” Sally. Now that he has come closer for canned food, we realized he is a male. So, he became known as Salazar. He still runs when we open the door, but he has learned to come to the front porch for his vittles morning and night. 
This photo came from Cindi Crawford Ackerlund, who works for the WSDOT and took it for me, after my request last week for one of the Elk warning signs along I-90 from Vantage to Ryegrass Summit. Go back and read last week’s blog to read the beginning and get the “rest of the story.” I put my request on the Facebook site, Community Connect Kittitas County. Amazing how requests can be fulfilled.
These lovely photos of clouds, morning sunrise, and fog show the wind turbines and the cell tower at the top of Ryegrass Summit on I-90. This is the top of the hill where the road starts down to the Columbia River, 10 miles away and 2,000 feet lower. That cell tower is the one we “lean toward” from our house, occasionally, to get reception on my cell phone. John’s rarely gets reception on our property. Upsets me when he is outside, and might want to call me, or vice versa.
Amy & Haley arriving in their Cajun attire, Bret setting up, and bringing a shaker for Haley to use, eating sweet cornbread, & butter with our Jambalaya, and Haley’s chair. 
Midway with music and Haley joining with the shaker, right was our last song, a sing-along with the audience on Jambalaya. Amy played the flute, penny whistle, and washboard (with thimbles).
If you want to experience the 39 minutes of entertainment, you can watch the video below.
Collage of some of the food brought: left top pork roast, beans, scalloped potatoes, fruit salad, rolls, Coleslaw, veggies & dip, Jello salad, decorated cupcakes that looked like real flowers.
John, Carla Kaatz, and Nancy
Mission Ridge – with a high point about 6,600 feet. 
Evie is the standing fiddler.
Evie & Peter Schuetz Dancing at Blue Agates Dance, 4-1-17
Lynn Davenport sent me the actual picture of ELK NEXT 10 MILES warning near Vantage. Even though it is blurry, it gives you the idea. I found the middle sign on the web, and the one on the right was sent to me by Bonnie Hartman in Kittitas. Now you have a picture of the type of sign I was describing above.
A few Colockum Elk with Columbia River in the background.
This one is a new one that we never included in the system before a few months ago. You can see the new package on the left and the dirty one on the right. We were able to buy a case at Ace Hardware at a decent and lower price than any other place in Ellensburg or Yakima. John vacuumed two of the other metal filters, and we left the two large ones (with better airflow) to be washed later. They have to be done one at a time running the cycle of the dishwasher.
On another stinky subject, John’s Letter to the Editor was published in the Daily Record today.
Saturday, Mar 25 
Angela Schillereff, Jeri Conklin, Kurt Conklin, Tim Schillereff, Scott Azevedo with Daisy (my Tre’). Shay Tre’ means the third Shay in our family of Brittanys. (Our first was Sirius Sashay; second was Cedaridge Legacy of Shay). Butt, the horse, is on the left.
Deanna at the line with Daisy; the breakaway in front of (behind judge Tim Schillereff’s horse). 
First, I had to make a stop at the grocery store, but then I drove home with a stopover for lunch and food pickup for my neighbors at the food bank soup kitchen. It was a nice meal, and I was hungry and ready to eat with my new tooth. We had Spanish rice, a choice of Burrito (I had ground beef – no Tofu, thank you), some tender corn niblets cooked with red peppers, cole slaw (Latin caulis “stem, stalk” + sla – “salad”, with carrots, a piece of chocolate layer cake with mocha crème filling, and milk.
John is jostling with the residents, wearing my Irish hat over his Nepalese wool hat. Gloria is my friend who was 91 in November.
Artist Haley (almost ~4) with Lee Kiesel ^ ^ ^ Lee with her gift.
Amy’s photo of the painting; mine of the backside of the frame.
Amy in her Irish decor, Haley, and Dustin Davison, background are residents, with a bunch not showing in this picture. We had two tables of players with some residents sitting with us.
John walked me out to the barn to see where there is some dry fire wood, which I will share tomorrow with a gal (the one who gave John his new leather wallet to replace his old torn up one). After that trip, we sat in the Crosstrek, turned on John’s cell phone, and figured how he could dial me from the car’s access to Bluetooth. I hope he tries it tomorrow instead of dialing on the phone. Then I hope he leaves it turned on, just in case there is an emergency and I have to call him. Unless it is on, while he drives, it would not interrupt the radio so he could answer on the steering wheel.
This was taken later in the week. The pieces were used in her girls’ bedrooms to make sleeping lofts with storage space. Perhaps something similar to those at this 
Olivia with Gloria . . . . . . . . . Olivia with Nancy
John demoing the Tony Little Gazelle in front of the 3-sided shed.
To the left of Starr Ranch is Double Diamond – they have one layer boxes of Honey Crisp apples at 10 pounds for $10. For the largest apples, you get only 9, and some of those weigh about 20 ounces. 
including a boxed one (from a Bi-Mart sale about 15 years ago) and the green one the box is leaning against.
Those pants are navy blue with a white and red stripe down the side of each leg.
Two tables of food donated by the attendees. This I took before more food arrived and before the main dish and salad were on the end of the left table. You can see that below.
Erica serves Mac & Cheese, Alice serves salad, John grabs a brownie & cookie for dessert, with one of 3 tables showing behind him; some individual pizzas arrived on the main table as well as more cookies with the desserts. The plate on the right is colorful.
I’m holding a celebratory bottle of White Heron 
John’s celebration of bringing home a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek. Subaru calls ones with a hatch for the cargo space a “5-door.” The Crosstrek is smaller than the Outback and Forester, gets slightly better mpg of gasoline, and is less pricey. The “sky blue” color is officially named Hyper Blue Pearl. Their Impreza comes in a similar color called Island Blue Pearl, but we think you would have to park them side-by-side to see the difference. 
I wanted to take this photo to show the snow (March 4th) and blue sky that matches the car’s fancily named color. The bucket hat’s color is similar and the jeans are – as usual – dirty. 
John was driving and I took this looking southwest, across in front of him.
We are happy she is back with the program. 
Today, I went to the senior violin recital for Laina Brown at noon. She has been playing with our group at assisted-living homes. She is a student at CWU and the teacher of our other latest joining violinist, Evie Scheutz. Below is the invitation she handed everyone in the group when we played two weeks ago at the Meadows Place here in town. At the end of our group’s playing, she performed a solo of a complicated piece of music that will be in part of her recital (it is the second song below, captured on video). Listen for the “harmonics” (a very high pitched octave above the string it’s played on by barely touching the string). The residents and we were excited by her sharing her talents.
Laina’s invitation and her performance program today. Dr. Duane Funderburk was her pianist. I’m in the process of contacting him to find out if he is kin to the Geography professor at Central almost 50 years ago, Dr. Robert S. Funderburk. 
Matt and Laina Brown, 2-25-17
Upper left shows gate & walkway before and after, on 2/15 and 2/16. Lower left shows the gate entrance only, on the same 2 days. Right photo shows the whole picture on Friday, 2/17 with cleared walkway, cleared stairs, opened gate, and drain to the street.
Here we are at the forum. Tim Roth, is at the lower right with Pat married to Richard, who is in another picture I took, middle bottom photo is Kathy Grapes, Ada Perry (mom of one of my students from long ago, whose 90th birthday party Gloria & I attended with Sandra), Sandra Zech, and Dee Grapes, top middle is the meal we were served, and top right is John with Carla Kaatz. I taught for years with her husband Marty. He has passed across the rainbow bridge. We are planning to celebrate her 90th birthday in an April party that her family is holding in her honor.
Deidra & Lee (Lee is the main organizer of our events each month, and usually makes the soup, salads, and desserts). This month she had help on making the soup from Jo Ellen (middle). The right shot is the main buffet, and the desserts were on the counter with the soup in front of the gals on the left. Several different things are prepared and donated by the residents who come to enjoy our music and the meal. The timing of this interferes with both lunch and supper of a normal schedule. John comes along about twice each year, but the rest of the times he has to adjust meals at home to accommodate my eating at Briarwood at 3 PM.
Left is from > a week ago. Then missing are the 5-gallon bucket filled with gravel on this side and snow shovel and push broom to keep the deer from reaching under and eating the cat food. Right is the new framed structure, but still needs another piece or two, on the sides. With the bucket of gravel and shovel gone, they still could reach in and mess with the container. Not as much food was missing as previously has been. We want only the four cats and not the deer or the dog to be able to get in there. John is waiting for a nice day to hunt for a board, cut it, and nail pieces in place.
Actual temperature was about 40°F.
John early cleaning snow from my rig, about 9:00 a.m.
Our new primary care physician, Dr. Norman Wood, D.O. That is a different form of a Medical Doctor, which appears on the web to be similar, but without specialization, rather being concerned with the whole body’s skeleton and relationships to organs, nerves, muscles, the whole picture merged with attitude and activities of the person (my translation). If you search on Doctor of Osteopathy, you can find a lot of information. Here is part of the introduction we received from the Clinic (now a unit of the local hospital).
Evelyn and I listening to the children introducing themselves.
Bob, Evelyn, and I playing Oh! Susanna. I was wearing my Washington Old Time fiddlers hat. 
Claire’s introduction (pink cards in her hand for later). Part of the crowd being served. John and I are at the far end of the middle table. After dinner, we watched a very nice presentation on the big screen, made by Jim Gylling – including videos of and by each of the three specifically to be shown at the fundraiser dinner. He and his wife, Patti, had put on the dinner and program again this year. Last year, their son was one of three recipients of a $1,000 scholarship. 
Travis reported about his studies in the Department of Aviation at the Univ. of North Dakota, even taking us up in a Cessna and a Piper (I think). Going through all his books and equipment was instructive. They reported via video from their respective universities – Holly at the Univ. of Idaho studying civil engineering (and enjoying mathematics classes, such as Differential Equations), and Kimberly at Creighton University, a private school in Omaha, NB, majoring in English and related topics (philosophy, ethics, ?). They all did a fantastic job of thanking the Grange members. 
Many people had left and we were visiting and waiting for the parking lot to clear so John could retrieve the car and pick me up. We visited with Joy Rucker and her mom, Babs Ballard.
This was the scene at 5:15 p.m. when we arrived from the east on Ballard Hill. People were coming out of the parking lot to park on the road. We stopped uphill from the driveway. I got out and John parked the car close to the edge. Then we walked down the snow-covered road, up the driveway, and to the front door (right of the steeple, back ~ 3/4 of the building. There is a parking lot in front and behind the building, with a smaller one at the entrance (left above). 
Note the car on the far right – that is about where we parked in the snow and walked. 
I need to fix the card to send to Dr. Sharma. I am going to put Charlie’s picture playing guitar in our group, mine with violin at Veteran’s Day by flag at AAC, and mine with Ted Leber and Santa Claus at the AAC, with a thank you for performing our open-heart surgeries and wish him well on his recovery (from open-heart surgery). I have been alternating with blog work and washing dishes. John’s been outside some today, feeding animals and moving (not much) snow.
